Sample records for versatile expert system

  1. A Combinatorial Auction among Versatile Experts and Amateurs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ito, Takayuki; Yokoo, Makoto; Matsubara, Shigeo

    Auctions have become an integral part of electronic commerce and a promising field for applying multi-agent technologies. Correctly judging the quality of auctioned goods is often difficult for amateurs, in particular, in Internet auctions. However, experts can correctly judge the quality of goods. In this situation, it is difficult to make experts tell the truth and attain an efficient allocation, since experts have a clear advantage over amateurs and they would not reveal their valuable information without some reward. In our previous work, we have succeeded in developing such auction protocols under the following two cases: (1) the case of a single-unit auction among experts and amateurs, and (2) the case of a combinatorial auction among single-skilled experts and amateurs. In this paper, we focus on versatile experts. Versatile experts have an interest in, and expert knowledge on the qualities of several goods. In the case of versatile experts, there would be several problems, e.g., free riding problems, if we simply extended the previous VCG-style auction protocol. Thus, in this paper, we employ PORF (price-oriented, rationing-free) protocol for designing our new protocol to realize a strategy-proof auction protocol for experts. In the protocol, the dominant strategy for experts is truth-telling. Also, for amateurs, truth-telling is the best response when two or more experts select the dominant strategy. Furthermore, the protocol is false-name-proof.

  2. Expert systems research

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Duda, R.O.; Shortliffe, E.H.

    1983-04-15

    Artificial intelligence, long a topic of basic computer science research, is now being applied to problems of scientific, technical, and commercial interest. Some consultation programs although limited in versatility, have achieved levels of performance rivaling those of human experts. A collateral benefit of this work is the systematization of previously unformalized knowledge in areas such as medical diagnosis and geology. 30 references.

  3. Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAIC) Review of Technical Tasks. Volume 2, Part 1.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-07-01

    34- . 6.2 Transformation Invariant Attributes for S Digitized Object Outlines ................................. 469 6.3 Design of an Inference Engine for an...Attributes for Digital Object Outlines ...................................... 597 7 SPEECH UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH ( Rochester Institute of Technology...versatile maintenance expert system ES) for trouble-shooting--’ digital circuits. +" Some diagnosis systems, such as MYCLN [19] for medical diagnosis and CRIB

  4. Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAIC). Volume 3. The Versatile Maintenance Expert System (VMES)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-12-01

    expected values. However, because the same good /bad output pattern of a device always gives rise to the same initial ordering, the method has its limitation...For any device and good /bad output pattern, it is easy to come up with an example on which the method does poorly in the sense that the actual...submodule is hss likely to be faulty if it is connec d to more good primary outputs. Initially, candidates are ordered according to their relat -nships with

  5. Advanced Automation for Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry-New Opportunities for Real-Time Autonomous Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palmer, Peter T.; Wong, C. M.; Salmonson, J. D.; Yost, R. A.; Griffin, T. P.; Yates, N. A.; Lawless, James G. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    The utility of MS/MS for both target compound analysis and the structure elucidation of unknowns has been described in a number of references. A broader acceptance of this technique has not yet been realized as it requires large, complex, and costly instrumentation which has not been competitive with more conventional techniques. Recent advancements in ion trap mass spectrometry promise to change this situation. Although the ion trap's small size, sensitivity, and ability to perform multiple stages of mass spectrometry have made it eminently suitable for on-line, real-time monitoring applications, advance automation techniques are required to make these capabilities more accessible to non-experts. Towards this end we have developed custom software for the design and implementation of MS/MS experiments. This software allows the user to take full advantage of the ion trap's versatility with respect to ionization techniques, scan proxies, and ion accumulation/ejection methods. Additionally, expert system software has been developed for autonomous target compound analysis. This software has been linked to ion trap control software and a commercial data system to bring all of the steps in the analysis cycle under control of the expert system. These software development efforts and their utilization for a number of trace analysis applications will be described.

  6. Implementation of a virtual link between power system testbeds at Marshall Spaceflight Center and Lewis Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doreswamy, Rajiv

    1990-01-01

    The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) owns and operates a space station module power management and distribution (SSM-PMAD) testbed. This system, managed by expert systems, is used to analyze and develop power system automation techniques for Space Station Freedom. The Lewis Research Center (LeRC), Cleveland, Ohio, has developed and implemented a space station electrical power system (EPS) testbed. This system and its power management controller are representative of the overall Space Station Freedom power system. A virtual link is being implemented between the testbeds at MSFC and LeRC. This link would enable configuration of SSM-PMAD as a load center for the EPS testbed at LeRC. This connection will add to the versatility of both systems, and provide an environment of enhanced realism for operation of both testbeds.

  7. Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium Annual Report 1987. Volume 2. Part A. The Versatile Maintenance Expert System (VMES) Research Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-03-01

    DI _1.3)))an also the wire connecting m419 (id (3))( (tp (P-PORT))(port-of rDim) (m88 ( l l ) (type (P-PORT)) (port-of ( DI -1.1))) (m428 (id (2)) (type (P...research on this project had two dis - tinct but overlapping phases: consolidation of work done during the previous two years and developing new...diagnosis when VMES notices a diagnostic short-cut from the dual device model is present; this will be dis - cussed in the section of "Dual Device Model

  8. Multimedia Production: A Critical Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutton, Ronald E.

    This paper synthesizes speculation in the professional literature about the future impact of multimedia. Many experts believe that multimedia will soon become the major focus of entertainment dollars and time because its versatility gives it the potential to be a very powerful way to communicate ideas and search for information. In its current…

  9. Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium annual report. Volume 2. 1988. Discussing, using, and recognizing plans (NLP). Interim report, January-December 1988

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shapiro, S.C.; Woolf, B.

    The Northeast Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NAIC) was created by the Air Force Systems Command, Rome Air Development Center, and the Office of Scientific Research. Its purpose is to conduct pertinent research in artificial intelligence and to perform activities ancillary to this research. This report describes progress that has been made in the fourth year of the existence of the NAIC on the technical research tasks undertaken at the member universities. The topics covered in general are: versatile expert system for equipment maintenance, distributed AI for communications system control, automatic photointerpretation, time-oriented problem solving, speech understanding systems, knowledge base maintenance, hardwaremore » architectures for very large systems, knowledge-based reasoning and planning, and a knowledge acquisition, assistance, and explanation system. The specific topic for this volume is the recognition of plans expressed in natural language, followed by their discussion and use.« less

  10. DLR MiroSurge: a versatile system for research in endoscopic telesurgery.

    PubMed

    Hagn, Ulrich; Konietschke, R; Tobergte, A; Nickl, M; Jörg, S; Kübler, B; Passig, G; Gröger, M; Fröhlich, F; Seibold, U; Le-Tien, L; Albu-Schäffer, A; Nothhelfer, A; Hacker, F; Grebenstein, M; Hirzinger, G

    2010-03-01

    Research on surgical robotics demands systems for evaluating scientific approaches. Such systems can be divided into dedicated and versatile systems. Dedicated systems are designed for a single surgical task or technique, whereas versatile systems are designed to be expandable and useful in multiple surgical applications. Versatile systems are often based on industrial robots, though, and because of this, are hardly suitable for close contact with humans. To achieve a high degree of versatility the Miro robotic surgery platform (MRSP) consists of versatile components, dedicated front-ends towards surgery and configurable interfaces for the surgeon. This paper presents MiroSurge, a configuration of the MRSP that allows for bimanual endoscopic telesurgery with force feedback. While the components of the MiroSurge system are shown to fulfil the rigid design requirements for robotic telesurgery with force feedback, the system remains versatile, which is supposed to be a key issue for the further development and optimisation.

  11. Integrating clinicians, knowledge and data: expert-based cooperative analysis in healthcare decision support

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Decision support in health systems is a highly difficult task, due to the inherent complexity of the process and structures involved. Method This paper introduces a new hybrid methodology Expert-based Cooperative Analysis (EbCA), which incorporates explicit prior expert knowledge in data analysis methods, and elicits implicit or tacit expert knowledge (IK) to improve decision support in healthcare systems. EbCA has been applied to two different case studies, showing its usability and versatility: 1) Bench-marking of small mental health areas based on technical efficiency estimated by EbCA-Data Envelopment Analysis (EbCA-DEA), and 2) Case-mix of schizophrenia based on functional dependency using Clustering Based on Rules (ClBR). In both cases comparisons towards classical procedures using qualitative explicit prior knowledge were made. Bayesian predictive validity measures were used for comparison with expert panels results. Overall agreement was tested by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient in case "1" and kappa in both cases. Results EbCA is a new methodology composed by 6 steps:. 1) Data collection and data preparation; 2) acquisition of "Prior Expert Knowledge" (PEK) and design of the "Prior Knowledge Base" (PKB); 3) PKB-guided analysis; 4) support-interpretation tools to evaluate results and detect inconsistencies (here Implicit Knowledg -IK- might be elicited); 5) incorporation of elicited IK in PKB and repeat till a satisfactory solution; 6) post-processing results for decision support. EbCA has been useful for incorporating PEK in two different analysis methods (DEA and Clustering), applied respectively to assess technical efficiency of small mental health areas and for case-mix of schizophrenia based on functional dependency. Differences in results obtained with classical approaches were mainly related to the IK which could be elicited by using EbCA and had major implications for the decision making in both cases. Discussion This paper presents EbCA and shows the convenience of completing classical data analysis with PEK as a mean to extract relevant knowledge in complex health domains. One of the major benefits of EbCA is iterative elicitation of IK.. Both explicit and tacit or implicit expert knowledge are critical to guide the scientific analysis of very complex decisional problems as those found in health system research. PMID:20920289

  12. Integrating clinicians, knowledge and data: expert-based cooperative analysis in healthcare decision support.

    PubMed

    Gibert, Karina; García-Alonso, Carlos; Salvador-Carulla, Luis

    2010-09-30

    Decision support in health systems is a highly difficult task, due to the inherent complexity of the process and structures involved. This paper introduces a new hybrid methodology Expert-based Cooperative Analysis (EbCA), which incorporates explicit prior expert knowledge in data analysis methods, and elicits implicit or tacit expert knowledge (IK) to improve decision support in healthcare systems. EbCA has been applied to two different case studies, showing its usability and versatility: 1) Bench-marking of small mental health areas based on technical efficiency estimated by EbCA-Data Envelopment Analysis (EbCA-DEA), and 2) Case-mix of schizophrenia based on functional dependency using Clustering Based on Rules (ClBR). In both cases comparisons towards classical procedures using qualitative explicit prior knowledge were made. Bayesian predictive validity measures were used for comparison with expert panels results. Overall agreement was tested by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient in case "1" and kappa in both cases. EbCA is a new methodology composed by 6 steps:. 1) Data collection and data preparation; 2) acquisition of "Prior Expert Knowledge" (PEK) and design of the "Prior Knowledge Base" (PKB); 3) PKB-guided analysis; 4) support-interpretation tools to evaluate results and detect inconsistencies (here Implicit Knowledg -IK- might be elicited); 5) incorporation of elicited IK in PKB and repeat till a satisfactory solution; 6) post-processing results for decision support. EbCA has been useful for incorporating PEK in two different analysis methods (DEA and Clustering), applied respectively to assess technical efficiency of small mental health areas and for case-mix of schizophrenia based on functional dependency. Differences in results obtained with classical approaches were mainly related to the IK which could be elicited by using EbCA and had major implications for the decision making in both cases. This paper presents EbCA and shows the convenience of completing classical data analysis with PEK as a mean to extract relevant knowledge in complex health domains. One of the major benefits of EbCA is iterative elicitation of IK.. Both explicit and tacit or implicit expert knowledge are critical to guide the scientific analysis of very complex decisional problems as those found in health system research.

  13. Development of a Versatile Ultrasonic Internal Pipe/Vessel Component Monitor for In-Service Inspection of Nuclear Reactor Components

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Searfass, Clifford T.; Malinowski, Owen M.; Van Velsor, Jason K.

    2015-03-22

    The stated goal of this work was to develop a versatile system which could accurately measure vessel and valve internal vibrations and cavitation formation under in-service conditions in nuclear power plants, ultrasonically. The developed technology will benefit the nuclear power generation industry by allowing plant operators to monitor valve and vessel internals during operation. This will help reduce planned outages and plant component failures. During the course of this work, Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. gathered information from industry experts that target vibration amplitudes to be detected should be in the range of 0.001-in to 0.005-in (0.025-mm to 0.127-mm) and targetmore » vibration frequency ranges which should be detected were found to be between 0-Hz and 300-Hz. During the performed work, an ultrasonic measuring system was developed which utilized ultrasonic pulse-echo time-of-flight measurements to measure vibration frequency and amplitude. The developed system has been shown to be able to measure vibration amplitudes as low as 0.0008-in (0.020-mm) with vibration frequencies in the range of 17-Hz to 1000-Hz. Therefore, the developed system was able to meet the industry needs for vibration measurement. The developed ultrasonic system was also to be able to measure cavitation formation by monitoring the received ultrasonic time- and frequency-domain signals. This work also demonstrated the survivability of commercially available probes at temperatures up to 300-F for several weeks.« less

  14. Results of prototype software development for automation of shuttle proximity operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hiers, Hal; Olszweski, Oscar

    1991-01-01

    The effort involves demonstration of expert system technology application to Shuttle rendezvous operations in a high-fidelity, real-time simulation environment. The JSC Systems Engineering Simulator (SES) served as the test bed for the demonstration. Rendezvous applications were focused on crew procedures and monitoring of sensor health and trajectory status. Proximity operations applications were focused on monitoring, crew advisory, and control of the approach trajectory. Guidance, Navigation, and Control areas of emphasis included the approach, transition and stationkeeping guidance, and laser docking sensor navigation. Operator interface displays for monitor and control functions were developed. A rule-based expert system was developed to manage the relative navigation system/sensors for nominal operations and simple failure contingencies. Testing resulted in the following findings; (1) the developed guidance is applicable for operations with LVLH stabilized targets; (2) closing rates less than 0.05 feet per second are difficult to maintain due to the Shuttle translational/rotational cross-coupling; (3) automated operations result in reduced propellant consumption and plume impingement effects on the target as compared to manual operations; and (4) braking gates are beneficial for trajectory management. A versatile guidance design was demonstrated. An accurate proximity operations sensor/navigation system to provide relative attitude information within 30 feet is required and redesign of the existing Shuttle digital autopilot should be considered to reduce the cross-coupling effects. This activity has demonstrated the feasibility of automated Shuttle proximity operations with the Space Station Freedom. Indications are that berthing operations as well as docking can be supported.

  15. Image formation simulation for computer-aided inspection planning of machine vision systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irgenfried, Stephan; Bergmann, Stephan; Mohammadikaji, Mahsa; Beyerer, Jürgen; Dachsbacher, Carsten; Wörn, Heinz

    2017-06-01

    In this work, a simulation toolset for Computer Aided Inspection Planning (CAIP) of systems for automated optical inspection (AOI) is presented along with a versatile two-robot-setup for verification of simulation and system planning results. The toolset helps to narrow down the large design space of optical inspection systems in interaction with a system expert. The image formation taking place in optical inspection systems is simulated using GPU-based real time graphics and high quality off-line-rendering. The simulation pipeline allows a stepwise optimization of the system, from fast evaluation of surface patch visibility based on real time graphics up to evaluation of image processing results based on off-line global illumination calculation. A focus of this work is on the dependency of simulation quality on measuring, modeling and parameterizing the optical surface properties of the object to be inspected. The applicability to real world problems is demonstrated by taking the example of planning a 3D laser scanner application. Qualitative and quantitative comparison results of synthetic and real images are presented.

  16. Multifaceted Modelling of Complex Business Enterprises

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    We formalise and present a new generic multifaceted complex system approach for modelling complex business enterprises. Our method has a strong focus on integrating the various data types available in an enterprise which represent the diverse perspectives of various stakeholders. We explain the challenges faced and define a novel approach to converting diverse data types into usable Bayesian probability forms. The data types that can be integrated include historic data, survey data, and management planning data, expert knowledge and incomplete data. The structural complexities of the complex system modelling process, based on various decision contexts, are also explained along with a solution. This new application of complex system models as a management tool for decision making is demonstrated using a railway transport case study. The case study demonstrates how the new approach can be utilised to develop a customised decision support model for a specific enterprise. Various decision scenarios are also provided to illustrate the versatility of the decision model at different phases of enterprise operations such as planning and control. PMID:26247591

  17. Multifaceted Modelling of Complex Business Enterprises.

    PubMed

    Chakraborty, Subrata; Mengersen, Kerrie; Fidge, Colin; Ma, Lin; Lassen, David

    2015-01-01

    We formalise and present a new generic multifaceted complex system approach for modelling complex business enterprises. Our method has a strong focus on integrating the various data types available in an enterprise which represent the diverse perspectives of various stakeholders. We explain the challenges faced and define a novel approach to converting diverse data types into usable Bayesian probability forms. The data types that can be integrated include historic data, survey data, and management planning data, expert knowledge and incomplete data. The structural complexities of the complex system modelling process, based on various decision contexts, are also explained along with a solution. This new application of complex system models as a management tool for decision making is demonstrated using a railway transport case study. The case study demonstrates how the new approach can be utilised to develop a customised decision support model for a specific enterprise. Various decision scenarios are also provided to illustrate the versatility of the decision model at different phases of enterprise operations such as planning and control.

  18. Ontology-based classification of remote sensing images using spectral rules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andrés, Samuel; Arvor, Damien; Mougenot, Isabelle; Libourel, Thérèse; Durieux, Laurent

    2017-05-01

    Earth Observation data is of great interest for a wide spectrum of scientific domain applications. An enhanced access to remote sensing images for "domain" experts thus represents a great advance since it allows users to interpret remote sensing images based on their domain expert knowledge. However, such an advantage can also turn into a major limitation if this knowledge is not formalized, and thus is difficult for it to be shared with and understood by other users. In this context, knowledge representation techniques such as ontologies should play a major role in the future of remote sensing applications. We implemented an ontology-based prototype to automatically classify Landsat images based on explicit spectral rules. The ontology is designed in a very modular way in order to achieve a generic and versatile representation of concepts we think of utmost importance in remote sensing. The prototype was tested on four subsets of Landsat images and the results confirmed the potential of ontologies to formalize expert knowledge and classify remote sensing images.

  19. True-slime-mould-inspired hydrostatically coupled oscillator system exhibiting versatile behaviours.

    PubMed

    Umedachi, Takuya; Idei, Ryo; Ito, Kentaro; Ishiguro, Akio

    2013-09-01

    Behavioural diversity is an indispensable attribute of living systems, which makes them intrinsically adaptive and responsive to the demands of a dynamically changing environment. In contrast, conventional engineering approaches struggle to suppress behavioural diversity in artificial systems to reach optimal performance in given environments for desired tasks. The goals of this research include understanding the essential mechanism that endows living systems with behavioural diversity and implementing the mechanism in robots to exhibit adaptive behaviours. For this purpose, we have focused on an amoeba-like unicellular organism: the plasmodium of true slime mould. Despite the absence of a central nervous system, the plasmodium exhibits versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns and switches spontaneously among these patterns. By exploiting this behavioural diversity, it is able to exhibit adaptive behaviour according to the situation encountered. Inspired by this organism, we built a real physical robot using hydrostatically coupled oscillators that produce versatile oscillatory patterns and spontaneous transitions among the patterns. The experimental results show that exploiting physical hydrostatic interplay—the physical dynamics of the robot—allows simple phase oscillators to promote versatile behaviours. The results can contribute to an understanding of how a living system generates versatile and adaptive behaviours with physical interplays among body parts.

  20. Novel versatile smart phone based Microplate readers for on-site diagnoses.

    PubMed

    Fu, Qiangqiang; Wu, Ze; Li, Xiuqing; Yao, Cuize; Yu, Shiting; Xiao, Wei; Tang, Yong

    2016-07-15

    Microplate readers are important diagnostic instruments, used intensively for various readout test kits (biochemical analysis kits and ELISA kits). However, due to their expensive and non-portability, commercial microplate readers are unavailable for home testing, community and rural hospitals, especially in developing countries. In this study, to provide a field-portable, cost-effective and versatile diagnostic tool, we reported a novel smart phone based microplate reader. The basic principle of this devise relies on a smart phone's optical sensor that measures transmitted light intensities of liquid samples. To prove the validity of these devises, developed smart phone based microplate readers were applied to readout results of various analytical targets. These targets included analanine aminotransferase (ALT; limit of detection (LOD) was 17.54 U/L), alkaline phosphatase (AKP; LOD was 15.56 U/L), creatinine (LOD was 1.35μM), bovine serum albumin (BSA; LOD was 0.0041mg/mL), prostate specific antigen (PSA; LOD was 0.76pg/mL), and ractopamine (Rac; LOD was 0.31ng/mL). The developed smart phone based microplate readers are versatile, portable, and inexpensive; they are unique because of their ability to perform under circumstances where resources and expertize are limited. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Endockscope: using mobile technology to create global point of service endoscopy.

    PubMed

    Sohn, William; Shreim, Samir; Yoon, Renai; Huynh, Victor B; Dash, Atreya; Clayman, Ralph; Lee, Hak J

    2013-09-01

    Recent advances and the widespread availability of smartphones have ushered in a new wave of innovations in healthcare. We present our initial experience with Endockscope, a new docking system that optimizes the coupling of the iPhone 4S with modern endoscopes. Using the United States Air Force resolution target, we compared the image resolution (line pairs/mm) of a flexible cystoscope coupled to the Endockscope+iPhone to the Storz high definition (HD) camera (H3-Z Versatile). We then used the Munsell ColorChecker chart to compare the color resolution with a 0° laparoscope. Furthermore, 12 expert endoscopists blindly compared and evaluated images from a porcine model using a cystoscope and ureteroscope for both systems. Finally, we also compared the cost (average of two company listed prices) and weight (lb) of the two systems. Overall, the image resolution allowed by the Endockscope was identical to the traditional HD camera (4.49 vs 4.49 lp/mm). Red (ΔE=9.26 vs 9.69) demonstrated better color resolution for iPhone, but green (ΔE=7.76 vs 10.95), and blue (ΔE=12.35 vs 14.66) revealed better color resolution with the Storz HD camera. Expert reviews of cystoscopic images acquired with the HD camera were superior in image, color, and overall quality (P=0.002, 0.042, and 0.003). In contrast, the ureteroscopic reviews yielded no statistical difference in image, color, and overall (P=1, 0.203, and 0.120) quality. The overall cost of the Endockscope+iPhone was $154 compared with $46,623 for a standard HD system. The weight of the mobile-coupled system was 0.47 lb and 1.01 lb for the Storz HD camera. Endockscope demonstrated feasibility of coupling endoscopes to a smartphone. The lighter and inexpensive Endockscope acquired images of the same resolution and acceptable color resolution. When evaluated by expert endoscopists, the quality of the images overall were equivalent for flexible ureteroscopy and somewhat inferior, but still acceptable for flexible cystoscopy.

  2. Endockscope: Using Mobile Technology to Create Global Point of Service Endoscopy

    PubMed Central

    Sohn, William; Shreim, Samir; Yoon, Renai; Huynh, Victor B.; Dash, Atreya; Clayman, Ralph

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background and Purpose Recent advances and the widespread availability of smartphones have ushered in a new wave of innovations in healthcare. We present our initial experience with Endockscope, a new docking system that optimizes the coupling of the iPhone 4S with modern endoscopes. Materials and Methods Using the United States Air Force resolution target, we compared the image resolution (line pairs/mm) of a flexible cystoscope coupled to the Endockscope+iPhone to the Storz high definition (HD) camera (H3-Z Versatile). We then used the Munsell ColorChecker chart to compare the color resolution with a 0° laparoscope. Furthermore, 12 expert endoscopists blindly compared and evaluated images from a porcine model using a cystoscope and ureteroscope for both systems. Finally, we also compared the cost (average of two company listed prices) and weight (lb) of the two systems. Results Overall, the image resolution allowed by the Endockscope was identical to the traditional HD camera (4.49 vs 4.49 lp/mm). Red (ΔE=9.26 vs 9.69) demonstrated better color resolution for iPhone, but green (ΔE=7.76 vs 10.95), and blue (ΔE=12.35 vs 14.66) revealed better color resolution with the Storz HD camera. Expert reviews of cystoscopic images acquired with the HD camera were superior in image, color, and overall quality (P=0.002, 0.042, and 0.003). In contrast, the ureteroscopic reviews yielded no statistical difference in image, color, and overall (P=1, 0.203, and 0.120) quality. The overall cost of the Endockscope+iPhone was $154 compared with $46,623 for a standard HD system. The weight of the mobile-coupled system was 0.47 lb and 1.01 lb for the Storz HD camera. Conclusion Endockscope demonstrated feasibility of coupling endoscopes to a smartphone. The lighter and inexpensive Endockscope acquired images of the same resolution and acceptable color resolution. When evaluated by expert endoscopists, the quality of the images overall were equivalent for flexible ureteroscopy and somewhat inferior, but still acceptable for flexible cystoscopy. PMID:23701228

  3. Fuzzy logic system able to detect interesting areas of a video sequence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Vleeschouwer, Christophe; Marichal, Xavier; Delmot, Thierry; Macq, Benoit M. M.

    1997-06-01

    This paper introduces an automatic tool able to analyze the picture according to the semantic interest an observer attributes to its content. Its aim is to give a 'level of interest' to the distinct areas of the picture extracted by any segmentation tool. For the purpose of dealing with semantic interpretation of images, a single criterion is clearly insufficient because the human brain, due to its a priori knowledge and its huge memory of real-world concrete scenes, combines different subjective criteria in order to assess its final decision. The developed method permits such combination through a model using assumptions to express some general subjective criteria. Fuzzy logic enables the user to encode knowledge in a form that is very close the way experts think about the decision process. This fuzzy modeling is also well suited to represent multiple collaborating or even conflicting experts opinions. Actually, the assumptions are verified through a non-hierarchical strategy that considers them in a random order, each partial result contributing to the final one. Presented results prove that the tool is effective for a wide range of natural pictures. It is versatile and flexible in that it can be used stand-alone or can take into account any a priori knowledge about the scene.

  4. Expert model of decision-making system for efficient orientation of basketball players to positions and roles in the game--empirical verification.

    PubMed

    Dezman, B; Trninić, S; Dizdar, D

    2001-06-01

    The purpose of the research was to empirically verify the expert model system designed for more efficient orientation of basketball players to particular positions and /or roles in the game (specialization). Participants were 60 randomly chosen male basketball players (12 players per each position) from the 12 Croatian 1st league teams in season 1998/99. Data were gathered from 10 basketball coaches who estimated overall performance (actual quality) of players on defense (7 variables) and on offense (12 variables). Variables were established by Trninić, Perica and Dizdar. A measure of body height was added to the aforementioned group of variables. The results obtained suggest that the proposed decision-making system can be used as an auxiliary instrument in orienting players to the positions and roles in the game. It has been established that the players have attained the highest grades of overall performance exactly at their primary playing positions in the game. The largest differences were determined between point guards (position 1) and centers (position 5). The greatest difficulties have occurred in determining optimal position for small forwards (position 3), then for shooting guards (position 2) and, last, for power forwards (position 4), because all these basketball players are the most versatile ones. Therefore, reliability of the system is the lowest when it is applied for selecting and orientating players to these positions. Convenient body height significantly contributes to aptitude of these players to play multiple positions and to assume multiple roles in the game. This research has reinforced the thesis that body height is a variable with the greatest influence on orientation of players to particular positions and roles in the game.

  5. A fluid-filled soft robot that exhibits spontaneous switching among versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns inspired by the true slime mold.

    PubMed

    Umedachi, Takuya; Idei, Ryo; Ito, Kentaro; Ishiguro, Akio

    2013-01-01

    Behavioral diversity is an essential feature of living systems, enabling them to exhibit adaptive behavior in hostile and dynamically changing environments. However, traditional engineering approaches strive to avoid, or suppress, the behavioral diversity in artificial systems to achieve high performance in specific environments for given tasks. The goals of this research include understanding how living systems exhibit behavioral diversity and using these findings to build lifelike robots that exhibit truly adaptive behaviors. To this end, we have focused on one of the most primitive forms of intelligence concerning behavioral diversity, namely, a plasmodium of true slime mold. The plasmodium is a large amoeba-like unicellular organism that does not possess any nervous system or specialized organs. However, it exhibits versatile spatiotemporal oscillatory patterns and switches spontaneously between these. Inspired by the plasmodium, we built a mathematical model that exhibits versatile oscillatory patterns and spontaneously transitions between these patterns. This model demonstrates that, in contrast to coupled nonlinear oscillators with a well-designed complex diffusion network, physically interacting mechanosensory oscillators are capable of generating versatile oscillatory patterns without changing any parameters. Thus, the results are expected to shed new light on the design scheme for lifelike robots that exhibit amazingly versatile and adaptive behaviors.

  6. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging: clinical implications in the evaluation of connective tissue diseases

    PubMed Central

    Mavrogeni, Sophie; Markousis-Mavrogenis, George; Koutsogeorgopoulou, Loukia; Kolovou, Genovefa

    2017-01-01

    Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging is a recently developed noninvasive, nonradiating, operator-independent technique that has been successfully used for the evaluation of congenital heart disease, valvular and pericardial diseases, iron overload, cardiomyopathies, great and coronary vessel diseases, cardiac inflammation, stress–rest myocardial perfusion, and fibrosis. Rheumatoid arthritis and other spondyloarthropathies, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory myopathies, mixed connective tissue diseases (CTDs), systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, and sarcoidosis are among CTDs with serious cardiovascular involvement; this is due to multiple causative factors such as myopericarditis, micro/macrovascular disease, coronary artery disease, myocardial fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, and finally heart failure. The complicated pathophysiology and the high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of CTDs demand a versatile, noninvasive, nonradiative diagnostic tool for early cardiovascular diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment follow-up. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging can detect early silent cardiovascular lesions, assess disease acuteness, and reliably evaluate the effect of both cardiac and rheumatic medication in the cardiovascular system, due to its capability to perform tissue characterization and its high spatial resolution. However, until now, high cost; lack of interaction between cardiologists, radiologists, and rheumatologists; lack of availability; and lack of experts in the field have limited its wider adoption in the clinical practice. PMID:28546762

  7. A brief history and technical review of the expert system research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Haocheng

    2017-09-01

    The expert system is a computer system that emulates the decision-making ability of a human expert, which aims to solve complex problems by reasoning knowledge. It is an important branch of artificial intelligence. In this paper, firstly, we briefly introduce the development and basic structure of the expert system. Then, from the perspective of the enabling technology, we classify the current expert systems and elaborate four expert systems: The Rule-Based Expert System, the Framework-Based Expert System, the Fuzzy Logic-Based Expert System and the Expert System Based on Neural Network.

  8. Expert Systems: An Overview for Teacher-Librarians.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orwig, Gary; Barron, Ann

    1992-01-01

    Provides an overview of expert systems for teacher librarians. Highlights include artificial intelligence and expert systems; the development of the MYCIN medical expert system; rule-based expert systems; the use of expert system shells to develop a specific system; and how to select an appropriate application for an expert system. (11 references)…

  9. A versatile scalable PET processing system

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    H. Dong, A. Weisenberger, J. McKisson, Xi Wenze, C. Cuevas, J. Wilson, L. Zukerman

    2011-06-01

    Positron Emission Tomography (PET) historically has major clinical and preclinical applications in cancerous oncology, neurology, and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, in a new direction, an application specific PET system is being developed at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) in collaboration with Duke University, University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB), and West Virginia University (WVU) targeted for plant eco-physiology research. The new plant imaging PET system is versatile and scalable such that it could adapt to several plant imaging needs - imaging many important plant organs including leaves, roots, and stems. The mechanical arrangement of the detectors is designed tomore » accommodate the unpredictable and random distribution in space of the plant organs without requiring the plant be disturbed. Prototyping such a system requires a new data acquisition system (DAQ) and data processing system which are adaptable to the requirements of these unique and versatile detectors.« less

  10. Schiff bases in medicinal chemistry: a patent review (2010-2015).

    PubMed

    Hameed, Abdul; Al-Rashida, Mariya; Uroos, Maliha; Abid Ali, Syed; Khan, Khalid Mohammed

    2017-01-01

    Schiff bases are synthetically accessible and structurally diverse compounds, typically obtained by facile condensation between an aldehyde, or a ketone with primary amines. Schiff bases contain an azomethine (-C = N-) linkage that stitches together two or more biologically active aromatic/heterocyclic scaffolds to form various molecular hybrids with interesting biological properties. Schiff bases are versatile metal complexing agents and have been known to coordinate all metals to form stable metal complexes with vast therapeutic applications. Areas covered: This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the various patented therapeutic applications of Schiff bases and their metal complexes from 2010 to 2015. Expert opinion: Schiff bases are a popular class of compounds with interesting biological properties. Schiff bases are also versatile metal complexing ligands and have been used to coordinate almost all d-block metals as well as lanthanides. Therapeutically, Schiff bases and their metal complexes have been reported to exhibit a wide range of biological activities such as antibacterial including antimycobacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antimalarial, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, pesticidal, cytotoxic, enzyme inhibitory, and anticancer including DNA damage.

  11. Origami: A Versatile Modeling System for Visualising Chemical Structure and Exploring Molecular Function

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, James; Leslie, Ray; Billington, Susan; Slater, Peter R.

    2010-01-01

    The use of "Origami" is presented as an accessible and transferable modeling system through which to convey the intricacies of molecular shape and highlight structure-function relationships. The implementation of origami has been found to be a versatile alternative to conventional ball-and-stick models, possessing the key advantages of being both…

  12. Expert Systems: An Overview.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adiga, Sadashiv

    1984-01-01

    Discusses: (1) the architecture of expert systems; (2) features that distinguish expert systems from conventional programs; (3) conditions necessary to select a particular application for the development of successful expert systems; (4) issues to be resolved when building expert systems; and (5) limitations. Examples of selected expert systems…

  13. A Clinical Reasoning Tool for Virtual Patients: Design-Based Research Study.

    PubMed

    Hege, Inga; Kononowicz, Andrzej A; Adler, Martin

    2017-11-02

    Clinical reasoning is a fundamental process medical students have to learn during and after medical school. Virtual patients (VP) are a technology-enhanced learning method to teach clinical reasoning. However, VP systems do not exploit their full potential concerning the clinical reasoning process; for example, most systems focus on the outcome and less on the process of clinical reasoning. Keeping our concept grounded in a former qualitative study, we aimed to design and implement a tool to enhance VPs with activities and feedback, which specifically foster the acquisition of clinical reasoning skills. We designed the tool by translating elements of a conceptual clinical reasoning learning framework into software requirements. The resulting clinical reasoning tool enables learners to build their patient's illness script as a concept map when they are working on a VP scenario. The student's map is compared with the experts' reasoning at each stage of the VP, which is technically enabled by using Medical Subject Headings, which is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary published by the US National Library of Medicine. The tool is implemented using Web technologies, has an open architecture that enables its integration into various systems through an open application program interface, and is available under a Massachusetts Institute of Technology license. We conducted usability tests following a think-aloud protocol and a pilot field study with maps created by 64 medical students. The results show that learners interact with the tool but create less nodes and connections in the concept map than an expert. Further research and usability tests are required to analyze the reasons. The presented tool is a versatile, systematically developed software component that specifically supports the clinical reasoning skills acquisition. It can be plugged into VP systems or used as stand-alone software in other teaching scenarios. The modular design allows an extension with new feedback mechanisms and learning analytics algorithms. ©Inga Hege, Andrzej A Kononowicz, Martin Adler. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (http://mededu.jmir.org), 02.11.2017.

  14. Expert systems in civil engineering

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kostem, C.N.; Maher, M.L.

    1986-01-01

    This book presents the papers given at a symposium on expert systems in civil engineering. Topics considered at the symposium included problem solving using expert system techniques, construction schedule analysis, decision making and risk analysis, seismic risk analysis systems, an expert system for inactive hazardous waste site characterization, an expert system for site selection, knowledge engineering, and knowledge-based expert systems in seismic analysis.

  15. VERSATILE AEROSOL CONCENTRATION ENRICHMENT SYSTEM (VACES) FOR SIMULTANEOUS IN VIVO AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF TOXIC EFFECTS OF ULTRAFINE, FINE AND COARSE AMBIENT PARTICLES. PART I: DEVELOPMENT AND LABORATORY CHARACTERIZATION. (R827352C001)

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study presents the development and bench-testing of a versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES) capable of simultaneously concentrating ambient particles of the coarse, fine and ultrafine size fractions for conducting in vivo and in vitro studies. The VACE...

  16. VERSATILE AEROSOL CONCENTRATION ENRICHMENT SYSTEM (VACES) FOR SIMULTANEOUS IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF TOXIC EFFECTS OF ULTRAFINE, FINE, AND COARSE AMBIENT PARTICLES. PART II. FIELD EVALUATION. (R826232)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    This study presents results from a field evaluation of a mobile versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES), designed to enhance the ambient concentrations of ultrafine (less than 0.18 VERSATILE AEROSOL CONCENTRATION ENRICHMENT SYSTEM (VACES) FOR SIMULTANEOUS IN VIVO AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF TOXIC EFFECTS OF ULTRAFINE, FINE AND COARSE AMBIENT PARTICLES. PART II: FIELD EVALUATION. (R827352C001)

    EPA Science Inventory

    This study presents results from a field evaluation of a mobile versatile aerosol concentration enrichment system (VACES), designed to enhance the ambient concentrations of ultrafine (less than 0.18 small m...</p>
      </li>

      <li>
      <p><a target=Expert system application for the loading capability assessment of transmission lines

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Le, T.L.; Negnevitsky, M.; Piekutowski, M.

    1995-11-01

    This paper describes the application of an expert system for the evaluation of the short time thermal rating and temperature rise of overhead conductors. The expert system has been developed using a database and Leonardo expert system shell which is gaining popularity among commercial tools for developing expert system applications. The expert system has been found to compare well when evaluated against the site tests. A practical application is given to demonstrate the usefulness of the expert system developed.

  17. Extending Correlation Filter-Based Visual Tracking by Tree-Structured Ensemble and Spatial Windowing.

    PubMed

    Gundogdu, Erhan; Ozkan, Huseyin; Alatan, A Aydin

    2017-11-01

    Correlation filters have been successfully used in visual tracking due to their modeling power and computational efficiency. However, the state-of-the-art correlation filter-based (CFB) tracking algorithms tend to quickly discard the previous poses of the target, since they consider only a single filter in their models. On the contrary, our approach is to register multiple CFB trackers for previous poses and exploit the registered knowledge when an appearance change occurs. To this end, we propose a novel tracking algorithm [of complexity O(D) ] based on a large ensemble of CFB trackers. The ensemble [of size O(2 D ) ] is organized over a binary tree (depth D ), and learns the target appearance subspaces such that each constituent tracker becomes an expert of a certain appearance. During tracking, the proposed algorithm combines only the appearance-aware relevant experts to produce boosted tracking decisions. Additionally, we propose a versatile spatial windowing technique to enhance the individual expert trackers. For this purpose, spatial windows are learned for target objects as well as the correlation filters and then the windowed regions are processed for more robust correlations. In our extensive experiments on benchmark datasets, we achieve a substantial performance increase by using the proposed tracking algorithm together with the spatial windowing.

  18. Albumin nanostructures as advanced drug delivery systems

    PubMed Central

    Karimi, Mahdi; Bahrami, Sajad; Ravari, Soodeh Baghaee; Zangabad, Parham Sahandi; Mirshekari, Hamed; Bozorgomid, Mahnaz; Shahreza, Somayeh; Sori, Masume; Hamblin, Michael R.

    2016-01-01

    Introduction One of the biggest impacts that the nanotechnology has made on medicine and biology, has been in the area of drug delivery systems (DDSs). Many drugs suffer from serious problems concerning insolubility, instability in biological environments, poor uptake into cells and tissues, suboptimal selectivity for targets and unwanted side effects. Nanocarriers can be designed as DDSs to overcome many of these drawbacks. One of the most versatile building blocks to prepare these nanocarriers is the ubiquitous, readily available and inexpensive protein, serum albumin. Areas covered This review covers the use of different types of albumin (human, bovine, rat, and chicken egg) to prepare nanoparticle and microparticle-based structures to bind drugs. Various methods have been used to modify the albumin structure. A range of targeting ligands can be attached to the albumin that can be recognized by specific cell receptors that are expressed on target cells or tissues. Expert opinion The particular advantages of albumin used in DDSs include ready availability, ease of chemical modification, good biocompatibility, and low immunogenicity. The regulatory approvals that have been received for several albumin-based therapeutic agents suggest that this approach will continue to be successfully explored. PMID:27216915

  1. NESSUS/EXPERT - An expert system for probabilistic structural analysis methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Millwater, H.; Palmer, K.; Fink, P.

    1988-01-01

    An expert system (NESSUS/EXPERT) is presented which provides assistance in using probabilistic structural analysis methods. NESSUS/EXPERT is an interactive menu-driven expert system that provides information to assist in the use of the probabilistic finite element code NESSUS/FEM and the fast probability integrator. NESSUS/EXPERT was developed with a combination of FORTRAN and CLIPS, a C language expert system tool, to exploit the strengths of each language.

  2. Versatile Optical Bench for Teaching, Development, and Testing of Electron and Ion Optical Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhiday, M. R.; And Others

    1977-01-01

    Describes a versatile apparatus for demonstrating the imaging properties of various types of electrostatic lenses. The apparatus can be used to study the focusing properties of different types of electrostatic electron or ion lenses or their combinations. (MLH)

  3. Personality Types, Learning Styles, and Educational Goals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Alan

    1991-01-01

    Outlines a new personality typology that provides a coherent system for construing and conducting research on learning styles. Discusses analytic, holistic, objective, and subjective styles as the affect versatility. Presents implications for educational goals, such as determining which students can benefit from stylistic versatility and which…

  4. Versatile, low-cost, computer-controlled, sample positioning system for vacuum applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vargas-Aburto, Carlos; Liff, Dale R.

    1991-01-01

    A versatile, low-cost, easy to implement, microprocessor-based motorized positioning system (MPS) suitable for accurate sample manipulation in a Second Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) system, and for other ultra-high vacuum (UHV) applications was designed and built at NASA LeRC. The system can be operated manually or under computer control. In the latter case, local, as well as remote operation is possible via the IEEE-488 bus. The position of the sample can be controlled in three linear orthogonal and one angular coordinates.

  5. A Versatile Method for Functionalizing Surfaces with Bioactive Glycans

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Fang; Shang, Jing; Ratner, Daniel M.

    2011-01-01

    Microarrays and biosensors owe their functionality to our ability to display surface-bound biomolecules with retained biological function. Versatile, stable, and facile methods for the immobilization of bioactive compounds on surfaces have expanded the application of high-throughput ‘omics’-scale screening of molecular interactions by non-expert laboratories. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of simplified chemistries to fabricate a glycan microarray, utilizing divinyl sulfone (DVS)-modified surfaces for the covalent immobilization of natural and chemically derived carbohydrates, as well as glycoproteins. The bioactivity of the captured glycans was quantitatively examined by surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRi). Composition and spectroscopic evidence of carbohydrate species on the DVS-modified surface were obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), respectively. The site-selective immobilization of glycans based on relative nucleophilicity (reducing sugar vs. amine- and sulfhydryl-derived saccharides) and anomeric configuration was also examined. Our results demonstrate straightforward and reproducible conjugation of a variety of functional biomolecules onto a vinyl sulfone-modified biosensor surface. The simplicity of this method will have a significant impact on glycomics research, as it expands the ability of non-synthetic laboratories to rapidly construct functional glycan microarrays and quantitative biosensors. PMID:21142056

  6. A demonstration of expert systems applications in transportation engineering : volume I, transportation engineers and expert systems.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-01-01

    Expert systems, a branch of artificial-intelligence studies, is introduced with a view to its relevance in transportation engineering. Knowledge engineering, the process of building expert systems or transferring knowledge from human experts to compu...

  7. The Occupational Versatility Program: Student-Directed Learning in Industrial Arts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lavender, John

    1978-01-01

    Describes the Occupational Versatility program in industrial arts, involving a self-instructional school shop in which the learning system is student-managed, nongraded, upgraded, and team taught. This federally funded learning method has also been successfully applied to home economics and art education. Information sources for the teacher are…

  8. PCLIPS: Parallel CLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gryphon, Coranth D.; Miller, Mark D.

    1991-01-01

    PCLIPS (Parallel CLIPS) is a set of extensions to the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) expert system language. PCLIPS is intended to provide an environment for the development of more complex, extensive expert systems. Multiple CLIPS expert systems are now capable of running simultaneously on separate processors, or separate machines, thus dramatically increasing the scope of solvable tasks within the expert systems. As a tool for parallel processing, PCLIPS allows for an expert system to add to its fact-base information generated by other expert systems, thus allowing systems to assist each other in solving a complex problem. This allows individual expert systems to be more compact and efficient, and thus run faster or on smaller machines.

  9. In vivo brain microdialysis: advances in neuropsychopharmacology and drug discovery.

    PubMed

    Darvesh, Altaf S; Carroll, Richard T; Geldenhuys, Werner J; Gudelsky, Gary A; Klein, Jochen; Meshul, Charles K; Van der Schyf, Cornelis J

    2011-02-01

    INTRODUCTION: Microdialysis is an important in vivo sampling technique, useful in the assay of extracellular tissue fluid. The technique has both pre-clinical and clinical applications but is most widely used in neuroscience. The in vivo microdialysis technique allows measurement of neurotransmitters such as acetycholine (ACh), the biogenic amines including dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT), amino acids such as glutamate (Glu) and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), as well as the metabolites of the aforementioned neurotransmitters, and neuropeptides in neuronal extracellular fluid in discrete brain regions of laboratory animals such as rodents and non-human primates. AREAS COVERED: In this review we present a brief overview of the principles and procedures related to in vivo microdialysis and detail the use of this technique in the pre-clinical measurement of drugs designed to be used in the treatment of chemical addiction, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and as well as psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and schizophrenia. This review offers insight into the tremendous utility and versatility of this technique in pursuing neuropharmacological investigations as well its significant potential in rational drug discovery. EXPERT OPINION: In vivo microdialysis is an extremely versatile technique, routinely used in the neuropharmacological investigation of drugs used for the treatment of neurological disorders. This technique has been a boon in the elucidation of the neurochemical profile and mechanism of action of several classes of drugs especially their effects on neurotransmitter systems. The exploitation and development of this technique for drug discovery in the near future will enable investigational new drug candidates to be rapidly moved into the clinical trial stages and to market thus providing new successful therapies for neurological diseases that are currently in demand.

  10. High Efficiency Variable Speed Versatile Power Air Conditioning System

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-08-08

    Design concept applicable for wide range of HVAC and refrigeration systems • One TXV size can be used for a wide range of cooling capacity...versatility, can run from AC and DC sources Cooling load adaptive, variable Speed Fully operable up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY...ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 High Efficiency HVAC &R Technology

  11. A versatile system for the rapid collection, handling and graphics analysis of multidimensional data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    O'Brien, P. M.; Moloney, G.; O'Connor, A.; Legge, G. J. F.

    1993-05-01

    The aim of this work was to provide a versatile system for handling multiparameter data that may arise from a variety of experiments — nuclear, AMS, microprobe elemental analysis, 3D microtomography etc. Some of the most demanding requirements arise in the application of microprobes to quantitative elemental mapping and to microtomography. A system to handle data from such experiments had been under continuous development and use at MARC for the past 15 years. It has now been made adaptable to the needs of multiparameter (or single parameter) experiments in general. The original system has been rewritten, greatly expanded and made much more powerful and faster, by use of modern computer technology — a VME bus computer with a real time operating system and a RISC workstation running Unix and the X Window system. This provides the necessary (i) power, speed and versatility, (ii) expansion and updating capabilities (iii) standardisation and adaptability, (iv) coherent modular programming structures, (v) ability to interface to other programs and (vi) transparent operation with several levels, involving the use of menus, programmed function keys and powerful macro programming facilities.

  12. ART-Ada: An Ada-based expert system tool

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel; Allen, Bradley P.

    1990-01-01

    The Department of Defense mandate to standardize on Ada as the language for software systems development has resulted in an increased interest in making expert systems technology readily available in Ada environments. NASA's Space Station Freedom is an example of the large Ada software development projects that will require expert systems in the 1990's. Another large scale application that can benefit from Ada based expert system tool technology is the Pilot's Associate (PA) expert system project for military combat aircraft. The Automated Reasoning Tool-Ada (ART-Ada), an Ada expert system tool, is explained. ART-Ada allows applications of a C-based expert system tool called ART-IM to be deployed in various Ada environments. ART-Ada is being used to implement several prototype expert systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom program and the U.S. Air Force.

  13. ART-Ada: An Ada-based expert system tool

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel; Allen, Bradley P.

    1991-01-01

    The Department of Defense mandate to standardize on Ada as the language for software systems development has resulted in increased interest in making expert systems technology readily available in Ada environments. NASA's Space Station Freedom is an example of the large Ada software development projects that will require expert systems in the 1990's. Another large scale application that can benefit from Ada based expert system tool technology is the Pilot's Associate (PA) expert system project for military combat aircraft. Automated Reasoning Tool (ART) Ada, an Ada Expert system tool is described. ART-Ada allow applications of a C-based expert system tool called ART-IM to be deployed in various Ada environments. ART-Ada is being used to implement several prototype expert systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom Program and the U.S. Air Force.

  14. Porting a Mental Expert System to a Mainstream Programming Environment

    PubMed Central

    Jao, Chiang S.; Hier, Daniel B.; Dollear, Winifred; Fu, Wenying

    2001-01-01

    Expert systems are increasingly being applied to problems in medical diagnosis and treatment. Initial medical expert systems were programmed in specialized “expert system” shell programming environments. As the power of mainstream programming languages has increased, it has become possible to implement medical expert systems within these mainstream languages. We originally implemented an expert system to record and score the mental status examination utilizing a specialized expert system programming environment. We have now ported that application to a mainstream programming environment without losing any functionality of an accurate and comprehensive diagnostic tool. New system supplements the need of normative consultation report and offline reference library to the traditional patient care system.

