Explanation Generation over Temporal Interval Algebra

Author(s):  
Debasis Mitra ◽  
Florent Launay

Temporal interval algebra has generated strong interest for both theoretical and practical reasons. All its Maximal Tractable Subalgebras (MTS) have been identified. Now is the time to make the transition toward their practical applications. In this chapter, the authors have proposed a formalism on how to classify an input temporal network in one of these MTSs or decide its intractability. They have also proposed a linear algorithm for checking consistency when the input belongs to one of the seventeen MTSs, and for finding the constraints responsible for inconsistency in case the network is unsatisfiable.

Author(s):  
Robert Klitgaard

An immersion in academic anthropology provides its own culture shocks. Anthropologists have long studied and celebrated indigenous ways of life, diversity, and endogenous change. Yet when asked how to apply that knowledge to make the world better, the question itself becomes the problematic. Whose knowledge, whose idea of better, and who exactly is doing the applying? At the same time, many development practitioners and economists wave away culture as beyond their purview and, anyway, not scientific. If culture is important for many practical reasons and people have been studying culture for many years in many ways, why have the practical applications been so meager and difficult?


Author(s):  
A.S. Shakespeare

Ruminants that for any reason are unable to eat enough to survive can be supported via rumen fistulation. To successfully accomplish this task, an understanding of rumen physiology is necessary. Some adaptation and modification of the normal physiological processes will be necessary because the extended time normally required to ingest food will, for obvious practical reasons, be reduced to a few minutes repeated once to three times a day. The physiology of significance to aphagic or dysphagic animals is discussed and relevant examples of clinical cases are used to illustrate practical applications.


Author(s):  
أ.د.علي عباس مراد

The results of the historical review of social and political realities in general show that the practical and procedural applications of social engineering as a particular activity primarily of the social and political characteristics of man and society emerged in modern Western societies before appearing in other societies, These results also show that the emergence of these practical reasons and their applications in the West has also seen the emergence of modern theoretical foundations there, which seems to be the usual and usual context everywhere and in most or not all areas of life. Since the social and political dimensions are intertwined in human life and are in full, comprehensive and lasting harmony, interest in this geometry has been shown in the West since early, in the form of interest in the social engineering of the individual and society rather than in the interest of political engineering. If, in the early stages of Western history, the motives and practical applications of social engineering took the form of socio-political education, which in the past had no other forms


Author(s):  
Elhadi Shakshuki ◽  
André Trudel ◽  
Yiqing Xu

Many real-world problems can be viewed and represented as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP). In addition, many of these problems are distributed in nature. To this end, we combine agents with a special type of CSP called an Interval Algebra network (IA network). An IA network is a graph where each node represents an interval. Directed edges in the network are labelled with temporal interval relations. A probabilistic IA network has probabilities associated with the relations on the edges that can be used to capture preferences. A probabilistic IA agent (PIA-Agent) is assigned a probabilistic IA network. PIA-Agent’s networks are connected via edges. The overall goal is to make each PIA-Agent’s network consistent and optimal. Each PIA-Agent is independent and has sole control over its network. But, it must communicate and coordinate with other PIA-Agents when modifying or updating edges that are shared between two PIA-Agents. We present an algorithm which allows the PIA-Agents to collaboratively solve and recommend a temporal schedule. At the agent level, this schedule is optimal under the given local constraints. Although the global solution may not be optimal, we try to generate near optimal ones. Note that our distributed system is not centrally controlled. Our algorithm decides which PIA-Agent should be given an opportunity to update the solution next. Also, when a conflict is detected, the algorithm modifies the PIA-Agent execution order in order to deal with the inconsistency.


Author(s):  
L. J. Chen ◽  
L. S. Hung ◽  
J. W. Mayer

When an energetic ion penetrates through an interface between a thin film (of species A) and a substrate (of species B), ion induced atomic mixing may result in an intermixed region (which contains A and B) near the interface. Most ion beam mixing experiments have been directed toward metal-silicon systems, silicide phases are generally obtained, and they are the same as those formed by thermal treatment.Recent emergence of silicide compound as contact material in silicon microelectronic devices is mainly due to the superiority of the silicide-silicon interface in terms of uniformity and thermal stability. It is of great interest to understand the kinetics of the interfacial reactions to provide insights into the nature of ion beam-solid interactions as well as to explore its practical applications in device technology.About 500 Å thick molybdenum was chemical vapor deposited in hydrogen ambient on (001) n-type silicon wafer with substrate temperature maintained at 650-700°C. Samples were supplied by D. M. Brown of General Electric Research & Development Laboratory, Schenectady, NY.


Author(s):  
T. Imura ◽  
S. Maruse ◽  
K. Mihama ◽  
M. Iseki ◽  
M. Hibino ◽  
...  

