bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decentralized Large-Scale Electricity Consumption Shifting by Prosumer Cooperatives
Authors: Akasiadis Charilaos  , Chalkiadakis Georgios
Published: February 2025

In this work we address the problem of coordinated consumption shifting for electricity prosumers. We show that individual optimization with respect to electricity prices does not always lead to minimized costs, thus necessitating a cooperative approach. A prosumer cooperative employs an internal cryptocurrency mechanism for coordinating members decisions and distributing the collectively generated profits. The mechanism generates cryptocoins in a distributed fashion, and awards them to participants according to various criteria, such as contribution impact and accuracy between stated and final shifting actions. In particular, when a scoring rules-based distribution method is employed, participants are incentivized to be accurate. When tested on a large dataset with real-world production and consumption data, our approach is shown to provide incentives for accurate statements and increased economic profits for the cooperative.
Agent-Based Refinement for Predicate Abstraction of Multi-Agent Systems
Authors: Belardinelli Francesco  , Lomuscio Alessio  , Michaliszyn Jakub
Published: February 2025

We put forward an agent-based refinement methodology for the verification of infinite-state Multi-Agent Systems by predicate abstraction. We use specifications defined in a three-valued variant of the temporal epistemic logic ATLK. We define “failure states” as candidates for refinement, and provide a sound automatic procedure for their identification. Further, we introduce a methodology based on Craig's interpolants for the refinement of the agent-specific predicates upon which the abstraction is built. We illustrate the refinement technique on an infinite-state auction scenario, and show that specifications of interest, that could not be checked by plain abstraction, can now be verified on the refined models.
Dynamic Choice of State Abstraction in Q-Learning
Authors: Tamassia Marco  , Zambetta Fabio  , Raffe William L.  , Mueller Florian ‘Floyd’  , Li Xiaodong
Published: February 2025

Q-learning associates states and actions of a Markov Decision Process to expected future reward through online learning. In practice, however, when the state space is large and experience is still limited, the algorithm will not find a match between current state and experience unless some details describing states are ignored. On the other hand, reducing state information affects long term performance because decisions will need to be made on less informative inputs. We propose a variation of Q-learning that gradually enriches state descriptions, after enough experience is accumulated. This is coupled with an ad-hoc exploration strategy that aims at collecting key information that allows the algorithm to enrich state descriptions earlier. Experimental results obtained by applying our algorithm to the arcade game Pac-Man show that our approach significantly outperforms Q-learning during the learning process while not penalizing long-term performance.
Subsumed Label Elimination for Maximum Satisfiability
Authors: Berg Jeremias  , Saikko Paul  , Järvisalo Matti
Published: February 2025

We propose subsumed label elimination (SLE), a socalled label-based preprocessing technique for the Boolean optimization paradigm of maximum satisfiability (MaxSAT). We formally show that SLE is orthogonal to previously proposed SAT-based preprocessing techniques for MaxSAT in that it can simplify the underlying minimal unsatisfiable core structure of MaxSAT instances. We also formally show that SLE can considerably reduce the number of internal SAT solver calls within modern core-guided MaxSAT solvers. Empirically, we show that combining SLE with SAT-based preprocessing improves the performance of various state-of-the-art MaxSAT solvers on standard industrial weighted partial MaxSAT benchmarks.
Efficient SAT Approach to Multi-Agent Path Finding Under the Sum of Costs Objective
Authors: Surynek Pavel  , Felner Ariel  , Stern Roni  , Boyarski Eli
Published: February 2025

In the multi-agent path finding (MAPF) the task is to find non-conflicting paths for multiple agents. In this paper we present the first SAT-solver for the sum-of-costs variant of MAPF which was previously only solved by search-based methods. Using both a lower bound on the sum-of-costs and an upper bound on the makespan, we are able to have a reasonable number of variables in our SAT encoding. We then further improve the encoding by borrowing ideas from ICTS, a search-based solver. Experimental evaluation on several domains showed that there are many scenarios where the new SAT-based method outperforms the best variants of previous sum-of-costs search solvers - the ICTS and ICBS algorithms.
Runtime Verification and Quality Assessment for Privacy Violations Detection in Social Networking System
Authors: Bakar Najwa Abu  , Selamat Ali
Published: February 2025

Agent privacy in social networking systems is directly affected by many factors, mainly agent interaction and social activities such as creating relationship links and content sharing between agents. Based on these activities, agent privacy in social networking systems can be protected at three access control levels that are at individual, social and content levels. However, an agent may unintentionally violate its privacy during runtime by overexposing or oversharing its personal, relationship or content information due to the dynamic of the agent privacy preferences and social behavior. Hence, a solution to monitor the level of agent privacy during runtime is needed. In this research, a solution called Runtime Verification and Quality Assessment (RVQA) is proposed to improve agent privacy violations detection during the execution of agents social activities by combining the verification and assessment process from individual, social and content levels. New agent privacy requirements, parameters, checking rules and algorithms to detect agent privacy violations are presented. The effectiveness of the proposed solution is evaluated by implementing RVQA within agent-based social networking system model.
A Repair Operator for Global Solutions of Decomposable Problems
Authors: Barbosa Vitor  , Respício Ana  , Alvelos Filipe
Published: February 2025

