Knowledge-based systems and geological survey

This personal and pragmatic review of the philosophy underpinning methods of geological surveying suggests that important influences of information technology have yet to make their impact. Early approaches took existing systems as metaphors, retaining the separation of maps, map explanations and information archives, organised around map sheets of fixed boundaries, scale and content. But system design should look ahead: a computer-based knowledge system for the same purpose can be built around hierarchies of spatial objects and their relationships, with maps as one means of visualisation, and information types linked as hypermedia and integrated in mark-up languages. The system framework and ontology, derived from the general geoscience model, could support consistent representation of the underlying concepts and maintain reference information on object classes and their behaviour. Models of processes and historical configurations could clarify the reasoning at any level of object detail and introduce new concepts such as complex systems. The up-to-date interpretation might centre on spatial models, constructed with explicit geological reasoning and evaluation of uncertainties. Assuming (at a future time) full computer support, the field survey results could be collected in real time as a multimedia stream, hyperlinked to and interacting with the other parts of the system as appropriate. Throughout, the knowledge is seen as human knowledge, with interactive computer support for recording and storing the information and processing it by such means as interpolating, correlating, browsing, selecting, retrieving, manipulating, calculating, analysing, generalising, filtering, visualising and delivering the results. Responsibilities may have to be reconsidered for various aspects of the system, such as: field surveying; spatial models and interpretation; geological processes, past configurations and reasoning; standard setting, system framework and ontology maintenance; training; storage, preservation, and dissemination of digital records

Commentary on a British Geological Survey Computing Archive (1965-85)

An account of the emergence of computer methods in geology, as a background to a restricted archive of documents which chronicle their application in the British Geological Survey

Rapid killing of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) on surfaces using heat: application to luggage.

BackgroundThe resistance of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) to chemical insecticides has motivated the development of non-chemical control methods such as heat treatment. However, because bed bugs tend to hide in cracks or crevices, their behavior incidentally generates a thermally insulated microenvironment for themselves. Bed bugs located on the outer surface of luggage are less insulated and potentially more vulnerable to brief heat treatment.ResultsSoft-sided suitcases with adult male bed bugs on the outside were exposed to an air temperature of 70-75 °C. It took 6 min to kill all of the bed bugs, even those that had concealed themselves under zipper flaps or decorative piping. During heating, only one bed bug (out of 250 in total) moved into the luggage (through a closed zipper). Over long periods of time (24 h) at room temperature, adult male bed bugs on the exterior of luggage only infrequently moved inside; only 3% (5/170) had moved inside during 24 h.ConclusionsBrief exterior heat treatment of luggage is a promising way to reduce the spread of bed bugs being transported on the outer surface of luggage. This treatment will not kill bed bugs inside the luggage, but could be a component of integrated management for this pest. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry

Geoscience after IT: Part F. Familiarization with quantitative analysis

Numbers, measurement and calculation extend our view of the world. Statistical methods describe the properties of sets of quantitative data, and can test models (particularly the model that observed relationships arose by chance) and help us to draw conclusions. Links between spatial and quantitative methods, through coordinate geometry and matrix algebra, lead to graphical representations for visualizing and exploring relationships. Multivariate statistics tie into visualization to look at pattern among many properties

Nonseparability and squeezing of continuous polarization variables

The impact of the operator-valued commutator on nonclassical properties of continuous polarization variables is discussed. The definition of polarization squeezing is clarified to exclude those squeezed states which do not contain any new physics beyond quadrature squeezing. We present a consistent derivation of the general nonseparability criterion for the continuous variables with the operator-valued commutator, and apply it to the polarization variables.Comment: Replaced with revised version, more explanations included, Appendix adde

Item statistics derived from three-option versions of multiple-choice questions are usually as robust as four- or five-option versions: implications for exam design.

Different versions of multiple-choice exams were administered to an undergraduate class in human physiology as part of normal testing in the classroom. The goal was to evaluate whether the number of options (possible answers) per question influenced the effectiveness of this assessment. Three exams (each with three versions) were given to each of two sections during an academic quarter. All versions were equally long, with 30 questions: 10 questions with 3 options, 10 questions with 4, and 10 questions with 5 (always one correct answer plus distractors). Each question appeared in all three versions of an exam, with a different number of options in each version (three, four, or five). Discrimination (point biserial and upper-lower discrimination indexes) and difficulty were evaluated for each question. There was a small increase in difficulty (a lower average score on a question) when more options were provided. The upper-lower discrimination index indicated a small improvement in assessment of student learning with more options, although the point biserial did not. The total length of a question (number of words) was associated with a small increase in discrimination and difficulty, independent of the number of options. Quantitative questions were more likely to show an increase in discrimination with more options than nonquantitative questions, but this effect was very small. Therefore, for these testing conditions, there appears to be little advantage in providing more than three options per multiple-choice question, and there are disadvantages, such as needing more time for an exam

Perspectives on innovation within medium-sized firms in Wales

The Welsh economy is heading towards a post-Brexit future with historically lower levels of productivity continuing to leave the country lagging behind the UK average (Huggins and Williams, 2011; Welsh Government, 2017). An understanding of how new models of innovation are constructed and developed are then particularly important for policy makers and academia in Wales. As noted by Baughan (2015), innovation accounts for 25-50% of labour productivity growth

Chirality in optical trapping and optical binding

Optical trapping is a well-established technique that is increasingly used on biological substances and nanostructures. Chirality, the property of objects that differ from their mirror image, is also of significance in such fields, and a subject of much current interest. This review offers insight into the intertwining of these topics with a focus on the latest theory. Optical trapping of nanoscale objects involves forward Rayleigh scattering of light involving transition dipole moments; usually these dipoles are assumed to be electric although, in chiral studies, magnetic dipoles must also be considered. It is shown that a system combining optical trapping and chirality could be used to separate enantiomers. Attention is also given to optical binding, which involves light induced interactions between trapped particles. Interesting effects also arise when binding is combined with chirality