  15. Versatile illumination platform and fast optical switch to give standard observation camera gated active imaging capacity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grasser, R.; Peyronneaudi, Benjamin; Yon, Kevin; Aubry, Marie

    2015-10-01

    CILAS, subsidiary of Airbus Defense and Space, develops, manufactures and sales laser-based optronics equipment for defense and homeland security applications. Part of its activity is related to active systems for threat detection, recognition and identification. Active surveillance and active imaging systems are often required to achieve identification capacity in case for long range observation in adverse conditions. In order to ease the deployment of active imaging systems often complex and expensive, CILAS suggests a new concept. It consists on the association of two apparatus working together. On one side, a patented versatile laser platform enables high peak power laser illumination for long range observation. On the other side, a small camera add-on works as a fast optical switch to select photons with specific time of flight only. The association of the versatile illumination platform and the fast optical switch presents itself as an independent body, so called "flash module", giving to virtually any passive observation systems gated active imaging capacity in NIR and SWIR.

  16. An expert system for the design of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camejo, Pedro Jose

    1989-12-01

    Expert systems are computer programs that seek to mimic human reason. An expert system shelf, a software program commonly used for developing expert systems in a relatively short time, was used to develop a prototypical expert system for the design of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings. Because HVAC design involves several related knowledge domains, developing an expert system for HVAC design requires the integration of several smaller expert systems known as knowledge bases. A menu program and several auxiliary programs for gathering data, completing calculations, printing project reports, and passing data between the knowledge bases are needed and have been developed to join the separate knowledge bases into one simple-to-use program unit.

  17. MARBLE: A system for executing expert systems in parallel

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Myers, Leonard; Johnson, Coe; Johnson, Dean

    1990-01-01

    This paper details the MARBLE 2.0 system which provides a parallel environment for cooperating expert systems. The work has been done in conjunction with the development of an intelligent computer-aided design system, ICADS, by the CAD Research Unit of the Design Institute at California Polytechnic State University. MARBLE (Multiple Accessed Rete Blackboard Linked Experts) is a system of C Language Production Systems (CLIPS) expert system tool. A copied blackboard is used for communication between the shells to establish an architecture which supports cooperating expert systems that execute in parallel. The design of MARBLE is simple, but it provides support for a rich variety of configurations, while making it relatively easy to demonstrate the correctness of its parallel execution features. In its most elementary configuration, individual CLIPS expert systems execute on their own processors and communicate with each other through a modified blackboard. Control of the system as a whole, and specifically of writing to the blackboard is provided by one of the CLIPS expert systems, an expert control system.

  18. Psychology of developing and designing expert systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tonn, B.; MacGregor, D.

    This paper discusses psychological problems relevant to developing and designing expert systems. With respect to the former, the psychological literature suggests that several cognitive biases may affect the elicitation of a valid knowledge base from the expert. The literature also suggests that common expert system inference engines may be quite inconsistent with reasoning heuristics employed by experts. With respect to expert system user interfaces, care should be taken when eliciting uncertainty estimates from users, presenting system conclusions, and ordering questions.

  19. Processes in construction of failure management expert systems from device design information

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, Jane T.; Lance, Nick

    1987-01-01

    This paper analyzes the tasks and problem solving methods used by an engineer in constructing a failure management expert system from design information about the device to te diagnosed. An expert test engineer developed a trouble-shooting expert system based on device design information and experience with similar devices, rather than on specific expert knowledge gained from operating the device or troubleshooting its failures. The construction of the expert system was intensively observed and analyzed. This paper characterizes the knowledge, tasks, methods, and design decisions involved in constructing this type of expert system, and makes recommendations concerning tools for aiding and automating construction of such systems.

  20. Structural insight into RNA recognition motifs: versatile molecular Lego building blocks for biological systems.

    PubMed

    Muto, Yutaka; Yokoyama, Shigeyuki

    2012-01-01

    'RNA recognition motifs (RRMs)' are common domain-folds composed of 80-90 amino-acid residues in eukaryotes, and have been identified in many cellular proteins. At first they were known as RNA binding domains. Through discoveries over the past 20 years, however, the RRMs have been shown to exhibit versatile molecular recognition activities and to behave as molecular Lego building blocks to construct biological systems. Novel RNA/protein recognition modes by RRMs are being identified, and more information about the molecular recognition by RRMs is becoming available. These RNA/protein recognition modes are strongly correlated with their biological significance. In this review, we would like to survey the recent progress on these versatile molecular recognition modules. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  1. Testing expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chang, C. L.; Stachowitz, R. A.

    1988-01-01

    Software quality is of primary concern in all large-scale expert system development efforts. Building appropriate validation and test tools for ensuring software reliability of expert systems is therefore required. The Expert Systems Validation Associate (EVA) is a validation system under development at the Lockheed Artificial Intelligence Center. EVA provides a wide range of validation and test tools to check correctness, consistency, and completeness of an expert system. Testing a major function of EVA. It means executing an expert system with test cases with the intent of finding errors. In this paper, we describe many different types of testing such as function-based testing, structure-based testing, and data-based testing. We describe how appropriate test cases may be selected in order to perform good and thorough testing of an expert system.

  2. Real Time Data System (RTDS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muratore, John F.

    1991-01-01

    Lessons learned from operational real time expert systems are examined. The basic system architecture is discussed. An expert system is any software that performs tasks to a standard that would normally require a human expert. An expert system implies knowledge contained in data rather than code. And an expert system implies the use of heuristics as well as algorithms. The 15 top lessons learned by the operation of a real time data system are presented.

  3. Versatile Desktop Experiment Module (DEMo) on Heat Transfer

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Minerick, Adrienne R.

    2010-01-01

    This paper outlines a new Desktop Experiment Module (DEMo) engineered for a chemical engineering junior-level Heat Transfer course. This new DEMo learning tool is versatile, fairly inexpensive, and portable such that it can be positioned on student desks throughout a classroom. The DEMo system can illustrate conduction of various materials,…

  4. Expert systems applications for space shuttle payload integration automation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morris, Keith

    1988-01-01

    Expert systems technologies have been and are continuing to be applied to NASA's Space Shuttle orbiter payload integration problems to provide a level of automation previously unrealizable. NASA's Space Shuttle orbiter was designed to be extremely flexible in its ability to accommodate many different types and combinations of satellites and experiments (payloads) within its payload bay. This flexibility results in differnet and unique engineering resource requirements for each of its payloads, creating recurring payload and cargo integration problems. Expert systems provide a successful solution for these recurring problems. The Orbiter Payload Bay Cabling Expert (EXCABL) was the first expert system, developed to solve the electrical services provisioning problem. A second expert system, EXMATCH, was developed to generate a list of the reusable installation drawings available for each EXCABL solution. These successes have proved the applicability of expert systems technologies to payload integration problems and consequently a third expert system is currently in work. These three expert systems, the manner in which they resolve payload problems and how they will be integrated are described.

  5. High Efficiency Variable Speed Versatile Power Air Conditioning System for Military Vehicles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-08-01

    MOBILITY (P&M) MINI-SYMPOSIUM AUGUST 21-22, 2013 - TROY , MICHIGAN High efficiency variable speed versatile power air conditioning system for...power draw was measured using a calibrated Watt meter. The schematic of the setup is shown in Figure 5 and the setup is shown in Figure 6. Figure...Rocky Research environmental chamber. Cooling Capacity was directly measured in Btu/hr or Watts via measuring the Air flow velocity and the air

  6. Versatile simulation testbed for rotorcraft speech I/O system design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simpson, Carol A.

    1986-01-01

    A versatile simulation testbed for the design of a rotorcraft speech I/O system is described in detail. The testbed will be used to evaluate alternative implementations of synthesized speech displays and speech recognition controls for the next generation of Army helicopters including the LHX. The message delivery logic is discussed as well as the message structure, the speech recognizer command structure and features, feedback from the recognizer, and random access to controls via speech command.

  7. Expert system technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prince, Mary Ellen

    1987-01-01

    The expert system is a computer program which attempts to reproduce the problem-solving behavior of an expert, who is able to view problems from a broad perspective and arrive at conclusions rapidly, using intuition, shortcuts, and analogies to previous situations. Expert systems are a departure from the usual artificial intelligence approach to problem solving. Researchers have traditionally tried to develop general modes of human intelligence that could be applied to many different situations. Expert systems, on the other hand, tend to rely on large quantities of domain specific knowledge, much of it heuristic. The reasoning component of the system is relatively simple and straightforward. For this reason, expert systems are often called knowledge based systems. The report expands on the foregoing. Section 1 discusses the architecture of a typical expert system. Section 2 deals with the characteristics that make a problem a suitable candidate for expert system solution. Section 3 surveys current technology, describing some of the software aids available for expert system development. Section 4 discusses the limitations of the latter. The concluding section makes predictions of future trends.

  8. The Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a versatile model system for the identification and characterization of bacterial virulence proteins.

    PubMed

    Siggers, Keri A; Lesser, Cammie F

    2008-07-17

    Microbial pathogens utilize complex secretion systems to deliver proteins into host cells. These effector proteins target and usurp host cell processes to promote infection and cause disease. While secretion systems are conserved, each pathogen delivers its own unique set of effectors. The identification and characterization of these effector proteins has been difficult, often limited by the lack of detectable signal sequences and functional redundancy. Model systems including yeast, worms, flies, and fish are being used to circumvent these issues. This technical review details the versatility and utility of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a system to identify and characterize bacterial effectors.

  9. Expert system for the design of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems. Master's thesis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Camejo, P.J.

    1989-12-01

    Expert systems are computer programs that seek to mimic human reason. An expert system shelf, a software program commonly used for developing expert systems in a relatively short time, was used to develop a prototypical expert system for the design of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings. Because HVAC design involves several related knowledge domains, developing an expert system for HVAC design requires the integration of several smaller expert systems known as knowledge bases. A menu program and several auxiliary programs for gathering data, completing calculations, printing project reports, and passing data between the knowledge bases are neededmore » and have been developed to join the separate knowledge bases into one simple-to-use program unit.« less

  10. Engineering monitoring expert system's developer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lo, Ching F.

    1991-01-01

    This research project is designed to apply artificial intelligence technology including expert systems, dynamic interface of neural networks, and hypertext to construct an expert system developer. The developer environment is specifically suited to building expert systems which monitor the performance of ground support equipment for propulsion systems and testing facilities. The expert system developer, through the use of a graphics interface and a rule network, will be transparent to the user during rule constructing and data scanning of the knowledge base. The project will result in a software system that allows its user to build specific monitoring type expert systems which monitor various equipments used for propulsion systems or ground testing facilities and accrues system performance information in a dynamic knowledge base.

  11. Expert systems built by the Expert: An evaluation of OPS5

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, Robert

    1987-01-01

    Two expert systems were written in OPS5 by the expert, a Ph.D. astronomer with no prior experience in artificial intelligence or expert systems, without the use of a knowledge engineer. The first system was built from scratch and uses 146 rules to check for duplication of scientific information within a pool of prospective observations. The second system was grafted onto another expert system and uses 149 additional rules to estimate the spacecraft and ground resources consumed by a set of prospective observations. The small vocabulary, the IF this occurs THEN do that logical structure of OPS5, and the ability to follow program execution allowed the expert to design and implement these systems with only the data structures and rules of another OPS5 system as an example. The modularity of the rules in OPS5 allowed the second system to modify the rulebase of the system onto which it was grafted without changing the code or the operation of that system. These experiences show that experts are able to develop their own expert systems due to the ease of programming and code reusability in OPS5.

  12. Artificial intelligence and space power systems automation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weeks, David J.

    1987-01-01

    Various applications of artificial intelligence to space electrical power systems are discussed. An overview is given of completed, on-going, and planned knowledge-based system activities. These applications include the Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) (the expert system interfaced with the Hubble Space Telescope electrical power system test bed); the early work with the Space Station Experiment Scheduler (SSES); the three expert systems under development in the space station advanced development effort in the core module power management and distribution system test bed; planned cooperation of expert systems in the Core Module Power Management and Distribution (CM/PMAD) system breadboard with expert systems for the space station at other research centers; and the intelligent data reduction expert system under development.

  13. Versatile clinical information system design for emergency departments.

    PubMed

    Amouh, Teh; Gemo, Monica; Macq, Benoît; Vanderdonckt, Jean; El Gariani, Abdul Wahed; Reynaert, Marc S; Stamatakis, Lambert; Thys, Frédéric

    2005-06-01

    Compared to other hospital units, the emergency department presents some distinguishing characteristics of its own. Emergency health-care delivery is a collaborative process involving the contribution of several individuals who accomplish their tasks while working autonomously under pressure and sometimes with limited resources. Effective computerization of the emergency department information system presents a real challenge due to the complexity of the scenario. Current computerized support suffers from several problems, including inadequate data models, clumsy user interfaces, and poor integration with other clinical information systems. To tackle such complexity, we propose an approach combining three points of view, namely the transactions (in and out of the department), the (mono and multi) user interfaces and data management. Unlike current systems, we pay particular attention to the user-friendliness and versatility of our system. This means that intuitive user interfaces have been conceived and specific software modeling methodologies have been applied to provide our system with the flexibility and adaptability necessary for the individual and group coordinated tasks. Our approach has been implemented by prototyping a web-based, multiplatform, multiuser, and versatile clinical information system built upon multitier software architecture, using the Java programming language.

  14. Considerations in development of expert systems for real-time space applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murugesan, S.

    1988-01-01

    Over the years, demand on space systems has increased tremendously and this trend will continue for the near future. Enhanced capabilities of space systems, however, can only be met with increased complexity and sophistication of onboard and ground systems. Artificial Intelligence and expert system techniques have great potential in space applications. Expert systems could facilitate autonomous decision making, improve in-orbit fault diagnosis and repair, enhance performance and reduce reliance on ground support. However, real-time expert systems, unlike conventional off-line consultative systems, have to satisfy certain special stringent requirements before they could be used for onboard space applications. Challenging and interesting new environments are faced while developing expert system space applications. This paper discusses the special characteristics, requirements and typical life cycle issues for onboard expert systems. Further, it also describes considerations in design, development, and implementation which are particularly important to real-time expert systems for space applications.

  15. An hierarchical approach to performance evaluation of expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Kavi, Srinu

    1985-01-01

    The number and size of expert systems is growing rapidly. Formal evaluation of these systems - which is not performed for many systems - increases the acceptability by the user community and hence their success. Hierarchical evaluation that had been conducted for computer systems is applied for expert system performance evaluation. Expert systems are also evaluated by treating them as software systems (or programs). This paper reports many of the basic concepts and ideas in the Performance Evaluation of Expert Systems Study being conducted at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

  16. An engineering approach to the use of expert systems technology in avionics applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duke, E. L.; Regenie, V. A.; Brazee, M.; Brumbaugh, R. W.

    1986-01-01

    The concept of using a knowledge compiler to transform the knowledge base and inference mechanism of an expert system into a conventional program is presented. The need to accommodate real-time systems requirements in applications such as embedded avionics is outlined. Expert systems and a brief comparison of expert systems and conventional programs are reviewed. Avionics applications of expert systems are discussed before the discussions of applying the proposed concept to example systems using forward and backward chaining.

  17. Expert systems for real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Edwards, S. J.; Caglayan, A. K.

    1989-01-01

    Methods for building real-time onboard expert systems were investigated, and the use of expert systems technology was demonstrated in improving the performance of current real-time onboard monitoring and fault diagnosis applications. The potential applications of the proposed research include an expert system environment allowing the integration of expert systems into conventional time-critical application solutions, a grammar for describing the discrete event behavior of monitoring and fault diagnosis systems, and their applications to new real-time hardware fault diagnosis and monitoring systems for aircraft.

  18. Equating an expert system to a classifier in order to evaluate the expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Odell, Patrick L.

    1989-01-01

    A strategy to evaluate an expert system is formulated. The strategy proposed is based on finding an equivalent classifier to an expert system and evaluate that classifier with respect to an optimal classifier, a Bayes classifier. Here it is shown that for the rules considered an equivalent classifier exists. Also, a brief consideration of meta and meta-meta rules is included. Also, a taxonomy of expert systems is presented and an assertion made that an equivalent classifier exists for each type of expert system in the taxonomy with associated sets of underlying assumptions.

  19. Three CLIPS-based expert systems for solving engineering problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parkinson, W. J.; Luger, G. F.; Bretz, R. E.

    1990-01-01

    We have written three expert systems, using the CLIPS PC-based expert system shell. These three expert systems are rule based and are relatively small, with the largest containing slightly less than 200 rules. The first expert system is an expert assistant that was written to help users of the ASPEN computer code choose the proper thermodynamic package to use with their particular vapor-liquid equilibrium problem. The second expert system was designed to help petroleum engineers choose the proper enhanced oil recovery method to be used with a given reservoir. The effectiveness of each technique is highly dependent upon the reservoir conditions. The third expert system is a combination consultant and control system. This system was designed specifically for silicon carbide whisker growth. Silicon carbide whiskers are an extremely strong product used to make ceramic and metal composites. The manufacture of whiskers is a very complicated process. which to date. has defied a good mathematical model. The process was run by experts who had gained their expertise by trial and error. A system of rules was devised by these experts both for procedure setup and for the process control. In this paper we discuss the three problem areas of the design, development and evaluation of the CLIPS-based programs.

  20. Small Knowledge-Based Systems in Education and Training: Something New Under the Sun.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Brent G.; Welsh, Jack R.

    1986-01-01

    Discusses artificial intelligence, robotics, natural language processing, and expert or knowledge-based systems research; examines two large expert systems, MYCIN and XCON; and reviews the resources required to build large expert systems and affordable smaller systems (intelligent job aids) for training. Expert system vendors and products are…

  1. Expert systems for C3I. Volume 1. A user's introduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clapp, J. A.; Hockett, S. M.; Prelle, M. J.; Tallant, A. M.; Triant, D. D.

    1985-10-01

    There has been a tremendous burgeoning of interest in artificial intelligence (AI) over the last few years. Investments of commercial and government sponsors reflect a widespread belief that AI is now ready for practical applications. The area of AI currently receiving the greatest attention and investment is expert system technology. Most major high tech corporations have begun to develop expert systems, and many software houses specializing in expert system tools and applications have recently appeared. The defense community is one of the heaviest investors in expert system technology, and within this community one of the application areas receiving greatest attention is C3I. Many ESD programs are now beginning to ask whether expert system applications for C3I are ready for incorporation into ESD-developed systems, and, if so, what are the potential benefits and risks of doing so. This report was prepared to help ESD and MITRE personnel working on acquisition programs to address these issues and to gain a better understanding of what expert systems are all about. The primary intention of this report is to investigate what expert systems are and the advances that are being made in expert system technology for C3I applications. The report begins with a brief tutorial on expert systems, emphasizing how they differ from conventional software systems and what they are best at doing.

  2. Interfaces and Expert Systems for Online Retrieval.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kehoe, Cynthia A.

    1985-01-01

    This paper reviews the history of separate online system interfaces which led to efforts to develop expert systems for searching databases, particularly for end users, and introduces the research on such expert systems. Appended is a bibliography of sources on interfaces and expert systems for online retrieval. (Author/EJS)

  3. Expert and Knowledge Based Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demaid, Adrian; Edwards, Lyndon

    1987-01-01

    Discusses the nature and current state of knowledge-based systems and expert systems. Describes an expert system from the viewpoints of a computer programmer and an applications expert. Addresses concerns related to materials selection and forecasts future developments in the teaching of materials engineering. (ML)

  4. Reliability and performance evaluation of systems containing embedded rule-based expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beaton, Robert M.; Adams, Milton B.; Harrison, James V. A.

    1989-01-01

    A method for evaluating the reliability of real-time systems containing embedded rule-based expert systems is proposed and investigated. It is a three stage technique that addresses the impact of knowledge-base uncertainties on the performance of expert systems. In the first stage, a Markov reliability model of the system is developed which identifies the key performance parameters of the expert system. In the second stage, the evaluation method is used to determine the values of the expert system's key performance parameters. The performance parameters can be evaluated directly by using a probabilistic model of uncertainties in the knowledge-base or by using sensitivity analyses. In the third and final state, the performance parameters of the expert system are combined with performance parameters for other system components and subsystems to evaluate the reliability and performance of the complete system. The evaluation method is demonstrated in the context of a simple expert system used to supervise the performances of an FDI algorithm associated with an aircraft longitudinal flight-control system.

  5. Executing CLIPS expert systems in a distributed environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Taylor, James; Myers, Leonard

    1990-01-01

    This paper describes a framework for running cooperating agents in a distributed environment to support the Intelligent Computer Aided Design System (ICADS), a project in progress at the CAD Research Unit of the Design Institute at the California Polytechnic State University. Currently, the systems aids an architectural designer in creating a floor plan that satisfies some general architectural constraints and project specific requirements. At the core of ICADS is the Blackboard Control System. Connected to the blackboard are any number of domain experts called Intelligent Design Tools (IDT). The Blackboard Control System monitors the evolving design as it is being drawn and helps resolve conflicts from the domain experts. The user serves as a partner in this system by manipulating the floor plan in the CAD system and validating recommendations made by the domain experts. The primary components of the Blackboard Control System are two expert systems executed by a modified CLIPS shell. The first is the Message Handler. The second is the Conflict Resolver. The Conflict Resolver synthesizes the suggestions made by the domain experts, which can be either CLIPS expert systems, or compiled C programs. In DEMO1, the current ICADS prototype, the CLIPS domain expert systems are Acoustics, Lighting, Structural, and Thermal; the compiled C domain experts are the CAD system and the User Interface.

  6. Expert system prototype developments for NASA-KSC business and engineering applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ragusa, James M.; Gonzalez, Avelino J.

    1988-01-01

    Prototype expert systems developed for a variety of NASA projects in the business/management and engineering domains are discussed. Business-related problems addressed include an assistant for simulating launch vehicle processing, a plan advisor for the acquisition of automated data processing equipment, and an expert system for the identification of customer requirements. Engineering problems treated include an expert system for detecting potential ignition sources in LOX and gaseous-oxygen transportation systems and an expert system for hazardous-gas detection.

  7. A CLIPS expert system for maximizing alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) production

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Engel, B. A.; Jones, D. D.; Rhykerd, R. L.; Rhykerd, L. M.; Rhykerd, C. L., Jr.; Rhykerd, C. L.

    1990-01-01

    An alfalfa management expert system originally developed by Purdue University agricultural scientists on the PC Plus expert system shell from Texas Instrument has been updated and successfully converted to CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System). This reduces the cost and legal restrictions associated with making the expert system available to agribusiness industries, extension personnel and farm managers and operators. The expert system includes recommendations concerning soil drainage, liming, P and K fertilization, weed control, variety selection and seeding rate including pure live seeds.

  8. Knowledge-based fault diagnosis system for refuse collection vehicle

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tan, CheeFai; Juffrizal, K.; Khalil, S. N.

    The refuse collection vehicle is manufactured by local vehicle body manufacturer. Currently; the company supplied six model of the waste compactor truck to the local authority as well as waste management company. The company is facing difficulty to acquire the knowledge from the expert when the expert is absence. To solve the problem, the knowledge from the expert can be stored in the expert system. The expert system is able to provide necessary support to the company when the expert is not available. The implementation of the process and tool is able to be standardize and more accurate. The knowledgemore » that input to the expert system is based on design guidelines and experience from the expert. This project highlighted another application on knowledge-based system (KBS) approached in trouble shooting of the refuse collection vehicle production process. The main aim of the research is to develop a novel expert fault diagnosis system framework for the refuse collection vehicle.« less

  9. A parallel strategy for implementing real-time expert systems using CLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ilyes, Laszlo A.; Villaseca, F. Eugenio; Delaat, John

    1994-01-01

    As evidenced by current literature, there appears to be a continued interest in the study of real-time expert systems. It is generally recognized that speed of execution is only one consideration when designing an effective real-time expert system. Some other features one must consider are the expert system's ability to perform temporal reasoning, handle interrupts, prioritize data, contend with data uncertainty, and perform context focusing as dictated by the incoming data to the expert system. This paper presents a strategy for implementing a real time expert system on the iPSC/860 hypercube parallel computer using CLIPS. The strategy takes into consideration not only the execution time of the software, but also those features which define a true real-time expert system. The methodology is then demonstrated using a practical implementation of an expert system which performs diagnostics on the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). This particular implementation uses an eight node hypercube to process ten sensor measurements in order to simultaneously diagnose five different failure modes within the SSME. The main program is written in ANSI C and embeds CLIPS to better facilitate and debug the rule based expert system.

  10. A versatile small form factor twisted-pair TFC FMC for MTCA AMCs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meder, L.; Lebedev, J.; Becker, J.

    2017-03-01

    In continuous readout systems of particle physics experiments, the provision of a common clock and time reference and the distribution of critical low latency messages to the processing and fronted layers of the readout are crucial tasks. In the context of the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment, a versatile small form factor Timing and Fast-Control (TFC) interfacing FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) was developed, offering bidirectional twisted-pair (TP) links for the communication between TFC nodes. Also a versatile clocking including voltage controlled oscillators and a connection to the telecommunication clock lines of mTCA crates are available. Being designed for both TFC Master and Slaves, the card allows rapid system developments without additional Slave hardware circuits. Measurements show that it is possible to transmit over cable lengths of 25 m at a rate of 240 Mbit/s for all data channels simultaneously. A TFC Master-Slave system using two of these cards can be synchronized with a precision of ±10 ps to an user-defined phase setpoint.

  11. Explainable expert systems: A research program in information processing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paris, Cecile L.

    1993-01-01

    Our work in Explainable Expert Systems (EES) had two goals: to extend and enhance the range of explanations that expert systems can offer, and to ease their maintenance and evolution. As suggested in our proposal, these goals are complementary because they place similar demands on the underlying architecture of the expert system: they both require the knowledge contained in a system to be explicitly represented, in a high-level declarative language and in a modular fashion. With these two goals in mind, the Explainable Expert Systems (EES) framework was designed to remedy limitations to explainability and evolvability that stem from related fundamental flaws in the underlying architecture of current expert systems.

  12. SWAN: An expert system with natural language interface for tactical air capability assessment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Simmons, Robert M.

    1987-01-01

    SWAN is an expert system and natural language interface for assessing the war fighting capability of Air Force units in Europe. The expert system is an object oriented knowledge based simulation with an alternate worlds facility for performing what-if excursions. Responses from the system take the form of generated text, tables, or graphs. The natural language interface is an expert system in its own right, with a knowledge base and rules which understand how to access external databases, models, or expert systems. The distinguishing feature of the Air Force expert system is its use of meta-knowledge to generate explanations in the frame and procedure based environment.

  13. DELTA: An Expert System for Diesel Electric Locomotive Repair

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-06-01

    Rules and Inference Mechanisms. AD-P003 943 The ACE (Automated Cable Expert) Exlpelient: Initial Evaluation of an Expert System for Preventive...tions. The first field prototype expert system, designated CATS -i (Computer-Aided Troubleshooting System - Version 1), was delivered in July 1983 and is

  14. Techniques for capturing expert knowledge - An expert systems/hypertext approach

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lafferty, Larry; Taylor, Greg; Schumann, Robin; Evans, Randy; Koller, Albert M., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    The knowledge-acquisition strategy developed for the Explosive Hazards Classification (EHC) Expert System is described in which expert systems and hypertext are combined, and broad applications are proposed. The EHC expert system is based on rapid prototyping in which primary knowledge acquisition from experts is not emphasized; the explosive hazards technical bulletin, technical guidance, and minimal interviewing are used to develop the knowledge-based system. Hypertext is used to capture the technical information with respect to four issues including procedural, materials, test, and classification issues. The hypertext display allows the integration of multiple knowlege representations such as clarifications or opinions, and thereby allows the performance of a broad range of tasks on a single machine. Among other recommendations, it is suggested that the integration of hypertext and expert systems makes the resulting synergistic system highly efficient.

  15. Diagnosis - Using automatic test equipment and artificial intelligence expert systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramsey, J. E., Jr.

    Three expert systems (ATEOPS, ATEFEXPERS, and ATEFATLAS), which were created to direct automatic test equipment (ATE), are reviewed. The purpose of the project was to develop an expert system to troubleshoot the converter-programmer power supply card for the F-15 aircraft and have that expert system direct the automatic test equipment. Each expert system uses a different knowledge base or inference engine, basing the testing on the circuit schematic, test requirements document, or ATLAS code. Implementing generalized modules allows the expert systems to be used for any different unit under test. Using converted ATLAS to LISP code allows the expert system to direct any ATE using ATLAS. The constraint propagated frame system allows for the expansion of control by creating the ATLAS code, checking the code for good software engineering techniques, directing the ATE, and changing the test sequence as needed (planning).

  16. Techniques and implementation of the embedded rule-based expert system using Ada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liberman, Eugene M.; Jones, Robert E.

    1991-01-01

    Ada is becoming an increasingly popular programming language for large Government-funded software projects. Ada with its portability, transportability, and maintainability lends itself well to today's complex programming environment. In addition, expert systems have also assured a growing role in providing human-like reasoning capability and expertise for computer systems. The integration of expert system technology with Ada programming language, specifically a rule-based expert system using an ART-Ada (Automated Reasoning Tool for Ada) system shell is discussed. The NASA Lewis Research Center was chosen as a beta test site for ART-Ada. The test was conducted by implementing the existing Autonomous Power EXpert System (APEX), a Lisp-base power expert system, in ART-Ada. Three components, the rule-based expert system, a graphics user interface, and communications software make up SMART-Ada (Systems fault Management with ART-Ada). The main objective, to conduct a beta test on the ART-Ada rule-based expert system shell, was achieved. The system is operational. New Ada tools will assist in future successful projects. ART-Ada is one such tool and is a viable alternative to the straight Ada code when an application requires a rule-based or knowledge-based approach.

  17. Expert Systems--The New International Language of Business.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sondak, Norman E.; And Others

    A discussion of expert systems, computer programs designed to simulate human reasoning and expertise, begins with the assumption that few business educators understand the impact that expert systems will have on international business. The fundamental principles of the design and development of expert systems in business are outlined, with special…

  18. Expert Systems in Education and Training: Automated Job Aids or Sophisticated Instructional Media?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romiszowski, Alexander J.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the current status and limitations of expert systems, and explores the possible applications of such systems in education and training. The use of expert systems as tutors, as job aids, and as a vehicle for students to develop their own expert systems on specific topics are discussed. (40 references) (CLB)

  19. Expert systems and simulation models; Proceedings of the Seminar, Tucson, AZ, November 18, 19, 1985

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    The seminar presents papers on modeling and simulation methodology, artificial intelligence and expert systems, environments for simulation/expert system development, and methodology for simulation/expert system development. Particular attention is given to simulation modeling concepts and their representation, modular hierarchical model specification, knowledge representation, and rule-based diagnostic expert system development. Other topics include the combination of symbolic and discrete event simulation, real time inferencing, and the management of large knowledge-based simulation projects.

  20. Strategies for adding adaptive learning mechanisms to rule-based diagnostic expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stclair, D. C.; Sabharwal, C. L.; Bond, W. E.; Hacke, Keith

    1988-01-01

    Rule-based diagnostic expert systems can be used to perform many of the diagnostic chores necessary in today's complex space systems. These expert systems typically take a set of symptoms as input and produce diagnostic advice as output. The primary objective of such expert systems is to provide accurate and comprehensive advice which can be used to help return the space system in question to nominal operation. The development and maintenance of diagnostic expert systems is time and labor intensive since the services of both knowledge engineer(s) and domain expert(s) are required. The use of adaptive learning mechanisms to increment evaluate and refine rules promises to reduce both time and labor costs associated with such systems. This paper describes the basic adaptive learning mechanisms of strengthening, weakening, generalization, discrimination, and discovery. Next basic strategies are discussed for adding these learning mechanisms to rule-based diagnostic expert systems. These strategies support the incremental evaluation and refinement of rules in the knowledge base by comparing the set of advice given by the expert system (A) with the correct diagnosis (C). Techniques are described for selecting those rules in the in the knowledge base which should participate in adaptive learning. The strategies presented may be used with a wide variety of learning algorithms. Further, these strategies are applicable to a large number of rule-based diagnostic expert systems. They may be used to provide either immediate or deferred updating of the knowledge base.

  1. Electrophoresis Gel Quantification with a Flatbed Scanner and Versatile Lighting from a Screen Scavenged from a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Monitor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeung, Brendan; Ng, Tuck Wah; Tan, Han Yen; Liew, Oi Wah

    2012-01-01

    The use of different types of stains in the quantification of proteins separated on gels using electrophoresis offers the capability of deriving good outcomes in terms of linear dynamic range, sensitivity, and compatibility with specific proteins. An inexpensive, simple, and versatile lighting system based on liquid crystal display backlighting is…

  2. VAC: Versatile Advection Code

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tóth, Gábor; Keppens, Rony

    2012-07-01

    The Versatile Advection Code (VAC) is a freely available general hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic simulation software that works in 1, 2 or 3 dimensions on Cartesian and logically Cartesian grids. VAC runs on any Unix/Linux system with a Fortran 90 (or 77) compiler and Perl interpreter. VAC can run on parallel machines using either the Message Passing Interface (MPI) library or a High Performance Fortran (HPF) compiler.

  3. Carbon nanotubes part I: preparation of a novel and versatile drug-delivery vehicle

    PubMed Central

    Karimi, Mahdi; Solati, Navid; Amiri, Mohammad; Mirshekari, Hamed; Mohamed, Elmira; Taheri, Mahdiar; Hashemkhani, Mahshid; Saeidi, Ahad; Estiar, Mehrdad Asghari; Kiani, Parnian; Ghasemi, Amir; Basri, Seyed Masoud Moosavi; Aref, Amir R

    2015-01-01

    Introduction It is 23 years since carbon allotrope known as carbon nanotubes (CNT) was discovered by Iijima, who described them as “rolled graphite sheets inserted into each other”. Since then, CNTs have been studied in nanoelectronic devices. However, CNTs also possess the versatility to act as drug- and gene-delivery vehicles. Areas covered This review covers the synthesis, purification and functionalization of CNTs. Arc discharge, laser ablation and chemical vapor deposition are the principle synthesis methods. Non-covalent functionalization relies on attachment of biomolecules by coating the CNT with surfactants, synthetic polymers and biopolymers. Covalent functionalization often involves the initial introduction of carboxylic acids or amine groups, diazonium addition, 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition or reductive alkylation. The aim is to produce functional groups to attach the active cargo. Expert opinion In this review, the feasibility of CNT being used as a drug-delivery vehicle is explored. The molecular composition of CNT is extremely hydrophobic and highly aggregation-prone. Therefore, most of the efforts towards drug delivery has centered on chemical functionalization, which is usually divided in two categories; non-covalent and covalent. The biomedical applications of CNT are growing apace, and new drug-delivery technologies play a major role in these efforts. PMID:25601356

  4. Benzoxaborole compounds for therapeutic uses: a patent review (2010- 2018).

    PubMed

    Nocentini, Alessio; Supuran, Claudiu T; Winum, Jean-Yves

    2018-06-01

    Benzoxaborole is a versatile boron-heterocyclic scaffold which has found in the last 10 years a broad spectrum of applications in medicinal chemistry, due to its physicochemical and drug-like properties. Use of benzoxaborole moiety in the design of compounds led to the discovery of new classes of anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal, anti-viral as well as anti-inflammatory agents with interesting drug development perspectives. Areas covered: This article reviews the patent literature as well as chemistry literature during the period 2010-2018 where in several benzoxaborole derivatives with therapeutic options were reported. Expert opinion: Two benzoxaborole derivatives are already clinically used for the treatment of onychomycosis (tavaborole) and atopic dermatitis (crisaborole), with several others in various phases of clinical trials. By inhibiting enzymes essential in the life cycle of fungal, protozoan, bacterial and viral pathogens, it is probable that other compounds may soon enter the armamentarium of anti-infective agents. On the other hand, phosphodiesterase 4 seems to be the human target responsible of the anti-inflammatory action of some benzoxaboroles. The chemical versatility, peculiar mechanism of action related to the electron deficient nature of the boron atom, and ease of preparation make benzoxaboroles a highly interesting field for the pharmaceutical industry.

  5. ART-Ada design project, phase 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel; Allen, Bradley P.

    1990-01-01

    Interest in deploying expert systems in Ada has increased. An Ada based expert system tool is described called ART-Ada, which was built to support research into the language and methodological issues of expert systems in Ada. ART-Ada allows applications of an existing expert system tool called ART-IM (Automated Reasoning Tool for Information Management) to be deployed in various Ada environments. ART-IM, a C-based expert system tool, is used to generate Ada source code which is compiled and linked with an Ada based inference engine to produce an Ada executable image. ART-Ada is being used to implement several expert systems for NASA's Space Station Freedom Program and the U.S. Air Force.

  6. A neural network architecture for implementation of expert systems for real time monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramamoorthy, P. A.

    1991-01-01

    Since neural networks have the advantages of massive parallelism and simple architecture, they are good tools for implementing real time expert systems. In a rule based expert system, the antecedents of rules are in the conjunctive or disjunctive form. We constructed a multilayer feedforward type network in which neurons represent AND or OR operations of rules. Further, we developed a translator which can automatically map a given rule base into the network. Also, we proposed a new and powerful yet flexible architecture that combines the advantages of both fuzzy expert systems and neural networks. This architecture uses the fuzzy logic concepts to separate input data domains into several smaller and overlapped regions. Rule-based expert systems for time critical applications using neural networks, the automated implementation of rule-based expert systems with neural nets, and fuzzy expert systems vs. neural nets are covered.

  7. What Is An Expert System? ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boss, Richard W.

    This digest describes and defines the various components of an expert system, e.g., a computerized tool designed to enhance the quality and availability of knowledge required by decision makers. It is noted that expert systems differ from conventional applications software in the following areas: (1) the existence of the expert systems shell, or…

  8. Rhetorical Consequences of the Computer Society: Expert Systems and Human Communication.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skopec, Eric Wm.

    Expert systems are computer programs that solve selected problems by modelling domain-specific behaviors of human experts. These computer programs typically consist of an input/output system that feeds data into the computer and retrieves advice, an inference system using the reasoning and heuristic processes of human experts, and a knowledge…

  9. Expert Systems: A Challenge for the Reading Profession.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balajthy, Ernest

    The expert systems are designed to imitate the reasoning of a human expert in a content area field. Designed to be advisors, these software systems combine the content area knowledge and decision-making ability of an expert with the user's understanding and knowledge of particular circumstances. The reading diagnosis system, the RD2P System…

  10. Expert Systems: Implications for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Learning Disabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hofmeister, Alan M.; Lubke, Margaret M.

    1988-01-01

    The article examines characteristics and present or potential applications of expert systems technology for diagnosis and treatment of learning disabilities. Preliminary findings indicate that expert systems can perform as well as humans in specific areas, and that the process of organizing knowledge bases for expert systems helps clarify existing…

  11. Design of an Ada expert system shell for the VHSIC avionic modular flight processor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fanning, F. Jesse

    1992-01-01

    The Embedded Computer System Expert System Shell (ES Shell) is an Ada-based expert system shell developed at the Avionics Laboratory for use on the VHSIC Avionic Modular Processor (VAMP) running under the Ada Avionics Real-Time Software (AARTS) Operating System. The ES Shell provides the interface between the expert system and the avionics environment, and controls execution of the expert system. Testing of the ES Shell in the Avionics Laboratory's Integrated Test Bed (ITB) has demonstrated its ability to control a non-deterministic software application executing on the VAMP's which can control the ITB's real-time closed-loop aircraft simulation. The results of these tests and the conclusions reached in the design and development of the ES Shell have played an important role in the formulation of the requirements for a production-quality expert system inference engine, an ingredient necessary for the successful use of expert systems on the VAMP embedded avionic flight processor.

  12. The need for a comprehensive expert system development methodology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baumert, John; Critchfield, Anna; Leavitt, Karen

    1988-01-01

    In a traditional software development environment, the introduction of standardized approaches has led to higher quality, maintainable products on the technical side and greater visibility into the status of the effort on the management side. This study examined expert system development to determine whether it differed enough from traditional systems to warrant a reevaluation of current software development methodologies. Its purpose was to identify areas of similarity with traditional software development and areas requiring tailoring to the unique needs of expert systems. A second purpose was to determine whether existing expert system development methodologies meet the needs of expert system development, management, and maintenance personnel. The study consisted of a literature search and personal interviews. It was determined that existing methodologies and approaches to developing expert systems are not comprehensive nor are they easily applied, especially to cradle to grave system development. As a result, requirements were derived for an expert system development methodology and an initial annotated outline derived for such a methodology.

  13. Validation of an expert system intended for research in distributed artificial intelligence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grossner, C.; Lyons, J.; Radhakrishnan, T.

    1991-01-01

    The expert system discussed in this paper is designed to function as a testbed for research on cooperating expert systems. Cooperating expert systems are members of an organization which dictates the manner in which the expert systems will interact when solving a problem. The Blackbox Expert described in this paper has been constructed using the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), C++, and X windowing environment. CLIPS is embedded in a C++ program which provides objects that are used to maintain the state of the Blackbox puzzle. These objects are accessed by CLIPS rules through user-defined functions calls. The performance of the Blackbox Expert is validated by experimentation. A group of people are asked to solve a set of test cases for the Blackbox puzzle. A metric has been devised which evaluates the 'correctness' of a solution proposed for a test case of Blackbox. Using this metric and the solutions proposed by the humans, each person receives a rating for their ability to solve the Blackbox puzzle. The Blackbox Expert solves the same set of test cases and is assigned a rating for its ability. Then the rating obtained by the Blackbox Expert is compared with the ratings of the people, thus establishing the skill level of our expert system.

  14. Medicine, material science and security: the versatility of the coded-aperture approach.

    PubMed

    Munro, P R T; Endrizzi, M; Diemoz, P C; Hagen, C K; Szafraniec, M B; Millard, T P; Zapata, C E; Speller, R D; Olivo, A

    2014-03-06

    The principal limitation to the widespread deployment of X-ray phase imaging in a variety of applications is probably versatility. A versatile X-ray phase imaging system must be able to work with polychromatic and non-microfocus sources (for example, those currently used in medical and industrial applications), have physical dimensions sufficiently large to accommodate samples of interest, be insensitive to environmental disturbances (such as vibrations and temperature variations), require only simple system set-up and maintenance, and be able to perform quantitative imaging. The coded-aperture technique, based upon the edge illumination principle, satisfies each of these criteria. To date, we have applied the technique to mammography, materials science, small-animal imaging, non-destructive testing and security. In this paper, we outline the theory of coded-aperture phase imaging and show an example of how the technique may be applied to imaging samples with a practically important scale.

  15. Robust and versatile ionic liquid microarrays achieved by microcontact printing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gunawan, Christian A.; Ge, Mengchen; Zhao, Chuan

    2014-04-01

    Lab-on-a-chip and miniaturized systems have gained significant popularity motivated by marked differences in material performance at the micro-to-nano-scale realm. However, to fully exploit micro-to-nano-scale chemistry, solvent volatility and lack of reproducibility need to be overcome. Here, we combine the non-volatile and versatile nature of ionic liquids with microcontact printing in an attempt to establish a facile protocol for high throughput fabrication of open microreactors and microfluidics. The micropatterned ionic liquid droplets have been demonstrated as electrochemical cells and reactors for microfabrication of metals and charge transfer complexes, substrates for immobilization of proteins and as membrane-free high-performance amperometric gas sensor arrays. The results suggest that miniaturized ionic liquid systems can be used to solve the problems of solvent volatility and slow mass transport in viscous ionic liquids in lab-on-a-chip devices, thus providing a versatile platform for a diverse number of applications.

  16. Photolithography diagnostic expert systems: a systematic approach to problem solving in a wafer fabrication facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weatherwax Scott, Caroline; Tsareff, Christopher R.

    1990-06-01

    One of the main goals of process engineering in the semiconductor industry is to improve wafer fabrication productivity and throughput. Engineers must work continuously toward this goal in addition to performing sustaining and development tasks. To accomplish these objectives, managers must make efficient use of engineering resources. One of the tools being used to improve efficiency is the diagnostic expert system. Expert systems are knowledge based computer programs designed to lead the user through the analysis and solution of a problem. Several photolithography diagnostic expert systems have been implemented at the Hughes Technology Center to provide a systematic approach to process problem solving. This systematic approach was achieved by documenting cause and effect analyses for a wide variety of processing problems. This knowledge was organized in the form of IF-THEN rules, a common structure for knowledge representation in expert system technology. These rules form the knowledge base of the expert system which is stored in the computer. The systems also include the problem solving methodology used by the expert when addressing a problem in his area of expertise. Operators now use the expert systems to solve many process problems without engineering assistance. The systems also facilitate the collection of appropriate data to assist engineering in solving unanticipated problems. Currently, several expert systems have been implemented to cover all aspects of the photolithography process. The systems, which have been in use for over a year, include wafer surface preparation (HMDS), photoresist coat and softbake, align and expose on a wafer stepper, and develop inspection. These systems are part of a plan to implement an expert system diagnostic environment throughout the wafer fabrication facility. In this paper, the systems' construction is described, including knowledge acquisition, rule construction, knowledge refinement, testing, and evaluation. The roles played by the process engineering expert and the knowledge engineer are discussed. The features of the systems are shown, particularly the interactive quality of the consultations and the ease of system use.

  17. MOORE: A prototype expert system for diagnosing spacecraft problems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Howlin, Katherine; Weissert, Jerry; Krantz, Kerry

    1988-01-01

    MOORE is a rule-based, prototype expert system that assists in diagnosing operational Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) problems. It is intended to assist spacecraft engineers at the TDRS ground terminal in trouble shooting problems that are not readily solved with routine procedures, and without expert counsel. An additional goal of the prototype system is to develop in-house expert system and knowledge engineering skills. The prototype system diagnoses antenna pointing and earth pointing problems that may occur within the TDRS Attitude Control System (ACS). Plans include expansion to fault isolation of problems in the most critical subsystems of the TDRS spacecraft. Long term benefits are anticipated with use of an expert system during future TDRS programs with increased mission support time, reduced problem solving time, and retained expert knowledge and experience. Phase 2 of the project is intended to provide NASA the necessary expertise and capability to define requirements, evaluate proposals, and monitor the development progress of a highly competent expert system for NASA's Tracking Data Relay Satellite. Phase 2 also envisions addressing two unexplored applications for expert systems, spacecraft integration and tests (I and T) and support to launch activities. The concept, goals, domain, tools, knowledge acquisition, developmental approach, and design of the expert system. It will explain how NASA obtained the knowledge and capability to develop the system in-house without assistance from outside consultants. Future plans will also be presented.

  18. CytoSpectre: a tool for spectral analysis of oriented structures on cellular and subcellular levels.

    PubMed

    Kartasalo, Kimmo; Pölönen, Risto-Pekka; Ojala, Marisa; Rasku, Jyrki; Lekkala, Jukka; Aalto-Setälä, Katriina; Kallio, Pasi

    2015-10-26

    Orientation and the degree of isotropy are important in many biological systems such as the sarcomeres of cardiomyocytes and other fibrillar structures of the cytoskeleton. Image based analysis of such structures is often limited to qualitative evaluation by human experts, hampering the throughput, repeatability and reliability of the analyses. Software tools are not readily available for this purpose and the existing methods typically rely at least partly on manual operation. We developed CytoSpectre, an automated tool based on spectral analysis, allowing the quantification of orientation and also size distributions of structures in microscopy images. CytoSpectre utilizes the Fourier transform to estimate the power spectrum of an image and based on the spectrum, computes parameter values describing, among others, the mean orientation, isotropy and size of target structures. The analysis can be further tuned to focus on targets of particular size at cellular or subcellular scales. The software can be operated via a graphical user interface without any programming expertise. We analyzed the performance of CytoSpectre by extensive simulations using artificial images, by benchmarking against FibrilTool and by comparisons with manual measurements performed for real images by a panel of human experts. The software was found to be tolerant against noise and blurring and superior to FibrilTool when analyzing realistic targets with degraded image quality. The analysis of real images indicated general good agreement between computational and manual results while also revealing notable expert-to-expert variation. Moreover, the experiment showed that CytoSpectre can handle images obtained of different cell types using different microscopy techniques. Finally, we studied the effect of mechanical stretching on cardiomyocytes to demonstrate the software in an actual experiment and observed changes in cellular orientation in response to stretching. CytoSpectre, a versatile, easy-to-use software tool for spectral analysis of microscopy images was developed. The tool is compatible with most 2D images and can be used to analyze targets at different scales. We expect the tool to be useful in diverse applications dealing with structures whose orientation and size distributions are of interest. While designed for the biological field, the software could also be useful in non-biological applications.

  19. Expert systems applied to spacecraft fire safety

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Richard L.; Kashiwagi, Takashi

    1989-01-01

    Expert systems are problem-solving programs that combine a knowledge base and a reasoning mechanism to simulate a human expert. The development of an expert system to manage fire safety in spacecraft, in particular the NASA Space Station Freedom, is difficult but clearly advantageous in the long-term. Some needs in low-gravity flammability characteristics, ventilating-flow effects, fire detection, fire extinguishment, and decision models, all necessary to establish the knowledge base for an expert system, are discussed.

  20. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    MacAllister, D.J.; Day, R.; McCormack, M.D.

    This paper gives an overview of a major integrated oil company`s experience with artificial intelligence (AI) over the last 5 years, with an emphasis on expert systems. The authors chronicle the development of an AI group, including details on development tool selection, project selection strategies, potential pitfalls, and descriptions of several completed expert systems. Small expert systems produced by teams of petroleum technology experts and experienced expert system developers that are focused in well-defined technical areas have produced substantial benefits and accelerated petroleum technology transfer.

  1. An expert systems approach to automated fault management in a regenerative life support subsystem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, J. T.; Lance, N., Jr.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes FIXER, a prototype expert system for automated fault management in a regenerative life support subsystem typical of Space Station applications. The development project provided an evaluation of the use of expert systems technology to enhance controller functions in space subsystems. The software development approach permitted evaluation of the effectiveness of direct involvement of the expert in design and development. The approach also permitted intensive observation of the knowledge and methods of the expert. This paper describes the development of the prototype expert system and presents results of the evaluation.

  2. ICAN: A versatile code for predicting composite properties

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ginty, C. A.; Chamis, C. C.

    1986-01-01

    The Integrated Composites ANalyzer (ICAN), a stand-alone computer code, incorporates micromechanics equations and laminate theory to analyze/design multilayered fiber composite structures. Procedures for both the implementation of new data in ICAN and the selection of appropriate measured data are summarized for: (1) composite systems subject to severe thermal environments; (2) woven fabric/cloth composites; and (3) the selection of new composite systems including those made from high strain-to-fracture fibers. The comparisons demonstrate the versatility of ICAN as a reliable method for determining composite properties suitable for preliminary design.

  3. Development of STOLAND, a versatile navigation, guidance and control system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Young, L. S.; Hansen, Q. M.; Rouse, W. E.; Osder, S. S.

