Modal hedges in para-pharmaceutical product instructions: some examples from English and Serbian

[EN] The paper investigates how modal hedges (Coates 1983) understood as expressions of procedural meaning , i.e. expressions which instruct the addressee/reader how to process the propositional content of an utterance/statement (Watts 2004) are used in product descriptions, advertisements and consumer instructions leaflets for a number of products belonging to the Consumer Health Care category for the purposes of complying with consumer protection laws on the one hand and serving as an implicit disclaimer of manufacturer’s responsibility on the other. The analysis is carried out contrastively for two languages, English and Serbian. The results obtained are discussed and viewed as a matter of cultural variety and difference, especially taking into consideration the fact that consumer protection laws seem to be equally strict in US, UK and Commonwealth, Europe and Serbia.

Calculation of the eigenfunctions of the two-group neutron diffusion equation and application to modal decomposition of BWR instabilities

In this thesis, numerical methods aiming at determining the eigenfunctions, their adjoint and the corresponding eigenvalues of the two-group neutron diffusion equations representing any heterogeneous system are investigated. First, the classical power iteration method is modified so that the calculation of modes higher than the fundamental mode is possible. Thereafter, the Explicitly-Restarted Arnoldi method, belonging to the class of Krylov subspace methods, is touched upon. Although the modified power iteration method is a computationally-expensive algorithm, its main advantage is its robustness, i.e. the method always converges to the desired eigenfunctions without any need from the user to set up any parameter in the algorithm. On the other hand, the Arnoldi method, which requires some parameters to be defined by the user, is a very efficient method for calculating eigenfunctions of large sparse system of equations with a minimum computational effort. These methods are thereafter used for off-line analysis of the stability of Boiling Water Reactors. Since several oscillation modes are usually excited (global and regional oscillations) when unstable conditions are encountered, the characterization of the stability of the reactor using for instance the Decay Ratio as a stability indicator might be difficult if the contribution from each of the modes are not separated from each other. Such a modal decomposition is applied to a stability test performed at the Swedish Ringhals-1 unit in September 2002, after the use of the Arnoldi method for pre-calculating the different eigenmodes of the neutron flux throughout the reactor. The modal decomposition clearly demonstrates the excitation of both the global and regional oscillations. Furthermore, such oscillations are found to be intermittent with a time-varying phase shift between the first and second azimuthal modes.

Interactions between normative systems and software cognitive agents. A formalization in temporal modal defeasible logic and its implementation

Sustainable computer systems require some flexibility to adapt to environmental unpredictable changes. A solution lies in autonomous software agents which can adapt autonomously to their environments. Though autonomy allows agents to decide which behavior to adopt, a disadvantage is a lack of control, and as a side effect even untrustworthiness: we want to keep some control over such autonomous agents. How to control autonomous agents while respecting their autonomy? A solution is to regulate agents’ behavior by norms. The normative paradigm makes it possible to control autonomous agents while respecting their autonomy, limiting untrustworthiness and augmenting system compliance. It can also facilitate the design of the system, for example, by regulating the coordination among agents. However, an autonomous agent will follow norms or violate them in some conditions. What are the conditions in which a norm is binding upon an agent? While autonomy is regarded as the driving force behind the normative paradigm, cognitive agents provide a basis for modeling the bindingness of norms. In order to cope with the complexity of the modeling of cognitive agents and normative bindingness, we adopt an intentional stance. Since agents are embedded into a dynamic environment, things may not pass at the same instant. Accordingly, our cognitive model is extended to account for some temporal aspects. Special attention is given to the temporal peculiarities of the legal domain such as, among others, the time in force and the time in efficacy of provisions. Some types of normative modifications are also discussed in the framework. It is noteworthy that our temporal account of legal reasoning is integrated to our commonsense temporal account of cognition. As our intention is to build sustainable reasoning systems running unpredictable environment, we adopt a declarative representation of knowledge. A declarative representation of norms will make it easier to update their system representation, thus facilitating system maintenance; and to improve system transparency, thus easing system governance. Since agents are bounded and are embedded into unpredictable environments, and since conflicts may appear amongst mental states and norms, agent reasoning has to be defeasible, i.e. new pieces of information can invalidate formerly derivable conclusions. In this dissertation, our model is formalized into a non-monotonic logic, namely into a temporal modal defeasible logic, in order to account for the interactions between normative systems and software cognitive agents.

