System Evaluation

The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective method for quantifying facial movement in terms of 44 component actions, i.e. Action Units (AUs). This system is widely used in behavioral investigations of emotion, cognitive process and social interaction. Highly trained human experts (FACS coders) presently perform the coding. This paper presents a system that can automatically recognize 30 AUs, their combinations and their intensity. The system employs a framework for hybrid facial feature detection and an expert system for facial action coding in static dual-view facial images. Per facial feature, multiple feature detection techniques are applied and the resulting redundant data is reduced so that an unequivocal facial expression geometry ensues. Reasoning with uncertainty is used to encode and quantify the encountered facial actions based on the determined expression geometry and the certainty of that data. Eight certified FACS coders tested the system. The recognition results demonstrated rather high concurrent validity with human coding.

This paper discusses Integrated System for Facial Expression Recognition (ISFER), which performs facial expression analysis from a still dual facial view image. The system consists of three major parts: facial data generator, facial data evaluator and facial data analyser. While the facial data generator applies fairly conventional techniques for facial features extraction, the rest of the system represents a novel way of performing a reliable identification of 30 different face actions and a multiple classification of expressions into the six basic emotion categories. An expert system has been utilised to convert low level face geometry into high level face actions, and then this into highest level weighted emotion labels. The system evaluation results demonstrated rather high concurrent validity with human coding of facial expressions using FACS and formal instructions in emotion signals .

The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) is an objective method for quantifying facial movement in terms of 44 component actions, ie Action Units (AUs). This system is widely used in behavioral investigations of emotion, cognitive process and social interaction. Highly trained human experts (FACS coders) presently perform the coding. This paper presents a system that can automatically recognize 30 AUs, their combinations and their intensity. The system employs a framework for hybrid facial feature detection and an ...

In this paper, we p r e s e n t the architecture of our speaker-based indexing system. The goal is to recognize from their voice the sequence of people engaged in a conversation. In our context, we m a k e no assumptions about prior knowledge of the speaker characteristics (no speaker model, no speech model, no training phase). And the number of speakers is unknown. However, we assume that people do not speak simultaneously. F or each stage of our speaker-based indexing system, we detail the constraints and propose or review some techniques according to these constraints. Finally, evaluation methods for each stage are examined.

We propose a methodology for investigating how well NLP systems handle meaning preserving syntactic variations. We start by presenting a method for the semi automated creation of a benchmark where entailment is mediated solely by meaning preserving syntactic variations. We then use this benchmark to compare a semantic role labeller and two grammar based RTE systems. We argue that the proposed methodology (i) supports a modular evaluation of the ability of NLP systems to handle the syntax/semantic interface and (ii) permits focused error mining and error analysis.

We focus on textual entailments mediated by syntax and propose a new methodology to evaluate textual entailment recognition systems on such data. The main idea is to generate a syntactically annotated corpus of pairs of (non-)entailments and to use error mining to identify the most likely sources of errors. To illustrate the approach, we apply this methodology to the Afazio

We propose a methodology for investigating how well NLP systems handle meaning preserving syntactic variations. We start by presenting a method for the semi automated creation of a benchmark where entailment is mediated solely by meaning preserving syntactic variations. We then use this benchmark to compare a semantic role labeller and two grammar based RTE systems. We argue that the proposed methodology (i) supports a modular evaluation of the ability of NLP systems to handle the syntax/semantic interface and (ii) permits focused error mining and error analysis.

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) is type of smart materials that have ability to undergo large deformation and return back to their undeformed shape through heating (shape memory effect) or removal of load (superelastic effect). This unique ability is useful to enhance behavior of structure and seismic resistance. In this paper, superelasticity (SE) effect of NiTi alloys is used to improve the structural characteristics of steel building. The finite element analysis of steel building is done using ABAQUS v.2017. In order to compare the structural behavior of the steel building equipped with Shape Memory Alloy bars at beam-column connection, three steel building was modeled with a different combination of high strength steel bars and SMA bars. The steel building was checked for time history analysis by using Vrancea 1977 earthquake data. In order to estimate the recentring ability, residual of roof displacement and energy dissipation. The steel building equipped with SMA bars shows 82.7%, 152.72% recovery in residual roof displacement for steel building equipped with 50 % SMA bars and 50% HS steel bars and steel building equipped with 100% SMA bars respectively, and moderate energy dissipation. In general, the frame equipped with 50% superelastic SMA bars and 50% HS steel bars provided better seismic performance.

