Method of Elimination Data Sources Conflicts in Information System

Use of modern object-oriented methods of designing of information systems (IS) both descriptions of interrelations IS and automated with its help business-processes of the enterprises leads to necessity of construction uniform complete IS on the basis of set of local models of such system. As a result of use of such approach there are the contradictions caused by inconsistency of actions of separate developers IS with each other and that is much more important, inconsistency of the points of view of separate users IS. Besides similar contradictions arise while in service IS at the enterprise because of constant change separate business- processes of the enterprise. It is necessary to note also, that now overwhelming majority IS is developed and maintained as set of separate functional modules. Each of such modules can function as independent IS. However the problem of integration of separate functional modules in uniform system can lead to a lot of problems. Among these problems it is possible to specify, for example, presence in modules of functions which are not used by the enterprise to destination, to complexity of information and program integration of modules of various manufacturers, etc. In most cases these contradictions and the reasons, their caused, are consequence of primary representation IS as equilibrium steady system. In work [1] representation IS as dynamic multistable system which is capable to carry out following actions has been considered:

Volume strain sensor based on spectra analysis of in-fiber modal interferometer

An optical in-fiber modal interferometer-based volume strain sensor for earthquake prediction is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The sensing element is formed by wrapping a multimode-singlemode-multimode fiber structure onto a polyurethane hollow column. Due to the modal interference between the excited guided modes in the fiber, strong interference pattern could be observed in the transmission spectrum. Theoretical analysis verifies that the resonant wavelength shifts as a result of the volume strain variation caused by the column deformation with square root relationship. Sensitivity > 3.93 pm/με within the volume strain ranging from 0 to 1300 με is also experimentally demonstrated. By taking the response of bidirectional change of volume strain and the sluggish character of the employed sensing material into consideration, the sensing system presents good repeatability and stability. © 2001-2012 IEEE.

Evaluation of hemifield sector analysis protocol in multifocal visual evoked potential objective perimetry for the diagnosis and early detection of glaucomatous field defects

CONCLUSIONS: The new HSA protocol used in the mfVEP testing can be applied to detect glaucomatous visual field defects in both glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients. Using this protocol can provide information about focal visual field differences across the horizontal midline, which can be utilized to differentiate between glaucoma and normal subjects. Sensitivity and specificity of the mfVEP test showed very promising results and correlated with other anatomical changes in glaucoma field loss. PURPOSE: Multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) is a newly introduced method used for objective visual field assessment. Several analysis protocols have been tested to identify early visual field losses in glaucoma patients using the mfVEP technique, some were successful in detection of field defects, which were comparable to the standard automated perimetry (SAP) visual field assessment, and others were not very informative and needed more adjustment and research work. In this study we implemented a novel analysis approach and evaluated its validity and whether it could be used effectively for early detection of visual field defects in glaucoma. METHODS: Three groups were tested in this study; normal controls (38 eyes), glaucoma patients (36 eyes) and glaucoma suspect patients (38 eyes). All subjects had a two standard Humphrey field analyzer (HFA) test 24-2 and a single mfVEP test undertaken in one session. Analysis of the mfVEP results was done using the new analysis protocol; the hemifield sector analysis (HSA) protocol. Analysis of the HFA was done using the standard grading system. RESULTS: Analysis of mfVEP results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the three groups in the mean signal to noise ratio (ANOVA test, p < 0.001 with a 95% confidence interval). The difference between superior and inferior hemispheres in all subjects were statistically significant in the glaucoma patient group in all 11 sectors (t-test, p < 0.001), partially significant in 5 / 11 (t-test, p < 0.01), and no statistical difference in most sectors of the normal group (1 / 11 sectors was significant, t-test, p < 0.9). Sensitivity and specificity of the HSA protocol in detecting glaucoma was 97% and 86%, respectively, and for glaucoma suspect patients the values were 89% and 79%, respectively.

Personal Work Space and Content Analysis Functionality in a Cultural Heritage Digital Library

The paper presents a different vision for personalization of the user’s stay in a cultural heritage digital library that models services for personalized content marking, commenting and analyzing that doesn’t require strict user profile, but aims at adjusting the user’s individual needs. The solution is borrowed from real work and studying of traditional written content sources (incl. books, manuals), where the user mainly performs activities such as underlining the important parts of the content, writing notes and inferences, selecting and marking zones of their interest in pictures, etc. In the paper a special attention is paid to the ability to execute learning analysis allowing different ways for the user to experience the digital library content with more creative settings.

Analysing and Monitoring Surveillance Data of Mumps in Bulgaria

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P10.

Applying Data Mining Tools in E-Learning

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education and Research in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2014

Modeling Data for Complications in Diabetics Using Logistic Regression

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 62P10.