    1972-01-01

    STOLAND has been developed to perform navigation, guidance, control, and flight management experiments in advanced V/STOL aircraft. The experiments have broad requirements and have dictated that STOLAND be capable of providing performance that would be realistic and equivalent to a wide range of current and future avionics systems. An integrated digital concept using modern avionics components was selected as the simplest approach to maximizing versatility and growth potential. Unique flexibility has been obtained by use of a single, general-purpose digital computer for all navigation, guidance, control, and displays computation.

  4. Evolution of a research prototype expert system for endemic populations of mountain pine beetle in lodgepole pine forests

    Treesearch

    Dale L. Bartos; Kent B. Downing

    1989-01-01

    A knowledge acquisition program was written to aid in obtaining knowledge from the experts concerning endemic populations of mountain pine beetle in lodgepole pine forest. An application expert system is then automatically generated by the knowledge acquisition program that contains the codified base of expert knowledge. Data can then be entered into the expert system...

  5. An SSME High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump diagnostic system using G2 real-time expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guo, Ten-Huei

    1991-01-01

    An expert system which diagnoses various seal leakage faults in the High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump of the SSME was developed using G2 real-time expert system. Three major functions of the software were implemented: model-based data generation, real-time expert system reasoning, and real-time input/output communication. This system is proposed as one module of a complete diagnostic system for the SSME. Diagnosis of a fault is defined as the determination of its type, severity, and likelihood. Since fault diagnosis is often accomplished through the use of heuristic human knowledge, an expert system based approach has been adopted as a paradigm to develop this diagnostic system. To implement this approach, a software shell which can be easily programmed to emulate the human decision process, the G2 Real-Time Expert System, was selected. Lessons learned from this implementation are discussed.

  6. An SSME high pressure oxidizer turbopump diagnostic system using G2(TM) real-time expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guo, Ten-Huei

    1991-01-01

    An expert system which diagnoses various seal leakage faults in the High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump of the SSME was developed using G2(TM) real-time expert system. Three major functions of the software were implemented: model-based data generation, real-time expert system reasoning, and real-time input/output communication. This system is proposed as one module of a complete diagnostic system for Space Shuttle Main Engine. Diagnosis of a fault is defined as the determination of its type, severity, and likelihood. Since fault diagnosis is often accomplished through the use of heuristic human knowledge, an expert system based approach was adopted as a paradigm to develop this diagnostic system. To implement this approach, a software shell which can be easily programmed to emulate the human decision process, the G2 Real-Time Expert System, was selected. Lessons learned from this implementation are discussed.

  7. Operation and Structure of an Artificial Intelligence Expert Consultative System for Reading and Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balajthy, Ernest

    1989-01-01

    The article examines decision-making expert systems and discusses their implications for diagnosis and prescription of reading difficulties. A detailed description of how a reading diagnostic expert system might operate to aid classroom teachers is followed by a discussion of advantages and limitations of expert systems for educational use.…

  8. EXSPRT: An Expert Systems Approach to Computer-Based Adaptive Testing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frick, Theodore W.; And Others

    Expert systems can be used to aid decision making. A computerized adaptive test (CAT) is one kind of expert system, although it is not commonly recognized as such. A new approach, termed EXSPRT, was devised that combines expert systems reasoning and sequential probability ratio test stopping rules. EXSPRT-R uses random selection of test items,…

  9. Expert database system for quality control

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Anne J.; Li, Zhi-Cheng

    1993-09-01

    There are more competitors today. Markets are not homogeneous they are fragmented into increasingly focused niches requiring greater flexibility in the product mix shorter manufacturing production runs and above allhigher quality. In this paper the author identified a real-time expert system as a way to improve plantwide quality management. The quality control expert database system (QCEDS) by integrating knowledge of experts in operations quality management and computer systems use all information relevant to quality managementfacts as well as rulesto determine if a product meets quality standards. Keywords: expert system quality control data base

  10. Parallel processing and expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yan, Jerry C.; Lau, Sonie

    1991-01-01

    Whether it be monitoring the thermal subsystem of Space Station Freedom, or controlling the navigation of the autonomous rover on Mars, NASA missions in the 90's cannot enjoy an increased level of autonomy without the efficient use of expert systems. Merely increasing the computational speed of uniprocessors may not be able to guarantee that real time demands are met for large expert systems. Speed-up via parallel processing must be pursued alongside the optimization of sequential implementations. Prototypes of parallel expert systems have been built at universities and industrial labs in the U.S. and Japan. The state-of-the-art research in progress related to parallel execution of expert systems was surveyed. The survey is divided into three major sections: (1) multiprocessors for parallel expert systems; (2) parallel languages for symbolic computations; and (3) measurements of parallelism of expert system. Results to date indicate that the parallelism achieved for these systems is small. In order to obtain greater speed-ups, data parallelism and application parallelism must be exploited.

  11. Fault isolation detection expert (FIDEX). Part 1: Expert system diagnostics for a 30/20 Gigahertz satellite transponder

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Durkin, John; Schlegelmilch, Richard; Tallo, Donald

    1992-01-01

    LeRC has recently completed the design of a Ka-band satellite transponder system, as part of the Advanced Communication Technology Satellite (ACTS) System. To enhance the reliability of this satellite, NASA funded the University of Akron to explore the application of an expert system to provide the transponder with an autonomous diagnosis capability. The results of this research was the development of a prototype diagnosis expert system called FIDEX (fault-isolation and diagnosis expert). FIDEX is a frame-based expert system that was developed in the NEXPERT Object development environment by Neuron Data, Inc. It is a MicroSoft Windows version 3.0 application, and was designed to operate on an Intel i80386 based personal computer system.

  12. Ethical Expert Systems

    PubMed Central

    Victoroff, Michael S.

    1985-01-01

    The title is a double entendre. The discussion approaches expert systems from two directions: “What ethical hazards are created by expert systems in medicine?” and “Would it be ethical to design an expert system for solving problems in bioethics?” Computers present new ethical problems to society, some of which are unprecedented. These can be categorized under several rubrics. The paper describes a rudimentary scheme for understanding ethical issues raised by computers, in general, and medical expert systems, in particular. It focuses on bioethical implications of AI in medicine; explores norms, assumptions and taboos; and highlights certain ethical pitfalls. Principles are elucidated, for building ethically sound systems. Finally, a proposal is discussed, for the design of an expert system for moral problem solving, and the ethical implications of this notion are analyzed.

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Miller, M.; Kempner, L. Jr.; Mueller, W. III

    The concept of an Expert System is not new. It has been around since the days of the early computers when scientists had dreams of robot automation to do everything from washing windows to automobile design. This paper discusses an application of an expert system and addresses software development issues and various levels of expert system development form a structural engineering viewpoint. An expert system designed to aid the structural engineer in first order inelastic analysis of latticed steel transmission powers is presented. The utilization of expert systems with large numerical analysis programs is discussed along with the software developmentmore » of such a system.« less

  14. CLEAR: Communications Link Expert Assistance Resource

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hull, Larry G.; Hughes, Peter M.

    1987-01-01

    Communications Link Expert Assistance Resource (CLEAR) is a real time, fault diagnosis expert system for the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Mission Operations Room (MOR). The CLEAR expert system is an operational prototype which assists the MOR operator/analyst by isolating and diagnosing faults in the spacecraft communication link with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) during periods of realtime data acquisition. The mission domain, user requirements, hardware configuration, expert system concept, tool selection, development approach, and system design were discussed. Development approach and system implementation are emphasized. Also discussed are system architecture, tool selection, operation, and future plans.

  15. Novices and Experts in Geoinformatics: the Cognitive Gap.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhilin, M.

    2012-04-01

    Modern geoinformatics is an extremely powerful tool for problem analysis and decision making in various fields. Currently general public uses geoinformatics predominantly for navigating (GPS) and sharing information about particular places (GoogleMaps, Wikimapia). Communities also use geoinformatics for particular purposes: fans of history use it to correspond historical and actual maps (www.retromap.ru), birdwatchers point places where they met birds (geobirds.com/rangemaps) etc. However the majority of stakeholders local authorities are not aware of advantages and possibilities of geoinformatics. The same problem is observed for students. At the same time many professional geoinformatic tools are developed, but sometimes the experts even can't explain their purpose to non-experts. So the question is how to shrink the gap between experts and non-experts in understanding and application of geoinformatics. We think that this gap has a cognitive basis. According to modern cognitive theories (Shiffrin-Atkinson and descending) the information primary has to pass through the perceptual filter that cuts off the information that seems to be irrelevant. The mind estimates the relevance implicitly (unconsciously) basing on previous knowledge and judgments what is important. Then it comes to the working memory which is used (a) for proceeding and (b) for problem solving. The working memory has limited capacity and can operate only with about 7 objects simultaneously. Then information passes to the long-term memory that is of unlimited capacity. There it is stored as more or less complex structures with associative links. When necessary it is extracted into the working memory. If great amount of information is linked ("chunked") the working memory operates with it as one object of seven thus overcoming the limitations of the working memory capacity. To adopt any information it should (a) pass through the perceptual filter, (b) not to overload the working memory and (c) to be structured in the long-term memory. Expert easily adopt domain-specific information because they (a) understand terminology and consider the information to be important thus passing it through the perceptual filter and (b) have a lot of complex domain-specific chunks that are processed by the working memory as a whole thus avoiding to overload it. Novices (students and general public) have neither understanding and feeling importance nor necessary chunks. The following measures should be taken to bridge experts' and novices' understanding of geoinformatics. Expert community should popularize geoscientific problems developing understandable language and available tools for their solving. This requires close collaboration with educational system (especially second education). If students understand a problem, they can find and apply appropriate tool for it. Geoscientific problems and models are extremely complex. In cognitive terms, they require hierarchy of chunks. This hierarchy should coherently develop beginning from simple ones later joining them to complex. It requires an appropriate sequence of learning tasks. There is no necessity in correct solutions - the students should understand how are they solved and realize limitations of models. We think that tasks of weather forecast, global climate modeling etc are suitable. The first step on bridging experts and novices is the elaboration of a set and a sequence of learning tasks and its sequence as well as tools for their solution. The tools should be easy for everybody who understands the task and as versatile as possible - otherwise students will waste a lot of time mastering it. This development requires close collaboration between geoscientists and educators.

  16. A versatile electrophoresis system for the analysis of high- and low-molecular-weight proteins

    PubMed Central

    Tastet, Christophe; Lescuyer, Pierre; Diemer, Hélène; Luche, Sylvie; van Dorsselaer, Alain; Rabilloud, Thierry

    2003-01-01

    A new, versatile, multiphasic buffer system for high resolution sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of proteins in the relative molecular weight Mw range of 300,000-3000 Da is described. The system, based on the theory of multiphasic zone electrophoresis, allows complete stacking and destacking of proteins in the above Mw range. The buffer system uses taurine and chloride as trailing and leading ion, respectively, and Tris, at a pH close to its pKa, as the buffering counter ion. Coupled with limited variation in the acrylamide concentration, this electrophoresis system allows to tailor the resolution in the 6–200 kDa Mw range, with minimal difficulties in the post electrophoretic identification processes. PMID:12783456

  17. Design and implementation of a status at a glance user interface for a power distribution expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liberman, Eugene M.; Manner, David B.; Dolce, James L.; Mellor, Pamela A.

    1993-01-01

    Expert systems are widely used in health monitoring and fault detection applications. One of the key features of an expert system is that it possesses a large body of knowledge about the application for which it was designed. When the user consults this knowledge base, it is essential that the expert system's reasoning process and its conclusions be as concise as possible. If, in addition, an expert system is part of a process monitoring system, the expert system's conclusions must be combined with current events of the process. Under these circumstances, it is difficult for a user to absorb and respond to all the available information. For example, a user can become distracted and confused if two or more unrelated devices in different parts of the system require attention. A human interface designed to integrate expert system diagnoses with process data and to focus the user's attention to the important matters provides a solution to the 'information overload' problem. This paper will discuss a user interface to the power distribution expert system for Space Station Freedom. The importance of features which simplify assessing system status and which minimize navigating through layers of information will be discussed. Design rationale and implementation choices will also be presented.

  18. Developing a Web-Based Advisory Expert System for Implementing Traffic Calming Strategies

    PubMed Central

    Falamarzi, Amir; Borhan, Muhamad Nazri; Rahmat, Riza Atiq O. K.

    2014-01-01

    Lack of traffic safety has become a serious issue in residential areas. In this paper, a web-based advisory expert system for the purpose of applying traffic calming strategies on residential streets is described because there currently lacks a structured framework for the implementation of such strategies. Developing an expert system can assist and advise engineers for dealing with traffic safety problems. This expert system is developed to fill the gap between the traffic safety experts and people who seek to employ traffic calming strategies including decision makers, engineers, and students. In order to build the expert system, examining sources related to traffic calming studies as well as interviewing with domain experts have been carried out. The system includes above 150 rules and 200 images for different types of measures. The system has three main functions including classifying traffic calming measures, prioritizing traffic calming strategies, and presenting solutions for different traffic safety problems. Verifying, validating processes, and comparing the system with similar works have shown that the system is consistent and acceptable for practical uses. Finally, some recommendations for improving the system are presented. PMID:25276861

  19. Developing a web-based advisory expert system for implementing traffic calming strategies.

    PubMed

    Falamarzi, Amir; Borhan, Muhamad Nazri; Rahmat, Riza Atiq O K

    2014-01-01

    Lack of traffic safety has become a serious issue in residential areas. In this paper, a web-based advisory expert system for the purpose of applying traffic calming strategies on residential streets is described because there currently lacks a structured framework for the implementation of such strategies. Developing an expert system can assist and advise engineers for dealing with traffic safety problems. This expert system is developed to fill the gap between the traffic safety experts and people who seek to employ traffic calming strategies including decision makers, engineers, and students. In order to build the expert system, examining sources related to traffic calming studies as well as interviewing with domain experts have been carried out. The system includes above 150 rules and 200 images for different types of measures. The system has three main functions including classifying traffic calming measures, prioritizing traffic calming strategies, and presenting solutions for different traffic safety problems. Verifying, validating processes, and comparing the system with similar works have shown that the system is consistent and acceptable for practical uses. Finally, some recommendations for improving the system are presented.

  20. Executive system software design and expert system implementation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Cheryl L.

    1992-01-01

    The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include: software requirements; design layout of the automated assembly system; menu display for automated composite command; expert system features; complete robot arm state diagram and logic; and expert system benefits.

  1. Expert Systems in Reference Services.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roysdon, Christine, Ed.; White, Howard D., Ed.

    1989-01-01

    Eleven articles introduce expert systems applications in library and information science, and present design and implementation issues of system development for reference services. Topics covered include knowledge based systems, prototype development, the use of artificial intelligence to remedy current system inadequacies, and an expert system to…

  2. A demonstration of expert systems applications in transportation engineering : volume III, evaluation of the prototype expert system TRANZ.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1990-01-01

    The validation and evaluation of an expert system for traffic control in highway work zones (TRANZ) is described. The stages in the evaluation process consisted of the following: revisit the experts, selectively distribute copies of TRANZ with docume...

  3. Development and practice of a Telehealthcare Expert System (TES).

    PubMed

    Lin, Hanjun; Hsu, Yeh-Liang; Hsu, Ming-Shinn; Cheng, Chih-Ming

    2013-07-01

    Expert systems have been widely used in medical and healthcare practice for various purposes. In addition to vital sign data, important concerns in telehealthcare include the compliance with the measurement prescription, the accuracy of vital sign measurements, and the functioning of vital sign meters and home gateways. However, few expert system applications are found in the telehealthcare domain to address these issues. This article presents an expert system application for one of the largest commercialized telehealthcare practices in Taiwan by Min-Sheng General Hospital. The main function of the Telehealthcare Expert System (TES) developed in this research is to detect and classify events based on the measurement data transmitted to the database at the call center, including abnormality of vital signs, violation of vital sign measurement prescriptions, and malfunction of hardware devices (home gateway and vital sign meter). When the expert system detects an abnormal event, it assigns an "urgent degree" and alerts the nursing team in the call center to take action, such as phoning the patient for counseling or to urge the patient to return to the hospital for further tests. During 2 years of clinical practice, from 2009 to 2011, 19,182 patients were served by the expert system. The expert system detected 41,755 events, of which 22.9% indicated abnormality of vital signs, 75.2% indicated violation of measurement prescription, and 1.9% indicated malfunction of devices. On average, the expert system reduced by 76.5% the time that the nursing team in the call center spent in handling the events. The expert system helped to reduce cost and improve quality of the telehealthcare service.

  4. An SQL query generator for CLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snyder, James; Chirica, Laurian

    1990-01-01

    As expert systems become more widely used, their access to large amounts of external information becomes increasingly important. This information exists in several forms such as statistical, tabular data, knowledge gained by experts and large databases of information maintained by companies. Because many expert systems, including CLIPS, do not provide access to this external information, much of the usefulness of expert systems is left untapped. The scope of this paper is to describe a database extension for the CLIPS expert system shell. The current industry standard database language is SQL. Due to SQL standardization, large amounts of information stored on various computers, potentially at different locations, will be more easily accessible. Expert systems should be able to directly access these existing databases rather than requiring information to be re-entered into the expert system environment. The ORACLE relational database management system (RDBMS) was used to provide a database connection within the CLIPS environment. To facilitate relational database access a query generation system was developed as a CLIPS user function. The queries are entered in a CLlPS-like syntax and are passed to the query generator, which constructs and submits for execution, an SQL query to the ORACLE RDBMS. The query results are asserted as CLIPS facts. The query generator was developed primarily for use within the ICADS project (Intelligent Computer Aided Design System) currently being developed by the CAD Research Unit in the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). In ICADS, there are several parallel or distributed expert systems accessing a common knowledge base of facts. Expert system has a narrow domain of interest and therefore needs only certain portions of the information. The query generator provides a common method of accessing this information and allows the expert system to specify what data is needed without specifying how to retrieve it.

  5. Cataloging Expert Systems: Optimism and Frustrated Reality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olmstadt, William J.

    2000-01-01

    Discusses artificial intelligence and attempts to catalog expert systems. Topics include the nature of expertise; examples of cataloging expert systems; barriers to implementation; and problems, including total automation, cataloging expertise, priorities, and system design. (LRW)

  6. Development of an instructional expert system for hole drilling processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Al-Mutawa, Souhaila; Srinivas, Vijay; Moon, Young Bai

    1990-01-01

    An expert system which captures the expertise of workshop technicians in the drilling domain was developed. The expert system is aimed at novice technicians who know how to operate the machines but have not acquired the decision making skills that are gained with experience. This paper describes the domain background and the stages of development of the expert system.

  7. A parallel expert system for the control of a robotic air vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shakley, Donald; Lamont, Gary B.

    1988-01-01

    Expert systems can be used to govern the intelligent control of vehicles, for example the Robotic Air Vehicle (RAV). Due to the nature of the RAV system the associated expert system needs to perform in a demanding real-time environment. The use of a parallel processing capability to support the associated expert system's computational requirement is critical in this application. Thus, algorithms for parallel real-time expert systems must be designed, analyzed, and synthesized. The design process incorporates a consideration of the rule-set/face-set size along with representation issues. These issues are looked at in reference to information movement and various inference mechanisms. Also examined is the process involved with transporting the RAV expert system functions from the TI Explorer, where they are implemented in the Automated Reasoning Tool (ART), to the iPSC Hypercube, where the system is synthesized using Concurrent Common LISP (CCLISP). The transformation process for the ART to CCLISP conversion is described. The performance characteristics of the parallel implementation of these expert systems on the iPSC Hypercube are compared to the TI Explorer implementation.

  8. Innovation on Energy Power Technology (22)Challenge to Development of Expert System stored Knowledge of Expert Power Network Operators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakaguchi, Hideharu

    Do you remember an expert system? I think there are various impressions about the system. For example, some might say “It reminds me of old days”. On the other hand, some might say “It was really troublesome”. About 25 years ago, from late 1980s to the middle of 1990s, when the Showa era was about to change into the Heisei Era, artificial intelligence boomed. Research and development for an expert system which was equipped with expertise and worked as smart as expert, was advanced in various fields. Our company also picked up the system as the new system which covered weak point of conventional computer technology. We started research and development in 1984, and installed an expert system in a SCADA system, which started operating in March 1990 in the Fukuoka Integrated Control Center. In this essay, as an electric power engineer who involved in development at that time, I introduce the situation and travail story about developing an expert system which support restorative actions from the outage and overload condition of power networks.

  9. Cooperating Expert Systems For Space Station Power Distribution Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nguyen, T. A.; Chiou, W. C.

    1987-02-01

    In a complex system such as the manned Space Station, it is deem necessary that many expert systems must perform tasks in a concurrent and cooperative manner. An important question arise is: what cooperative-task-performing models are appropriate for multiple expert systems to jointly perform tasks. The solution to this question will provide a crucial automation design criteria for the Space Station complex systems architecture. Based on a client/server model for performing tasks, we have developed a system that acts as a front-end to support loosely-coupled communications between expert systems running on multiple Symbolics machines. As an example, we use two ART*-based expert systems to demonstrate the concept of parallel symbolic manipulation for power distribution management and dynamic load planner/scheduler in the simulated Space Station environment. This on-going work will also explore other cooperative-task-performing models as alternatives which can evaluate inter and intra expert system communication mechanisms. It will be served as a testbed and a bench-marking tool for other Space Station expert subsystem communication and information exchange.

  10. A software engineering approach to expert system design and verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bochsler, Daniel C.; Goodwin, Mary Ann

    1988-01-01

    Software engineering design and verification methods for developing expert systems are not yet well defined. Integration of expert system technology into software production environments will require effective software engineering methodologies to support the entire life cycle of expert systems. The software engineering methods used to design and verify an expert system, RENEX, is discussed. RENEX demonstrates autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, including replanning trajectory events and subsystem fault detection, onboard a space vehicle during flight. The RENEX designers utilized a number of software engineering methodologies to deal with the complex problems inherent in this system. An overview is presented of the methods utilized. Details of the verification process receive special emphasis. The benefits and weaknesses of the methods for supporting the development life cycle of expert systems are evaluated, and recommendations are made based on the overall experiences with the methods.

  11. Development of an expert system prototype for determining software functional requirements for command management activities at NASA Goddard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liebowitz, J.

    1986-01-01

    The development of an expert system prototype for software functional requirement determination for NASA Goddard's Command Management System, as part of its process of transforming general requests into specific near-earth satellite commands, is described. The present knowledge base was formulated through interactions with domain experts, and was then linked to the existing Knowledge Engineering Systems (KES) expert system application generator. Steps in the knowledge-base development include problem-oriented attribute hierarchy development, knowledge management approach determination, and knowledge base encoding. The KES Parser and Inspector, in addition to backcasting and analogical mapping, were used to validate the expert system-derived requirements for one of the major functions of a spacecraft, the solar Maximum Mission. Knowledge refinement, evaluation, and implementation procedures of the expert system were then accomplished.

  12. Third CLIPS Conference Proceedings, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary (Editor)

    1994-01-01

    Expert systems are computed programs which emulate human expertise in well defined problem domains. The potential payoff from expert systems is high: valuable expertise can be captured and preserved, repetitive and/or mundane tasks requiring human expertise can be automated, and uniformity can be applied in decision making processes. The C Language Integrated Production Systems (CLIPS) is an expert system building tool, developed at the Johnson Space Center, which provides a complete environment for the development and delivery of rule and/or object based expert systems. CLIPS was specifically designed to provide a low cost option for developing and deploying expert system applications across a wide range of hardware platforms. The development of CLIPS has helped to improve the ability to deliver expert systems technology throughout the public and private sectors for a wide range of applications and diverse computing environments.

  13. CLIPS: An expert system building tool

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary

    1991-01-01

    The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) is an expert system building tool, which provides a complete environment for the development and delivery of rule and/or object based expert systems. CLIPS was specifically designed to provide a low cost option for developing and deploying expert system applications across a wide range of hardware platforms. The commercial potential of CLIPS is vast. Currently, CLIPS is being used by over 3,300 individuals throughout the public and private sector. Because the CLIPS source code is readily available, numerous groups have used CLIPS as a basis for their own expert system tools. To date, three commercially available tools have been derived from CLIPS. In general, the development of CLIPS has helped to improve the ability to deliver expert system technology throughout the public and private sectors for a wide range of applications and diverse computing environments.

  14. System of experts for intelligent data management (SEIDAM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodenough, David G.; Iisaka, Joji; Fung, KO

    1993-01-01

    A proposal to conduct research and development on a system of expert systems for intelligent data management (SEIDAM) is being developed. CCRS has much expertise in developing systems for integrating geographic information with space and aircraft remote sensing data and in managing large archives of remotely sensed data. SEIDAM will be composed of expert systems grouped in three levels. At the lowest level, the expert systems will manage and integrate data from diverse sources, taking account of symbolic representation differences and varying accuracies. Existing software can be controlled by these expert systems, without rewriting existing software into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) language. At the second level, SEIDAM will take the interpreted data (symbolic and numerical) and combine these with data models. at the top level, SEIDAM will respond to user goals for predictive outcomes given existing data. The SEIDAM Project will address the research areas of expert systems, data management, storage and retrieval, and user access and interfaces.

  15. System of Experts for Intelligent Data Management (SEIDAM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodenough, David G.; Iisaka, Joji; Fung, KO

    1992-01-01

    It is proposed to conduct research and development on a system of expert systems for intelligent data management (SEIDAM). CCRS has much expertise in developing systems for integrating geographic information with space and aircraft remote sensing data and in managing large archives of remotely sensed data. SEIDAM will be composed of expert systems grouped in three levels. At the lowest level, the expert systems will manage and integrate data from diverse sources, taking account of symbolic representation differences and varying accuracies. Existing software can be controlled by these expert systems, without rewriting existing software into an Artificial Intelligence (AI) language. At the second level, SEIDAM will take the interpreted data (symbolic and numerical) and combine these with data models. At the top level, SEIDAM will respond to user goals for predictive outcomes given existing data. The SEIDAM Project will address the research areas of expert systems, data management, storage and retrieval, and user access and interfaces.

  16. TES: A modular systems approach to expert system development for real-time space applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cacace, Ralph; England, Brenda

    1988-01-01

    A major goal of the Space Station era is to reduce reliance on support from ground based experts. The development of software programs using expert systems technology is one means of reaching this goal without requiring crew members to become intimately familiar with the many complex spacecraft subsystems. Development of an expert systems program requires a validation of the software with actual flight hardware. By combining accurate hardware and software modelling techniques with a modular systems approach to expert systems development, the validation of these software programs can be successfully completed with minimum risk and effort. The TIMES Expert System (TES) is an application that monitors and evaluates real time data to perform fault detection and fault isolation tasks as they would otherwise be carried out by a knowledgeable designer. The development process and primary features of TES, a modular systems approach, and the lessons learned are discussed.

  17. Autonomously acquiring declarative and procedural knowledge for ICAT systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kovarik, Vincent J., Jr.

    1993-01-01

    The construction of Intelligent Computer Aided Training (ICAT) systems is critically dependent on the ability to define and encode knowledge. This knowledge engineering effort can be broadly divided into two categories: domain knowledge and expert or task knowledge. Domain knowledge refers to the physical environment or system with which the expert interacts. Expert knowledge consists of the set of procedures and heuristics employed by the expert in performing their task. Both these areas are a significant bottleneck in the acquisition of knowledge for ICAT systems. This paper presents a research project in the area of autonomous knowledge acquisition using a passive observation concept. The system observes an expert and then generalizes the observations into production rules representing the domain expert's knowledge.

  18. Expert networks in CLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hruska, S. I.; Dalke, A.; Ferguson, J. J.; Lacher, R. C.

    1991-01-01

    Rule-based expert systems may be structurally and functionally mapped onto a special class of neural networks called expert networks. This mapping lends itself to adaptation of connectionist learning strategies for the expert networks. A parsing algorithm to translate C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) rules into a network of interconnected assertion and operation nodes has been developed. The translation of CLIPS rules to an expert network and back again is illustrated. Measures of uncertainty similar to those rules in MYCIN-like systems are introduced into the CLIPS system and techniques for combining and hiring nodes in the network based on rule-firing with these certainty factors in the expert system are presented. Several learning algorithms are under study which automate the process of attaching certainty factors to rules.

  19. RAMBOT: A Connectionist Expert System That Learns by Example.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mozer, Michael C.

    One solution to the problem of getting expert knowledge into expert systems would be to endow the systems with powerful learning procedures that could discover appropriate behaviors by observing an expert in action. A promising source of such learning procedures can be found in recent work on connectionist networks, which are massively parallel…

  20. Multilayer network decoding versatility and trust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarkar, Camellia; Yadav, Alok; Jalan, Sarika

    2016-01-01

    In the recent years, the multilayer networks have increasingly been realized as a more realistic framework to understand emergent physical phenomena in complex real-world systems. We analyze massive time-varying social data drawn from the largest film industry of the world under a multilayer network framework. The framework enables us to evaluate the versatility of actors, which turns out to be an intrinsic property of lead actors. Versatility in dimers suggests that working with different types of nodes are more beneficial than with similar ones. However, the triangles yield a different relation between type of co-actor and the success of lead nodes indicating the importance of higher-order motifs in understanding the properties of the underlying system. Furthermore, despite the degree-degree correlations of entire networks being neutral, multilayering picks up different values of correlation indicating positive connotations like trust, in the recent years. The analysis of weak ties of the industry uncovers nodes from a lower-degree regime being important in linking Bollywood clusters. The framework and the tools used herein may be used for unraveling the complexity of other real-world systems.

  1. Tools and technologies for expert systems: A human factors perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rajaram, Navaratna S.

    1987-01-01

    It is widely recognized that technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI), especially expert systems, can make significant contributions to the productivity and effectiveness of operations of information and knowledge intensive organizations such as NASA. At the same time, these being relatively new technologies, there is the problem of transfering technology to key personnel of such organizations. The problems of examining the potential of expert systems and of technology transfer is addressed in the context of human factors applications. One of the topics of interest was the investigation of the potential use of expert system building tools, particularly NEXPERT as a technology transfer medium. Two basic conclusions were reached in this regard. First, NEXPERT is an excellent tool for rapid prototyping of experimental expert systems, but not ideal as a delivery vehicle. Therefore, it is not a substitute for general purpose system implementation languages such a LISP or C. This assertion probably holds for nearly all such tools on the market today. Second, an effective technology transfer mechanism is to formulate and implement expert systems for problems which members of the organization in question can relate to. For this purpose, the LIghting EnGineering Expert (LIEGE) was implemented using NEXPERT as the tool for technology transfer and to illustrate the value of expert systems to the activities of the Man-System Division.

  2. An Expert System Solution for the Quantitative Condition Assessment of Electrical Distribution Systems in the United States Air Force

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-09-01

    Distribution system ... ......... 4 2. Architechture of an Expert system .. .............. 66 vi List of Tables Table Page 1. Prototype Component Model...expert system to properly process work requests Ln civil engineering (8:23). Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI is a private organization ...used (51) Training Level. The level of training shop technicians receive, and the resulting proficiency, are important in all organizations . Experts 1

  3. Research on an expert system for database operation of simulation-emulation math models. Volume 2, Phase 1: Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawamura, K.; Beale, G. O.; Schaffer, J. D.; Hsieh, B. J.; Padalkar, S.; Rodriguez-Moscoso, J. J.

    1985-01-01

    A reference manual is provided for NESS, a simulation expert system. This manual gives user information regarding starting and operating NASA expert simulation system (NESS). This expert system provides an intelligent interface to a generic simulation program for spacecraft attitude control problems. A menu of the functions the system can perform is provided. Control repeated returns to this menu after executing each user request.

  4. Development of a coupled expert system for the spacecraft attitude control problem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawamura, K.; Beale, G.; Schaffer, J.; Hsieh, B.-J.; Padalkar, S.; Rodriguezmoscoso, J.; Vinz, F.; Fernandez, K.

    1987-01-01

    A majority of the current expert systems focus on the symbolic-oriented logic and inference mechanisms of artificial intelligence (AI). Common rule-based systems employ empirical associations and are not well suited to deal with problems often arising in engineering. Described is a prototype expert system which combines both symbolic and numeric computing. The expert system's configuration is presented and its application to a spacecraft attitude control problem is discussed.

  5. An Expert System for Diagnosing Eye Diseases using Forward Chaining Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Munaiseche, C. P. C.; Kaparang, D. R.; Rompas, P. T. D.

    2018-02-01

    Expert System is a system that seeks to adopt human knowledge to the computer, so that the computer can solve problems which are usually done by experts. The purpose of medical expert system is to support the diagnosis process of physicians. It considers facts and symptoms to provide diagnosis. This implies that a medical expert system uses knowledge about diseases and facts about the patients to suggest diagnosis. The aim of this research is to design an expert system application for diagnosing eye diseases using forward chaining method and to figure out user acceptance to this application through usability testing. Eye is selected because it is one of the five senses which is very sensitive and important. The scope of the work is extended to 16 types of eye diseases with 41 symptoms of the disease, arranged in 16 rules. The computer programming language employed was the PHP programming language and MySQL as the Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). The results obtained showed that the expert system was able to successfully diagnose eye diseases corresponding to the selected symptoms entered as query and the system evaluation through usability testing showed the expert system for diagnosis eye diseases had very good rate of usability, which includes learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction so that the system can be received in the operational environment.

  6. Expert Witness: A system for developing expert medical testimony

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lewandowski, Raymond; Perkins, David; Leasure, David

    1994-01-01

    Expert Witness in an expert system designed to assist attorneys and medical experts in determining the merit of medical malpractice claims in the area of obstetrics. It substitutes the time of the medical expert with the time of a paralegal assistant guided by the expert system during the initial investigation of the medical records and patient interviews. The product of the system is a narrative transcript containing important data, immediate conclusions from the data, and overall conclusions of the case that the attorney and medical expert use to make decisions about whether and how to proceed with the case. The transcript may also contain directives for gathering additional information needed for the case. The system is a modified heuristic classifier and is implemented using over 600 CLIPS rules together with a C-based user interface. The data abstraction and solution refinement are implemented directly using forward chaining production and matching. The use of CLIPS and C is essential to delivering a system that runs on a generic PC platform. The direct implementation in CLIPS together with locality of inference ensures that the system will scale gracefully. Two years of use has revealed no errors in the reasoning.

  7. [Development of expert diagnostic system for common respiratory diseases].

    PubMed

    Xu, Wei-hua; Chen, You-ling; Yan, Zheng

    2014-03-01

    To develop an internet-based expert diagnostic system for common respiratory diseases. SaaS system was used to build architecture; pattern of forward reasoning was applied for inference engine design; ASP.NET with C# from the tool pack of Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 was used for website-interview medical expert system.The database of the system was constructed with Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The developed expert system contained large data memory and high efficient function of data interview and data analysis for diagnosis of various diseases.The users were able to perform this system to obtain diagnosis for common respiratory diseases via internet. The developed expert system may be used for internet-based diagnosis of various respiratory diseases,particularly in telemedicine setting.

  8. Update 0.2 to "pysimm: A python package for simulation of molecular systems"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demidov, Alexander G.; Fortunato, Michael E.; Colina, Coray M.

    2018-01-01

    An update to the pysimm Python molecular simulation API is presented. A major part of the update is the implementation of a new interface with CASSANDRA - a modern, versatile Monte Carlo molecular simulation program. Several significant improvements in the LAMMPS communication module that allow better and more versatile simulation setup are reported as well. An example of an application implementing iterative CASSANDRA-LAMMPS interaction is illustrated.

  9. Knowledge-based systems for power management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lollar, L. F.

    1992-01-01

    NASA-Marshall's Electrical Power Branch has undertaken the development of expert systems in support of further advancements in electrical power system automation. Attention is given to the features (1) of the Fault Recovery and Management Expert System, (2) a resource scheduler or Master of Automated Expert Scheduling Through Resource Orchestration, and (3) an adaptive load-priority manager, or Load Priority List Management System. The characteristics of an advisory battery manager for the Hubble Space Telescope, designated the 'nickel-hydrogen expert system', are also noted.

  10. Size matters: versatile use of PiggyBac transposons as a genetic manipulation tool.

    PubMed

    Kim, Adele; Pyykko, Ilmari

    2011-08-01

    Transposons have been promising elements for gene integration, and the Sleeping Beauty (SB) system has been the major one for many years, although there have been several other transposon systems available, for example, Tol2. However, recently another system known as PiggyBac (PB) has been introduced and developed for fulfilling the same purposes, for example, mutagenesis, transgenesis and gene therapy and in some cases with improved transposition efficiency and advantages over the Sleeping Beauty transposon system, although improved hyperactive transposase has highly increased the transposition efficacy for SB. The PB systems have been used in many different scientific research fields; therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe some of these versatile uses of the PiggyBac system to give readers an overview on the usage of PiggyBac system.

  11. Developments to Increase the Performance, Operational Versatility and Automation of a Lunar Surface Manipulation System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dorsey, John T.; Jones, Thomas C.; Doggett, William R.; Roithmayr, Carlos M.; King, Bruce D.; Mikulas, Marting M.

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to describe and summarize the results of the development efforts for the Lunar Surface Manipulation System (LSMS) with respect to increasing the performance, operational versatility, and automation. Three primary areas of development are covered, including; the expansion of the operational envelope and versatility of the current LSMS test-bed, the design of a second generation LSMS, and the development of automation and remote control capability. The first generation LSMS, which has been designed, built, and tested both in lab and field settings, is shown to have increased range of motion and operational versatility. Features such as fork lift mode, side grappling of payloads, digging and positioning of lunar regolith, and a variety of special end effectors are described. LSMS operational viability depends on bei nagble to reposition its base from an initial position on the lander to a mobility chassis or fixed locations around the lunar outpost. Preliminary concepts are presented for the second generation LSMS design, which will perform this self-offload capability. Incorporating design improvements, the second generation will have longer reach and three times the payload capability, yet it will have approximately equivalent mass to the first generation. Lastly, this paper covers improvements being made to the control system of the LSMS test-bed, which is currently operated using joint velocity control with visual cues. These improvements include joint angle sensors, inverse kinematics, and automated controls.

  12. A Versatile PDMS/Paper Hybrid Microfluidic Platform for Sensitive Infectious Disease Diagnosis

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Bacterial meningitis is a serious health concern worldwide. Given that meningitis can be fatal and many meningitis cases occurred in high-poverty areas, a simple, low-cost, highly sensitive method is in great need for immediate and early diagnosis of meningitis. Herein, we report a versatile and cost-effective polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/paper hybrid microfluidic device integrated with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for the rapid, sensitive, and instrument-free detection of the main meningitis-causing bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis). The introduction of paper into the microfluidic device for LAMP reactions enables stable test results over a much longer period of time than a paper-free microfluidic system. This hybrid system also offers versatile functions, by providing not only on-site qualitative diagnostic analysis (i.e., a yes or no answer), but also confirmatory testing and quantitative analysis in laboratory settings. The limit of detection of N. meningitidis is about 3 copies per LAMP zone within 45 min, close to single-bacterium detection sensitivity. In addition, we have achieved simple pathogenic microorganism detection without a laborious sample preparation process and without the use of centrifuges. This low-cost hybrid microfluidic system provides a simple and highly sensitive approach for fast instrument-free diagnosis of N. meningitidis in resource-limited settings. This versatile PDMS/paper microfluidic platform has great potential for the point of care (POC) diagnosis of a wide range of infectious diseases, especially for developing nations. PMID:25019330

  13. Reference standards, judges, and comparison subjects: roles for experts in evaluating system performance.

    PubMed

    Hripcsak, George; Wilcox, Adam

    2002-01-01

    Medical informatics systems are often designed to perform at the level of human experts. Evaluation of the performance of these systems is often constrained by lack of reference standards, either because the appropriate response is not known or because no simple appropriate response exists. Even when performance can be assessed, it is not always clear whether the performance is sufficient or reasonable. These challenges can be addressed if an evaluator enlists the help of clinical domain experts. 1) The experts can carry out the same tasks as the system, and then their responses can be combined to generate a reference standard. 2)The experts can judge the appropriateness of system output directly. 3) The experts can serve as comparison subjects with which the system can be compared. These are separate roles that have different implications for study design, metrics, and issues of reliability and validity. Diagrams help delineate the roles of experts in complex study designs.

  14. Call-duration and triage decisions in out of hours cooperatives with and without the use of an expert system.

    PubMed

    Ong, Rob S G; Post, Johan; van Rooij, Harry; de Haan, Jan

    2008-02-13

    Cooperatives delivering out of hours care in the Netherlands are hesitant about the use of expert systems during triage. Apart from the extra costs, cooperatives are not sure that quality of triage is sufficiently enhanced by these systems and believe that call duration will be prolonged drastically. No figures about the influence of the use of an expert system during triage on call duration and triage decisions in out of hours care in the Netherlands are available. Electronically registered data concerning call duration and triage decisions were collected in two cooperatives. One in Tilburg, a cooperative in a Southern city of the Netherlands using an expert system, and one in Groningen, a cooperative in a Northern city not using an expert system. Some other relevant information about the care process was collected additionally. Data about call duration was compared using an independent sample t-test. Data about call decisions was compared using Chi Square. The mean call time in the cooperative using the TAS expert system is 4.6 minutes, in the cooperative not using the expert system 3.9 minutes. A significant difference of 0.7 minutes (0.4 - 1.0, 95% CI) minutes. In the cooperative with an expert system a larger percentage of patients is handled by the assistant, patients are less often referred to a telephone consultation with the GP and are less likely to be offered a visit by the GP.A quick interpretation of the impact of the difference in triage decisions, show that these may be large enough to support the hypothesis that longer call duration is compensated for by less contacts with the GP (by telephone or face-to-face). There is no proof, however, that these differences are caused by the use of the triage system. The larger amount of calls handled by the assistant may be partly caused by the fact that the assistants in the cooperative with an expert system more often consult the GP during triage. And it is not likely that the larger amount of home visits in Groningen can be attributed to the absence of an expert system. The expert system only offers advice whether a GP should be seen, not in which way (by consultation in the office or by home visit). The differences in call times between a cooperative using an expert system and a cooperative not using an expert system are small; 0.4 - 1.0 min. Differences in triage decisions were found, but it is not proven that these can be contributed to the use of an expert system.

  15. Call-duration and triage decisions in out of hours cooperatives with and without the use of an expert system

    PubMed Central

    Ong, Rob SG; Post, Johan; van Rooij, Harry; de Haan, Jan

    2008-01-01

    Background Cooperatives delivering out of hours care in the Netherlands are hesitant about the use of expert systems during triage. Apart from the extra costs, cooperatives are not sure that quality of triage is sufficiently enhanced by these systems and believe that call duration will be prolonged drastically. No figures about the influence of the use of an expert system during triage on call duration and triage decisions in out of hours care in the Netherlands are available. Methods Electronically registered data concerning call duration and triage decisions were collected in two cooperatives. One in Tilburg, a cooperative in a Southern city of the Netherlands using an expert system, and one in Groningen, a cooperative in a Northern city not using an expert system. Some other relevant information about the care process was collected additionally. Data about call duration was compared using an independent sample t-test. Data about call decisions was compared using Chi Square. Results The mean call time in the cooperative using the TAS expert system is 4.6 minutes, in the cooperative not using the expert system 3.9 minutes. A significant difference of 0.7 minutes (0.4 – 1.0, 95% CI) minutes. In the cooperative with an expert system a larger percentage of patients is handled by the assistant, patients are less often referred to a telephone consultation with the GP and are less likely to be offered a visit by the GP. A quick interpretation of the impact of the difference in triage decisions, show that these may be large enough to support the hypothesis that longer call duration is compensated for by less contacts with the GP (by telephone or face-to-face). There is no proof, however, that these differences are caused by the use of the triage system. The larger amount of calls handled by the assistant may be partly caused by the fact that the assistants in the cooperative with an expert system more often consult the GP during triage. And it is not likely that the larger amount of home visits in Groningen can be attributed to the absence of an expert system. The expert system only offers advice whether a GP should be seen, not in which way (by consultation in the office or by home visit). Conclusion The differences in call times between a cooperative using an expert system and a cooperative not using an expert system are small; 0.4 – 1.0 min. Differences in triage decisions were found, but it is not proven that these can be contributed to the use of an expert system. PMID:18271970

  16. The Potential of Computer-Based Expert Systems for Special Educators in Rural Settings.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parry, James D.; Ferrara, Joseph M.

    Knowledge-based expert computer systems are addressing issues relevant to all special educators, but are particularly relevant in rural settings where human experts are less available because of distance and cost. An expert system is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that typically engages the user in a dialogue resembling the…

  17. Fire Effects, Education, and Expert Systems

    Treesearch

    Robert E. Martin

    1987-01-01

    Predicting the effects of fires in the year 2000 and beyond will be enhanced by the use of expert systems. Although our predictions may have broad confidence limits, expert systems should help us to improve the predictions and to focus on the areas where improved knowledge is most needed. The knowledge of experts can be incorporated into previously existing knowledge...

  18. Expert system development methodology and the transition from prototyping to operations: FIESTA, a case study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Happell, Nadine; Miksell, Steve; Carlisle, Candace

    1989-01-01

    A major barrier in taking expert systems from prototype to operational status involves instilling end user confidence in the operational system. The software of different life cycle models is examined and the advantages and disadvantages of each when applied to expert system development are explored. The Fault Isolation Expert System for Tracking and data relay satellite system Applications (FIESTA) is presented as a case study of development of an expert system. The end user confidence necessary for operational use of this system is accentuated by the fact that it will handle real-time data in a secure environment, allowing little tolerance for errors. How FIESTA is dealing with transition problems as it moves from an off-line standalone prototype to an on-line real-time system is discussed.

  19. Expert system development methodology and the transition from prototyping to operations - Fiesta, a case study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Happell, Nadine; Miksell, Steve; Carlisle, Candace

    1989-01-01

    A major barrier in taking expert systems from prototype to operational status involves instilling end user confidence in the operational system. The software of different life cycle models is examined and the advantages and disadvantages of each when applied to expert system development are explored. The Fault Isolation Expert System for Tracking and data relay satellite system Applications (FIESTA) is presented as a case study of development of an expert system. The end user confidence necessary for operational use of this system is accentuated by the fact that it will handle real-time data in a secure environment, allowing little tolerance for errors. How FIESTA is dealing with transition problems as it moves from an off-line standalone prototype to an on-line real-time system is discussed.

  20. An Embedded Rule-Based Diagnostic Expert System in Ada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, Robert E.; Liberman, Eugene M.

    1992-01-01

    Ada is becoming an increasingly popular programming language for large Government-funded software projects. Ada with it portability, transportability, and maintainability lends itself well to today's complex programming environment. In addition, expert systems have also assumed a growing role in providing human-like reasoning capability expertise for computer systems. The integration is discussed of expert system technology with Ada programming language, especially a rule-based expert system using an ART-Ada (Automated Reasoning Tool for Ada) system shell. NASA Lewis was chosen as a beta test site for ART-Ada. The test was conducted by implementing the existing Autonomous Power EXpert System (APEX), a Lisp-based power expert system, in ART-Ada. Three components, the rule-based expert systems, a graphics user interface, and communications software make up SMART-Ada (Systems fault Management with ART-Ada). The rules were written in the ART-Ada development environment and converted to Ada source code. The graphics interface was developed with the Transportable Application Environment (TAE) Plus, which generates Ada source code to control graphics images. SMART-Ada communicates with a remote host to obtain either simulated or real data. The Ada source code generated with ART-Ada, TAE Plus, and communications code was incorporated into an Ada expert system that reads the data from a power distribution test bed, applies the rule to determine a fault, if one exists, and graphically displays it on the screen. The main objective, to conduct a beta test on the ART-Ada rule-based expert system shell, was achieved. The system is operational. New Ada tools will assist in future successful projects. ART-Ada is one such tool and is a viable alternative to the straight Ada code when an application requires a rule-based or knowledge-based approach.

  1. A Generic Expert Scheduling System Architecture and Toolkit: GUESS (Generically Used Expert Scheduling System)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liebowitz, Jay; Krishnamurthy, Vijaya; Rodens, Ira; Houston, Chapman; Liebowitz, Alisa; Baek, Seung; Radko, Joe; Zeide, Janet

    1996-01-01

    Scheduling has become an increasingly important element in today's society and workplace. Within the NASA environment, scheduling is one of the most frequently performed and challenging functions. Towards meeting NASA's scheduling needs, a research version of a generic expert scheduling system architecture and toolkit has been developed. This final report describes the development and testing of GUESS (Generically Used Expert Scheduling System).

  2. A versatile localization system for microscopic multiparametric analysis of cells.

    PubMed

    Thaw, H H; Rundquist, I; Johansson, U; Svensson, I; Collins, V P

    1983-03-01

    A new, simple and relatively inexpensive electronic digital position readout (DPRO) system which can be applied to the rapid localization and recovery of microscopic material is described. It is based upon a commercially available digital position readout system which is routinely utilized by industry for small machine tools and measuring equipment. This has been mounted onto the stage of various microscopic instrumentation to provide X and Y coordinates relative to an arbitrary reference point. The integration of small computers interfaced to scanning interferometric, microdensitometric and fluorescence microscopes were used to demonstrate the reliability, versatility and ease of application of this system to problems of multiparametric measurements and analysis of cultured cells. The system may be expanded and applied to clinical material to obtain automatized, multiparametric measurements of cells in haematology and clinical cytology.

  3. Productivity increase through implementation of CAD/CAE workstation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bromley, L. K.

    1985-01-01

    The tracking and communication division computer aided design/computer aided engineering system is now operational. The system is utilized in an effort to automate certain tasks that were previously performed manually. These tasks include detailed test configuration diagrams of systems under certification test in the ESTL, floorplan layouts of future planned laboratory reconfigurations, and other graphical documentation of division activities. The significant time savings achieved with this CAD/CAE system are examined: (1) input of drawings and diagrams; (2) editing of initial drawings; (3) accessibility of the data; and (4) added versatility. It is shown that the Applicon CAD/CAE system, with its ease of input and editing, the accessibility of data, and its added versatility, has made more efficient many of the necessary but often time-consuming tasks associated with engineering design and testing.

  4. ATS displays: A reasoning visualization tool for expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Selig, William John; Johannes, James D.

    1990-01-01

    Reasoning visualization is a useful tool that can help users better understand the inherently non-sequential logic of an expert system. While this is desirable in most all expert system applications, it is especially so for such critical systems as those destined for space-based operations. A hierarchical view of the expert system reasoning process and some characteristics of these various levels is presented. Also presented are Abstract Time Slice (ATS) displays, a tool to visualize the plethora of interrelated information available at the host inferencing language level of reasoning. The usefulness of this tool is illustrated with some examples from a prototype potable water expert system for possible use aboard Space Station Freedom.

