Winnowing ontologies based on application use

The requirements of specific applications and services are often over estimated when ontologies are reused or built. This sometimes results in many ontologies being too large for their intended purposes. It is not uncommon that when applications and services are deployed over an ontology, only a few parts of the ontology are queried and used. Identifying which parts of an ontology are being used could be helpful to winnow the ontology, i.e., simplify or shrink the ontology to smaller, more fit for purpose size. Some approaches to handle this problem have already been suggested in the literature. However, none of that work showed how ontology-based applications can be used in the ontology-resizing process, or how they might be affected by it. This paper presents a study on the use of the AKT Reference Ontology by a number of applications and services,and investigates the possibility of relying on this usage information to winnow that ontology

An Infrastructure for acquiring high quality semantic metadata

Because metadata that underlies semantic web applications is gathered from distributed and heterogeneous data sources, it is important to ensure its quality (i.e., reduce duplicates, spelling errors, ambiguities). However, current infrastructures that acquire and integrate semantic data have only marginally addressed the issue of metadata quality. In this paper we present our metadata acquisition infrastructure, ASDI, which pays special attention to ensuring that high quality metadata is derived. Central to the architecture of ASDI is a erification engine that relies on several semantic web tools to check the quality of the derived data. We tested our prototype in the context of building a semantic web portal for our lab, KMi. An experimental evaluation omparing the automatically extracted data against manual annotations indicates that the verification engine enhances the quality of the extracted semantic metadata

PowerAqua: fishing the semantic web

The Semantic Web (SW) offers an opportunity to develop novel, sophisticated forms of question answering (QA). Specifically, the availability of distributed semantic markup on a large scale opens the way to QA systems which can make use of such semantic information to provide precise, formally derived answers to questions. At the same time the distributed, heterogeneous, large-scale nature of the semantic information introduces significant challenges. In this paper we describe the design of a QA system, PowerAqua, designed to exploit semantic markup on the web to provide answers to questions posed in natural language. PowerAqua does not assume that the user has any prior information about the semantic resources. The system takes as input a natural language query, translates it into a set of logical queries, which are then answered by consulting and aggregating information derived from multiple heterogeneous semantic sources

Application of quasi-homogeneous anisotropic laminates in grid-stiffened panel design

Composite laminates are derived for standard configurations with quasi-homogeneous anisotropic properties, whereby in-plane and out-of-plane stiffness properties are concomitant. Dimensionless parameters, and their relationship to the well-known ply- orientation-dependent lamination parameters, are also developed from which the elements of the extensional and bending stiffness matrices are readily calculated for any fiber/resin properties. The definitive list of laminate configurations for up to 21 plies is presented, together with graphical representations of the lamination parameter design space for standard ply orientations +45, -45, 0 and 90 degrees. Finally, the potential of quasi-homogeneous anisotropic laminates as an optimum design solution for anisogid structures is explored for cases where buckling and strength constraints are both active

The 14-19 Diploma: partnering and piloting the agenda within Higher Education to enhance and inspire future learners

The following description is taken from the pdf of the conference programme. In collaboration with local schools consortia, professional practitioners and widening participation partners, this paper reflects on successful pilot workshops already held for the Creative and Media Diploma, and considers the vital role of higher education establishments in progressing and developing potential students for the future

A digital library for the University of York

The University of York has recently launched a project to set-up a multimedia repository service for the University?s research resources, both those produced out of and used within research. This project is being given a kick-start by funding from the JISC repositories and preservation programme start-up and enhancement strand, under the name SAFIR (Sound Archive Film Image Repository). Institutional repositories are growing in number within the UK and offer a variety of services, such as asset management, dissemination, preservation. For multimedia, research data and other resources, institutional-level stewardship is quite new. Often such resources are managed, or mismanaged, on a Departmental or personal level, or alternatively by large data centres and data archives. With the possible demise of the Arts and Humanities Data Service (AHDS), York is among institutions faced with a duty to find a safe, secure and long-term home for a large collection of image materials. We would like to submit a poster to Open Repositories 2008 to cover some of the challenges we face in building a repository for non-text resources

The Philosopher as Moral Activist: A Call for Ethical Caution in Publication

It is normal to think that philosophers’ first dedication is to the truth. Publishers and writers consider ideas and papers according to criteria such as originality, eloquence, interestingness, soundness, and plausibility. I suggest that moral consequence should play a greater role in our choices to publish when serious harm is at stake. One’s credence in a particular idea should be weighed against the potential consequences of the publication of one’s ideas both if one turns out to be right and if one turns out to be wrong. This activist approach to philosophical writing combines moral concern with epistemic humility

Tapered hygo-thermally curvature-stable laminates with non-standard ply orientations

Stacking sequence configurations for hygro-thermally curvature-stable (HTCS) laminates have recently been identified in nine unique classes of coupled laminate with standard ply angle orientations +45, −45, 0 and 90°. All arise from the judicious re-alignment of the principal material axis of laminate classes with Bending-Twisting and/or Bending-Extension and Twisting-Shearing coupling; where off-axis material alignment of these parent classes gives rise to distinctly different mechanical coupling behaviour. However, for standard ply angle orientations, HTCS solutions were found in only 8-, 12-, 16- and 20-ply laminates. This article considers non-standard ply angle orientations +60, −60, 0 and 90°, which lead to solutions in all ply number groupings for 10 plies and above, thus offering a possibility for ply terminations and hence tapered HTCS laminate designs

The Magic Mirror - The Fashionista's world-view (and the rest of humanity's)

In this lecture, LCF Visiting Professor Peter York, author, journalist and broadcaster, looks at the contrasting attitudes to fashion amongst: 'fashionistas' (i.e. fashion professionals - but particularly high-end fashion journalists), and the rest of humankind. He argues that 'fashionistas' are - most of them - "quite astonishingly different" from the rest of humankind. This is a function of: * their 'expert' role * their place in the fashion market process * their milieu * their 'wardrobe opportunities' * their aesthetic education. 'Fashionistas', quite literally, see the world differently and talk about clothes differently. This means their reporting of fashion brings different criteria to bear, most of which are unacknowledged. Key differences are: * (at least while they're working) fashionistas develop the tastes of extremely rich women, and are enabled to satisfy them * fashionista language develops its own codes, distorting the meanings of familiar words (e.g. 'sexy') and introducing others (e.g. 'directional'), which only work in fashionland. * a total inability to acknowledge the role of age, class, the workplace or any other real world factors in real women's fashion options. The rest of humanity (broadly women readers of fashion coverage) have lives. These lives, situations and finances shape their views of fashion and their choices. Their concerns and language are wonderfully different from those of most 'fashionistas'. The misunderstandings between these contrasting world-views are richly comic and deeply sad