Real-time detection, tracking, and monitoring of automatically discovered events in social media

We introduce ReDites, a system for realtime event detection, tracking, monitoring and visualisation. It is designed to assist Information Analysts in understanding and exploring complex events as they unfold in the world. Events are automatically detected from the Twitter stream. Then those that are categorised as being security-relevant are tracked, geolocated, summarised and visualised for the end-user. Furthermore, the system tracks changes in emotions over events, signalling possible flashpoints or abatement. We demonstrate the capabilities of ReDites using an extended use case from the September 2013 Westgate shooting incident. Through an evaluation of system latencies, we also show that enriched events are made available for users to explore within seconds of that event occurring.

Heterogeneous catalysts for clean technology:spectroscopy, design, and monitoring

Reactive, but not a reactant. Heterogeneous catalysts play an unseen role in many of today's processes and products. With the increasing emphasis on sustainability in both products and processes, this handbook is the first to combine the hot topics of heterogeneous catalysis and clean technology. It focuses on the development of heterogeneous catalysts for use in clean chemical synthesis, dealing with how modern spectroscopic techniques can aid the design of catalysts for use in liquid phase reactions, their application in industrially important chemistries - including selective oxidation, hydrogenation, solid acid- and base-catalyzed processes - as well as the role of process intensification and use of renewable resources in improving the sustainability of chemical processes. With its emphasis on applications, this book is of high interest to those working in the industry.

Software Testing and Documenting Automation

This article describes some approaches to problem of testing and documenting automation in information systems with graphical user interface. Combination of data mining methods and theory of finite state machines is used for testing automation. Automated creation of software documentation is based on using metadata in documented system. Metadata is built on graph model. Described approaches improve performance and quality of testing and documenting processes.

Minimum Mean Square Error Approach in Images Processing for Full-field Displacements and Deformation Measurements

A vision system is applied to full-field displacements and deformation measurements in solid mechanics. A speckle like pattern is preliminary formed on the surface under investigation. To determine displacements field of one speckle image with respect to a reference speckle image, sub-images, referred to Zones Of Interest (ZOI) are considered. The field is obtained by matching a ZOI in the reference image with the respective ZOI in the moved image. Two image processing techniques are used for implementing the matching procedure: – cross correlation function and minimum mean square error (MMSE) of the ZOI intensity distribution. The two algorithms are compared and the influence of the ZOI size on the accuracy of measurements is studied.

Detecting and monitoring the symptoms of Parkinson's disease using smartphones:a pilot study

Background: Remote, non-invasive and objective tests that can be used to support expert diagnosis for Parkinson's disease (PD) are lacking. Methods: Participants underwent baseline in-clinic assessments, including the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and were provided smartphones with an Android operating system that contained a smartphone application that assessed voice, posture, gait, finger tapping, and response time. Participants then took the smart phones home to perform the five tasks four times a day for a month. Once a week participants had a remote (telemedicine) visit with a Parkinson disease specialist in which a modified (excluding assessments of rigidity and balance) UPDRS performed. Using statistical analyses of the five tasks recorded using the smartphone from 10 individuals with PD and 10 controls, we sought to: (1) discriminate whether the participant had PD and (2) predict the modified motor portion of the UPDRS. Results: Twenty participants performed an average of 2.7 tests per day (68.9% adherence) for the study duration (average of 34.4 days) in a home and community setting. The analyses of the five tasks differed between those with Parkinson disease and those without. In discriminating participants with PD from controls, the mean sensitivity was 96.2% (SD 2%) and mean specificity was 96.9% (SD 1.9%). The mean error in predicting the modified motor component of the UPDRS (range 11-34) was 1.26 UPDRS points (SD 0.16). Conclusion: Measuring PD symptoms via a smartphone is feasible and has potential value as a diagnostic support tool.

Responsive fixture design using dynamic product inspection and monitoring technologies for the precision machining of large-scale aerospace parts

When machining a large-scale aerospace part, the part is normally located and clamped firmly until a set of features are machined. When the part is released, its size and shape may deform beyond the tolerance limits due to stress release. This paper presents the design of a new fixing method and flexible fixtures that would automatically respond to workpiece deformation during machining. Deformation is inspected and monitored on-line, and part location and orientation can be adjusted timely to ensure follow-up operations are carried out under low stress and with respect to the related datum defined in the design models.

