43 resultados para MBA Programs


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This paper presents a new programming methodology for introducing and tuning parallelism in Erlang programs, using source-level code refactoring from sequential source programs to parallel programs written using our skeleton library, Skel. High-level cost models allow us to predict with reasonable accuracy the parallel performance of the refactored program, enabling programmers to make informed decisions about which refactorings to apply. Using our approach, we demonstrate easily obtainable, significant and scalable speedups of up to 21 on a 24-core machine over the sequential code.

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In contingent valuation, the willingness to pay for hypothetical programs may be affected by the order in which programs are presented to respondents. With inclusive lists, economic theory suggests that sequence effects should be expected. However, when policy makers allocate public budgets to several environmental programs, they may be interested in assessing the value of the programs without the valuations being affected by the order in which the programs are presented. Using single-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation questions, we show that if respondents have the possibility to revise their willingness-to-pay answers, sequence effects are mitigated. (JEL Q51, Q54)

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The increasing occurrence of puffer fish containing tetrodotoxin (TTX) in the Mediterranean could represent a major food safety risk for European consumers and threaten the fishing industry. The work presented herein describes the development of a new enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (mELISA) based on the immobilization of TTX through dithiol monolayers self-assembled on maleimide plates, which provides an ordered and oriented antigen immobilization and favors the antigen-antibody affinity interaction. The mELISA was found to have a limit of detection (LOD) of TTX of 0.23 mg/kg of puffer fish matrix. The mELISA and a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor previously developed were employed to establish the cross-reactivity factors (CRFs) of 5,6,11-trideoxy-TTX, 5,11-deoxy-TTX, 11-nor-TTX-6-ol, and 5,6,11-trideoxy-4-anhydro-TTX, as well as to determine TTX equivalent contents in puffer fish samples. Results obtained by both immunochemical tools were correlated (R(2) = 0.977). The puffer fish samples were also analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the corresponding CRFs were applied to the individual TTX contents. Results provided by the immunochemical tools, when compared with those obtained by LC-MS/MS, showed a good degree of correlation (R(2) = 0.991 and 0.979 for mELISA and SPR, respectively). The mouse bioassay (MBA) slightly overestimated the CRF adjusted TTX content of samples when compared with the data obtained from the other techniques. The mELISA has been demonstrated to be fit for the purpose for screening samples in monitoring programs and in research activities.

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Although Answer Set Programming (ASP) is a powerful framework for declarative problem solving, it cannot in an intuitive way handle situations in which some rules are uncertain, or in which it is more important to satisfy some constraints than others. Possibilistic ASP (PASP) is a natural extension of ASP in which certainty weights are associated with each rule. In this paper we contrast two different views on interpreting the weights attached to rules. Under the first view, weights reflect the certainty with which we can conclude the head of a rule when its body is satisfied. Under the second view, weights reflect the certainty that a given rule restricts the considered epistemic states of an agent in a valid way, i.e. it is the certainty that the rule itself is correct. The first view gives rise to a set of weighted answer sets, whereas the second view gives rise to a weighted set of classical answer sets.

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Answer set programming is a form of declarative programming that has proven very successful in succinctly formulating and solving complex problems. Although mechanisms for representing and reasoning with the combined answer set programs of multiple agents have already been proposed, the actual gain in expressivity when adding communication has not been thoroughly studied. We show that allowing simple programs to talk to each other results in the same expressivity as adding negation-as-failure. Furthermore, we show that the ability to focus on one program in a network of simple programs results in the same expressivity as adding disjunction in the head of the rules.

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Many problems in artificial intelligence can be encoded as answer set programs (ASP) in which some rules are uncertain. ASP programs with incorrect rules may have erroneous conclusions, but due to the non-monotonic nature of ASP, omitting a correct rule may also lead to errors. To derive the most certain conclusions from an uncertain ASP program, we thus need to consider all situations in which some, none, or all of the least certain rules are omitted. This corresponds to treating some rules as optional and reasoning about which conclusions remain valid regardless of the inclusion of these optional rules. While a version of possibilistic ASP (PASP) based on this view has recently been introduced, no implementation is currently available. In this paper we propose a simulation of the main reasoning tasks in PASP using (disjunctive) ASP programs, allowing us to take advantage of state-of-the-art ASP solvers. Furthermore, we identify how several interesting AI problems can be naturally seen as special cases of the considered reasoning tasks, including cautious abductive reasoning and conformant planning. As such, the proposed simulation enables us to solve instances of the latter problem types that are more general than what current solvers can handle.

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PURPOSE. To explore factors potentially influencing the success or failure of rural Chinese hospitals in increasing cataract surgical output and quality. METHODS. Focus groups (FGs, n = 10) were conducted with hospital administrators, doctors, and nurses at 28 county hospitals in Guangdong Province. Discussions explored respondents' views on increasing surgical volume and quality and improving patient satisfaction. Respondents numerically ranked possible strategies to increase surgical volume and quality and patient satisfaction. FG transcripts were independently coded by two reviewers utilizing the constant comparative method following the grounded theory approach, and numerical responses were scored and ranked. RESULTS. Ten FGs and 77 ranking questionnaires were completed by 33 administrators, 23 doctors, and 21 nurses. Kappa values for the two coders were greater than 0.7 for all three groups. All groups identified a critical need for enhanced management training for hospital directors. Doctors and nurses suggested reducing surgical fees to enhance uptake, although administrators were resistant to this. Although doctors saw the need to improve equipment, administrators felt current material conditions were adequate. Respondents agreed that patient satisfaction was generally high, and did not view increasing patient satisfaction as a priority. CONCLUSIONS. Our findings highlight agreements and disagreements among the three stakeholder groups about improving surgical output and quality, which can inform strategies to improve cataract programs in rural China. Respondents' beliefs about high patient satisfaction are not in accord with other studies in the area, highlighting a potential area for intervention. © 2013 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.