Automating the product derivation process of multi-agent systems product lines

Agent-oriented software engineering and software product lines are two promising software engineering techniques. Recent research work has been exploring their integration, namely multi-agent systems product lines (MAS-PLs), to promote reuse and variability management in the context of complex software systems. However, current product derivation approaches do not provide specific mechanisms to deal with MAS-PLs. This is essential because they typically encompass several concerns (e.g., trust, coordination, transaction, state persistence) that are constructed on the basis of heterogeneous technologies (e.g., object-oriented frameworks and platforms). In this paper, we propose the use of multi-level models to support the configuration knowledge specification and automatic product derivation of MAS-PLs. Our approach provides an agent-specific architecture model that uses abstractions and instantiation rules that are relevant to this application domain. In order to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach, we have implemented it as an extension of an existing product derivation tool, called GenArch. The approach has also been evaluated through the automatic instantiation of two MAS-PLs, demonstrating its potential and benefits to product derivation and configuration knowledge specification.

SysPRE: systematized process for requirements engineering in knowledge discovery projects

The domain of Knowledge Discovery (KD) and Data Mining (DM) is of growing importance in a time where more and more data is produced and knowledge is one of the most precious assets. Having explored both the existing underlying theory, the results of the ongoing research in academia and the industry practices in the domain of KD and DM, we have found that this is a domain that still lacks some systematization. We also found that this systematization exists to a greater degree in the Software Engineering and Requirements Engineering domains, probably due to being more mature areas. We believe that it is possible to improve and facilitate the participation of enterprise stakeholders in the requirements engineering for KD projects by systematizing requirements engineering process for such projects. This will, in turn, result in more projects that end successfully, that is, with satisfied stakeholders, including in terms of time and budget constraints. With this in mind and based on all information found in the state-of-the art, we propose SysPRE - Systematized Process for Requirements Engineering in KD projects. We begin by proposing an encompassing generic description of the KD process, where the main focus is on the Requirements Engineering activities. This description is then used as a base for the application of the Design and Engineering Methodology for Organizations (DEMO) so that we can specify a formal ontology for this process. The resulting SysPRE ontology can serve as a base that can be used not only to make enterprises become aware of their own KD process and requirements engineering process in the KD projects, but also to improve such processes in reality, namely in terms of success rate.

Brazilian Students and Working Capital: An Analysis of Their Decisions When Using Virtual Market Business Games

This study aims to demonstrate that data from business games can be an important resource for improving efficiency and effectiveness of learning. The proposal presented here was developed from preliminary studies of data from Virtual Market games that pointed the possibility of identifying gaps in learning by analyzing the decisions of students. This proposal helps students to refine their learning processes and equips tutors with strategies for teaching and student assessment. The proposal also complements the group discussion and/or debriefing, which are widely used to enhance learning mediated by games. However, from a management perspective the model has the potential to be erroneous and miss opportunities, which cannot be detected because of the dependence on the characteristics of the individual, such as ability to communicate and work together. To illustrate the proposed technique, data sets from two business games were analyzed with the focus on managing working capital and it was found that students had difficulties managing this task. Similar trends were observed in all categories of students in the study-undergraduate, postgraduate and specialization. This discovery led us to the analysis of data for decisions made in the performance of the games, and it was determined that indicators could be developed that were capable of indentifying inconsistencies in the decisions. It was decided to apply some basic concepts of the finance management, such as management of the operational and non-operational expenditures, as well as production management concepts, such as the use of the production capacity. By analyzing the data from the Virtual Market games using the indicator concept, it was possible to detect the lack of domain knowledge of the students. Therefore, these indicators can be used to analyze the decisions of the players and guide them during the game, increasing their effectiveness and efficiency. As these indicators were developed from specific content, they can also be used to develop teaching materials to support learning. Viewed in this light, the proposal adds new possibilities for using business games in learning. In addition to the intrinsic learning that is achieved through playing the games, they also assist in driving the learning process. This study considers the applications and the methodology used.

