Conversations on Twitter: structure, pace, balance

Twitter is both a micro-blogging service and a platform for public conversation. Direct conversation is facilitated in Twitter through the use of @’s (mentions) and replies. While the conversational element of Twitter is of particular interest to the marketing sector, relatively few data-mining studies have focused on this area. We analyse conversations associated with reciprocated mentions that take place in a data-set consisting of approximately 4 million tweets collected over a period of 28 days that contain at least one mention. We ignore tweet content and instead use the mention network structure and its dynamical properties to identify and characterise Twitter conversations between pairs of users and within larger groups. We consider conversational balance, meaning the fraction of content contributed by each party. The goal of this work is to draw out some of the mechanisms driving conversation in Twitter, with the potential aim of developing conversational models.

An approach to develop flexible systems with organizational-interoperability requirements

Flexibility of information systems (IS) have been studied to improve the adaption in support of the business agility as the set of capabilities to compete more effectively and adapt to rapid changes in market conditions (Glossary of business agility terms, 2003). However, most of work on IS flexibility has been limited to systems architecture, ignoring the analysis of interoperability as a part of flexibility from the requirements. This paper reports a PhD project, which proposes an approach to develop IS with flexibility features, considering some challenges of flexibility in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) such as the lack of interoperability and the agility of their business. The motivation of this research are the high prices of IS in developing countries and the usefulness of organizational semiotics to support the analysis of requirements for IS. (Liu, 2005).

The BioDICE Taverna plugin for clustering and visualization of biological data: a workflow for molecular compounds exploration

Background: In many experimental pipelines, clustering of multidimensional biological datasets is used to detect hidden structures in unlabelled input data. Taverna is a popular workflow management system that is used to design and execute scientific workflows and aid in silico experimentation. The availability of fast unsupervised methods for clustering and visualization in the Taverna platform is important to support a data-driven scientific discovery in complex and explorative bioinformatics applications. Results: This work presents a Taverna plugin, the Biological Data Interactive Clustering Explorer (BioDICE), that performs clustering of high-dimensional biological data and provides a nonlinear, topology preserving projection for the visualization of the input data and their similarities. The core algorithm in the BioDICE plugin is Fast Learning Self Organizing Map (FLSOM), which is an improved variant of the Self Organizing Map (SOM) algorithm. The plugin generates an interactive 2D map that allows the visual exploration of multidimensional data and the identification of groups of similar objects. The effectiveness of the plugin is demonstrated on a case study related to chemical compounds. Conclusions: The number and variety of available tools and its extensibility have made Taverna a popular choice for the development of scientific data workflows. This work presents a novel plugin, BioDICE, which adds a data-driven knowledge discovery component to Taverna. BioDICE provides an effective and powerful clustering tool, which can be adopted for the explorative analysis of biological datasets.

K-Surfer: a KNIME extension for the management and analysis of Human brain MRI FreeSurfer/FSL data

Human brain imaging techniques, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), have been established as scientific and diagnostic tools and their adoption is growing in popularity. Statistical methods, machine learning and data mining algorithms have successfully been adopted to extract predictive and descriptive models from neuroimage data. However, the knowledge discovery process typically requires also the adoption of pre-processing, post-processing and visualisation techniques in complex data workflows. Currently, a main problem for the integrated preprocessing and mining of MRI data is the lack of comprehensive platforms able to avoid the manual invocation of preprocessing and mining tools, that yields to an error-prone and inefficient process. In this work we present K-Surfer, a novel plug-in of the Konstanz Information Miner (KNIME) workbench, that automatizes the preprocessing of brain images and leverages the mining capabilities of KNIME in an integrated way. K-Surfer supports the importing, filtering, merging and pre-processing of neuroimage data from FreeSurfer, a tool for human brain MRI feature extraction and interpretation. K-Surfer automatizes the steps for importing FreeSurfer data, reducing time costs, eliminating human errors and enabling the design of complex analytics workflow for neuroimage data by leveraging the rich functionalities available in the KNIME workbench.

