Documenting Collections of Bulgarian Museums. Framing a CIDOC-based Ontological Presentation

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

Model Mining and Efficient Verification of Software Product Lines

Software product line modeling aims at capturing a set of software products in an economic yet meaningful way. We introduce a class of variability models that capture the sharing between the software artifacts forming the products of a software product line (SPL) in a hierarchical fashion, in terms of commonalities and orthogonalities. Such models are useful when analyzing and verifying all products of an SPL, since they provide a scheme for divide-and-conquer-style decomposition of the analysis or verification problem at hand. We define an abstract class of SPLs for which variability models can be constructed that are optimal w.r.t. the chosen representation of sharing. We show how the constructed models can be fed into a previously developed algorithmic technique for compositional verification of control-flow temporal safety properties, so that the properties to be verified are iteratively decomposed into simpler ones over orthogonal parts of the SPL, and are not re-verified over the shared parts. We provide tool support for our technique, and evaluate our tool on a small but realistic SPL of cash desks.

Representing supply chain events on the Web of data

The Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) is an EPCglobal standard, that aims to bridge the gap between the physical world of RFID1 tagged artifacts, and information systems that enable their tracking and tracing via the Electronic Product Code (EPC). Central to the EPCIS data model are "events" that describe specific occurrences in the supply chain. EPCIS events, recorded and registered against EPC tagged artifacts, encapsulate the "what", "when", "where" and "why" of these artifacts as they flow through the supply chain. In this paper we propose an ontological model for representing EPCIS events on the Web of data. Our model provides a scalable approach for the representation, integration and sharing of EPCIS events as linked data via RESTful interfaces, thereby facilitating interoperability, collaboration and exchange of EPC related data across enterprises on a Web scale.

Quality assessment of video transmission in heterogeneous networks as applied to real-time telecare

This work looks into video quality assessment applied to the field of telecare and proposes an alternative metric to the more traditionally used PSNR based on the requirements of such an application. We show that the Pause Intensity metric introduced in [1] is also relevant and applicable to heterogeneous networks with a wireless last hop connected to a wired TCP backbone. We demonstrate through our emulation testbed that the impairments experienced in such a network architecture are dominated by continuity based impairments rather than artifacts, such as motion drift or blockiness. We also look into the implication of using Pause Intensity as a metric in terms of the overall video latency, which is potentially problematic should the video be sent and acted upon in real-time. We conclude that Pause Intensity may be used alongside the video characteristics which have been suggested as a measure of the overall video quality. © 2012 IEEE.

Modelling and linking transformations in EPCIS governing supply chain business processes

Supply chains comprise of complex processes spanning across multiple trading partners. The various operations involved generate large number of events that need to be integrated in order to enable internal and external traceability. Further, provenance of artifacts and agents involved in the supply chain operations is now a key traceability requirement. In this paper we propose a Semantic web/Linked data powered framework for the event based representation and analysis of supply chain activities governed by the EPCIS specification. We specifically show how a new EPCIS event type called "Transformation Event" can be semantically annotated using EEM - The EPCIS Event Model to generate linked data, that can be exploited for internal event based traceability in supply chains involving transformation of products. For integrating provenance with traceability, we propose a mapping from EEM to PROV-O. We exemplify our approach on an abstraction of the production processes that are part of the wine supply chain.

OntoPedigree:modelling pedigrees for traceability in supply chains

The sharing of product and process information plays a central role in coordinating supply chains operations and is a key driver for their success. "Linked pedigrees" - linked datasets, that encapsulate event based traceability information of artifacts as they move along the supply chain, provide a scalable mechanism to record and facilitate the sharing of track and trace knowledge among supply chain partners. In this paper we present "OntoPedigree" a content ontology design pattern for the representation of linked pedigrees, that can be specialised and extended to define domain specific traceability ontologies. Events captured within the pedigrees are specified using EPCIS - a GS1 standard for the specification of traceability information within and across enterprises, while certification information is described using PROV - a vocabulary for modelling provenance of resources. We exemplify the utility of OntoPedigree in linked pedigrees generated for supply chains within the perishable goods and pharmaceuticals sectors.