This paper proposes a new repair operator to be used inside algorithms based on the concept of Search by Column Generation (SearchCol). This concept has revealed to be suitable to address problems represented by models that decompose the problem into several subproblems and in which a global solution can be obtained by combining solutions of the subproblems. SearchCol starts by solving the linear relaxation of the integer programming decomposition model using column generation. Metaheuristics are then used to search for the best global integer solution by combining subproblems' solutions. The new repair operator intents to fix the invalid solutions but ends up has a generator of new subproblems' solutions and allows to change the search space as the metaheuristic explores the search space. The success of the repair operator is verified in a SearchCol based evolutionary algorithm to solve a Bus Driver Rostering Problem.
An Ontology for Argumentation on the Social Web: Rhetorical Extensions to the AIF
Authors: Blount Tom  , Millard David E.  , Weal Mark J.
Published: February 2025

A key area in the research agenda of modelling argumentation is to accurately model argumentation on the social web. In this paper we propose additional extensions to our ontology for argumentation on the social web (which integrates elements of the Argument Interchange Format and the Semantically Interlinked Online Communities project) for the purposes of modelling social and rhetorical tactics used in eristic or irrational arguments. We then present a review of these extensions from a panel of experts in the fields of argumentation modelling, web science, philosophy and open and linked data and discuss the value of modelling social argument, the challenges faced to create usable and accurate models and the completeness, clarity and consistency of our proposed additions.
Open Innovation Platform: Adding Social Machines for Enlightening Discussions
Authors: El-Fakdi Andres  , de La Rosa Josep Lluís
Published: February 2025

In the past few years, online services have become the most important tools for the interaction between people. New technologies allow instant communication with anyone in the world, anytime. The Web is full of new social applications for communication that are powerful and world–changing. This new age of social systems on the web governed by both computational and social processes is growing and evolving quickly. It is mandatory to strengthen the cooperation between the Web and the AI researchers to build together smarter systems with the aim of amplifying the capabilities of the people while on the social networks. This paper is about the definition of a Web platform for discussion and consensus achievement where humans and machines interact together. Thus, the document aims to demonstrate how an environment where AI and users who share information may enrich all partners and how current Web mining capabilities can be enhanced from a social perspective.
Towards Interval Version of Fuzzy Synsets
Authors: Hossayni Sayyed-Ali  , Rajati Mohammad-R  , Del Acebo Esteve  , Reforgiato Recupero Diego  , Gangemi Aldo  , Akbarzadeh-T Mohammad-R  , de La Rosa I Esteva Josep Lluis
Published: February 2025

WordNet-like Lexical Databases (WLDs) group English words into synsets, being utilized in several text mining applications. Synsets were also open to criticism, because while synset members (wordsenses) are, in practice, considered as compeers, yet in theory not all of them represent the synset meaning with a same degree. Considering this criticism, fuzzy synsets (considering synsets as fuzzy sets) have been proposed. In this study, we show why the standard fuzzy synsets do not properly-enough model the membership uncertainty, and propose an upgraded version of them in which membership degrees are represented by intervals (similar to what in Interval Type 2 Fuzzy Sets). We present an algorithm for constructing the interval fuzzy version of WLDs of a language, given a large enough multi-contextual corpus of documents and a precise enough word-sense-disambiguation (WSD) system of that language. Utilizing the algorithm, we produced interval fuzzy synsets of English WordNet (for the frequent-enough synsets). For evaluation, we compared the results with crowdsourced data, asking people to rate the min/max compatibility degree of wordsenses of a synset with its definition. Comparisons, promisingly, showed the algorithm accuracy. The algorithm has also the drawback of being applicable only for synsets with wordsenses having enough frequency in all the corpus categories. This drawback is going to be covered in our future work.
Lessons Learned About Deep Learning for Credit Card Fraud Scoring
Authors: Nin Jordi
Published: February 2025

Data is changing our society. Because of data we are rethinking our industries to build better products: agriculture, education, finance, legal, etc. With the advent of data, a prodigal son of the machine learning family has returned to the fore to play a main role: artificial neural networks, also known as Deep Learning. In this talk, I will provide some insights about its application to detect fraudulent credit card transactions conducted in online stores and retailers. I will also describe the data we use, how neural networks are trained and how their performance is measured. Besides, I will discuss more general thoughts about how the possibility of processing huge amount of data has boosted deep learning and machine learning in the industry.
A New Phase in the Development of a Grammar Checker for Latvian
Authors: Deksne Daiga
Published: February 2025