Change in modal parameters of cracked single-edge notched plain concrete Beams

[EN]The aim of this work is looking into the possibility of capturing the change in the modal properties (natural frequencies, modal shapes and modal damping ratio) of plain concrete elements due to the presence of cracked areas by using a simple continuum damage zone numerical model.

A numerical program for Railway vehicle-track-structure dynamic interaction using a modal substructuring approach

This work presents a program for simulations of vehicle-track and vehicle-trackstructure dynamic interaction . The method used is computationally efficient in the sense that a reduced number of coordinates is sufficient and doesn’t require high efficiency computers. The method proposes a modal substructuring approach of the system by modelling rails , sleepers and underlying structure with modal coordinates, the vehicle with physical lumped elements coordinates and by introducing interconnection elements between these structures (wheel-rail contact, railpads and ballast) by means of their interaction forces. The Frequency response function (FRF) is also calculated for both cases of track over a structure (a bridge, a viaduct ...) and for the simple vehicle-track program; for each case the vehicle effect on the FRF is then analyzed through the comparison of the FRFs obtained introducing or not a simplified vehicle on the system.

Dynamic identification of structures: experimental assessment of modal parameteres through methods in frequency domain, in time-frequency domain and model updating

Among the experimental methods commonly used to define the behaviour of a full scale system, dynamic tests are the most complete and efficient procedures. A dynamic test is an experimental process, which would define a set of characteristic parameters of the dynamic behaviour of the system, such as natural frequencies of the structure, mode shapes and the corresponding modal damping values associated. An assessment of these modal characteristics can be used both to verify the theoretical assumptions of the project, to monitor the performance of the structural system during its operational use. The thesis is structured in the following chapters: The first introductive chapter recalls some basic notions of dynamics of structure, focusing the discussion on the problem of systems with multiply degrees of freedom (MDOF), which can represent a generic real system under study, when it is excited with harmonic force or in free vibration. The second chapter is entirely centred on to the problem of dynamic identification process of a structure, if it is subjected to an experimental test in forced vibrations. It first describes the construction of FRF through classical FFT of the recorded signal. A different method, also in the frequency domain, is subsequently introduced; it allows accurately to compute the FRF using the geometric characteristics of the ellipse that represents the direct input-output comparison. The two methods are compared and then the attention is focused on some advantages of the proposed methodology. The third chapter focuses on the study of real structures when they are subjected to experimental test, where the force is not known, like in an ambient or impact test. In this analysis we decided to use the CWT, which allows a simultaneous investigation in the time and frequency domain of a generic signal x(t). The CWT is first introduced to process free oscillations, with excellent results both in terms of frequencies, dampings and vibration modes. The application in the case of ambient vibrations defines accurate modal parameters of the system, although on the damping some important observations should be made. The fourth chapter is still on the problem of post processing data acquired after a vibration test, but this time through the application of discrete wavelet transform (DWT). In the first part the results obtained by the DWT are compared with those obtained by the application of CWT. Particular attention is given to the use of DWT as a tool for filtering the recorded signal, in fact in case of ambient vibrations the signals are often affected by the presence of a significant level of noise. The fifth chapter focuses on another important aspect of the identification process: the model updating. In this chapter, starting from the modal parameters obtained from some environmental vibration tests, performed by the University of Porto in 2008 and the University of Sheffild on the Humber Bridge in England, a FE model of the bridge is defined, in order to define what type of model is able to capture more accurately the real dynamic behaviour of the bridge. The sixth chapter outlines the necessary conclusions of the presented research. They concern the application of a method in the frequency domain in order to evaluate the modal parameters of a structure and its advantages, the advantages in applying a procedure based on the use of wavelet transforms in the process of identification in tests with unknown input and finally the problem of 3D modeling of systems with many degrees of freedom and with different types of uncertainty.

