Multiword expressions in an LFG grammar for Norwegian

This chapter describes the analysis of multiword expressions in NorGram, an LFG grammar of Norwegian. All multiword expressions need to be accounted for in the lexicon, but in different ways depending on the flexibility of the expression. Each multiword expression is provided with a lexical entry that has a special predicate name incorporating the lexical items that the multiword consists of and that specifies the argument structure of the predicate. In this way, analyses are provided for a wide range of multiword types, including fixed expressions, phrasal verbs, verbal idioms, and others.publishedVersio

Simulation of 3D Porous Media Flows with Application to Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

A 3D lattice Boltzmann (LB) model with twenty-seven discrete velocities is presented and used for the simulation of three-dimensional porous media flows. Its accuracy in combination with the half-way bounce back boundary condition is assessed. Characteristic properties of the gas diffusion layers that are used in polymer electrolyte fuel cells can be determined with this model. Simulation in samples that have been obtained via X-ray tomographic microscopy, allows to estimate the values of permeability and relative effective diffusivity. Furthermore, the computational LB results are compared with the results of other numerical tools, as well as with experimental value

Uncertainty modelling in multi-criteria analysis of water safety measures

Water utilities must assess risks and make decisions on safety measures in order to obtain a safe and sustainable drinking water supply. The World Health Organization emphasises preparation of Water Safety Plans, in which risk ranking by means of risk matrices with discretised probability and consequence scales is commonly used. Risk ranking enables prioritisation of risks but there is currently no common and structured way of performing uncertainty analysis and using risk ranking for evaluating and comparing water safety measures. To enable a proper prioritisation of safety measures and an efficient use of available resources for risk reduction, two alternative models linking risk ranking and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) are presented and evaluated. The two models specifically enable uncertainty modelling in MCDA and they differ in terms of how uncertainties in risk levels are considered. The need of formal handling of risk and uncertainty in MCDA is emphasised in the literature and the suggested models provide innovations that are not dependent on the application domain. In the case study application presented here, possible safety measures are evaluated based on the benefit of estimated risk reduction, the cost of implementation and the probability of not achieving an acceptable risk level. Additional criteria such as environmental impact and consumer trust may also be included when applying the models. The case study shows how safety measures can be ranked based on preference scores or cost-effectiveness and how measures not reducing the risk enough can be identified and disqualified. Furthermore, the probability of each safety measure being ranked highest can be calculated. The two models provide a stepwise procedure for prioritising safety measures and enable a formalised handling of uncertainties in input data and results

Design and implementation of an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement

The optimised design and reliable measurement of surface texture are essential to guarantee the functional performance of a geometric product. Current support tools are however often limited in functionality, integrity and efficiency. In this paper, an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement, called “CatSurf”, has been designed and developed, which aims to facilitate rapid and flexible manufacturing requirements. A category theory based knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation mechanism has been devised to retrieve and organize knowledge from various Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) documents in surface texture. Two modules (for profile and areal surface texture) each with five components are developed in the CatSurf. It also focuses on integrating the surface texture information into a Computer-aided Technology (CAx) framework. Two test cases demonstrate design process of specifications for the profile and areal surface texture in AutoCAD and SolidWorks environments respectively

Interobserver agreement for neonatal seizure detection using multichannel EEG

Objective To determine the interobserver agreement (IOA) of neonatal seizure detection using the gold standard of conventional, multichannel EEG. Methods A cohort of full-term neonates at risk of acute encephalopathy was included in this prospective study. The EEG recordings of these neonates were independently reviewed for seizures by three international experts. The IOA was estimated using statistical measures including Fleiss' kappa and percentage agreement assessed over seizure events (event basis) and seizure duration (temporal basis). Results A total of 4066 h of EEG recordings from 70 neonates were reviewed with an average of 2555 seizures detected. The IOA was high with temporal assessment resulting in a kappa of 0.827 (95% CI: 0.769–0.865; n = 70). The median agreement was 83.0% (interquartile range [IQR]: 76.6–89.5%; n = 33) for seizure and 99.7% (IQR: 98.9–99.8%; n = 70) for nonseizure EEG. Analysis of events showed a median agreement of 83.0% (IQR: 72.9–86.6%; n = 33) for seizures with 0.018 disagreements per hour (IQR: 0.000–0.090 per hour; n = 70). Observers were more likely to disagree when a seizure was less than 30 sec. Overall, 33 neonates were diagnosed with seizures and 28 neonates were not, by all three observers. Of the remaining nine neonates with contradictory EEG detections, seven presented with low total seizure burden. Interpretation The IOA is high among experts for the detection of neonatal seizures using conventional, multichannel EEG. Agreement is reduced when seizures are rare or have short duration. These findings support EEG-based decision making in the neonatal intensive care unit, inform EEG interpretation guidelines, and provide benchmarks for seizure detection algorithms.Peer reviewe

Evaluation of a Commercial Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the Determination of the Neurotoxin BMAA in Surface Waters

The neurotoxin ß-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is suspected to play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Because BMAA seems to be produced by cyanobacteria, surface waters are screened for BMAA. However, reliable analysis of BMAA requires specialized and expensive equipment. In 2012, a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for determination of BMAA in surface waters was released. This kit could enable fast and relatively cheap screening of surface waters for BMAA. The objective of this study was to determine whether the BMAA ELISA kit was suitable for the determination of BMAA concentrations in surface waters. We hypothesised that the recovery of spiked samples was close to 100% and that the results of unspiked sample analysis were comparable between ELISA and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. However, we found that recovery was higher than 100% in most spiked samples, highest determined recovery was over 400%. Furthermore, the ELISA gave a positive signal for nearly each tested sample while no BMAA could be detected by LC-MS/MS. We therefore conclude that in its current state, the kit is not suitable for screening surface waters for BMAA

Molecular Dynamics Study of Bamboo-like Carbon Nanotube Nucleation

MD simulations based on an empirical potential energy surface were used to study the nucleation of bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (BCNTs). The simulations reveal that inner walls of the bamboo structure start to nucleate at the junction between the outer nanotube wall and the catalyst particle. In agreement with experimental results, the simulations show that BCNTs nucleate at higher dissolved carbon concentrations (i.e., feedstock pressures) than those where non-bamboolike carbon nanotubes are nucleated