Ultra high voltage STEM has many inherent technical advantages over CTEM. These advantages include better signal detectability and signal processing capability. It is hoped that it will explore some new applications which were previously not possible. Conventional STEM (including CTEM with STEM attachment), however, has been unable to provide these inherent advantages due to insufficient performance and engineering problems. Recently we have developed a new 1250 kV STEM and completed installation at Nagoya University in Japan. It has been designed to break through conventional engineering limitations and bring about theoretical advantage in practical applications.In the design of this instrument, we exercised maximum care in providing a stable electron probe. A high voltage generator and an accelerator are housed in two separate pressure vessels and they are connected with a high voltage resistor cable.(Fig. 1) This design minimized induction generated from the high voltage generator, which is a high frequency Cockcroft-Walton type, being transmitted to the electron probe.


Author(s):  
Bradley L. Thiel ◽  
Chan Han R. P. ◽  
Kurosky L. C. Hutter ◽  
I. A. Aksay ◽  
Mehmet Sarikaya

The identification of extraneous phases is important in understanding of high Tc superconducting oxides. The spectroscopic techniques commonly used in determining the origin of superconductivity (such as RAMAN, XPS, AES, and EXAFS) are surface-sensitive. Hence a grain boundary phase several nanometers thick could produce irrelevant spectroscopic results and cause erroneous conclusions. The intergranular phases present a major technological consideration for practical applications. In this communication we report the identification of a Cu2O grain boundary phase which forms during the sintering of YBa2Cu3O7-x (1:2:3 compound).Samples are prepared using a mixture of Y2O3. CuO, and BaO2 powders dispersed in ethanol for complete mixing. The pellets pressed at 20,000 psi are heated to 950°C at a rate of 5°C per min, held for 1 hr, and cooled at 1°C per min to room temperature. The samples show a Tc of 91K with a transition width of 2K. In order to prevent damage, a low temperature stage is used in milling to prepare thin foils which are then observed, using a liquid nitrogen holder, in a Philips 430T at 300 kV.


Author(s):  
Michael T. Postek

The term ultimate resolution or resolving power is the very best performance that can be obtained from a scanning electron microscope (SEM) given the optimum instrumental conditions and sample. However, as it relates to SEM users, the conventional definitions of this figure are ambiguous. The numbers quoted for the resolution of an instrument are not only theoretically derived, but are also verified through the direct measurement of images on micrographs. However, the samples commonly used for this purpose are specifically optimized for the measurement of instrument resolution and are most often not typical of the sample used in practical applications.SEM RESOLUTION. Some instruments resolve better than others either due to engineering design or other reasons. There is no definitively accurate definition of how to quantify instrument resolution and its measurement in the SEM.


Author(s):  
Tai D. Nguyen ◽  
Ronald Gronsky ◽  
Jeffrey B. Kortright

Nanometer period Ru/C multilayers are one of the prime candidates for normal incident reflecting mirrors at wavelengths < 10 nm. Superior performance, which requires uniform layers and smooth interfaces, and high stability of the layered structure under thermal loadings are some of the demands in practical applications. Previous studies however show that the Ru layers in the 2 nm period Ru/C multilayer agglomerate upon moderate annealing, and the layered structure is no longer retained. This agglomeration and crystallization of the Ru layers upon annealing to form almost spherical crystallites is a result of the reduction of surface or interfacial energy from die amorphous high energy non-equilibrium state of the as-prepared sample dirough diffusive arrangements of the atoms. Proposed models for mechanism of thin film agglomeration include one analogous to Rayleigh instability, and grain boundary grooving in polycrystalline films. These models however are not necessarily appropriate to explain for the agglomeration in the sub-nanometer amorphous Ru layers in Ru/C multilayers. The Ru-C phase diagram shows a wide miscible gap, which indicates the preference of phase separation between these two materials and provides an additional driving force for agglomeration. In this paper, we study the evolution of the microstructures and layered structure via in-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and attempt to determine the order of occurence of agglomeration and crystallization in the Ru layers by observing the diffraction patterns.


Author(s):  
J.M. Cowley

The HB5 STEM instrument at ASU has been modified previously to include an efficient two-dimensional detector incorporating an optical analyser device and also a digital system for the recording of multiple images. The detector system was built to explore a wide range of possibilities including in-line electron holography, the observation and recording of diffraction patterns from very small specimen regions (having diameters as small as 3Å) and the formation of both bright field and dark field images by detection of various portions of the diffraction pattern. Experience in the use of this system has shown that sane of its capabilities are unique and valuable. For other purposes it appears that, while the principles of the operational modes may be verified, the practical applications are limited by the details of the initial design.


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