Multi-criteria de Novo programming with fuzzy parameters

AbstractA multiple criteria de Novo program with fuzzy parameters is developed based on the possibility concept of fuzzy set. This approach is much more flexible than the standard de Novo programming and allows the decision maker to choose his appropriate membership grades based on the risk factor he is willing to take. A numerical example is given to illustrate the approach

Actors, actions, and initiative in normative system specification

The logic of norms, called deontic logic, has been used to specify normative constraints for information systems. For example, one can specify in deontic logic the constraints that a book borrowed from a library should be returned within three weeks, and that if it is not returned, the library should send a reminder. Thus, the notion of obligation to perform an action arises naturally in system specification. Intuitively, deontic logic presupposes the concept of anactor who undertakes actions and is responsible for fulfilling obligations. However, the concept of an actor has not been formalized until now in deontic logic. We present a formalization in dynamic logic, which allows us to express the actor who initiates actions or choices. This is then combined with a formalization, presented earlier, of deontic logic in dynamic logic, which allows us to specify obligations, permissions, and prohibitions to perform an action. The addition of actors allows us to expresswho has the responsibility to perform an action. In addition to the application of the concept of an actor in deontic logic, we discuss two other applications of actors. First, we show how to generalize an approach taken up by De Nicola and Hennessy, who eliminate from CCS in favor of internal and external choice. We show that our generalization allows a more accurate specification of system behavior than is possible without it. Second, we show that actors can be used to resolve a long-standing paradox of deontic logic, called the paradox of free-choice permission. Towards the end of the paper, we discuss whether the concept of an actor can be combined with that of an object to formalize the concept of active objects

Applications and challenges for high resolution airborne surveys in populated areas

The role of high resolution airborne surveys is extending well beyond the traditional areas of mineral and hydrocarbons exploration and regional mapping, which were often focused on the relatively unpopulated and remote regions of the world. As an increasing proportion of the Earth’s surface is affected by human activity, airborne survey techniques are being adapted and applied to development-related issues in more populated areas. The value of radiometric and electromagnetic data (in particular) has been recognised for addressing a range of environmental issues and, more generally, airborne surveys are seen as an effective, non-invasive means of providing multiple development-related geoscience data sets in a single operation. These new applications present many operational, processing and interpretation challenges. This paper provides an overview of some of the issues addressed in this Special Session on ‘The role of high resolution airborne surveys in environmental monitoring and sustainable development of resources’

Minimizing Effective Many-Body Interactions

A simple two-level model is developed and used to test the properties of effective interactions for performing nuclear structure calculations in truncated model spaces. It is shown that the effective many-body interactions sensitively depend on the choice of the single-particle basis and they appear to be minimized when a self- consistent Hartree-Fock basis is used.Comment: (15 pages of text and 1 postscript figure (Figure available upon request), Preprint Number not assigned ye

Excessive gas exchange impairment during exercise in a subject with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and high altitude pulmonary edema

A 27-year-old male subject (V(O2 max)), 92% predicted) with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and a clinically documented case of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) was examined at rest and during exercise. Pulmonary function testing revealed a normal forced vital capacity (FVC, 98.1% predicted) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D(L(CO)), 91.2% predicted), but significant airway obstruction at rest [forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)), 66.5% predicted; forced expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (FEF(50)), 34.3% predicted; and FEV(1) /FVC 56.5%] that was not reversible with an inhaled bronchodilator. Gas exchange worsened from rest to exercise, with the alveolar to arterial P(O2) difference (AaD(O2)) increasing from 0 at rest to 41 mmHg at maximal normoxic exercise (VO(2) = 41.4 mL/kg/min) and from 11 to 31 mmHg at maximal hypoxic exercise (VO(2) = 21.9 mL/kg/min). Arterial P(O2) decreased to 67.8 and 29.9 mmHg at maximal normoxic and hypoxic exercise, respectively. These data indicate that our subject with a history of BPD is prone to a greater degree of exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia for a given VO(2) and F(I(O2)) than healthy age-matched controls, which may increase the subject's susceptibility to high altitude illness

Novel Synthesis and High Pressure Behavior of Na0.3CoO2 x 1.3 H2O and Related Phases