  5. COMPUTERIZED RISK AND BIOACCUMULATION SYSTEM (VERSION 1.0)

    EPA Science Inventory

    CRABS is a combination of a rule-based expert system and more traditional procedural programming techniques. ule-based expert systems attempt to emulate the decision making process of human experts within a clearly defined subject area. xpert systems consist of an "inference engi...

  6. An Expert System for Environmental Data Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berka, Petr; Jirku, Petr

    1995-01-01

    Examines the possibility of using expert system tools for environmental data management. Describes the domain-independent expert system shell SAK and Knowledge EXplorer, a system that learns rules from data. Demonstrates the functionality of Knowledge EXplorer on an example of water quality evaluation. (LZ)

  7. Data reduction expert assistant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Glenn E.; Johnston, Mark D.; Hanisch, Robert J.

    1991-01-01

    Viewgraphs on data reduction expert assistant are presented. Topics covered include: data analysis systems; philosophy of these systems; disadvantages; expert assistant; useful goals; and implementation considerations.

  8. CLIPS: The C language integrated production system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary

    1994-01-01

    Expert systems are computer programs which emulate human expertise in well defined problem domains. The potential payoff from expert systems is high: valuable expertise can be captured and preserved, repetitive and/or mundane tasks requiring human expertise can be automated, and uniformity can be applied in decision making processes. The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) is an expert system building tool, developed at the Johnson Space Center, which provides a complete environment for the development and delivery of rule and/or object based expert systems. CLIPS was specifically designed to provide a low cost option for developing and deploying expert system applications across a wide range of hardware platforms. The commercial potential of CLIPS is vast. Currently, CLIPS is being used by over 5,000 individuals throughout the public and private sector. Because the CLIPS source code is readily available, numerous groups have used CLIPS as the basis for their own expert system tools. To date, three commercially available tools have been derived from CLIPS. In general, the development of CLIPS has helped to improve the ability to deliver expert system technology throughout the public and private sectors for a wide range of applications and diverse computing environments.

  9. The Paradox of Expertise.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hankins, George.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the novice-to-expert model of human learning and compares it to the recent advances in the areas of artificial intelligence and expert systems. Discusses some of the characteristics of experts, proposing connections between them with expert systems and theories of left-right brain functions. (TW)

  10. Expert systems in clinical microbiology.

    PubMed

    Winstanley, Trevor; Courvalin, Patrice

    2011-07-01

    This review aims to discuss expert systems in general and how they may be used in medicine as a whole and clinical microbiology in particular (with the aid of interpretive reading). It considers rule-based systems, pattern-based systems, and data mining and introduces neural nets. A variety of noncommercial systems is described, and the central role played by the EUCAST is stressed. The need for expert rules in the environment of reset EUCAST breakpoints is also questioned. Commercial automated systems with on-board expert systems are considered, with emphasis being placed on the "big three": Vitek 2, BD Phoenix, and MicroScan. By necessity and in places, the review becomes a general review of automated system performances for the detection of specific resistance mechanisms rather than focusing solely on expert systems. Published performance evaluations of each system are drawn together and commented on critically.

  11. Developing and using expert systems and neural networks in medicine: a review on benefits and challenges.

    PubMed

    Sheikhtaheri, Abbas; Sadoughi, Farahnaz; Hashemi Dehaghi, Zahra

    2014-09-01

    Complicacy of clinical decisions justifies utilization of information systems such as artificial intelligence (e.g. expert systems and neural networks) to achieve better decisions, however, application of these systems in the medical domain faces some challenges. We aimed at to review the applications of these systems in the medical domain and discuss about such challenges. Following a brief introduction of expert systems and neural networks by representing few examples, the challenges of these systems in the medical domain are discussed. We found that the applications of expert systems and artificial neural networks have been increased in the medical domain. These systems have shown many advantages such as utilization of experts' knowledge, gaining rare knowledge, more time for assessment of the decision, more consistent decisions, and shorter decision-making process. In spite of all these advantages, there are challenges ahead of developing and using such systems including maintenance, required experts, inputting patients' data into the system, problems for knowledge acquisition, problems in modeling medical knowledge, evaluation and validation of system performance, wrong recommendations and responsibility, limited domains of such systems and necessity of integrating such systems into the routine work flows. We concluded that expert systems and neural networks can be successfully used in medicine; however, there are many concerns and questions to be answered through future studies and discussions.

  12. a Study on Satellite Diagnostic Expert Systems Using Case-Based Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Young-Tack; Kim, Jae-Hoon; Park, Hyun-Soo

    1997-06-01

    Many research works are on going to monitor and diagnose diverse malfunctions of satellite systems as the complexity and number of satellites increase. Currently, many works on monitoring and diagnosis are carried out by human experts but there are needs to automate much of the routine works of them. Hence, it is necessary to study on using expert systems which can assist human experts routine work by doing automatically, thereby allow human experts devote their expertise more critical and important areas of monitoring and diagnosis. In this paper, we are employing artificial intelligence techniques to model human experts' knowledge and inference the constructed knowledge. Especially, case-based approaches are used to construct a knowledge base to model human expert capabilities which use previous typical exemplars. We have designed and implemented a prototype case-based system for diagnosing satellite malfunctions using cases. Our system remembers typical failure cases and diagnoses a current malfunction by indexing the case base. Diverse methods are used to build a more user friendly interface which allows human experts can build a knowledge base in as easy way.

  13. The First Expert CAI System

    PubMed Central

    Feurzeig, Wallace

    1984-01-01

    The first expert instructional system, the Socratic System, was developed in 1964. One of the earliest applications of this system was in the area of differential diagnosis in clinical medicine. The power of the underlying instructional paradigm was demonstrated and the potential of the approach for valuably supplementing medical instruction was recognized. Twenty years later, despite further educationally significant advances in expert systems technology and enormous reductions in the cost of computers, expert instructional methods have found very little application in medical schools.

  14. Projects in an expert system class

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitson, George M.

    1991-01-01

    Many universities now teach courses in expert systems. In these courses students study the architecture of an expert system, knowledge acquisition techniques, methods of implementing systems and verification and validation techniques. A major component of any such course is a class project consisting of the design and implementation of an expert system. Discussed here are a number of techniques that we have used at the University of Texas at Tyler to develop meaningful projects that could be completed in a semester course.

  15. Program maintenance manual for nickel cadmium battery expert system, version 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    The Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) is an expert system for fault diagnosis and advice of the nickel-cadmium batteries found in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The system application and security, equipment environment, and the program maintenance procedures are examined.

  16. A Logic Basis for Information Retrieval.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watters, C. R.; Shepherd, M. A.

    1987-01-01

    Discusses the potential of recent work in artificial intelligence, especially expert systems, for the development of more effective information retrieval systems. Highlights include the role of an expert bibliographic retrieval system and a prototype expert retrieval system, PROBIB-2, that uses MicroProlog to provide deductive reasoning…

  17. Transport systems research vehicle color display system operations manual

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Easley, Wesley C.; Johnson, Larry E.

    1989-01-01

    A recent upgrade of the Transport Systems Research Vehicle operated by the Advanced Transport Operating Systems Program Office at the NASA Langley Research Center has resulted in an all-glass panel in the research flight deck. Eight ARINC-D size CRT color displays make up the panel. A major goal of the display upgrade effort was ease of operation and maintenance of the hardware while maintaining versatility needed for flight research. Software is the key to this required versatility and will be the area demanding the most detailed technical design expertise. This document is is intended to serve as a single source of quick reference information needed for routine operation and system level maintenance. Detailed maintenance and modification of the display system will require specific design documentation and must be accomplished by individuals with specialized knowledge and experience.

  18. An expert system for the quantification of fault rates in construction fall accidents.

    PubMed

    Talat Birgonul, M; Dikmen, Irem; Budayan, Cenk; Demirel, Tuncay

    2016-01-01

    Expert witness reports, prepared with the aim of quantifying fault rates among parties, play an important role in a court's final decision. However, conflicting fault rates assigned by different expert witness boards lead to iterative objections raised by the related parties. This unfavorable situation mainly originates due to the subjectivity of expert judgments and unavailability of objective information about the causes of accidents. As a solution to this shortcoming, an expert system based on a rule-based system was developed for the quantification of fault rates in construction fall accidents. The aim of developing DsSafe is decreasing the subjectivity inherent in expert witness reports. Eighty-four inspection reports prepared by the official and authorized inspectors were examined and root causes of construction fall accidents in Turkey were identified. Using this information, an evaluation form was designed and submitted to the experts. Experts were asked to evaluate the importance level of the factors that govern fall accidents and determine the fault rates under different scenarios. Based on expert judgments, a rule-based expert system was developed. The accuracy and reliability of DsSafe were tested with real data as obtained from finalized court cases. DsSafe gives satisfactory results.

  19. Ground terminal expert (GTEX). Part 2: Expert system diagnostics for a 30/20 Gigahertz satellite transponder

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Durkin, John; Schlegelmilch, Richard; Tallo, Donald

    1992-01-01

    A research effort was undertaken to investigate how expert system technology could be applied to a satellite communications system. The focus of the expert system is the satellite earth station. A proof of concept expert system called the Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at the University of Akron in collaboration with the NASA Lewis Research Center. With the increasing demand for satellite earth stations, maintenance is becoming a vital issue. Vendors of such systems will be looking for cost effective means of maintaining such systems. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosis of faults occurring with the digital earth station. GTEX was developed on a personal computer using the Automated Reasoning Tool for Information Management (ART-IM) developed by the Inference Corporation. Developed for the Phase 2 digital earth station, GTEX is a part of the Systems Integration Test and Evaluation (SITE) facility located at the NASA Lewis Research Center.

  20. System and method for creating expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Peter M. (Inventor); Luczak, Edward C. (Inventor)

    1998-01-01

    A system and method provides for the creation of a highly graphical expert system without the need for programming in code. An expert system is created by initially building a data interface, defining appropriate Mission, User-Defined, Inferred, and externally-generated GenSAA (EGG) data variables whose data values will be updated and input into the expert system. Next, rules of the expert system are created by building appropriate conditions of the rules which must be satisfied and then by building appropriate actions of rules which are to be executed upon corresponding conditions being satisfied. Finally, an appropriate user interface is built which can be highly graphical in nature and which can include appropriate message display and/or modification of display characteristics of a graphical display object, to visually alert a user of the expert system of varying data values, upon conditions of a created rule being satisfied. The data interface building, rule building, and user interface building are done in an efficient manner and can be created without the need for programming in code.

  1. Threat expert system technology advisor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kurrasch, E. R.; Tripp, L. R.

    1987-01-01

    A prototype expert system was developed to determine the feasibility of using expert system technology to enhance the performance and survivability of helicopter pilots in a combat threat environment while flying NOE (Nap of the Earth) missions. The basis for the concept is the potential of using an Expert System Advisor to reduce the extreme overloading of the pilot who flies NOE mission below treetop level at approximately 40 knots while performing several other functions. The ultimate goal is to develop a Threat Expert System Advisor which provides threat information and advice that are better than even a highly experienced copilot. The results clearly show that the NOE pilot needs all the help in decision aiding and threat situation awareness that he can get. It clearly shows that heuristics are important and that an expert system for combat NOE helicopter missions can be of great help to the pilot in complex threat situations and in making decisions.

  2. [The application and development of artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis systems].

    PubMed

    Chen, Zhencheng; Jiang, Yong; Xu, Mingyu; Wang, Hongyan; Jiang, Dazong

    2002-09-01

    This paper has reviewed the development of artificial intelligence in medical practice and medical diagnostic expert systems, and has summarized the application of artificial neural network. It explains that a source of difficulty in medical diagnostic system is the co-existence of multiple diseases--the potentially inter-related diseases. However, the difficulty of image expert systems is inherent in high-level vision. And it increases the complexity of expert system in medical image. At last, the prospect for the development of artificial intelligence in medical image expert systems is made.

  3. A Guide for Understanding Health Education and Promotion Programs.

    PubMed

    Kim, Richard W; Nahar, Vinayak K

    2018-03-01

    Planning, Implementing & Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer is a versatile and comprehensive resource on the theoretical and practical underpinnings of successful health promotion programs. The requirements for effective health promotion program development are presented with frequent use of practical planning examples, pedagogical devices, and expert rationale. Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in health education, promotion, and planning courses, this 15-chapter textbook is organized in a manner that specifically addresses the responsibilities and competencies required of health education specialists as published in the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis of 2015. The authors of this textbook are leaders in the field and provide readers with the skills necessary to carry out the full process of health promotion program execution, while also offering direct preparation for CHES and MCHES licensing exams.

  4. Development of an expert system for assessing trumpeter swan breeding habitat in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sojda, Richard S.; Cornely, John E.; Howe, Adele E.

    2002-01-01

    A decision support system for the management of the Rocky Mountain Population of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinators) is being developed. As part of this, three expert systems are also in development: one for assessing the quality of Trumpeter Swan breeding habitat; one for making water level recommendations in montane, palustrine wetlands; and one for assessing the contribution a particular site can make towards meeting objectives from as flyway perspective. The focus of this paper is the development of the breeding habitat expert system, which currently consists of 157 rules. Out purpose is to provide decision support for issues that appear to be beyond the capability of a single persons to conceptualize and solve. We propose that by involving multiple experts in the development and use of the systems, management will be significantly improved. The knowledge base for the expert system has been developed using standard knowledge engineering techniques with a small team of ecological experts. Knowledge was then coded using production rules organized in decision trees using a commercial expert system development shell. The final system has been deployed on the world wide web.

  5. Intelligent systems for human resources.

    PubMed

    Kline, K B

    1988-11-01

    An intelligent system contains knowledge about some domain; it has sophisticated decision-making processes and the ability to explain its actions. The most important aspect of an intelligent system is its ability to effectively interact with humans to teach or assist complex information processing. Two intelligent systems are Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITs) and Expert Systems. The ITSs provide instruction to a student similar to a human tutor. The ITSs capture individual performance and tutor deficiencies. These systems consist of an expert module, which contains the knowledge or material to be taught; the student module, which contains a representation of the knowledge the student knows and does not know about the domain; and the instructional or teaching module, which selects specific knowledge to teach, the instructional strategy, and provides assistance to the student to tutor deficiencies. Expert systems contain an expert's knowledge about some domain and perform specialized tasks or aid a novice in the performance of certain tasks. The most important part of an expert system is the knowledge base. This knowledge base contains all the specialized and technical knowledge an expert possesses. For an expert system to interact effectively with humans, it must have the ability to explain its actions. Use of intelligent systems can have a profound effect on human resources. The ITSs can provide better training by tutoring on an individual basis, and the expert systems can make better use of human resources through job aiding and performing complex tasks. With increasing training requirements and "doing more with less," intelligent systems can have a positive effect on human resources.

  6. Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems Research and Their Possible Impact on Information Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borko, Harold

    1985-01-01

    Defines artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems; describes library applications utilizing AI to automate creation of document representations, request formulations, and design and modify search strategies for information retrieval systems; discusses expert system development for information services; and reviews impact of these…

  7. Enhanced use of CLIPS at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duerre, K. H.; Parkinson, W. J.; Osowski, J. J.

    1991-01-01

    Early efforts for producing expert systems for engineering applications used a limited subset of C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) features. The implementation details of previous expert systems and of the current expert system, which is used for training operators in the control of the Isotope Separation System, are discussed.

  8. Third CLIPS Conference Proceedings, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary (Editor)

    1994-01-01

    Expert systems are computer programs which emulate human expertise in well defined problem domains. The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) is an expert system building tool, developed at the Johnson Space Center, which provides a complete environment for the development and delivery of rule and/or object based expert systems. CLIPS was specifically designed to provide a low cost option for developing and deploying expert system applications across a wide range of hardware platforms. The development of CLIPS has helped to improve the ability to deliver expert system technology throughout the public and private sectors for a wide range of applications and diverse computing environments. The Third Conference on CLIPS provided a forum for CLIPS users to present and discuss papers relating to CLIPS applications, uses, and extensions.

  9. SigmaCLIPSE = presentation management + NASA CLI PS + SQL

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weiss, Bernard P., Jr.

    1990-01-01

    SigmaCLIPSE provides an expert systems and 'intelligent' data base development program for diverse systems integration environments that require support for automated reasoning and expert systems technology, presentation management, and access to 'intelligent' SQL data bases. The SigmaCLIPSE technology and and its integrated ability to access 4th generation application development and decision support tools through a portable SQL interface, comprises a sophisticated software development environment for solving knowledge engineering and expert systems development problems in information intensive commercial environments -- financial services, health care, and distributed process control -- where the expert system must be extendable -- a major architectural advantage of NASA CLIPS. SigmaCLIPSE is a research effort intended to test the viability of merging SQL data bases with expert systems technology.

  10. A diagnostic expert system for aircraft generator control unit (GCU)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ho, Ting-Long; Bayles, Robert A.; Havlicsek, Bruce L.

    The modular VSCF (variable-speed constant-frequency) generator families are described as using standard modules to reduce the maintenance cost and to improve the product's testability. A general diagnostic expert system shell that guides troubleshooting of modules or line replaceable units (LRUs) is introduced. An application of the diagnostic system to a particular LRU, the generator control unit (GCU) is reported. The approach to building the diagnostic expert system is first to capture general diagnostic strategy in an expert system shell. This shell can be easily applied to different devices or LRUs by writing rules to capture only additional device-specific diagnostic information from expert repair personnel. The diagnostic system has the necessary knowledge embedded in its programs and exhibits expertise to troubleshoot the GCU.

  11. Handbook of Industrial Engineering Equations, Formulas, and Calculations

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Badiru, Adedeji B; Omitaomu, Olufemi A

    The first handbook to focus exclusively on industrial engineering calculations with a correlation to applications, Handbook of Industrial Engineering Equations, Formulas, and Calculations contains a general collection of the mathematical equations often used in the practice of industrial engineering. Many books cover individual areas of engineering and some cover all areas, but none covers industrial engineering specifically, nor do they highlight topics such as project management, materials, and systems engineering from an integrated viewpoint. Written by acclaimed researchers and authors, this concise reference marries theory and practice, making it a versatile and flexible resource. Succinctly formatted for functionality, the bookmore » presents: Basic Math Calculations; Engineering Math Calculations; Production Engineering Calculations; Engineering Economics Calculations; Ergonomics Calculations; Facility Layout Calculations; Production Sequencing and Scheduling Calculations; Systems Engineering Calculations; Data Engineering Calculations; Project Engineering Calculations; and Simulation and Statistical Equations. It has been said that engineers make things while industrial engineers make things better. To make something better requires an understanding of its basic characteristics and the underlying equations and calculations that facilitate that understanding. To do this, however, you do not have to be computational experts; you just have to know where to get the computational resources that are needed. This book elucidates the underlying equations that facilitate the understanding required to improve design processes, continuously improving the answer to the age-old question: What is the best way to do a job?« less

  12. A rule-based expert system for generating control displays at the Advanced Photon Source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coulter, Karen J.

    1994-12-01

    The integration of a rule-based expert system for generating screen displays for controlling and monitoring instrumentation under the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) is presented. The expert system is implemented using CLIPS, an expert system shell from the Software Technology Branch at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The user selects the hardware input and output to be displayed and the expert system constructs a graphical control screen appropriate for the data. Such a system provides a method for implementing a common look and feel for displays created by several different users and reduces the amount of time required to create displays for new hardware configurations. Users are able to modify the displays as needed using the EPICS display editor tool.

  13. The potential of expert systems for remote sensing application

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mooneyhan, D. W.

    1983-01-01

    An overview of the status and potential of artificial intelligence-driven expert systems in the role of image data analysis is presented. An expert system is defined and its structure is summarized. Three such systems designed for image interpretation are outlined. The use of an expert system to detect changes on the earth's surface is discussed, and the components of a knowledge-based image interpretation system and their make-up are outlined. An example of how such a system should work for an area in the tropics where deforestation has occurred is presented as a sequence of situation/action decisions.

  14. A CLIPS-based expert system for the evaluation and selection of robots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nour, Mohamed A.; Offodile, Felix O.; Madey, Gregory R.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a prototype expert system for intelligent selection of robots for manufacturing operations. The paper first develops a comprehensive, three-stage process to model the robot selection problem. The decisions involved in this model easily lend themselves to an expert system application. A rule-based system, based on the selection model, is developed using the CLIPS expert system shell. Data about actual robots is used to test the performance of the prototype system. Further extensions to the rule-based system for data handling and interfacing capabilities are suggested.

  15. Expert Systems in Clinical Microbiology

    PubMed Central

    Winstanley, Trevor; Courvalin, Patrice

    2011-01-01

    Summary: This review aims to discuss expert systems in general and how they may be used in medicine as a whole and clinical microbiology in particular (with the aid of interpretive reading). It considers rule-based systems, pattern-based systems, and data mining and introduces neural nets. A variety of noncommercial systems is described, and the central role played by the EUCAST is stressed. The need for expert rules in the environment of reset EUCAST breakpoints is also questioned. Commercial automated systems with on-board expert systems are considered, with emphasis being placed on the “big three”: Vitek 2, BD Phoenix, and MicroScan. By necessity and in places, the review becomes a general review of automated system performances for the detection of specific resistance mechanisms rather than focusing solely on expert systems. Published performance evaluations of each system are drawn together and commented on critically. PMID:21734247

  16. Controlling Real-Time Processes On The Space Station With Expert Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leinweber, David; Perry, John

    1987-02-01

    Many aspects of space station operations involve continuous control of real-time processes. These processes include electrical power system monitoring, propulsion system health and maintenance, environmental and life support systems, space suit checkout, on-board manufacturing, and servicing of attached vehicles such as satellites, shuttles, orbital maneuvering vehicles, orbital transfer vehicles and remote teleoperators. Traditionally, monitoring of these critical real-time processes has been done by trained human experts monitoring telemetry data. However, the long duration of space station missions and the high cost of crew time in space creates a powerful economic incentive for the development of highly autonomous knowledge-based expert control procedures for these space stations. In addition to controlling the normal operations of these processes, the expert systems must also be able to quickly respond to anomalous events, determine their cause and initiate corrective actions in a safe and timely manner. This must be accomplished without excessive diversion of system resources from ongoing control activities and any events beyond the scope of the expert control and diagnosis functions must be recognized and brought to the attention of human operators. Real-time sensor based expert systems (as opposed to off-line, consulting or planning systems receiving data via the keyboard) pose particular problems associated with sensor failures, sensor degradation and data consistency, which must be explicitly handled in an efficient manner. A set of these systems must also be able to work together in a cooperative manner. This paper describes the requirements for real-time expert systems in space station control, and presents prototype implementations of space station expert control procedures in PICON (process intelligent control). PICON is a real-time expert system shell which operates in parallel with distributed data acquisition systems. It incorporates a specialized inference engine with a specialized scheduling portion specifically designed to match the allocation of system resources with the operational requirements of real-time control systems. Innovative knowledge engineering techniques used in PICON to facilitate the development of real-time sensor-based expert systems which use the special features of the inference engine are illustrated in the prototype examples.

  17. A versatile stereoscopic visual display system for vestibular and oculomotor research.

    PubMed

    Kramer, P D; Roberts, D C; Shelhamer, M; Zee, D S

    1998-01-01

    Testing of the vestibular system requires a vestibular stimulus (motion) and/or a visual stimulus. We have developed a versatile, low cost, stereoscopic visual display system, using "virtual reality" (VR) technology. The display system can produce images for each eye that correspond to targets at any virtual distance relative to the subject, and so require the appropriate ocular vergence. We elicited smooth pursuit, "stare" optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) and after-nystagmus (OKAN), vergence for targets at various distances, and short-term adaptation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), using both conventional methods and the stereoscopic display. Pursuit, OKN, and OKAN were comparable with both methods. When used with a vestibular stimulus, VR induced appropriate adaptive changes of the phase and gain of the angular VOR. In addition, using the VR display system and a human linear acceleration sled, we adapted the phase of the linear VOR. The VR-based stimulus system not only offers an alternative to more cumbersome means of stimulating the visual system in vestibular experiments, it also can produce visual stimuli that would otherwise be impractical or impossible. Our techniques provide images without the latencies encountered in most VR systems. Its inherent versatility allows it to be useful in several different types of experiments, and because it is software driven it can be quickly adapted to provide a new stimulus. These two factors allow VR to provide considerable savings in time and money, as well as flexibility in developing experimental paradigms.

  18. Decision support system and medical liability.

    PubMed Central

    Allaërt, F. A.; Dusserre, L.

    1992-01-01

    Expert systems, which are going to be an essential tool in Medicine, are evolving in terms of sophistication of both knowledge representation and types of reasoning models used. The more efficient they are, the more often they will be used and professional liability will be involved. So after giving a short survey of configuration and working of expert systems, the authors will study the liabilities of people building and the using expert systems regarding some various dysfunctions. Of course the expert systems have to be considered only for human support and they should not possess any authority themselves, therefore the doctors must keep in mind that it is their own responsibility and as such keep their judgment and criticism. However other professionals could be involved, if they have participated in the building of expert systems. The different liabilities and the burden of proof are discussed according to some possible dysfunctions. In any case the final proof is inside the expert system by itself through re-computation of data. PMID:1482972

  19. PVDaCS - A prototype knowledge-based expert system for certification of spacecraft data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wharton, Cathleen; Shiroma, Patricia J.; Simmons, Karen E.

    1989-01-01

    On-line data management techniques to certify spacecraft information are mandated by increasing telemetry rates. Knowledge-based expert systems offer the ability to certify data electronically without the need for time-consuming human interaction. Issues of automatic certification are explored by designing a knowledge-based expert system to certify data from a scientific instrument, the Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer, on an operating NASA planetary spacecraft, Pioneer Venus. The resulting rule-based system, called PVDaCS (Pioneer Venus Data Certification System), is a functional prototype demonstrating the concepts of a larger system design. A key element of the system design is the representation of an expert's knowledge through the usage of well ordered sequences. PVDaCS produces a certification value derived from expert knowledge and an analysis of the instrument's operation. Results of system performance are presented.

  20. Validation and verification of expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gilstrap, Lewey

    1991-01-01

    Validation and verification (V&V) are procedures used to evaluate system structure or behavior with respect to a set of requirements. Although expert systems are often developed as a series of prototypes without requirements, it is not possible to perform V&V on any system for which requirements have not been prepared. In addition, there are special problems associated with the evaluation of expert systems that do not arise in the evaluation of conventional systems, such as verification of the completeness and accuracy of the knowledge base. The criticality of most NASA missions make it important to be able to certify the performance of the expert systems used to support these mission. Recommendations for the most appropriate method for integrating V&V into the Expert System Development Methodology (ESDM) and suggestions for the most suitable approaches for each stage of ESDM development are presented.

  1. Toward the Development of Expert Assessment Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hasselbring, Ted S.

    1986-01-01

    The potential application of "expert systems" to the diagnosis and assessment of special-needs children is examined and existing prototype systems are reviewed. The future of this artificial intelligence technology is discussed in relation to emerging development tools designed for the creation of expert systems by the lay public. (Author)

  2. Stabilometer Computerized Analog Recording System for Studying Gross Motor Skill Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chasey, William C., Jr.; And Others

    1976-01-01

    The stabilometer computerized analog recording system (SCARS) provides for storing analog and digital information on a single channel audio tape recorder at lower cost and greater versatility than other systems. (MB)

  3. Second CLIPS Conference Proceedings, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Giarratano, Joseph (Editor); Culbert, Christopher J. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    Topics covered at the 2nd CLIPS Conference held at the Johnson Space Center, September 23-25, 1991 are given. Topics include rule groupings, fault detection using expert systems, decision making using expert systems, knowledge representation, computer aided design and debugging expert systems.

  4. Parallel processing and expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lau, Sonie; Yan, Jerry C.

    1991-01-01

    Whether it be monitoring the thermal subsystem of Space Station Freedom, or controlling the navigation of the autonomous rover on Mars, NASA missions in the 1990s cannot enjoy an increased level of autonomy without the efficient implementation of expert systems. Merely increasing the computational speed of uniprocessors may not be able to guarantee that real-time demands are met for larger systems. Speedup via parallel processing must be pursued alongside the optimization of sequential implementations. Prototypes of parallel expert systems have been built at universities and industrial laboratories in the U.S. and Japan. The state-of-the-art research in progress related to parallel execution of expert systems is surveyed. The survey discusses multiprocessors for expert systems, parallel languages for symbolic computations, and mapping expert systems to multiprocessors. Results to date indicate that the parallelism achieved for these systems is small. The main reasons are (1) the body of knowledge applicable in any given situation and the amount of computation executed by each rule firing are small, (2) dividing the problem solving process into relatively independent partitions is difficult, and (3) implementation decisions that enable expert systems to be incrementally refined hamper compile-time optimization. In order to obtain greater speedups, data parallelism and application parallelism must be exploited.

  5. Fuzzy logic based expert system for the treatment of mobile tooth.

    PubMed

    Mago, Vijay Kumar; Mago, Anjali; Sharma, Poonam; Mago, Jagmohan

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this research work is to design an expert system to assist dentist in treating the mobile tooth. There is lack of consistency among dentists in choosing the treatment plan. Moreover, there is no expert system currently available to verify and support such decision making in dentistry. A Fuzzy Logic based expert system has been designed to accept imprecise and vague values of dental sign-symptoms related to mobile tooth and the system suggests treatment plan(s). The comparison of predictions made by the system with those of the dentist is conducted. Chi-square Test of homogeneity is conducted and it is found that the system is capable of predicting accurate results. With this system, dentist feels more confident while planning the treatment of mobile tooth as he can verify his decision with the expert system. The authors also argue that Fuzzy Logic provides an appropriate mechanism to handle imprecise values of dental domain.

  6. NASA ground terminal communication equipment automated fault isolation expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tang, Y. K.; Wetzel, C. R.

    1990-01-01

    The prototype expert systems are described that diagnose the Distribution and Switching System I and II (DSS1 and DSS2), Statistical Multiplexers (SM), and Multiplexer and Demultiplexer systems (MDM) at the NASA Ground Terminal (NGT). A system level fault isolation expert system monitors the activities of a selected data stream, verifies that the fault exists in the NGT and identifies the faulty equipment. Equipment level fault isolation expert systems are invoked to isolate the fault to a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) level. Input and sometimes output data stream activities for the equipment are available. The system level fault isolation expert system compares the equipment input and output status for a data stream and performs loopback tests (if necessary) to isolate the faulty equipment. The equipment level fault isolation system utilizes the process of elimination and/or the maintenance personnel's fault isolation experience stored in its knowledge base. The DSS1, DSS2 and SM fault isolation systems, using the knowledge of the current equipment configuration and the equipment circuitry issues a set of test connections according to the predefined rules. The faulty component or board can be identified by the expert system by analyzing the test results. The MDM fault isolation system correlates the failure symptoms with the faulty component based on maintenance personnel experience. The faulty component can be determined by knowing the failure symptoms. The DSS1, DSS2, SM, and MDM equipment simulators are implemented in PASCAL. The DSS1 fault isolation expert system was converted to C language from VP-Expert and integrated into the NGT automation software for offline switch diagnoses. Potentially, the NGT fault isolation algorithms can be used for the DSS1, SM, amd MDM located at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

  7. Expert Systems for Libraries at SCIL [Small Computers in Libraries]'88.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kochtanek, Thomas R.; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Six brief papers on expert systems for libraries cover (1) a knowledge-based approach to database design; (2) getting started in expert systems; (3) using public domain software to develop a business reference system; (4) a music cataloging inquiry system; (5) linguistic analysis of reference transactions; and (6) a model of a reference librarian.…

  8. Reference Standards, Judges, and Comparison Subjects

    PubMed Central

    Hripcsak, George; Wilcox, Adam

    2002-01-01

    Medical informatics systems are often designed to perform at the level of human experts. Evaluation of the performance of these systems is often constrained by lack of reference standards, either because the appropriate response is not known or because no simple appropriate response exists. Even when performance can be assessed, it is not always clear whether the performance is sufficient or reasonable. These challenges can be addressed if an evaluator enlists the help of clinical domain experts. 1) The experts can carry out the same tasks as the system, and then their responses can be combined to generate a reference standard. 2)The experts can judge the appropriateness of system output directly. 3) The experts can serve as comparison subjects with which the system can be compared. These are separate roles that have different implications for study design, metrics, and issues of reliability and validity. Diagrams help delineate the roles of experts in complex study designs. PMID:11751799

  9. Counseling, Artificial Intelligence, and Expert Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Illovsky, Michael E.

    1994-01-01

    Considers the use of artificial intelligence and expert systems in counseling. Limitations are explored; candidates for counseling versus those for expert systems are discussed; programming considerations are reviewed; and techniques for dealing with rational, nonrational, and irrational thoughts and feelings are described. (Contains 46…

  10. Computer-Aided Structural Engineering (CASE) Project: State of the Art on Expert Systems Applications in Design, Construction and Maintenance of Structures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-09-01

    OGT, F1EPQRTJTL4, W" - 3^ n"r-- n *ON EXPERT SYSTEMS IN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND’, IWAJNTENANCE-OF STRUCTURES Arockiasamy, Sunghoon Lee Clepartrhent...based expert system applications in the areas of structural design, design standards, and construction planning. This study will aid in the development...of a comprehensive expert system for tvical hydraulic structures. Funding for this report was provided by the US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment

  11. A LISP-Ada connection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworski, Allan; Lavallee, David; Zoch, David

    1987-01-01

    The prototype demonstrates the feasibility of using Ada for expert systems and the implementation of an expert-friendly interface which supports knowledge entry. In the Ford LISP-Ada Connection (FLAC) system LISP and Ada are used in ways which complement their respective capabilities. Future investigation will concentrate on the enhancement of the expert knowledge entry/debugging interface and on the issues associated with multitasking and real-time expert systems implementation in Ada.

  12. Benchmarking expert system tools

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Riley, Gary

    1988-01-01

    As part of its evaluation of new technologies, the Artificial Intelligence Section of the Mission Planning and Analysis Div. at NASA-Johnson has made timing tests of several expert system building tools. Among the production systems tested were Automated Reasoning Tool, several versions of OPS5, and CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System), an expert system builder developed by the AI section. Also included in the test were a Zetalisp version of the benchmark along with four versions of the benchmark written in Knowledge Engineering Environment, an object oriented, frame based expert system tool. The benchmarks used for testing are studied.

  13. Open Source 3D Multipurpose Measurement System with Submillimetre Fidelity and First Application in Magnetic Resonance.

    PubMed

    Han, Haopeng; Moritz, Raphael; Oberacker, Eva; Waiczies, Helmar; Niendorf, Thoralf; Winter, Lukas

    2017-10-18

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the mainstay of diagnostic imaging, a versatile instrument for clinical science and the subject of intense research interest. Advancing clinical science, research and technology of MRI requires high fidelity measurements in quantity, location and time of the given physical property. To meet this goal a broad spectrum of commercial measurement systems has been made available. These instruments frequently share in common that they are costly and typically employ closed proprietary hardware and software. This shortcoming makes any adjustment for a specified application difficult if not prohibitive. Recognizing this limitation this work presents COSI Measure, an automated open source measurement system that provides submillimetre resolution, robust configuration and a large working volume to support a versatile range of applications. The submillimetre fidelity and reproducibility/backlash performance were evaluated experimentally. Magnetic field mapping of a single ring Halbach magnet, a 3.0 T and a 7.0 T MR scanner as well as temperature mapping of a radio frequency coil were successfully conducted. Due to its open source nature and versatile construction, the system can be easily modified for other applications. In a resource limited research setting, COSI Measure makes efficient use of laboratory space, financial resources and collaborative efforts.

  14. Versatile composite resins simplifying the practice of restorative dentistry.

    PubMed

    Margeas, Robert

    2014-01-01

    After decades of technical development and refinement, composite resins continue to simplify the practice of restorative dentistry, offering clinicians versatility, predictability, and enhanced physical properties. With a wide range of products available today, composite resins are a reliable, conservative, multi-functional restorative material option. As manufacturers strive to improve such properties as compression strength, flexural strength, elastic modulus, coefficient of thermal expansion, water sorption, and wear resistance, several classification systems of composite resins have been developed.

  15. A versatile system for biological and soil chemical tests on a planetary landing craft. II - Hardware development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Martin, J. P.; Kok, B.; Radmer, R.

    1976-01-01

    A system has been under development which is designed to seek remotely for clues to life in planetary soil samples. The basic approach is a set of experiments, all having a common sensor, a gas analysis mass spectrometer which monitors gas composition in the head spaces above sealed, temperature controlled soil samples. Versatility is obtained with up to three preloaded, sealed fluid injector capsules for each of eleven soil test cells. Tests results with an engineering model has demonstrated performance capability of subsystem components such as soil distribution, gas sampling valves, injector mechanisms, temperature control, and test cell seal.

  16. An expert system to manage the operation of the Space Shuttle's fuel cell cryogenic reactant tanks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Murphey, Amy Y.

    1990-01-01

    This paper describes a rule-based expert system to manage the operation of the Space Shuttle's cryogenic fuel system. Rules are based on standard fuel tank operating procedures described in the EECOM Console Handbook. The problem of configuring the operation of the Space Shuttle's fuel tanks is well-bounded and well defined. Moreover, the solution of this problem can be encoded in a knowledge-based system. Therefore, a rule-based expert system is the appropriate paradigm. Furthermore, the expert system could be used in coordination with power system simulation software to design operating procedures for specific missions.

  17. Mapping and Analyzing Stakeholders in China's Essential Drug System by Using a Circular Model: Who We Should Deal with Next?

    PubMed

    Shao, Hui; Li, Shixue; Xu, Lingzhong; Yang, Shuang; Thomas, Nicholas J; Mir, Mohammed Umer; Guo, Zhen; Ning, Bo; Shi, Lizheng

    2015-05-01

    To predict the prospects of the essential drug system by using the Stakeholder Impact Index (SII) and evaluate the current performance of each main stakeholder and suggested dangerous stakeholders and dormant stakeholders. A Delphi method was used, involving 36 experts with experience in implementation and evaluation of the essential drug policy, to construct the circular model as well as evaluate the performance of each stakeholder. The central government was a dominant stakeholder of the whole essential drug system. The provincial governments were definitive stakeholders, whereas local governments and medical institutions were dependent stakeholders. Furthermore, media and drug stores were dormant stakeholders and pharmaceutical manufacturers and delivery enterprises were dangerous stakeholders. Patients, community residents, and medical insurance programs were discretionary stakeholders. The SII for the essential drug system was positive (SII proj ⁎ = 2.72). The overall anticipation of the essential drug policy is optimistic. Letting definitive stakeholders (provincial governments) having more autonomy can efficiently accelerate the pace of implementation of the essential drug policy in the current situation. Central government, however, also needs to construct an experience exchange platform with the aim of building versatile methods for running the essential drug system in all provinces. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and delivery enterprises were dangerous stakeholders for the essential drug policy. Because of their potential threat to the implementation of the policy, the central government should motivate them to support the construction of the essential drug system spontaneously. In that case, provincial governments need to construct a fair, balanced, and self-stabilized bidding platform. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Expert systems as applied to bridges and pavements : an overview.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1986-01-01

    Expert systems is a rapidly emerging new application of computers to aid decision makers in solving problems. This report gives an overview of what expert systems are and of what use they may be to a transportation department. The focus of the applic...

  19. GenSAA: A tool for advancing satellite monitoring with graphical expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Peter M.; Luczak, Edward C.

    1993-01-01

    During numerous contacts with a satellite each day, spacecraft analysts must closely monitor real time data for combinations of telemetry parameter values, trends, and other indications that may signify a problem or failure. As satellites become more complex and the number of data items increases, this task is becoming increasingly difficult for humans to perform at acceptable performance levels. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, fault-isolation expert systems have been developed to support data monitoring and fault detection tasks in satellite control centers. Based on the lessons learned during these initial efforts in expert system automation, a new domain-specific expert system development tool named the Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant (GenSAA) is being developed to facilitate the rapid development and reuse of real-time expert systems to serve as fault-isolation assistants for spacecraft analysts. Although initially domain-specific in nature, this powerful tool will support the development of highly graphical expert systems for data monitoring purposes throughout the space and commercial industry.

  20. The Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant (gensaa): a Tool for Developing Graphical Expert Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Peter M.

    1993-01-01

    During numerous contacts with a satellite each day, spacecraft analysts must closely monitor real-time data. The analysts must watch for combinations of telemetry parameter values, trends, and other indications that may signify a problem or failure. As the satellites become more complex and the number of data items increases, this task is becoming increasingly difficult for humans to perform at acceptable performance levels. At NASA GSFC, fault-isolation expert systems are in operation supporting this data monitoring task. Based on the lessons learned during these initial efforts in expert system automation, a new domain-specific expert system development tool named the Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant (GenSAA) is being developed to facilitate the rapid development and reuse of real-time expert systems to serve as fault-isolation assistants for spacecraft analysts. Although initially domain-specific in nature, this powerful tool will readily support the development of highly graphical expert systems for data monitoring purposes throughout the space and commercial industry.

  1. Research and development for Onboard Navigation (ONAV) ground based expert/trainer system: ONAV entry expert system code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bochsler, Daniel C.

    1988-01-01

    A complete listing is given of the expert system rules for the Entry phase of the Onboard Navigation (ONAV) Ground Based Expert Trainer System for aircraft/space shuttle navigation. These source listings appear in the same format as utilized and required by the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) expert system shell which is the basis for the ONAV entry system. A schematic overview is given of how the rules are organized. These groups result from a partitioning of the rules according to the overall function which a given set of rules performs. This partitioning was established and maintained according to that established in the knowledge specification document. In addition, four other groups of rules are specified. The four groups (control flow, operator inputs, output management, and data tables) perform functions that affect all the other functional rule groups. As the name implies, control flow ensures that the rule groups are executed in the order required for proper operation; operator input rules control the introduction into the CLIPS fact base of various kinds of data required by the expert system; output management rules control the updating of the ONAV expert system user display screen during execution of the system; and data tables are static information utilized by many different rule sets gathered in one convenient place.

  2. An expert system prototype for aiding in the development of software functional requirements for NASA Goddard's command management system: A case study and lessons learned

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liebowitz, Jay

    1986-01-01

    At NASA Goddard, the role of the command management system (CMS) is to transform general requests for spacecraft opeerations into detailed operational plans to be uplinked to the spacecraft. The CMS is part of the NASA Data System which entails the downlink of science and engineering data from NASA near-earth satellites to the user, and the uplink of command and control data to the spacecraft. Presently, it takes one to three years, with meetings once or twice a week, to determine functional requirements for CMS software design. As an alternative approach to the present technique of developing CMS software functional requirements, an expert system prototype was developed to aid in this function. Specifically, the knowledge base was formulated through interactions with domain experts, and was then linked to an existing expert system application generator called 'Knowledge Engineering System (Version 1.3).' Knowledge base development focused on four major steps: (1) develop the problem-oriented attribute hierachy; (2) determine the knowledge management approach; (3) encode the knowledge base; and (4) validate, test, certify, and evaluate the knowledge base and the expert system prototype as a whole. Backcasting was accomplished for validating and testing the expert system prototype. Knowledge refinement, evaluation, and implementation procedures of the expert system prototype were then transacted.

  3. Qpais: A Web-Based Expert System for Assistedidentification of Quarantine Stored Insect Pests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Han; Rajotte, Edwin G.; Li, Zhihong; Chen, Ke; Zhang, Shengfang

    Stored insect pests can seriously depredate stored products causing worldwide economic losses. Pests enter countries traveling with transported goods. Inspection and Quarantine activities are essential to prevent the invasion and spread of pests. Identification of quarantine stored insect pests is an important component of the China's Inspection and Quarantine procedure, and it is necessary not only to identify whether the species captured is an invasive species, but determine control procedures for stored insect pests. With the development of information technologies, many expert systems that aid in the identification of agricultural pests have been developed. Expert systems for the identification of quarantine stored insect pests are rare and are mainly developed for stand-alone PCs. This paper describes the development of a web-based expert system for identification of quarantine stored insect pests as part of the China 11th Five-Year National Scientific and Technological Support Project (115 Project). Based on user needs, textual knowledge and images were gathered from the literature and expert interviews. ASP.NET, C# and SQL language were used to program the system. Improvement of identification efficiency and flexibility was achieved using a new inference method called characteristic-select-based spatial distance method. The expert system can assist identifying 150 species of quarantine stored insect pests and provide detailed information for each species. The expert system has also been evaluated using two steps: system testing and identification testing. With a 85% rate of correct identification and high efficiency, the system evaluation shows that this expert system can be used in identification work of quarantine stored insect pests.

  4. The resource envelope as a basis for space station management system scheduling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bush, Joy; Critchfield, Anna

    1987-01-01

    The Platform Management System (PMS) Resource Envelope Scheduling System (PRESS) expert system prototype developed for space station scheduling is described. The purpose of developing the prototype was too investigate the resource envelope concept in a practical scheduling application, using a commercially available expert system shell. PRESS is being developed on an IBM PC/AT using Teknowledge, Inc.'s M.1 expert system shell.

  5. An expert system for diagnostics and estimation of steam turbine components condition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murmansky, B. E.; Aronson, K. E.; Brodov, Yu. M.

    2017-11-01

    The report describes an expert system of probability type for diagnostics and state estimation of steam turbine technological subsystems components. The expert system is based on Bayes’ theorem and permits to troubleshoot the equipment components, using expert experience, when there is a lack of baseline information on the indicators of turbine operation. Within a unified approach the expert system solves the problems of diagnosing the flow steam path of the turbine, bearings, thermal expansion system, regulatory system, condensing unit, the systems of regenerative feed-water and hot water heating. The knowledge base of the expert system for turbine unit rotors and bearings contains a description of 34 defects and of 104 related diagnostic features that cause a change in its vibration state. The knowledge base for the condensing unit contains 12 hypotheses and 15 evidence (indications); the procedures are also designated for 20 state parameters estimation. Similar knowledge base containing the diagnostic features and faults hypotheses are formulated for other technological subsystems of turbine unit. With the necessary initial information available a number of problems can be solved within the expert system for various technological subsystems of steam turbine unit: for steam flow path it is the correlation and regression analysis of multifactor relationship between the vibration parameters variations and the regime parameters; for system of thermal expansions it is the evaluation of force acting on the longitudinal keys depending on the temperature state of the turbine cylinder; for condensing unit it is the evaluation of separate effect of the heat exchange surface contamination and of the presence of air in condenser steam space on condenser thermal efficiency performance, as well as the evaluation of term for condenser cleaning and for tube system replacement and so forth. With a lack of initial information the expert system enables to formulate a diagnosis, calculating the probability of faults hypotheses, given the degree of the expert confidence in estimation of turbine components operation parameters.

  6. Ophiuroid robot that self-organizes periodic and non-periodic arm movements.

    PubMed

    Kano, Takeshi; Suzuki, Shota; Watanabe, Wataru; Ishiguro, Akio

    2012-09-01

    Autonomous decentralized control is a key concept for understanding the mechanism underlying adaptive and versatile locomotion of animals. Although the design of an autonomous decentralized control system that ensures adaptability by using coupled oscillators has been proposed previously, it cannot comprehensively reproduce the versatility of animal behaviour. To tackle this problem, we focus on using ophiuroids as a simple model that exhibits versatile locomotion including periodic and non-periodic arm movements. Our existing model for ophiuroid locomotion uses an active rotator model that describes both oscillatory and excitatory properties. In this communication, we develop an ophiuroid robot to confirm the validity of this proposed model in the real world. We show that the robot travels by successfully coordinating periodic and non-periodic arm movements in response to external stimuli.

  7. Proceedings of the international conference on cybernetics and societ

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1985-01-01

    This book presents the papers given at a conference on artificial intelligence, expert systems and knowledge bases. Topics considered at the conference included automating expert system development, modeling expert systems, causal maps, data covariances, robot vision, image processing, multiprocessors, parallel processing, VLSI structures, man-machine systems, human factors engineering, cognitive decision analysis, natural language, computerized control systems, and cybernetics.

  8. Bonneville Power Administration Communication Alarm Processor expert system:

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Goeltz, R.; Purucker, S.; Tonn, B.

    This report describes the Communications Alarm Processor (CAP), a prototype expert system developed for the Bonneville Power Administration by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The system is designed to receive and diagnose alarms from Bonneville's Microwave Communications System (MCS). The prototype encompasses one of seven branches of the communications network and a subset of alarm systems and alarm types from each system. The expert system employs a backward chaining approach to diagnosing alarms. Alarms are fed into the expert system directly from the communication system via RS232 ports and sophisticated alarm filtering and mailbox software. Alarm diagnoses are presented to operatorsmore » for their review and concurrence before the diagnoses are archived. Statistical software is incorporated to allow analysis of archived data for report generation and maintenance studies. The delivered system resides on a Digital Equipment Corporation VAX 3200 workstation and utilizes Nexpert Object and SAS for the expert system and statistical analysis, respectively. 11 refs., 23 figs., 7 tabs.« less

  9. Artificial Intelligence in Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruyle, Kim E.

    Expert systems have made remarkable progress in areas where the knowledge of an expert can be codified and represented, and these systems have many potentially useful applications in education. Expert systems seem "intelligent" because they do not simply repeat a set of predetermined questions during a consultation session, but will have…

  10. Expert Systems and Special Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hofmeister, Alan M.; Ferrara, Joseph M.

    The application of artificial intelligence to the problems of education is examined. One of the most promising areas in artificial intelligence is expert systems technology which engages the user in a problem-solving diaglogue. Some of the characteristics that make expert systems "intelligent" are identified and exemplified. The rise of…

  11. The adversarial court system and the expert medical witness: 'The truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth?'.

    PubMed

    Ryan, Matthew

    2003-06-01

    This discussion aims to provide the occasional medical expert witness with background knowledge of the adversarial court system and the role of the medical expert witness within it. The parallel evolution of the adversarial and inquisitorial legal systems has been more out of tradition rather than any systematic review of the effectiveness of one system or the other. Both legal systems have their merits and limitations. Witnesses within the adversarial system are required to present evidence in a structured and highly stylized format consisting of 'evidence in chief' followed by 'cross-examination'. This format is an attempt to exclude unreliable evidence. The medical witness is an 'expert' by means of specialized knowledge not possessed by the general public. This distinction allows the expert medical witness to offer his or her opinion as evidence. There remain several limitations to the expert's evidence and these relate to common knowledge, field of expertise and the 'ultimate issue'. The current practice of selection of expert medical witnesses is seriously flawed with several pressures operating to maximise bias and inaccurate testimony. Doctors should not only anticipate change in this area they should lead reform in this area.

  12. Automation technology for aerospace power management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Larsen, R. L.