Operational Modal Analysis: the CEME Skywalk at UBC, Vancouver

Slender and lighter footbridges are becoming more and more popular to meet the transportation demand and the aesthetical requirements of the modern society. The widespread presence of such particular structures has become possible thanks to the availability of new, lightweight and still capable of carrying heavy loads material . Therefore, these kind of structure, are particularly sensitive to vibration serviceability problems, especially induced by human activities. As a consequence, it has been imperative to study the dynamic behaviour of such slender pedestrian bridges in order to define their modal characteristics. As an alternative to a Finite Element Analysis to find natural frequencies, damping and mode shape, a so-called Operational Modal Analysis is a valid tool to obtain these parameters through an ambient vibration test. This work provides a useful insight into the Operational Modal Analysis technique and It reports the investigation of the CEME Skywalk, a pedestrian bridge located at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. Furthermore, human-induced vibration tests have been performed and the dynamic characteristics derived with these tests have been compared with the ones from the ambient vibration tests. The effect of the dynamic properties of the two buildings supporting the CEME Skywalk on the dynamic behaviour of the bridge has been also investigated.

A novel map-matching procedure for low-sampling GPS data with applications to traffic flow analysis

An extensive sample (2%) of private vehicles in Italy are equipped with a GPS device that periodically measures their position and dynamical state for insurance purposes. Having access to this type of data allows to develop theoretical and practical applications of great interest: the real-time reconstruction of traffic state in a certain region, the development of accurate models of vehicle dynamics, the study of the cognitive dynamics of drivers. In order for these applications to be possible, we first need to develop the ability to reconstruct the paths taken by vehicles on the road network from the raw GPS data. In fact, these data are affected by positioning errors and they are often very distanced from each other (~2 Km). For these reasons, the task of path identification is not straightforward. This thesis describes the approach we followed to reliably identify vehicle paths from this kind of low-sampling data. The problem of matching data with roads is solved with a bayesian approach of maximum likelihood. While the identification of the path taken between two consecutive GPS measures is performed with a specifically developed optimal routing algorithm, based on A* algorithm. The procedure was applied on an off-line urban data sample and proved to be robust and accurate. Future developments will extend the procedure to real-time execution and nation-wide coverage.

Non-normal modal logics, quantification, and deontic dilemmas. A study in multi-relational semantics

This dissertation is devoted to the study of non-normal (modal) systems for deontic logics, both on the propositional level, and on the first order one. In particular we developed our study the Multi-relational setting that generalises standard Kripke Semantics. We present new completeness results concerning the semantic setting of several systems which are able to handle normative dilemmas and conflicts. Although primarily driven by issues related to the legal and moral field, these results are also relevant for the more theoretical field of Modal Logic itself, as we propose a syntactical, and semantic study of intermediate systems between the classical propositional calculus CPC and the minimal normal modal logic K.

