The Implications of Philosophical Foundations for Knowledge Representation and Learning in Agents

Lacey N and Lee M.H., The Implications of Philosophical Foundations for Knowledge Representation and Learning in Agents, in Proc. AISB?01 Symposium on Adaptive Agents and Multi-agent Systems, York, March 2001, pp13-24.

Model Selection Methodology in Supervised Learning with Evolutionary Computation

Rowland, J.J. (2003) Model Selection Methodology in Supervised Learning with Evolutionary Computation. BioSystems 72, 1-2, pp 187-196, Nov

An energy efficient power controller switching methodology for an ambient healthcare network

A methodology for improved power controller switching in mobile Body Area Networks operating within the ambient healthcare environment is proposed. The work extends Anti-windup and Bumpless transfer results to provide a solution to the ambulatory networking problem that ensures sufficient biometric data can always be regenerated at the base station. The solution thereby guarantees satisfactory quality of service for healthcare providers. Compensation is provided for the nonlinear hardware constraints that are a typical feature of the type of network under consideration and graceful performance degradation in the face of hardware output power saturation is demonstrated, thus conserving network energy in an optimal fashion.

Building effectiveness communication ratios (BECs): an integrated ‘life-cycle’ methodology for mitigating energy-use in buildings

Current building regulations are generally prescriptive in nature. It is widely accepted in Europe that this form of building regulation is stifling technological innovation and leading to inadequate energy efficiency in the building stock. This has increased the motivation to move design practices towards a more ‘performance-based’ model in order to mitigate inflated levels of energy-use consumed by the building stock. A performance based model assesses the interaction of all building elements and the resulting impact on holistic building energy-use. However, this is a nebulous task due to building energy-use being affected by a myriad of heterogeneous agents. Accordingly, it is imperative that appropriate methods, tools and technologies are employed for energy prediction, measurement and evaluation throughout the project’s life cycle. This research also considers that it is imperative that the data is universally accessible by all stakeholders. The use of a centrally based product model for exchange of building information is explored. This research describes the development and implementation of a new building energy-use performance assessment methodology. Termed the Building Effectiveness Communications ratios (BECs) methodology, this performance-based framework is capable of translating complex definitions of sustainability for energy efficiency and depicting universally understandable views at all stage of the Building Life Cycle (BLC) to the project’s stakeholders. The enabling yardsticks of building energy-use performance, termed Ir and Pr, provide continuous design and operations feedback in order to aid the building’s decision makers. Utilised effectively, the methodology is capable of delivering quality assurance throughout the BLC by providing project teams with quantitative measurement of energy efficiency. Armed with these superior enabling tools for project stakeholder communication, it is envisaged that project teams will be better placed to augment a knowledge base and generate more efficient additions to the building stock.

The political philosophy of Miki Kiyoshi: A close reading of the philosophical foundations of cooperative communitarianism

The thesis is a historical and philological study of the mature political theory of Miki Kiyoshi (1897-1945) focused on Philosophical Foundations of Cooperative Communitarianism (1939), a full translation of which is included. As the name suggests, it was a methodological and normative communitarianism, which critically built on liberalism, Marxism and Confucianism to realise a regional political community. Some of Miki’s Western readers have wrongly considered him a fascist ideologue, while he has been considered a humanist Marxist in Japan. A closer reading cannot support either view. The thesis argues that the Anglophone study of Japanese philosophy is a degenerating research programme ripe for revolution in the sense of returning full circle to an original point. That means returning to the texts, reading them contextually and philologically, in principle as early modern European political theory is read by intellectual historians, such as the representatives of Cambridge School history of political thought. The resulting reading builds critically on the Japanese scholarship and relates it to contemporary Western and postcolonial political theory and the East Asian tradition, particularly neo-Confucianism. The thesis argues for a Cambridge School perspective radicalised by the critical addendum of geo-cultural context, supplemented by Geertzian intercultural hermeneutics and a Saidian ‘return to philology’. As against those who have seen radical reorientations in Miki’s political thought, the thesis finds gradual progression and continuity between his neo-Kantian, existentialist, Marxian anthropology, Hegelian and finally communitarian phases. The theoretical underpinnings are his philosophical anthropology, a structurationist social theory of praxis, and a critique of liberalism, Marxism, nationalism and idealism emphasising concrete as opposed to abstract theory and the need to build on existing cultural traditions to modernise rather than westernise East Asia. This post-Western fusion was imagined to be the beginning of a true and pluralistic universalism.