    1982-01-01

    The growing size and complexity of spacecraft power systems coupled with limited space/ground communications necessitate increasingly automated onboard control systems. Research in computer science, particularly artificial intelligence has developed methods and techniques for constructing man-machine systems with problem-solving expertise in limited domains which may contribute to the automation of power systems. Since these systems perform tasks which are typically performed by human experts they have become known as Expert Systems. A review of the current state of the art in expert systems technology is presented, and potential applications in power systems management are considered. It is concluded that expert systems appear to have significant potential for improving the productivity of operations personnel in aerospace applications, and in automating the control of many aerospace systems.

  13. An Expert System for the Development of Efficient Parallel Code

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jost, Gabriele; Chun, Robert; Jin, Hao-Qiang; Labarta, Jesus; Gimenez, Judit

    2004-01-01

    We have built the prototype of an expert system to assist the user in the development of efficient parallel code. The system was integrated into the parallel programming environment that is currently being developed at NASA Ames. The expert system interfaces to tools for automatic parallelization and performance analysis. It uses static program structure information and performance data in order to automatically determine causes of poor performance and to make suggestions for improvements. In this paper we give an overview of our programming environment, describe the prototype implementation of our expert system, and demonstrate its usefulness with several case studies.

  14. Using a CLIPS expert system to automatically manage TCP/IP networks and their components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Faul, Ben M.

    1991-01-01

    A expert system that can directly manage networks components on a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) network is described. Previous expert systems for managing networks have focused on managing network faults after they occur. However, this proactive expert system can monitor and control network components in near real time. The ability to directly manage network elements from the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) is accomplished by the integration of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and a Abstract Syntax Notation (ASN) parser into the CLIPS artificial intelligence language.

  15. An overview of expert systems. [artificial intelligence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gevarter, W. B.

    1982-01-01

    An expert system is defined and its basic structure is discussed. The knowledge base, the inference engine, and uses of expert systems are discussed. Architecture is considered, including choice of solution direction, reasoning in the presence of uncertainty, searching small and large search spaces, handling large search spaces by transforming them and by developing alternative or additional spaces, and dealing with time. Existing expert systems are reviewed. Tools for building such systems, construction, and knowledge acquisition and learning are discussed. Centers of research and funding sources are listed. The state-of-the-art, current problems, required research, and future trends are summarized.

  16. Expert Systems Technology and Its Implication for Archives. National Archives Technical Information Paper No. 9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Michelson, Avra

    This report introduces archivists to the potential of expert systems for improving archives administration and alerts them to ways in which they can expect intelligent technologies to impact federal record-keeping systems and scholarly research methods. The report introduces the topic by describing expert systems used in three Fortune 500…

  17. Perspective on intelligent avionics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jones, H.L.

    1987-01-01

    Technical issues which could potentially limit the capability and acceptibility of expert systems decision-making for avionics applications are addressed. These issues are: real-time AI, mission-critical software, conventional algorithms, pilot interface, knowledge acquisition, and distributed expert systems. Examples from on-going expert system development programs are presented to illustrate likely architectures and applications of future intelligent avionic systems. 13 references.

  18. A Computer-Based, Interactive Videodisc Job Aid and Expert System for Electron Beam Lithography Integration and Diagnostic Procedures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevenson, Kimberly

    This master's thesis describes the development of an expert system and interactive videodisc computer-based instructional job aid used for assisting in the integration of electron beam lithography devices. Comparable to all comprehensive training, expert system and job aid development require a criterion-referenced systems approach treatment to…

  19. Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems, Natural Language Interfaces, Knowledge Engineering and the Librarian.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davies, Jim

    This paper begins by examining concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and discusses various definitions of the concept that have been suggested in the literature. The nesting relationship of expert systems within the broader framework of AI is described, and expert systems are characterized as knowledge-based systems (KBS) which attempt to solve…

  20. A Model-Based Expert System for Space Power Distribution Diagnostics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Quinn, Todd M.; Schlegelmilch, Richard F.

    1994-01-01

    When engineers diagnose system failures, they often use models to confirm system operation. This concept has produced a class of advanced expert systems that perform model-based diagnosis. A model-based diagnostic expert system for the Space Station Freedom electrical power distribution test bed is currently being developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The objective of this expert system is to autonomously detect and isolate electrical fault conditions. Marple, a software package developed at TRW, provides a model-based environment utilizing constraint suspension. Originally, constraint suspension techniques were developed for digital systems. However, Marple provides the mechanisms for applying this approach to analog systems such as the test bed, as well. The expert system was developed using Marple and Lucid Common Lisp running on a Sun Sparc-2 workstation. The Marple modeling environment has proved to be a useful tool for investigating the various aspects of model-based diagnostics. This report describes work completed to date and lessons learned while employing model-based diagnostics using constraint suspension within an analog system.

  1. Tuberculosis-Diagnostic Expert System: an architecture for translating patients information from the web for use in tuberculosis diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Osamor, Victor C; Azeta, Ambrose A; Ajulo, Oluseyi O

    2014-12-01

    Over 1.5-2 million tuberculosis deaths occur annually. Medical professionals are faced with a lot of challenges in delivering good health-care with unassisted automation in hospitals where there are several patients who need the doctor's attention. To automate the pre-laboratory screening process against tuberculosis infection to aid diagnosis and make it fast and accessible to the public via the Internet. The expert system we have built is designed to also take care of people who do not have access to medical experts, but would want to check their medical status. A rule-based approach has been used, and unified modeling language and the client-server architecture technique were applied to model the system and to develop it as a web-based expert system for tuberculosis diagnosis. Algorithmic rules in the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System necessitate decision coverage where tuberculosis is either suspected or not suspected. The architecture consists of a rule base, knowledge base, and patient database. These units interact with the inference engine, which receives patient' data through the Internet via a user interface. We present the architecture of the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System and its implementation. We evaluated it for usability to determine the level of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. The result of the usability evaluation reveals that the system has a usability of 4.08 out of a scale of 5. This is an indication of a more-than-average system performance. Several existing expert systems have been developed for the purpose of supporting different medical diagnoses, but none is designed to translate tuberculosis patients' symptomatic data for online pre-laboratory screening. Our Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System is an effective solution for the implementation of the needed web-based expert system diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2013.

  2. CRN5EXP: Expert system for statistical quality control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hentea, Mariana

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of the Expert System CRN5EXP is to assist in checking the quality of the coils at two very important mills: Hot Rolling and Cold Rolling in a steel plant. The system interprets the statistical quality control charts, diagnoses and predicts the quality of the steel. Measurements of process control variables are recorded in a database and sample statistics such as the mean and the range are computed and plotted on a control chart. The chart is analyzed through patterns using the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) and a forward chaining technique to reach a conclusion about the causes of defects and to take management measures for the improvement of the quality control techniques. The Expert System combines the certainty factors associated with the process control variables to predict the quality of the steel. The paper presents the approach to extract data from the database, the reason to combine certainty factors, the architecture and the use of the Expert System. However, the interpretation of control charts patterns requires the human expert's knowledge and lends to Expert Systems rules.

  3. Getting expert systems off the ground: Lessons learned from integrating model-based diagnostics with prototype flight hardware

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stephan, Amy; Erikson, Carol A.

    1991-01-01

    As an initial attempt to introduce expert system technology into an onboard environment, a model based diagnostic system using the TRW MARPLE software tool was integrated with prototype flight hardware and its corresponding control software. Because this experiment was designed primarily to test the effectiveness of the model based reasoning technique used, the expert system ran on a separate hardware platform, and interactions between the control software and the model based diagnostics were limited. While this project met its objective of showing that model based reasoning can effectively isolate failures in flight hardware, it also identified the need for an integrated development path for expert system and control software for onboard applications. In developing expert systems that are ready for flight, artificial intelligence techniques must be evaluated to determine whether they offer a real advantage onboard, identify which diagnostic functions should be performed by the expert systems and which are better left to the procedural software, and work closely with both the hardware and the software developers from the beginning of a project to produce a well designed and thoroughly integrated application.

  4. Expert systems for automated maintenance of a Mars oxygen production system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jen-Kuang; Ho, Ming-Tsang; Ash, Robert L.

    1992-08-01

    Application of expert system concepts to a breadboard Mars oxygen processor unit have been studied and tested. The research was directed toward developing the methodology required to enable autonomous operation and control of these simple chemical processors at Mars. Failure detection and isolation was the key area of concern, and schemes using forward chaining, backward chaining, knowledge-based expert systems, and rule-based expert systems were examined. Tests and simulations were conducted that investigated self-health checkout, emergency shutdown, and fault detection, in addition to normal control activities. A dynamic system model was developed using the Bond-Graph technique. The dynamic model agreed well with tests involving sudden reductions in throughput. However, nonlinear effects were observed during tests that incorporated step function increases in flow variables. Computer simulations and experiments have demonstrated the feasibility of expert systems utilizing rule-based diagnosis and decision-making algorithms.

  5. Expert systems for space power supply - Design, analysis, and evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cooper, Ralph S.; Thomson, M. Kemer; Hoshor, Alan

    1987-01-01

    The feasibility of applying expert systems to the conceptual design, analysis, and evaluation of space power supplies in particular, and complex systems in general is evaluated. To do this, the space power supply design process and its associated knowledge base were analyzed and characterized in a form suitable for computer emulation of a human expert. The existing expert system tools and the results achieved with them were evaluated to assess their applicability to power system design. Some new concepts for combining program architectures (modular expert systems and algorithms) with information about the domain were applied to create a 'deep' system for handling the complex design problem. NOVICE, a code to solve a simplified version of a scoping study of a wide variety of power supply types for a broad range of missions, has been developed, programmed, and tested as a concrete feasibility demonstration.

  6. Expert Review of Pedagogical Activities at Therapeutic Recreation Camps

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kiselev, N. N.; Kiseleva, E. V.

    2015-01-01

    An analysis of pedagogical expert reviews at children's therapeutic recreation camps in Novosibirsk Region shows that it is necessary to implement an expert review system that plays a supporting and developmental role. Such a system should allow teams of teachers to submit their work to expert review and to move forward by reflecting on their…

  7. UNIX and healthcare systems: a good marriage.

    PubMed

    Wieners, W

    1992-08-01

    Powerful and versatile, UNIX makes open systems affordable in today's complex healthcare marketplace. As more emphasis is placed on combining the best systems for the least money, UNIX plays an important role. How many hospitals are using it already?

  8. A knowledge based expert system for propellant system monitoring at the Kennedy Space Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jamieson, J. R.; Delaune, C.; Scarl, E.

    1985-01-01

    The Lox Expert System (LES) is the first attempt to build a realtime expert system capable of simulating the thought processes of NASA system engineers, with regard to fluids systems analysis and troubleshooting. An overview of the hardware and software describes the techniques used, and possible applications to other process control systems. LES is now in the advanced development stage, with a full implementation planned for late 1985.

  9. A demonstration of expert systems applications in transportation engineering : volume II, TRANZ, a prototype expert system for traffic control in highway work zones.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1988-01-01

    The development of a prototype knowledge-based expert system (KBES) for selecting appropriate traffic control strategies and management techniques around highway work zones was initiated. This process was encompassed by the steps that formulate the p...

  10. Expert System Detects Power-Distribution Faults

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walters, Jerry L.; Quinn, Todd M.

    1994-01-01

    Autonomous Power Expert (APEX) computer program is prototype expert-system program detecting faults in electrical-power-distribution system. Assists human operators in diagnosing faults and deciding what adjustments or repairs needed for immediate recovery from faults or for maintenance to correct initially nonthreatening conditions that could develop into faults. Written in Lisp.

  11. CORMIX1: AN EXPERT SYSTEM FOR MIXING ZONE ANALYSIS OF TOXIC AND CONVENTIONAL, SINGLE PORT AQUATIC DISCHARGES

    EPA Science Inventory

    An expert system, CORMIX1, was developed to predict the dilution and trajectory of a single buoyant discharge into an unstratified aquatic environment with and without crossflow. The system uses knowledge and inference rules obtained from hydrodynamic experts to classify and pred...

  12. Management Expert Systems (M.E.S.): A Framework for Development and Implementation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moser, Jorge; Christoph, Richard

    1987-01-01

    This description of the development of expert systems designed to solve management problems focuses on the issue of corporate divestment as an example. Software needs are discussed, and an example of a management expert system for divestment analysis at James Madison University is briefly described. (Author/LRW)

  13. Expert systems identify fossils and manage large paleontological databases

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Beightol, D.S.; Conrad, M.A.

    EXPAL is a computer program permitting creation and maintenance of comprehensive databases in marine paleontology. It is designed to assist specialists and non-specialists. EXPAL includes a powerful expert system based on the morphological descriptors specific to a given group of fossils. The expert system may be used, for example, to describe and automatically identify an unknown specimen. EXPAL was first applied to Dasycladales (Calcareous green algae). Projects are under way for corresponding expert systems and databases on planktonic foraminifers and calpionellids. EXPAL runs on an IBM XT or compatible microcomputer.

  14. Development of a Spacecraft Materials Selector Expert System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pippin, G.; Kauffman, W. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    This report contains a description of the knowledge base tool and examples of its use. A downloadable version of the Spacecraft Materials Selector (SMS) knowledge base is available through the NASA Space Environments and Effects Program. The "Spacecraft Materials Selector" knowledge base is part of an electronic expert system. The expert system consists of an inference engine that contains the "decision-making" code and the knowledge base that contains the selected body of information. The inference engine is a software package previously developed at Boeing, called the Boeing Expert System Tool (BEST) kit.

  15. Signal Processing Expert Code (SPEC)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ames, H.S.

    1985-12-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe a prototype expert system called SPEC which was developed to demonstrate the utility of providing an intelligent interface for users of SIG, a general purpose signal processing code. The expert system is written in NIL, runs on a VAX 11/750 and consists of a backward chaining inference engine and an English-like parser. The inference engine uses knowledge encoded as rules about the formats of SIG commands and about how to perform frequency analyses using SIG. The system demonstrated that expert system can be used to control existing codes.

  16. Expert Systems In Medical Studies - A New Twist

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slagle, James R.; Long, John M.; Wick, Michael R.; Matts, John P.; Leon, Arthur S.

    1986-03-01

    The use of experts to evaluate large amounts of trial data results in increasingly expensive and time consuming research. We are investigating the role expert systems can play in reducing the time and expense of research projects. Current methods in large clinical studies for evaluating data are often crude and superficial. We have developed, for a large clinical trial, an expert system for analysis of treadmill exercise ECG test results. In the cases we are studying, a patient is given a treadmill exercise ECG test once a year for five years. Pairs of these exercise tests are then evaluated by cardiologists to determine the condition of the patient's heart. The results of our system show great promise for the use of expert systems in reducing the time and expense of large clinical trials.

  17. A center for commercial development of space: Real-time satellite mapping. Remote sensing-based agricultural information expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hadipriono, Fabian C.; Diaz, Carlos F.; Merritt, Earl S.

    1989-01-01

    The research project results in a powerful yet user friendly CROPCAST expert system for use by a client to determine the crop yield production of a certain crop field. The study is based on the facts that heuristic assessment and decision making in agriculture are significant and dominate much of agribusiness. Transfer of the expert knowledge concerning remote sensing based crop yield production into a specific expert system is the key program in this study. A knowledge base consisting of a root frame, CROP-YIELD-FORECAST, and four subframes, namely, SATELLITE, PLANT-PHYSIOLOGY, GROUND, and MODEL were developed to accommodate the production rules obtained from the domain expert. The expert system shell Personal Consultant Plus version 4.0. was used for this purpose. An external geographic program was integrated to the system. This project is the first part of a completely built expert system. The study reveals that much effort was given to the development of the rules. Such effort is inevitable if workable, efficient, and accurate rules are desired. Furthermore, abundant help statements and graphics were included. Internal and external display routines add to the visual capability of the system. The work results in a useful tool for the client for making decisions on crop yield production.

  18. Spacecraft attitude control using a smart control system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buckley, Brian; Wheatcraft, Louis

    1992-01-01

    Traditionally, spacecraft attitude control has been implemented using control loops written in native code for a space hardened processor. The Naval Research Lab has taken this approach during the development of the Attitude Control Electronics (ACE) package. After the system was developed and delivered, NRL decided to explore alternate technologies to accomplish this same task more efficiently. The approach taken by NRL was to implement the ACE control loops using systems technologies. The purpose of this effort was to: (1) research capabilities required of an expert system in processing a classic closed-loop control algorithm; (2) research the development environment required to design and test an embedded expert systems environment; (3) research the complexity of design and development of expert systems versus a conventional approach; and (4) test the resulting systems against the flight acceptance test software for both response and accuracy. Two expert systems were selected to implement the control loops. Criteria used for the selection of the expert systems included that they had to run in both embedded systems and ground based environments. Using two different expert systems allowed a comparison of the real-time capabilities, inferencing capabilities, and the ground-based development environment. The two expert systems chosen for the evaluation were Spacecraft Command Language (SCL), and NEXTPERT Object. SCL is a smart control system produced for the NRL by Interface and Control Systems (ICS). SCL was developed to be used for real-time command, control, and monitoring of a new generation of spacecraft. NEXPERT Object is a commercially available product developed by Neuron Data. Results of the effort were evaluated using the ACE test bed. The ACE test bed had been developed and used to test the original flight hardware and software using simulators and flight-like interfaces. The test bed was used for testing the expert systems in a 'near-flight' environment. The technical approach, the system architecture, the development environments, knowledge base development, and results of this effort are detailed.

  19. Classifying and profiling Social Networking Site users: a latent segmentation approach.

    PubMed

    Alarcón-del-Amo, María-del-Carmen; Lorenzo-Romero, Carlota; Gómez-Borja, Miguel-Ángel

    2011-09-01

    Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have showed an exponential growth in the last years. The first step for an efficient use of SNSs stems from an understanding of the individuals' behaviors within these sites. In this research, we have obtained a typology of SNS users through a latent segmentation approach, based on the frequency by which users perform different activities within the SNSs, sociodemographic variables, experience in SNSs, and dimensions related to their interaction patterns. Four different segments have been obtained. The "introvert" and "novel" users are the more occasional. They utilize SNSs mainly to communicate with friends, although "introverts" are more passive users. The "versatile" user performs different activities, although occasionally. Finally, the "expert-communicator" performs a greater variety of activities with a higher frequency. They tend to perform some marketing-related activities such as commenting on ads or gathering information about products and brands as well as commenting ads. The companies can take advantage of these segmentation schemes in different ways: first, by tracking and monitoring information interchange between users regarding their products and brands. Second, they should match the SNS users' profiles with their market targets to use SNSs as marketing tools. Finally, for most business, the expert users could be interesting opinion leaders and potential brand influencers.

  20. A low-cost and versatile system for projecting wide-field visual stimuli within fMRI scanners

    PubMed Central

    Greco, V.; Frijia, F.; Mikellidou, K.; Montanaro, D.; Farini, A.; D’Uva, M.; Poggi, P.; Pucci, M.; Sordini, A.; Morrone, M. C.; Burr, D. C.

    2016-01-01

    We have constructed and tested a custom-made magnetic-imaging-compatible visual projection system designed to project on a very wide visual field (~80°). A standard projector was modified with a coupling lens, projecting images into the termination of an image fiber. The other termination of the fiber was placed in the 3-T scanner room with a projection lens, which projected the images relayed by the fiber onto a screen over the head coil, viewed by a participant wearing magnifying goggles. To validate the system, wide-field stimuli were presented in order to identify retinotopic visual areas. The results showed that this low-cost and versatile optical system may be a valuable tool to map visual areas in the brain that process peripheral receptive fields. PMID:26092392

  1. Using Ada to implement the operations management system in a community of experts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frank, M. S.

    1986-01-01

    An architecture is described for the Space Station Operations Management System (OMS), consisting of a distributed expert system framework implemented in Ada. The motivation for such a scheme is based on the desire to integrate the very diverse elements of the OMS while taking maximum advantage of knowledge based systems technology. Part of the foundation of an Ada based distributed expert system was accomplished in the form of a proof of concept prototype for the KNOMES project (Knowledge-based Maintenance Expert System). This prototype successfully used concurrently active experts to accomplish monitoring and diagnosis for the Remote Manipulator System. The basic concept of this software architecture is named ACTORS for Ada Cognitive Task ORganization Scheme. It is when one considers the overall problem of integrating all of the OMS elements into a cooperative system that the AI solution stands out. By utilizing a distributed knowledge based system as the framework for OMS, it is possible to integrate those components which need to share information in an intelligent manner.

  2. A middle man approach to knowledge acquisition in expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jordan, Janice A.; Lin, Min-Jin; Mayer, Richard J.; Sterle, Mark E.

    1990-01-01

    The Weed Control Advisor (WCA) is a robust expert system that has been successfully implemented on an IBM AT class microcomputer in CLIPS. The goal of the WCA was to demonstrate the feasibility of providing an economical, efficient, user friendly system through which Texas rice producers could obtain expert level knowledge regarding herbicide application for weed control. During the development phase of the WCA, an improved knowledge acquisition method which we call the Middle Man Approach (MMA) was applied to facilitate the communication process between the domain experts and the knowledge engineer. The MMA served to circumvent the problems associated with the more traditional forms of knowledge acquisition by placing the Middle Man, a semi-expert in the problem domain with some computer expertise, at the site of system development. The middle man was able to contribute to system development in two major ways. First, the Middle Man had experience working in rice production and could assume many of the responsibilities normally performed by the domain experts such as explaining the background of the problem domain and determining the important relations. Second, the Middle Man was familiar with computers and worked closely with the system developers to update the rules after the domain experts reviewed the prototype, contribute to the help menus and explanation portions of the expert system, conduct the testing that is required to insure that the expert system gives the expected results answer questions in a timely way, help the knowledge engineer structure the domain knowledge into a useable form, and provide insight into the end user's profile which helped in the development of the simple user friendly interface. The final results were not only that both time expended and costs were greatly reduced by using the MMA, but the quality of the system was improved. This papa will introduce the WCA system and then discuss traditional knowledge acquisition along with some of the problems often associated with it, the MMA methodology, and its application to the WCA development.

  3. Semi-automatic generation of medical tele-expert opinion for primary care physician.

    PubMed

    Biermann, E; Rihl, J; Schenker, M; Standl, E

    2003-01-01

    A computer-based system has been developed for the generation of medical expert opinions on the insulin-resistance syndrome, based on clinical data obtained from primary care physicians. An expert opinion for each patient was generated by using a decision tree for entering individual text modules and by adding optional free text. The expert opinions were returned by e-mail, telefax or by ordinary mail. 1389 primary care physician sent anonymous data sets and requested expert opinions for a total of 3768 patients. Through the set up of a rule-based system an automation of the generation of the expert opinions could be achieved and the generation time dropped from initially 40 minutes to less than 5 minutes at the end. By using predefined text modules and a rule based system, a large number of medical expert opinions can be generated with relatively few additional resources.

  4. The nutrition advisor expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Huse, Scott M.; Shyne, Scott S.

    1991-01-01

    The Nutrition Advisor Expert System (NAES) is an expert system written in the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS). NAES provides expert knowledge and guidance into the complex world of nutrition management by capturing the knowledge of an expert and placing it at the user's fingertips. Specifically, NAES enables the user to: (1) obtain precise nutrition information for food items; (2) perform nutritional analysis of meal(s), flagging deficiencies based upon the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances; (3) predict possible ailments based upon observed nutritional deficiency trends; (4) obtain a top ten listing of food items for a given nutrient; and (5) conveniently upgrade the data base. An explanation facility for the ailment prediction feature is also provided to document the reasoning process.

  5. SAFSIM theory manual: A computer program for the engineering simulation of flow systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dobranich, Dean

    1993-12-01

    SAFSIM (System Analysis Flow SIMulator) is a FORTRAN computer program for simulating the integrated performance of complex flow systems. SAFSIM provides sufficient versatility to allow the engineering simulation of almost any system, from a backyard sprinkler system to a clustered nuclear reactor propulsion system. In addition to versatility, speed and robustness are primary SAFSIM development goals. SAFSIM contains three basic physics modules: (1) a fluid mechanics module with flow network capability; (2) a structure heat transfer module with multiple convection and radiation exchange surface capability; and (3) a point reactor dynamics module with reactivity feedback and decay heat capability. Any or all of the physics modules can be implemented, as the problem dictates. SAFSIM can be used for compressible and incompressible, single-phase, multicomponent flow systems. Both the fluid mechanics and structure heat transfer modules employ a one-dimensional finite element modeling approach. This document contains a description of the theory incorporated in SAFSIM, including the governing equations, the numerical methods, and the overall system solution strategies.

  6. Optics Toolbox: An Intelligent Relational Database System For Optical Designers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weller, Scott W.; Hopkins, Robert E.

    1986-12-01

    Optical designers were among the first to use the computer as an engineering tool. Powerful programs have been written to do ray-trace analysis, third-order layout, and optimization. However, newer computing techniques such as database management and expert systems have not been adopted by the optical design community. For the purpose of this discussion we will define a relational database system as a database which allows the user to specify his requirements using logical relations. For example, to search for all lenses in a lens database with a F/number less than two, and a half field of view near 28 degrees, you might enter the following: FNO < 2.0 and FOV of 28 degrees ± 5% Again for the purpose of this discussion, we will define an expert system as a program which contains expert knowledge, can ask intelligent questions, and can form conclusions based on the answers given and the knowledge which it contains. Most expert systems store this knowledge in the form of rules-of-thumb, which are written in an English-like language, and which are easily modified by the user. An example rule is: IF require microscope objective in air and require NA > 0.9 THEN suggest the use of an oil immersion objective The heart of the expert system is the rule interpreter, sometimes called an inference engine, which reads the rules and forms conclusions based on them. The use of a relational database system containing lens prototypes seems to be a viable prospect. However, it is not clear that expert systems have a place in optical design. In domains such as medical diagnosis and petrology, expert systems are flourishing. These domains are quite different from optical design, however, because optical design is a creative process, and the rules are difficult to write down. We do think that an expert system is feasible in the area of first order layout, which is sufficiently diagnostic in nature to permit useful rules to be written. This first-order expert would emulate an expert designer as he interacted with a customer for the first time: asking the right questions, forming conclusions, and making suggestions. With these objectives in mind, we have developed the Optics Toolbox. Optics Toolbox is actually two programs in one: it is a powerful relational database system with twenty-one search parameters, four search modes, and multi-database support, as well as a first-order optical design expert system with a rule interpreter which has full access to the relational database. The system schematic is shown in Figure 1.

  7. Development of a knowledge acquisition tool for an expert system flight status monitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Disbrow, J. D.; Duke, E. L.; Regenie, V. A.

    1986-01-01

    Two of the main issues in artificial intelligence today are knowledge acquisition dion and knowledge representation. The Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is presently involved in the design and implementation of an expert system flight status monitor that will provide expertise and knowledge to aid the flight systems engineer in monitoring today's advanced high-performance aircraft. The flight status monitor can be divided into two sections: the expert system itself and the knowledge acquisition tool. The knowledge acquisition tool, the means it uses to extract knowledge from the domain expert, and how that knowledge is represented for computer use is discussed. An actual aircraft system has been codified by this tool with great success. Future real-time use of the expert system has been facilitated by using the knowledge acquisition tool to easily generate a logically consistent and complete knowledge base.

  8. Development of a knowledge acquisition tool for an expert system flight status monitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Disbrow, J. D.; Duke, E. L.; Regenie, V. A.

    1986-01-01

    Two of the main issues in artificial intelligence today are knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation. The Dryden Flight Research Facility of NASA's Ames Research Center is presently involved in the design and implementation of an expert system flight status monitor that will provide expertise and knowledge to aid the flight systems engineer in monitoring today's advanced high-performance aircraft. The flight status monitor can be divided into two sections: the expert system itself and the knowledge acquisition tool. This paper discusses the knowledge acquisition tool, the means it uses to extract knowledge from the domain expert, and how that knowledge is represented for computer use. An actual aircraft system has been codified by this tool with great success. Future real-time use of the expert system has been facilitated by using the knowledge acquisition tool to easily generate a logically consistent and complete knowledge base.

  9. Rule groupings: A software engineering approach towards verification of expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehrotra, Mala

    1991-01-01

    Currently, most expert system shells do not address software engineering issues for developing or maintaining expert systems. As a result, large expert systems tend to be incomprehensible, difficult to debug or modify and almost impossible to verify or validate. Partitioning rule based systems into rule groups which reflect the underlying subdomains of the problem should enhance the comprehensibility, maintainability, and reliability of expert system software. Attempts were made to semiautomatically structure a CLIPS rule base into groups of related rules that carry the same type of information. Different distance metrics that capture relevant information from the rules for grouping are discussed. Two clustering algorithms that partition the rule base into groups of related rules are given. Two independent evaluation criteria are developed to measure the effectiveness of the grouping strategies. Results of the experiment with three sample rule bases are presented.

  10. Use of a FORTH-based PROLOG for real-time expert systems. 1: Spacelab life sciences experiment application

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paloski, William H.; Odette, Louis L.; Krever, Alfred J.; West, Allison K.

    1987-01-01

    A real-time expert system is being developed to serve as the astronaut interface for a series of Spacelab vestibular experiments. This expert system is written in a version of Prolog that is itself written in Forth. The Prolog contains a predicate that can be used to execute Forth definitions; thus, the Forth becomes an embedded real-time operating system within the Prolog programming environment. The expert system consists of a data base containing detailed operational instructions for each experiment, a rule base containing Prolog clauses used to determine the next step in an experiment sequence, and a procedure base containing Prolog goals formed from real-time routines coded in Forth. In this paper, we demonstrate and describe the techniques and considerations used to develop this real-time expert system, and we conclude that Forth-based Prolog provides a viable implementation vehicle for this and similar applications.

  11. Expert system for controlling plant growth in a contained environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    May, George A. (Inventor); Lanoue, Mark Allen (Inventor); Bethel, Matthew (Inventor); Ryan, Robert E. (Inventor)

    2011-01-01

    In a system for optimizing crop growth, vegetation is cultivated in a contained environment, such as a greenhouse, an underground cavern or other enclosed space. Imaging equipment is positioned within or about the contained environment, to acquire spatially distributed crop growth information, and environmental sensors are provided to acquire data regarding multiple environmental conditions that can affect crop development. Illumination within the contained environment, and the addition of essential nutrients and chemicals are in turn controlled in response to data acquired by the imaging apparatus and environmental sensors, by an "expert system" which is trained to analyze and evaluate crop conditions. The expert system controls the spatial and temporal lighting pattern within the contained area, and the timing and allocation of nutrients and chemicals to achieve optimized crop development. A user can access the "expert system" remotely, to assess activity within the growth chamber, and can override the "expert system".

  12. Expert system for controlling plant growth in a contained environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    May, George A. (Inventor); Lanoue, Mark Allen (Inventor); Bethel, Matthew (Inventor); Ryan, Robert E. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    In a system for optimizing crop growth, vegetation is cultivated in a contained environment, such as a greenhouse, an underground cavern or other enclosed space. Imaging equipment is positioned within or about the contained environment, to acquire spatially distributed crop growth information, and environmental sensors are provided to acquire data regarding multiple environmental conditions that can affect crop development. Illumination within the contained environment, and the addition of essential nutrients and chemicals are in turn controlled in response to data acquired by the imaging apparatus and environmental sensors, by an ''expert system'' which is trained to analyze and evaluate crop conditions. The expert system controls the spatial and temporal lighting pattern within the contained area, and the timing and allocation of nutrients and chemicals to achieve optimized crop development. A user can access the ''expert system'' remotely, to assess activity within the growth chamber, and can override the ''expert system''.

  13. Computer Series, 82. The Application of Expert Systems in the General Chemistry Laboratory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Settle, Frank A., Jr.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the construction of expert computer systems using artificial intelligence technology and commercially available software, known as an expert system shell. Provides two applications; a simple one, the identification of seven white substances, and a more complicated one involving the qualitative analysis of six metal ions. (TW)

  14. Implementation of an Expert System for Instructional Design: Phase 2. Design Document & Technical Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merrill, M. David; Li, Zhongmin

    The purpose of this project was to develop a prototype expert instructional design system (ID Expert) which would demonstrate the feasibility of a consultation system for use by inexperienced instructional designers. The prototype gathers information from the designer and then makes recommendations for instructional design decisions. The output of…

  15. Toward the efficient implementation of expert systems in Ada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel

    1990-01-01

    Here, the authors describe Ada language issues encountered during the development of ART-Ada, an expert system tool for Ada deployment. ART-Ada is being used to implement several expert system applications for the Space Station Freedom and the U.S. Air Force. Additional information is given on dynamic memory allocation.

  16. An evaluation of selected (Q)SARs/expert systems for the Prediction of Skin Sensitization Potential (WC10)

    EPA Science Inventory

    One of the alternative approaches to assessing skin sensitization hazard is through the use of (Q)SARs/expert systems. Here we evaluate the predictive performance of two expert systems (TIMES-SS and VEGA) and two SAR rulebases (OASIS protein binding alerts and Toxtree’s reactivit...

  17. Using Vector and Extended Boolean Matching in an Expert System for Selecting Foster Homes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Edward A.; Winett, Sheila G.

    1990-01-01

    Describes FOCES (Foster Care Expert System), a prototype expert system for choosing foster care placements for children which integrates information retrieval techniques with artificial intelligence. The use of prototypes and queries in Prolog routines, extended Boolean matching, and vector correlation are explained, as well as evaluation by…

  18. Explanation Generation in Expert Systems (A Literature Review and Implementation)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-01-01

    Rubinoff. Explaining concepts in expert systems: The clear system. In Proceedings of the Second Conference on Aritificial Intelligence Applications. pages... intelligent computer software systems are Heedled. The Expert System (ES) technology of Artificial Intelligence (Al) is ore solution that is (nerging to...Random House College Dictionary defines explanation as: "to make plain, clear, or intelligible something that is not known or understood". [33] While

  19. Users manual for an expert system (HSPEXP) for calibration of the hydrological simulation program; Fortran

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lumb, A.M.; McCammon, R.B.; Kittle, J.L.

    1994-01-01

    Expert system software was developed to assist less experienced modelers with calibration of a watershed model and to facilitate the interaction between the modeler and the modeling process not provided by mathematical optimization. A prototype was developed with artificial intelligence software tools, a knowledge engineer, and two domain experts. The manual procedures used by the domain experts were identified and the prototype was then coded by the knowledge engineer. The expert system consists of a set of hierarchical rules designed to guide the calibration of the model through a systematic evaluation of model parameters. When the prototype was completed and tested, it was rewritten for portability and operational use and was named HSPEXP. The watershed model Hydrological Simulation Program--Fortran (HSPF) is used in the expert system. This report is the users manual for HSPEXP and contains a discussion of the concepts and detailed steps and examples for using the software. The system has been tested on watersheds in the States of Washington and Maryland, and the system correctly identified the model parameters to be adjusted and the adjustments led to improved calibration.

  20. Expert system application education project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gonzelez, Avelino J.; Ragusa, James M.

    1988-01-01

    Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and in particular expert systems, has shown potential applicability in many areas of operation at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In an era of limited resources, the early identification of good expert system applications, and their segregation from inappropriate ones can result in a more efficient use of available NASA resources. On the other hand, the education of students in a highly technical area such as AI requires an extensive hands-on effort. The nature of expert systems is such that proper sample applications for the educational process are difficult to find. A pilot project between NASA-KSC and the University of Central Florida which was designed to simultaneously address the needs of both institutions at a minimum cost. This project, referred to as Expert Systems Prototype Training Project (ESPTP), provided NASA with relatively inexpensive development of initial prototype versions of certain applications. University students likewise benefit by having expertise on a non-trivial problem accessible to them at no cost. Such expertise is indispensible in a hands-on training approach to developing expert systems.

  1. Computer Based Expert Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parry, James D.; Ferrara, Joseph M.

    1985-01-01

    Claims knowledge-based expert computer systems can meet needs of rural schools for affordable expert advice and support and will play an important role in the future of rural education. Describes potential applications in prediction, interpretation, diagnosis, remediation, planning, monitoring, and instruction. (NEC)

  2. Use of the self-organising map network (SOMNet) as a decision support system for regional mental health planning.

    PubMed

    Chung, Younjin; Salvador-Carulla, Luis; Salinas-Pérez, José A; Uriarte-Uriarte, Jose J; Iruin-Sanz, Alvaro; García-Alonso, Carlos R

    2018-04-25

    Decision-making in mental health systems should be supported by the evidence-informed knowledge transfer of data. Since mental health systems are inherently complex, involving interactions between its structures, processes and outcomes, decision support systems (DSS) need to be developed using advanced computational methods and visual tools to allow full system analysis, whilst incorporating domain experts in the analysis process. In this study, we use a DSS model developed for interactive data mining and domain expert collaboration in the analysis of complex mental health systems to improve system knowledge and evidence-informed policy planning. We combine an interactive visual data mining approach, the self-organising map network (SOMNet), with an operational expert knowledge approach, expert-based collaborative analysis (EbCA), to develop a DSS model. The SOMNet was applied to the analysis of healthcare patterns and indicators of three different regional mental health systems in Spain, comprising 106 small catchment areas and providing healthcare for over 9 million inhabitants. Based on the EbCA, the domain experts in the development team guided and evaluated the analytical processes and results. Another group of 13 domain experts in mental health systems planning and research evaluated the model based on the analytical information of the SOMNet approach for processing information and discovering knowledge in a real-world context. Through the evaluation, the domain experts assessed the feasibility and technology readiness level (TRL) of the DSS model. The SOMNet, combined with the EbCA, effectively processed evidence-based information when analysing system outliers, explaining global and local patterns, and refining key performance indicators with their analytical interpretations. The evaluation results showed that the DSS model was feasible by the domain experts and reached level 7 of the TRL (system prototype demonstration in operational environment). This study supports the benefits of combining health systems engineering (SOMNet) and expert knowledge (EbCA) to analyse the complexity of health systems research. The use of the SOMNet approach contributes to the demonstration of DSS for mental health planning in practice.

  3. Matrix Failure Modes and Effects Analysis as a Knowledge Base for a Real Time Automated Diagnosis Expert System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Herrin, Stephanie; Iverson, David; Spukovska, Lilly; Souza, Kenneth A. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    Failure Modes and Effects Analysis contain a wealth of information that can be used to create the knowledge base required for building automated diagnostic Expert systems. A real time monitoring and diagnosis expert system based on an actual NASA project's matrix failure modes and effects analysis was developed. This Expert system Was developed at NASA Ames Research Center. This system was first used as a case study to monitor the Research Animal Holding Facility (RAHF), a Space Shuttle payload that is used to house and monitor animals in orbit so the effects of space flight and microgravity can be studied. The techniques developed for the RAHF monitoring and diagnosis Expert system are general enough to be used for monitoring and diagnosis of a variety of other systems that undergo a Matrix FMEA. This automated diagnosis system was successfully used on-line and validated on the Space Shuttle flight STS-58, mission SLS-2 in October 1993.

  4. Design and implementation of a versatile and variable-frequency piezoelectric coefficient measurement system.

    PubMed

    Wu, J S; Huang, Y K; Wu, F L; Lin, D Y

    2012-08-01

    We present a simple but versatile piezoelectric coefficient measurement system, which can measure the longitudinal and transverse piezoelectric coefficients in the pressing and bending modes, respectively, at different applied forces and a wide range of frequencies. The functionality of this measurement system has been demonstrated on three samples, including a PbZr(0.52)Ti(0.48)O(3) (PZT) piezoelectric ceramic bulk, a ZnO thin film, and a laminated piezoelectric film sensor. The static longitudinal piezoelectric coefficients of the PZT bulk and the ZnO film are estimated to be around 210 and 8.1 pC/N, respectively. The static transverse piezoelectric coefficients of the ZnO film and the piezoelectric film sensor are determined to be, respectively, -0.284 and -0.031 C/m(2).

  5. Communications and tracking expert systems study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leibfried, T. F.; Feagin, Terry; Overland, David

    1987-01-01

    The original objectives of the study consisted of five broad areas of investigation: criteria and issues for explanation of communication and tracking system anomaly detection, isolation, and recovery; data storage simplification issues for fault detection expert systems; data selection procedures for decision tree pruning and optimization to enhance the abstraction of pertinent information for clear explanation; criteria for establishing levels of explanation suited to needs; and analysis of expert system interaction and modularization. Progress was made in all areas, but to a lesser extent in the criteria for establishing levels of explanation suited to needs. Among the types of expert systems studied were those related to anomaly or fault detection, isolation, and recovery.

  6. PCLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krolak, Patrick D.

    1990-01-01

    CLIPS is an expert system, created specifically to allow rapid implementation of an expert system. CLIPS is written in C, and thus needs a very small amount of memory to run. Parallel CLIPS (PCLIPS) is an extension to CLIPS which is intended to be used in situations where a group of expert systems are expected to run simultaneously and occasionally communicate with each other on an integrated network. PCLIPS is a coarse-grained data distribution system. Its main goal is to take information in one knowledge base and distribute it to other knowledge bases so that all the executing expert systems are able to use that knowledge to solve their disparate problems.

  7. Using graphics and expert system technologies to support satellite monitoring at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Peter M.; Shirah, Gregory W.; Luczak, Edward C.

    1994-01-01

    At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, fault-isolation expert systems have been developed to support data monitoring and fault detection tasks in satellite control centers. Based on the lessons learned during these efforts in expert system automation, a new domain-specific expert system development tool named the Generic Spacecraft Analysts Assistant (GenSAA), was developed to facilitate the rapid development and reuse of real-time expert systems to serve as fault-isolation assistants for spacecraft analysts. This paper describes GenSAA's capabilities and how it is supporting monitoring functions of current and future NASA missions for a variety of satellite monitoring applications ranging from subsystem health and safety to spacecraft attitude. Finally, this paper addresses efforts to generalize GenSAA's data interface for more widespread usage throughout the space and commercial industry.

  8. Expert system verification concerns in an operations environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goodwin, Mary Ann; Robertson, Charles C.

    1987-01-01

    The Space Shuttle community is currently developing a number of knowledge-based tools, primarily expert systems, to support Space Shuttle operations. It is proposed that anticipating and responding to the requirements of the operations environment will contribute to a rapid and smooth transition of expert systems from development to operations, and that the requirements for verification are critical to this transition. The paper identifies the requirements of expert systems to be used for flight planning and support and compares them to those of existing procedural software used for flight planning and support. It then explores software engineering concepts and methodology that can be used to satisfy these requirements, to aid the transition from development to operations and to support the operations environment during the lifetime of expert systems. Many of these are similar to those used for procedural hardware.

  9. Development of an expert system prototype for determining software functional requirements for command management activities at NASA Goddard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liebowitz, J.

    1985-01-01

    The development of an expert system prototype for determining software functional requirements for NASA Goddard's Command Management System (CMS) is described. The role of the CMS is to transform general requests into specific spacecraft commands with command execution conditions. The CMS is part of the NASA Data System which entails the downlink of science and engineering data from NASA near-earth satellites to the user, and the uplink of command and control data to the spacecraft. Subjects covered include: the problem environment of determining CMS software functional requirements; the expert system approach for handling CMS requirements development; validation and evaluation procedures for the expert system.

  10. Intelligent system for topic survey in MEDLINE by keyword recommendation and learning text characteristics.

    PubMed

    Tanaka, M; Nakazono, S; Matsuno, H; Tsujimoto, H; Kitamura, Y; Miyano, S

    2000-01-01

    We have implemented a system for assisting experts in selecting MEDLINE records for database construction purposes. This system has two specific features: The first is a learning mechanism which extracts characteristics in the abstracts of MEDLINE records of interest as patterns. These patterns reflect selection decisions by experts and are used for screening the records. The second is a keyword recommendation system which assists and supplements experts' knowledge in unexpected cases. Combined with a conventional keyword-based information retrieval system, this system may provide an efficient and comfortable environment for MEDLINE record selection by experts. Some computational experiments are provided to prove that this idea is useful.

  11. An expert system/ion trap mass spectrometry approach for life support systems monitoring

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Palmer, Peter T.; Wong, Carla M.; Yost, Richard A.; Johnson, Jodie V.; Yates, Nathan A.; Story, Michael

    1992-01-01

    Efforts to develop sensor and control system technology to monitor air quality for life support have resulted in the development and preliminary testing of a concept based on expert systems and ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS). An ITMS instrument provides the capability to identify and quantitate a large number of suspected contaminants at trace levels through the use of a variety of multidimensional experiments. An expert system provides specialized knowledge for control, analysis, and decision making. The system is intended for real-time, on-line, autonomous monitoring of air quality. The key characteristics of the system, performance data and analytical capabilities of the ITMS instrument, the design and operation of the expert system, and results from preliminary testing of the system for trace contaminant monitoring are described.

  12. Real-time diagnostics for a reusable rocket engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guo, T. H.; Merrill, W.; Duyar, A.

    1992-01-01

    A hierarchical, decentralized diagnostic system is proposed for the Real-Time Diagnostic System component of the Intelligent Control System (ICS) for reusable rocket engines. The proposed diagnostic system has three layers of information processing: condition monitoring, fault mode detection, and expert system diagnostics. The condition monitoring layer is the first level of signal processing. Here, important features of the sensor data are extracted. These processed data are then used by the higher level fault mode detection layer to do preliminary diagnosis on potential faults at the component level. Because of the closely coupled nature of the rocket engine propulsion system components, it is expected that a given engine condition may trigger more than one fault mode detector. Expert knowledge is needed to resolve the conflicting reports from the various failure mode detectors. This is the function of the diagnostic expert layer. Here, the heuristic nature of this decision process makes it desirable to use an expert system approach. Implementation of the real-time diagnostic system described above requires a wide spectrum of information processing capability. Generally, in the condition monitoring layer, fast data processing is often needed for feature extraction and signal conditioning. This is usually followed by some detection logic to determine the selected faults on the component level. Three different techniques are used to attack different fault detection problems in the NASA LeRC ICS testbed simulation. The first technique employed is the neural network application for real-time sensor validation which includes failure detection, isolation, and accommodation. The second approach demonstrated is the model-based fault diagnosis system using on-line parameter identification. Besides these model based diagnostic schemes, there are still many failure modes which need to be diagnosed by the heuristic expert knowledge. The heuristic expert knowledge is implemented using a real-time expert system tool called G2 by Gensym Corp. Finally, the distributed diagnostic system requires another level of intelligence to oversee the fault mode reports generated by component fault detectors. The decision making at this level can best be done using a rule-based expert system. This level of expert knowledge is also implemented using G2.

  13. A versatile expression vector for the growth and amplification of unmodified phage display polypeptides.

    PubMed

    Winton, Alexander J; Baptiste, Janae L; Allen, Mark A

    2018-09-01

    Proteins and polypeptides represent nature's most complex and versatile polymer. They provide complicated shapes, diverse chemical functionalities, and tightly regulated and controlled sizes. Several disease states are related to the misfolding or overproduction of polypeptides and yet polypeptides are present in several therapeutic molecules. In addition to biological roles; short chain polypeptides have been shown to interact with and drive the bio-inspired synthesis or modification of inorganic materials. This paper outlines the development of a versatile cloning vector which allows for the expression of a short polypeptide by controlling the incorporation of a desired DNA coding insert. As a demonstration of the efficacy of the expression system, a solid binding polypeptide identified from M13 phage display was expressed and purified. The solid binding polypeptide was expressed as a soluble 6xHis-SUMO tagged construct. Expression was performed in E. coli using auto-induction followed by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and ULP1 protease cleavage. Methodology demonstrates the production of greater than 8 mg of purified polypeptide per liter of E. coli culture. Isotopic labeling of the peptide is also demonstrated. The versatility of the designed cloning vector, use of the 6xHis-SUMO solubility partner, bacterial expression in auto-inducing media and the purification methodology make this expressionun vector a readily scalable and user-friendly system for the creation of desired peptide domains. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Expert system for skin problem consultation in Thai traditional medicine.

    PubMed

    Nopparatkiat, Pornchai; na Nagara, Byaporn; Chansa-ngavej, Chuvej

    2014-01-01

    This paper aimed to demonstrate the research and development of a rule-based expert system for skin problem consulting in the areas of acne, melasma, freckle, wrinkle, and uneven skin tone, with recommended treatments from Thai traditional medicine knowledge. The tool selected for developing the expert system is a software program written in the PHP language. MySQL database is used to work together with PHP for building database of the expert system. The system is web-based and can be reached from anywhere with Internet access. The developed expert system gave recommendations on the skin problem treatment with Thai herbal recipes and Thai herbal cosmetics based on 416 rules derived from primary and secondary sources. The system had been tested by 50 users consisting of dermatologists, Thai traditional medicine doctors, and general users. The developed system was considered good for learning and consultation. The present work showed how such a scattered body of traditional knowledge as Thai traditional medicine and herbal recipes could be collected, organised and made accessible to users and interested parties. The expert system developed herein should contribute in a meaningful way towards preserving the knowledge and helping promote the use of Thai traditional medicine as a practical alternative medicine for the treatment of illnesses.

  15. Computer-based diagnostic expert systems in rheumatology: where do we stand in 2014?

    PubMed

    Alder, Hannes; Michel, Beat A; Marx, Christian; Tamborrini, Giorgio; Langenegger, Thomas; Bruehlmann, Pius; Steurer, Johann; Wildi, Lukas M

    2014-01-01

    Background. The early detection of rheumatic diseases and the treatment to target have become of utmost importance to control the disease and improve its prognosis. However, establishing a diagnosis in early stages is challenging as many diseases initially present with similar symptoms and signs. Expert systems are computer programs designed to support the human decision making and have been developed in almost every field of medicine. Methods. This review focuses on the developments in the field of rheumatology to give a comprehensive insight. Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched. Results. Reports of 25 expert systems with different design and field of application were found. The performance of 19 of the identified expert systems was evaluated. The proportion of correctly diagnosed cases was between 43.1 and 99.9%. Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 62 to 100 and 88 to 98%, respectively. Conclusions. Promising diagnostic expert systems with moderate to excellent performance were identified. The validation process was in general underappreciated. None of the systems, however, seemed to have succeeded in daily practice. This review identifies optimal characteristics to increase the survival rate of expert systems and may serve as valuable information for future developments in the field.