Estilos de aprendizagem sob a ótica da Psicologia Evolucionista

Among a variety of learning conceptions, David Kolb´s Experiential Learning Theory proposes four different learning styles: diverging, characterized by orientation towards people and multi-perspective vision; assimilating, concerned with ideas and abstract concepts as well as theory formulation; converging, expert in dealing with technical tasks and problem solving; and accommodating, risk taker and good at getting things done. Interesting correlations have been pointed out between Kolb s learning styles, professional careers and genders. With respect to behaviors, specific cognitive skills and interests, sex differences are widely known, and explained by Evolutionary Psychology as the result of distinct selective pressures acting on each gender. The aim of this research was to assess adolescents learning styles and their relation with interests on school and career choices, analyzing possible gender differences. We distributed questionnaires to 221 senior high school students to research their preferences for school disciplines, professional activities and career choices. The Learning Style Inventory specified the learning style of each individual. Our results showed a high frequency of reflective styles, with predominance of females as diverging and males as assimilating. Concerning school and professional interests, there were correlations between styles oriented towards the abstract and technical interests. Moreover, females preferred disciplines related to languages and interpersonal activities while males preferred disciplines related to science and technical activities. There were more males in exact science and engineering careers, and more females in social science and applied social science. Correlations found between learning styles, school and professional interests corroborate Kolb´s propositions, and the findings about gender differences are supported by Evolutionary Psychology theories

A common Tabu search algorithm for the global optimization of engineering problems

A novel common Tabu algorithm for global optimizations of engineering problems is presented. The robustness and efficiency of the presented method are evaluated by using standard mathematical functions and hy solving a practical engineering problem. The numerical results show that the proposed method is (i) superior to the conventional Tabu search algorithm in robustness, and (ii) superior to the simulated annealing algorithm in efficiency. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Methanogenic potential and microbial community of anaerobic batch reactors at different ethylamine/sulfate ratios

Methylamine and sulfate are compounds commonly found in wastewaters. This study aimed to determine the methanogenic potential of anaerobic reactors containing these compounds and to correlate it with their microbial communities. Batch experiments were performed at different methylamine/sulfate ratios of 0.71, 1.26 and 2.18 (with respect to mass concentration). Control and experimental runs were inoculated with fragmented granular sludge. The maximum specific methane formation rates were approximately 2.3 mmol CH4 L-1 g TVS-1 day-1 for all conditions containing methylamine, regardless of sulfate addition. At the end of the experiment, total ammonium-N and methane formation were proportional to the initial concentrations of methylamine. In the presence of methylamine and sulfate, Firmicutes (46%), Deferribacteres (13%) and Proteobacteria (12%) were the predominant phyla of the Bacteria domain, while Spirochaetes (40%), Deferribacteres (17%) and Bacteroidetes (16%) predominated in the presence of methylamine only. There was no competition for methylamine between sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea.

O processamento automático de línguas naturais enquanto engenharia do conhecimento linguístico

In this paper, we provide a brief description of the multidisciplinary domain of research called Natural Language Processing (NLP), which aims at enabling the computer to deal with natural languages. In accordance with this description, NLP is conceived as "human language engineering or technology". Therefore, NLP requires consistent description of linguistic facts on every linguistic level: morphological, syntactic, semantic, and even the level of pragmatics and discourse. In addition to the linguistically-motivated conception of NLP, we emphasize the origin of such research field, the place occupied by NLP inside a multidisciplinary scenario, their objectives and challenges. Finally, we provide some remarks on the automatic processing of Brazilian Portuguese language.

Study on transient ice formation of laminar flow inside externally supercooled rectangular duct

The transient process of solidification of laminar liquid flow (water) submitted to super-cooling was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. In this study an alternative analytical formulation and numerical approach were adopted resulting in the unsteady model with temperature dependent thermophysical properties in the solid region. The proposed model is based upon the fundamental equations of energy balance in the solid and liquid regions as well as across the solidification front. The basic equations and the associated boundary and initial conditions were made dimensionless by using the Landau transformation to immobilize the moving front and render the problem to a fixed plane type problem. A laminar velocity profile is admitted in the liquid domain and the resulting equations were discretized using the finite difference approach. The numerical predictions obtained were compared with the available results based on other models and concepts such as Neumann analytical model, the apparent thermal capacity model due to Bonacina and the conventional fixed grid energy model due to Goodrich. To obtain further comparisons and more validation of the model and the numerical solution, an experimental rig was constructed and instrumented permitting very well controlled experimental measurements. The numerical predictions were compared with the experimental results and the agreement was found satisfactory.

