Based on the reference model for requirements and specifications of Jackson, Zave, et al. a reference model for problem specifications of reactive systems is defined. Considering the requirements specification technique FOREST, it is shown that both reference models can be instantiated using a real–time temporal logic and that they are compatible with structural concepts like inheritance and ag...

In this paper, the minimum spanning tree problem is investigated on the graph with fuzzy edge weights. The notion of fuzzy α-minimum spanning tree is presented based on the credibility measure, and then the solutions of the fuzzy α-minimum spanning tree problem are discussed under different assumptions. First, we respectively assume that all the edge weights are triangular fuzzy numbers and tra...

Recently Nickle et al. introduced a new model of genetic diversity that summarizes a large input dataset into a short sequence containing overlapping subsequences from the dataset. This model has direct applications to rational vaccine design. In this paper we formally investigate the combinatorics of the vaccine optimization problem. Here the vaccine is constructed as a sequence S of amino-aci...

The general opinion about nuclear power plants is that they are not flexible generating units characterized with low or no load following capabilities. Therefore they should be used as baseline units only. Given the economic perspective of this issue, it is clear that the reasons for use of nuclear power plants as baseline units are purely economic. They have the lowest variable costs compared ...

International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (IJMS) is published by the Faculty Graduate - University Sri Jayewardenepura. IJMS provides a supportive environment for multidisciplinary researchers to publish their contribution academy knowledge and wisdom. Focus journal on research which should cover at least two distinct disciplines.

Assessing urban vulnerability to natural hazards such as earthquakes can be regarded as an ill-structured problem (i.e. a problem for which there is no unique, identifiable, objectively optimal solution). A review of the literature indi­ cates a number of contrasting definitions of what vulnerability means, as well as numerous conflicting perspectives on what should or should not be included wi...

Most theoretical definitions about the complexity of manipulating elections focus on the decision problem of recognizing which instances can be successfully manipulated, rather than the search problem of finding the successful manipulative actions. Since the latter is a far more natural goal for manipulators, that definitional focus may be misguided if these two complexities can differ. Our mai...

Presented in this paper are the results of an intervention strategy aimed at increasing the awareness of the gender imbalance in information and communication technology (ICT) education and work. It discusses an intervention, an undergraduate course on gender and ICT, which took place in Hanover Germany in February 2007. The intervention was based on research carried out by the authors as part ...

This paper presents a simple, yet effective method of enhancing the inherent diversity among packet retransmissions in digital communication systems that employ high-order modulations such as M -PSK and M -QAM through frequency-selective channels. Diversity is enhanced by uniquely redefining the bitto-symbol mapping for each retransmission. Finding the optimal mappings leads to iterative soluti...