  16. Design of an expert system for the development and formulation of push-pull osmotic pump tablets containing poorly water-soluble drugs.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zhi-hong; Dong, Hong-ye; Peng, Bo; Liu, Hong-fei; Li, Chun-lei; Liang, Min; Pan, Wei-san

    2011-05-30

    The purpose of this article was to build an expert system for the development and formulation of push-pull osmotic pump tablets (PPOP). Hundreds of PPOP formulations were studied according to different poorly water-soluble drugs and pharmaceutical acceptable excipients. The knowledge base including database and rule base was built based on the reported results of hundreds of PPOP formulations containing different poorly water-soluble drugs and pharmaceutical excipients and the experiences available from other researchers. The prediction model of release behavior was built using back propagation (BP) neural network, which is good at nonlinear mapping and learning function. Formulation design model was established based on the prediction model of release behavior, which was the nucleus of the inference engine. Finally, the expert system program was constructed by VB.NET associating with SQL Server. Expert system is one of the most popular aspects in artificial intelligence. To date there is no expert system available for the formulation of controlled release dosage forms yet. Moreover, osmotic pump technology (OPT) is gradually getting consummate all over the world. It is meaningful to apply expert system on OPT. Famotidine, a water insoluble drug was chosen as the model drug to validate the applicability of the developed expert system. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Systematic methods for knowledge acquisition and expert system development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Belkin, Brenda L.; Stengel, Robert F.

    1991-01-01

    Nine cooperating rule-based systems, collectively called AUTOCREW, were designed to automate functions and decisions associated with a combat aircraft's subsystem. The organization of tasks within each system is described; performance metrics were developed to evaluate the workload of each rule base, and to assess the cooperation between the rule-bases. Each AUTOCREW subsystem is composed of several expert systems that perform specific tasks. AUTOCREW's NAVIGATOR was analyzed in detail to understand the difficulties involved in designing the system and to identify tools and methodologies that ease development. The NAVIGATOR determines optimal navigation strategies from a set of available sensors. A Navigation Sensor Management (NSM) expert system was systematically designed from Kalman filter covariance data; four ground-based, a satellite-based, and two on-board INS-aiding sensors were modeled and simulated to aid an INS. The NSM Expert was developed using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the ID3 algorithm. Navigation strategy selection is based on an RSS position error decision metric, which is computed from the covariance data. Results show that the NSM Expert predicts position error correctly between 45 and 100 percent of the time for a specified navaid configuration and aircraft trajectory. The NSM Expert adapts to new situations, and provides reasonable estimates of hybrid performance. The systematic nature of the ANOVA/ID3 method makes it broadly applicable to expert system design when experimental or simulation data is available.

  18. Preliminary Design of a Consultation Knowledge-Based System for the Minimization of Distortion in Welded Structures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-02-01

    which capture the knowledge of such experts. These Expert Systems, or Knowledge-Based Systems’, differ from the usual computer programming techniques...their applications in the fields of structural design and welding is reviewed. 5.1 Introduction Expert Systems, or KBES, are computer programs using Al...procedurally constructed as conventional computer programs usually are; * The knowledge base of such systems is executable, unlike databases 3 "Ill

  19. An Inexpensive Recirculating Aquaculture System with Multiple Use Capabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scurlock, Gerald Don, Jr.; Cook, S. Bradford; Scurlock, Carrie Ann

    1999-01-01

    Describes the construction of an inexpensive recirculating aquaculture system that can hold up to 46 pounds of fish, invertebrates, and mussels for classroom use. The system is versatile, requires little maintenance, and can be used for both teaching and research purposes. (WRM)

  20. A Qualitative Approach to the Evaluation of Expert Systems Shells.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slawson, Dean A.; And Others

    This study explores an approach to the evaluation of expert system shells using case studies. The methodology and some of the results of an evaluation of the prototype development of an expert system using the shell "M1" are detailed, including a description of the participants and the project, the data collection process and materials,…

  1. Multiple neural network approaches to clinical expert systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stubbs, Derek F.

    1990-08-01

    We briefly review the concept of computer aided medical diagnosis and more extensively review the the existing literature on neural network applications in the field. Neural networks can function as simple expert systems for diagnosis or prognosis. Using a public database we develop a neural network for the diagnosis of a major presenting symptom while discussing the development process and possible approaches. MEDICAL EXPERTS SYSTEMS COMPUTER AIDED DIAGNOSIS Biomedicine is an incredibly diverse and multidisciplinary field and it is not surprising that neural networks with their many applications are finding more and more applications in the highly non-linear field of biomedicine. I want to concentrate on neural networks as medical expert systems for clinical diagnosis or prognosis. Expert Systems started out as a set of computerized " ifthen" rules. Everything was reduced to boolean logic and the promised land of computer experts was said to be in sight. It never came. Why? First the computer code explodes as the number of " ifs" increases. All the " ifs" have to interact. Second experts are not very good at reducing expertise to language. It turns out that experts recognize patterns and have non-verbal left-brain intuition decision processes. Third learning by example rather than learning by rule is the way natural brains works and making computers work by rule-learning is hideously labor intensive. Neural networks can learn from example. They learn the results

  2. Guidance, navigation, and control subsystem equipment selection algorithm using expert system methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Cheryl L.

    1991-01-01

    Enhanced engineering tools can be obtained through the integration of expert system methodologies and existing design software. The application of these methodologies to the spacecraft design and cost model (SDCM) software provides an improved technique for the selection of hardware for unmanned spacecraft subsystem design. The knowledge engineering system (KES) expert system development tool was used to implement a smarter equipment section algorithm than that which is currently achievable through the use of a standard data base system. The guidance, navigation, and control subsystems of the SDCM software was chosen as the initial subsystem for implementation. The portions of the SDCM code which compute the selection criteria and constraints remain intact, and the expert system equipment selection algorithm is embedded within this existing code. The architecture of this new methodology is described and its implementation is reported. The project background and a brief overview of the expert system is described, and once the details of the design are characterized, an example of its implementation is demonstrated.

  3. Distributed systems status and control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kreidler, David; Vickers, David

    1990-01-01

    Concepts are investigated for an automated status and control system for a distributed processing environment. System characteristics, data requirements for health assessment, data acquisition methods, system diagnosis methods and control methods were investigated in an attempt to determine the high-level requirements for a system which can be used to assess the health of a distributed processing system and implement control procedures to maintain an accepted level of health for the system. A potential concept for automated status and control includes the use of expert system techniques to assess the health of the system, detect and diagnose faults, and initiate or recommend actions to correct the faults. Therefore, this research included the investigation of methods by which expert systems were developed for real-time environments and distributed systems. The focus is on the features required by real-time expert systems and the tools available to develop real-time expert systems.

  4. A precise and accurate acupoint location obtained on the face using consistency matrix pointwise fusion method.

    PubMed

    Yanq, Xuming; Ye, Yijun; Xia, Yong; Wei, Xuanzhong; Wang, Zheyu; Ni, Hongmei; Zhu, Ying; Xu, Lingyu

    2015-02-01

    To develop a more precise and accurate method, and identified a procedure to measure whether an acupoint had been correctly located. On the face, we used an acupoint location from different acupuncture experts and obtained the most precise and accurate values of acupoint location based on the consistency information fusion algorithm, through a virtual simulation of the facial orientation coordinate system. Because of inconsistencies in each acupuncture expert's original data, the system error the general weight calculation. First, we corrected each expert of acupoint location system error itself, to obtain a rational quantification for each expert of acupuncture and moxibustion acupoint location consistent support degree, to obtain pointwise variable precision fusion results, to put every expert's acupuncture acupoint location fusion error enhanced to pointwise variable precision. Then, we more effectively used the measured characteristics of different acupuncture expert's acupoint location, to improve the measurement information utilization efficiency and acupuncture acupoint location precision and accuracy. Based on using the consistency matrix pointwise fusion method on the acupuncture experts' acupoint location values, each expert's acupoint location information could be calculated, and the most precise and accurate values of each expert's acupoint location could be obtained.

  5. Spacelab data processing facility (SLDPF) quality assurance (QA)/data accounting (DA) expert systems - Transition from prototypes to operational systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basile, Lisa

    1988-01-01

    The SLDPF is responsible for the capture, quality monitoring processing, accounting, and shipment of Spacelab and/or Attached Shuttle Payloads (ASP) telemetry data to various user facilities. Expert systems will aid in the performance of the quality assurance and data accounting functions of the two SLDPF functional elements: the Spacelab Input Processing System (SIPS) and the Spacelab Output Processing System (SOPS). Prototypes were developed for each as independent efforts. The SIPS Knowledge System Prototype (KSP) used the commercial shell OPS5+ on an IBM PC/AT; the SOPS Expert System Prototype used the expert system shell CLIPS implemented on a Macintosh personal computer. Both prototypes emulate the duties of the respective QA/DA analysts based upon analyst input and predetermined mission criteria parameters, and recommended instructions and decisions governing the reprocessing, release, or holding for further analysis of data. These prototypes demonstrated feasibility and high potential for operational systems. Increase in productivity, decrease of tedium, consistency, concise historical records, and a training tool for new analyses were the principal advantages. An operational configuration, taking advantage of the SLDPF network capabilities, is under development with the expert systems being installed on SUN workstations. This new configuration in conjunction with the potential of the expert systems will enhance the efficiency, in both time and quality, of the SLDPF's release of Spacelab/AST data products.

  6. Spacelab data processing facility (SLDPF) Quality Assurance (QA)/Data Accounting (DA) expert systems: Transition from prototypes to operational systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basile, Lisa

    1988-01-01

    The SLDPF is responsible for the capture, quality monitoring processing, accounting, and shipment of Spacelab and/or Attached Shuttle Payloads (ASP) telemetry data to various user facilities. Expert systems will aid in the performance of the quality assurance and data accounting functions of the two SLDPF functional elements: the Spacelab Input Processing System (SIPS) and the Spacelab Output Processing System (SOPS). Prototypes were developed for each as independent efforts. The SIPS Knowledge System Prototype (KSP) used the commercial shell OPS5+ on an IBM PC/AT; the SOPS Expert System Prototype used the expert system shell CLIPS implemented on a Macintosh personal computer. Both prototypes emulate the duties of the respective QA/DA analysts based upon analyst input and predetermined mission criteria parameters, and recommended instructions and decisions governing the reprocessing, release, or holding for further analysis of data. These prototypes demonstrated feasibility and high potential for operational systems. Increase in productivity, decrease of tedium, consistency, concise historial records, and a training tool for new analyses were the principal advantages. An operational configuration, taking advantage of the SLDPF network capabilities, is under development with the expert systems being installed on SUN workstations. This new configuration in conjunction with the potential of the expert systems will enhance the efficiency, in both time and quality, of the SLDPF's release of Spacelab/AST data products.

  7. Dose Control System in the Optima XE Single Wafer High Energy Ion Implanter

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Satoh, Shu; Yoon, Jongyoon; David, Jonathan

    2011-01-07

    Photoresist outgassing can significantly compromise accurate dosimetry of high energy implants. High energy implant even at a modest beam current produces high beam powers which create significantly worse outgassing than low and medium energy implants and the outgassing continues throughout the implant due to the low dose in typical high energy implant recipes. In the previous generation of high energy implanters, dose correction by monitoring of process chamber pressure during photoresist outgassing has been used. However, as applications diversify and requirements change, the need arises for a more versatile photoresist correction system to match the versatility of a single wafermore » high energy ion implanter. We have successfully developed a new dosimetry system for the Optima XE single wafer high energy ion implanter which does not require any form of compensation due to the implant conditions. This paper describes the principles and performance of this new dose system.« less

  8. Microscale Symmetrical Electroporator Array as a Versatile Molecular Delivery System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ouyang, Mengxing; Hill, Winfield; Lee, Jung Hyun; Hur, Soojung Claire

    2017-03-01

    Successful developments of new therapeutic strategies often rely on the ability to deliver exogenous molecules into cytosol. We have developed a versatile on-chip vortex-assisted electroporation system, engineered to conduct sequential intracellular delivery of multiple molecules into various cell types at low voltage in a dosage-controlled manner. Micro-patterned planar electrodes permit substantial reduction in operational voltages and seamless integration with an existing microfluidic technology. Equipped with real-time process visualization functionality, the system enables on-chip optimization of electroporation parameters for cells with varying properties. Moreover, the system’s dosage control and multi-molecular delivery capabilities facilitate intracellular delivery of various molecules as a single agent or in combination and its utility in biological research has been demonstrated by conducting RNA interference assays. We envision the system to be a powerful tool, aiding a wide range of applications, requiring single-cell level co-administrations of multiple molecules with controlled dosages.

  9. [Effect of economic factors of perestroĭka on speeding-up the development of forensic medical services].

    PubMed

    Plaksin, V O; Dontsov, V G; Bakhmet'ev, V I

    1989-01-01

    The issues of intensification of medicolegal expert work on the basis of financial stimulation of competition between experts are considered. A new system of work distribution between experts, control and financial stimulation is developed. Three groups of objective indices are singled out and algorithms for different kinds of investigations are worked out. The system is approved in Medicolegal Bureau in Voronezh. Its use enlarged the volume of expert activities, increased the quality of expert investigations and shortened time of investigation performance.

  10. Developing Expert System for Tuberculosis Diagnose to Support Knowledge Sharing in the Era of National Health Insurance System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lidya, L.

    2017-03-01

    National Health Insurance has been implemented since 1st January 2014. A number of new policies have been established including multilevel referral system. The multilevel referral system classified health care center into three levels, it determined that the flow of patient treatment should be started from first level health care center. There are 144 kind of diseases that must be treat in the first level which mainly consists of general physicians. Unfortunately, competence of the physician in the first level may not fulfil the standard competence yet. To improved the physisians knowledge, government has created many events to accelerate knowledge sharing. However, it still needs times and many resources to give significan results. Expert system is kind of software that provide consulting services to non-expert users in accordance with the area of its expertise. It can improved effectivity and efficiency of knowledge sharing and learning. This research was developed a model of TB diagnose expert system which comply with the standard procedure of TB diagnosis and regulation. The proposed expert system has characteristics as follows provide facility to manage multimedia clinical data, supporting the complexity of TB diagnosis (combine rule-based and case-based expert system), interactive interface, good usability, multi-platform, evolutionary.

  11. Development of expert system for biobased polymer material selection: food packaging application.

    PubMed

    Sanyang, M L; Sapuan, S M

    2015-10-01

    Biobased food packaging materials are gaining more attention owing to their intrinsic biodegradable nature and renewability. Selection of suitable biobased polymers for food packaging applications could be a tedious task with potential mistakes in choosing the best materials. In this paper, an expert system was developed using Exsys Corvid software to select suitable biobased polymer materials for packaging fruits, dry food and dairy products. If - Then rule based system was utilized to accomplish the material selection process whereas a score system was formulated to facilitate the ranking of selected materials. The expert system selected materials that satisfied all constraints and selection results were presented in suitability sequence depending on their scores. The expert system selected polylactic acid (PLA) as the most suitable material.

  12. Expert assessment of the current state of the energy management system in the company

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Minnullina, Anna; Abdrazakov, Rais

    2017-10-01

    The authors’ expert assessment of the current state of the energy management system in the company is proposed in the article. The experts are invited to assess the status of the energy management system in the following categories: energy policy, organizational structure, training, motivation, control, communication, investment, and energy consumption culture. For the purposes of interpretation of the results of the expert evaluation obtained, a gradation based on a possible range of values is proposed. The expert evaluation allows representing the status of the energy management system in general and at each of its individual levels, which makes it possible to identify the problem areas more accurately. To confirm the applied nature of the proposed methodology, the authors assessed the opinions of 8 experts, employed by the road construction company of the Tyumen Region and related in one way or another to the process of energy consumption in the company due to the nature of their activities.

  13. An Assessment of Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems Technology for Application to Management of Cockpit Systems.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-09-01

    expert systems will certainly find management applications a fertile field for research and practice." Elam and Henderson (1983) also discuss concepts ...Shortliffe, E.H. (1983). Expert systems research. Science, 220, 261-268, 15 Apr. * Elam, J.J. and Henderson, J.C. (1983). Knowledge engineering concepts for...Symposium on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, Advanced Concepts and Pioneering Perspectives, Dayton, OH, Sect 4, (pp 1-9), Nov 14-15. Dreyfus, H

  14. Expert operator's associate: A knowledge based system for spacecraft control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nielsen, Mogens; Grue, Klaus; Lecouat, Francois

    1991-01-01

    The Expert Operator's Associate (EOA) project is presented which studies the applicability of expert systems for day-to-day space operations. A prototype expert system is developed, which operates on-line with an existing spacecraft control system at the European Space Operations Centre, and functions as an 'operator's assistant' in controlling satellites. The prototype is demonstrated using an existing real-time simulation model of the MARECS-B2 telecommunication satellite. By developing a prototype system, the extent to which reliability and effectivens of operations can be enhanced by AI based support is examined. In addition the study examines the questions of acquisition and representation of the 'knowledge' for such systems, and the feasibility of 'migration' of some (currently) ground-based functions into future spaceborne autonomous systems.

  15. A Low-Cost Imaging System for Aerial Applicators

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Agricultural aircraft provide a readily available and versatile platform for airborne remote sensing. Although various airborne imaging systems are being used for research and commercial applications, most of these systems are either too expensive or too complex to be of practical use for aerial app...

  16. The Principles of Designing an Expert System in Teaching Mathematics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salekhova, Lailya; Nurgaliev, Albert; Zaripova, Rinata; Khakimullina, Nailya

    2013-01-01

    This study reveals general didactic concepts of the Expert Systems (ES) development process in the educational area. The proof of concept is based on the example of teaching the 8th grade Algebra subject. The main contribution in this work is the implementation of innovative approaches in analysis and processing of data by expert system as well as…

  17. Expert Systems, Job Aids, and the Future of Instructional Technology; and Decision Tables, the Poor Person's Answer to "Expert Systems."

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harmon, Paul; Pipe, Peter

    1986-01-01

    Describes design and presents examples of industrial use of small expert systems and guidelines for choosing problems which lend themselves to small tool solutions. Use of microcomputer facilitated decision tables to diagnose and categorize people, things, and issues is suggested, and development of three decision table formats is described. (MBR)

  18. A Strategic Plan for Support of Expert Systems in Organizations.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-09-01

    sequencing Job orders 1 2Li no. of companies answering this question: 34 m--t common use of expert systems: diagnosis 98 p pl 7 N71Z RPN 49r " ETF 1W...69 (December 1986). 16. Gold , Jordan. "Do-It-Yourself Expert Systems," Comouter Decisions: 76-81 (January 14, 1986). 17. Guterl, Fred U. "Computers

  19. Expert system for analyzing eddy current measurements

    DOEpatents

    Levy, Arthur J.; Oppenlander, Jane E.; Brudnoy, David M.; Englund, James M.; Loomis, Kent C.

    1994-01-01

    A method and apparatus (called DODGER) analyzes eddy current data for heat exchanger tubes or any other metallic object. DODGER uses an expert system to analyze eddy current data by reasoning with uncertainty and pattern recognition. The expert system permits DODGER to analyze eddy current data intelligently, and obviate operator uncertainty by analyzing the data in a uniform and consistent manner.

  20. Knowledge acquisition from natural language for expert systems based on classification problem-solving methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gomez, Fernando

    1989-01-01

    It is shown how certain kinds of domain independent expert systems based on classification problem-solving methods can be constructed directly from natural language descriptions by a human expert. The expert knowledge is not translated into production rules. Rather, it is mapped into conceptual structures which are integrated into long-term memory (LTM). The resulting system is one in which problem-solving, retrieval and memory organization are integrated processes. In other words, the same algorithm and knowledge representation structures are shared by these processes. As a result of this, the system can answer questions, solve problems or reorganize LTM.

  1. Versatile, High Quality and Scalable Continuous Flow Production of Metal-Organic Frameworks

    PubMed Central

    Rubio-Martinez, Marta; Batten, Michael P.; Polyzos, Anastasios; Carey, Keri-Constanti; Mardel, James I.; Lim, Kok-Seng; Hill, Matthew R.

    2014-01-01

    Further deployment of Metal-Organic Frameworks in applied settings requires their ready preparation at scale. Expansion of typical batch processes can lead to unsuccessful or low quality synthesis for some systems. Here we report how continuous flow chemistry can be adapted as a versatile route to a range of MOFs, by emulating conditions of lab-scale batch synthesis. This delivers ready synthesis of three different MOFs, with surface areas that closely match theoretical maxima, with production rates of 60 g/h at extremely high space-time yields. PMID:24962145

  2. Capital Expert System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dowell, Laurie; Gary, Jack; Illingworth, Bill; Sargent, Tom

    1987-05-01

    Gathering information, necessary forms, and financial calculations needed to generate a "capital investment proposal" is an extremely complex and difficult process. The intent of the capital investment proposal is to ensure management that the proposed investment has been thoroughly investigated and will have a positive impact on corporate goals. Meeting this requirement typically takes four or five experts a total of 12 hours to generate a "Capital Package." A Capital Expert System was therefore developed using "Personal Consultant." The completed system is hybrid and as such does not depend solely on rules but incorporates several different software packages that communicate through variables and functions passed from one to another. This paper describes the use of expert system techniques, methodology in building the knowledge base, contexts, LISP functions, data base, and special challenges that had to be overcome to create this system. The Capital Expert System is the successful result of a unique integration of artificial intelligence with business accounting, financial forms generation, and investment proposal expertise.

  3. Probabilistic structural analysis methods for select space propulsion system components

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Millwater, H. R.; Cruse, T. A.

    1989-01-01

    The Probabilistic Structural Analysis Methods (PSAM) project developed at the Southwest Research Institute integrates state-of-the-art structural analysis techniques with probability theory for the design and analysis of complex large-scale engineering structures. An advanced efficient software system (NESSUS) capable of performing complex probabilistic analysis has been developed. NESSUS contains a number of software components to perform probabilistic analysis of structures. These components include: an expert system, a probabilistic finite element code, a probabilistic boundary element code and a fast probability integrator. The NESSUS software system is shown. An expert system is included to capture and utilize PSAM knowledge and experience. NESSUS/EXPERT is an interactive menu-driven expert system that provides information to assist in the use of the probabilistic finite element code NESSUS/FEM and the fast probability integrator (FPI). The expert system menu structure is summarized. The NESSUS system contains a state-of-the-art nonlinear probabilistic finite element code, NESSUS/FEM, to determine the structural response and sensitivities. A broad range of analysis capabilities and an extensive element library is present.

  4. An expert system for water quality modelling.

    PubMed

    Booty, W G; Lam, D C; Bobba, A G; Wong, I; Kay, D; Kerby, J P; Bowen, G S

    1992-12-01

    The RAISON-micro (Regional Analysis by Intelligent System ON a micro-computer) expert system is being used to predict the effects of mine effluents on receiving waters in Ontario. The potential of this system to assist regulatory agencies and mining industries to define more acceptable effluent limits was shown in an initial study. This system has been further developed so that the expert system helps the model user choose the most appropriate model for a particular application from a hierarchy of models. The system currently contains seven models which range from steady state to time dependent models, for both conservative and nonconservative substances in rivers and lakes. The menu driven expert system prompts the model user for information such as the nature of the receiving water system, the type of effluent being considered, and the range of background data available for use as input to the models. The system can also be used to determine the nature of the environmental conditions at the site which are not available in the textual information database, such as the components of river flow. Applications of the water quality expert system are presented for representative mine sites in the Timmins area of Ontario.

  5. Artificial Intelligence: The Expert Way.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bitter, Gary G.

    1989-01-01

    Discussion of artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems focuses on their use in education. Characteristics of good expert systems are explained; computer software programs that contain applications of AI are described, highlighting one used to help educators identify learning-disabled students; and the future of AI is discussed. (LRW)

  6. A Versatile Ion Injector at KACST

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El Ghazaly, M. O. A.; Behery, S. A.; Almuqhim, A. A.; Papash, A. I.; Welsch, C. P.

    2011-10-01

    A versatile ion-beam injector is presently being constructed at the National Centre for Mathematics and Physics (NCMP) at the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Saudi Arabia. This versatile injector will provide an electrostatic storage ring with high-quality ion beams of energies up to 30 keV per charge q. It will also allow for crossed-beams experiments in single-pass setups. The injector has been designed to include beams from two different ion sources, switched by a 90° deflection setup, and to allow for matching of the beam parameters to the Twiss parameters of the ring. The injector is equipped with two crossed beam-lines (inlets), with duplicated beam extraction and acceleration systems. As part of the initial setup, a simple electric discharge ion source has been developed for commissioning of the whole injector. In this paper, we report on the ion optics layout and the design parameters of the injector.

  7. Versatile Dual Photoresponsive System for Precise Control of Chemical Reactions.

    PubMed

    Xu, Can; Bing, Wei; Wang, Faming; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2017-08-22

    A versatile method for photoregulation of chemical reactions was developed through a combination of near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive materials. This regulatory effect was achieved through photoresponsive modulation of reaction temperature and pH values, two prominent factors influencing reaction kinetics. Photothermal nanomaterial graphene oxide (GO) and photobase reagent malachite green carbinol base (MGCB) were selected for temperature and pH regulation, respectively. Using nanocatalyst- and enzyme-mediated chemical reactions as model systems, we demonstrated the feasibility and high efficiency of this method. In addition, a photoresponsive, multifunctional "Band-aid"-like hydrogel platform was presented for programmable wound healing. Overall, this simple, efficient, and reversible system was found to be effective for controlling a wide variety of chemical reactions. Our work may provide a method for remote and sustainable control over chemical reactions for industrial and biomedical applications.

  8. TES: A modular systems approach to expert system development for real time space applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    England, Brenda; Cacace, Ralph

    1987-01-01

    A major goal of the space station era is to reduce reliance on support from ground based experts. The TIMES Expert System (TES) is an application that monitors and evaluates real time data to perform fault detection and fault isolation as it would otherwise be carried out by a knowledgeable designer. The development process and primary features of the TES, the modular system and the lessons learned are discussed.

  9. EMMA: The expert system for munition maintenance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mullins, Barry E.

    1988-01-01

    Expert Missile Maintenance Aid (EMMA) is a first attempt to enhance maintenance of the tactical munition at the field and depot level by using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. The ultimate goal of EMMA is to help a novice maintenance technician isolate and diagnose electronic, electromechanical, and mechanical equipment faults to the board/chassis level more quickly and consistently than the best human expert using the best currently available automatic test equipment (ATE). To this end, EMMA augments existing ATE with an expert system that captures the knowledge of design and maintenance experts. The EMMA program is described, including the evaluation of field-level expert system prototypes, the description of several study tasks performed during EMMA, and future plans for a follow-on program. This paper will briefly address several study tasks performed during EMMA. The paper concludes with a discussion of future plans for a follow-on program and other areas of concern.

  10. [Expert investigation on food safety standard system framework construction in China].

    PubMed

    He, Xiang; Yan, Weixing; Fan, Yongxiang; Zeng, Biao; Peng, Zhen; Sun, Zhenqiu

    2013-09-01

    Through investigating food safety standard framework among food safety experts, to summarize the basic elements and principles of food safety standard system, and provide policy advices for food safety standards framework. A survey was carried out among 415 experts from government, professional institutions and the food industry/enterprises using the National Food Safety Standard System Construction Consultation Questionnaire designed in the name of the Secretariat of National Food Safety Standard Committee. Experts have different advices in each group about the principles of food product standards, food additive product standards, food related product standards, hygienic practice, test methods. According to the results, the best solution not only may reflect experts awareness of the work of food safety standards situation, but also provide advices for setting and revision of food safety standards for the next. Through experts investigation, the framework and guiding principles of food safety standard had been built.

  11. Science Drivers for Polarimetric Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanamandra-Fisher, Padma

    2017-04-01

    The versatility of polarimetric exploration is exploited to address: (1) understanding the formation of planetary systems and their diversity; and (2) search for habitability. Polarized light occurs in three states: unpolarized, linear and circularized. Each mode of polarized light provides information about the scattering medium, from atmospheres to search for signatures of habitability. Spectral dependence of polarization is important to separate the macroscopic (bulk) properties of the scattering medium from the microscopic (particulate) properties of the scattering medium. Linear polarization of reflected light by solar system objects provides insight into the scattering characteristics of aerosols and hazes in atmospheres and surficial properties of atmosphereless objects, circular polarization and related chirality (or handedness, a property of molecules that exhibit mirror-image symmetry, similar to right and left hands) can serve as diagnostic of biological activity. Atmospheric phenomena such as rainbows, clouds and haloes exhibit polarimetric signatures that can be used as diagnostics to probe the atmosphere and may be possible to extend this approach to other planets and exoplanets. Biological molecules exhibit an inherent handedness or circular polarization or chirality, assisting in search for the identification of astrobiological material in the solar system. Polarimetry is also utilized in the exploration of comets, asteroids, dust/regoliths. Renewed efforts for ground-based polarimetry are emerging, from probing planetary atmospheres to the study of magnetic field lines and taxonomy of asteroids. While imaging and spectroscopy are routinely performed by amateurs, there is growing interest and progress in developing polarimetric exploration amongst the amateur community, with encouraging results.I will present a review of these efforts and the goal to create a global " PACA* Polarimetry Network" of observers, modelers and instrument experts to fully utilize polarimetric exploration of planetary systems, and identify potential partnerships. * PACA stands for Pro-Am Collaborative Astronomy

  12. A prototype expert/information system for examining environmental risks of KSC activities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Engel, Bernard A.

    1993-01-01

    Protection of the environment and natural resources at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is of great concern. An expert/information system to replace the paper-based KSC Environmental Checklist was developed. The computer-based system requests information only as a required and supplies assistance as needed. The most comprehensive portion of the system provides information about endangered species habitat at KSC. This module uses geographic information system (GIS) data and tools, expert rules, color graphics, computer-based video, and hypertext to provide information.

  13. Evaluation of HardSys/HardDraw, An Expert System for Electromagnetic Interactions Modelling

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-05-01

    interactions ir complex systems. This report gives a description of HardSys/HardDraw and reviews the main concepts used in its design. Various aspects of its ...HardDraw, an expert system for the modelling of electromagnetic interactions in complex systems. It consists of two main components: HardSys and HardDraw...HardSys is the advisor part of the expert system. It is knowledge-based, that is it contains a database of models and properties for various types of

  14. Expert Systems the Old Fashioned Way: Person to Person.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCleary, Hunter; Mayer, William J.

    1988-01-01

    Describes the services of Teltech, Inc., which mimic the desirable attributes of artificial intelligence and expert systems via a "database" of 5,000 experts in technical areas and interactive literature searches executed by staff. Advantages and shortcomings of the network are exemplified by sample searches. Several sample menus and…

  15. TROUBLE 3: A fault diagnostic expert system for Space Station Freedom's power system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Manner, David B.

    1990-01-01

    Designing Space Station Freedom has given NASA many opportunities to develop expert systems that automate onboard operations of space based systems. One such development, TROUBLE 3, an expert system that was designed to automate the fault diagnostics of Space Station Freedom's electric power system is described. TROUBLE 3's design is complicated by the fact that Space Station Freedom's power system is evolving and changing. TROUBLE 3 has to be made flexible enough to handle changes with minimal changes to the program. Three types of expert systems were studied: rule-based, set-covering, and model-based. A set-covering approach was selected for TROUBLE 3 because if offered the needed flexibility that was missing from the other approaches. With this flexibility, TROUBLE 3 is not limited to Space Station Freedom applications, it can easily be adapted to handle any diagnostic system.

  16. An intelligent user interface for browsing satellite data catalogs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cromp, Robert F.; Crook, Sharon

    1989-01-01

    A large scale domain-independent spatial data management expert system that serves as a front-end to databases containing spatial data is described. This system is unique for two reasons. First, it uses spatial search techniques to generate a list of all the primary keys that fall within a user's spatial constraints prior to invoking the database management system, thus substantially decreasing the amount of time required to answer a user's query. Second, a domain-independent query expert system uses a domain-specific rule base to preprocess the user's English query, effectively mapping a broad class of queries into a smaller subset that can be handled by a commercial natural language processing system. The methods used by the spatial search module and the query expert system are explained, and the system architecture for the spatial data management expert system is described. The system is applied to data from the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite, and results are given.

  17. A low-cost single-camera imaging system for aerial applicators

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Agricultural aircraft provide a readily available and versatile platform for airborne remote sensing. Although various airborne imaging systems are available, most of these systems are either too expensive or too complex to be of practical use for aerial applicators. The objective of this study was ...

  18. Artificial intelligence within the chemical laboratory.

    PubMed

    Winkel, P

    1994-01-01

    Various techniques within the area of artificial intelligence such as expert systems and neural networks may play a role during the problem-solving processes within the clinical biochemical laboratory. Neural network analysis provides a non-algorithmic approach to information processing, which results in the ability of the computer to form associations and to recognize patterns or classes among data. It belongs to the machine learning techniques which also include probabilistic techniques such as discriminant function analysis and logistic regression and information theoretical techniques. These techniques may be used to extract knowledge from example patients to optimize decision limits and identify clinically important laboratory quantities. An expert system may be defined as a computer program that can give advice in a well-defined area of expertise and is able to explain its reasoning. Declarative knowledge consists of statements about logical or empirical relationships between things. Expert systems typically separate declarative knowledge residing in a knowledge base from the inference engine: an algorithm that dynamically directs and controls the system when it searches its knowledge base. A tool is an expert system without a knowledge base. The developer of an expert system uses a tool by entering knowledge into the system. Many, if not the majority of problems encountered at the laboratory level are procedural. A problem is procedural if it is possible to write up a step-by-step description of the expert's work or if it can be represented by a decision tree. To solve problems of this type only small expert system tools and/or conventional programming are required.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  19. An expert system for spectroscopic analysis of rocket engine plumes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reese, Greg; Valenti, Elizabeth; Alphonso, Keith; Holladay, Wendy

    1991-01-01

    The expert system described in this paper analyzes spectral emissions of rocket engine exhaust plumes and shows major promise for use in engine health diagnostics. Plume emission spectroscopy is an important tool for diagnosing engine anomalies, but it is time-consuming and requires highly skilled personnel. The expert system was created to alleviate such problems. The system accepts a spectral plot in the form of wavelength vs intensity pairs and finds the emission peaks in the spectrum, lists the elemental emitters present in the data and deduces the emitter that produced each peak. The system consists of a conventional language component and a commercially available inference engine that runs on an Apple Macintosh computer. The expert system has undergone limited preliminary testing. It detects elements well and significantly decreases analysis time.

  20. Expert system for web based collaborative CAE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Liang; Lin, Zusheng

    2006-11-01

    An expert system for web based collaborative CAE was developed based on knowledge engineering, relational database and commercial FEA (Finite element analysis) software. The architecture of the system was illustrated. In this system, the experts' experiences, theories and typical examples and other related knowledge, which will be used in the stage of pre-process in FEA, were categorized into analysis process and object knowledge. Then, the integrated knowledge model based on object-oriented method and rule based method was described. The integrated reasoning process based on CBR (case based reasoning) and rule based reasoning was presented. Finally, the analysis process of this expert system in web based CAE application was illustrated, and an analysis example of a machine tool's column was illustrated to prove the validity of the system.

  1. Acquiring Expertise and Cognitive Skills in the Process of Constructing an Expert System: A Preliminary Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Kwok-Wing

    This study investigated the educational implications of having a group of 17 first-year New Zealand nursing students develop a medical expert system. Goals of the study were to determine whether, in the process of developing the expert system, the learners could: (1) acquire a more in-depth understanding of the specific subject domain under study…

  2. Using CLIPS as the cornerstone of a graduate expert systems course

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yue, Kwok-Bun

    1991-01-01

    The effective use of the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) as a cornerstone in a graduate expert systems course is described. The course include 8 or 9 hours of in-depth lecturing in CLIPS, as well as a broad coverage of major topics and techniques in expert systems. As part of the requirements of the course, students solved two small yet non-trival problems in CLIPS before going on to develop a toy expert system in CLIPS in an incremental manner as the term project. Furthermore, students were required to evaluate CLIPS programs written by their classmates. An anonymous questionnaire at the end of the semester revealed that the students responded very favorably to the course, especially their experience with CLIPS.

  3. Towards a Fuzzy Expert System on Toxicological Data Quality Assessment.

    PubMed

    Yang, Longzhi; Neagu, Daniel; Cronin, Mark T D; Hewitt, Mark; Enoch, Steven J; Madden, Judith C; Przybylak, Katarzyna

    2013-01-01

    Quality assessment (QA) requires high levels of domain-specific experience and knowledge. QA tasks for toxicological data are usually performed by human experts manually, although a number of quality evaluation schemes have been proposed in the literature. For instance, the most widely utilised Klimisch scheme1 defines four data quality categories in order to tag data instances with respect to their qualities; ToxRTool2 is an extension of the Klimisch approach aiming to increase the transparency and harmonisation of the approach. Note that the processes of QA in many other areas have been automatised by employing expert systems. Briefly, an expert system is a computer program that uses a knowledge base built upon human expertise, and an inference engine that mimics the reasoning processes of human experts to infer new statements from incoming data. In particular, expert systems have been extended to deal with the uncertainty of information by representing uncertain information (such as linguistic terms) as fuzzy sets under the framework of fuzzy set theory and performing inferences upon fuzzy sets according to fuzzy arithmetic. This paper presents an experimental fuzzy expert system for toxicological data QA which is developed on the basis of the Klimisch approach and the ToxRTool in an effort to illustrate the power of expert systems to toxicologists, and to examine if fuzzy expert systems are a viable solution for QA of toxicological data. Such direction still faces great difficulties due to the well-known common challenge of toxicological data QA that "five toxicologists may have six opinions". In the meantime, this challenge may offer an opportunity for expert systems because the construction and refinement of the knowledge base could be a converging process of different opinions which is of significant importance for regulatory policy making under the regulation of REACH, though a consensus may never be reached. Also, in order to facilitate the implementation of Weight of Evidence approaches and in silico modelling proposed by REACH, there is a higher appeal of numerical quality values than nominal (categorical) ones, where the proposed fuzzy expert system could help. Most importantly, the deriving processes of quality values generated in this way are fully transparent, and thus comprehensible, for final users, which is another vital point for policy making specified in REACH. Case studies have been conducted and this report not only shows the promise of the approach, but also demonstrates the difficulties of the approach and thus indicates areas for future development. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Spacelab Data Processing Facility (SLDPF) quality assurance expert systems development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basile, Lisa R.; Kelly, Angelita C.

    1987-01-01

    The Spacelab Data Processing Facility (SLDPF) is an integral part of the Space Shuttle data network for missions that involve attached scientific payloads. Expert system prototypes were developed to aid in the performance of the quality assurance function of the Spacelab and/or Attached Shuttle Payloads processed telemetry data. The Spacelab Input Processing System (SIPS) and the Spacelab Output Processing System (SOPS), two expert systems, were developed to determine their feasibility and potential in the quality assurance of processed telemetry data. The capabilities and performance of these systems are discussed.

  5. SeTES, a Self-Teaching Expert System for the analysis, design and prediction of gas production from shales and a prototype for a new generation of Expert Systems in the Earth Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuzma, H. A.; Boyle, K.; Pullman, S.; Reagan, M. T.; Moridis, G. J.; Blasingame, T. A.; Rector, J. W.; Nikolaou, M.

    2010-12-01

    A Self Teaching Expert System (SeTES) is being developed for the analysis, design and prediction of gas production from shales. An Expert System is a computer program designed to answer questions or clarify uncertainties that its designers did not necessarily envision which would otherwise have to be addressed by consultation with one or more human experts. Modern developments in computer learning, data mining, database management, web integration and cheap computing power are bringing the promise of expert systems to fruition. SeTES is a partial successor to Prospector, a system to aid in the identification and evaluation of mineral deposits developed by Stanford University and the USGS in the late 1970s, and one of the most famous early expert systems. Instead of the text dialogue used in early systems, the web user interface of SeTES helps a non-expert user to articulate, clarify and reason about a problem by navigating through a series of interactive wizards. The wizards identify potential solutions to queries by retrieving and combining together relevant records from a database. Inferences, decisions and predictions are made from incomplete and noisy inputs using a series of probabilistic models (Bayesian Networks) which incorporate records from the database, physical laws and empirical knowledge in the form of prior probability distributions. The database is mainly populated with empirical measurements, however an automatic algorithm supplements sparse data with synthetic data obtained through physical modeling. This constitutes the mechanism for how SeTES self-teaches. SeTES’ predictive power is expected to grow as users contribute more data into the system. Samples are appropriately weighted to favor high quality empirical data over low quality or synthetic data. Finally, a set of data visualization tools digests the output measurements into graphical outputs.

  6. Automated implementation of rule-based expert systems with neural networks for time-critical applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramamoorthy, P. A.; Huang, Song; Govind, Girish

    1991-01-01

    In fault diagnosis, control and real-time monitoring, both timing and accuracy are critical for operators or machines to reach proper solutions or appropriate actions. Expert systems are becoming more popular in the manufacturing community for dealing with such problems. In recent years, neural networks have revived and their applications have spread to many areas of science and engineering. A method of using neural networks to implement rule-based expert systems for time-critical applications is discussed here. This method can convert a given rule-based system into a neural network with fixed weights and thresholds. The rules governing the translation are presented along with some examples. We also present the results of automated machine implementation of such networks from the given rule-base. This significantly simplifies the translation process to neural network expert systems from conventional rule-based systems. Results comparing the performance of the proposed approach based on neural networks vs. the classical approach are given. The possibility of very large scale integration (VLSI) realization of such neural network expert systems is also discussed.

  7. Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This page provides an overview Cornell Mixing Zone Expert System water quality modeling and decision support system designed for environmental impact assessment of mixing zones resulting from wastewater discharge from point sources

  8. Key properties of expert movement systems in sport : an ecological dynamics perspective.

    PubMed

    Seifert, Ludovic; Button, Chris; Davids, Keith

    2013-03-01

    This paper identifies key properties of expertise in sport predicated on the performer-environment relationship. Weaknesses of traditional approaches to expert performance, which uniquely focus on the performer and the environment separately, are highlighted by an ecological dynamics perspective. Key properties of expert movement systems include 'multi- and meta-stability', 'adaptive variability', 'redundancy', 'degeneracy' and the 'attunement to affordances'. Empirical research on these expert system properties indicates that skill acquisition does not emerge from the internal representation of declarative and procedural knowledge, or the imitation of expert behaviours to linearly reduce a perceived 'gap' separating movements of beginners and a putative expert model. Rather, expert performance corresponds with the ongoing co-adaptation of an individual's behaviours to dynamically changing, interacting constraints, individually perceived and encountered. The functional role of adaptive movement variability is essential to expert performance in many different sports (involving individuals and teams; ball games and outdoor activities; land and aquatic environments). These key properties signify that, in sport performance, although basic movement patterns need to be acquired by developing athletes, there exists no ideal movement template towards which all learners should aspire, since relatively unique functional movement solutions emerge from the interaction of key constraints.

  9. Expert Seeker

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fernandez, Becerra

    2003-01-01

    Expert Seeker is a computer program of the knowledge-management-system (KMS) type that falls within the category of expertise-locator systems. The main goal of the KMS system implemented by Expert Seeker is to organize and distribute knowledge of who are the domain experts within and without a given institution, company, or other organization. The intent in developing this KMS was to enable the re-use of organizational knowledge and provide a methodology for querying existing information (including structured, semistructured, and unstructured information) in a way that could help identify organizational experts. More specifically, Expert Seeker was developed to make it possible, by use of an intranet, to do any or all of the following: Assist an employee in identifying who has the skills needed for specific projects and to determine whether the experts so identified are available. Assist managers in identifying employees who may need training opportunities. Assist managers in determining what expertise is lost when employees retire or otherwise leave. Facilitate the development of new ways of identifying opportunities for innovation and minimization of duplicated efforts. Assist employees in achieving competitive advantages through the application of knowledge-management concepts and related systems. Assist external organizations in requesting speakers for specific engagements or determining from whom they might be able to request help via electronic mail. Help foster an environment of collaboration for rapid development in today's environment, in which it is increasingly necessary to assemble teams of experts from government, universities, research laboratories, and industries, to quickly solve problems anytime, anywhere. Make experts more visible. Provide a central repository of information about employees, including information that, heretofore, has typically not been captured by the human-resources systems (e.g., information about past projects, patents, or hobbies). Unify myriad collections of data into Web-enabled repository that could easily be searched for relevant data.

  10. Object-oriented knowledge representation for expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scott, Stephen L.

    1991-01-01

    Object oriented techniques have generated considerable interest in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) community in recent years. This paper discusses an approach for representing expert system knowledge using classes, objects, and message passing. The implementation is in version 4.3 of NASA's C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), an expert system tool that does not provide direct support for object oriented design. The method uses programmer imposed conventions and keywords to structure facts, and rules to provide object oriented capabilities.

  11. Evaluation of Expert Systems in Decisionmaking Organizations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-07-01

    Abacus Press, Tunbridge Wells. Levis, A. H., 1984. "Information Processing and Decisionmaking Organizations: A Mathematical Description." I Large Scale Systems , Vol. 7, pp. 151-163. hI2 II I, Ie ... intelligence and especially expert systems. This paper presents a procedure for assessing to what extent the measures of performance of an organization are...aids that is receiving attention in the development community is based on artificial intelligence and especially expert systems. This paper presents a

  12. A Tool for Automatic Verification of Real-Time Expert Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Traylor, B.; Schwuttke, U.; Quan, A.

    1994-01-01

    The creation of an automated, user-driven tool for expert system development, validation, and verification is curretly onoging at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In the new age of faster, better, cheaper missions, there is an increased willingness to utilize embedded expert systems for encapsulating and preserving mission expertise in systems which combine conventional algorithmic processing and artifical intelligence. The once-questioned role of automation in spacecraft monitoring is now becoming one of increasing importance.

  13. Evaluation of expert system application based on usability aspects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Munaiseche, C. P. C.; Liando, O. E. S.

    2016-04-01

    Usability usually defined as a point of human acceptance to a product or a system based on understands and right reaction to an interface. The performance of web application has been influence by the quality of the interface of that web to supporting information transfer process. Preferably, before the applications of expert systems were installed in the operational environment, these applications must be evaluated first by usability testing. This research aimed to measure the usability of the expert system application using tasks as interaction media. This study uses an expert system application to diagnose skin disease in human using questionnaire method which utilize the tasks as interaction media in measuring the usability. Certain tasks were executed by the participants in observing usability value of the application. The usability aspects observed were learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction. Each questionnaire question represent aspects of usability. The results present the usability value for each aspect and the total average merit for all the five-usability aspect was 4.28, this indicated that the tested expert system application is in the range excellent for the usability level, so the application can be implemented as the operated system by user. The main contribution of the study is the research became the first step in using task model in the usability evaluation for the expert system application software.

  14. Role versatility among men who have sex with men in urban Peru.

    PubMed

    Goodreau, Steven M; Peinado, Jesus; Goicochea, Pedro; Vergara, Jorge; Ojeda, Nora; Casapia, Martin; Ortiz, Abner; Zamalloa, Victoria; Galvan, Rosa; Sanchez, Jorge R

    2007-08-01

    Role versatility refers to the practice in which individual men who have sex with men (MSM) play both insertive and receptive sexual roles over time. Versatility has been thought to be relatively uncommon among Latin American MSM but possibly rising. Versatility has also been shown to be a potentially large population-level risk factor for HIV infection. In this study we examine the correlates of versatile behavior and identity among 2,655 MSM in six Peruvian cities. Versatile behavior with recent male partners was found in 9% of men and versatile ("moderno") identity was reported by 16%. Significant predictors included high education, white-collar occupation, sex work, and residence in Lima. Age was not significant in any analysis. Since sex work is negatively correlated with other predictors, versatile men appear to comprise two distinct sub-populations. Insertive-only men appear to play a strong role in bridging the HIV epidemic between MSM and women.

  15. A machine independent expert system for diagnosing environmentally induced spacecraft anomalies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rolincik, Mark J.

    1991-01-01

    A new rule-based, machine independent analytical tool for diagnosing spacecraft anomalies, the EnviroNET expert system, was developed. Expert systems provide an effective method for storing knowledge, allow computers to sift through large amounts of data pinpointing significant parts, and most importantly, use heuristics in addition to algorithms which allow approximate reasoning and inference, and the ability to attack problems not rigidly defines. The EviroNET expert system knowledge base currently contains over two hundred rules, and links to databases which include past environmental data, satellite data, and previous known anomalies. The environmental causes considered are bulk charging, single event upsets (SEU), surface charging, and total radiation dose.

  16. An Expert Assistant for Computer Aided Parallelization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jost, Gabriele; Chun, Robert; Jin, Haoqiang; Labarta, Jesus; Gimenez, Judit

    2004-01-01

    The prototype implementation of an expert system was developed to assist the user in the computer aided parallelization process. The system interfaces to tools for automatic parallelization and performance analysis. By fusing static program structure information and dynamic performance analysis data the expert system can help the user to filter, correlate, and interpret the data gathered by the existing tools. Sections of the code that show poor performance and require further attention are rapidly identified and suggestions for improvements are presented to the user. In this paper we describe the components of the expert system and discuss its interface to the existing tools. We present a case study to demonstrate the successful use in full scale scientific applications.

  17. Ada issues in implementing ART-Ada

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel

    1990-01-01

    Due to the Ada mandate of a number of government agencies, interest in deploying expert systems such as Ada has increased. Recently, several Ada-based expert system tools have been developed. According to a recent benchmark report, these tools do not perform as well as similar tools written in C. While poorly implemented Ada compilers contribute to the poor benchmark result, some fundamental problems of the Ada language itself have been uncovered. Here, the authors describe Ada language issues encountered during the deployment of ART-Ada, an expert system tool for Ada deployment. ART-Ada is being used to implement several prototype expert systems for the Space Station Freedom and the U.S. Air Force.

  18. Understanding physicians' professional knowledge and practice in research on skilled migration.

    PubMed

    Weiß, Anja

    2016-08-01

    Research on the integration of migrant professionals into high-skilled labor markets either focuses on differences between nation states which may be exacerbated by national closure or it celebrates the global versatility of professional knowledge, especially in the natural and health sciences. Building on a pragmatist approach to professional knowledge, the article argues that professional knowledge should not be seen as either universal or local, but both the institutionalized and the incorporated aspects of cultural capital are characterized by 'local universality'. Professionals recreate professional knowledge in specific 'local' situations by relating to universal standards and to internalized 'libraries' of situated expert experience. While the more common notion of knowledge as a socially contested resource continues to be relevant for research on skilled migration, professional knowledge should also be seen as emerging in situations in response to socio-material problems. These problems can be structured by the nation-state, but they can also be transnational in nature.

