This paper presents an interval valued goal programming approach for solving multiobjective fractional programming problems. In the model formulation of the problem, the interval-valued system constraints are converted in to equivalent crisp system. The interval valued fractional objective goals are transformed into linear goals by employing the iterative parametric method which is an extension...

Most paral lel planners are sensitive to the order in which goals and act iv i ty preconditions are specified. A "wrong" ordering can easily cause a solution to be missed. Permuting goals and preconditions on fa i lure in hopes of f inding a soluble order is in general computationally unacceptable. Plan spl icing is a solution to this problem. Splicing is a violent conf l ic t resolution proced...

Goals, as typically conceived in AI planning, provide an insufficient basis for choice of action, and hence are deficient as the sole expression of an agent’s objectives. Decision-theoretic utilities offer a more adequate basis, yet lack many of the computational advantages of goals. We provide a preferential semantics for goals that grounds them in decision theory and preserves the validity of...

Ireland developed a National Strategy 2030 that argued for the creation of a new form of higher education institution, a Technological University. The research reported here reviews the first stage of this partnership development. The study found that national policy can create system capacity and change, but that individual partners may have more to gain or lose in collaborating. When presente...

I consider the interaction of trade and environmental policies in two canonical models: competitive general equilibrium (which I extend to allow for monopoly power in trade) and multi-period oligopoly (which I extend to incorporate a general pollution abatement technology). Despite the complexities of the models and the considerable differences between them, they have surprisingly similar impli...

In mammalian physiology, lactation follows pregnancy, and disruption of this physiology is associated with adverse health outcomes for mother and child. Although lactation is the physiologic norm, cultural norms for infant feeding have changed dramatically over the past century. Breastfeeding initiation fell from 70% in the early 1900s to 22% in 1972. In the past 40 years, rates have risen subs...

This qualitative descriptive study used Agnew's general strain theory of crime and delinquency as lens through which to interpret the recent developments of juvenile gangs and gang-related activities in Houston, Texas. Agnew strain theory's main prepositions describe: 1) an inability to achieve goals that are valued positively, 2) an absence of positive goals, and 3) a presence of negativity or...

In open world applications a number of machine-learning techniques may potentially apply to a given learning situation. The research presented here illustrates the complexity involved in automatically choosing an appropriate technique in a multistrategy learning system. It also constitutes a step toward a general computational solution to the learning-strategy selection problem. The approach is...

Fault-tolerant computing is a mature art whose techniques have migrated from mainframe computers to other product classes. This migration has involved tradeoffs between failure probabilities, defined availability requirements, performance implications, and product cost. At IBM, we have incorporated fault tolerance in designing Power4 systems—servers comprised of several Power4 chips. The Power4...