The accuracy of using linear models for crude distillation unit (CDU), fluidize-bed catalytic cracker (FCC) and product blending in refinery planning has been debated for decades. Inaccuracy caused by nonrigorous linear models may reduce the overall profitability or sacrifice product quality. On the other hand, using rigorous process models for refinery planning imposes unnecessary complication...

While a lot of technical data is available on the Web, conveying information about detailed procedures for the assembly and repair of complex machinery has so far been limited mostly to 2D drawings and textual content. In this paper we describe the technology behind our 3D Wiki, a system meant to address this problem. By blending the functionality of virtual worlds (3D visualization and navigat...

In Cognitive Science, conceptual blending has been proposed as an important cognitive mechanism that facilitates the creation of new concepts and ideas by constrained combination of available knowledge. It thereby provides a possible theoretical foundation for modeling high-level cognitive faculties such as the ability to understand, learn, and create new concepts and theories. Quite often the ...

Protein consists of a set of atoms. Given a protein, the molecular surface of the protein is defined with respect to a probe approximating a solvent molecule. This paper presents an efficient, as efficient as the realtime, algorithm to triangulate the blending surfaces which is the most critical subset of a molecular surface. For the quick evaluation of points on the surface, the proposed algor...

This paper proposes new field functions that have adjustable inner radius and outer radius of influence. Incorporating the proposed field functions with soft object modeling, soft blending, Ricci’s super-ellipsoid blends, Perlin’s set operations, and R-functions, etc. can have blending range controls by adjusting the inner and the outer radii of influence of given field functions. As a result, ...

Fauconnier and Turner’s conceptual blending theory (1998) has been used to analyze many types of cognitive phenomena, particularly the role blending plays in language comprehension. In this paper we illustrate how blending also has a role in mediating expert performance, such as understanding the meaning of a chart or a navigation display. Pilots use blends to assess flight situations, predict ...

Conceptual blending has been proposed as a creative cognitive process, but most theories focus on the analysis of existing blends rather than mechanisms for the efficient construction of novel blends. While conceptual blending is a powerful model for creativity, there are many challenges related to the computational application of blending. Inspired by recent theoretical research, we argue that...

We propose a shape representation scheme which allows two shapes to be combined into a single model. The desired regions of the two shapes are selected, and then merged together forming a blended shape. For reconstruction, blending is incorporated into a deformable model framework. The model automatically adapts to the data, blending when necessary. Hierarchical blending allows multiple blends ...

This paper presents a scale method for developing high dimensional scale functions to blend implicitly defined objects. Scale functions are differentiable on the entire domain except the origin, provide blending range control, and behave like Min/Max operators everywhere, so even a successive composition of blending operations containing overlapped blending regions can be generated smoothly. Be...