Knowledge based system development as an engineering process

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Knowledge Based System (KBS) development is a difficult and challenging task, in particular in knowledge intensive domains. The traditional view of knowledge engineering is one of mining experts' knowledge and somehow transforming it into a machine usable form. This process, in general, suffers from insufficient or misconstrued representation of experts' problem solving behaviour. It is also unstructured and unduly biased at an early stage by design and implementation issues - normally in the form of incremental prototyping. We believe that both knowledge acquisition and KBS development for real life applications will require a 'structured' approach. This approach should harness a KBS developer's ability in extracting knowledge and developing systems. The structure should also be sufficiently flexible to allow the knowledge engineer to use his sense of creativity in developing a KBS. This thesis puts forward such a structured approach, in which KBS development is carried out in an engineering fashion. A process in which the worker is provided with an environment for developing knowledge based systems as an engineering process, as opposed to that of an artform or crafting. The main emphasis of this work is that part of the process which deals with the analysis and design phases in developing KBS. The analysis is performed at an 'epistemological' level, not coloured by design or implementation issues. The output of this phase captures both an expert's problem solving capability, and the business constraints placed upon the intended system. This is then used by the design process in order to create an optimal, workable, and elegant design architecture for the ultimate system.Commission for the European Communities' ESPRIT programme (Project Number 1098

Comparison of the social status of men and women after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

زمینه و هدف: با ارزیابی وضعیت اجتماعی و شناسایی تفاوت های مردان و زنان پس از جراحی می توان دوران بهبودی پس از عمل را تسریع نمود؛ لذا این مطالعه با هدف ارزیابی وضعیت اجتماعی بیماران زن و مرد پس از ترخیص از بیمارستان بعد از بای پاس عروق کرونر انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی مقایسه ای که از نوع طولی و آینده نگر بود تعداد 125 نفر شامل 94 مرد و 31 زن به روش نمونه گیری غیر احتمالی آسان و تداومی از لیست بیمارانی که در مرکز شهید چمران اصفهان تحت عمل جراحی عروق کرونر قرار گرفته و دارای پرونده بهداشتی بودند و 12 هفته پس از ترخیص یعنی فاز زودرس بهبودی خود را در منزل می گذراندند انتخاب شدند. روش گردآوری داده ها، بررسی پرونده پزشکی و مصاحبه حضوری بیماران و ابزار جمع آوری اطلاعات پرسشنامه حاوی مشخصات فردی، سوابق بیماری وضعیت اجتماعی بود. یافته ها: میانگین سنی بیماران در دو جنس اختلاف معنی داری نشان نداد (05/

Wetting Behavior of Molten Ag Nanodroplet on the Cu Substrate

The main objective of this investigation was to study spreading of Silver (Ag) nanodroplet on the Cooper (Cu) surface by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. The quantum Sutton-Chen (Q-SC) many body potential was used to calculate cohesive energy as well as force experienced by every atoms. The temperature and pressure of nanodroplet were controlled by Nose-Hoover thermostat and Berendsen barostat respectively. The effect of nanodroplet size on the wetting and contact angle of silver nanodroplet on a copper solid surface was calculated by changing the number of atoms within the nanodroplet. By varying the cooling rate during spreading of nanodroplet, it was found that decreasing the cooling rate decreases the contact angle of nanodroplet, and it spreads better on the copper surface. Also, increasing initial temperature of nanodroplet decreased the contact angle. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3533

Antimicrobial effects of folk medicinal plants from the North of Iran against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background: Medicinal plants have been used traditionally in Golestan province (north of Iran), against Mycobacterium tuberculosis or the clinical signs of tuberculosis (TB). Objectives: This study aimed to define the inhibitory effects of ethanolic extracts of six of these medicinal plants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Peganum harmala (seed extract), Punica granatum (peel extract), Digitalis sp. (leaf extract), fruit extract of Citrus lemon, Rosa canina and Berberis vulgaris were extracted in ethanol and their activity against M. tuberculosis isolates were determined by the agar diffusion method. The zone of inhibition (at 200 to 1.6 mg/mL) was measured and the results were compared with isoniazid and rifampin as standard positive controls. Also the concentration of vitamin C of each the extracts was evaluated. Results: The ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala seed and Punica granatum peel exhibited potential activity against all M. tuberculosis isolates with mean inhibitory zone of 18.7 and 18.8 mm, at 200 mg/mL concentration. The mean inhibitory zone around isoniazid and rifampinwere 19.2 and 18.8 mm. Ethanolic extract of Citrus lemon showed moderate inhibitory activity only against sensitive (non MDR; non multi drug resistant) strains of M. tuberculosis, and Digitalis sp. showed inhibitory effects on five isolates. Ascorbic acid content was 43.3 mg/dL in Punica granatum and Digitalis sp. and only 9.1 mg/dL in ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala. Conclusions: The highest content of vitamin C was observed in the extract of Punica granatum, which was observed to be highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while the P. harmala must have contained other phytochemical constituents that contributed to the anti-tuberculosis effects of this plant. Our findings showed that ethanolic extracts of P. granatum and P. harmala had anti-TB effects comparable to isoniazid and rifampin and can be good candidates for novel and safe natural products against tuberculosis. © 2015, Pediatric Infections Research Center

Острый холецистит как первое проявление первичного плоскоклеточного рака желчного пузыря: клинический случай

