Specification, refinement and verification of concurrent systems - An integration of Object-Z and CSP

This paper presents a method of formally specifying, refining and verifying concurrent systems which uses the object-oriented state-based specification language Object-Z together with the process algebra CSP. Object-Z provides a convenient way of modelling complex data structures needed to define the component processes of such systems, and CSP enables the concise specification of process interactions. The basis of the integration is a semantics of Object-Z classes identical to that of CSP processes. This allows classes specified in Object-Z to he used directly within the CSP part of the specification. In addition to specification, we also discuss refinement and verification in this model. The common semantic basis enables a unified method of refinement to be used, based upon CSP refinement. To enable state-based techniques to be used fur the Object-Z components of a specification we develop state-based refinement relations which are sound and complete with respect to CSP refinement. In addition, a verification method for static and dynamic properties is presented. The method allows us to verify properties of the CSP system specification in terms of its component Object-Z classes by using the laws of the the CSP operators together with the logic for Object-Z.

Lexical decision in Parkinson's disease: A reply to Brown, McDonald, and Spicer (1999)

Recent semantic priming investigations in Parkinsons disease (PD) employed variants of Neelys (1977) lexical decision paradigm to dissociate the automatic and attentional aspects of semantic activation (McDonald, Brown, Gorell, 1996; Spicer, Brown, Gorell, 1994). In our earlier review, we claimed that the results of Spicer, McDonald and colleagues normal control participants violated the two-process model of information processing (Posner Snyder, 1975) upon which their experimental paradigm had been based (Arnott Chenery, 1999). We argued that, even at the shortest SOA employed, key design modifications to Neelys original experiments biased the tasks employed by Spicer et al. and McDonald et al. towards being assessments of attention-dependent processes. Accordingly, we contended that experimental procedures did not speak to issues of automaticity and, therefore, Spicer, McDonald and colleagues claims of robust automatic semantic activation in PD must be treated with caution.

Complex language functions and subcortical mechanisms: evidence from Huntington's disease and patients with non-thalamic subcortical lesions

The neuropathological changes associated with Huntington's disease (HD) are most marked in the head of the caudate nucleus and, to a lesser extent, in the putamen and globus pallidus, suggesting that at least part of the language impairments found in patients with HD may result from non-thalamic subcortical (NTS) pathology. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that a signature profile of impaired language functions is found in patients who have sustained damage to the non-thalamic subcortex, either focally induced or resulting from neurodegenerative pathology. The language abilities of a group of patients with Huntington's disease (n=13) were compared with those of an age- and education-matched group of patients with chronic NTS lesions following stroke (n=13) and a non-neurologically impaired control group (n=13). The three groups were compared on language tasks that assessed both primary and more complex language abilities. The primary language battery consisted of The Western Aphasia Battery and The Boston Naming Test, whilst the more complex cognitive-linguistic battery employed selected subtests from The Test of Language Competence-Expanded, The Test of Word Knowledge and The Word Test-Revised. On many of the tests of primary language function from the Western Aphasia Battery, both the HD and NTS participants performed in a similar manner to the control participants. The language performances of the HD participants were significantly more impaired (p<0.05 using modified Bonferroni adjustments) than the control group, however, on various lexico-semantic tasks (e. g. the Boston Naming Test and providing definitions), on both single-word and sentence-level generative tasks (e. g. category fluency and formulating sentences), and on tasks which required interpretation of ambiguous, figurative and inferential meaning. The difficulties that patients with HD experienced with tasks assessing complex language abilities were strikingly similar, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to the language profile produced by NTS participants. The results provide evidence to suggest that a signature language profile is associated with damage to the non-thalamic subcortex resulting from either focal neurological insult or a degenerative disease.

A role for the dominant thalamus in language? A linguistic comparison of two cases subsequent to unilateral thalamotomy procedures in the dominant and non-dominant hemispheres