HiPP: A Novel Hierarchical Point Placement Strategy and its Application to the Exploration of Document Collections

Point placement strategies aim at mapping data points represented in higher dimensions to bi-dimensional spaces and are frequently used to visualize relationships amongst data instances. They have been valuable tools for analysis and exploration of data sets of various kinds. Many conventional techniques, however, do not behave well when the number of dimensions is high, such as in the case of documents collections. Later approaches handle that shortcoming, but may cause too much clutter to allow flexible exploration to take place. In this work we present a novel hierarchical point placement technique that is capable of dealing with these problems. While good grouping and separation of data with high similarity is maintained without increasing computation cost, its hierarchical structure lends itself both to exploration in various levels of detail and to handling data in subsets, improving analysis capability and also allowing manipulation of larger data sets.

Motion Cues Analysis for Parkinson Gait Recognition

Background: Previous assessment methods for PG recognition used sensor mechanisms for PG that may cause discomfort. In order to avoid stress of applying wearable sensors, computer vision (CV) based diagnostic systems for PG recognition have been proposed. Main constraints in these methods are the laboratory setup procedures: Novel colored dresses for the patients were specifically designed to segment the test body from a specific colored background. Objective: To develop an image processing tool for home-assessment of Parkinson Gait(PG) by analyzing motion cues extracted during the gait cycles. Methods: The system is based on the idea that a normal body attains equilibrium during the gait by aligning the body posture with the axis of gravity. Due to the rigidity in muscular tone, persons with PD fail to align their bodies with the axis of gravity. The leaned posture of PD patients appears to fall forward. Whereas a normal posture exhibits a constant erect posture throughout the gait. Patients with PD walk with shortened stride angle (less than 15 degrees on average) with high variability in the stride frequency. Whereas a normal gait exhibits a constant stride frequency with an average stride angle of 45 degrees. In order to analyze PG, levodopa-responsive patients and normal controls were videotaped with several gait cycles. First, the test body is segmented in each frame of the gait video based on the pixel contrast from the background to form a silhouette. Next, the center of gravity of this silhouette is calculated. This silhouette is further skeletonized from the video frames to extract the motion cues. Two motion cues were stride frequency based on the cyclic leg motion and the lean frequency based on the angle between the leaned torso tangent and the axis of gravity. The differences in the peaks in stride and lean frequencies between PG and normal gait are calculated using Cosine Similarity measurements. Results: High cosine dissimilarity was observed in the stride and lean frequencies between PG and normal gait. High variations are found in the stride intervals of PG whereas constant stride intervals are found in the normal gait. Conclusions: We propose an algorithm as a source to eliminate laboratory constraints and discomfort during PG analysis. Installing this tool in a home computer with a webcam allows assessment of gait in the home environment.

Distriktssköterskans upplevelser av att motivera patienter med diabetes typ 2 till hälsosammare levnadsvanor genom evidensbaserad vård : Kvalitativ intervjustudie

Bakgrund: Diabetes typ 2 är en folksjukdom och kan förebyggas eller fördröjas genom hälsosamma levnadsvanor. Att informera och motivera patienterna på ett hälsofrämjande och preventivt sätt är distriktssköterskans ansvar. Distriktssköterskans nyckelroll är att kritiskt granska evidensbaserad forskning för att uppnå en säker vård av god kvalitet som kan implementeras i praktiken. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att beskriva distriktssköterskors upplevelser av att motivera patienter med diabetes typ 2 till hälsosammare levnadsvanor genom evidensbaserad vård. Metod: En kvalitativ ansats användes. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med sju distriktssköterskor. Materialet analyserades utifrån Graneheim och Lundmans innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet i föreliggande studie visar att distriktssköterskorna måste utgå från patientens situation och individanpassa informationen. Genom stöd från distriktssköterskan ska patienten kunna motivera sig själv till att genomföra förändringar. Informanterna i studien belyste vikten av att informera patienten om diabetes samt vilka komplikationer som kan uppstå. För att uppnå en patientsäker vård av hög kvalitet ansåg distriktssköterskorna att evidensbaserad kunskap var en förutsättning. Konklusion: För att motivera patienterna till förändrade levnadsvanor krävs det att distriktssköterskorna informerar och undervisar patienterna om diabetes och hur förändrade levnadsvanor påverkar hälsan. Distriktssköterskan måste finna olika metoder för att motivera patienterna. Det som förmedlas ska grunda sig på vetenskap och evidensbaserad kunskap.

Tro, hopp och kärlek : Berättelser om återhämtning från psykisk ohälsa

Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka vilken betydelse hopp, egenmakt samt stigmatisering kan ha i en återhämtningsprocess från psykisk ohälsa. En kvalitativ metod tillämpades och individuella intervjuer med deltagare ur Högskolan Dalarnas erfarenhetspanel genomfördes. För att analysera empirin tillämpades en kvalitativ innehållsanalys som resulterade i följande teman: att bli accepterad, hoppets förutsättningar samt normaliserande. Resultatet visade att hopp snarare var en produkt av återhämtningen än det var en bidragande faktor. Att bli accepterad främjade egenmakt och skyddade mot stigmatisering. Normaliserande faktorer som medmänsklighet och att se till de friska sidorna främjade egenmakt och bröt vanmakt. Uppsatsens resultat kan betraktas som erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap, vilket är en grundförutsättning för en evidensbaserad socialtjänst där brukarperspektivet betonas.

Being a bridge : Swedish antenatal care midwives’ encounters with Somali-born women and questions of violence; a qualitative study

Background: Violence against women is associated with serious health problems, including adverse maternal and child health. Antenatal care (ANC) midwives are increasingly expected to implement the routine of identifying exposure to violence. An increase of Somali born refugee women in Sweden, their reported adverse childbearing health and possible links to violence pose a challenge to the Swedish maternity health care system. Thus, the aim was to explore ways ANC midwives in Sweden work with Somali born women and the questions of exposure to violence. Methods: Qualitative individual interviews with 17 midwives working with Somali-born women in nine ANC clinics in Sweden were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The midwives strived to focus on the individual woman beyond ethnicity and cultural differences. In relation to the Somali born women, they navigated between different definitions of violence, ways of handling adversities in life and social contexts, guided by experience based knowledge and collegial support. Seldom was ongoing violence encountered. The Somali-born women’s’ strengths and contentment were highlighted, however, language skills were considered central for a Somali-born woman’s access to rights and support in the Swedish society. Shared language, trustful relationships, patience, and networking were important aspects in the work with violence among Somali-born women. Conclusion: Focus on the individual woman and skills in inter-cultural communication increases possibilities of overcoming social distances. This enhances midwives’ ability to identify Somali born woman’s resources and needs regarding violence disclosure and support. Although routine use of professional interpretation is implemented, it might not fully provide nuances and social safety needed for violence disclosure. Thus, patience and trusting relationships are fundamental in work with violence among Somali born women. In collaboration with social networks and other health care and social work professions, the midwife can be a bridge and contribute to increased awareness of rights and support for Somali-born women in a new society.

A contribuição do Programa Gaúcho de Qualidade e Produtividade para a gestão do conhecimento em empresas de serviços contábeis

A sobrevivência de uma empresa no cenário atual, de incertezas e mudanças contínuas, depende cada vez mais de sua capacidade de gerenciar seu recurso mais importante: o conhecimento. Uma empresa que investe permanentemente na qualificação e aprendizagem de seus empregados está preparada para enfrentar os desafios da concorrência cada vez maior. Neste sentido, a gestão empresarial voltada para o aumento dos níveis de qualidade produtividade, assim como para a gestão do conhecimento, é fundamental para toda empresa, independente de seu setor, tamanho ou localização. A partir deste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho é identificar a contribuição do Programa Gaúcho de Qualidade e Produtividade (PGQP) na gestão do conhecimento em empresas de serviços contábeis no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS). O PGQP é um programa de qualificação voltado para o aprimoramento de produtos e serviços das empresas do RS, objetivando o beneficio ao consumidor final. Este programa está estruturado com base nos Fundamentos e Critérios para a Excelência em Gestão elaborados pela Fundação Nacional da Qualidade, os quais, entre outros aspectos, identificam os processos relacionados às informações e conhecimentos como importantes para um sistema eficaz de gestão empresarial. O setor das empresas de serviços contábeis no Estado possui um Comitê específico para trabalhar em parceira com o PGQP. auxiliando as empresas a implementarem o Programa. Assim, para a realização da pesquisa foram selecionadas dez empresas que aderiram ao PGQP e outras 11 que não implementaram. Para os gestores destas empresas, foi aplicado um questionário contendo questões fechadas e abertas, relacionadas às práticas de gestão do conhecimento realizadas na empresa, e também a percepção e comprometimento dos empregados em relação às mesmas. Nas questões fechadas, utilizou-se uma escala de frequência, para medir a realização de práticas relacionadas aos elementos construtivos da gestão do conhecimento do modelo de Probst, Raub e Romhardt (2002), que são: identificação, aquisição, desenvolvimento, compartilhamento e distribuição, utilização e retenção do conhecimento. Estes elementos são apresentados no Referencial Teórico, juntamente com a discussão sobre os conceitos de conhecimento, sua geração e gestão. Os resultados encontrados permitem concluir que a implementação do PGQP contribui positivamente para a gestão do conhecimento, uma vez que no grupo de empresas que aderiram ao Programa, as médias de frequência das práticas de gestão do conhecimento foram superiores as do outro grupo. Além disto, as respostas às questões abertas também permitiram inferir conclusões da mesma natureza.