  19. The Development Process of eHealth Strategy for Nurses in Finland.

    PubMed

    Ahonen, Outi; Kouri, Pirkko; Kinnunen, Ulla-Mari; Junttila, Kristiina; Liljamo, Pia; Arifulla, Dinah; Saranto, Kaija

    2016-01-01

    Growing use of information and communication technology (ICT) demands have caused a need for nursing to strengthen the knowledge, skills and competences related to ICT in health (eHealth) and define its versatile roles. The Finnish Nurses Association (FNA) named a group of eHealth experts from various professional fields that are closely connected to nursing e.g. nursing practice, higher education, nursing research and administration. The main purpose was to describe nurses' contribution to the national strategy concerning eHealth development and implementation in health and social care. The group searched for answers, discussed strategic issues, wrote drafts, and sent texts for open commentary circles. The chosen themes of the eHealth strategies deal with the role of the client, nursing practice, ethical aspects education and eHealth competences, nursing leadership, knowledge management and research and development. The article describes the strategic work and the structure of eHealth strategy of nurses in Finland.

  20. Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in Cardiology Practice: A Concise Guide to Image Acquisition and Clinical Interpretation.

    PubMed

    Valbuena-López, Silvia; Hinojar, Rocío; Puntmann, Valentina O

    2016-02-01

    Cardiovascular magnetic resonance plays an increasingly important role in routine cardiology clinical practice. It is a versatile imaging modality that allows highly accurate, broad and in-depth assessment of cardiac function and structure and provides information on pertinent clinical questions in diseases such as ischemic heart disease, nonischemic cardiomyopathies, and heart failure, as well as allowing unique indications, such as the assessment and quantification of myocardial iron overload or infiltration. Increasing evidence for the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance, together with the spread of knowledge and skill outside expert centers, has afforded greater access for patients and wider clinical experience. This review provides a snapshot of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in modern clinical practice by linking image acquisition and postprocessing with effective delivery of the clinical meaning. Copyright © 2015 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  1. The Rat Model in Microsurgery Education: Classical Exercises and New Horizons

    PubMed Central

    Shurey, Sandra; Akelina, Yelena; Legagneux, Josette; Malzone, Gerardo; Jiga, Lucian

    2014-01-01

    Microsurgery is a precise surgical skill that requires an extensive training period and the supervision of expert instructors. The classical training schemes in microsurgery have started with multiday experimental courses on the rat model. These courses have offered a low threat supervised high fidelity laboratory setting in which students can steadily and rapidly progress. This simulated environment allows students to make and recognise mistakes in microsurgery techniques and thus shifts any related risks of the early training period from the operating room to the lab. To achieve a high level of skill acquisition before beginning clinical practice, students are trained on a comprehensive set of exercises the rat model can uniquely provide, with progressive complexity as competency improves. This paper presents the utility of the classical rat model in three of the earliest microsurgery training centres and the new prospects that this versatile and expansive training model offers. PMID:24883268

  2. Next generation vaccines.

    PubMed

    Riedmann, Eva M

    2011-07-01

    In February this year, about 100 delegates gathered for three days in Vienna (Austria) for the Next Generation Vaccines conference. The meeting held in the Vienna Hilton Hotel from 23rd-25th February 2011 had a strong focus on biotech and industry. The conference organizer Jacob Fleming managed to put together a versatile program ranging from the future generation of vaccines to manufacturing, vaccine distribution and delivery, to regulatory and public health issues. Carefully selected top industry experts presented first-hand experience and shared solutions for overcoming the latest challenges in the field of vaccinology. The program also included several case study presentations on novel vaccine candidates in different stages of development. An interactive pre-conference workshop as well as interactive panel discussions during the meeting allowed all delegates to gain new knowledge and become involved in lively discussions on timely, interesting and sometimes controversial topics related to vaccines.

  3. An inexpensive compact automatic camera system for wildlife research

    Treesearch

    William R. Danielson; Richard M. DeGraaf; Todd K. Fuller

    1996-01-01

    This paper describes the design, conversion, and deployment of a reliable, compact, automatic multiple-exposure photographic system that was used to photograph nest predation events. This system may be the most versatile yet described in the literature because of its simplicity, portability, and dependability. The system was very reliable because it was designed around...

  4. Expert System Development Methodology (ESDM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sary, Charisse; Gilstrap, Lewey; Hull, Larry G.

    1990-01-01

    The Expert System Development Methodology (ESDM) provides an approach to developing expert system software. Because of the uncertainty associated with this process, an element of risk is involved. ESDM is designed to address the issue of risk and to acquire the information needed for this purpose in an evolutionary manner. ESDM presents a life cycle in which a prototype evolves through five stages of development. Each stage consists of five steps, leading to a prototype for that stage. Development may proceed to a conventional development methodology (CDM) at any time if enough has been learned about the problem to write requirements. ESDM produces requirements so that a product may be built with a CDM. ESDM is considered preliminary because is has not yet been applied to actual projects. It has been retrospectively evaluated by comparing the methods used in two ongoing expert system development projects that did not explicitly choose to use this methodology but which provided useful insights into actual expert system development practices and problems.

  5. Expertise transfer for expert system design

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Boose, J.H.

    This book is about the Expertise Transfer System-a computer program which interviews experts and helps them build expert systems, i.e. computer programs that use knowledge from experts to make decisions and judgements under conditions of uncertainty. The techniques are useful to anyone who uses decision-making information based on the expertise of others. The methods can also be applied to personal decision-making. The interviewing methodology is borrowed from a branch of psychology called Personal Construct Theory. It is not necessary to use a computer to take advantage of the techniques from Personal Construction Theory; the fundamental procedures used by the Expertisemore » Transfer System can be performed using paper and pencil. It is not necessary that the reader understand very much about computers to understand the ideas in this book. The few relevant concepts from computer science and expert systems that are needed are explained in a straightforward manner. Ideas from Personal Construct Psychology are also introduced as needed.« less

  6. Solenoid Driven Pressure Valve System: Toward Versatile Fluidic Control in Paper Microfluidics.

    PubMed

    Kim, Taehoon H; Hahn, Young Ki; Lee, Jungmin; van Noort, Danny; Kim, Minseok S

    2018-02-20

    As paper-based diagnostics has become predominantly driven by more advanced microfluidic technology, many of the research efforts are still focused on developing reliable and versatile fluidic control devices, apart from improving sensitivity and reproducibility. In this work, we introduce a novel and robust paper fluidic control system enabling versatile fluidic control. The system comprises a linear push-pull solenoid and an Arduino Uno microcontroller. The precisely controlled pressure exerted on the paper stops the flow. We first determined the stroke distance of the solenoid to obtain a constant pressure while examining the fluidic time delay as a function of the pressure. Results showed that strips of grade 1 chromatography paper had superior reproducibility in fluid transport. Next, we characterized the reproducibility of the fluidic velocity which depends on the type and grade of paper used. As such, we were able to control the flow velocity on the paper and also achieve a complete stop of flow with a pressure over 2.0 MPa. Notably, after the actuation of the pressure driven valve (PDV), the previously pressed area regained its original flow properties. This means that, even on a previously pressed area, multiple valve operations can be successfully conducted. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an active and repetitive valve operation in paper microfluidics. As a proof of concept, we have chosen to perform a multistep detection system in the form of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with mouse IgG as the target analyte.

  7. The Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth (HELP) system: One-year review of adult and Pediatric Asynchronous Telehealth Consultations

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Andrew H; Cole, Jacob H; Chin, John C; Mahnke, Chirstopher Becket

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: The Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth teleconsultation system is designed to connect health providers in the Navy Medicine East Region to specialists at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. Methods: A review of the first year of the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system was performed. Data on each teleconsultation were extracted from the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system database and analyzed. Results: From June 2014 to May 2015 there have been 585 teleconsultations. Providers stationed on 36 ships/submarines and at 28 remote military treatment facilities have utilized the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system. Over 280 specialists in 34 different specialties were consulted. The median time to first response from a specialist was 6 h and 8 min, with 75% of all consults being addressed within 24 h. Eighteen medevacs were recommended. Thirty-nine potential medevacs were prevented, and 100 potential civilian network deferrals were prevented, resulting in an estimated savings of over US$580,000. Discussion: Based on the 1-year metrics, Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth has provided improved access and quality of care to service members and their families throughout the Navy Medicine East Region. It has helped avoid over US$580,000 in unnecessary cost burden. Further review at the 2-year time interval will demonstrate the continued growth and effectiveness of the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system. PMID:26985390

  8. The Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth (HELP) system: One-year review of adult and Pediatric Asynchronous Telehealth Consultations.

    PubMed

    Lin, Andrew H; Cole, Jacob H; Chin, John C; Mahnke, Chirstopher Becket

    2016-01-01

    The Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth teleconsultation system is designed to connect health providers in the Navy Medicine East Region to specialists at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. A review of the first year of the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system was performed. Data on each teleconsultation were extracted from the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system database and analyzed. From June 2014 to May 2015 there have been 585 teleconsultations. Providers stationed on 36 ships/submarines and at 28 remote military treatment facilities have utilized the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system. Over 280 specialists in 34 different specialties were consulted. The median time to first response from a specialist was 6 h and 8 min, with 75% of all consults being addressed within 24 h. Eighteen medevacs were recommended. Thirty-nine potential medevacs were prevented, and 100 potential civilian network deferrals were prevented, resulting in an estimated savings of over US$580,000. Based on the 1-year metrics, Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth has provided improved access and quality of care to service members and their families throughout the Navy Medicine East Region. It has helped avoid over US$580,000 in unnecessary cost burden. Further review at the 2-year time interval will demonstrate the continued growth and effectiveness of the Health Experts onLine at Portsmouth system.

  9. PSG-EXPERT. An expert system for the diagnosis of sleep disorders.

    PubMed

    Fred, A; Filipe, J; Partinen, M; Paiva, T

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes PSG-EXPERT, an expert system in the domain of sleep disorders exploring polysomnographic data. The developed software tool is addressed from two points of view: (1)--as an integrated environment for the development of diagnosis-oriented expert systems; (2)--as an auxiliary diagnosis tool in the particular domain of sleep disorders. Developed over a Windows platform, this software tool extends one of the most popular shells--CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System) with the following features: backward chaining engine; graph-based explanation facilities; knowledge editor including a fuzzy fact editor and a rules editor, with facts-rules integrity checking; belief revision mechanism; built-in case generator and validation module. It therefore provides graphical support for knowledge acquisition, edition, explanation and validation. From an application domain point of view, PSG-Expert is an auxiliary diagnosis system for sleep disorders based on polysomnographic data, that aims at assisting the medical expert in his diagnosis task by providing automatic analysis of polysomnographic data, summarising the results of this analysis in terms of a report of major findings and possible diagnosis consistent with the polysomnographic data. Sleep disorders classification follows the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Major features of the system include: browsing on patients data records; structured navigation on Sleep Disorders descriptions according to ASDA definitions; internet links to related pages; diagnosis consistent with polysomnographic data; graphical user-interface including graph-based explanatory facilities; uncertainty modelling and belief revision; production of reports; connection to remote databases.

  10. An Expert System for Designing Fire Prescriptions

    Treesearch

    Elizabeth Reinhardt

    1987-01-01

    Managers use prescribed fire to accomplish a variety of resource objectives. The knowledge needed to design successful prescriptions is both quantitative and qualitative. Some of it is available through publications and computer programs, but much of the knowledge of expert practitioners has never been collected or published. An expert system being developed at the,...

  11. [Multicenter evaluation of the Nutri-Expert Telematic System in diabetic patients].

    PubMed

    Turnin, M C; Bolzonella-Pene, C; Dumoulin, S; Cerf, I; Charpentier, G; Sandre-Banon, D; Valensi, P; Grenier, J L; Cathelineau, G; Mattei, C

    1995-02-01

    Nutri-Expert is a system for self-monitoring and dietetic education, accessible through Minitel. A preliminary randomised evaluation of one hundred diabetic patients in the Midi-Pyrénées region showed that Nutri-Expert improved dietetic knowledge, dietary habits and metabolic balance. The aim of the present study was to show that the system can be successfully prescribed to patients by physicians outside the center which originated it, indicating the benefit of a wider use of Nutri-Expert, among the diabetic population. One hundred and fifty-five patients, recruited by six French centres of diabetology, used Nutri-Expert from their homes for six months. Clinical examination, tests of dietetic knowledge and biological tests, including lipid fractions, were carried out before and after six months of use. After six months, there was a significant improvement in the patients' dietetic knowledge and in some biological parameters. Nutri-Expert is thus useful even when prescribed by a centre other than the hospital which devised the system. It is an additional beneficial tool in the ambulatory management of diabetic patients.

  12. Expert Systems for United States Navy Shore Facilities Utility Operations.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-03-01

    of expertise when assessing the applicability of an expert system. Each of the tasks as similarly ranked to reflect subjective judgement on the...United States Navy Shore Facilities Utility Operations ABSTRACT A technology assessment of expert systems as they might be used in Navy utility...of these applications include design, fault diagnoses, training, data base management, and real-time monitoring. An assessment is given of each

  13. Evidential Reasoning in Expert Systems for Image Analysis.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-02-01

    techniques to image analysis (IA). There is growing evidence that these techniques offer significant improvements in image analysis , particularly in the...2) to provide a common framework for analysis, (3) to structure the ER process for major expert-system tasks in image analysis , and (4) to identify...approaches to three important tasks for expert systems in the domain of image analysis . This segment concluded with an assessment of the strengths

  14. Research and development for Onboard Navigation (ONAV) ground based expert/trainer system: Preliminary ascent knowledge requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bochsler, Daniel C.

    1988-01-01

    The preliminary version of expert knowledge for the Onboard Navigation (ONAV) Ground Based Expert Trainer Ascent system for the space shuttle is presented. Included is some brief background information along with the information describing the knowledge the system will contain. Information is given on rules and heuristics, telemetry status, landing sites, inertial measurement units, and a high speed trajectory determinator (HSTD) state vector.

  15. Harnessing expert knowledge: Defining a Bayesian network decision model with limited data-Model structure for the vibration qualification problem

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rizzo, Davinia B.; Blackburn, Mark R.

    As systems become more complex, systems engineers rely on experts to inform decisions. There are few experts and limited data in many complex new technologies. This challenges systems engineers as they strive to plan activities such as qualification in an environment where technical constraints are coupled with the traditional cost, risk, and schedule constraints. Bayesian network (BN) models provide a framework to aid systems engineers in planning qualification efforts with complex constraints by harnessing expert knowledge and incorporating technical factors. By quantifying causal factors, a BN model can provide data about the risk of implementing a decision supplemented with informationmore » on driving factors. This allows a systems engineer to make informed decisions and examine “what-if” scenarios. This paper discusses a novel process developed to define a BN model structure based primarily on expert knowledge supplemented with extremely limited data (25 data sets or less). The model was developed to aid qualification decisions—specifically to predict the suitability of six degrees of freedom (6DOF) vibration testing for qualification. The process defined the model structure with expert knowledge in an unbiased manner. Finally, validation during the process execution and of the model provided evidence the process may be an effective tool in harnessing expert knowledge for a BN model.« less

  16. Harnessing expert knowledge: Defining a Bayesian network decision model with limited data-Model structure for the vibration qualification problem

    DOE PAGES

    Rizzo, Davinia B.; Blackburn, Mark R.

    2018-03-30

    As systems become more complex, systems engineers rely on experts to inform decisions. There are few experts and limited data in many complex new technologies. This challenges systems engineers as they strive to plan activities such as qualification in an environment where technical constraints are coupled with the traditional cost, risk, and schedule constraints. Bayesian network (BN) models provide a framework to aid systems engineers in planning qualification efforts with complex constraints by harnessing expert knowledge and incorporating technical factors. By quantifying causal factors, a BN model can provide data about the risk of implementing a decision supplemented with informationmore » on driving factors. This allows a systems engineer to make informed decisions and examine “what-if” scenarios. This paper discusses a novel process developed to define a BN model structure based primarily on expert knowledge supplemented with extremely limited data (25 data sets or less). The model was developed to aid qualification decisions—specifically to predict the suitability of six degrees of freedom (6DOF) vibration testing for qualification. The process defined the model structure with expert knowledge in an unbiased manner. Finally, validation during the process execution and of the model provided evidence the process may be an effective tool in harnessing expert knowledge for a BN model.« less

  17. Special Issue on Expert Systems for Department of Defense Training.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahlers, Robert H., Ed.; And Others

    1986-01-01

    Features articles on topics related to use of expert systems for training: machine intelligence effectiveness in military systems applications; automated maneuvering board training system; intelligent tutoring system for electronic troubleshooting; technology development for intelligent maintenance advisors; design of intelligent computer assisted…

  18. Expert diagnosis of plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity from computer-based image analysis

    PubMed Central

    Campbell, J. Peter; Ataer-Cansizoglu, Esra; Bolon-Canedo, Veronica; Bozkurt, Alican; Erdogmus, Deniz; Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Patel, Samir N.; Reynolds, James D.; Horowitz, Jason; Hutcheson, Kelly; Shapiro, Michael; Repka, Michael X.; Ferrone, Phillip; Drenser, Kimberly; Martinez-Castellanos, Maria Ana; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn; Chan, R.V. Paul; Chiang, Michael F.

    2016-01-01

    Importance Published definitions of “plus disease” in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) reference arterial tortuosity and venous dilation within the posterior pole based on a standard published photograph. One possible explanation for limited inter-expert reliability for plus disease diagnosis is that experts deviate from the published definitions. Objective To identify vascular features used by experts for diagnosis of plus disease through quantitative image analysis. Design We developed a computer-based image analysis system (Imaging and Informatics in ROP, i-ROP), and trained the system to classify images compared to a reference standard diagnosis (RSD). System performance was analyzed as a function of the field of view (circular crops 1–6 disc diameters [DD] radius) and vessel subtype (arteries only, veins only, or all vessels). The RSD was compared to the majority diagnosis of experts. Setting Routine ROP screening in neonatal intensive care units at 8 academic institutions. Participants A set of 77 digital fundus images was used to develop the i-ROP system. A subset of 73 images was independently classified by 11 ROP experts for validation. Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome measure was the percentage accuracy of i-ROP system classification of plus disease with the RSD as a function of field-of-view and vessel type. Secondary outcome measures included the accuracy of the 11 experts compared to the RSD. Results Accuracy of plus disease diagnosis by the i-ROP computer based system was highest (95%, confidence interval [CI] 94 – 95%) when it incorporated vascular tortuosity from both arteries and veins, and with the widest field of view (6 disc diameter radius). Accuracy was ≤90% when using only arterial tortuosity (P<0.001), and ≤85% using a 2–3 disc diameter view similar to the standard published photograph (p<0.001). Diagnostic accuracy of the i-ROP system (95%) was comparable to that of 11 expert clinicians (79–99%). Conclusions and Relevance ROP experts appear to consider findings from beyond the posterior retina when diagnosing plus disease, and consider tortuosity of both arteries and veins, in contrast to published definitions. It is feasible for a computer-based image analysis system to perform comparably to ROP experts, using manually segmented images. PMID:27077667

  19. Research on an expert system for database operation of simulation-emulation math models. Volume 1, Phase 1: Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kawamura, K.; Beale, G. O.; Schaffer, J. D.; Hsieh, B. J.; Padalkar, S.; Rodriguez-Moscoso, J. J.

    1985-01-01

    The results of the first phase of Research on an Expert System for Database Operation of Simulation/Emulation Math Models, is described. Techniques from artificial intelligence (AI) were to bear on task domains of interest to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. One such domain is simulation of spacecraft attitude control systems. Two related software systems were developed to and delivered to NASA. One was a generic simulation model for spacecraft attitude control, written in FORTRAN. The second was an expert system which understands the usage of a class of spacecraft attitude control simulation software and can assist the user in running the software. This NASA Expert Simulation System (NESS), written in LISP, contains general knowledge about digital simulation, specific knowledge about the simulation software, and self knowledge.

  20. Desiderata for product labeling of medical expert systems.

    PubMed

    Geissbühler, A; Miller, R A

    1997-12-01

    The proliferation and increasing complexity of medical expert systems raise ethical and legal concerns about the ability of practitioners to protect their patients from defective or misused software. Appropriate product labeling of expert systems can help clinical users to understand software indications and limitations. Mechanisms of action and knowledge representation schema should be explained in layperson's terminology. User qualifications and resources available for acquiring the skills necessary to understand and critique the system output should be listed. The processes used for building and maintaining the system's knowledge base are key determinants of the product's quality, and should be carefully documented. To meet these desiderata, a printed label is insufficient. The authors suggest a new, more active, model of product labeling for medical expert systems that involves embedding 'knowledge of the knowledge base', creating user-specific data, and sharing global information using the Internet.

  1. Nickel cadmium battery expert system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1986-01-01

    The applicability of artificial intelligence methodologies for the automation of energy storage management, in this case, nickel cadmium batteries, is demonstrated. With the Hubble Space Telescope Electrical Power System (HST/EPS) testbed as the application domain, an expert system was developed which incorporates the physical characterization of the EPS, in particular, the nickel cadmium batteries, as well as the human's operational knowledge. The expert system returns not only fault diagnostics but also status and advice along with justifications and explanations in the form of decision support.

  2. Expert system applications for army vehicle diagnostics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Halle, R.F.

    1987-01-01

    Bulky manuals, limited training procedures, and complex Automatic Test Equipment are but a few of the problems a mechanic must face when trying to repair many of the military's new and highly complex vehicle systems. Recent technological advances in Expert Systms has given the mechanic the potential to solve many of these problems and to actually enhance his maintenance proficiency. This paper describes both the history of and the future potential of the Expert System and how it could impact on the present military maintenance system.

  3. Knowing for Nursing Practice: Patterns of Knowledge and Their Emulation in Expert Systems

    PubMed Central

    Abraham, Ivo L.; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J.

    1987-01-01

    This paper addresses the issue of clinical knowledge in nursing, and the feasibility of emulating this knowledge into expert system technology. The perspective on patterns of knowing for nursing practice, advanced by Carper (1978), serves as point of departure. The four patterns of knowing -- empirics, esthetics, ethics, personal knowledge -- are evaluated as to the extent to which they can be emulated in clinical expert systems, given constraints imposed by the current technology of these systems.

  4. An Investigation of Expert Systems Usage for Software Requirements Development in the Strategic Defense Initiative Environment.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-06-10

    the solution of the base could be the solution of the target. If expert systems are to mimic humans , then they should inherently utilize analogy. In the...expert systems environment, the theory of frames for representing knowledge developed partly because humans usually solve problems by first seeing if...Goals," Computer, May 1975, p. 17. 8. A.I. Wasserman, "Some Principles of User Software Engineering for Information Systems ," Digest of Papers, COMPCON

  5. Automatic Overset Grid Generation with Heuristic Feedback Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robinson, Peter I.

    2001-01-01

    An advancing front grid generation system for structured Overset grids is presented which automatically modifies Overset structured surface grids and control lines until user-specified grid qualities are achieved. The system is demonstrated on two examples: the first refines a space shuttle fuselage control line until global truncation error is achieved; the second advances, from control lines, the space shuttle orbiter fuselage top and fuselage side surface grids until proper overlap is achieved. Surface grids are generated in minutes for complex geometries. The system is implemented as a heuristic feedback control (HFC) expert system which iteratively modifies the input specifications for Overset control line and surface grids. It is developed as an extension of modern control theory, production rules systems and subsumption architectures. The methodology provides benefits over the full knowledge lifecycle of an expert system for knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, and knowledge execution. The vector/matrix framework of modern control theory systematically acquires and represents expert system knowledge. Missing matrix elements imply missing expert knowledge. The execution of the expert system knowledge is performed through symbolic execution of the matrix algebra equations of modern control theory. The dot product operation of matrix algebra is generalized for heuristic symbolic terms. Constant time execution is guaranteed.

  6. A comprehensive information technology system to support physician learning at the point of care.

    PubMed

    Cook, David A; Sorensen, Kristi J; Nishimura, Rick A; Ommen, Steve R; Lloyd, Farrell J

    2015-01-01

    MayoExpert is a multifaceted information system integrated with the electronic medical record (EMR) across Mayo Clinic's multisite health system. It was developed as a technology-based solution to manage information, standardize clinical practice, and promote and document learning in clinical contexts. Features include urgent test result notifications; models illustrating expert-approved care processes; concise, expert-approved answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs); a directory of topic-specific experts; and a portfolio for provider licensure and credentialing. The authors evaluate MayoExpert's reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Evaluation data sources included usage statistics, user surveys, and pilot studies.As of October 2013, MayoExpert was available at 94 clinical sites in 12 states and contained 1,368 clinical topics, answers to 7,640 FAQs, and 92 care process models. In 2012, MayoExpert was accessed at least once by 2,578/3,643 (71%) staff physicians, 900/1,374 (66%) midlevel providers, and 1,728/2,291 (75%) residents and fellows. In a 2013 survey of MayoExpert users with 536 respondents, all features were highly rated (≥67% favorable). More providers reported using MayoExpert to answer questions before/after than during patient visits (68% versus 36%). During November 2012 to April 2013, MayoExpert sent 1,660 notifications of new-onset atrial fibrillation and 1,590 notifications of prolonged QT. MayoExpert has become part of routine clinical and educational operations, and its care process models now define Mayo Clinic best practices. MayoExpert's infrastructure and content will continue to expand with improved templates and content organization, new care process models, additional notifications, better EMR integration, and improved support for credentialing activities.

  7. The Management and Security Expert (MASE)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Mark D.; Barr, Stanley J.; Gryphon, Coranth D.; Keegan, Jeff; Kniker, Catherine A.; Krolak, Patrick D.

    1991-01-01

    The Management and Security Expert (MASE) is a distributed expert system that monitors the operating systems and applications of a network. It is capable of gleaning the information provided by the different operating systems in order to optimize hardware and software performance; recognize potential hardware and/or software failure, and either repair the problem before it becomes an emergency, or notify the systems manager of the problem; and monitor applications and known security holes for indications of an intruder or virus. MASE can eradicate much of the guess work of system management.

  8. Embedded expert system for space shuttle main engine maintenance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pooley, J.; Thompson, W.; Homsley, T.; Teoh, W.; Jones, J.; Lewallen, P.

    1987-01-01

    The SPARTA Embedded Expert System (SEES) is an intelligent health monitoring system that directs analysis by placing confidence factors on possible engine status and then recommends a course of action to an engineer or engine controller. The technique can prevent catastropic failures or costly rocket engine down time because of false alarms. Further, the SEES has potential as an on-board flight monitor for reusable rocket engine systems. The SEES methodology synergistically integrates vibration analysis, pattern recognition and communications theory techniques with an artificial intelligence technique - the Embedded Expert System (EES).

  9. Best Practices for Reduction of Uncertainty in CFD Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mendenhall, Michael R.; Childs, Robert E.; Morrison, Joseph H.

    2003-01-01

    This paper describes a proposed best-practices system that will present expert knowledge in the use of CFD. The best-practices system will include specific guidelines to assist the user in problem definition, input preparation, grid generation, code selection, parameter specification, and results interpretation. The goal of the system is to assist all CFD users in obtaining high quality CFD solutions with reduced uncertainty and at lower cost for a wide range of flow problems. The best-practices system will be implemented as a software product which includes an expert system made up of knowledge databases of expert information with specific guidelines for individual codes and algorithms. The process of acquiring expert knowledge is discussed, and help from the CFD community is solicited. Benefits and challenges associated with this project are examined.

  10. Enhancing the versatility of wireless biopotential acquisition for myoelectric prosthetic control.

    PubMed

    Bercich, Rebecca A; Wang, Zhi; Mei, Henry; Hammer, Lauren H; Seburn, Kevin L; Hargrove, Levi J; Irazoqui, Pedro P

    2016-08-01

    A significant challenge in rehabilitating upper-limb amputees with sophisticated, electric-powered prostheses is sourcing reliable and independent channels of motor control information sufficient to precisely direct multiple degrees of freedom simultaneously. In response to the expressed needs of clinicians, we have developed a miniature, batteryless recording device that utilizes emerging integrated circuit technology and optimal impedance matching for magnetic resonantly coupled (MRC) wireless power transfer to improve the performance and versatility of wireless electrode interfaces with muscle. In this work we describe the fabrication and performance of a fully wireless and batteryless EMG recording system and use of this system to direct virtual and electric-powered limbs in real-time. The advantage of using MRC to optimize power transfer to a network of wireless devices is exhibited by EMG collected from an array of eight devices placed circumferentially around a human subject's forearm. This is a comprehensive, low-cost, and non-proprietary solution that provides unprecedented versatility of configuration to direct myoelectric prostheses without wired connections to the body. The amenability of MRC to varied coil geometries and arrangements has the potential to improve the efficiency and robustness of wireless power transfer links at all levels of upper-limb amputation. Additionally, the wireless recording device's programmable flash memory and selectable features will grant clinicians the unique ability to adapt and personalize the recording system's functional protocol for patient- or algorithm-specific needs.

  11. Web-based expert system for foundry pollution prevention

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moynihan, Gary P.

    2004-02-01

    Pollution prevention is a complex task. Many small foundries lack the in-house expertise to perform these tasks. Expert systems are a type of computer information system that incorporates artificial intelligence. As noted in the literature, they provide a means of automating specialized expertise. This approach may be further leveraged by implementing the expert system on the internet (or world-wide web). This will allow distribution of the expertise to a variety of geographically-dispersed foundries. The purpose of this research is to develop a prototype web-based expert system to support pollution prevention for the foundry industry. The prototype system identifies potential emissions for a specified process, and also provides recommendations for the prevention of these contaminants. The system is viewed as an initial step toward assisting the foundry industry in better meeting government pollution regulations, as well as improving operating efficiencies within these companies.

  12. An expert system executive for automated assembly of large space truss structures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Cheryl L.

    1993-01-01

    Langley Research Center developed a unique test bed for investigating the practical problems associated with the assembly of large space truss structures using robotic manipulators. The test bed is the result of an interdisciplinary effort that encompasses the full spectrum of assembly problems - from the design of mechanisms to the development of software. The automated structures assembly test bed and its operation are described, the expert system executive and its development are detailed, and the planned system evolution is discussed. Emphasis is on the expert system implementation of the program executive. The executive program must direct and reliably perform complex assembly tasks with the flexibility to recover from realistic system errors. The employment of an expert system permits information that pertains to the operation of the system to be encapsulated concisely within a knowledge base. This consolidation substantially reduced code, increased flexibility, eased software upgrades, and realized a savings in software maintenance costs.

  13. [Study on expert system of infrared spectral characteristic of combustible smoke agent].

    PubMed

    Song, Dong-ming; Guan, Hua; Hou, Wei; Pan, Gong-pei

    2009-05-01

    The present paper studied the application of expert system in prediction of infrared spectral characteristic of combustible anti-infrared smoke agent. The construction of the expert system was founded, based on the theory of minimum free energy and infrared spectral addition. After the direction of smoke agent was input, the expert system could figure out the final combustion products. Then infrared spectrogram of smoke could also be simulated by adding the spectra of all of the combustion products. Meanwhile, the screening index of smoke was provided in the wave bands of 3-5 im and 8-14 microm. FTIR spectroscope was used to investigate the performance of one kind of HC smoke. The combustion products calculated by the expert system were coincident with the actual data, and the simulant infrared spectrum was also similar to the real one of the smoke. The screening index given by the system was consistent with the known facts. It was showed that a new approach was offered for the fast discrimination of varieties of directions of smoke agent.

  14. Expert systems for superalloy studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Workman, Gary L.; Kaukler, William F.

    1990-01-01

    There are many areas in science and engineering which require knowledge of an extremely complex foundation of experimental results in order to design methodologies for developing new materials or products. Superalloys are an area which fit well into this discussion in the sense that they are complex combinations of elements which exhibit certain characteristics. Obviously the use of superalloys in high performance, high temperature systems such as the Space Shuttle Main Engine is of interest to NASA. The superalloy manufacturing process is complex and the implementation of an expert system within the design process requires some thought as to how and where it should be implemented. A major motivation is to develop a methodology to assist metallurgists in the design of superalloy materials using current expert systems technology. Hydrogen embrittlement is disasterous to rocket engines and the heuristics can be very complex. Attacking this problem as one module in the overall design process represents a significant step forward. In order to describe the objectives of the first phase implementation, the expert system was designated Hydrogen Environment Embrittlement Expert System (HEEES).

  15. The Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant (GenSAA): A tool for automating spacecraft monitoring with expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, Peter M.; Luczak, Edward C.

    1991-01-01

    Flight Operations Analysts (FOAs) in the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) are responsible for monitoring a satellite's health and safety. As satellites become more complex and data rates increase, FOAs are quickly approaching a level of information saturation. The FOAs in the spacecraft control center for the COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) satellite are currently using a fault isolation expert system named the Communications Link Expert Assistance Resource (CLEAR), to assist in isolating and correcting communications link faults. Due to the success of CLEAR and several other systems in the control center domain, many other monitoring and fault isolation expert systems will likely be developed to support control center operations during the early 1990s. To facilitate the development of these systems, a project was initiated to develop a domain specific tool, named the Generic Spacecraft Analyst Assistant (GenSAA). GenSAA will enable spacecraft analysts to easily build simple real-time expert systems that perform spacecraft monitoring and fault isolation functions. Lessons learned during the development of several expert systems at Goddard, thereby establishing the foundation of GenSAA's objectives and offering insights in how problems may be avoided in future project, are described. This is followed by a description of the capabilities, architecture, and usage of GenSAA along with a discussion of its application to future NASA missions.

  16. Aerial imaging with manned aircraft for precision agriculture

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Over the last two decades, numerous commercial and custom-built airborne imaging systems have been developed and deployed for diverse remote sensing applications, including precision agriculture. More recently, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have emerged as a versatile and cost-effective platform f...

  17. Ultrafast and versatile spectroscopy by temporal Fourier transform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chi; Wei, Xiaoming; Marhic, Michel E.; Wong, Kenneth K. Y.

    2014-06-01

    One of the most remarkable and useful properties of a spatially converging lens system is its inherent ability to perform the Fourier transform; the same applies for the time-lens system. At the back focal plane of the time-lens, the spectral information can be instantaneously obtained in the time axis. By implementing temporal Fourier transform for spectroscopy applications, this time-lens-based architecture can provide orders of magnitude improvement over the state-of-art spatial-dispersion-based spectroscopy in terms of the frame rate. On the other hand, in addition to the single-lens structure, the multi-lens structures (e.g. telescope or wide-angle scope) will provide very versatile operating conditions. Leveraging the merit of instantaneous response, as well as the flexible lens structure, here we present a 100-MHz frame rate spectroscopy system - the parametric spectro-temporal analyzer (PASTA), which achieves 17 times zoom in/out ratio for different observation ranges.

  18. Versatile microwave-driven trapped ion spin system for quantum information processing

    PubMed Central

    Piltz, Christian; Sriarunothai, Theeraphot; Ivanov, Svetoslav S.; Wölk, Sabine; Wunderlich, Christof

    2016-01-01

    Using trapped atomic ions, we demonstrate a tailored and versatile effective spin system suitable for quantum simulations and universal quantum computation. By simply applying microwave pulses, selected spins can be decoupled from the remaining system and, thus, can serve as a quantum memory, while simultaneously, other coupled spins perform conditional quantum dynamics. Also, microwave pulses can change the sign of spin-spin couplings, as well as their effective strength, even during the course of a quantum algorithm. Taking advantage of the simultaneous long-range coupling between three spins, a coherent quantum Fourier transform—an essential building block for many quantum algorithms—is efficiently realized. This approach, which is based on microwave-driven trapped ions and is complementary to laser-based methods, opens a new route to overcoming technical and physical challenges in the quest for a quantum simulator and a quantum computer. PMID:27419233

  19. A versatile soft X-ray transmission system for time resolved in situ microscopy with chemical contrast.

    PubMed

    Forsberg, J; Englund, C-J; Duda, L-C

    2009-08-01

    We present the design and operation of a versatile soft X-ray transmission system for time resolved in situ microscopy with chemical contrast. The utility of the setup is demonstrated by results from following a corrosion process of iron in saline environment, subjected to a controlled humid atmosphere. The system includes a transmission flow-cell reactor that allows for in situ microscopic probing with soft X-rays. We employ a full field technique by using a nearly collimated X-ray beam that produces an unmagnified projection of the transmitted soft X-rays (below 1.1 keV) which is magnified and recorded by an optical CCD camera. Time lapse series with chemical contrast allow us to follow and interpret the chemical processes in detail. The obtainable lateral resolution is a few mum, sufficient to detect filiform corrosion on iron.

  20. Space shuttle main engine anomaly data and inductive knowledge based systems: Automated corporate expertise

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Modesitt, Kenneth L.

    1987-01-01

    Progress is reported on the development of SCOTTY, an expert knowledge-based system to automate the analysis procedure following test firings of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The integration of a large-scale relational data base system, a computer graphics interface for experts and end-user engineers, potential extension of the system to flight engines, application of the system for training of newly-hired engineers, technology transfer to other engines, and the essential qualities of good software engineering practices for building expert knowledge-based systems are among the topics discussed.

  1. Advanced automation of a prototypic thermal control system for Space Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Jeff

    1990-01-01

    Viewgraphs on an advanced automation of a prototypic thermal control system for space station are presented. The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was initiated in 1986 as a cooperative project between ARC and JCS as a way to leverage on-going work at both centers. JSC contributed Thermal Control System (TCS) hardware and control software, TCS operational expertise, and integration expertise. ARC contributed expert system and display expertise. The first years of the project were dedicated to parallel development of expert system tools, displays, interface software, and TCS technology and procedures by a total of four organizations.

  2. Versatile monolithic 2-micron laser systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wysmolek, M.; Steinke, M.; Neumann, J.; Kracht, D.

    2018-02-01

    To answer a growing demand in development of high power pulsed and continuous wave sources at 2 micron spectral range we have participated in several projects, which resulted in a delivery of versatile monolithic sources providing picosecond, nanosecond and CW laser signal. As an example of pulsed sources we developed all-fiber monolithic devices based on a directly modulated laser diode and gain-switched laser diode to generate nanosecond and picosecond pulses, respectively, which are amplified in the same fiber amplifier chain up to 50 µJ with 96 ps and more than 1 mJ with pulses longer than 35 ns.

  3. Distributed Cognition in Sports Teams: Explaining Successful and Expert Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Kellie; Cox, Rochelle

    2014-01-01

    In this article we use a hybrid methodology to better understand the skilful performance of sports teams as an exemplar of distributed cognition. We highlight key differences between a team of individual experts (an aggregate system) and an expert team (an emergent system), and outline the kinds of shared characteristics likely to be found in an…

  4. Adaptation and validation of the REGEN expert system for the Central Appalachians

    Treesearch

    Lance A. Vickers; Thomas R. Fox; David L. Loftis; David A. Boucugnani

    2011-01-01

    REGEN is an expert system that predicts future species composition at the onset of stem exclusion using preharvest stand conditions. To extend coverage into hardwood stands of the Central Appalachians, we developed REGEN knowledge bases for four site qualities (xeric, subxeric, submesic, mesic) based on relevant literature and expert opinion. Data were collected from...

  5. Students' Refinement of Knowledge during the Development of Knowledge Bases for Expert Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lippert, Renate; Finley, Fred

    The refinement of the cognitive knowledge base was studied through exploration of the transition from novice to expert and the use of an instructional strategy called novice knowledge engineering. Six college freshmen, who were enrolled in an honors physics course, used an expert system to create questions, decisions, rules, and explanations…

  6. "New" Vistas for Polarimetric Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanamandra-Fisher, P. A.

    2016-12-01

    The versatility of polarimetric exploration is exploited to address the overarching goals for the remote sensing and robotic exploration of our solar system and exoplanetary systems: (1) understanding the formation of planetary systems and their diversity; and (2) search for habitability. Spectral dependence of polarization is important to separate the macroscopic (bulk) properties of the scattering medium from the microscopic (particulate) properties of the scattering medium. While linear polarization of reflected light by solar system objects provides insight into the scattering characteristics of aerosols and hazes in atmospheres and surficial properties of atmosphereless objects, circular polarization and related chirality (or handedness, a property of molecules that exhibit mirror-image symmetry, similar to right and left hands) can serve as diagnostic of biological activity. Most solar system polarimetric exploration is dominantly the study of cometary and asteroidal dust/regoliths. However, efforts are starting to emerge as "new" directions in this field: from recent studies of outer planetary atmospheres and satellites; polarization of magnetic field lines; addressing taxonomy of asteroids and including amateur astronomers. Although current solar system missions do not have polarimeters on-board, ground-based polarimetric observations prove to valuable and complementary. For example, NASA/JUNO lacks a polarimeter in its payload, and one of its goals is to understand Jupiter's aurorae. Recent ground-based observations from NASA/IRTF indicate that the auroral H3+ line is polarized (Barthelemy et al., 2011, A&A, 530). Another new direction for polarimetric exploration is the inclusion of amateur astronomers. Imaging and spectroscopy are routinely performed by amateurs, but recently, there is interest in developing polarimetric exploration amongst the amateur community, such as the study of polarization of the moon (Fearnside et al., 2016, Icarus). I will present a review of the field, with advances made in instrumentation, measurements and efforts to develop a "Polarimetry Network" of observers, modelers and instrument experts to expand and fully utilize polarimetery in the remote sensing of planetary systems.

  7. [Implementation of telemedicine services in the earthquake disaster relief: the best medical experts provide direct medical service to the affected people].

    PubMed

    Li, Tan-shi; Chai, Jia-ke

    2013-05-01

    To sum up the experience and significance of the remote medical consultation system used by the PLA General Hospital in 4/20 Sichuan Lushan earthquake medical rescue in 2013. After the Lushan earthquake in April 20, 2013, the expert medical rescue team of the PLA General Hospital immediately took the wireless portable telemedicine system to the converge hospital which had received many wounds in earthquake and had been connected with other hospitals, medical rescue teams and rescue ambulances to open the remote medical consultation system for disaster services including intensive care, emergency treatment, orthopedics, cerebral surgery, hepatobiliary surgery, obstetrics, gynecology and other related professional remote assistance services. The experts put forward the diagnosis and treatment for victims and had a benign interaction between the experts in disaster site and rear experts, as a result improved the ability of treatment of the disaster expert medical team. The PLA General Hospital treated more than 110 patients by remote medical consultation system in the Lushan earthquake and achieved real-time HD consultation and on-site operation guide. The using of remote medical consultation system achieved the connection between multimedia communication system and medical information system of the hospital and the interconnection of video, audio, data and medical services among each united hospitals, which can provide the significant experience of using remote medical consultation system in our disaster medical rescue activities.

  8. Silk constructs for delivery of muskuloskeletal therapeutics

    PubMed Central

    Meinel, Lorenz; Kaplan, David L.

    2012-01-01

    Silk fibroin (SF) is a biopolymer with distinguishing features from many other bio- as well as synthetic polymers. From a biomechanical and drug delivery perspective, SF combines remarkable versatility for scaffolding (solid implants, hydrogels, threads, solutions), with advanced mechanical properties and good stabilization and controlled delivery of entrapped protein and small molecule drugs, respectively. It is this combination of mechanical and pharmaceutical features which render SF so exciting for biomedical applications. his pattern along with the versatility of this biopolymer have been translated into progress for musculoskeletal applications. We review the use and potential of silk fibroin for systemic and localized delivery of therapeutics in diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system. We also present future directions for this biopolymer as well as the necessary research and development steps for their achievement. PMID:22522139

  9. IC-tagged proteins are able to interact with each other and perform complex reactions when integrated into muNS-derived inclusions.

    PubMed

    Brandariz-Nuñez, Alberto; Otero-Romero, Iria; Benavente, Javier; Martinez-Costas, Jose M

    2011-09-20

    We have recently developed a versatile tagging system (IC-tagging) that causes relocation of the tagged proteins to ARV muNS-derived intracellular globular inclusions. In the present study we demonstrate (i) that the IC-tag can be successfully fused either to the amino or carboxyl terminus of the protein to be tagged and (ii) that IC-tagged proteins are able to interact between them and perform complex reactions that require such interactions while integrated into muNS inclusions, increasing the versatility of the IC-tagging system. Also, our studies with the DsRed protein add some light on the structure/function relationship of the evolution of DsRed chromophore. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. The Physics and Mathematics of MRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ansorge, Richard; Graves, Martin

    2016-10-01

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a very important clinical imaging tool. It combines different fields of physics and engineering in a uniquely complex way. MRI is also surprisingly versatile, `pulse sequences' can be designed to yield many different types of contrast. This versatility is unique to MRI. This short book gives both an in depth account of the methods used for the operation and construction of modern MRI systems and also the principles of sequence design and many examples of applications. An important additional feature of this book is the detailed discussion of the mathematical principles used in building optimal MRI systems and for sequence design. The mathematical discussion is very suitable for undergraduates attending medical physics courses. It is also more complete than usually found in alternative books for physical scientists or more clinically orientated works.

  11. Versatile microrobotics using simple modular subunits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheang, U. Kei; Meshkati, Farshad; Kim, Hoyeon; Lee, Kyoungwoo; Fu, Henry Chien; Kim, Min Jun

    2016-07-01

    The realization of reconfigurable modular microrobots could aid drug delivery and microsurgery by allowing a single system to navigate diverse environments and perform multiple tasks. So far, microrobotic systems are limited by insufficient versatility; for instance, helical shapes commonly used for magnetic swimmers cannot effectively assemble and disassemble into different size and shapes. Here by using microswimmers with simple geometries constructed of spherical particles, we show how magnetohydrodynamics can be used to assemble and disassemble modular microrobots with different physical characteristics. We develop a mechanistic physical model that we use to improve assembly strategies. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of dynamically changing the physical properties of microswimmers through assembly and disassembly in a controlled fluidic environment. Finally, we show that different configurations have different swimming properties by examining swimming speed dependence on configuration size.

  12. Versatile microrobotics using simple modular subunits

    PubMed Central

    Cheang, U Kei; Meshkati, Farshad; Kim, Hoyeon; Lee, Kyoungwoo; Fu, Henry Chien; Kim, Min Jun

    2016-01-01

    The realization of reconfigurable modular microrobots could aid drug delivery and microsurgery by allowing a single system to navigate diverse environments and perform multiple tasks. So far, microrobotic systems are limited by insufficient versatility; for instance, helical shapes commonly used for magnetic swimmers cannot effectively assemble and disassemble into different size and shapes. Here by using microswimmers with simple geometries constructed of spherical particles, we show how magnetohydrodynamics can be used to assemble and disassemble modular microrobots with different physical characteristics. We develop a mechanistic physical model that we use to improve assembly strategies. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of dynamically changing the physical properties of microswimmers through assembly and disassembly in a controlled fluidic environment. Finally, we show that different configurations have different swimming properties by examining swimming speed dependence on configuration size. PMID:27464852

  13. Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems autonomy demonstration project, volume 2. Results

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glass, B. J. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS testbed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

  14. Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems automony demonstration project, volume 1. Overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glass, B. J. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS test bed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

  15. The blackboard model - A framework for integrating multiple cooperating expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Erickson, W. K.

    1985-01-01

    The use of an artificial intelligence (AI) architecture known as the blackboard model is examined as a framework for designing and building distributed systems requiring the integration of multiple cooperating expert systems (MCXS). Aerospace vehicles provide many examples of potential systems, ranging from commercial and military aircraft to spacecraft such as satellites, the Space Shuttle, and the Space Station. One such system, free-flying, spaceborne telerobots to be used in construction, servicing, inspection, and repair tasks around NASA's Space Station, is examined. The major difficulties found in designing and integrating the individual expert system components necessary to implement such a robot are outlined. The blackboard model, a general expert system architecture which seems to address many of the problems found in designing and building such a system, is discussed. A progress report on a prototype system under development called DBB (Distributed BlackBoard model) is given. The prototype will act as a testbed for investigating the feasibility, utility, and efficiency of MCXS-based designs developed under the blackboard model.

  16. A Methodology for Multiple Rule System Integration and Resolution Within a Singular Knowledge Base

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kautzmann, Frank N., III

    1988-01-01

    Expert Systems which support knowledge representation by qualitative modeling techniques experience problems, when called upon to support integrated views embodying description and explanation, especially when other factors such as multiple causality, competing rule model resolution, and multiple uses of knowledge representation are included. A series of prototypes are being developed to demonstrate the feasibility of automating the process of systems engineering, design and configuration, and diagnosis and fault management. A study involves not only a generic knowledge representation; it must also support multiple views at varying levels of description and interaction between physical elements, systems, and subsystems. Moreover, it will involve models of description and explanation for each level. This multiple model feature requires the development of control methods between rule systems and heuristics on a meta-level for each expert system involved in an integrated and larger class of expert system. The broadest possible category of interacting expert systems is described along with a general methodology for the knowledge representation and control of mutually exclusive rule systems.

  17. Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS): Systems autonomy demonstration project, volume 2. Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glass, B. J.

    1992-10-01

    The Systems Autonomy Demonstration Project (SADP) produced a knowledge-based real-time control system for control and fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external active thermal control system (EATCS). The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) was demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of reliable fault anticipation and detection, as well as ordinary control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were addressed by adopting a hierarchical symbolic control approach-layering model-based expert system software on a conventional, numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based reasoning capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous over typical rule-based expert systems, particularly for detection of unforeseen faults and sensor failures. Volume 1 gives a project overview and testing highlights. Volume 2 provides detail on the EATCS testbed, test operations, and online test results. Appendix A is a test archive, while Appendix B is a compendium of design and user manuals for the TEXSYS software.

  18. Cardiac risk stratification in renal transplantation using a form of artificial intelligence.

    PubMed

    Heston, T F; Norman, D J; Barry, J M; Bennett, W M; Wilson, R A

    1997-02-15

    The purpose of this study was to determine if an expert network, a form of artificial intelligence, could effectively stratify cardiac risk in candidates for renal transplant. Input into the expert network consisted of clinical risk factors and thallium-201 stress test data. Clinical risk factor screening alone identified 95 of 189 patients as high risk. These 95 patients underwent thallium-201 stress testing, and 53 had either reversible or fixed defects. The other 42 patients were classified as low risk. This algorithm made up the "expert system," and during the 4-year follow-up period had a sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 77%, and accuracy of 78%. An artificial neural network was added to the expert system, creating an expert network. Input into the neural network consisted of both clinical variables and thallium-201 stress test data. There were 5 hidden nodes and the output (end point) was cardiac death. The expert network increased the specificity of the expert system alone from 77% to 90% (p < 0.001), the accuracy from 78% to 89% (p < 0.005), and maintained the overall sensitivity at 88%. An expert network based on clinical risk factor screening and thallium-201 stress testing had an accuracy of 89% in predicting the 4-year cardiac mortality among 189 renal transplant candidates.