``New Yorker'' Profiles, 1925--1992: A bibliography

The Profiles that ran in the New Yorker magazine from its inception in 1925 are valuable examples of literary journalism and are of lasting value to scholars both as texts and as cultural artifacts. This thesis assembles a bibliography of all Profiles that appeared under the magazine's first three editors, with some explanation of their importance to biographical and literary studies. ^

The relationship between self-esteem and job performance

The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the relationship between self-esteem and job performance. Overall, 49 studies were gathered and coded by their sample size, correlation estimate, and the reliability of the two measures being correlated. The data was processed using the interactive meta-analysis program called INTNL, which takes into account interactive effects between the artifacts (i.e., unreliability in the independent and dependent measures as well as sampling error). Analyses of four potential moderators were examined--type of self-esteem, the source of job performance, the type of setting and the type of self-esteem measures. Results indicated that the relationship between self-esteem and job performance is positive. However, there was only a weak support for moderating influences. Procedures to enhance employees' self-esteem are recommended. ^

A fourth-grade teacher's classroom perspective

Countless books have been written about what is good and what is bad about our educational system. No matter what the book or what the theory, all agree the classroom teacher is critical to the education process. Many influences affect classroom teaching, some of which are beyond her control, but a caring classroom teacher has a central role in the instruction of children The purpose of this case study was to inquire into the beliefs and behaviors of one elementary school teacher in a low socio-economic school and study her classroom perspective. This teacher of five years was a reading specialist and was teaching a full fourth grade curriculum for the first time. Because she suffered from math phobia, she was apprehensive about teaching mathematics. ^ This qualitative study required intense, time-consuming interviews, long and frequent observations, critical journaling, field notes and artifacts provided by the teacher. The resulting descriptive data was coded into categories and reassembled into themes that captured the essence of the teacher's beliefs. ^ The overarching themes found were: first, the teacher's caring attitude towards her students, cultivated by her affectionate family, her mother who is an elementary school teacher, and rich and rewarding elementary school experiences, second, her implementation of the curriculum, influenced by her passion for reading, her math phobia, and standardized tests and third, her attitudes toward her workplace, school administrators and collegiality among teachers. During the school year this teacher “owned” her classroom and was a full participant in its life! Her dedication to teaching was fostered by the satisfaction of knowing she has a profound impact and makes a significant difference in her students' lives. ^ This study suggested areas for further research on the following topics: consideration of teachers with math phobia, the effect of standardized tests on areas of the curriculum and the value of computers in the elementary school classroom. ^

The teacher portfolio as a vehicle for reflective practice

This qualitative case study was limited to an eighteen-hour workshop on “Constructing a Reflective Teacher Portfolio.” The study was conducted at the Nova Center, a research and development school, in the Broward County Public School System. Six participants took part in the study. The study examined the process used by the participants as they constructed their portfolios, explored the reflective aspect of their construction, and investigated the impact that constructing a portfolio had on them and their work. ^ Data was gathered using interviews, observations, and artifacts. Content analysis and the combined frameworks of Van Manen (1977), Smyth (1989), and Pugach and Johnson (1990) were used to examine the data. The data indicates that the portfolios and workshop were not as effective as anticipated in encouraging the participants to examine their work. The following themes emerged as a result of this study: (a) teachers begin constructing their portfolios by gathering material that represents past successes; (b) examining philosophies of education, writing a personal narrative and sharing with colleagues stimulates reflective practice; (c) teachers have difficulty expressing their personal beliefs about education; (d) creating a reflective portfolio is a constructivist process that encourages divergent products; (e) teachers initially do not recognize a strong connection between constructing a portfolio and improving their work; and (f) constructing a portfolio may be an inside-out approach to educational reform. ^ Recommendations were presented to improve the workshop, specifically focusing on teachers examining their practices and learning from students' work. Additional study is needed to evaluate the influence of these changes in the workshop. ^