The paper reports on the recent work in the development of a grammar checker for Latvian. The grammar checker is using extended context free grammar (CFG) formalism for description of correct and erroneous syntactic structures. The grammar checking engine uses both of these sets of the rules. The grammar checker is used by language learners as well as native speakers. Our recent work is directed at the creation of an error-annotated corpus of texts that are created by non-native speakers. Based on this corpus, the CFG rule set is refined.
Social Robotics, Elderly Care, and Human Dignity: A Recognition-Theoretical Approach
Authors: Laitinen Arto  , Niemelä Marketta  , Pirhonen Jari
Published: February 2025

Attitudes towards robots in elderly care are systematically sceptical: a central worry is that a robot caretaker will rob the elderly of their human contacts. Are such worries justified? Will robotics change something relevant concerning the human dignity of elders? Are some specific robots especially dubious, or can robotics, as a generic technology, change the practices of care so that human dignity would be under threat? In this paper, we ask what human dignity entails in elderly care, and what kinds of threats and possibilities social robotics may bring with it. Earlier studies have approached this question, for example, in light of the capability theories of human life, consistent with human dignity. Our starting point are theories of recognition of persons, which have distinguished three main kinds of needs for recognition: the need for respect as a person, the need to feel esteemed as a contributor to the common good, and the need to be loved.
Ad-Hoc Querying of Semistar Data Ontologies Using Controlled Natural Language
Authors: Barzdins Janis  , Grasmanis Mikus  , Rencis Edgars  , Sostaks Agris  , Barzdins Juris
Published: February 2025

Expressive query language for arbitrary data ontologies (ER models) that can be easily perceptible by non-programmers (domain experts) is still an open problem. In this paper we introduce an important subset of data ontologies called semistar ontologies. Patient health records are typical examples of semistar ontologies. We propose a new natural language-based query language for semistar ontologies and provide an efficient implementation for the language. The expressiveness of the query language was demonstrated by turning it into a working language for Riga Children's Clinical University Hospital. Experiments with potential end-users have shown that the proposed query language can be taught to non-programmers in a couple of hours.
Disorders of Metal Metabolism
Authors: Ferreira Carlos R.  , Gahl William A.
Published: February 2025

It is estimated that over a third of human proteins are bound to a metal (i.e., metalloproteins). Certain metals act as cofactors, while others are integral components of the cofactors (e.g., cobalt in cobalamin). The deficiency of a metal can then lead to decreased enzymatic activities of the respective metalloenzymes, as happens in copper deficiency due to Menkes disease, or zinc deficiency in acrodermatitis enteropathica. On the other hand, metal accumulation can result in other disorders. Metal toxicity is believed to occur through the formation of excess radical oxygen species via the Fenton reaction; examples include iron accumulation in hemochromatosis and copper accumulation in Wilson disease. The metal overload in this group of disorders can occur via either deficiency of a metal transporter-as in hypermanganesemia with dystonia, polycythemia and cirrhosis due to SLC30A10 mutations- or impaired enzyme activity because the metal fails to be incorporated into the apoenzyme. For example, in aceruloplasminemia, mutations in apo-cerulosplasmin impair the ferroxidase activity of ceruloplasmin and, as a consequence, lead to accumulation of ferrous iron. In this chapter, we review the different genetic conditions associated with altered metal metabolism.
Human-Microbiome-Relations Extraction Method with Context-Dependent Clustering and Semantic Analysis
Authors: Hikichi Shiori  , Sasaki Shiori  , Kiyoki Yasushi
Published: February 2025

Human-microbiome-relations extraction is important for analyzing the effects on human gut microbiome from the difference of human attributes such as country, sex, age and so on. Human gut microbiome, a set of bacteria, provides various pathological and biological impacts on a hosting human body system. This paper presents a new analytical method for data resources that are difficult to understand such as human gut microbiome, by extracting the unknown relations with other adjunct metadata (e.g. human attributes data) with context-dependent clustering and semantic analysis. This method realizes the significant bacterial components acquisition for categorizing human attributes. The most important feature of our method is to analyze the unknown relations of human-microbiome with or without a correlation between a human attribute and bacteria that is found by related studies in bacteriology. With this method, an analyst is able to grasp the overview of bacteria data clustered by several clustering algorithms (k-means clustering / hierarchical clustering) using bacteria data selected by human attributes as a set of context. In addition, even without an association between a human attribute and bacteria as heuristic knowledge, an analyst is able to extract human-microbiome-relations focusing on a number of bacteria selected from all bacteria combinations by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and our original criteria called the “degree of separation” of clustering. This paper also presents an experimental study about human-microbiome-relations extraction and the experimental results that show the feasibility and effectiveness of this method.
An Improved Kernel Extreme Learning Machine for Bankruptcy Prediction
Authors: Wang Ming-Jing  , Chen Hui-Ling  , Zhu Bin-Lei  , Li Qiang  , Wang Ke-Jie  , Shen Li-Ming
Published: February 2025