Background. SCC of the gallbladder is characterized by more rapid and invasive growth with infiltration of the adjacent organs and less spread to the lymph nodes compared to adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder. It is a rare neoplasm that accounts for 1.4–12.7 % of gallbladder tumors. SCC of the gallbladder has a poor prognosis. symptoms usually appear later when the disease has progressed and the malignancy has reached advanced stages. therefore, usually, the patients expire soon following the diagnosis. the etiology of the SCC of the gallbladder is complex and is mostly associated with gallstones. Case description. We report a case of a 56-year-old man that had been suffering from colicky abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant for about two weeks before his admission. He did not have nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, fever, lack of appetite, or weight loss. after evaluation, a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was established and antibiotic therapy was initiated. However, he did not respond to medical therapy and underwent surgery. A tumor mass was detected during surgery. therefore, cholecystectomy and extended right hepatectomy were performed. The pathological evaluation of the biopsy specimen revealed squamous cell carcinoma. consequently, he underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy and was followed up for two years. He acquired complete tumor remission. Conclusion. The present case highlights the requirement of considering further investigation on the histogenesis of SCC of the gallbladder.Актуальность. По сравнению с аденокарциномой плоскоклеточный рак желчного пузыря (ПРЖП) характеризуется более быстрым и инвазивным ростом с инфильтрацией соседних органов и более редким поражением лимфатических узлов. Это редкое новообразование, на долю которого приходится 1,4–12,7 % опухолей желчного пузыря. ПРЖП имеет плохой прогноз. Симптомы обычно появляются на поздних стадиях заболевания, в связи в чем пациенты часто умирают вскоре после постановки диагноза. Этиология ПРЖП сложная и в основном связана с наличием конкрементов в желчном пузыре. Описание случая. Пациент, 56 лет, поступил в стационар с жалобами на коликообразные боли в правом подреберье, которые возникли примерно за 2 нед до госпитализации; тошноты, рвоты, одышки, лихорадки, отсутствия аппетита или потери веса не отмечал. После обследования установлен диагноз острого холецистита и начата антибактериальная терапия, которая не дала положительных результатов, и пациенту была выполнена операция, при ревизии обнаружена опухоль желчного пузыря, что явилось показанием для холецистэктомии и расширенной правосторонней гемигепатэктомии. При гистологическом исследовании биопсийного материала выявлен плоскоклеточный рак. После операции назначена лучевая терапия и химиотерапия. При динамическом наблюдении в течение 2 лет отмечается полная ремиссия опухоли. Заключение. Представленный клинический случай подчеркивает необходимость дальнейшего изучения гистогенеза плоскоклеточного рака желчного пузыря

Using Recorded Earthquake Signals for Dynamic Analysis of Masjed Soleiman Embankment Dam

There is a worldwide interest in the proper seismic design of embankment dams in high seismic hazard zones. The seismic behavior of embankment dams can be evaluated by in-situ dynamic tests (such as processing recorded earthquake signals on dam body), experimental methods (i.e. experiments using large shaking table, centrifuge tests) and numerical methods Using recorded earthquake signals on dam body is a powerful tool for researchers for dynamic analysis of embankment dams. In this research, recorded accelerograms are used to dynamic analysis of Masjed Soleiman embankment dam, the highest rockfill dam in Iran. Using recorded earthquake signals in the basement of the dam as input excitation, dynamic analysis of the dam body was also performed and the results of the numerical modeling was compared with recorded earthquake signals on the dam body. The calculated responses are compared with recorded accelerograms on mid-height and crest of the dam. In comparison, the modern signal processing method, Time-Frequency Distribution (TFD), is used. This comparison leads to more appropriate modeling of the dam body in earthquake loading condition. The results indicate that TFD results show that %20 to 30% mass foundations have closer results to the recorded earthquake signal

Histopathological changes induced by paraquat on some tissues of gourami fish (Trichogaster trichopterus)

Paraquat is a contact and non-selective herbicide which is used for controlling a wide range of terrestrial weeds and aquatic plants. A long-term contact with this xenobiotic can potentially lead to injuries in fishes as live non-target organisms. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of sub-lethal toxicity of paraquat on the pathology of gill, liver, and spleen tissues in gourami fish (Trichogaster trichopterus). In this study, sub-lethal concentration is determined based on lethal concentration (LC50 : 7.16±0.69, 4.46±0.43, 2.19±0.27 and 1.41±0.17 mg/l of paraquat within 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours, respectively). The experiment was done with four varied concentrations of paraquat (0.0, 0.07, 0.15, and 0.3 mg/l equal 0.0%, 5%, 10% and 20% of nominal value of 96 h LC50) during 3 weeks. The exposed fish displayed erratic swimming and became lethargic. The changes in gills were characterized by hypertrophy, epithelial, epithelium increase of gill filament, edema and secondary gill lamella. The liver showed hypotrophy of liver cells, cloudy swelling and formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles in the liver tissue of fish treated with 0.15 and 0.3 mg/l concentrations of paraquat. Disorder in the ellipsoid cell and hemosiderin accumulation in melano-macrophage centers was observed in the spleen tissue of fish exposed to 0.15 and 0.3 mg/l of paraquat

Convex hull ranking algorithm for multi-objective evolutionary algorithms

AbstractDue to many applications of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms in real world optimization problems, several studies have been done to improve these algorithms in recent years. Since most multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are based on the non-dominated principle, and their complexity depends on finding non-dominated fronts, this paper introduces a new method for ranking the solutions of an evolutionary algorithm’s population. First, we investigate the relation between the convex hull and non-dominated solutions, and discuss the complexity time of the convex hull and non-dominated sorting problems. Then, we use convex hull concepts to present a new ranking procedure for multi-objective evolutionary algorithms. The proposed algorithm is very suitable for convex multi-objective optimization problems. Finally, we apply this method as an alternative ranking procedure to NSGA-II for non-dominated comparisons, and test it using some benchmark problems