Biologically Plausible Connectionist Prediction of Natural Language Thematic Relations

In Natural Language Processing (NLP) symbolic systems, several linguistic phenomena, for instance, the thematic role relationships between sentence constituents, such as AGENT, PATIENT, and LOCATION, can be accounted for by the employment of a rule-based grammar. Another approach to NLP concerns the use of the connectionist model, which has the benefits of learning, generalization and fault tolerance, among others. A third option merges the two previous approaches into a hybrid one: a symbolic thematic theory is used to supply the connectionist network with initial knowledge. Inspired on neuroscience, it is proposed a symbolic-connectionist hybrid system called BIO theta PRED (BIOlogically plausible thematic (theta) symbolic-connectionist PREDictor), designed to reveal the thematic grid assigned to a sentence. Its connectionist architecture comprises, as input, a featural representation of the words (based on the verb/noun WordNet classification and on the classical semantic microfeature representation), and, as output, the thematic grid assigned to the sentence. BIO theta PRED is designed to ""predict"" thematic (semantic) roles assigned to words in a sentence context, employing biologically inspired training algorithm and architecture, and adopting a psycholinguistic view of thematic theory.

Power quality analysis applying a hybrid methodology with wavelet transforms and neural networks

A hybrid system to automatically detect, locate and classify disturbances affecting power quality in an electrical power system is presented in this paper. The disturbances characterized are events from an actual power distribution system simulated by the ATP (Alternative Transients Program) software. The hybrid approach introduced consists of two stages. In the first stage, the wavelet transform (WT) is used to detect disturbances in the system and to locate the time of their occurrence. When such an event is flagged, the second stage is triggered and various artificial neural networks (ANNs) are applied to classify the data measured during the disturbance(s). A computational logic using WTs and ANNs together with a graphical user interface (GU) between the algorithm and its end user is then implemented. The results obtained so far are promising and suggest that this approach could lead to a useful application in an actual distribution system. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leak detection by inverse transient analysis in an experimental PVC pipe system

Leakage reduction in water supply systems and distribution networks has been an increasingly important issue in the water industry since leaks and ruptures result in major physical and economic losses. Hydraulic transient solvers can be used in the system operational diagnosis, namely for leak detection purposes, due to their capability to describe the dynamic behaviour of the systems and to provide substantial amounts of data. In this research work, the association of hydraulic transient analysis with an optimisation model, through inverse transient analysis (ITA), has been used for leak detection and its location in an experimental facility containing PVC pipes. Observed transient pressure data have been used for testing ITA. A key factor for the success of the leak detection technique used is the accurate calibration of the transient solver, namely adequate boundary conditions and the description of energy dissipation effects since PVC pipes are characterised by a viscoelastic mechanical response. Results have shown that leaks were located with an accuracy between 4-15% of the total length of the pipeline, depending on the discretisation of the system model.

Desalination of water by reverse osmosis using gravitational potential energy and wind energy

This paper proposes ail alternative configuration to conventional reverse osmosis (RO) desalination systems by incorporating the use of gravitational potential energy. The proposal suggests a model that can be viewed as the energy station of a RO desalination plant. Conventionally, RO plants use a high-pressure pump, powered by electricity or fossil fuel. The function of the pump is to send a flux of saline water to a group of semi-permeable membrane modules, capable of ""filtering"" the dissolved salts. In this proposed model, we intend to achieve a flux at the inlet of the membrane modules with a pressure high enough for the desalination process, without using, either electricity or fossil fuels. To do this we divised a hybrid system that uses both gravitational potential energy and wind energy. The technical viability of the alternative was theoretically proven by deductions based on physics and mathematics.