In this study, a novel parameter tuning strategy for a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) is constructed using an improved particle swarm optimization method based on differential evolution (EPSO). First, the proposed EPSO is used to obtain the global optimum by introducing the differential evolution mutation strategy. Then, the EPSO is used to construct an effective and stable KELM model for bankruptcy prediction. The resultant EPSO-KELM model is compared to two other competitive KELM methods based on traditional particle swarm optimization and the genetic algorithm via a 10-fold cross validation analysis. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method achieved superior results compared to the other two methods when applied to two financial datasets. When applied to the Polish bankruptcy dataset, the EPSO-KELM achieved a classification accuracy (ACC) of 83.95%, an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.8443, and Type I error and Type II error of 13.15% and 16.61%, respectively. In addition, the proposed method achieved an ACC of 87.10%, AUC of 0.8716, and Type I error and Type II error of 15.53% and 10.13%, respectively, when applied to the Australian dataset. Therefore, the proposed EPSO-KELM model could be effectively used as an early risk warning system for bankruptcy predication.
Analysis of NGN-Oriented Architecture for Internet of Things
Authors: Fang Wei-Dong  , He Wei  , Gao Zhi-Wei  , Shan Lian-Hai  , Zhao Lu-Yang
Published: February 2025

As one of the most important technologies which have enormous influence in the 21st century, the emergence and development of the Internet of Things (IoT), have exploited a new field for the research and application of the information technology. In order to facilitate to design IoT's system, in this paper, we aim at reviewing the architecture of IoT, especially the oriented on the Next Generation Network (NGN) architecture. Firstly, the applications in IoT are identified and summarized. Then, some holistic overviews of NGN-oriented architecture are given in IoT, these overviews are divided into four categories: based on the Ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USN), the Open system Interconnection (OSI) model, the methodology and the converged network-oriented. Furthermore, along the way, these proposed architectures, techniques and approaches in each category qualitatively are analyzed. Finally, a few study issues and directions in near future are pointed out, and the conclusions are given.
Modeling and Evaluating Intelligent Real-Time Route Planning and Carpooling System with Performance Evaluation Process Algebra
Authors: Ding Jie  , Wang Rui  , Chen Xiao
Published: February 2025

Intelligent traffic systems (ITS), have provided effective solutions to solve many kinds of traffic problems which are becoming increasingly prominent. Wherein, for saving travel costs, reducing harmful emissions and maximizing the utilization of traffic facilities, intelligent real-time route planning and carpooling has become a hot research issue. This paper mainly focuses on the general architecture of intelligent real-time route planning and carpooling. Meanwhile, the research also adopts a formalization language – Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA) to model the overall architecture and processing of the system. Furthermore, fluid flow approximation is used to do specific performance evaluation of the model. Through setting the specific parameters, it is easy to obtain the maximum utilization, response time and throughput of the system. Therefore, the research in this paper is significant and meaningful to achieve efficient management of all types of transportation resources and make better use of ITS.
Sensor Management Strategy with Probabilistic Sensing Model for Collaborative Target Tracking in Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Yang Yong-Jian  , Fan Xiao-Guang  , Wang Sheng-Da  , Zhuo Zhen-Fu  , Ma Jian  , Wang Biao
Published: February 2025

This paper addresses collaborative target tracking in wireless sensor networks where the probabilistic sensing model is adopted because disk sensing model is coarse and unrealistic. However, the probabilistic sensing model will lead to the decrease of useful sensor nodes, the degradation of detection probability, and the divergent of tracking results. To address those problems, mobile sensor nodes are adopted and a novel sensor management strategy with mobile sensor nodes is proposed based on the distributed Kalman filtering fusion with feedback. Simulation results verify that the number of useful sensors, the collaborative detection probability and the tracking performance are obviously improved.
Fault Diagnosis Method for High-Speed Train Lateral Damper Based on Variational Mode Decomposition and Multiscale Entropy
Authors: Li Changxi  , Gou Xiantai  , Li Xiu  , Jin Weidong
Published: February 2025

In the fault period of high-speed train lateral damper, the vibration signal is non-linear and nonstationary, and features extracting is relatively difficult. In order to save this problem, a method of features extracting based on variational mode decomposition and multiscale entropy was proposed. The original signal was decomposed into several intrinsic mode function components after being processed by the variational mode decomposition mothed. Then, the best component was selected by the mutual information index. The feature matrix was constructed through the multiscale entropy of the best component, and removed redundant features using feature evaluation algorithm. The fault type of lateral damper was judged by transforming in the best subset of feature matrix in support vector machine. Experimental results show that the proposed method can extract the feature and judge the fault type of lateral damper effectively, which proves the feasibility of this mechanical fault diagnosis method.
Intelligent Problem Solver in Education for Discrete Mathematics
Authors: Nguyen Hien D.  , Do Nhon V.
Published: February 2025