The application of computer modelling to develop a methodology for ‘existing building’ upgrades to move towards carbon-neutral buildings

The retrofitting of existing buildings for decreased energy usage, through increased energy efficiency and for minimum carbon dioxide emissions throughout their remaining lifetime is a major area of research. This research area requires development to provide building professionals with more efficient building retrofit solution determination tools. The overarching objective of this research is to develop a tool for this purpose through the implementation of a prescribed methodology. This has been achieved in three distinct steps. Firstly, the concept of using the degree-days modelling method as an adequate means of basing retrofit decision upon was analysed and the results illustrated that the concept had merit. Secondly, the concept of combining the degree-days modelling method and the Genetic Algorithms optimisation method is investigated as a method of determining optimal thermal energy retrofit solutions. Thirdly, the combination of the degree-days modelling method and the Genetic Algorithms optimisation method were packaged into a building retrofit decision-support tool and named BRaSS (Building Retrofit Support Software). The results demonstrate clearly that, fundamental building information, simplified occupancy profiles and weather data used in a static simulation modelling method is a sufficient and adequate means to base retrofitting decisions upon. The results also show that basing retrofit decisions upon energy analysis results are the best means to guide a retrofit project and also to achieve results which are optimum for a particular building. The results also indicate that the building retrofit decision-support tool, BRaSS, is an effective method to determine optimum thermal energy retrofit solutions.

Action design research: a comparison with canonical action research and design science

This research in progress paper addresses the IS issue in relation to conducting relevant research while keeping academic rigor. In particular, it contributes to the ongoing academic conversation around the investigation on how to incor-porate action in design science research. In this document the philosophical underpinnings of the recently proposed methodology called Action Design Re-search [1] are derived, outlined and integrated into Burrel and Morgan’s Par-adigmatic Framework (1979)[6]. The results so far show how Action Design Research can be considered as a particular case of Design Science Research (rather than a methodology closely related to Action Research) although they can assume two different epistemological positions. From these philosophical perspectives, future works will involve the inclusion of actual research projects using the three different methodologies. The final goal is to outline and structure the divergences and similarities of Action Design Research with Design Science Research and Canonical Action Research.

The effect of differences in methodology among some recent applications of shearing quotients.

A shearing quotient (SQ) is a way of quantitatively representing the Phase I shearing edges on a molar tooth. Ordinary or phylogenetic least squares regression is fit to data on log molar length (independent variable) and log sum of measured shearing crests (dependent variable). The derived linear equation is used to generate an 'expected' shearing crest length from molar length of included individuals or taxa. Following conversion of all variables to real space, the expected value is subtracted from the observed value for each individual or taxon. The result is then divided by the expected value and multiplied by 100. SQs have long been the metric of choice for assessing dietary adaptations in fossil primates. Not all studies using SQ have used the same tooth position or crests, nor have all computed regression equations using the same approach. Here we focus on re-analyzing the data of one recent study to investigate the magnitude of effects of variation in 1) shearing crest inclusion, and 2) details of the regression setup. We assess the significance of these effects by the degree to which they improve or degrade the association between computed SQs and diet categories. Though altering regression parameters for SQ calculation has a visible effect on plots, numerous iterations of statistical analyses vary surprisingly little in the success of the resulting variables for assigning taxa to dietary preference. This is promising for the comparability of patterns (if not casewise values) in SQ between studies. We suggest that differences in apparent dietary fidelity of recent studies are attributable principally to tooth position examined.

