Algorithmic aspects of theory blending

In Cognitive Science, conceptual blending has been proposed as an important cognitive mechanism that facilitates the creation of new concepts and ideas by constrained combination of available knowledge. It thereby provides a possible theoretical foundation for modeling high-level cognitive faculties such as the ability to understand, learn, and create new concepts and theories. This paper describes a logic-based framework which allows a formal treatment of theory blending, discusses algorithmic aspects of blending within the framework, and provides an illustrating worked out example from mathematics

Peristaltic particle transport using the Lattice Boltzmann method

Peristaltic transport refers to a class of internal fluid flows where the periodic deformation of flexible containing walls elicits a non-negligible fluid motion. It is a mechanism used to transport fluid and immersed solid particles in a tube or channel when it is ineffective or impossible to impose a favorable pressure gradient or desirous to avoid contact between the transported mixture and mechanical moving parts. Peristaltic transport occurs in many physiological situations and has myriad industrial applications. We focus our study on the peristaltic transport of a macroscopic particle in a two-dimensional channel using the lattice Boltzmann method. We systematically investigate the effect of variation of the relevant dimensionless parameters of the system on the particle transport. We find, among other results, a case where an increase in Reynolds number can actually lead to a slight increase in particle transport, and a case where, as the wall deformation increases, the motion of the particle becomes non-negative only. We examine the particle behavior when the system exhibits the peculiar phenomenon of fluid trapping. Under these circumstances, the particle may itself become trapped where it is subsequently transported at the wave speed, which is the maximum possible transport in the absence of a favorable pressure gradient. Finally, we analyze how the particle presence affects stress, pressure, and dissipation in the fluid in hopes of determining preferred working conditions for peristaltic transport of shear-sensitive particles. We find that the levels of shear stress are most hazardous near the throat of the channel. We advise that shear-sensitive particles should be transported under conditions where trapping occurs as the particle is typically situated in a region of innocuous shear stress levels

Conversion of Uric Acid into Ammonium in Oil-Degrading Marine Microbial Communities: a Possible Role of Halomonads

Uric acid is a promising hydrophobic nitrogen source for biostimulation of microbial activities in oil-impacted marine environments. This study investigated metabolic processes and microbial community changes in a series of microcosms using sediment from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea amended with ammonium and uric acid. Respiration, emulsification, ammonium and protein concentration measurements suggested a rapid production of ammonium from uric acid accompanied by the development of microbial communities containing hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria after 3 weeks of incubation. About 80 % of uric acid was converted to ammonium within the first few days of the experiment. Microbial population dynamics were investigated by Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis and Illumina sequencing as well as by culture-based techniques. Resulting data indicated that strains related to Halomonas spp. converted uric acid into ammonium, which stimulated growth of microbial consortia dominated by Alcanivorax spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Several strains of Halomonas spp. were isolated on uric acid as the sole carbon source showed location specificity. These results point towards a possible role of halomonads in the conversion of uric acid to ammonium utilized by hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria

Theory blending: extended algorithmic aspects and examples

In Cognitive Science, conceptual blending has been proposed as an important cognitive mechanism that facilitates the creation of new concepts and ideas by constrained combination of available knowledge. It thereby provides a possible theoretical foundation for modeling high-level cognitive faculties such as the ability to understand, learn, and create new concepts and theories. Quite often the development of new mathematical theories and results is based on the combination of previously independent concepts, potentially even originating from distinct subareas of mathematics. Conceptual blending promises to offer a framework for modeling and re-creating this form of mathematical concept invention with computational means. This paper describes a logic-based framework which allows a formal treatment of theory blending (a subform of the general notion of conceptual blending with high relevance for applications in mathematics), discusses an interactive algorithm for blending within the framework, and provides several illustrating worked examples from mathematics

Diffusiophoretic Focusing of Suspended Colloids

Using a microfluidic system to impose and maintain controlled, steady-state multicomponent pH and electrolyte gradients, we present systems where the diffusiophoretic migration of suspended colloids leads them to focus at a particular position, even in steady-state gradients. We show that naively superpositing effects of each gradient may seem conceptually and qualitatively reasonable, yet is invalid due to the coupled transport of these multicomponent electrolytes. In fact, reformulating the classic theories in terms of the flux of each species (rather than local gradients) reveals rather stringent conditions that are necessary for diffusiophoretic focusing in steady gradients. Either particle surface properties must change as a function of local composition in solution (akin to isoelectric focusing in electrophoresis), or chemical reactions must occur between electrolyte species, for such focusing to be possible. The generality of these findings provides a conceptual picture for understanding, predicting, or designing diffusiophoretic systems