Astrocytes and human cognition: Modeling information integration and modulation of neuronal activity

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Case-based system: Indexing and retrieval with fuzzy hypercube

In some applications with case-based system, the attributes available for indexing are better described as linguistic variables instead of receiving numerical treatment. In these applications, the concept of fuzzy hypercube can be applied to give a geometrical interpretation of similarities among cases. This paper presents an approach that uses geometrical properties of fuzzy hypercube space to make indexing and retrieval processes of cases.

Testing search strategies for systematic reviews in the Medline literature database through PubMed

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Information Search Behavior: Proposal of Study with Investors in the Stock Market

With the aim of analyzing the information search behavior of investors working in the stock market, this research sought to raise the aspects related to this behavior with focus on the cognitive and causal aspects which pervade the need for information of these investors. For that, the general pattern of informational behavior proposed by Wilson [10], and also the analysis of a report from an investor of the stock market area were used as basis for the analysis and reflection. The report of only one investor was used as basis for investigation, turning it impossible to extrapolate such result to a greater universe. The objective of this research was to investigate the need for information, the context and the intervenient variables which might interfere or not in the information search behavior of investors, in an attempt to get a deeper comprehension about the subject, as well as to propose the continuity of studies with basis on this study proposal.

Automatic Indexing and Information Visualization: A Study Based on Paraconsistent Logic

This paper reports a research to evaluate the potential and the effects of use of annotated Paraconsistent logic in automatic indexing. This logic attempts to deal with contradictions, concerned with studying and developing inconsistency-tolerant systems of logic. This logic, being flexible and containing logical states that go beyond the dichotomies yes and no, permits to advance the hypothesis that the results of indexing could be better than those obtained by traditional methods. Interactions between different disciplines, as information retrieval, automatic indexing, information visualization, and nonclassical logics were considered in this research. From the methodological point of view, an algorithm for treatment of uncertainty and imprecision, developed under the Paraconsistent logic, was used to modify the values of the weights assigned to indexing terms of the text collections. The tests were performed on an information visualization system named Projection Explorer (PEx), created at Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science (ICMC - USP Sao Carlos), with available source code. PEx uses traditional vector space model to represent documents of a collection. The results were evaluated by criteria built in the information visualization system itself, and demonstrated measurable gains in the quality of the displays, confirming the hypothesis that the use of the para-analyser under the conditions of the experiment has the ability to generate more effective clusters of similar documents. This is a point that draws attention, since the constitution of more significant clusters can be used to enhance information indexing and retrieval. It can be argued that the adoption of non-dichotomous (non-exclusive) parameters provides new possibilities to relate similar information.

A novel algorithm for feature selection using Harmony Search and its application for non-technical losses detection

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Boosting optimum-path forest clustering through harmony Search and its applications for intrusion detection in computer networks

In this paper we propose a nature-inspired approach that can boost the Optimum-Path Forest (OPF) clustering algorithm by optimizing its parameters in a discrete lattice. The experiments in two public datasets have shown that the proposed algorithm can achieve similar parameters' values compared to the exhaustive search. Although, the proposed technique is faster than the traditional one, being interesting for intrusion detection in large scale traffic networks. © 2012 IEEE.

Multilayer perceptron neural networks training through charged system search and its Application for non-technical losses detection

The non-technical loss is not a problem with trivial solution or regional character and its minimization represents the guarantee of investments in product quality and maintenance of power systems, introduced by a competitive environment after the period of privatization in the national scene. In this paper, we show how to improve the training phase of a neural network-based classifier using a recently proposed meta-heuristic technique called Charged System Search, which is based on the interactions between electrically charged particles. The experiments were carried out in the context of non-technical loss in power distribution systems in a dataset obtained from a Brazilian electrical power company, and have demonstrated the robustness of the proposed technique against with several others nature-inspired optimization techniques for training neural networks. Thus, it is possible to improve some applications on Smart Grids. © 2013 IEEE.

Representação das necessidades de informação na organização da informação: uma análise de modelos teóricos de busca

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Metadados para a descrição de recursos da Internet: o padrão Dublin Core, aplicações e a questão da interoperabilidade

Pós-graduação em Ciência da Informação - FFC

A Construção do Conhecimento na Atualidade: Um Olhar Sobre o Impacto da Tecnologia

In the paper analyzes the process of knowledge construction in the news regarding the emergence of massive information and communication technologies. In this context, through a qualitative approach, first we examine the potential of production, dissemination, access and use information in a technocratic perspective, and secondly, the negative impacts stemming from the computed mediation, mainly linked to the complexity of policies of democratization of access to information and loss of criticality of science. The focus of this review focuses on the current model of information search and knowledge construction through the Web, outlining aspects inherent to the process in general. Similarly, envision different contributions of information science for the systematization of human knowledge, guided through the social actions of professionals working in various fields, with emphasis on the information representation and retrieval. It is hoped that work can contribute to the current thematic reflection on the production, dissemination and use of information as well as on digital inclusion policies.

Information flows and environments in business contexts: the meat sector case of Salmanca/Spain

Organizational environments are related to hierarchic levels existing in a determined organization, and they influence in the formal and informal flows origin and in their monitoring and/or extinction. Informational environments are a result of organizational environments, of which focus is information and knowledge. Information flows are a fundamental element to informational environments, in a way that there´s no informational environments if there´s no information flows. Informational flows are natural reflections from their environments, in terms of content and in the way they occur. This qualitative and quantitative research was developed in three stages, in a way to allow the comprehension of the phenomena related to information and knowledge environments and information flows that occur in the meat sector from the Province of Salamanca, Spain. We used Laurence Bardin´s ‘Analysis of Content’, more specifically the ‘Categorical Analysis’ technique to data analysis. As data collection procedure we accomplished a field research, applying a questionnaire as an intentional sample of the meat industries segment from the Province of Salamanca, Spain. From data tabulation and analysis, we infer that information environments and flows are relevant to these companies business development, as well as we emphasized the need of information and knowledge management deployment, in a way to insure organizational processes quality, industrial chain production and companies competition to conquer potential markets.

O campo da Ciência da Informação: contribuições, desafios e perspectivas da mineração de dados para o conhecimento pós-moderno

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Selecting candidate labels for hierarchical document clusters using association rules

One way to organize knowledge and make its search and retrieval easier is to create a structural representation divided by hierarchically related topics. Once this structure is built, it is necessary to find labels for each of the obtained clusters. In many cases the labels have to be built using only the terms in the documents of the collection. This paper presents the SeCLAR (Selecting Candidate Labels using Association Rules) method, which explores the use of association rules for the selection of good candidates for labels of hierarchical document clusters. The candidates are processed by a classical method to generate the labels. The idea of the proposed method is to process each parent-child relationship of the nodes as an antecedent-consequent relationship of association rules. The experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the precision and recall of labels obtained by classical methods. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.