Essays on the Axiomatic Theory of Matching

This dissertation mimics the Turkish college admission procedure. It started with the purpose to reduce the inefficiencies in Turkish market. For this purpose, we propose a mechanism under a new market structure; as we prefer to call, semi-centralization. In chapter 1, we give a brief summary of Matching Theory. We present the first examples in Matching history with the most general papers and mechanisms. In chapter 2, we propose our mechanism. In real life application, that is in Turkish university placements, the mechanism reduces the inefficiencies of the current system. The success of the mechanism depends on the preference profile. It is easy to show that under complete information the mechanism implements the full set of stable matchings for a given profile. In chapter 3, we refine our basic mechanism. The modification on the mechanism has a crucial effect on the results. The new mechanism is, as we call, a middle mechanism. In one of the subdomain, this mechanism coincides with the original basic mechanism. But, in the other partition, it gives the same results with Gale and Shapley's algorithm. In chapter 4, we apply our basic mechanism to well known Roommate Problem. Since the roommate problem is in one-sided game patern, firstly we propose an auxiliary function to convert the game semi centralized two-sided game, because our basic mechanism is designed for this framework. We show that this process is succesful in finding a stable matching in the existence of stability. We also show that our mechanism easily and simply tells us if a profile lacks of stability by using purified orderings. Finally, we show a method to find all the stable matching in the existence of multi stability. The method is simply to run the mechanism for all of the top agents in the social preference.

Proof theory of quantified modal logics

We introduce labelled sequent calculi for indexed modal logics. We prove that the structural rules of weakening and contraction are height-preserving admissible, that all rules are invertible, and that cut is admissible. Then we prove that each calculus introduced is sound and complete with respect to the appropriate class of transition frames.

Metodi di map-matching per l'identificazione degli itinerari dei ciclisti

Negli ultimi anni si è assistito al considerevole aumento della disponibilità di dati GPS e della loro precisione, dovuto alla diffusione e all’evoluzione tecnologica di smartphone e di applicazioni di localizzazione. Il processo di map-matching consiste nell’integrare tali dati - solitamente una lista ordinata di punti, identificati tramite coordinate geografiche ricavate mediante un sistema di localizzazione, come il GPS - con le reti disponibili; nell’ambito dell’ingegneria dei trasporti, l’obiettivo è di identificare il percorso realmente scelto dall’utente per lo spostamento. Il presente lavoro si propone l’obiettivo di studiare alcune metodologie di map-matching per l’identificazione degli itinerari degli utenti, in particolare della mobilità ciclabile. Nel primo capitolo è esposto il funzionamento dei sistemi di posizionamento e in particolare del sistema GPS: ne sono discusse le caratteristiche, la suddivisione nei vari segmenti, gli errori di misurazione e la cartografia di riferimento. Nel secondo capitolo sono presentati i vari aspetti del procedimento di map-matching, le sue principali applicazioni e alcune possibili classificazioni degli algoritmi di map-matching sviluppati in letteratura. Nel terzo capitolo è esposto lo studio eseguito su diversi algoritmi di map-matching, che sono stati testati su un database di spostamenti di ciclisti nell’area urbana di Bologna, registrati tramite i loro smartphone sotto forma di punti GPS, e sulla relativa rete. Si analizzano altresì i risultati ottenuti in un secondo ambiente di testing, predisposto nell’area urbana di Catania, dove sono state registrate in modo analogo alcune tracce di prova, e utilizzata la relativa rete. La comparazione degli algoritmi è eseguita graficamente e attraverso degli indicatori. Vengono inoltre proposti e valutati due algoritmi che forniscono un aggiornamento di quelli analizzati, al fine di migliorarne le prestazioni in termini di accuratezza dei risultati e di costo computazionale.

Boundary condition identification of a bridge pier using experimental data and FEM modal updating

Over the past twenty years, new technologies have required an increasing use of mathematical models in order to understand better the structural behavior: finite element method is the one mostly used. However, the reliability of this method applied to different situations has to be tried each time. Since it is not possible to completely model the reality, different hypothesis must be done: these are the main problems of FE modeling. The following work deals with this problem and tries to figure out a way to identify some of the unknown main parameters of a structure. This main research focuses on a particular path of study and development, but the same concepts can be applied to other objects of research. The main purpose of this work is the identification of unknown boundary conditions of a bridge pier using the data acquired experimentally with field tests and a FEM modal updating process. This work doesn’t want to be new, neither innovative. A lot of work has been done during the past years on this main problem and many solutions have been shown and published. This thesis just want to rework some of the main aspects of the structural optimization process, using a real structure as fitting model.