A qualitative case study of teacher perceptions and concerns during the implementation of literacy folders in a select elementary school in Broward County, Florida

Classroom teachers are often required to implement new procedures or practices in response to local or federal education mandates. Attempts to implement innovations, often do not take into account the personal side of change; the perceptions, concerns and needs of those required to implement the innovation. One innovation that was required by the School Board of Broward County, Florida for all elementary classroom teachers was the implementation of Literacy Folders. ^ This study attempted to address the personal side of change by identifying teacher concerns during the implementation of Literacy Folders in a select elementary school in Broward County Florida. The Concerns Based Adoption model (CBAM) for change was used as the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study. ^ Sources of data for this study included participant interviews, observations and analysis of documents. Informal conversations with the participants and unscheduled classroom visits were also sources of data. Seven classroom teachers were interviewed using a predesigned interview guide developed based on the CBAM of change, specifically the Stages of Concern Dimension. Participant responses were coded into two categories, (a) recollections of past perceptions, and (b) present perceptions regarding the innovation. ^ Data analysis resulted in the emergence of one major theme and two subordinate themes. The themes were related to time and purpose of the innovation. The researcher also discovered that the participants exhibited responses typically representative of the CBAM for individuals who are in the process of adjusting to a new innovation. ^ Recommendations based on participant concerns are made for improving the implementation of the innovation. Recommendations for alternatives to the innovation and suggestions regarding areas for further research in the field of educational change are also made. ^

Belowground decomposition of mangrove roots in Florida coastal everglades

Mangrove root decomposition rates were measured by distributing mesh bags containing fine root material across six sites with different soil fertility and hydroperiod to compare ambient differences to substrate quality. Roots from a site with lower soil phosphorus concentration were used as a reference and compared to ambient roots at five other sites with increased phosphorus concentration. Four mesh bags of each root type (ambient versus reference), separated into four 10-cm replicate intervals, were buried up to 42 cm depth at each site and incubated for 250 d (initiation in May 2004). Mass loss of ambient mangrove roots was significant at all study sites and ranged from 17% to 54%; there was no significant difference with depth at any one site. Reference decomposition constants (−k) ranged from 0.0012 to 0.0018 d−1 among Taylor Slough sites compared to 0.0023–0.0028 d−1 among Shark River sites, indicating slower decomposition rates associated with lower soil phosphorous and longer flood duration. Reference roots had similar decomposition rates as ambient roots in four of the six sites, and there were no significant correlations between indices of root substrate quality and decomposition rates. Among these distinct landscape gradients of south Florida mangroves, soil environmental conditions have a greater effect on belowground root decomposition than root substrate quality.

Personal Data and Encryption in the European General Data Protection Regulation

Encryption of personal data is widely regarded as a privacy preserving technology which could potentially play a key role for the compliance of innovative IT technology within the European data protection law framework. Therefore, in this paper, we examine the new EU General Data Protection Regulation’s relevant provisions regarding encryption – such as those for anonymisation and pseudonymisation – and assess whether encryption can serve as an anonymisation technique, which can lead to the non-applicability of the GDPR. However, the provisions of the GDPR regarding the material scope of the Regulation still leave space for legal uncertainty when determining whether a data subject is identifiable or not. Therefore, we inter alia assess the Opinion of the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding a preliminary ruling on the interpretation of the dispute concerning whether a dynamic IP address can be considered as personal data, which may put an end to the dispute whether an absolute or a relative approach has to be used for the assessment of the identifiability of data subjects. Furthermore, we outline the issue of whether the anonymisation process itself constitutes a further processing of personal data which needs to have a legal basis in the GDPR. Finally, we give an overview of relevant encryption techniques and examine their impact upon the GDPR’s material scope.

From data to applications in the Internet of Things

Con la crescita in complessità delle infrastrutture IT e la pervasività degli scenari di Internet of Things (IoT) emerge il bisogno di nuovi modelli computazionali basati su entità autonome capaci di portare a termine obiettivi di alto livello interagendo tra loro grazie al supporto di infrastrutture come il Fog Computing, per la vicinanza alle sorgenti dei dati, e del Cloud Computing per offrire servizi analitici complessi di back-end in grado di fornire risultati per milioni di utenti. Questi nuovi scenarii portano a ripensare il modo in cui il software viene progettato e sviluppato in una prospettiva agile. Le attività dei team di sviluppatori (Dev) dovrebbero essere strettamente legate alle attività dei team che supportano il Cloud (Ops) secondo nuove metodologie oggi note come DevOps. Tuttavia, data la mancanza di astrazioni adeguata a livello di linguaggio di programmazione, gli sviluppatori IoT sono spesso indotti a seguire approcci di sviluppo bottom-up che spesso risulta non adeguato ad affrontare la compessità delle applicazione del settore e l'eterogeneità dei compomenti software che le formano. Poichè le applicazioni monolitiche del passato appaiono difficilmente scalabili e gestibili in un ambiente Cloud con molteplici utenti, molti ritengono necessaria l'adozione di un nuovo stile architetturale, in cui un'applicazione dovrebbe essere vista come una composizione di micro-servizi, ciascuno dedicato a uno specifica funzionalità applicativa e ciascuno sotto la responsabilità di un piccolo team di sviluppatori, dall'analisi del problema al deployment e al management. Poichè al momento non si è ancora giunti a una definizione univoca e condivisa dei microservices e di altri concetti che emergono da IoT e dal Cloud, nè tantomento alla definzione di linguaggi sepcializzati per questo settore, la definzione di metamodelli custom associati alla produzione automatica del software di raccordo con le infrastrutture potrebbe aiutare un team di sviluppo ad elevare il livello di astrazione, incapsulando in una software factory aziendale i dettagli implementativi. Grazie a sistemi di produzione del sofware basati sul Model Driven Software Development (MDSD), l'approccio top-down attualmente carente può essere recuperato, permettendo di focalizzare l'attenzione sulla business logic delle applicazioni. Nella tesi viene mostrato un esempio di questo possibile approccio, partendo dall'idea che un'applicazione IoT sia in primo luogo un sistema software distribuito in cui l'interazione tra componenti attivi (modellati come attori) gioca un ruolo fondamentale.