Influence of the tool edge geometry on specific cutting energy at high-speed cutting

This paper presents specific cutting energy measurements as a function of the cutting speed and tool cutting edge geometry. The experimental work was carried out on a vertical CNC machining center with 7,500 rpm spindle rotation and 7.5 kW power. Hardened steels ASTM H13 (50 HRC) were machined at conventional cutting speed and high-speed cutting (HSC). TiN coated carbides with seven different geometries of chip breaker were applied on dry tests. A special milling tool holder with only one cutting edge was developed and the machining forces needed to calculate the specific cutting energy were recorded using a piezoelectric 4-component dynamometer. Workpiece roughness and chip formation process were also evaluated. The results showed that the specific cutting energy decreased 15.5% when cutting speed was increased up to 700%. An increase of 1 °in tool chip breaker chamfer angle lead to a reduction in the specific cutting energy about 13.7% and 28.6% when machining at HSC and conventional cutting speed respectively. Furthermore the workpiece roughness values evaluated in all test conditions were very low, closer to those of typical grinding operations (∼0.20 μm). Probable adiabatic shear occurred on chip segmentation at HSC Copyright © 2007 by ABCM.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 mimics Epstein-Barr virus EBNA1 immune evasion through central repeat domain effects on protein processing

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/human herpesvirus 8 [HHV8]) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV/HHV4) are distantly related gammaherpesviruses causing tumors in humans. KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA1) is functionally similar to the EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) protein expressed during viral latency, although they have no amino acid similarities. EBNA1 escapes cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) antigen processing by inhibiting its own proteosomal degradation and retarding its own synthesis to reduce defective ribosomal product processing. We show here that the LANA1 QED-rich central repeat (CR) region, particularly the CR2CR3 subdomain, also retards LANA1 synthesis and markedly enhances LANA1 stability in vitro and in vivo. LANA1 isoforms have half-lives greater than 24 h, and fusion of the LANA1 CR2CR3 domain to a destabilized heterologous protein markedly decreases protein turnover. Unlike EBNA1, the LANA1 CR2CR3 subdomain retards translation regardless of whether it is fused to the 5′ or 3′ end of a heterologous gene construct. Manipulation of sequence order, orientation, and composition of the CR2 and CR3 subdomains suggests that specific peptide sequences rather than RNA structures are responsible for synthesis retardation. Although mechanistic differences exist between LANA1 and EBNA1, the primary structures of both proteins have evolved to minimize provoking CTL immune responses. Simple strategies to eliminate these viral inhibitory regions may markedly improve vaccine effectiveness by maximizing CTL responses. Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome: Electromyography in a frequency domain analysis

The Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), has a multifactorial etiology and affects approximately 7 to 15% of the population, mostly women, youth, adults and active persons. PFPS causes anterior or retropatelar pain that is exacerbated during functional motor gestures, such as up and down stairs or spending long periods of time sitting, squatting or kneeling. As the diagnostic evaluation of this syndrome is still indirect, different mechanisms and methodologies try to make a classification that distinguishes patients with PFPS in relation to asymptomatic. Thereby, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the characteristics of the electromyographic (EMG) signal in the frequency domain of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) in patients with PFPS, during the ascent of stairs. 33 young women (22 control group and 11 PFPS group), were evaluated by EMG during ascent of stairs. The VMO mean power frequency (MPF) and the VL frequency 95% (F95) were lower in symptomatic individuals. This may be related to the difference in muscle recruitment strategy exerted by each muscle in the PFPS group compared to the control group.

Design of a labVIEW system applied to predictive maintenance

The implementation of vibration analysis techniques based on virtual instrumentation has spread increasingly in the academic and industrial branch, since the use of any software for this type of analysis brings good results at low cost. Among the existing software for programming and creation of virtual instruments, the LabVIEW was chosen for this project. This software has good interface with the method of graphical programming. In this project, it was developed a system of rotating machine condition monitoring. This monitoring system is applied in a test stand, simulating large scale applications, such as in hydroelectric, nuclear and oil exploration companies. It was initially used a test stand, where an instrumentation for data acquisition was inserted, composed of accelerometers and inductive proximity sensors. The data collection system was structured on the basis of an NI 6008 A/D converter of National Instruments. An electronic circuit command was developed through the A/D converter for a remote firing of the test stand. The equipment monitoring is performed through the data collected from the sensors. The vibration signals collected by accelerometers are processed in the time domain and frequency. Also, proximity probes were used for the axis orbit evaluation and an inductive sensor for the rotation and trigger measurement. © (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Análise de domínio para avaliação de tesauros: uma experiência com a cadeia produtiva do calçado no Brasil

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informação - FFC

Projeto estrutural e parametrização de uma comporta segmento utilizando o método dos elementos finitos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Gerenciamento integrado de rede local com software livre

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS