2,315 research outputs found
Using NLP tools in the specification phase
The software quality control is one of the main topics in the Software
Engineering area. To put the effort in the quality control during the
specification phase leads us to detect possible mistakes in an early
steps and, easily, to correct them before the design and implementation
steps start. In this framework the goal of SAREL system, a
knowledge-based system, is twofold. On one hand, to help software
engineers in the creation of quality Software Requirements
Specifications. On the other hand, to analyze the correspondence between
two different conceptual representations associated with two different
Software Requirements Specification documents.
For the first goal, a set of NLP and Knowledge management tools is
applied to obtain a conceptual representation that can be validated and
managed by the software engineer.
For the second goal we have established some correspondence measures in
order to get a comparison between two conceptual representations. This
information will be useful during the interaction.Postprint (published version
The Synonym management process in SAREL
The specification phase is one of the most important and least supported
parts of the software development process. The SAREL system has been
conceived as a knowledge-based tool to improve the specification phase.
The purpose of SAREL (Assistance System for Writing Software
Specifications in Natural Language) is to assist engineers in the
creation of software specifications written in Natural Language (NL).
These documents are divided into several parts. We can distinguish the
Introduction and the Overall Description as parts that should be used in
the Knowledge Base construction. The information contained in the
Specific Requirements Section corresponds to the information represented
in the Requirements Base. In order to obtain high-quality software
requirements specification the writing norms that define the linguistic
restrictions required and the software engineering constraints related
to the quality factors have been taken into account. One of the controls
performed is the lexical analysis that verifies the words belong to the
application domain lexicon which consists of the Required and the
Extended lexicon. In this sense a synonym management process is needed
in order to get a quality software specification. The aim of this paper
is to present the synonym management process performed during the
Knowledge Base construction. Such process makes use of the Spanish
Wordnet developed inside the Eurowordnet project. This process generates
both the Required lexicon and the Extended lexicon that will be used
during the Requirements Base construction.Postprint (published version
Perspectives in Neutrino Physics: Monochromatic Neutrino Beams
In the last few years spectacular results have been achieved with the
demonstration of non vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixing. The ultimate
goal is the understanding of the origin of these properties from new physics.
In this road, the last unknown mixing must be determined. If it is
proved to be non-zero, the possibility is open for Charge Conjugation-Parity
(CP) violation in the lepton sector. This will require precision experiments
with a very intense neutrino source. Here a novel method to create a
monochromatic neutrino beam, an old dream for neutrino physics, is proposed
based on the recent discovery of nuclei that decay fast through electron
capture. Such nuclei will generate a monochromatic directional neutrino beam
when decaying at high energy in a storage ring with long straight sections. We
also show that the capacity of such a facility to discover new physics is
impressive, so that fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision
measurements of the oscillation parameters even for a mixing as
small as 1 degree. We can thus open a window to the discovery of CP violation
in neutrino oscillations.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures. Contribution to the proceedings of GUSTAVOFEST -
Symposium in Honour of Gustavo C. Branco: CP Violation and the Flavour
Puzzle, Lisbon, Portugal, 19-20 July 200
Physics Reach with a Monochromatic Neutrino Beam from Electron Capture
Neutrino oscillation experiments from different sources have demonstrated
non-vanishing neutrino masses and flavour mixings. The next experiments have to
address the determination of the connecting mixing U(e3) and the existence of
the CP violating phase. Whereas U(e3) measures the strength of the oscillation
probability in appearance experiments, the CP phase acts as a phase-shift in
the interference pattern. Here we propose to separate these two parameters by
energy dependence, using the novel idea of a monochromatic neutrino beam
facility based on the acceleration of ions that decay fast through electron
capture. Fine tuning of the boosted neutrino energy allows precision
measurements able to open a window for the discovery of CP violation, even for
a mixing as small as 1 degree.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Talk given at the International Europhysics
Conference on High Energy Physics, HEP-EPS 2005, Lisbon, Portugal, July
21-27, 200
Sports foods and dietary supplements for optimal function and performance enhancement in track and field athletes
Numerous nutritional products are marketed with claims of optimizing athlete health and function and/or enhancing performance. Products that fall under the banner of “Sports Foods” or “Dietary Supplements,” may be used to support performance during training and competition or for enhancing aspects of training adaptation, recovery, immune function, and/or overall athlete health. Effective marketing campaigns and athlete endorsements may convince us that certain sports foods and supplements are fundamental in allowing athletes to reach their sporting goals. However, this approach is naive in understanding the true foundations of athlete success, such as the inherent genetic predisposition for athletic characteristics, the many hours of well-structured/periodized training, appropriate underlying nutrition, adequate sleep and recovery, and of course, good overall physical and mental health. Nevertheless, if these variables are all accounted for, there may be a role for sports foods and dietary supplements in an athlete’s training and competition routine, particularly within elite sport where marginal performance gains are pursued. The following review presents general considerations for track-and-field athletes using sports foods and dietary supplements to enhance performance, in addition to exploring the potential therapeutic/prophylactic use of these nutritional aids
Physics Potential of the SPL Super Beam
Performances of a neutrino beam generated by the CERN SPL proton driver are
computed considering a 440 kton water Cerenkov detector at 130 km from the
target. sensitivity down to and a
sensitivity comparable to a Neutrino Factory, for ,
are within the reach of such a project.Comment: Invited talk at the Nufact02 Workshop, Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, London, July 200
High density culturing of porcine hepatocytes immobilized on nonwoven polyurethane-based biomatrices
Objective: Hepatocytes are increasingly used as functional units in bioartificial liver devices. The objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of culturing porcine hepatocytes in high density on a novel polyurethane-based nonwoven three-dimensional matrix. We investigated (1) the optimal cell density within this culture configuration, (2) the maintenance of liver-specific morphology and cell functions over long-term periods and (3) the necessity to apply an additional extracellular matrix component (collagen gel). Methods: Nonwoven polyurethane matrices were manufactured by a specially developed fiber extrusion technology. Pig hepatocytes were cultured at various cell densities of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2 x 10(6) cells/cm(2) on three-dimensional networks of nonwoven polyurethane matrices and cell adhesion as well as functional parameters (DNA of nonattached/attached cells, lactate dehydrogenase release and cytochrome P450 activity) were determined. To assess the performance of cells within this configuration albumin and urea excretion was measured over 8 days. The potentially beneficial effect of an additional extracellular matrix configuration was evaluated by comparing the average albumin synthesis in groups of identical cell numbers. Results: The optimal cell density in this three-dimensional culture configuration was 1 x 10(6) cells/cm(2). The functional capacity of hepatocytes was stable for 8 days at an average level of 53.7 +/- 5.6 ng/h/mug DNA and of 1.8 +/- 0.14 mug/h/mug DNA for albumin and urea excretion, respectively. The supplementation of an extracellular matrix configuration did not improve functional activity of cells. Average albumin synthesis was 35.6 ng/h/mug DNA (28.7, 42.8) and 32.7 ng/h/mug DNA (23.4, 49.2) for collagen-immobilized and control cultures, respectively, Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that nonwoven polyurethane sheets supply a biocompatible support structure for functionally active high density cultures. Thus, nonwoven polyurethane matrices should be further investigated on with respect to their role in the development, optimization and design of bioartificial liver systems. Copyright (C) 2001 S.Karger AG, Basel
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