Towards a decision-aware declarative process modeling language for knowledge-intensive processes

Modeling loosely framed and knowledge-intensive business processes with the currently available process modeling languages is very challenging. Some lack the flexibility to model this type of processes, while others are missing one or more-perspectives needed to add the necessary level of detail to the models. In this paper we have composed a list of requirements that a modeling language should fulfil in order to adequately support the modeling of this type of processes. Based on these requirements, a metamodel for a new modeling language was developed that satisfies them all. The new language, called DeciClare, incorporates parts of several existing modeling languages, integrating them with new solutions to requirements that had not yet been met, Deciclare is a declarative modeling language at its core, and therefore, can inherently deal with the flexibility required to model loosely framed processes. The complementary resource and data perspectives add the capability to reason about, respectively, resources and data values. The latter makes it possible to encapsulate the knowledge that governs the process flow by offering support for decision modeling. The abstract syntax of DeciClare has been implemented in the form of an Ecore model. Based on this implementation, the language-domain appropriateness of the language was validated by domain experts using the arm fracture case as application scenario. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Urban sprawl in Vlaanderen : ruimtelijke én financiële winsten door het investeren in anti urban sprawl maatregelen

Begin 2019 werd het onderzoek over monetarisering van urban sprawl in Vlaanderen afgerond. Dit onderzoek, geeft nieuwe inzichten in het voorkomen en de kostprijs van urban sprawl in Vlaanderen. De resultaten zijn niet verrassend, maar toch wel confronterend. 95% van de Vlamingen woont in een omgeving die wordt getypeerd als ‘urban sprawl’. Dit verspreid wonen heeft een kostprijs, zowel voor de individuele burger als voor de maatschappij. Deze kostprijs zal aanzienlijk toenemen indien we er niet in slagen om in de toekomst een beleid uit te rollen dat inzet op het verminderen van urban sprawl. In dit artikel worden de belangrijkste resultaten uit vergelijkende internationale onderzoeken over urban sprawl toegelicht. De situatie in Nederland en Vlaanderen (België) is voor heel wat indicatoren vergelijkbaar, maar op terrein toch verschillend. Voor Vlaanderen werd een ruimtelijke en monetaire analyse uitgevoerd naar het fenomeen van urban sprawl. Hierbij werden drie kostenposten in beeld gebracht: infrastructuur, mobiliteit en verlies aan ecosysteemdiensten. Als we in Vlaanderen doorgaan zoals vandaag zal dit onvermijdelijk leiden tot meer sprawl met meer kosten. Een anti-sprawlbeleid kan in totaal (doorrekening tot 2050) 25,6 miljard euro kosten besparen. De analyse kadert in de huidige discourshift die naar aanleiding van het klimaatdebat prominent is. Het oude maatschappelijk discours van “wat gaat dat allemaal kosten, wie gaat dat betalen en hebben we daar wel budget voor” maakt langzaam plaats voor een discours dat meer aandacht heeft voor een langetermijnperspectief en kan worden begrepen als “we moeten nu investeren om in de toekomst winst te maken of op zijn minst de verliezen te beperken.

Phytoextraction of phosphorus for ecological restoration: application of soil additives

The European Habitats Directive urges the European member states to take measures for maintaining and restoring natural habitats. In Flanders (Belgium) and the Netherlands, the surface area of nature reserves is intended to be enlarged with 38 000 ha and 150 000 ha, respectively, what is mainly to be realised on former agricultural land. In order to restore species rich nature habitats on former agricultural land, it is crucial to decrease the availability of nutrients and a limitation for plant growth by at least one nutrient should be ensured. The former fertilization of P in the agricultural context results in an immense P pool fixated to the soil and this is one of the main problems hindering the ecological restoration. We focus on an alternative restoration method, the phytoextraction of P, also P-mining. This is the deprivation of soil P with a crop with high P-use efficiency and non-P fertilization. This method allows the gradual transition from agricultural land use towards nature management. Up until now there have only been estimations of the P-mining duration time from the initial phase of the mining-process. In order to estimate the P-extraction over time the experiments take place on a soil-P-chronosequence. A controlled pot experiment was set up with soil from three former agricultural sites with different soil-P-levels, Lolium perenne was sown and chemical and biological compounds were added to enhance the bioavailability of P for plant-uptake. The additives used were two concentrations of humic acids, phosphorus solubilising bacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Largest effects of the soil additions on the biomass production were measured in the lowest soil-P-level. Limitation by P in the Mid and Low P soils was very pronounced. The phytoextraction of P will slow down with soil P level decreasing in time. The effect of the soil additions is discussed