Teachers' perceptions of the national board certification process: Developing a sense of professionalism

This study describes and explains the experiences and perceptions of six public school teachers who had undergone the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards national certification process as a vehicle for promoting a teacher's sense of professionalism. Of these six participants, two achieved National Board certification, two did not achieve National Board certification, and two are awaiting results of their certification status. The study took place over a period of eleven months and focused on the participants' perceptions regarding the National Board certification process as it affected their sense of (a) efficacy and (b) professionalism. Data for this collective case study were gathered from interviews, portfolios and videotapes, and artifacts. Using case analysis, this study's participants' responses gathered through the interview process were examined. ^ The findings indicated that participants had concerns about the National Board certification process in the following areas: process, sense of efficacy, and sense of professionalism. All participants reported the process to be overwhelmingly demanding. Analysis of the data also reveals that those who were successful in achieving National Board certification had a greater sense of efficacy than those who did not. A disappointing finding was that the National Board process impacting participants' sense of professionalism could not be sustained; however, the participants in this study suggested the process was a step towards providing opportunities for collaboration, collegiality, and reflective practice. This study raises the question as to whether or not the espoused purposes of National Board certification are achieved via the certification process. ^

La ciudad, el poeta y su familia melancolica (Poesia Chilena de los ultimos 50 anos)

This dissertation explored the relationship among poets, cities, and the construction of nation-ness. It was an interpretive reading of Chilean poetry and Chilean-ness as a way of inventing the nation from its very origins, starting with the colonial epic poem La Araucana and the founding of Santiago, its capital city. In this dissertation, poetry not only dealt with cities or "city poets" but also with the very conception, drafting, and systematic invention of cities as a "dream of order". The construct of a "community" of Chileans has maintained family ties with "Melancholy" in the collective imagination. This structure of melancholy reinforced the idea of "an order and a community" passed along by poets through generations. This dissertation also explored the moment when this melancholic family was fractured, divided, and Santiago was darkened by the events of September 11, 1973 and the rise of dictatorship, brutality, and censorship. ^ The methodology employed to examine different aspects of the construction of the city-nation included theoretical approaches such as Benedict Anderson's idea of nations as "imagined communities," Ángel Rama's analysis of Latin American urban rationality in his book The Lettered City , and the idea of the poet as an urban seer or visionary, the "flâneur" studied by Walter Benjamin in Charles Baudelaire's poetry. A central finding was that this "imagined community" have been severely transformed since 1950. In Chilean poetry, two works served as major referents: Pablo Neruda's Canto General, a totalizing idea of collective identity carved from the stones of the ruins of Machu Picchu, and Nicanor Parra's Poemas y Antipoemas (1954), which begun to illustrate the slow "decomposition" of the "The Lettered City." Among such conflicting images of (post-)modernity, poet Enrique Lihn became the central counter-figure who put an end to a long tradition of producing canonical nation-building cultural artifacts. His book El paseo Ahumada (1983) impacted the new generations of Chilean poets. The conclusion brought together the five-century history and diverse poetic experiences of the traditional Lettered City with the latest currents of marginalized urban poetry (1987-2003), the so-called "barbarians," flâneurs who were (re)inventing Chilean-ness in the globalized, and anti-Utopian city of "Sanhattan." ^