Analysing and Monitoring Surveillance Data of Mumps in Bulgaria

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P10.

Az online-fogyasztói elégedettség mérésére alkalmas skála tesztelése és véglegesítése a vállalati döntéshozók támogatása céljából (Testing and finalizing a scale for measuring online consumer satisfaction to support the companies decision making process)

A versenyképesség, illetve a gazdaságos működés elengedhetetlen feltétele a fogyasztói elégedettség, melynek egyik meghatározó eleme az észlelt és elvárt minőség közti kapcsolat. A minőségi elvárások az internettel, mint napjaink egyik meghatározó csatornájával kapcsolatban is megfogalmazódtak már, így kapott jelentős szerepet az online szolgáltatásminőség meghatározása, illetve ezzel összekapcsolódva az online-fogyasztói elégedettségmérés. A tanulmány célja, hogy szakirodalmi áttekintést nyújtson a témában, és a szakirodalomból ismert E-S-QUAL és E-RecS-QUAL online-fogyasztói elégedettségmérésre szolgáló skálát megvizsgálja, érvényességét a magyar körülmények között letesztelje, és a szükségesnek látszó módosítások elvégzésével egy Magyarországon használható skálát hozzon létre. Az online-fogyasztók elégedettségmérésének alapjaként az online szolgáltatásminőség fogyasztói érzékelésével, illetve értékelésével kapcsolatos elméleteket járja körbe a tanulmány, és ezután kerül sor a különböző mérési módszerek bemutatására, kiemelt szerepet szánva az E-S-QUAL és E-RecS-QUAL skálának, mely az egyik leginkább alkalmazott módszernek számít. Az áttekintés középpontjában azok a honlapok állnak, melyeken vásárolni is lehet, a kutatást pedig az egyik jelentős hazai online könyvesbolt ügyfélkörében végeztem el. ______ Over the last decade the business-to-consumer online market has been growing very fast. In marketing literature a lot of studies have been created focusing on understanding and measuring e-service quality (e-sq) and online-customer satisfaction. The aim of the study is to summarize these concepts, analyse the relationship between e-sq and customer’s loyalty, which increases the competitiveness of the companies, and to create a valid and reliable scale to the Hungarian market for measuring online-customer satisfaction. The base of the empirical study is the E-S-QUAL and its second scale the E-RecS-QUAL that are widely used multiple scales measuring e-sq with seven dimensions: efficiency, system availability, fulfilment, privacy, responsiveness, compensation, and contact. The study is focusing on the websites customers use to shop online.

Correlates of voluntary HIV testing and counseling among middle aged and older Latinas

This study identifies and describes HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) of middle aged and older Latinas. The rate of new cases of HIV in people age 45 and older is rapidly increasing, with a 40.6% increase in the numbers of older Latinas infected with HIV between 1998 and 2002. Despite this increase, there is paucity of research on this population. This research seeks to address the gap through a secondary data analysis of Latina women. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) Develop and empirically test a multivariate model of VCT utilization for middle aged and older Latinas; (2) To test how the three individual components of the Andersen Behavioral Model impact VCT for middle aged and older Latinas. The study is organized around the three major domains of the Andersen Behavioral Model of service use that include: (a) predisposing factors; (b) enabling characteristics and (c) need. Logistic regression using structural equation modeling techniques were used to test multivariate relationships of variables on VCT for a sample of 135 middle age and older Latinas residing in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Over 60% of participants had been tested for HIV. Provider endorsement was found to he the strongest predictor of VCT (odds ration [OR] 6.38), followed by having a clinic as a regular source of healthcare (OR=3.88). Significant negative associations with VCT included self rated health status (OR=.592); Age (OR=.927); Spanish proficiency (OR=.927); number of sexual partners (OR=.613) and consumption of alcohol during sexual activity (.549). As this line of inquiry provides a critical glimpse into the VCT of older Latinas, recommendations for enhanced service provision and research will he offered.

