User’s Guide to ADMB2R: A Set of AD Model Builder Output Routines Compatible with the R Statistics Language

ADMB2R is a collection of AD Model Builder routines for saving complex data structures into a file that can be read in the R statistics environment with a single command.1 ADMB2R provides both the means to transfer data structures significantly more complex than simple tables, and an archive mechanism to store data for future reference. We developed this software because we write and run computationally intensive numerical models in Fortran, C++, and AD Model Builder. We then analyse results with R. We desired to automate data transfer to speed diagnostics during working-group meetings. We thus developed the ADMB2R interface to write an R data object (of type list) to a plain-text file. The master list can contain any number of matrices, values, dataframes, vectors or lists, all of which can be read into R with a single call to the dget function. This allows easy transfer of structured data from compiled models to R. Having the capacity to transfer model data, metadata, and results has sharply reduced the time spent on diagnostics, and at the same time, our diagnostic capabilities have improved tremendously. The simplicity of this interface and the capabilities of R have enabled us to automate graph and table creation for formal reports. Finally, the persistent storage in files makes it easier to treat model results in analyses or meta-analyses devised months—or even years—later. We offer ADMB2R to others in the hope that they will find it useful. (PDF contains 30 pages)

User’s Guide to C2R: A Set of C Language Output Routines Compatible with the R Statistics Language

C2R is a collection of C routines for saving complex data structures into a file that can be read in the R statistics environment with a single command.1 C2R provides both the means to transfer data structures significantly more complex than simple tables, and an archive mechanism to store data for future reference. We developed this software because we write and run computationally intensive numerical models in Fortran, C++, and AD Model Builder. We then analyse results with R. We desired to automate data transfer to speed diagnostics during working-group meetings. We thus developed the C2R interface to write an R data object (of type list) to a plain-text file. The master list can contain any number of matrices, values, dataframes, vectors or lists, all of which can be read into R with a single call to the dget function. This allows easy transfer of structured data from compiled models to R. Having the capacity to transfer model data, metadata, and results has sharply reduced the time spent on diagnostics, and at the same time, our diagnostic capabilities have improved tremendously. The simplicity of this interface and the capabilities of R have enabled us to automate graph and table creation for formal reports. Finally, the persistent storage in files makes it easier to treat model results in analyses or meta-analyses devised months—or even years—later. We offer C2R to others in the hope that they will find it useful. (PDF contains 27 pages)

User’s Guide to For2R: A Module of Fortran 95 Output Routines Compatible with the R Statistics Language

For2R is a collection of Fortran routines for saving complex data structures into a file that can be read in the R statistics environment with a single command.1 For2R provides both the means to transfer data structures significantly more complex than simple tables, and an archive mechanism to store data for future reference. We developed this software because we write and run computationally intensive numerical models in Fortran, C++, and AD Model Builder. We then analyse results with R. We desired to automate data transfer to speed diagnostics during working-group meetings. We thus developed the For2R interface to write an R data object (of type list) to a plain-text file. The master list can contain any number of matrices, values, dataframes, vectors or lists, all of which can be read into R with a single call to the dget function. This allows easy transfer of structured data from compiled models to R. Having the capacity to transfer model data, metadata, and results has sharply reduced the time spent on diagnostics, and at the same time, our diagnostic capabilities have improved tremendously. The simplicity of this interface and the capabilities of R have enabled us to automate graph and table creation for formal reports. Finally, the persistent storage in files makes it easier to treat model results in analyses or meta-analyses devised months—or even years—later. We offer For2R to others in the hope that they will find it useful. (PDF contains 31 pages)

Blackburn College: DIY! College departments catalogue their own technologies on Library Management System for loan

Blackburn College is making use of its Heritage Library Management System (LMS) for a wide variety of loans beyond that of books; this has enabled them to better manage the growing numbers and types of technologies that are being used in teaching and learning. In an additional pilot development, they have taken the bold step of training college departments in cataloguing their own technologies to add to the LMS for loan. This has enabled the departments to keep track of their own equipment easily, and provided a more consistent approach to equipment loan within the College.

Good practice guidance for library and information professionals - moving towards accessible e-book platforms

Good practice guidance for publishers and procurers of e-book platforms based on the benefits and barriers identified by robust testing using real people with disabilities

The STREAM Initiative: support to regional aquatic resources management. Promoting participation, communication, and policies that support the livelihoods of poor aquatic resource users in the Asia-Pacific. Memorandum

Throughout the Asia-Pacific region capture fisheries and certain less intensive forms of aquaculture can and do play a vital role in livelihoods management, food security, and health and nutrition. Knowledge and experience exist that could be more effectively used in policy for poverty alleviation. (PDF contains 89 pages)

Authority files: Breaking out of the library silo to become signposts for research information

Authority files serve to uniquely identify real world ‘things’ or entities like documents, persons, organisations, and their properties, like relations and features. Already important in the classical library world, authority files are indispensable for adequate information retrieval and analysis in the computer age. This is because, even more than humans, computers are poor at handling ambiguity. Through authority files, people tell computers which terms, names or numbers refer to the same thing or have the same meaning by giving equivalent notions the same identifier. Thus, authority files signpost the internet where these identifiers are interlinked on the basis of relevance. When executing a query, computers are able to navigate from identifier to identifier by following these links and collect the queried information on these so-called ‘crosswalks’. In this context, identifiers also go under the name controlled access points. Identifiers become even more crucial now massive data collections like library catalogues or research datasets are releasing their till-now contained data directly to the internet. This development is coined Open Linked Data. The concatenating name for the internet is Web of Data instead of the classical Web of Documents.

Open Personalization: Involving Third Parties in Improving the User Experience of Websites

Traditional software development captures the user needs during the requirement analysis. The Web makes this endeavour even harder due to the difficulty to determine who these users are. In an attempt to tackle the heterogeneity of the user base, Web Personalization techniques are proposed to guide the users’ experience. In addition, Open Innovation allows organisations to look beyond their internal resources to develop new products or improve existing processes. This thesis sits in between by introducing Open Personalization as a means to incorporate actors other than webmasters in the personalization of web applications. The aim is to provide the technological basis that builds up a trusty environment for webmasters and companion actors to collaborate, i.e. "an architecture of participation". Such architecture very much depends on these actors’ profile. This work tackles three profiles (i.e. software partners, hobby programmers and end users), and proposes three "architectures of participation" tuned for each profile. Each architecture rests on different technologies: a .NET annotation library based on Inversion of Control for software partners, a Modding Interface in JavaScript for hobby programmers, and finally, a domain specific language for end-users. Proof-of-concept implementations are available for the three cases while a quantitative evaluation is conducted for the domain specific language.