Background: Thalamotomy has been reported to be successful in ameliorating the motor symptoms of tremor and/or rigidity in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), emphasising the bona fide contribution of this subcortical nucleus to the neural circuitry subserving motor function. Despite evidence of parallel yet segregated associative and motor cortico-subcortical-cortical circuits, comparatively few studies have investigated the effects of this procedure on cognitive functions. In particular, research pertaining to the impact of thalamotomy on linguistic processes is fundamentally lacking. Aims: The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of thalamotomy in the language dominant and non-dominant hemispheres on linguistic functioning, relative to operative theoretical models of subcortical participation in language. This paper compares the linguistic profiles of two males with PD, aged 75 years (10 years of formal education) and 62 years (22 years of formal education), subsequent to unilateral thalamotomy procedures within the language dominant and non-dominant hemispheres, respectively. Methods & Procedures: Comprehensive linguistic profiles comprising general and high-level linguistic abilities in addition to on-line semantic processing skills were compiled up to 1 month prior to surgery and 3 months post-operatively, within perceived on'' periods (i.e., when optimally medicated). Pre- and post-operative language performances were compared within-subjects to a group of 16 non-surgical Parkinson's controls (NSPD) and a group of 16 non-neurologically impaired adults (NC). Outcomes & Results: The findings of this research suggest a laterality effect with regard to the contribution of the thalamus to high-level linguistic abilities and, potentially, the temporal processing of semantic information. This outcome supports the application of high-level linguistic assessments and measures of semantic processing proficiency to the clinical management of individuals with dominant thalamic lesions. Conclusions: The results reported lend support to contemporary theories of dominant thalamic participation in language, serving to further elucidate our current understanding of the role of subcortical structures in mediating linguistic processes, relevant to cortical hemispheric dominance.

Yablo's paradox and referring to infinite objects

The blame for the semantic and set-theoretic paradoxes is often placed on self-reference and circularity. Some years ago, Yablo [1985; 1993] challenged this diagnosis, by producing a paradox that's liar-like but does not seem to involve circularity. But is Yablo's paradox really non-circular? In a recent paper, Beall [2001] has suggested that there are no means available to refer to Yablo's paradox without invoking descriptions, and since Priest [1997] has shown that any such description is circular, Beall concludes that Yablo's paradox itself is circular. In this paper, we argue that Beall's conclusion is unwarranted, given that (1) descriptions are not the only way to refer to Yablo's paradox, and (ii) we have no reason to believe that because the description involves self-reference, the denotation of the description is also circular. As a result, for all that's been said so far, we have no reason to believe that Yablo's paradox is circular.

Structural refinement of systems specified in object-z and CSP

This paper is concerned with methods for refinement of specifications written using a combination of Object-Z and CSP. Such a combination has proved to be a suitable vehicle for specifying complex systems which involve state and behaviour, and several proposals exist for integrating these two languages. The basis of the integration in this paper is a semantics of Object-Z classes identical to CSP processes. This allows classes specified in Object-Z to be combined using CSP operators. It has been shown that this semantic model allows state-based refinement relations to be used on the Object-Z components in an integrated Object-Z/CSP specification. However, the current refinement methodology does not allow the structure of a specification to be changed in a refinement, whereas a full methodology would, for example, allow concurrency to be introduced during the development life-cycle. In this paper, we tackle these concerns and discuss refinements of specifications written using Object-Z and CSP where we change the structure of the specification when performing the refinement. In particular, we develop a set of structural simulation rules which allow single components to be refined to more complex specifications involving CSP operators. The soundness of these rules is verified against the common semantic model and they are illustrated via a number of examples.

Conciliação entre formação esportiva e formação escolar : um estudo das seleções brasileiras masculinas de basquetebol de base