Systemic Model for Diagnosis of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises from Two Cities from the Countryside of the State of So Paulo in Brazil

This article presents a proposal of a systemic model composed for the micro and small companies (MSE) of the region of Ribeiro Preto and the agents which influenced their environment. The proposed model was based on Stafford Beer`s (Diagnosing the system for organizations. Chichester, Wiley, 1985) systemic methodologies VSM (Viable System Model) and on Werner Ulrich`s (1983) CSH (Critical Systems Heuristics). The VSM is a model for the diagnosis of the structure of an organization and of its flows of information through the application of the cybernetics concepts (Narvarte, In El Modelo del Sistema Viable-MSV: experiencias de su aplicacin en Chile. Proyecto Cerebro Colectivo del IAS, Santiago, 2001). On the other hand, CSH focus on the context of the social group applied to the systemic vision as a counterpoint to the organizational management view considered by the VSM. MSE of Ribeiro Preto and Sertozinho had been analyzed as organizations inserted in systems that relate and integrate with other systems concerning the public administration, entities of representation and promotion agencies. The research questions: which are the bonds of interaction among the subsystems in this process and who are the agents involved? The systemic approach not only diagnosed a social group, formed by MSE of Ribeiro Preto and Sertozinho, public authorities and support entities, but could also delineate answers that aimed the clarification of obscure questions generating financial assistance to the formularization of efficient actions for the development of this system.

A framework for the development of parallel and distributed real-time embedded systems

Embedded real-time applications increasingly present high computation requirements, which need to be completed within specific deadlines, but that present highly variable patterns, depending on the set of data available in a determined instant. The current trend to provide parallel processing in the embedded domain allows providing higher processing power; however, it does not address the variability in the processing pattern. Dimensioning each device for its worst-case scenario implies lower average utilization, and increased available, but unusable, processing in the overall system. A solution for this problem is to extend the parallel execution of the applications, allowing networked nodes to distribute the workload, on peak situations, to neighbour nodes. In this context, this report proposes a framework to develop parallel and distributed real-time embedded applications, transparently using OpenMP and Message Passing Interface (MPI), within a programming model based on OpenMP. The technical report also devises an integrated timing model, which enables the structured reasoning on the timing behaviour of these hybrid architectures.

Estudo e análise das centrais híbridas de energias renováveis

Com o aumento do preço da eletricidade e o fim dos combustíveis fósseis, associados à necessidade de Portugal reduzir a sua dependência energética do exterior, provoca a necessidade urgente de apostar nas energias renováveis. Perante este cenário, e assumindo que o custo da fatura energética, é para as empresas portuguesas um fator cada vez mais determinante para serem competitivas, devido aos aumentos consecutivos da energia nos últimos anos, bem como, a subida do imposto de valor acrescentado (IVA) de 6% para 23%. Outro aspeto importante é a eficiência energética como instrumento para reduzir os consumos de eletricidade. Com estas duas medidas: utilização de energias renováveis e o aumento da eficiência energética, são extremamente importantes para a redução da produção dos gases de efeito estufa (GEE). Consequentemente, as empresas terão de investir na produção da própria energia a partir de fontes renováveis, de modo a proporcionar um desenvolvimento sustentável, associado à redução da fatura energética. Esta dissertação propõe o dimensionamento de um sistema híbrido composto por tecnologia fotovoltaica e eólica, com e sem armazenamento de energia em baterias, adequado para reduzir uma parte dos consumos de uma empresa enquadrada no sector dos plásticos. O dimensionamento deste sistema, foi efetuado com recurso à caracterização dos consumos da empresa através da recolha de dados e leituras no local da instalação. Paralelamente, foi efetuada uma pesquisa em diversos fabricantes, de modo a identificar qual o sistema mais indicado a adotar, considerando painéis fotovoltaicos, turbinas eólicas, inversores e baterias. Com base nos dados recolhidos na empresa e referentes ao potencial eólico e solar para o distrito do Porto, em conjunto com as características técnicas dos equipamentos selecionados, foi delineado o sistema híbrido utilizando para o efeito um software de simulação e otimização de sistemas híbridos, denominado Hybrid Optimization Model for Eletric Renewable (HOMER). São apresentadas várias simulações para as diversas configurações escolhidas e estudos comparativos entre si, com o objetivo de reduzir o consumo de eletricidade da rede. Adicionalmente, foram realizadas duas configurações apenas com tecnologia fotovoltaica, de modo a efetuar uma análise comparativa entre um sistema híbrido e outro apenas com uma fonte renovável. Os resultados apresentados focaram-se no desempenho diário, mensal e anual, bem como, a produção individual de cada tecnologia evidenciada. Por último, procedeu-se ao estudo da viabilidade técnico-económica das configurações.