A grand challenge for artificial intelligence in education is building the Intelligent Problem Solver (IPS) for Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Education. The IPS system has to be able to solve the exercises of the course automatically. It has the following criteria: the knowledge base is sufficient, the program can solve the common exercises in the curriculum of the course based on the knowledge base, the solutions are readable, pedagogical and suitable for the learner's level. Discrete Mathematics is an important course for the undergrad technological curriculum at the university. In this course, knowledge about logic and Boolean algebra is the foundation of logical thinking, it helps students improve their skills in logical reasoning, solving the problems. There are many programs for solving problems in propositional logic and first-order logic; nevertheless, they cannot meet the requirements of a learning support system. In this paper, an IPS system in knowledge domain about logic and Boolean algebra has been proposed. This system satisfies the criteria of the STEM education. It helps students to understand the methods for solving basic and advanced problems: simplify the logical expression in propositional logic, reasoning checking, determine the value or the negative expression of of a logical expression in predicate logic, find the minimization expression of a Boolean function with parameter and non-parameter. In this system, the knowledge base about propositional logic, predicate logic and Boolean algebra at the university for undergraduates has been built based on knowledge model of operators. Via this knowledge base, the inference engine has been designed to solve the kinds of general problems in this knowledge domain. The program has been also tested by the students in University of Information Technology, VNU-HCM.
Case Study of Tourism Course Recommendation System Using Data from Social Network Services
Authors: Takahashi Shizune  , Li Shuang  , Yamada Keizo  , Takagi Masanori  , Sasaki Jun
Published: February 2025

There are strong expectations that growth in Japan's tourism industry will stimulate regional economies. The present study aimed to create a system for recommending itineraries, including little-known local attractions, to visiting tourists. In previous research, we developed the Tourism Destination Finding System, which uses data on social network services (SNSs). In the Recommendation System, which suggests tourist itineraries using data on SNSs. Toward verifying the effectiveness of this system, this paper presents a case study; it involved collecting and analyzing photo data and check-in data to identify tourist attractions on Google Heat Maps of Iwate Prefecture. From this case study, we were able to confirm that our proposed system is able to recommend an appropriate itinerary for tourists with limited time.
Geo-Temporal Recurrent Model for Location Prediction
Authors: Al-Molegi Abdulrahman  , Martinez-Balleste Antoni  , Jabreel Mohammed
Published: February 2025

Precision in predicting people's next location plays a key role in the success of advanced Location-Based Services (LBSs). Models in the literature have achieved satisfactory results, but they lack exploiting of timestamps-sensitive property while combining it with locations sequences. In this paper, we propose a location prediction model in which time encoding scheme is proposed to capture movement behavior characteristics. Embedding learning technique and neural pooling functions are used to extract the semantic information of input data. A set of neural pooling functions are explored in order to extract rich features. Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) is utilized in the proposed model in order to keep track of user movement history which allows to discover more meaningful dependencies. As consequence, the model performance is enhanced. Evaluations on a large real life dataset demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms state-of-the-art models in terms of Recall, Precision and F1-score performance metrics.
A Spanning Matroidal Structure in Rough Sets and Its Axiomatic Characterizations
Authors: Su Lirun  , Xiao Peng  , Lin Yan  , Chen Hong
Published: February 2025

Rough sets is born for analyzing the uncertainty data in information systems. However, many important problems of rough sets are NP-hard, most of which needs greedy algorithms to solve. Matroid, a sophisticated mathematical structure, provides a well platform for greedy algorithms. Hence, it is necessary to integrate rough set with matroid. In this paper, we establish a spanning matroidal structure is established and some characteristics of the matroidal structure are investigated in different ways. Moreover, some axiomatic characterizations of matroid are obtained through rough set. Firstly, a family of sets is defined by the upper approximation operator and prove it to satisfy spanning set axiom. So a matroid is induced by rough set in this way. We call the matroid spanning matroid. Secondly, some characteristics of spanning matroid, such as closed sets, spanning sets and bases, are investigated with rough set and matrix approaches, respectively. Thirdly, we investigate the axiomatic characterization of the upper approximation operator based on equivalence relation from matroids. Finally, based on rough sets, we obtain some axiomatic characterizations of spanning matroid in different ways.
Simulation and Experiment Research of Double-Motor Drive and Control System for Pipe Belt Conveyor Based on Master-Slave Control Method
Authors: Xiao Dongming  , Xia Rongchang  , Li Xuejun  , He Kuanfang  , Wu Weihui
Published: February 2025

