We use “nearly sound” logical constraints to infer hidden states of relational processes. We introduce a simple-transition cost model, which is parameterized by weighted constraints and a statetransition cost. Inference for this model, i.e. finding a minimum-cost state sequence, reduces to a single-state minimization (SSM) problem. For relational Horn constraints, we give a practical approach t...

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a potentially powerful tool for improving the management of the complex social systems aspect of Information Systems. Yet if it is to be employed effectively IS managers need to understand the theory of social systems that makes SSM a meaningful practical approach. However finding out about that social theory is not straightforward. It is 20 years since the fir...

abstract the aim of this study was to assess the affects of agricultural extension programs on the promotion of the efficiency, knowledge and technical expertise of farmers. the study also aimed to analyze the factors affecting the acceptance of agricultural extension programs with regards to process of agricultural development. a survey consisting of 137 samples was conducted between wheat far...

We compare predictions of a simple process-based crop model (Soltani and Sinclair 2012), a simple statistical model (Schlenker and Roberts 2009), and a combination of both models to actual maize yields on a large, representative sample of farmer-managed fields in the Corn Belt region of the United States. After statistical post-model calibration, the process model (Simple Simulation Model, or S...

Empirical time series are subject to observational noise. Naïve approaches that estimate parameters in stochastic models for such time series are likely to fail due to the error-in-variables challenge. State space models (SSM) explicitly include observational noise. Applying the expectation maximization (EM) algorithm together with the Kalman filter constitute a robust iterative procedure to es...

The effects of body size and feed intake on N digestibility, pancreas and liver weight, and digestive enzyme activities in male broiler chicks were compared with those induced by dietary tannins. Four groups (SSM, ad lib., pair-fed and young) of sixteen birds each (2 weeks old) were used as experimental animals. They were fed on experimental diets for 4 weeks, except the young group which were ...

The large mixing (mass) (LMA) -MSW model of solar neutrinos (νe) is now widely held to be near definitive, based on global consistency with data. No physical effect, however, compels its uniqueness. The present search for an explicitly testable competitive model was stimulated by a surprising finding– the high energy part of the standard solar model (SSM) 8B νe spectrum can be scaled very preci...

Nitric oxide (NO) and protein S-nitrosylation (SNO) have been shown to play important roles in ischaemic preconditioning (IPC)-induced acute cardioprotection. The majority of proteins that show increased SNO following IPC are localized to the mitochondria, and our recent studies suggest that caveolae transduce acute NO/SNO cardioprotective signalling in IPC hearts. Due to the close association ...

Multidatabase systems are widely used as a mechanism to integrate distributed heterogeneous data sources. The Summary Schemas Model (SSM) as a multidatabase solution provides high performance, supports scalability, and can handle imprecise queries. A distinct characteristic of this model is that it utilizes a Thesaurus to capture the semantic relation between database contents and represents in...

We introduce Scene Structural Matrix (SSM), a novel image content descriptor and its application to invariant image retrieval. The SSM captures the overall structural characteristics of the scene by indexing the geometric features of the image. We employ a binary image tree (bintree) to partition the image and from which we derive multiscale geometric structural descriptors of the image. We hav...