Innovative methodologies for the enhancement of the flexural strengthening performance of NSM CFRP technique for RC beams

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Civil

A molecular framework for light and gibberellin control of cell elongation.

Cell elongation during seedling development is antagonistically regulated by light and gibberellins (GAs). Light induces photomorphogenesis, leading to inhibition of hypocotyl growth, whereas GAs promote etiolated growth, characterized by increased hypocotyl elongation. The mechanism underlying this antagonistic interaction remains unclear. Here we report on the central role of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear transcription factor PIF4 (encoded by PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4) in the positive control of genes mediating cell elongation and show that this factor is negatively regulated by the light photoreceptor phyB (ref. 4) and by DELLA proteins that have a key repressor function in GA signalling. Our results demonstrate that PIF4 is destabilized by phyB in the light and that DELLAs block PIF4 transcriptional activity by binding the DNA-recognition domain of this factor. We show that GAs abrogate such repression by promoting DELLA destabilization, and therefore cause a concomitant accumulation of free PIF4 in the nucleus. Consistent with this model, intermediate hypocotyl lengths were observed in transgenic plants over-accumulating both DELLAs and PIF4. Destabilization of this factor by phyB, together with its inactivation by DELLAs, constitutes a protein interaction framework that explains how plants integrate both light and GA signals to optimize growth and development in response to changing environments.

Porting and performance analysis of EC-Earth System on the BSC-MareNostrum Supercomputer

Earth System Models (ESM) have been successfuly developed over past few years, and are currently beeing used for simulating present day-climate, seasonal to interanual predictions of climate change. The supercomputer performance plays an important role in climate modeling since one of the challenging issues for climate modellers is to efficiently and accurately couple earth System components on present day computers architectures. At the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), we work with the EC- Earth System Model. The EC- Earth is an ESM, which currently consists of an atmosphere (IFS) and an ocean (NEMO) model that communicate with each other through the OASIS coupler. Additional modules (e.g. for chemistry and vegetation ) are under development. The EC-Earth ESM has been ported successfully over diferent high performance computin platforms (e.g, IBM P6 AIX, CRAY XT-5, Intelbased Linux Clusters, SGI Altix) at diferent sites in Europ (e.g., KNMI, ICHEC, ECMWF). The objective of the first phase of the project was to identify and document the issues related with the portability and performance of EC-Earth on the MareNostrum supercomputer, a System based on IBM PowerPC 970MP processors and run under a Linux Suse Distribution. EC-Earth was successfully ported to MareNostrum, and a compilation incompatibilty was solved by a two step compilation approach using XLF version 10.1 and 12.1 compilers. In addition, the EC-Earth performance was analyzed with respect to escalability and trace analysis with the Paravear software. This analysis showed that EC-Earth with a larger number of IFS CPUs (<128) is not feasible at the moment since some issues exists with the IFS-NEMO balance and MPI Communications.

Metallogenic model of the Trepca Pb-Zn-Ag skarn deposit, Kosovo: Evidence from fluid inclusions, Rare Earth Elements, and stable isotope data