The pipe belt conveyor has a large load disturbance during start-up process, this feature is easily to cause output power imbalance of motors. The kinetic model of pipe belt conveyor is established and the load curves of driving pulley are simulated under the condition of head and tail double-motor drive and control. The double-motor drive and control system of pipe belt conveyor is established by improved master-slave control method, this control method is speed-given for the master motor and following torque-given for the slave motor. The double-motor drive and control system of pipe belt conveyor is simulated by MATLAB-Simulink, the simulation results show that the average ratio of output torque of master and slave motor is about 1.1, and the load curves of master and slave motor are basically coincident. So the double-motor drive and control system for pipe belt conveyor can achieve the power balance of master and slave motor, and its effectiveness is verified by simulation and experiment research.
Assessing Business Cases for Autonomous and Unmanned Ships
Authors: Rødseth Ørnulf Jan
Published: February 2025

Public interest in autonomous ships has grown rapidly since 2012, when the MUNIN project started its investigations. In 2017, the first project, Yara Birkeland, was published and other projects are under development. The business case for autonomous ships is not obvious: Benefits are no crew cost and simpler ship structures. However, it needs expensive shore infrastructure, it needs more redundancy and more expensive fuels than heavy fuel oil, and the approval process may be costly. This may be the reason why projects are not initiated by the ship owners, but by other parties in the supply chain, i.e. the fertilizer manufacturer Yara. Thus, an unmanned ship is an integrated part of a transport system and not an ordinary ship as we know them today. This paper will go through the most important benefits and cost factors for autonomous and unmanned ships and assess what business cases may be suitable for this technology: “An unmanned ship is not a ship without crew – it is a new factor in waterborne transport.”
Integrated Ship Design and CSI Modeling: A New Methodology for Comparing Onboard Electrical Distributions in the Early-Stage Design
Authors: Bucci Vittorio  , la Monaca Ubaldo  , Bosich Daniele  , Sulligoi Giorgio  , Pietra Andrea
Published: February 2025

In recent years, the MVDC distribution has been proposed as a viable solution for the redesign of the shipboard Integrated Power System (IPS). Indeed, there are relevant advantages promised by the innovative DC concept, among others a desirable reduction in the electric power system size. For providing a virtual proof-of-concept of this technology, parametric and interactive 3D models can be developed by a new Computer System Integrator (CSI) software. The latter may give the possibility to quantify the expected onboard benefits (i.e. increase of pay load) already during the early-stage design, thus opening interesting evaluation since the very first stage of ship design. By exploiting the capabilities offered by the integrated design methodology, a comparative analysis between a conventional MVAC electrical distribution and innovative MVAC/MVDC hybrid systems is performed in this paper. In particular, a significant Main Vertical Zone of a large cruise ship is modeled by the CSI software for providing a detailed comparison (volumes/weights) among the power distribution architectures (MVAC vs hybrid MVAC/MVDC).
High Efficiency Waste Heat Recovery from Dual Fuel Marine Engines
Authors: Altosole Marco  , Campora Ugo  , Laviola Michele  , Zaccone Raphael
Published: February 2025

The paper presents an original variable layout steam plant for the Waste Heat Recovery (WHR-VL) from marine dual fuel (DF) engines, designed considering the different exhaust gas stack temperature limits, depending on the engine fuel type: generally no less than 160°C for diesel oil and without limits for natural gas (NG). Using diesel oil, a single pressure superheated steam plant configuration is adopted, while a dual pressure system is proposed for the NG fuel mode of the engine. In both WHR-VL plant layouts, the produced steam is mainly delivered to a steam turbine for the ship electric energy production, while a smaller amount meets the ship thermal loads. Starting from data of a marine four stroke DF engine, the WHR-VL steam plant components are sized and optimized through a mathematical code, according to a numerical procedure described in the paper. The WHR-VL plant data and performance, for different engine fuel modes and loads, are compared with those of a more traditional WHR single pressure steam plant, developed and optimized for the waste heat recovery of the same dual fuel engine.
Numerical Investigation of 2D Vortex Induced and Wake Induced Vibrations of Two Circular Cylinders in Tandem Arrangement
Authors: Martini Simone  , Pigazzini Riccardo  , Puzzer Thomas  , Morgut Mitja  , Contento Giorgio
Published: February 2025

In ocean and offshore engineering, Vortex and Wake Induced Vibrations (VIV and WIV respectively) are serious issues related to the design and operational safety of offshore installations/structures.
Station-Keeping Calculations in Early Design Stage: Two Possible Approaches
Authors: Mauro Francesco  , Gaudiano Francesco
Published: February 2025

The continuous increase of offshore operations in deep or ultra-deep waters, makes, for modern units, Dynamic Positioning (DP) analysis mandatory since early design stage. The necessity to provide reliable solutions for the DP system to mount on board in order to maintain position requires the implementation of simulation codes to reproduce the dynamic behaviour of the unit under variable environmental circumstances. Usually, it is common practice to perform simplified quasi-steady calculations during the early design stage, in such a way to obtain a sufficient amount of indications, necessary to a rough estimation of DP system capability and dimensioning. Besides, time domain calculations can be also adopted, once sufficient information are already available, at the considered design phase, regarding hull form, thrusters system and superstructure geometry. In the present work the two mentioned approaches are compared in terms of the resulting capability plots evaluated for a reference ship. The results have been obtained from two self-developed codes (one quasi-steady and one dynamic), which are adopting the same thrusters allocation algorithm.
The Strip Planking: An Eco-Friendly Solution for the End-of-Life of Ships
Authors: Nasso Carlo  , la Monaca Ubaldo  , Marinò Alberto  , Bertagna Serena  , Bucci Vittorio
Published: February 2025