A pesquisa se caracteriza pela abordagem plurimetodológica do tipo qualitativa/quantitativa, e tem como objetivo investigar de que maneira se constroem as estratégias de conciliação entre a formação esportiva e escolar em atletas de elite que servem às seleções brasileiras masculinas de basquetebol Sub 17 e Sub 19. O estudo se organizou em três capítulos. Do tipo “estado do conhecimento”, o primeiro capítulo tem por objetivo mapear as produções acadêmicas que tratam da conciliação entre formação escolar e formação esportiva. Utiliza como fonte a base de dados Scielo para busca nacional e o Portal Periódicos Capes para busca internacional. Foram encontrados 17 artigos distribuídos em 13 periódicos. Os dados foram classificados/analisados por meio de indicadores bibliométricos, como distribuição anual, distribuição por revista, relação autoral e origem demográfica. Para análise também foram levados em consideração uma tese de doutorado, três dissertações de mestrado e três trabalhos apresentados em congresso, além de um número especial de periódico, não localizado nas bases escolhidas. Mostra que a preocupação com o tema surge na Europa e nos Estados Unidos, na década de 70, e que, no Brasil, essa questão passa a ser abordada nos anos 2000. Demonstra tentativas de conciliação entre as formações realizadas em países da Europa, Estados Unidos e Brasil, além da importância da família e do pertencimento de classes sociais na possibilidade de priorização a uma das formações envolvidas. O segundo capítulo, de natureza quali-quantitativa, investiga as estratégias utilizadas pelos atletas convocados em 2013 para as seleções brasileiras de basquetebol masculinas de base Sub 17 e Sub 19 anos, quanto às possíveis conciliações entre formação esportiva e escolar. Busca, ainda, compreender a influência das convocações para as seleções nacionais nos índices de escolaridade desses atletas de elite, como abandono, atraso e repetência escolar. A pesquisa mostra que esse grupo de atletas de elite apresenta médias de repetência, abandono e atraso escolar maiores que as médias nacionais. O terceiro capítulo analisa o entendimento desse grupo de jovens atletas em relação à formação escolar ou, ainda, se um possível desinteresse do grupo pelo modelo atual de escola se daria apenas pelo fato de serem esportistas de elite. Para isso, recorre às possibilidades de investigação oriundas da segunda metade do questionário utilizado como instrumento para adotar uma metodologia de livre associação de palavras direcionadas a partir de quatro palavras indutoras (estruturas semânticas), a saber: “treinar”, “estudar”, “ir a escola” e “competir”. Essa associação livre é usualmente utilizada como suporte teórico/metodológico em pesquisas que investigam representação social (ACOSTA, 2005). Ao dar visibilidade a essas questões nota-se que a posição desses atletas, em relação à escola, não difere das encontradas em outras pesquisas que tratam de jovens inseridos no ensino médio. A falta de significado do que se aprende na escola em relação ao que eles desejam desenvolver como atividade laboral, faz com que a escola seja entendida como monótona, mas, ao mesmo tempo, necessária, caso seus projetos de formação esportiva não aconteçam.

Representing organizational structures in enterprise architecture : an ontology-based approach

Arquitetura Corporativa promove o estabelecimento de uma visão holística da estrutura e forma de trabalho de uma organização. Um dos aspectos abordados em Arquitetura Corporativa está associada a "estrutura ativa" da organização, que diz respeito a “quem" realiza as atividades organizacionais. Várias abordagens têm sido propostas a fim de proporcionar um meio para a representação de Arquitetura Corporativa, entre as quais ARIS, RM-ODP, UPDM e ArchiMate. Apesar da aceitação por parte da comunidade, as abordagens existentes se concentram em propósitos diferentes, têm limitações de escopo e algumas não têm semântica de mundo real bem definida. Além das abordagens de modelagem, muitas abordagens de ontologias têm sido propostas, a fim de descrever o domínio de estrutura ativa, incluindo as ontologias de SUPER Project, TOVE, Enterprise Ontology e W3C Org Ontology. Embora especificadas para fundamentação semântica e negociação de significado, algumas das abordagens propostas têm fins específicos e cobertura limitada. Além disso, algumas das abordagens não são definidas usando linguagens formais e outras são especificadas usando linguagens sem semântica bem definida. Este trabalho apresenta uma ontologia de referência bem fundamentada para o domínio organizacional. A ontologia organizacional de referência apresentada abrange os aspectos básicos discutidos na literatura organizacional, tais como divisão do trabalho, relações sociais e classificação das unidades estruturais. Além disso, também abrange os aspectos organizacionais definidos em abordagens existentes, levando em consideração tanto abordagens de modelagem quanto abordagens ontológicas. A ontologia resultante é especificada em OntoUML e estende os conceitos sociais de UFO-C.

Minha filha aprende a falar: percurso de aquisição da linguagem de uma criança brasileira nos tempos actuais