The Trepca Pb-Zn-Ag skarn deposit (29 Mt of ore at 3.45% Pb, 2.30% Zn, and 80 g/t Ag) is located in the Kopaonik block of the western Vardar zone, Kosovo. The mineralization, hosted by recrystallized limestone of Upper Triassic age, was structurally and lithologically controlled. Ore deposition is spatially and temporally related with the postcollisional magmatism of Oligocene age (23-26 Ma). The deposit was formed during two distinct mineralization stages: an early prograde closed-system and a later retrograde open-system stage. The prograde mineralization consisting mainly of pyroxenes (Hd(54-100)Jo(0-45)Di(0-45)) resulted from the interaction of magmatic fluids associated with Oligocene (23-26 Ma) postcollisional magmatism. Whereas there is no direct contact between magmatic rocks and the mineralization, the deposit is classified as a distal Pb-Zn-Ag skarn. Abundant pyroxene reflects low oxygen fugacity (<10(-31) bar) and anhydrous environment. Fluid inclusion data and mineral assemblage limit the prograde stage within a temperature range between 390 degrees and 475 degrees C. Formation pressure is estimated below 900 bars. Isotopic composition of aqueous fluid, inclusions hosted by hedenbergite (delta D = -108 to -130 parts per thousand; delta O-18 = 7.5-8.0 parts per thousand), Mn-enriched mineralogy and high REE content of the host carbonates at the contact with the skarn mineralization suggest that a magmatic fluid was modified during its infiltration through the country rocks. The retrograde mineral assemblage comprises ilvaite, magnetite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, marcasite, pyrite, quartz, and various carbonates. Increases in oxygen and sulfur fugacities, as well as a hydrous character of mineralization, require an open-system model. The opening of the system is related to phreatomagmatic explosion and formation of the breccia. Arsenopyrite geothermometer limits the retrograde stage within the temperature range between 350 degrees and 380 degrees C and sulfur fugacity between 10(-8.8) and 10(-7.2) bars. The principal ore minerals, galena, sphalerite, pyrite, and minor chalcopyrite, were deposited from a moderately saline Ca-Na chloride fluid at around 350 degrees C. According to the isotopic composition of fluid inclusions hosted by sphalerite (delta D = -55 to -74 parts per thousand; delta O-18 = -9.6 to -13.6 parts per thousand), the fluid responsible for ore deposition was dominantly meteoric in origin. The delta S-31 values of the sulfides spanning between -5.5 and +10 parts per thousand point to a magmatic origin of sulfur. Ore deposition appears to have been largely contemporaneous with the retrograde stage of the skarn development. Postore stage accompanied the precipitation of significant amount of carbonates including the travertine deposits at the deposit surface. Mineralogical composition of travertine varies from calcite to siderite and all carbonates contain significant amounts of Mn. Decreased formation temperature and depletion in the REE content point to an influence of pH-neutralized cold ground water and dying magmatic system.

Functional analysis of cis- and trans-acting elements of the Candida albicans CDR2 promoter with a novel promoter reporter system.

Azole resistance in Candida albicans can be mediated by the upregulation of the ATP binding cassette transporter genes CDR1 and CDR2. Both genes are regulated by a cis-acting element called the drug-responsive element (DRE), with the consensus sequence 5'-CGGAWATCGGATATTTTTTT-3', and the transcription factor Tac1p. In order to analyze in detail the DRE sequence necessary for the regulation of CDR1 and CDR2 and properties of TAC1 alleles, a one-hybrid system was designed. This system is based on a P((CDR2))-HIS3 reporter system in which complementation of histidine auxotrophy can be monitored by activation of the reporter system by CDR2-inducing drugs such as estradiol. Our results show that most of the modifications within the DRE, but especially at the level of CGG triplets, strongly reduce CDR2 expression. The CDR2 DRE was replaced by putative DREs deduced from promoters of coregulated genes (CDR1, RTA3, and IFU5). Surprisingly, even if Tac1p was able to bind these putative DREs, as shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation, those from RTA3 and IFU5 did not functionally replace the CDR2 DRE. The one-hybrid system was also used for the identification of gain-of-function (GOF) mutations either in TAC1 alleles from clinical C. albicans isolates or inserted in TAC1 wild-type alleles by random mutagenesis. In all, 17 different GOF mutations were identified at 13 distinct positions. Five of them (G980E, N972D, A736V, T225A, and N977D) have already been described in clinical isolates, and four others (G980W, A736T, N972S, and N972I) occurred at already-described positions, thus suggesting that GOF mutations can occur in a limited number of positions in Tac1p. In conclusion, the one-hybrid system developed here is rapid and powerful and can be used for characterization of cis- and trans-acting elements in C. albicans.

Short-term Hydropower Planning System

The Thesis gives a decision support framework that has significant impact on the economic performance and viability of a hydropower company. The studyaddresses the short-term hydropower planning problem in the Nordic deregulated electricity market. The basics of the Nordic electricity market, trading mechanisms, hydropower system characteristics and production planning are presented in the Thesis. The related modelling theory and optimization methods are covered aswell. The Thesis provides a mixed integer linear programming model applied in asuccessive linearization method for optimal bidding and scheduling decisions inthe hydropower system operation within short-term horizon. A scenario based deterministic approach is exploited for modelling uncertainty in market price and inflow. The Thesis proposes a calibration framework to examine the physical accuracy and economic optimality of the decisions suggested by the model. A calibration example is provided with data from a real hydropower system using a commercial modelling application with the mixed integer linear programming solver CPLEX.