Proposed methodology for the use of computer simulation to enhance aircraft evacuation certification

In this paper a methodology for the application of computer simulation to evacuation certification of aircraft is suggested. This involves the use of computer simulation, historic certification data, component testing, and full-scale certification trials. The methodology sets out a framework for how computer simulation should be undertaken in a certification environment and draws on experience from both the marine and building industries. In addition, a phased introduction of computer models to certification is suggested. This involves as a first step the use of computer simulation in conjunction with full-scale testing. The combination of full-scale trial, computer simulation (and if necessary component testing) provides better insight into aircraft evacuation performance capabilities by generating a performance probability distribution rather than a single datum. Once further confidence in the technique is established the requirement for the full-scale demonstration could be dropped. The second step in the adoption of computer simulation for certification involves the introduction of several scenarios based on, for example, exit availability, instructed by accident analysis. The final step would be the introduction of more realistic accident scenarios. This would require the continued development of aircraft evacuation modeling technology to include additional behavioral features common in real accident scenarios.

Computational methodology for analysis of historic composite structures

This paper details the computational methodology for analysis of the structural behaviour of historic composite structures. The modelling approach is based on finite element analysis and has been developed to aid the efficient and inexpensive computational mechanics of complex composite structures. The discussion is primarily focussed on the modelling methodology and analysis of structural designs that comprise of structural beam components acting as stiffeners to a wider shell part of the structure. A computational strategy for analysis of this type of composite structures that exploits their representation through smeared shell models is detailed in the paper.

A systematic methodology to assess the impact of human factors in ship design

Evaluating ship layout for human factors (HF) issues using simulation software such as maritimeEXODUS can be a long and complex process. The analysis requires the identification of relevant evaluation scenarios; encompassing evacuation and normal operations; the development of appropriate measures which can be used to gauge the performance of crew and vessel and finally; the interpretation of considerable simulation data. Currently, the only agreed guidelines for evaluating HFs performance of ship design relate to evacuation and so conclusions drawn concerning the overall suitability of a ship design by one naval architect can be quite different from those of another. The complexity of the task grows as the size and complexity of the vessel increases and as the number and type of evaluation scenarios considered increases. Equally, it can be extremely difficult for fleet operators to set HFs design objectives for new vessel concepts. The challenge for naval architects is to develop a procedure that allows both accurate and rapid assessment of HFs issues associated with vessel layout and crew operating procedures. In this paper we present a systematic and transparent methodology for assessing the HF performance of ship design which is both discriminating and diagnostic. The methodology is demonstrated using two variants of a hypothetical naval ship.

Optimisation methodology for risk mitigation in advanced micro-system electronics manufacturing

This paper presents a design methodology based on numerical modelling, integrated with optimisation techniques and statistical methods, to aid the development of new advanced technologies in the area of micro and nano systems. The design methodology is demonstrated for a micro-machining process called Focused Ion Beam (FIB). This process has been modelled to provide knowledge of how a pre-defined geometry can be achieved through this direct milling. The geometry characterisation is obtained using a Reduced Order Models (ROM), generated from the results of a mathematical model of the Focused Ion Beam, and Design of Experiment (DoE) methods. In this work, the focus is on the design flow methodology which includes an approach on how to include process parameter uncertainties into the process optimisation modelling framework. A discussion on the impact of the process parameters, and their variations, on the quality and performance of the fabricated structure is also presented. The design task is to identify the optimal process conditions, by altering the process parameters, so that certain reliability and confidence of the application is achieved and the imposed constraints are satisfied. The software tools used and developed to demonstrate the design methodology are also presented.

Integrated reliability and prognostics prediction methodology for power electronic modules

The article consists of a PowerPoint presentation on integrated reliability and prognostics prediction methodology for power electronic modules. The areas discussed include: power electronics flagship; design for reliability; IGBT module; design for manufacture; power module components; reliability prediction techniques; failure based reliability; etc.

Dirty theory: philosophical enactments after metaphysics

Modern forms of speculative philosophy continue to creep ‘unsuspectingly’ into our understanding of contemporary media/electronic arts, despite (or perhaps even because of) the attempts by Latour, Badiou, or Agamben especially when addressing the zero/one as if a contradictory ‘binary’ rather than as a kind of 'slice’ or (to use Deleuze and Guattari) an immanent plane of immanence. We argue that by playing with and against Neitzsche, Einstein, Godel, and Deleuze, a rather different story of art, not to mention philosophy, can be told. [From conference programme]