In the last few years, the international and national attention to environmental sustainability has increased, even in shipbuilding. This aim can be achieved through various manners, for example by green propulsion (hybrid propulsion), by containment of spills and by studying the life cycle of vessels. About the last one, the problem of disposal of ships at the end of life is of high importance: due to new regulations about the treatment of hazardous materials, the disposal of plastic materials (as the FRP) is very complicated and expensive. For this reason, the use of wood in shipbuilding, especially for small vessels, is a valid and ecological alternative to FRP. Even though this solution implies higher construction costs, it has the advantage of reducing the risks of disposal of materials at the end-of-life cycle. The strip planking is a relatively modern process for the construction of wooden ships, which provides the vessels with mechanical characteristics comparable to those offered by ships built in FRP.
The Bucintoro Preliminary Design: Static and Hydrodynamic Assessment
Authors: Scarpa Giovanni  , Braidotti Luca  , Mauro Francesco  , Trincas Giorgio
Published: February 2025

The Bucintoro project has been relaunched after years in stand-by under the name of “Bucintoro of the Third Millennium”. Many contributors from Italy and even from France have accepted the challenge with the purpose of building the modern version of the last Bucintoro burned by Napoleon troops at the end of the Venetian Republic. The previous phase of development brought to a business plan aimed at managing the building and management of the new golden vessel. The hull form of the new Bucintoro will be a perfect copy of the historical one with a special double deck galley inclusive of a lower deck for 168 rowers seated in four at 21 oars each side and an upper deck for authorities, both fitted now with modern systems in order to improve safe navigation. The complete structural scantling drawings with midship section have been already certified by RINA classification society. After a summary on the age-old history of the vessel and a review of technical issues developed and already certifed, this paper addresses the primary static and hydrodynamic issues. To this end, optimal subdivision of internal volumes to comply with intact and damage stability rules as well as theoretical assessment of resistance and powering performance are carried out. Since the Bucintoro will sail in an urban area, in the restricted waters of the Venice Lagoon and in natural parks, manoeuvring and hybrid propulsion are of major concern also to cut emissions. All these issues will be theoretically assessed by means of analytical and numerical codes.
Small-Scale LNG in East Med: Unlocking the Permitting Puzzle Through Robust Safety Assessment Methodologies and Expertise
Authors: Apostolopoulou Anna  , Koliopulos Thanos  , Kourbelis Theodoros  , Kouvertari Anastasia  , Mentzi Panagiota  , Mitrou Panayiotis
Published: February 2025

One of the key challenges to switch to LNG as fuel era is to create “a safe passage” for LNG bunkering, by designing safe, reliable and operable LNG port facilities and operations. Eastern Mediterranean region brings step changes towards small-scale use of LNG fuel for marine transportation through the extensive groundwork developed within European co-funded Poseidon Med II project. Lloyd's Register, as one of the leading project partners, gauges the risks, by applying efficient tools and advanced methodologies that can accurately model risks and assess potential consequences for LNG bunkering operations in each participating port. This paper features experience gathered from the strategic mapping and approach taken and implemented for all project ports, focusing on the Port of Patras in Western Greece, a port with the plan to combine LNG infrastructure and LNG bunkering operations. There, LR and project experts have undertaken onsite inspections suggesting alternative solutions for infrastructure and operations; have gained experience from the design from scratch of the Shore-to-ship LNG bunkering infrastructure; have set safety and exclusion zones as layers of defense in potential hazards; have safely navigated vessels to/from port installation running real-time simulation scenarios under various environmental conditions; have identified potential hazards and mitigation strategies addressing critical scenarios (HAZID workshops); have developed preliminary hazard & operability (HAZOP) and Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) analysis, to evaluate issues and risks to personnel or equipment, and have worked together with the Ministries to create the relevant national legislation for the new supply chain requirements.
CFD Automated Self Propulsion Test
Authors: Gustin Gianluca  , Lavini Gianpiero  , Mocnik Francesca
Published: February 2025