A systematic review of pliance, tracking, and augmenting

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INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT OF MAGNETIC SHUNT PARAMETERS ON TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN TRANFORMER TANKS

A set of reduced order models are developed to validate finite element based calculation of temperature distribution in solid and laminated magnetic structures in transformers with high current carrying conductors. Model details, measured and calculated losses and temperature of the models are presented. Effect of magnetic shunt type and its alignment with respect to stray flux direction on temperature distribution in the reduced order model are analyzed. The magneto-thermal coupled field analysis methodology is applied to estimate the temperature distribution in Multi-Utility transformer, showed temperature higher than expected. Different cases of tank cover plate with electromagnetic shield , thicker magnetic shunts, and with non magnetic cover plate are analyzed to reduce the temperature. With the modified shunt arrangement, the transformer passed the test as temperature were reduced by 100˚C

The result of acute induced psychosocial stress on pain sensitivity and modulation in healthy people

Background: Pain can be influenced by several factors, including stress. Stress can have various reactions on pain. These reactions are influenced by several internal factors such as gender, age, and experience with stress or pain. Objectives: To determine the effect of acute stress on mechanical hyperalgesia (with pressure pain thresholds [PPT]), endogenous pain facilitation (measured by temporal summation [TS]), and inhibition (measured by conditioned pain modulation [CPM]) in healthy people and to determine which factors are responsible for this stress result. Study Design: Pre-posttest design. Setting: Healthy volunteers from Belgium. Methods: One hundred and one healthy pain-free patients underwent a modified Trier Social Stress Test. Prior and following the stress manipulation, PPT, TS, and CPM efficacy were determined in the mm. trapezius and quadriceps and overall. Furthermore, possible explanatory factors, such as fear of pain, pain catastrophizing, pain hypervigilance, and daily activity levels, were assessed using questionnaires. Results: We found a significant stress result on widespread pain sensitivity, with an increase of PPT (P 0.05), and a decrease in CPM efficacy (P < 0.001). Factors associated with the stress result were age, previous surgery, attentional focus on the conditioning stimulus during CPM, fear of pain, and daily activity levels. Limitations: The efficacy of the stress manipulation was not examined, and the lack of a control group prevented to examine a real stress-effect. Furthermore, no physiologic parameters were measured as possibly influencing internal factors for the stress-result. Conclusions: The increase in PPT was not a clinically significant change, whereas the decrease in CPM was meaningful. None of the factors predicted the stress result in all experimental pain measurements, and the predictions that were observed only explained a small proportion of the observed effects

INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT OF MAGNETIC SHUNT PARAMETERS ON TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN TRANFORMER TANKS

A set of reduced order models are developed to validate finite element based calculation of temperature distribution in solid and laminated magnetic structures in transformers with high current carrying conductors. Model details, measured and calculated losses and temperature of the models are presented. Effect of magnetic shunt type and its alignment with respect to stray flux direction on temperature distribution in the reduced order model are analyzed. The magneto-thermal coupled field analysis methodology is applied to estimate the temperature distribution in Multi-Utility transformer, showed temperature higher than expected. Different cases of tank cover plate with electromagnetic shield , thicker magnetic shunts, and with non magnetic cover plate are analyzed to reduce the temperature. With the modified shunt arrangement, the transformer passed the test as temperature were reduced by 100˚C