RESUMO: A linguagem é o traço distintivo do ser humano. É por meio dela que nos comunicamos, formamos todos os nossos conceitos, temos uma estória e cultura. A capacidade humana para adquirir um sistema de regras tão complexo como é a linguagem verbal, em um espaço de tempo relativamente curto, tem despertado o interesse de estudiosos ao longo do tempo. Conforme a literatura consultada, a linguagem, de caráter inato, é adquirida em um meio de falantes, seguindo etapas universais de desenvolvimento. Interrogamo-nos então se, nos tempos atuais, marcados pela globalização, esse processo mantem-se igual ou pode sofrer modificações. Esta dissertação resulta de um estudo feito durante os anos 2007/2009, com uma criança brasileira, e teve como objetivo principal descrever o percurso de aquisição da linguagem nos tempos atuais, utilizando a metodologia do estudo de caso. Os dados coletados foram analisados sob os cinco componentes da linguagem: Fonologia, Morfologia, Sintaxe, Semântica e Pragmática, e comparados ao referencial teórico, no intuito de identificar semelhanças e/ou diferenças entre ambos. ABSTRACT: The language is the human‟s differential trace. It is whereby that we communicate, we form all our concepts, we have a story and culture. The human capacity to acquire a rules system such complex as the verbal language, in a relatively short time space, has been awaking the interest of studious along time. According to the consulted literature, the languae, of innate character, is acquired in a way of speakers, following universal stages of development. So, we asked us if, in the current times, marked by globalization, this process keep equal or can suffer modifications. This dissertation results from a study reayized during years 2007/2008, with a Brazilian child, and it had as main goal to describe the language acquisition route in the current times, using the case study as methodology. The collected data were analyzed under the five language components: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantic and Pragmatic, and compared to theory, intending identifying similarities and/or differences between both.

Methods for automatic and assisted image annotation

Personal memories composed of digital pictures are very popular at the moment. To retrieve these media items annotation is required. During the last years, several approaches have been proposed in order to overcome the image annotation problem. This paper presents our proposals to address this problem. Automatic and semi-automatic learning methods for semantic concepts are presented. The automatic method is based on semantic concepts estimated using visual content, context metadata and audio information. The semi-automatic method is based on results provided by a computer game. The paper describes our proposals and presents their evaluations.

Impacto de um programa de estimulação do desenvolvimento lexical em crianças pré-escolares, sem ou com necessidades educativas especiais

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para a obtenção do grau de mestre em Ciências da Educação - Especialização em Educação Especial

Quase-verdade e pragmatismo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Shopping center tracking and recommendation systems

Shopping centers present a rich and heterogeneous environment, where IT systems can be implemented in order to support the needs of its actors. However, due to the environment complexity, several feasibility issues emerge when designing both the logical and physical architecture of such systems. Additionally, the system must be able to cope with the individual needs of each actor, and provide services that are easily adopted by them, taking into account several sociological and economical aspects. In this sense, we present an overview of current support systems for shopping center environments. From this overview, a high-level model of the domain (involving actors and services) is described along with challenges and possible features in the context of current Semantic Web, mobile device and sensor technologies.

Ontologies for reusing data cleaning knowledge

The emergence of new business models, namely, the establishment of partnerships between organizations, the chance that companies have of adding existing data on the web, especially in the semantic web, to their information, led to the emphasis on some problems existing in databases, particularly related to data quality. Poor data can result in loss of competitiveness of the organizations holding these data, and may even lead to their disappearance, since many of their decision-making processes are based on these data. For this reason, data cleaning is essential. Current approaches to solve these problems are closely linked to database schemas and specific domains. In order that data cleaning can be used in different repositories, it is necessary for computer systems to understand these data, i.e., an associated semantic is needed. The solution presented in this paper includes the use of ontologies: (i) for the specification of data cleaning operations and, (ii) as a way of solving the semantic heterogeneity problems of data stored in different sources. With data cleaning operations defined at a conceptual level and existing mappings between domain ontologies and an ontology that results from a database, they may be instantiated and proposed to the expert/specialist to be executed over that database, thus enabling their interoperability.

Word learning and text organisation: an intervention case

In the present study we focus on the interaction between the acquisition of new words and text organisation. In the acquisition of new words we emphasise the acquisition of paradigmatic relations such as hyponymy, meronymy and semantic sets. We work with a group of girls attending a private school for adolescents in serious difficulties. The subjects are from disadvantaged families. Their writing skills were very poor. When asked to describe a garden, they write a short text of a single paragraph, the lexical items were generic, there were no adjectives, and all of them use mainly existential verbs. The intervention plan assumed that subjects must to be exposed to new words, working out its meaning. In presence of referents subjects were taught new words making explicit the intended relation of the new term to a term already known. In the classroom subjects were asked to write all the words they knew drawing the relationships among them. They talk about the words specifying the relation making explicit pragmatic directions like is a kind of, is a part of or are all x. After that subjects were exposed to the task of choosing perspective. The work presented in this paper accounts for significant differences in the text of the subjects before and after the intervention. While working new words subjects were organising their lexicon and learning to present a whole entity in perspective.