  19. An evaluation of Ada for Al applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wallace, David R.

    1986-01-01

    Expert system technology seems to be the most promising type of Artificial Intelligence (AI) application for Ada. An expert system implemented with an expert system shell provides a highly structured approach that fits well with the structured approach found in Ada systems. The current commercial expert system shells use Lisp. In this highly structured situation a shell could be built that used Ada just as well. On the other hand, if it is necessary to deal with some AI problems that are not suited to expert systems, the use of Ada becomes more problematical. Ada was not designed as an AI development language, and is not suited to that. It is possible that an application developed in say, Common Lisp could be translated to Ada for actual use in a particular application, but this could be difficult. Some standard Ada packages could be developed to make such a translation easier. If the most general AI programs need to be dealt with, a Common Lisp system integrated with the Ada Environment is probably necessary. Aside from problems with language features, Ada, by itself, is not well suited to the prototyping and incremental development that is well supported by Lisp.

  20. Design a Fuzzy Rule-based Expert System to Aid Earlier Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer.

    PubMed

    Safdari, Reza; Arpanahi, Hadi Kazemi; Langarizadeh, Mostafa; Ghazisaiedi, Marjan; Dargahi, Hossein; Zendehdel, Kazem

    2018-01-01

    Screening and health check-up programs are most important sanitary priorities, that should be undertaken to control dangerous diseases such as gastric cancer that affected by different factors. More than 50% of gastric cancer diagnoses are made during the advanced stage. Currently, there is no systematic approach for early diagnosis of gastric cancer. to develop a fuzzy expert system that can identify gastric cancer risk levels in individuals. This system was implemented in MATLAB software, Mamdani inference technique applied to simulate reasoning of experts in the field, a total of 67 fuzzy rules extracted as a rule-base based on medical expert's opinion. 50 case scenarios were used to evaluate the system, the information of case reports is given to the system to find risk level of each case report then obtained results were compared with expert's diagnosis. Results revealed that sensitivity was 92.1% and the specificity was 83.1%. The results show that is possible to develop a system that can identify High risk individuals for gastric cancer. The system can lead to earlier diagnosis, this may facilitate early treatment and reduce gastric cancer mortality rate.

  1. Knowledge engineering for PACES, the particle accelerator control expert system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lind, P. C.; Poehlman, W. F. S.; Stark, J. W.; Cousins, T.

    1992-04-01

    The KN-3000 used at Defense Research Establishment Ottawa is a Van de Graaff particle accelerator employed primarily to produce monoenergetic neutrons for calibrating radiation detectors. To provide training and assistance for new operators, it was decided to develop an expert system for accelerator operation. Knowledge engineering aspects of the expert system are reviewed. Two important issues are involved: the need to encapsulate expert knowledge into the system in a form that facilitates automatic accelerator operation and to partition the system so that time-consuming inferencing is minimized in favor of faster, more algorithmic control. It is seen that accelerator control will require fast, narrowminded decision making for rapid fine tuning, but slower and broader reasoning for machine startup, shutdown, fault diagnosis, and correction. It is also important to render the knowledge base in a form conducive to operator training. A promising form of the expert system involves a hybrid system in which high level reasoning is performed on the host machine that interacts with the user, while an embedded controller employs neural networks for fast but limited adjustment of accelerator performance. This partitioning of duty facilitates a hierarchical chain of command yielding an effective mixture of speed and reasoning ability.

  2. Software Analyzes Complex Systems in Real Time

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2008-01-01

    Expert system software programs, also known as knowledge-based systems, are computer programs that emulate the knowledge and analytical skills of one or more human experts, related to a specific subject. SHINE (Spacecraft Health Inference Engine) is one such program, a software inference engine (expert system) designed by NASA for the purpose of monitoring, analyzing, and diagnosing both real-time and non-real-time systems. It was developed to meet many of the Agency s demanding and rigorous artificial intelligence goals for current and future needs. NASA developed the sophisticated and reusable software based on the experience and requirements of its Jet Propulsion Laboratory s (JPL) Artificial Intelligence Research Group in developing expert systems for space flight operations specifically, the diagnosis of spacecraft health. It was designed to be efficient enough to operate in demanding real time and in limited hardware environments, and to be utilized by non-expert systems applications written in conventional programming languages. The technology is currently used in several ongoing NASA applications, including the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Spacecraft Health Automatic Reasoning Pilot (SHARP) program for the diagnosis of telecommunication anomalies during the Neptune Voyager Encounter. It is also finding applications outside of the Space Agency.

  3. The Design of an Interactive Data Retrieval System for Casual Users.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Radhakrishnan, T.; And Others

    1982-01-01

    Describes an interactive data retrieval system which was designed and implemented for casual users and which incorporates a user-friendly interface, aids to train beginners in use of the system, versatility in output, and error recovery protocols. A 14-item reference list and two figures illustrating system operation and output are included. (JL)

  4. The microcomputer scientific software series 1: the numerical information manipulation system.

    Treesearch

    Harold M. Rauscher

    1983-01-01

    The Numerical Information Manipulation System extends the versatility provided by word processing systems for textual data manipulation to mathematical or statistical data in numeric matrix form. Numeric data, stored and processed in the matrix form, may be manipulated in a wide variety of ways. The system allows operations on single elements, entire rows, or columns...

  5. YUCSA: A CLIPS expert database system to monitor academic performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Toptsis, Anestis A.; Ho, Frankie; Leindekar, Milton; Foon, Debra Low; Carbonaro, Mike

    1991-01-01

    The York University CLIPS Student Administrator (YUCSA), an expert database system implemented in C Language Integrated Processing System (CLIPS), for monitoring the academic performance of undergraduate students at York University, is discussed. The expert system component in the system has already been implemented for two major departments, and it is under testing and enhancement for more departments. Also, more elaborate user interfaces are under development. We describe the design and implementation of the system, problems encountered, and immediate future plans. The system has excellent maintainability and it is very efficient, taking less than one minute to complete an assessment of one student.

  6. Evolutionary versatility of eukaryotic protein domains revealed by their bigram networks

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Protein domains are globular structures of independently folded polypeptides that exert catalytic or binding activities. Their sequences are recognized as evolutionary units that, through genome recombination, constitute protein repertoires of linkage patterns. Via mutations, domains acquire modified functions that contribute to the fitness of cells and organisms. Recent studies have addressed the evolutionary selection that may have shaped the functions of individual domains and the emergence of particular domain combinations, which led to new cellular functions in multi-cellular animals. This study focuses on modeling domain linkage globally and investigates evolutionary implications that may be revealed by novel computational analysis. Results A survey of 77 completely sequenced eukaryotic genomes implies a potential hierarchical and modular organization of biological functions in most living organisms. Domains in a genome or multiple genomes are modeled as a network of hetero-duplex covalent linkages, termed bigrams. A novel computational technique is introduced to decompose such networks, whereby the notion of domain "networking versatility" is derived and measured. The most and least "versatile" domains (termed "core domains" and "peripheral domains" respectively) are examined both computationally via sequence conservation measures and experimentally using selected domains. Our study suggests that such a versatility measure extracted from the bigram networks correlates with the adaptivity of domains during evolution, where the network core domains are highly adaptive, significantly contrasting the network peripheral domains. Conclusions Domain recombination has played a major part in the evolution of eukaryotes attributing to genome complexity. From a system point of view, as the results of selection and constant refinement, networks of domain linkage are structured in a hierarchical modular fashion. Domains with high degree of networking versatility appear to be evolutionary adaptive, potentially through functional innovations. Domain bigram networks are informative as a model of biological functions. The networking versatility indices extracted from such networks for individual domains reflect the strength of evolutionary selection that the domains have experienced. PMID:21849086

  7. Evolutionary versatility of eukaryotic protein domains revealed by their bigram networks.

    PubMed

    Xie, Xueying; Jin, Jing; Mao, Yongyi

    2011-08-18

    Protein domains are globular structures of independently folded polypeptides that exert catalytic or binding activities. Their sequences are recognized as evolutionary units that, through genome recombination, constitute protein repertoires of linkage patterns. Via mutations, domains acquire modified functions that contribute to the fitness of cells and organisms. Recent studies have addressed the evolutionary selection that may have shaped the functions of individual domains and the emergence of particular domain combinations, which led to new cellular functions in multi-cellular animals. This study focuses on modeling domain linkage globally and investigates evolutionary implications that may be revealed by novel computational analysis. A survey of 77 completely sequenced eukaryotic genomes implies a potential hierarchical and modular organization of biological functions in most living organisms. Domains in a genome or multiple genomes are modeled as a network of hetero-duplex covalent linkages, termed bigrams. A novel computational technique is introduced to decompose such networks, whereby the notion of domain "networking versatility" is derived and measured. The most and least "versatile" domains (termed "core domains" and "peripheral domains" respectively) are examined both computationally via sequence conservation measures and experimentally using selected domains. Our study suggests that such a versatility measure extracted from the bigram networks correlates with the adaptivity of domains during evolution, where the network core domains are highly adaptive, significantly contrasting the network peripheral domains. Domain recombination has played a major part in the evolution of eukaryotes attributing to genome complexity. From a system point of view, as the results of selection and constant refinement, networks of domain linkage are structured in a hierarchical modular fashion. Domains with high degree of networking versatility appear to be evolutionary adaptive, potentially through functional innovations. Domain bigram networks are informative as a model of biological functions. The networking versatility indices extracted from such networks for individual domains reflect the strength of evolutionary selection that the domains have experienced.

  8. Critical review of expert system validation in transportation

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-01

    Expert system validationthat is, testing systems to ascertain whether they achieve acceptable performance levelshas with few exceptions been ad hoc, informal, and of dubious value. Very few efforts have been made in this regard in the transport...

  9. Integration of symbolic and algorithmic hardware and software for the automation of space station subsystems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gregg, Hugh; Healey, Kathleen; Hack, Edmund; Wong, Carla

    1987-01-01

    Traditional expert systems, such as diagnostic and training systems, interact with users only through a keyboard and screen, and are usually symbolic in nature. Expert systems that require access to data bases, complex simulations and real-time instrumentation have both symbolic as well as algorithmic computing needs. These needs could both be met using a general purpose workstation running both symbolic and algorithmic code, or separate, specialized computers networked together. The latter approach was chosen to implement TEXSYS, the thermal expert system, developed by NASA Ames Research Center in conjunction with Johnson Space Center to demonstrate the ability of an expert system to autonomously monitor the thermal control system of the space station. TEXSYS has been implemented on a Symbolics workstation, and will be linked to a microVAX computer that will control a thermal test bed. This paper will explore the integration options, and present several possible solutions.

  10. A framework for building real-time expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, S. Daniel

    1991-01-01

    The Space Station Freedom is an example of complex systems that require both traditional and artificial intelligence (AI) real-time methodologies. It was mandated that Ada should be used for all new software development projects. The station also requires distributed processing. Catastrophic failures on the station can cause the transmission system to malfunction for a long period of time, during which ground-based expert systems cannot provide any assistance to the crisis situation on the station. This is even more critical for other NASA projects that would have longer transmission delays (e.g., the lunar base, Mars missions, etc.). To address these issues, a distributed agent architecture (DAA) is proposed that can support a variety of paradigms based on both traditional real-time computing and AI. The proposed testbed for DAA is an autonomous power expert (APEX) which is a real-time monitoring and diagnosis expert system for the electrical power distribution system of the space station.

  11. a New Method for Fmeca Based on Fuzzy Theory and Expert System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Byeon, Yoong-Tae; Kim, Dong-Jin; Kim, Jin-O.

    2008-10-01

    Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) is one of most widely used methods in modern engineering system to investigate potential failure modes and its severity upon the system. FMECA evaluates criticality and severity of each failure mode and visualize the risk level matrix putting those indices to column and row variable respectively. Generally, those indices are determined subjectively by experts and operators. However, this process has no choice but to include uncertainty. In this paper, a method for eliciting expert opinions considering its uncertainty is proposed to evaluate the criticality and severity. In addition, a fuzzy expert system is constructed in order to determine the crisp value of risk level for each failure mode. Finally, an illustrative example system is analyzed in the case study. The results are worth considering in deciding the proper policies for each component of the system.

  12. Evaluation of atopy through an expert system: description of the database.

    PubMed

    Ray, P; Vervloet, D; Charpin, D; Gautier, V; Proudhon, H; Redier, H; Godard, P

    1995-11-01

    In order to understand the medical decisions taken during the initial visit of a new asthmatic patient, a group of experts designed an expert system which provides conclusions about severity, precipitating factors and treatment. Rules for atopy and the assessment of allergic factors have been discussed and implemented in the expert system. Conclusions about severity have been yet validated using an appropriate methodology. The aim of this study was to investigate a sample of 471 patients according to conclusions regarding atopy. A total of 471 cases report forms (CRF) was filled in for adult asthmatic outpatients, seen for the first time in our clinic without emergency situations. Data of each CRF were used by the expert system to draw conclusions. The expert system discerns three patterns for atopy, yes, possible or no. The variables known to reflect different features according to the classification of asthma as atopic or not have been studied. The variables used in the rules for atopy, obviously linked to the conclusion, were not compared. For many medical problems no unique objective solution exists and this is why a group of patients with possible atopy was introduced. Patients with atopy had less severe asthma (P = 0.01), a better FEV1 value (P = 0.0007) and showed their first symptoms of asthma earlier (P = 0.00001) than patients without atopy. The characteristics of the group studied here are consistent with the literature. This could be considered as an indirect validation of the expert system. Moreover, patients with possible atopy show intermediate findings for these variables and it is possible to suggest a 'dose-effect' relationship.

  13. A Multimode Optical Imaging System for Preclinical Applications In Vivo: Technology Development, Multiscale Imaging, and Chemotherapy Assessment

    PubMed Central

    Hwang, Jae Youn; Wachsmann-Hogiu, Sebastian; Ramanujan, V. Krishnan; Ljubimova, Julia; Gross, Zeev; Gray, Harry B.; Medina-Kauwe, Lali K.; Farkas, Daniel L.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose Several established optical imaging approaches have been applied, usually in isolation, to preclinical studies; however, truly useful in vivo imaging may require a simultaneous combination of imaging modalities to examine dynamic characteristics of cells and tissues. We developed a new multimode optical imaging system designed to be application-versatile, yielding high sensitivity, and specificity molecular imaging. Procedures We integrated several optical imaging technologies, including fluorescence intensity, spectral, lifetime, intravital confocal, two-photon excitation, and bioluminescence, into a single system that enables functional multiscale imaging in animal models. Results The approach offers a comprehensive imaging platform for kinetic, quantitative, and environmental analysis of highly relevant information, with micro-to-macroscopic resolution. Applied to small animals in vivo, this provides superior monitoring of processes of interest, represented here by chemo-/nanoconstruct therapy assessment. Conclusions This new system is versatile and can be optimized for various applications, of which cancer detection and targeted treatment are emphasized here. PMID:21874388

  14. Development of a radio frequency ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for neutral beam injection system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Choe, Kyumin; Jung, Bongki; Chung, Kyoung-Jae, E-mail: jkjlsh1@snu.ac.kr

    2014-02-15

    Despite of high plasma density, helicon plasma has not yet been applied to a large area ion source such as a driver for neutral beam injection (NBI) system due to intrinsically poor plasma uniformity in the discharge region. In this study, a radio-frequency (RF) ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for high plasma density with good uniformity has been designed and constructed for the NBI system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus at Seoul National University. The ion source consists of a rectangular plasma expansion chamber (120 × 120 × 120 mm{sup 3}), four helicon plasma injectors with annular permanent magnetsmore » and RF power system. Main feature of the source is downstream plasma confinement in the cusp magnetic field configuration which is generated by arranging polarities of permanent magnets in the helicon plasma injectors. In this paper, detailed design of the multi-helicon plasma injector and plasma characteristics of the ion source are presented.« less

  15. Development of a radio frequency ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for neutral beam injection system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choe, Kyumin; Jung, Bongki; Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Hwang, Y. S.

    2014-02-01

    Despite of high plasma density, helicon plasma has not yet been applied to a large area ion source such as a driver for neutral beam injection (NBI) system due to intrinsically poor plasma uniformity in the discharge region. In this study, a radio-frequency (RF) ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for high plasma density with good uniformity has been designed and constructed for the NBI system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus at Seoul National University. The ion source consists of a rectangular plasma expansion chamber (120 × 120 × 120 mm3), four helicon plasma injectors with annular permanent magnets and RF power system. Main feature of the source is downstream plasma confinement in the cusp magnetic field configuration which is generated by arranging polarities of permanent magnets in the helicon plasma injectors. In this paper, detailed design of the multi-helicon plasma injector and plasma characteristics of the ion source are presented.

  16. Development of a radio frequency ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for neutral beam injection system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus.

    PubMed

    Choe, Kyumin; Jung, Bongki; Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Hwang, Y S

    2014-02-01

    Despite of high plasma density, helicon plasma has not yet been applied to a large area ion source such as a driver for neutral beam injection (NBI) system due to intrinsically poor plasma uniformity in the discharge region. In this study, a radio-frequency (RF) ion source with multi-helicon plasma injectors for high plasma density with good uniformity has been designed and constructed for the NBI system of Versatile Experiment Spherical Torus at Seoul National University. The ion source consists of a rectangular plasma expansion chamber (120 × 120 × 120 mm(3)), four helicon plasma injectors with annular permanent magnets and RF power system. Main feature of the source is downstream plasma confinement in the cusp magnetic field configuration which is generated by arranging polarities of permanent magnets in the helicon plasma injectors. In this paper, detailed design of the multi-helicon plasma injector and plasma characteristics of the ion source are presented.

  17. A robust activity marking system for exploring active neuronal ensembles

    PubMed Central

    Sørensen, Andreas T; Cooper, Yonatan A; Baratta, Michael V; Weng, Feng-Ju; Zhang, Yuxiang; Ramamoorthi, Kartik; Fropf, Robin; LaVerriere, Emily; Xue, Jian; Young, Andrew; Schneider, Colleen; Gøtzsche, Casper René; Hemberg, Martin; Yin, Jerry CP; Maier, Steven F; Lin, Yingxi

    2016-01-01

    Understanding how the brain captures transient experience and converts it into long lasting changes in neural circuits requires the identification and investigation of the specific ensembles of neurons that are responsible for the encoding of each experience. We have developed a Robust Activity Marking (RAM) system that allows for the identification and interrogation of ensembles of neurons. The RAM system provides unprecedented high sensitivity and selectivity through the use of an optimized synthetic activity-regulated promoter that is strongly induced by neuronal activity and a modified Tet-Off system that achieves improved temporal control. Due to its compact design, RAM can be packaged into a single adeno-associated virus (AAV), providing great versatility and ease of use, including application to mice, rats, flies, and potentially many other species. Cre-dependent RAM, CRAM, allows for the study of active ensembles of a specific cell type and anatomical connectivity, further expanding the RAM system’s versatility. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13918.001 PMID:27661450

  18. Computational aerodynamics and artificial intelligence

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mehta, U. B.; Kutler, P.

    1984-01-01

    The general principles of artificial intelligence are reviewed and speculations are made concerning how knowledge based systems can accelerate the process of acquiring new knowledge in aerodynamics, how computational fluid dynamics may use expert systems, and how expert systems may speed the design and development process. In addition, the anatomy of an idealized expert system called AERODYNAMICIST is discussed. Resource requirements for using artificial intelligence in computational fluid dynamics and aerodynamics are examined. Three main conclusions are presented. First, there are two related aspects of computational aerodynamics: reasoning and calculating. Second, a substantial portion of reasoning can be achieved with artificial intelligence. It offers the opportunity of using computers as reasoning machines to set the stage for efficient calculating. Third, expert systems are likely to be new assets of institutions involved in aeronautics for various tasks of computational aerodynamics.

  19. An Information and Technical Manual for the Computer-Assisted Teacher Training System (CATTS).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Semmel, Melvyn I.; And Others

    The manual presents technical information on the computer assisted teacher training system (CATTS) which aims at developing a versatile and economical computer based teacher training system with the capability of providing immediate analysis and feedback of data relevant to teacher pupil transactions in a classroom setting. The physical…

  20. Cache coherency without line exclusivity in MP systems having store-in caches

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pomerene, J.H.; Puzak, T.R.; Rechtschaffen, R.N.

    1983-11-01

    By modifying the function of the storage control unit, a multiprocessor (MP) system having store-in caches is enabled to operate with the same versatility as an MP system having store-through caches, thereby eliminating the requirement for line exclusivity and greatly reducing the occurrence of cross-interrogates.

  1. A Versatile, User-Oriented, Computerized Library System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neuron, Eric

    This paper deals with the problem of the referencing or storing methods in information systems which must be designed to allow for rapid retrieval of the key data leading to the desired information or the recovery of the information directly. Considered as a secondary, but frequently desirable, feature for the system is the ability to determine…

  2. An expert system for chemical speciation of individual particles using low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis data.

    PubMed

    Ro, Chul-Un; Kim, HyeKyeong; Van Grieken, René

    2004-03-01

    An electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) technique, using an energy-dispersive X-ray detector with an ultrathin window, designated a low-Z particle EPMA, has been developed. The low-Z particle EPMA allows the quantitative determination of concentrations of low-Z elements, such as C, N, and O, as well as chemical elements that can be analyzed by conventional energy-dispersive EPMA, in individual particles. Since a data set is usually composed of data for several thousands of particles in order to make environmentally meaningful observations of real atmospheric aerosol samples, the development of a method that fully extracts chemical information contained in the low-Z particle EPMA data is important. An expert system that can rapidly and reliably perform chemical speciation from the low-Z particle EPMA data is presented. This expert system tries to mimic the logic used by experts and is implemented by applying macroprogramming available in MS Excel software. Its feasibility is confirmed by applying the expert system to data for various types of standard particles and a real atmospheric aerosol sample. By applying the expert system, the time necessary for chemical speciation becomes shortened very much and detailed information on particle data can be saved and extracted later if more information is needed for further analysis.

  3. Information Retrieval Diary of an Expert Technical Translator.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cremmins, Edward T.

    1984-01-01

    Recommends use of entries from the information retrieval diary of Ted Crump, expert technical translator at the National Institute of Health, in the construction of computer models showing how expert translators solve problems of ambiguity in language. Expert and inexpert translation systems, eponyms, abbreviations, and alphabetic solutions are…

  4. Expert system for maintenance management of a boiling water reactor power plant

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hong Shen; Liou, L.W.; Levine, S.

    1992-01-01

    An expert system code has been developed for the maintenance of two boiling water reactor units in Berwick, Pennsylvania, that are operated by the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (PP and L). The objective of this expert system code, where the knowledge of experienced operators and engineers is captured and implemented, is to support the decisions regarding which components can be safely and reliably removed from service for maintenance. It can also serve as a query-answering facility for checking the plant system status and for training purposes. The operating and maintenance information of a large number of support systems, whichmore » must be available for emergencies and/or in the event of an accident, is stored in the data base of the code. It identifies the relevant technical specifications and management rules for shutting down any one of the systems or removing a component from service to support maintenance. Because of the complexity and time needed to incorporate a large number of systems and their components, the first phase of the expert system develops a prototype code, which includes only the reactor core isolation coolant system, the high-pressure core injection system, the instrument air system, the service water system, and the plant electrical system. The next phase is scheduled to expand the code to include all other systems. This paper summarizes the prototype code and the design concept of the complete expert system code for maintenance management of all plant systems and components.« less

  5. Expert system verification and validation study. Delivery 1: Survey and interview questions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The NASA funded questionnaire is presented to help define the state-of-the-practice in the formal evaluation of Expert Systems on current NASA and industry applications. The answers to this questionnaire, together with follow-up interviews, will provide realistic answers to the following questions: (1) How much evaluation is being performed; (2) What evaluation techniques are in use; and (3) What, if any, are the unique issues in evaluating Expert Systems.

  6. GTEX: An expert system for diagnosing faults in satellite ground stations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schlegelmilch, Richard F.; Durkin, John; Petrik, Edward J.

    1991-01-01

    A proof of concept expert system called Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at The University of Akron in collaboration with NASA Lewis Research Center. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosing data faults occurring with a digital ground terminal. This strategy can also be applied to the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology. An expert system which detects and diagnoses faults would enhance the performance of the VSAT by improving reliability and reducing maintenance time. GTEX is capable of detecting faults, isolating the cause and recommending appropriate actions. Isolation of faults is completed to board-level modules. A graphical user interface provides control and a medium where data can be requested and cryptic information logically displayed. Interaction with GTEX consists of user responses and input from data files. The use of data files provides a method of simulating dynamic interaction between the digital ground terminal and the expert system. GTEX as described is capable of both improving reliability and reducing the time required for necessary maintenance.

  7. GTEX: An expert system for diagnosing faults in satellite ground stations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schlegelmilch, Richard F.; Durkin, John; Petrik, Edward J.

    1991-11-01

    A proof of concept expert system called Ground Terminal Expert (GTEX) was developed at The University of Akron in collaboration with NASA Lewis Research Center. The objective of GTEX is to aid in diagnosing data faults occurring with a digital ground terminal. This strategy can also be applied to the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology. An expert system which detects and diagnoses faults would enhance the performance of the VSAT by improving reliability and reducing maintenance time. GTEX is capable of detecting faults, isolating the cause and recommending appropriate actions. Isolation of faults is completed to board-level modules. A graphical user interface provides control and a medium where data can be requested and cryptic information logically displayed. Interaction with GTEX consists of user responses and input from data files. The use of data files provides a method of simulating dynamic interaction between the digital ground terminal and the expert system. GTEX as described is capable of both improving reliability and reducing the time required for necessary maintenance.

  8. A hierarchically distributed architecture for fault isolation expert systems on the space station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miksell, Steve; Coffer, Sue

    1987-01-01

    The Space Station Axiomatic Fault Isolating Expert Systems (SAFTIES) system deals with the hierarchical distribution of control and knowledge among independent expert systems doing fault isolation and scheduling of Space Station subsystems. On its lower level, fault isolation is performed on individual subsystems. These fault isolation expert systems contain knowledge about the performance requirements of their particular subsystem and corrective procedures which may be involved in repsonse to certain performance errors. They can control the functions of equipment in their system and coordinate system task schedules. On a higher level, the Executive contains knowledge of all resources, task schedules for all systems, and the relative priority of all resources and tasks. The executive can override any subsystem task schedule in order to resolve use conflicts or resolve errors that require resources from multiple subsystems. Interprocessor communication is implemented using the SAFTIES Communications Interface (SCI). The SCI is an application layer protocol which supports the SAFTIES distributed multi-level architecture.

  9. Knowledge-based operation and management of communications systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heggestad, Harold M.

    1988-01-01

    Expert systems techniques are being applied in operation and control of the Defense Communications System (DCS), which has the mission of providing reliable worldwide voice, data and message services for U.S. forces and commands. Thousands of personnel operate DCS facilities, and many of their functions match the classical expert system scenario: complex, skill-intensive environments with a full spectrum of problems in training and retention, cost containment, modernization, and so on. Two of these functions are: (1) fault isolation and restoral of dedicated circuits at Tech Control Centers, and (2) network management for the Defense Switched Network (the modernized dial-up voice system currently replacing AUTOVON). An expert system for the first of these is deployed for evaluation purposes at Andrews Air Force Base, and plans are being made for procurement of operational systems. In the second area, knowledge obtained with a sophisticated simulator is being embedded in an expert system. The background, design and status of both projects are described.

  10. Knowledge-based operation and management of communications systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heggestad, Harold M.

    1988-11-01

    Expert systems techniques are being applied in operation and control of the Defense Communications System (DCS), which has the mission of providing reliable worldwide voice, data and message services for U.S. forces and commands. Thousands of personnel operate DCS facilities, and many of their functions match the classical expert system scenario: complex, skill-intensive environments with a full spectrum of problems in training and retention, cost containment, modernization, and so on. Two of these functions are: (1) fault isolation and restoral of dedicated circuits at Tech Control Centers, and (2) network management for the Defense Switched Network (the modernized dial-up voice system currently replacing AUTOVON). An expert system for the first of these is deployed for evaluation purposes at Andrews Air Force Base, and plans are being made for procurement of operational systems. In the second area, knowledge obtained with a sophisticated simulator is being embedded in an expert system. The background, design and status of both projects are described.

  11. Expert systems tools for Hubble Space Telescope observation scheduling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Glenn; Rosenthal, Don; Cohen, William; Johnston, Mark

    1987-01-01

    The utility of expert systems techniques for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) planning and scheduling is discussed and a plan for development of expert system tools which will augment the existing ground system is described. Additional capabilities provided by these tools will include graphics-oriented plan evaluation, long-range analysis of the observation pool, analysis of optimal scheduling time intervals, constructing sequences of spacecraft activities which minimize operational overhead, and optimization of linkages between observations. Initial prototyping of a scheduler used the Automated Reasoning Tool running on a LISP workstation.

  12. Evaluation of Fuzzy Rulemaking for Expert Systems for Failure Detection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laritz, F.; Sheridan, T. B.

    1984-01-01

    Computer aids in expert systems were proposed to diagnose failures in complex systems. It is shown that the fuzzy set theory of Zadeh offers a new perspective for modeling for humans thinking and language use. It is assumed that real expert human operators of aircraft, power plants and other systems do not think of their control tasks or failure diagnosis tasks in terms of control laws in differential equation form, but rather keep in mind a set of rules of thumb in fuzzy form. Fuzzy set experiments are described.

  13. Expert System for Automated Design Synthesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rogers, James L., Jr.; Barthelemy, Jean-Francois M.

    1987-01-01

    Expert-system computer program EXADS developed to aid users of Automated Design Synthesis (ADS) general-purpose optimization program. EXADS aids engineer in determining best combination based on knowledge of specific problem and expert knowledge stored in knowledge base. Available in two interactive machine versions. IBM PC version (LAR-13687) written in IQ-LISP. DEC VAX version (LAR-13688) written in Franz-LISP.

  14. Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert.

    PubMed

    Esen, Hatice; Hatipoğlu, Tuğçen; Cihan, Ahmet; Fiğlali, Nilgün

    2017-09-19

    Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.

  15. The expert surgical assistant. An intelligent virtual environment with multimodal input.

    PubMed

    Billinghurst, M; Savage, J; Oppenheimer, P; Edmond, C

    1996-01-01

    Virtual Reality has made computer interfaces more intuitive but not more intelligent. This paper shows how an expert system can be coupled with multimodal input in a virtual environment to provide an intelligent simulation tool or surgical assistant. This is accomplished in three steps. First, voice and gestural input is interpreted and represented in a common semantic form. Second, a rule-based expert system is used to infer context and user actions from this semantic representation. Finally, the inferred user actions are matched against steps in a surgical procedure to monitor the user's progress and provide automatic feedback. In addition, the system can respond immediately to multimodal commands for navigational assistance and/or identification of critical anatomical structures. To show how these methods are used we present a prototype sinus surgery interface. The approach described here may easily be extended to a wide variety of medical and non-medical training applications by making simple changes to the expert system database and virtual environment models. Successful implementation of an expert system in both simulated and real surgery has enormous potential for the surgeon both in training and clinical practice.

  16. Professionalism in court

    PubMed Central

    Hutchins, John C.

    2014-01-01

    Summary Serving as an expert witness can be a rewarding experience. It affords the neurologist the opportunity to contribute expertise to the legal system's pursuit of justice and benefits the public interest. However, serving as an expert witness without understanding and incorporating relevant professional and specialty guidelines concerning expert witness testimony can place the neurologist at risk. The American Academy of Neurology has established standards governing expert witness testimony and a disciplinary process to respond to complaints of violation of its standards. Increased understanding of and adherence to these qualifications and guidelines, coupled with an awareness of how the legal system differs from clinical practice, will better equip neurologists serving as expert witnesses and minimize their professional risk when doing so. PMID:25279255

  17. A Computer Program which Uses an Expert Systems Approach to Identifying Minerals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hart, Allan Bruce; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Described is a mineral identification program which uses a shell system for creating expert systems of a classification nature. Discusses identification of minerals in hand specimens, thin sections, and polished sections of rocks. (Author/CW)

  18. Expert Systems: Tutors, Tools, and Tutees.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lippert, Renate C.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses the current status, research, and practical implications of artificial intelligence and expert systems in education. Topics discussed include computer-assisted instruction; intelligent computer-assisted instruction; intelligent tutoring systems; instructional strategies involving the creation of knowledge bases; decision aids;…

  19. Utilization of artificial intelligence techniques for the Space Station power system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Evatt, Thomas C.; Gholdston, Edward W.

    1988-01-01

    Due to the complexity of the Space Station Electrical Power System (EPS) as currently envisioned, artificial intelligence/expert system techniques are being investigated to automate operations, maintenance, and diagnostic functions. A study was conducted to investigate this technology as it applies to failure detection, isolation, and reconfiguration (FDIR) and health monitoring of power system components and of the total system. Control system utilization of expert systems for load scheduling and shedding operations was also researched. A discussion of the utilization of artificial intelligence/expert systems for Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the Space Station effort is presented along with future plans at Rocketdyne for the utilization of this technology for enhanced Space Station power capability.

  20. An application of object-oriented knowledge representation to engineering expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Logie, D. S.; Kamil, H.; Umaretiya, J. R.

    1990-01-01

    The paper describes an object-oriented knowledge representation and its application to engineering expert systems. The object-oriented approach promotes efficient handling of the problem data by allowing knowledge to be encapsulated in objects and organized by defining relationships between the objects. An Object Representation Language (ORL) was implemented as a tool for building and manipulating the object base. Rule-based knowledge representation is then used to simulate engineering design reasoning. Using a common object base, very large expert systems can be developed, comprised of small, individually processed, rule sets. The integration of these two schemes makes it easier to develop practical engineering expert systems. The general approach to applying this technology to the domain of the finite element analysis, design, and optimization of aerospace structures is discussed.

  1. Expert System Approach For Generating And Evaluating Engine Design Alternatives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Stewart N. T.; Chew, Meng-Sang; Issa, Ghassan F.

    1989-03-01

    Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important subject of study for computer scientists, engineering designers, as well as professionals in other fields. Even though AI technology is a relatively new discipline, many of its concepts have already found practical applications. Expert systems, in particular, have made significant contributions to technologies in such fields as business, medicine, engineering design, chemistry, and particle physics. This paper describes an expert system developed to aid the mechanical designer with the preliminary design of variable-stroke internal-combustion engines. The expert system accomplished its task by generating and evaluating a large number of design alternatives represented in the form of graphs. Through the application of structural and design rules directly to the graphs, optimal and near optimal preliminary design configurations of engines are deduced.

  2. Using hybrid expert system approaches for engineering applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, R. H.; Boarnet, M. G.; Culbert, C. J.; Savely, R. T.

    1987-01-01

    In this paper, the use of hybrid expert system shells and hybrid (i.e., algorithmic and heuristic) approaches for solving engineering problems is reported. Aspects of various engineering problem domains are reviewed for a number of examples with specific applications made to recently developed prototype expert systems. Based on this prototyping experience, critical evaluations of and comparisons between commercially available tools, and some research tools, in the United States and Australia, and their underlying problem-solving paradigms are made. Characteristics of the implementation tool and the engineering domain are compared and practical software engineering issues are discussed with respect to hybrid tools and approaches. Finally, guidelines are offered with the hope that expert system development will be less time consuming, more effective, and more cost-effective than it has been in the past.

  3. Expert Recommender: Designing for a Network Organization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reichling, Tim; Veith, Michael; Wulf, Volker

    Recent knowledge management initiatives focus on expertise sharing within formal organizational units and informal communities of practice. Expert recommender systems seem to be a promising tool in support of these initiatives. This paper presents experiences in designing an expert recommender system for a knowledge- intensive organization, namely the National Industry Association (NIA). Field study results provide a set of specific design requirements. Based on these requirements, we have designed an expert recommender system which is integrated into the specific software infrastructure of the organizational setting. The organizational setting is, as we will show, specific for historical, political, and economic reasons. These particularities influence the employees’ organizational and (inter-)personal needs within this setting. The paper connects empirical findings of a long-term case study with design experiences of an expertise recommender system.

  4. Evaluation of expert systems - An approach and case study. [of determining software functional requirements for command management of satellites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Liebowitz, J.

    1985-01-01

    Techniques that were applied in defining an expert system prototype for first-cut evaluations of the software functional requirements of NASA satellite command management activities are described. The prototype was developed using the Knowledge Engineering System. Criteria were selected for evaluating the satellite software before defining the expert system prototype. Application of the prototype system is illustrated in terms of the evaluation procedures used with the COBE satellite to be launched in 1988. The limited number of options which can be considered by the program mandates that biases in the system output must be well understood by the users.

  5. Nanoporous hard data: optical encoding of information within nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santos, Abel; Law, Cheryl Suwen; Pereira, Taj; Losic, Dusan

    2016-04-01

    Herein, we present a method for storing binary data within the spectral signature of nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. A rationally designed multi-sinusoidal anodisation approach makes it possible to engineer the photonic stop band of nanoporous anodic alumina with precision. As a result, the transmission spectrum of these photonic nanostructures can be engineered to feature well-resolved and selectively positioned characteristic peaks across the UV-visible spectrum. Using this property, we implement an 8-bit binary code and assess the versatility and capability of this system by a series of experiments aiming to encode different information within the nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. The obtained results reveal that the proposed nanosized platform is robust, chemically stable, versatile and has a set of unique properties for data storage, opening new opportunities for developing advanced nanophotonic tools for a wide range of applications, including sensing, photonic tagging, self-reporting drug releasing systems and secure encoding of information.Herein, we present a method for storing binary data within the spectral signature of nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. A rationally designed multi-sinusoidal anodisation approach makes it possible to engineer the photonic stop band of nanoporous anodic alumina with precision. As a result, the transmission spectrum of these photonic nanostructures can be engineered to feature well-resolved and selectively positioned characteristic peaks across the UV-visible spectrum. Using this property, we implement an 8-bit binary code and assess the versatility and capability of this system by a series of experiments aiming to encode different information within the nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. The obtained results reveal that the proposed nanosized platform is robust, chemically stable, versatile and has a set of unique properties for data storage, opening new opportunities for developing advanced nanophotonic tools for a wide range of applications, including sensing, photonic tagging, self-reporting drug releasing systems and secure encoding of information. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Further details about anodisation profiles, SEM cross-section images, digital pictures, transmission spectra, photonic barcodes and ASCII codes of the different NAA photonic crystals fabricated and analysed in our study. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01068g

  6. Phenotypic constraints promote latent versatility and carbon efficiency in metabolic networks.

    PubMed

    Bardoscia, Marco; Marsili, Matteo; Samal, Areejit

    2015-07-01

    System-level properties of metabolic networks may be the direct product of natural selection or arise as a by-product of selection on other properties. Here we study the effect of direct selective pressure for growth or viability in particular environments on two properties of metabolic networks: latent versatility to function in additional environments and carbon usage efficiency. Using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling based on flux balance analysis (FBA), we sample from a known biochemical universe random viable metabolic networks that differ in the number of directly constrained environments. We find that the latent versatility of sampled metabolic networks increases with the number of directly constrained environments and with the size of the networks. We then show that the average carbon wastage of sampled metabolic networks across the constrained environments decreases with the number of directly constrained environments and with the size of the networks. Our work expands the growing body of evidence about nonadaptive origins of key functional properties of biological networks.

  7. 76 FR 31362 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-Versatile Onboard...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-31

    ... Production Act of 1993--Versatile Onboard Traffic Embedded Roaming Sensors (Formerly Joint Venture To Perform Project Entitled Versatile Onboard Traffic Embedded Roaming Sensors) Notice is hereby given that, on April..., 15 U.S.C. 4301 et seq. (``the Act''), Versatile Onboard Traffic Embedded Roaming Sensors (formerly...

  8. Supervised multimedia categorization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aldershoff, Frank; Salden, Alfons H.; Iacob, Sorin M.; Kempen, Masja

    2003-01-01

    Static multimedia on the Web can already be hardly structured manually. Although unavoidable and necessary, manual annotation of dynamic multimedia becomes even less feasible when multimedia quickly changes in complexity, i.e. in volume, modality, and usage context. The latter context could be set by learning or other purposes of the multimedia material. This multimedia dynamics calls for categorisation systems that index, query and retrieve multimedia objects on the fly in a similar way as a human expert would. We present and demonstrate such a supervised dynamic multimedia object categorisation system. Our categorisation system comes about by continuously gauging it to a group of human experts who annotate raw multimedia for a certain domain ontology given a usage context. Thus effectively our system learns the categorisation behaviour of human experts. By inducing supervised multi-modal content and context-dependent potentials our categorisation system associates field strengths of raw dynamic multimedia object categorisations with those human experts would assign. After a sufficient long period of supervised machine learning we arrive at automated robust and discriminative multimedia categorisation. We demonstrate the usefulness and effectiveness of our multimedia categorisation system in retrieving semantically meaningful soccer-video fragments, in particular by taking advantage of multimodal and domain specific information and knowledge supplied by human experts.

  9. Evaluation of a proposed expert system development methodology: Two case studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gilstrap, Lewey

    1990-01-01

    Two expert system development projects were studied to evaluate a proposed Expert Systems Development Methodology (ESDM). The ESDM was developed to provide guidance to managers and technical personnel and serve as a standard in the development of expert systems. It was agreed that the proposed ESDM must be evaluated before it could be adopted; therefore a study was planned for its evaluation. This detailed study is now underway. Before the study began, however, two ongoing projects were selected for a retrospective evaluation. They were the Ranging Equipment Diagnostic Expert System (REDEX) and the Backup Control Mode Analysis and Utility System (BCAUS). Both projects were approximately 1 year into development. Interviews of project personnel were conducted, and the resulting data was used to prepare the retrospective evaluation. Decision models of the two projects were constructed and used to evaluate the completeness and accuracy of key provisions of ESDM. A major conclusion reached from these case studies is that suitability and risk analysis should be required for all AI projects, large and small. Further, the objectives of each stage of development during a project should be selected to reduce the next largest area of risk or uncertainty on the project.

  10. Social and economic sustainability of urban systems: comparative analysis of metropolitan statistical areas in Ohio, USA

    EPA Science Inventory

    This article presents a general and versatile methodology for assessing sustainability with Fisher Information as a function of dynamic changes in urban systems. Using robust statistical methods, six Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Ohio were evaluated to comparatively as...

  11. Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Harold O.; Burford, Anna Marie

    1990-01-01

    Delineates artificial intelligence/expert systems (AI/ES) concepts; provides an exposition of some business application areas; relates progress; and creates an awareness of the benefits, limitations, and reservations of AI/ES. (Author)

  12. CLIPS: A tool for corn disease diagnostic system and an aid to neural network for automated knowledge acquisition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Cathy; Taylor, Pam; Whitson, George; Smith, Cathy

    1990-01-01

    This paper describes the building of a corn disease diagnostic expert system using CLIPS, and the development of a neural expert system using the fact representation method of CLIPS for automated knowledge acquisition. The CLIPS corn expert system diagnoses 21 diseases from 52 symptoms and signs with certainty factors. CLIPS has several unique features. It allows the facts in rules to be broken down to object-attribute-value (OAV) triples, allows rule-grouping, and fires rules based on pattern-matching. These features combined with the chained inference engine result to a natural user query system and speedy execution. In order to develop a method for automated knowledge acquisition, an Artificial Neural Expert System (ANES) is developed by a direct mapping from the CLIPS system. The ANES corn expert system uses the same OAV triples in the CLIPS system for its facts. The LHS and RHS facts of the CLIPS rules are mapped into the input and output layers of the ANES, respectively; and the inference engine of the rules is imbedded in the hidden layer. The fact representation by OAC triples gives a natural grouping of the rules. These features allow the ANES system to automate rule-generation, and make it efficient to execute and easy to expand for a large and complex domain.

  13. Interactive Spacecraft Trajectory Design Strategies Featuring Poincare Map Topology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schlei, Wayne R.

    Space exploration efforts are shifting towards inexpensive and more agile vehicles. Versatility regarding spacecraft trajectories refers to the agility to correct deviations from an intended path or even the ability to adapt the future path to a new destination--all with limited spaceflight resources (i.e., small DeltaV budgets). Trajectory design methods for such nimble vehicles incorporate equally versatile procedures that allow for rapid and interactive decision making while attempting to reduce Delta V budgets, leading to a versatile trajectory design platform. A versatile design paradigm requires the exploitation of Poincare map topology , or the interconnected web of dynamical structures, existing within the chaotic dynamics of multi-body gravitational models to outline low-Delta V transfer options residing nearby to a current path. This investigation details an autonomous procedure to extract the periodic orbits (topology nodes) and correlated asymptotic flow structures (or the invariant manifolds representing topology links). The autonomous process summarized in this investigation (termed PMATE) overcomes discontinuities on the Poincare section that arise in the applied multi-body model (the planar circular restricted three-body problem) and detects a wide variety of novel periodic orbits. New interactive capabilities deliver a visual analytics foundation for versatile spaceflight design, especially for initial guess generation and manipulation. Such interactive strategies include the selection of states and arcs from Poincare section visualizations and the capabilities to draw and drag trajectories to remove dependency on initial state input. Furthermore, immersive selection is expanded to cull invariant manifold structures, yielding low-DeltaV or even DeltaV-free transfers between periodic orbits. The application of interactive design strategies featuring a dense extraction of Poincare map topology is demonstrated for agile spaceflight with a simple spacecraft rerouting scenario incorporating a very limited Delta V budget. In the Earth-Moon system, a low-DeltaV transfer from low Earth orbit (LEO) to the distant retrograde orbit (DRO) vicinity is derived with interactive topology-based design tactics. Finally, Poincare map topology is exploited in the Saturn-Enceladus system to explore a possible ballistic capture scenario around Enceladus.

  14. The CBT Advisor: An Expert System Program for Making Decisions about CBT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kearsley, Greg

    1985-01-01

    Discusses structure, credibility, and use of the Computer Based Training (CBT) Advisor, an expert system designed to help managers make judgements about course selection, system selection, cost/benefits, development effort, and probable success of CBT projects. (MBR)

  15. ROSIE: A Programming Environment for Expert Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-10-01

    ence on Artificial Inteligence , Tbilisi, USSR, 1975. Fain, J., D. Gorlin, F. Hayes-Roth, S. Rosenschein, H. Sowizral, and D. Waterman, The ROSIE Language...gramming environment for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. It provides particular support for designing expert systems, systems that embody

  16. Expert agreements and disagreements on induced seismicity by Enhanced Geothermal Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trutnevyte, E.; Azevedo, I. L.

    2016-12-01

    Enhanced or Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) are at an early stage of development and only a handful of projects exist worldwide. In face of limited empirical evidence on EGS induced seismicity, expert elicitation provides a complementary view to quantitative assessments and basic science. We present the results of an international expert elicitation exercise with 14 experts from 6 countries. The elicitation aimed at evaluating induced seismicity hazard and risk for EGS and characterizing associated uncertainty. The state-of-the-art expert elicitation method was used: it combines technical analysis with behavioral science-informed elicitation of expert judgement in order to minimize subjectivity. The experts assessed a harmonized scenario of an EGS plant, its operational characteristics, geological context, and surrounding buildings and infrastructures. The experts provided quantitative estimates of exceedance probabilities of induced M>=3 and M>=5, maximum magnitudes that could be observed, and made judgements on economic loss, injuries, and fatalities in the case of M=3 and M=5. The experts also rated the importance of factors that influence induced seismicity hazard and risk (e.g. reservoir depth, injected volumes, exposed building stock etc.) and the potential uncertainty reductions through future research. We present the findings of this elicitation and highlight the points of expert agreements and disagreements.

  17. Psychological tools for knowledge acquisition

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rueter, Henry H.; Olson, Judith Reitman

    1988-01-01

    Knowledge acquisition is said to be the biggest bottleneck in the development of expert systems. The problem is getting the knowledge out of the expert's head and into a computer. In cognitive psychology, characterizing metal structures and why experts are good at what they do is an important research area. Is there some way that the tools that psychologists have developed to uncover mental structure can be used to benefit knowledge engineers? We think that the way to find out is to browse through the psychologist's toolbox to see what there is in it that might be of use to knowledge engineers. Expert system developers have relied on two standard methods for extracting knowledge from the expert: (1) the knowledge engineer engages in an intense bout of interviews with the expert or experts, or (2) the knowledge engineer becomes an expert himself, relying on introspection to uncover the basis of his own expertise. Unfortunately, these techniques have the difficulty that often the expert himself isn't consciously aware of the basis of his expertise. If the expert himself isn't conscious of how he solves problems, introspection is useless. Cognitive psychology has faced similar problems for many years and has developed exploratory methods that can be used to discover cognitive structure from simple data.

  18. SFTYCHEF: A Consultative, Diagnostic Expert System for Trench Excavation Safety Analysis on Light Commercial Construction Projects.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-03-30

    Safe Trench Excavation ...... 2 Applicability to Solution via Expert System. 3 Background: Expert Systems ..................... 4 Definition of an...trench, drownings in the trench, and other mishaps which are the result of a lack of S C- proper consideration for safe construction practices. Although...the problem is not a new one, there is as yet no *" obvious method that will guarantee a safe trench. In addition, the expertise needed to provide case

  19. Natural Language Processor as a Universal Front End to Expert Systems.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-12-01

    EGaschnig 19791 4.1.7 ESCA SPECTRA INTERPRETER, ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) is ~ an expert system which directly processes...then used as input to the ESCA Interpreter program. The 0 program, like that of CRYSALIS, is intended to be used by and expert in the field of chemical ...expect to be there. For example, in the DENDRAL 0 chemical analysis system[Handbook of AI], chemical names such as benzene and methanol, must form part of

  20. Versatile optical coherence tomography for imaging the human eye

    PubMed Central

    Tao, Aizhu; Shao, Yilei; Zhong, Jianguang; Jiang, Hong; Shen, Meixiao; Wang, Jianhua

    2013-01-01

    We demonstrated the feasibility of a CMOS-based spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) for versatile ophthalmic applications of imaging the corneal epithelium, limbus, ocular surface, contact lens, crystalline lens, retina, and full eye in vivo. The system was based on a single spectrometer and an alternating reference arm with four mirrors. A galvanometer scanner was used to switch the reference beam among the four mirrors, depending on the imaging application. An axial resolution of 7.7 μm in air, a scan depth of up to 37.7 mm in air, and a scan speed of up to 70,000 A-lines per second were achieved. The approach has the capability to provide high-resolution imaging of the corneal epithelium, contact lens, ocular surface, and tear meniscus. Using two reference mirrors, the zero delay lines were alternatively placed on the front cornea or on the back lens. The entire ocular anterior segment was imaged by registering and overlapping the two images. The full eye through the pupil was measured when the reference arm was switched among the four reference mirrors. After mounting a 60 D lens in the sample arm, this SD-OCT was used to image the retina, including the macula and optical nerve head. This system demonstrates versatility and simplicity for multi-purpose ophthalmic applications. PMID:23847729

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