O papel da confiança na coprodução

Esse trabalho investigou empiricamente a influência que a confiança que o cliente deposita no prestador de serviços exerce sobre a efetividade da coprodução do cliente em serviços intensivos em conhecimento baseados em tecnologia. Para tanto, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura de marketing de serviços e de gerenciamento de operações sobre a participação do cliente na produção e entrega de serviços, que é o que caracteriza genericamente a coprodução do cliente. Também foi revisada a literatura sobre serviços intensivos em conhecimento, em busca de entender suas características e especificidades, e sobre confiança, especialmente na área de marketing de relacionamento. Sobre a participação do cliente na produção e entrega de serviços, constatou-se que existe na literatura uma visão consagrada que trata o cliente como “funcionário parcial” da empresa durante os encontros de serviços. Essa visão propõe recorrentemente um modelo conceitual em que a efetividade da coprodução do cliente apresenta três antecedentes fundamentais: clareza de papel, motivação e expertise do cliente. Além disso, foi identificada uma proposição teórica especificamente para o setor de serviços intensivos em conhecimento, nunca testada empiricamente, que sugere que esses três antecedentes da efetividade da coprodução são influenciados por um conjunto de comportamentos colaborativos desejáveis, batizados de responsabilidades do papel do cliente. Dessa forma, este trabalho testou um modelo conceitual que estabeleceu a confiança e as responsabilidades do papel do cliente como antecedentes da clareza de papel, motivação e expertise do cliente no processo de coprodução do cliente. Foi utilizada uma abordagem quantitativa e os dados foram levantados junto a profissionais que já participaram de projetos de software na condição de clientes. A coleta de dados usou um questionário estruturado construído a partir de escalas de mensuração de estudos anteriores. As relações entre os conceitos foram testadas por meio da técnica de modelagem de equações estruturais. Os resultados obtidos apresentaram evidências de que a confiança e as responsabilidades do papel do cliente impactam positivamente a clareza de papel, a motivação ou a expertise do cliente, abrindo espaço para pesquisas futuras que aprofundem o entendimento das relações entre esses conceitos e sua importância para a efetividade da coprodução do cliente.

Análise dos indicadores de qualidade versus taxa de abandono utilizando método de regressão múltipla para serviço de banda larga

Telecommunication is one of the most dynamic and strategic areas in the world. Many technological innovations has modified the way information is exchanged. Information and knowledge are now shared in networks. Broadband Internet is the new way of sharing contents and information. This dissertation deals with performance indicators related to maintenance services of telecommunications networks and uses models of multivariate regression to estimate churn, which is the loss of customers to other companies. In a competitive environment, telecommunications companies have devised strategies to minimize the loss of customers. Loosing customers presents a higher cost than obtaining new ones. Corporations have plenty of data stored in a diversity of databases. Usually the data are not explored properly. This work uses the Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) to establish rules and new models to explain how churn, as a dependent variable, are related to a diversity of service indicators, such as time to deploy the service (in hours), time to repair (in hours), and so on. Extraction of meaningful knowledge is, in many cases, a challenge. Models were tested and statistically analyzed. The work also shows results that allows the analysis and identification of which quality services indicators influence the churn. Actions are also proposed to solve, at least in part, this problem