Motion correction algorithm of lung tumors for respiratory gated PET images

Respiratory gating in lung PET imaging to compensate for respiratory motion artifacts is a current research issue with broad potential impact on quantitation, diagnosis and clinical management of lung tumors. However, PET images collected at discrete bins can be significantly affected by noise as there are lower activity counts in each gated bin unless the total PET acquisition time is prolonged, so that gating methods should be combined with imaging-based motion correction and registration methods. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a fast and practical solution to the problem of respiratory motion for the detection and accurate quantitation of lung tumors in PET images. This included: (1) developing a computer-assisted algorithm for PET/CT images that automatically segments lung regions in CT images, identifies and localizes lung tumors of PET images; (2) developing and comparing different registration algorithms which processes all the information within the entire respiratory cycle and integrate all the tumor in different gated bins into a single reference bin. Four registration/integration algorithms: Centroid Based, Intensity Based, Rigid Body and Optical Flow registration were compared as well as two registration schemes: Direct Scheme and Successive Scheme. Validation was demonstrated by conducting experiments with the computerized 4D NCAT phantom and with a dynamic lung-chest phantom imaged using a GE PET/CT System. Iterations were conducted on different size simulated tumors and different noise levels. Static tumors without respiratory motion were used as gold standard; quantitative results were compared with respect to tumor activity concentration, cross-correlation coefficient, relative noise level and computation time. Comparing the results of the tumors before and after correction, the tumor activity values and tumor volumes were closer to the static tumors (gold standard). Higher correlation values and lower noise were also achieved after applying the correction algorithms. With this method the compromise between short PET scan time and reduced image noise can be achieved, while quantification and clinical analysis become fast and precise.

Clinical translation of a hand-held optical imager for breast cancer diagnostics: In vitro and in vivo tomography studies

Optical imaging is an emerging technology towards non-invasive breast cancer diagnostics. In recent years, portable and patient comfortable hand-held optical imagers are developed towards two-dimensional (2D) tumor detections. However, these imagers are not capable of three-dimensional (3D) tomography because they cannot register the positional information of the hand-held probe onto the imaged tissue. A hand-held optical imager has been developed in our Optical Imaging Laboratory with 3D tomography capabilities, as demonstrated from tissue phantom studies. The overall goal of my dissertation is towards the translation of our imager to the clinical setting for 3D tomographic imaging in human breast tissues. A systematic experimental approach was designed and executed as follows: (i) fast 2D imaging, (ii) coregistered imaging, and (iii) 3D tomographic imaging studies. (i) Fast 2D imaging was initially demonstrated in tissue phantoms (1% Liposyn solution) and in vitro (minced chicken breast and 1% Liposyn). A 0.45 cm3 fluorescent target at 1:0 contrast ratio was detectable up to 2.5 cm deep. Fast 2D imaging experiments performed in vivo with healthy female subjects also detected a 0.45 cm3 fluorescent target superficially placed ∼2.5 cm under the breast tissue. (ii) Coregistered imaging was automated and validated in phantoms with ∼0.19 cm error in the probe’s positional information. Coregistration also improved the target depth detection to 3.5 cm, from multi-location imaging approach. Coregistered imaging was further validated in-vivo , although the error in probe’s positional information increased to ∼0.9 cm (subject to soft tissue deformation and movement). (iii) Three-dimensional tomography studies were successfully demonstrated in vitro using 0.45 cm3 fluorescence targets. The feasibility of 3D tomography was demonstrated for the first time in breast tissues using the hand-held optical imager, wherein a 0.45 cm3 fluorescent target (superficially placed) was recovered along with artifacts. Diffuse optical imaging studies were performed in two breast cancer patients with invasive ductal carcinoma. The images showed greater absorption at the tumor cites (as observed from x-ray mammography, ultrasound, and/or MRI). In summary, my dissertation demonstrated the potential of a hand-held optical imager towards 2D breast tumor detection and 3D breast tomography, holding a promise for extensive clinical translational efforts.

Coral Gables Virtual History

Florida International University has partnered with the City of Coral Gables to create a geospatially-enabled Virtual Historic City. With this tool, users may navigate to any point in the city at a selected time period (e.g. the Biltmore Hotel from the 1920s to 1940s) and experience the city as it was, through a wide variety of cultural artifacts and textual materials. A virtual walking tour of Coral Gables was also created, which includes an audio narration and 3D simulations providing the façades of historic buildings and landscape. Students, educators, historians, public policy administrators, architects, sociologists, environmental analysts, urban planners, and the general public can explore over 8,000 historical documents, photographs, oral histories, and maps that have been spatially registered to their relevant locations and time.