CFD simulations are becoming more and more reliable and the increasing computational power are making them a convenient tool to investigate complex phenomena and to reproduce the experimental tests. In the hydrodynamic design process the correct evaluation of the self propulsion performance is an essential item to access the true performances of the ship. This paper deal with a CFD methodology, developed in STAR-CCM+, that reproduces the self propulsion experimental test. The variation of propeller rpm has been automated in order to achieve the self propulsion condition. Ship motions and free surface are take into account to study the behavior of the propeller in the real wake and to compute the propeller efficiency and the absorbed power. A sliding rotating mesh encloses the propeller while the mesh motions, necessary to simulate correctly the ship trim and sinkage, are managed by a STAR-CCM+ proprietary algorithm. The towing force has been take into account in order to reproduce the load variation test. The numerical results are presented in this article and are compared with the experimental results. The good match proved that the numerical self propulsion simulations are getting an extremely useful tool in the hydrodynamic design.
Interior Design of Motor Yacht, Evolution of Style and Typology
Authors: Carassale Enrico Tommaso
Published: February 2025

The analysis of the furnishing system in relation to the evolution of the motor yacht can propose several insights. Firstly, on the aesthetic evolution of furnishings, in relation to the construction systems and materials used, secondly, the evolution of the organization of living spaces in relation to the general proportions of the boat. Ultimately, the study of the evolution of the concept of life on board. If we consider the purpose of modern pleasure crafts -and their evolution over the last decades- the nautical space could be considered as a derivation of residential architecture, from which it takes living and functional standards. Every form and functional solution of yacht interiors appear nowadays a derivation of “home typology” configuration. In general terms, the aesthetic outcome of living spaces is influenced, in turn, by the change of vogue, sociological implications, technological evolution of building processes and materials.
The Cyber Risk and Its Management in the Marine Industry
Authors: Cassi Elisa  , Cavanna John Paul  , Scialla Paolo
Published: February 2025

Following a number of high profile security incidents affecting both the information and operations assets of several industry and business sectors in recent years, the need to consider the risks associated with the use of innovative technologies in a number of production and business processes and environments has never been greater. The maritime sector, like many others, is exposed to a number of potential hazards that need to be assessed and addressed. On the assumption that in the last few years Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been widely applied in the processing of information and support operations, then passenger and cargo ships, yachts, supply and offshore vessels, as well as waterways transport, harbour facilities and infrastructures are all relevant elements in international cyber risk assessment programs. Similar to hazards associated with other technologies and activities, the ‘cyber environment’ needs to be considered through appropriate risk assessment processes and the subsequent risks that are identified need to be mitigated by appropriate measures. The rapid evolution of digital and information technologies that attract marine operators and owners by optimising and improving their business demands a similar continuous evolution of protective techniques and testing procedures. This paper will explore the cyber environment and focus on the management of the cyber risk in the marine industry.
GUI-Based Component Integration Tool for the BBCoM System
Authors: Sato Takumi  , Endo Toshihiro  , Vazhenin Alexander  , Yoshioka Rentaro
Published: February 2025

This article presents the GUI-based Support Tool for convenient usage of the BBCoM technology. This technology is designed to integrate software components in a system, provide communications between them using script-based specifications of protocols and data dependencies between system components. The presented tool extends on the possibilities of existing system and allows making the programming process more effective and convenient. Accordingly, the user may graphically manage all design stages that are needed for preparing and executing the BBCoM applications. The results of experiments demonstrate correctness and accuracy of the presented tool.
Automated Program Synthesis from Object-Oriented Natural Language for Computer Games
Authors: Hsiao Michael S.
Published: February 2025

A prototype object-oriented natural-language programming system for computer/video games is described, in which sentences written in object-oriented English is automatically converted to a functional, executable game code in Javascript. In addition, new attributive words are automatically learned while converting the text to code. Any syntactic or semantic errors are reported during the compilation to help users to debug and fine-tune the game. With less than 20 plain English sentences, up to 1800 lines of game code can be generated.
Stochastic Local Search Algorithms for Abstract Argumentation Under Stable Semantics
Authors: Thimm Matthias
Published: February 2025

We present a family of stochastic local search algorithms for finding a single stable extension in an abstract argumentation framework. These incomplete algorithms work on random labellings for arguments and iteratively select a random mislabeled argument and flip its label. We present a general version of this approach and an optimisation that allows for greedy selections of arguments. We conduct an empirical evaluation with benchmark graphs from the previous two ICCMA competitions and further random instances. Our results show that our approach is competitive in general and significantly outperforms previous direct approaches and reduction-based approaches for the Barabási-Albert graph model.
Credulous and Skeptical Acceptance in Incomplete Argumentation Frameworks
Authors: Baumeister Dorothea  , Neugebauer Daniel  , Rothe Jörg
Published: February 2025

We propose natural generalizations of the credulous and skeptical acceptance problems in abstract argumentation for incomplete argumentation frameworks [3]. This continues earlier work on a similar generalization of the verification problem. We provide a full analysis of the computational complexity of the generalized problems for all original semantics, showing that, in almost all cases, acceptance problems for incomplete argumentation frameworks are significantly harder than the respective problems for argumentation frameworks without uncertainty. All our hardness results for the classes NP, coNP, Πp2, and Σp2