Computer Applications: Organising Life

Week 3

Computer Applications: Online Identity

Week 4

Application of a support system to the design of wastewater treatment plants

This paper presents a case study that explores the advantages that can be derived from the use of a design support system during the design of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). With this objective in mind a simplified but plausible WWTP design case study has been generated with KBDS, a computer-based support system that maintains a historical record of the design process. The study shows how, by employing such a historical record, it is possible to: (1) rank different design proposals responding to a design problem; (2) study the influence of changing the weight of the arguments used in the selection of the most adequate proposal; (3) take advantage of keywords to assist the designer in the search of specific items within the historical records; (4) evaluate automatically the compliance of alternative design proposals with respect to the design objectives; (5) verify the validity of previous decisions after the modification of the current constraints or specifications; (6) re-use the design records when upgrading an existing WWTP or when designing similar facilities; (7) generate documentation of the decision making process; and (8) associate a variety of documents as annotations to any component in the design history. The paper also shows one possible future role of design support systems as they outgrow their current reactive role as repositories of historical information and start to proactively support the generation of new knowledge during the design process

Fronts from complex two-dimensional dispersal kernels: theory and application to Reid's paradox

Bimodal dispersal probability distributions with characteristic distances differing by several orders of magnitude have been derived and favorably compared to observations by Nathan [Nature (London) 418, 409 (2002)]. For such bimodal kernels, we show that two-dimensional molecular dynamics computer simulations are unable to yield accurate front speeds. Analytically, the usual continuous-space random walks (CSRWs) are applied to two dimensions. We also introduce discrete-space random walks and use them to check the CSRW results (because of the inefficiency of the numerical simulations). The physical results reported are shown to predict front speeds high enough to possibly explain Reid's paradox of rapid tree migration. We also show that, for a time-ordered evolution equation, fronts are always slower in two dimensions than in one dimension and that this difference is important both for unimodal and for bimodal kernels

Molecular quantum similarity in QSAR: applications in computer-aided molecular design

La present tesi està centrada en l'ús de la Teoria de Semblança Quàntica per a calcular descriptors moleculars. Aquests descriptors s'utilitzen com a paràmetres estructurals per a derivar correlacions entre l'estructura i la funció o activitat experimental per a un conjunt de compostos. Els estudis de Relacions Quantitatives Estructura-Activitat són d'especial interès per al disseny racional de molècules assistit per ordinador i, en particular, per al disseny de fàrmacs. Aquesta memòria consta de quatre parts diferenciades. En els dos primers blocs es revisen els fonaments de la teoria de semblança quàntica, així com l'aproximació topològica basada en la teoria de grafs. Ambdues teories es fan servir per a calcular els descriptors moleculars. En el segon bloc, s'ha de remarcar la programació i implementació de programari per a calcular els anomenats índexs topològics de semblança quàntica. La tercera secció detalla les bases de les Relacions Quantitatives Estructura-Activitat i, finalment, el darrer apartat recull els resultats d'aplicació obtinguts per a diferents sistemes biològics.

Computer assisted instruction for developing speech perception skills in profoundly deaf children

This paper evaluates the usefulness of the "Foundations in Speech Perception" computer program developed by Breakthrough, Inc. in conjunction with Central Institute for the Deaf.

The Central Institute for the Deaf Computer Lab: a guide to technological integration

This paper presents a guide for teachers about the computer lab at Central Institute for the Deaf.

Storm prediction research and its application to the oil/gas industry

The accurate prediction of storms is vital to the oil and gas sector for the management of their operations. An overview of research exploring the prediction of storms by ensemble prediction systems is presented and its application to the oil and gas sector is discussed. The analysis method used requires larger amounts of data storage and computer processing time than other more conventional analysis methods. To overcome these difficulties eScience techniques have been utilised. These techniques potentially have applications to the oil and gas sector to help incorporate environmental data into their information systems