We have prepared powder samples of NaxCoO2 x yH2O using a new synthesis route. Superconductivity was observed in Na0.3CoO2 x 1.3H2O between 4 and 5K as indicated by the magnetic susceptibility. The bulk compressibilities of Na0.3CoO2 x 1.3H2O, Na0.3CoO2 x 0.6H2O and Na0.3CoO2 were determined using a diamond anvil cell and synchrotron powder diffraction. Chemical changes occurring under pressure when using different pressure transmitting media are discussed and further transport measurements are advocated.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, PRrapid submitte

A dynamic simulation model for possum and gorse control on a farm woodlot

Managers of farm woodlots in New Zealand are confronted by two major problems: possums and gorse. If these remain uncontrolled then they have a severe impact on the returns from farm woodlots. This paper presents a system dynamics model which has been developed to assist in the analysis of control measures for managing gorse and possums on a farm woodlot in the Makara Valley, Wellington. The model has four main sectors: a tree growth module for radiata pine; a growth module for gorse; a module for the stock of possums present in the habitat; and a module of financial indicators. A number of control experiments are presented which indicate the long term financial and physical consequences of different gorse and possum control measures. The model clearly demonstrates the complex nature of the dynamic behaviour of a system involving biological and environmental factors (ie possums, gorse and trees) and human intervention (in terms of silviculture, and possum and gorse control)

Direct Observation of a One Dimensional Static Spin Modulation in Insulating La1.95Sr0.05CuO4

We report the results of an extensive elastic neutron scattering study of the incommensurate (IC) static spin correlations in La1.95Sr0.05CuO4 which is an insulating spin glass at low temperatures. The present neutron scattering experiments on the same x=0.05 crystal employ a narrower instrumental Q-resolution and thereby have revealed that the crystal has only two orthorhombic twins at low temperatures with relative populations of 2:1. We find that, in a single twin, only two satellites are observed at (1, +/-0.064, L)(ortho) and (0, 1+/-0.064, L)(ortho), that is, the modulation vector is only along the orthorhombic b*-axis. This demonstrates unambiguously that La1.95Sr0.05CuO4 has a one-dimensional static diagonal spin modulation at low temperatures, consistent with certain stripe models. We have also reexamined the x=0.04 crystal that previously was reported to show a single commensurate peak. By mounting the sample in the (H, K, 0) zone, we have discovered that the x=0.04 sample in fact has the same IC structure as the $x=0.05$ sample. The incommensurability parameter d for x=0.04 and 0.05, where d is the distance from (1/2, 1/2) in tetragonal reciprocal lattice units, follows the linear relation d=x. These results demonstrate that the insulator to superconductor transition in the under doped regime (0.05 </= x </= 0.06) in La2-xSrxCuO4 is coincident with a transition from diagonal to collinear static stripes at low temperatures thereby evincing the intimate coupling between the one dimensional spin density modulation and the superconductivity.Comment: 9 pages 8 figure

Competitively tight graphs

The competition graph of a digraph $D$ is a (simple undirected) graph which has the same vertex set as $D$ and has an edge between two distinct vertices $x$ and $y$ if and only if there exists a vertex $v$ in $D$ such that $(x,v)$ and $(y,v)$ are arcs of $D$. For any graph $G$, $G$ together with sufficiently many isolated vertices is the competition graph of some acyclic digraph. The competition number $k(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the smallest number of such isolated vertices. Computing the competition number of a graph is an NP-hard problem in general and has been one of the important research problems in the study of competition graphs. Opsut [1982] showed that the competition number of a graph $G$ is related to the edge clique cover number $\theta_E(G)$ of the graph $G$ via $\theta_E(G)-|V(G)|+2 \leq k(G) \leq \theta_E(G)$. We first show that for any positive integer $m$ satisfying $2 \leq m \leq |V(G)|$, there exists a graph $G$ with $k(G)=\theta_E(G)-|V(G)|+m$ and characterize a graph $G$ satisfying $k(G)=\theta_E(G)$. We then focus on what we call \emph{competitively tight graphs} $G$ which satisfy the lower bound, i.e., $k(G)=\theta_E(G)-|V(G)|+2$. We completely characterize the competitively tight graphs having at most two triangles. In addition, we provide a new upper bound for the competition number of a graph from which we derive a sufficient condition and a necessary condition for a graph to be competitively tight.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure