Scaling up question-answering to linked data

Linked Data semantic sources, in particular DBpedia, can be used to answer many user queries. PowerAqua is an open multi-ontology Question Answering (QA) system for the Semantic Web (SW). However, the emergence of Linked Data, characterized by its openness, heterogeneity and scale, introduces a new dimension to the Semantic Web scenario, in which exploiting the relevant information to extract answers for Natural Language (NL) user queries is a major challenge. In this paper we discuss the issues and lessons learned from our experience of integrating PowerAqua as a front-end for DBpedia and a subset of Linked Data sources. As such, we go one step beyond the state of the art on end-users interfaces for Linked Data by introducing mapping and fusion techniques needed to translate a user query by means of multiple sources. Our first informal experiments probe whether, in fact, it is feasible to obtain answers to user queries by composing information across semantic sources and Linked Data, even in its current form, where the strength of Linked Data is more a by-product of its size than its quality. We believe our experiences can be extrapolated to a variety of end-user applications that wish to scale, open up, exploit and re-use what possibly is the greatest wealth of data about everything in the history of Artificial Intelligence. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Adaptive modulation scaling scheme for wireless sensor networks

Limited energy is a big challenge for large scale wireless sensor networks (WSN). Previous research works show that modulation scaling is an efficient technique to reduce energy consumption. However, the impacts of using modulation scaling on packet delivery latency and loss are not considered, which may have adverse effects on the application qualities. In this paper, we study this problem and propose control schemes to minimize energy consumption while ensuring application qualities. We first analyze the relationships of modulation scaling and energy consumption, end-to-end delivery latency and packet loss ratio. With the analytical model, we develop a centralized control scheme to adaptively adjust the modulation levels, in order to minimize energy consumption and ensure the application qualities. To improve the scalability of the centralized control scheme, we also propose a distributed control scheme. In this scheme, the sink will send the differences between the required and measured application qualities to the sensors. The sensors will update their modulation levels with the local information and feedback from the sink. Experimental results show the effectiveness of energy saving and QoS guarantee of the control schemes. The control schemes can adapt efficiently to the time-varying requirements on application qualities. Copyright © 2005 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers.

Energy aware data gathering based on adaptive modulation scaling in wireless sensor networks

Energy consumption has been a key concern of data gathering in wireless sensor networks. Previous research works show that modulation scaling is an efficient technique to reduce energy consumption. However, such technique will also impact on both packet delivery latency and packet loss, therefore, may result in adverse effects on the qualities of applications. In this paper, we study the problem of modulation scaling and energy-optimization. A mathematical model is proposed to analyze the impact of modulation scaling on the overall energy consumption, end-to-end mean delivery latency and mean packet loss rate. A centralized optimal management mechanism is developed based on the model, which adaptively adjusts the modulation levels to minimize energy consumption while ensuring the QoS for data gathering. Experimental results show that the management mechanism saves significant energy in all the investigated scenarios. Some valuable results are also observed in the experiments. © 2004 IEEE.

Scaling the Advantages of Intra-channel Nonlinearity Compensation in Future Flexible Optical Networks

We report that, contrary to common perception, intra-channel nonlinearity compensation offers significant improvements of up to 4dB, in nonlinear tolerance (Q-factor), in a flexible traffic scenario, and further improvements with increasing local link dispersion, for an optical transport network employing flexible 28Gbaud PM-mQAM transponders.

Scaling and Multiscaling Exponents in Networks and Flows

The main focus of this paper is on mathematical theory and methods which have a direct bearing on problems involving multiscale phenomena. Modern technology is refining measurement and data collection to spatio-temporal scales on which observed geophysical phenomena are displayed as intrinsically highly variable and intermittant heirarchical structures,e.g. rainfall, turbulence, etc. The heirarchical structure is reflected in the occurence of a natural separation of scales which collectively manifest at some basic unit scale. Thus proper data analysis and inference require a mathematical framework which couples the variability over multiple decades of scale in which basic theoretical benchmarks can be identified and calculated. This continues the main theme of the research in this area of applied probability over the past twenty years.

Generalized Scaling Factor for Estimating the Activity Concentrations of Difficult-to-Measure Nuclides

2002 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P35, 62P30.

Energy scaling of Kerr-lens mode-locked thin-disk oscillators

Geometric scaling of a Kerr-lens mode-locked Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator yields femtosecond pulses with an average output power of 270 W. The scaled system delivers femtosecond (210-330 fs) pulses with a peak power of 38 MW. These values of average and peak power surpass the performance of any previously reported femtosecond laser oscillator operated in atmospheric air.

Fenton chemistry-based detemplation of an industrially relevant microcrystalline beta zeolite. Optimization and scaling-up studies

A mild template removal of microcrystalline beta zeolite, based on Fenton chemistry, was optimized. Fenton detemplation was studied in terms of applicability conditions window, reaction rate and scale up. TGA and CHN elemental analysis were used to evaluate the detemplation effectiveness, while ICP, XRD, LPHR-Ar physisorption, and 27Al MAS NMR were applied to characterize the structure and texture of the resulting materials. The material properties were compared to calcination. By understanding the interplay of relevant parameters of the Fenton chemistry, the process can be optimized in order to make it industrially attractive for scale-up. The H2O2 utilization can be minimized down to 15 mL H2O2/g (88 °C, 30 ppm Fe), implying a high solid concentration and low consumption of H2O2. When Fe concentration must be minimized, values as low as 5 ppm Fe can be applied (88 °C, 30 mL H2O2/g), to achieve full detemplation. The reaction time to completeness can be reduced to 5 h when combining a Fe-oxalate catalyst with UV radiation. The protocol was scaled up to 100 times larger its original recipe. In terms of the material's properties, the scaled material is structurally comparable to the calcined counterpart (comparable Si/Al and XRD patterns), while it displays benefits in terms of texture and Al-coordination, the latter with full preservation of the tetrahedral Al

A csomagoláson található információtartalom újragondolása sokdimenziós skálázással az élelmiszeripar példáján (Rethinking of information content on food packaging using multidimensional scaling)

A csomagolás részét képezi a jelölés – vagy más néven címke, label –, aminek elsődleges funkciója a termék tulajdonságairól való tájékoztatás, amellett, hogy a vállalat és a fogyasztó egyik legfontosabb találkozási pontja. Kiemelt szerepe van a marketing és a vállalati menedzsment eszköztárában, hiszen a fogyasztói döntéshozatal meghatározó forrása. A szerző írásában a jelölések definícióját, fajtáit és csoportosítását tárja az olvasó elé, majd ismerteti jelentőségét, fontosságát és szerepét az élelmiszer-ipari termékek segítségével. Ezután egy 630 fős megkérdezés eredményeképp a sokdimenziós skálázás (MDS) módszerével a jelölések új értelmezését mutatja be: a jelöléseket három dimenzió mentén lehet elhelyezni (előzetes tudás, érdek, megbízhatóság), valamint ezenkívül a jelölések öt homogén csoportot alkotnak (klasszikus, diétás, funkcionális, tudatos, előállítási). A téma jelentőségét az egészség és a környezet iránti növekvő érdeklődés, valamint a változó jogszabályi környezet is alátámasztja. / === / Signs, labels, claims are to inform consumers of product attributes, and are part of the packaging. Labeling is one of the most important marketing and management tool, while purchase decision is made at the point of purchase. The aim of this paper is to present the basic definitions and elements of information content on food packaging. The author developed a new approach to examine labeling using multidimensional scaling as a result of a pilot study. Labels are to distinguish through three dimensions: precognition, interest and reliability. Beyond that labels can be sorted to five homogeneous clusters based on classic, dietary, functional, conscious and production attributes. The relevancy of labeling is supported by growing interest of health and environmental issues and changing law environment.

Scaling geospatial searches in large spatial databases

Modern geographical databases, which are at the core of geographic information systems (GIS), store a rich set of aspatial attributes in addition to geographic data. Typically, aspatial information comes in textual and numeric format. Retrieving information constrained on spatial and aspatial data from geodatabases provides GIS users the ability to perform more interesting spatial analyses, and for applications to support composite location-aware searches; for example, in a real estate database: “Find the nearest homes for sale to my current location that have backyard and whose prices are between $50,000 and $80,000”. Efficient processing of such queries require combined indexing strategies of multiple types of data. Existing spatial query engines commonly apply a two-filter approach (spatial filter followed by nonspatial filter, or viceversa), which can incur large performance overheads. On the other hand, more recently, the amount of geolocation data has grown rapidly in databases due in part to advances in geolocation technologies (e.g., GPS-enabled smartphones) that allow users to associate location data to objects or events. The latter poses potential data ingestion challenges of large data volumes for practical GIS databases. In this dissertation, we first show how indexing spatial data with R-trees (a typical data pre-processing task) can be scaled in MapReduce—a widely-adopted parallel programming model for data intensive problems. The evaluation of our algorithms in a Hadoop cluster showed close to linear scalability in building R-tree indexes. Subsequently, we develop efficient algorithms for processing spatial queries with aspatial conditions. Novel techniques for simultaneously indexing spatial with textual and numeric data are developed to that end. Experimental evaluations with real-world, large spatial datasets measured query response times within the sub-second range for most cases, and up to a few seconds for a small number of cases, which is reasonable for interactive applications. Overall, the previous results show that the MapReduce parallel model is suitable for indexing tasks in spatial databases, and the adequate combination of spatial and aspatial attribute indexes can attain acceptable response times for interactive spatial queries with constraints on aspatial data.

Regional processes in mangrove ecosystems: spatial scaling relationships, biomass, and turnover rates following catastrophic disturbance

Physiological processes and local-scale structural dynamics of mangroves are relatively well studied. Regional-scale processes, however, are not as well understood. Here we provide long-term data on trends in structure and forest turnover at a large scale, following hurricane damage in mangrove ecosystems of South Florida, U.S.A. Twelve mangrove vegetation plots were monitored at periodic intervals, between October 1992 and March 2005. Mangrove forests of this region are defined by a −1.5 scaling relationship between mean stem diameter and stem density, mirroring self-thinning theory for mono-specific stands. This relationship is reflected in tree size frequency scaling exponents which, through time, have exhibited trends toward a community average that is indicative of full spatial resource utilization. These trends, together with an asymptotic standing biomass accumulation, indicate that coastal mangrove ecosystems do adhere to size-structured organizing principles as described for upland tree communities. Regenerative dynamics are different between areas inside and outside of the primary wind-path of Hurricane Andrew which occurred in 1992. Forest dynamic turnover rates, however, are steady through time. This suggests that ecological, more-so than structural factors, control forest productivity. In agreement, the relative mean rate of biomass growth exhibits an inverse relationship with the seasonal range of porewater salinities. The ecosystem average in forest scaling relationships may provide a useful investigative tool of mangrove community biomass relationships, as well as offer a robust indicator of general ecosystem health for use in mangrove forest ecosystem management and restoration.

Ontogenetic Scaling of Poison Glands in Dendrobates Pumilio

The relationship between granular (poison) gland size and density was examined in an ontogenetic series of the strawberry dart-poison frog, Dendrobates pumilio. Specimens used in this study were collected from the La Selva Biological Station in northeastern Costa Rica. Patches of skin from the dorsal surface of seven frogs, ranging in size from 11 to 23 mm snout-vent length (SVL), were fixed and embedded in paraffin for histological sectioning. Poison gland size and density were quantified microscopically in these sections. Poison glands are uniformly distributed across the skin and mean poison gland diameter increases at a rate faster than snout-vent length from 42.5 at SVL 11mm to 120.0 at SVL 23 mm. Conversely, gland density decreases with body size from 71.9 glands/mm2 to 33.2 glands/mm2 • Due to the positive allometric growth of the poison glands, the percentage of skin surface occupied by poison glands increases from 10.1-22.1% in small frogs (SVL<18 >mm) to 50.0-65.2% in large frogs (SVL>19MM), resulting in more toxin per mm2 in the larger animals. The largest increase in toxicity is correlated temporally with the onset of sexual maturity rather than with changes in aposematic coloring.

Efficient numerical methods for the random-field Ising model: Finite-size scaling, reweighting extrapolation, and computation of response functions

It was recently shown [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 227201 (2013)] that the critical behavior of the random-field Ising model in three dimensions is ruled by a single universality class. This conclusion was reached only after a proper taming of the large scaling corrections of the model by applying a combined approach of various techniques, coming from the zero-and positive-temperature toolboxes of statistical physics. In the present contribution we provide a detailed description of this combined scheme, explaining in detail the zero-temperature numerical scheme and developing the generalized fluctuation-dissipation formula that allowed us to compute connected and disconnected correlation functions of the model. We discuss the error evolution of our method and we illustrate the infinite limit-size extrapolation of several observables within phenomenological renormalization. We present an extension of the quotients method that allows us to obtain estimates of the critical exponent a of the specific heat of the model via the scaling of the bond energy and we discuss the self-averaging properties of the system and the algorithmic aspects of the maximum-flow algorithm used.

Scaling up strategies of the chronic respiratory disease programme of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (Action Plan B3: Area 5)

Peer reviewed

Scaling multimode fibre IM/DD transmission capacity through spatial-spectral multiplexing

Data centre connections can greatly benefit from parallel transmission channels on one multimode fibre (MMF). Shortwave wavelength division multiplexing (SWDM) achieves parallel transmission through spectral multiplexing. Furthermore, MMFs offer a spatial dimension that should be exploited to increase parallel transmission, albeit in a cost-effective way. In this paper, it is shown that SWDM and spatial multiplexing can be combined in intensity modulation and direct detection MMF transmission systems that use selective offset excitation and mode-selective spatial filtering.