Robust and high current cold electron source based on carbon nanotube field emitters and electron multiplier microchannel plate

The aim of this research was to demonstrate a high current and stable field emission (FE) source based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and electron multiplier microchannel plate (MCP) and design efficient field emitters. In recent years various CNT based FE devices have been demonstrated including field emission displays, x-ray source and many more. However to use CNTs as source in high powered microwave (HPM) devices higher and stable current in the range of few milli-amperes to amperes is required. To achieve such high current we developed a novel technique of introducing a MCP between CNT cathode and anode. MCP is an array of electron multipliers; it operates by avalanche multiplication of secondary electrons, which are generated when electrons strike channel walls of MCP. FE current from CNTs is enhanced due to avalanche multiplication of secondary electrons and in addition MCP also protects CNTs from irreversible damage during vacuum arcing. Conventional MCP is not suitable for this purpose due to the lower secondary emission properties of their materials. To achieve higher and stable currents we have designed and fabricated a unique ceramic MCP consisting of high SEY materials. The MCP was fabricated utilizing optimum design parameters, which include channel dimensions and material properties obtained from charged particle optics (CPO) simulation. Child Langmuir law, which gives the optimum current density from an electron source, was taken into account during the system design and experiments. Each MCP channel consisted of MgO coated CNTs which was chosen from various material systems due to its very high SEY. With MCP inserted between CNT cathode and anode stable and higher emission current was achieved. It was ∼25 times higher than without MCP. A brighter emission image was also evidenced due to enhanced emission current. The obtained results are a significant technological advance and this research holds promise for electron source in new generation lightweight, efficient and compact microwave devices for telecommunications in satellites or space applications. As part of this work novel emitters consisting of multistage geometry with improved FE properties were was also developed.

Silicon photonic device for wavelength sensing and monitoring

Over the last decade advances and innovations from Silicon Photonics technology were observed in the telecommunications and computing industries. This technology which employs Silicon as an optical medium, relies on current CMOS micro-electronics fabrication processes to enable medium scale integration of many nano-photonic devices to produce photonic integrated circuitry. ^ However, other fields of research such as optical sensor processing can benefit from silicon photonics technology, specially in sensors where the physical measurement is wavelength encoded. ^ In this research work, we present a design and application of a thermally tuned silicon photonic device as an optical sensor interrogator. ^ The main device is a micro-ring resonator filter of 10 μm of diameter. A photonic design toolkit was developed based on open source software from the research community. With those tools it was possible to estimate the resonance and spectral characteristics of the filter. From the obtained design parameters, a 7.8 × 3.8 mm optical chip was fabricated using standard micro-photonics techniques. In order to tune a ring resonance, Nichrome micro-heaters were fabricated on top of the device. Some fabricated devices were systematically characterized and their tuning response were determined. From measurements, a ring resonator with a free-spectral-range of 18.4 nm and with a bandwidth of 0.14 nm was obtained. Using just 5 mA it was possible to tune the device resonance up to 3 nm. ^ In order to apply our device as a sensor interrogator in this research, a model of wavelength estimation using time interval between peaks measurement technique was developed and simulations were carried out to assess its performance. To test the technique, an experiment using a Fiber Bragg grating optical sensor was set, and estimations of the wavelength shift of this sensor due to axial strains yield an error within 22 pm compared to measurements from spectrum analyzer. ^ Results from this study implies that signals from FBG sensors can be processed with good accuracy using a micro-ring device with the advantage of ts compact size, scalability and versatility. Additionally, the system also has additional applications such as processing optical wavelength shifts from integrated photonic sensors and to be able to track resonances from laser sources.^

Integral field spectroscopy and multi-wavelength imaging of nearby spiral galaxies: NGC 5668 as a pilot case for MEGARA

MEGARA (Multi-Espectrógrafo en GTC de Alta Resolución para Astronomía) is an optical Integral-Field Unit (IFU) and Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) designed for the GTC 10.4 m telescope in La Palma. MEGARA will be a 3rd generation instrument for GTC. It is led by the University Complutense of Madrid with the collaboration of INAOE, IAA, UPM and comprises more than 50 researchers from a large number of institutions worldwide.

West Point track and field meet and AAU Official Carol Coram

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.