Innovation Process Management and System Modelling

Työn tavoitteena oli perehtyä innovaatiojohtamisen ja järjestelmän soveltamiseen prosessiteollisuuden toimintaympäristöön. Kirjallisuuslähteitä apuna käyttäen perehdyttiin liiketoimintaympäristön innovaatiojohtamiselle asettamiin vaatimuksiin ja erilaisiin innovaatiojärjestelmiin. Olennaisena osana innovaatiojohtamiseen liittyy sidosryhmien tarpeiden ja niiden tarjoamien resurssien huomioiminen toiminnassa. Myöskin tuotekehityksen menetelmät ja työkalut ovat omalta osaltaan merkittävässä asemassa toiminnan tehokkuutta arvioitaessa. Innovaatiojärjestelmä tulee sopeuttaa yrityksen toimintoihin ja sen erityispiirteet huomioonottaen siten, että toiminnan johtaminen prosessina tuo yritykselle ja sen sidosryhmille lisäarvoa. Innovaatiojärjestelmän luominen yritykselle on ainayksilöllinen prosessi ja siihen ei ole olemassa yleispätevää menetelmää, joka voitaisiin ottaa käyttöön sellaisenaan. Yritys, jonka liiketoiminta keskittyy kuitupohjaisten pakkausmateriaalien valmistamiseen, joutuu täyttämään toiminnassaan materiaalintoimittajien, omien tuotantoprosessiensa ja asiakkaiden sekä jopa loppukäyttäjien uusille tuotteille luomat odotukset. Innovaatiojohtamista sävyttää toiminnan tulosten suuri epävarmuus ja sen vaativien aineellisten ja henkisten resurssien mittavuus. Innovaatiotoiminnan johtaminen prosessina, käyttäen hyväksi järjestelmämallia, tavoittelee systemaattista ja asetettujen kriteerien täyttämää lähestymistapaa tuotekehityksen ja uusien liiketoimintainnovaatioiden alueella. Kehitetyn mallin tulee palvella monimutkaista liiketoimintaympäristöä, jokatoisaalta perustuu tehokkaaseen massatuotantoon ja toisaalta pyrkii erilaistumaan palvelemalla sekä huomioimalla asiakkaidensa tuotteille asettamat vaatimukset.

Broadband excitation in the system identification of active magnetic bearing rotor systems

One of the targets of the climate and energy package of the European Union is to increase the energy efficiency in order to achieve a 20 percent reduction in primary energy use compared with the projected level by 2020. The energy efficiency can be improved for example by increasing the rotational speed of large electrical drives, because this enables the elimination of gearboxes leading to a compact design with lower losses. The rotational speeds of traditional bearings, such as roller bearings, are limited by mechanical friction. Active magnetic bearings (AMBs), on the other hand, allow very high rotational speeds. Consequently, their use in large medium- and high-speed machines has rapidly increased. An active magnetic bearing rotor system is an inherently unstable, nonlinear multiple-input, multiple-output system. Model-based controller design of AMBs requires an accurate system model. Finite element modeling (FEM) together with the experimental modal analysis provides a very accurate model for the rotor, and a linearized model of the magneticactuators has proven to work well in normal conditions. However, the overall system may suffer from unmodeled dynamics, such as dynamics of foundation or shrink fits. This dynamics can be modeled by system identification. System identification can also be used for on-line diagnostics. In this study, broadband excitation signals are adopted to the identification of an active magnetic bearing rotor system. The broadband excitation enables faster frequency response function measurements when compared with the widely used stepped sine and swept sine excitations. Different broadband excitations are reviewed, and the random phase multisine excitation is chosen for further study. The measurement times using the multisine excitation and the stepped sine excitation are compared. An excitation signal design with an analysis of the harmonics produced by the nonlinear system is presented. The suitability of different frequency response function estimators for an AMB rotor system are also compared. Additionally, analytical modeling of an AMB rotor system, obtaining a parametric model from the nonparametric frequency response functions, and model updating are discussed in brief, as they are key elements in the modeling for a control design. Theoretical methods are tested with a laboratory test rig. The results conclude that an appropriately designed random phase multisine excitation is suitable for the identification of AMB rotor systems.