Developing Co-operating Legal Knowledge Based Systems

In attempting to build intelligent litigation support tools, we have moved beyond first generation, production rule legal expert systems. Our work supplements rule-based reasoning with case based reasoning and intelligent information retrieval. This research, specifies an approach to the case based retrieval problem which relies heavily on an extended object-oriented / rule-based system architecture that is supplemented with causal background information. Machine learning techniques and a distributed agent architecture are used to help simulate the reasoning process of lawyers. In this paper, we outline our implementation of the hybrid IKBALS II Rule Based Reasoning / Case Based Reasoning system. It makes extensive use of an automated case representation editor and background information.

Rapid production of a plasmid DNA encoding a malaria vaccine candidate via amino-functionalized poly(GMA-co-EDMA) monolith

Malaria is a global health problem; an effective vaccine is urgently needed. Due to the relative poverty and lack of infrastructure in malaria endemic areas, DNA-based vaccines that are stable at ambient temperatures and easy to formulate have great potential. While attention has been focused mainly on antigen selection, vector design and efficacy assessment, the development of a rapid and commercially viable process to manufacture DNA is generally overlooked. We report here a continuous purification technique employing an optimized stationary adsorbent to allow high-vaccine recovery, low-processing time, and, hence, high-productivity. A 40.0 mL monolithic stationary phase was synthesized and functionalized with amino groups from 2-Chloro-N,N- diethylethylamine hydrochloride for anion-exchange isolation of a plasmid DNA (pDNA) that encodes a malaria vaccine candidate, VR1020-PyMSP4/5. Physical characterization of the monolithic polymer showed a macroporous material with a modal pore diameter of 750 nm. The final vaccine product isolated after 3 min elution was homogeneous supercoiled plasmid with gDNA, RNA and protein levels in keeping with clinical regulatory standards. Toxicological studies of the pVR1020-PyMSP4/5 showed a minimum endotoxin level of 0.28 EU/m.g pDNA. This cost-effective technique is cGMP compatible and highly scalable for the production of DNA-based vaccines in commercial quantities, when such vaccines prove to be effective against malaria. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Wikipedia, collective authorship, and the politics of knowledge

This chapter considers the legal ramifications of Wikipedia, and other online media, such as the Encyclopedia of Life. Nathaniel Tkacz (2007) has observed: 'Wikipedia is an ideal entry-point from which to approach the shifting character of knowledge in contemporary society.' He observes: 'Scholarship on Wikipedia from computer science, history, philosophy, pedagogy and media studies has moved beyond speculation regarding its considerable potential, to the task of interpreting - and potentially intervening in - the significance of Wikipedia's impact' (Tkacz 2007). After an introduction, Part II considers the evolution and development of Wikipedia, and the legal troubles that have attended it. It also considers the establishment of rival online encyclopedia - such as Citizendium set up by Larry Sanger, the co-founder of Wikipedia; and Knol, the mysterious new project of Google. Part III explores the use of mass, collaborative authorship in the field of science. In particular, it looks at the development of the Encyclopedia of Life, which seeks to document the world's biodiversity. This chapter expresses concern that Wiki-based software had to develop in a largely hostile and inimical legal environment. It contends that copyright law and related fields of intellectual property need to be reformed in order better to accommodate users of copyright material (Rimmer 2007). This chapter makes a number of recommendations. First, there is a need to acknowledge and recognize forms of mass, collaborative production and consumption - not just individual authorship. Second, the view of a copyright 'work' and other subject matter as a complete and closed piece of cultural production also should be reconceptualised. Third, the defense of fair use should be expanded to accommodate a wide range of amateur, peer-to-peer production activities - not only in the United States, but in other jurisdictions as well. Fourth, the safe harbor protections accorded to Internet intermediaries, such as Wikipedia, should be strengthened. Fifth, there should be a defense in respect of the use of 'orphan works' - especially in cases of large-scale digitization. Sixth, the innovations of open source licensing should be expressly incorporated and entrenched within the formal framework of copyright laws. Finally, courts should craft judicial remedies to take into account concerns about political censorship and freedom of speech.

Production of syngas from steam reforming and CO removal with water gas shift reaction over nanosized Zr0.95Ru0.05O2-delta solid solution

This study presents the synthesis, characterization, and kinetics of steam reforming of methane and water gas shift (WGS) reactions over highly active and coke resistant Zr0.93Ru0.05O2-delta. The catalyst showed high activity at low temperatures for both the reactions. For WGS reaction, 99% conversion of CO with 100% H-2 selectivity was observed below 290 degrees C. The detailed kinetic studies including influence of gas phase product species, effect of temperature and catalyst loading on the reaction rates have been investigated. For the reforming reaction, the rate of reaction is first order in CH4 concentration and independent of CO and H2O concentration. This indicates that the adsorptive dissociation of CH4 is the rate determining step. The catalyst also showed excellent coke resistance even under a stoichiometric steam/carbon ratio. A lack of CO methanation activity is an important finding of present study and this is attributed to the ionic nature of Ru species. The associative mechanism involving the surface formate as an intermediate was used to correlate experimental data. Copyright (C) 2013, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Co-registration of speech production datasets from electromagnetic articulography and real-time magnetic resonance imaging

This paper describes a spatio-temporal registration approach for speech articulation data obtained from electromagnetic articulography (EMA) and real-time Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rtMRI). This is motivated by the potential for combining the complementary advantages of both types of data. The registration method is validated on EMA and rtMRI datasets obtained at different times, but using the same stimuli. The aligned corpus offers the advantages of high temporal resolution (from EMA) and a complete mid-sagittal view (from rtMRI). The co-registration also yields optimum placement of EMA sensors as articulatory landmarks on the magnetic resonance images, thus providing richer spatio-temporal information about articulatory dynamics. (C) 2014 Acoustical Society of America

Co-production and co-creation using self-service technology: the application of service-dominant logic

Research on how customers engage in the co-creation processes envisaged by the Servicedominant logic paradigm is currently limited and even less work has been published on frameworks for organizations to manage the co-creation process. This conceptual paper examines a particular aspect of co-creation: co-production as a result of the application of self-service technology (SST). We propose a conceptual framework for co-production, which emphasizes the need to understand productivity from the point of view of the customer, and demonstrate how this can be applied in both consumer (b2c) and interorganizational(b2b) contexts. We conclude that service organizations might benefit from clearly identifying co-production with task-performance, and co-creation with the valueattributing aspects of the customer service experience. Both aspects generate a range of design and management challenges for suppliers particularly the need to understand the cocreation process 'outputs' desired by customers and the full costs of moving away from person to person interaction.

Transfer of knowledge of the structural components of the model Q400 and Global Express: the case of Aerospace Bombardier, Querétaro

The aim of this paper is to analyze the knowledge transfer in the production of structural components of two aircraft:Q400 and Global Express of Bombardier Aerospace Company, Querétaro. Bombardier Aerospace is a pioneer company in the aviation sector in Mexico, and the third largest civil aircraft manufacturer. In 2005, Bombardier decided to invest in Mexico, creating Bombardier Aerospace de Mexico S. A. C. V. and transferring production lines from Japan and Toronto to Queretaro. The relocation strategy of both plants aims to reduce modular and general production costs facing other competitors. The relocation has been supported by the State Government funds, through a trust and the creation of Queretaro aerospace cluster. Among various benefits, the State of Queretaro donated seventy-eight acres of land where the Queretaro International Airport (QIA) and a training centre will be built to promote the development of this sector. The interest in this research is to analyze and describe the transfer of knowledge to the production of structural components of both aircraft models, thanks to the results of productivity and internal and external factors which have contributed along with this transfer

Comparing rice production systems: A challenge for agronomic research and for the dissemination of knowledge-intensive farming practices

This article is a commentary on several research studies conducted on the prospects for aerobic rice production systems that aim at reducing the demand for irrigation water which in certain major rice producing areas of the world is becoming increasingly scarce. The research studies considered, as reported in published articles mainly under the aegis of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), have a narrow scope in that they test only 3 or 4 rice varieties under different soil moisture treatments obtained with controlled irrigation, but with other agronomic factors of production held as constant. Consequently, these studies do not permit an assessment of the interactions among agronomic factors that will be of critical significance to the performance of any production system. Varying the production factor of "water" will seriously affect also the levels of the other factors required to optimise the performance of a production system. The major weakness in the studies analysed in this article originates from not taking account of the interactions between experimental and non-experimental factors involved in the comparisons between different production systems. This applies to the experimental field design used for the research studies as well as to the subsequent statistical analyses of the results. The existence of such interactions is a serious complicating element that makes meaningful comparisons between different crop production systems difficult. Consequently, the data and conclusions drawn from such research readily become biased towards proposing standardised solutions for possible introduction to farmers through a linear technology transfer process. Yet, the variability and diversity encountered in the real-world farming environment demand more flexible solutions and approaches in the dissemination of knowledge-intensive production practices through "experiential learning" types of processes, such as those employed by farmer field schools. This article illustrates, based on expertise of the 'system of rice intensification' (SRI), that several cost-effective and environment-friendly agronomic solutions to reduce the demand for irrigation water, other than the asserted need for the introduction of new cultivars, are feasible. Further, these agronomic Solutions can offer immediate benefits of reduced water requirements and increased net returns that Would be readily accessible to a wide range of rice producers, particularly the resource poor smallholders. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) P(3HB-co-3HV) with a broad range of 3HV content at high yields by Burkholderia sacchari IPT 189

The biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) from sucrose and propionic acid by Burkholderia sacchari IPT 189 was studied using a two-stage bioreactor process. In the first stage, this bacterium was cultivated in a balanced culture medium until sucrose exhaustion. In the second stage, a solution containing sucrose and propionic acid as carbon source was fed to the bioreactor at various sucrose/propionic acid (s/p) ratios at a constant specific flow rate. Copolymers with 3HV content ranging from 40 down to 6.5 (mol%) were obtained with 3HV yield from propionic acid (Y-3HV/prop) increasing from 1.10 to 1.34 g g(-1). Copolymer productivity of 1 g l(-1) h(-1) was obtained with polymer biomass content rising up to 60% by increasing a specific flow rate at a constant s/p ratio. Increasing values of 3HV content were obtained by varying the s/p ratios. A simulation of production costs considering Y-3HV/prop obtained in the present work indicated that a reduction of up to 73% can be reached, approximating US$ 1.00 per kg which is closer to the value to produce P3HB from sucrose (US$ 0.75 per kg).

Co/Al2O3 catalysts promoted with noble metals for production of hydrogen by methane steam reforming

The effect of noble metal addition on the catalytic properties of Co/Al2O3 was evaluated for the steam reforming of methane. Co/Al2O3 catalysts were prepared with addition of different noble metals (Pt, Pd, Ru and Ir 0.3 wt.%) by a wetness impregnation method and characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) of the reduced catalysts. The UV-vis spectra of the samples indicate that, most likely, large amounts of the supported cobalt form Co species in which cobalt is in octahedral and tetrahedral symmetries. No peaks assigned to cobalt species from aluminate were found for the promoted and unpromoted cobalt catalysts. TPO analyses showed that the addition of the noble metals on the Co/Al2O3 catalyst leads to a more stable metallic state and less susceptible to the deactivation process during the reforming reaction. The Co/Al2O3 promoted with Pt showed higher stability and selectivity for H(2)production during the methane steam reforming. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.