Nowadays, face detection plays important roles in many applications, such as: human-computer interaction, security and surveillance, face recognition etc. In this paper, a novel scheme for human face detection in color images under non-constrained scene conditions is presented. Color clustering and filtering based on the vector quantization (VQ) technique are performed on the original input image, providing binary skin color regions. In order to provide a set of candidate face areas, constrains related to shape and size of faces are considered. Finally, mouths are searched in all of the candidate face regions by means of mouth detector to verify each face region. Experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient and robust to head rotation to some extent.

In this paper, we describe the challenges of assessing human performance during video retrieval episodes and describe several measures of human performance that have been used in developing visual surrogates for the Open Video Digital Library (). These include two sets of cognitive performance measures that aim to assess human recognition and inference and a set of attitudinal measures that aim to assess user satisfaction with video surrogates.

The purpose of this paper is to describe potential improvements in patient safety resulting from design decisions in the development of a computerized decision support system (DSS) for managing opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain. ATHENA-DSS is an automated decision support system developed in a collaboration between Stanford University and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase guideline-adherent prescribing and to change physician behavior. Based on data in patients' computerized medical record and knowledge of the clinical domain encoded in a knowledge base, the system gives patient-specific recommendations to primary care providers at the point of care. ATHENA-Opioid Therapy is based on a previous system, ATHENA-Hypertension, and is designed to follow the VA/Department of Defense clinical practice guideline for the management of opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain. We describe the rationale for development of decision support system elements and a graphical user interface to increase patient safety during primary care treatment for chronic pain. The ATHENA-Opioid Therapy system focuses on reducing patient risk in four main ways by: (1) identifying patients with comorbidities or concurrent prescriptions that raise risk for overdose and recommending more conservative dosing; (2) identifying patients with mental health problems that increase risk of medication abuse and recommending referral to psychiatric care and close monitoring; (3) assisting doctors with complex pharmacologic calculations to reduce the risk of mistakes when initiating, titrating, or switching medications; and (4) presenting relevant information to clinicians in an easy-to-use format. We describe a system evaluation plan that we believe is essential to ensure that deployment of ATHENA-Opioid Therapy leads to improvements in patient safety and increases in guideline-concordant prescribing, and we discuss the limitations of this system for patient safety efforts.

We will describe the multi-modal browsing system, developed by us, that allows to add automatic speech recognition and text to speech functions to standard Internet browsers. The system is based on the temporal synchronization of HTML and VoiceXML documents. It was developed starting from a real Web application designed for a medical domain (i.e. an electronic patient record adopted in the oncology unit of an Italian hospital). We have recently introduced the possibility to define the multi-modal interaction by means of a single XML document. System evaluation is going to be carried out on data collected during the usage of the system in the hospital.

There is a lack of high-quality and comprehensive educational/training materials related to the application of nitrogen fertilizers through irrigation water ("fertigation"). In the Sept. 9, 2014, Conclusions of the Agricultural Expert Panel titled "Recommendations to the State Water Resources Control Board Pertaining to the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program", in fulfillment of SBx2.1, recommendation #3 (of 8 total) was that the program should incorporate: Development of a very strong, comprehensive, and sustained educational and outreach program. Such a program will require different materials and presentation techniques for different audiences, such as individuals who may need certification, managers of irrigation/nutrient plans, irrigators, and farmers/managers. This recommendation was given because of the lack of sufficient high-quality materials that are pragmatic, and which combine the disciplines of agronomy, irrigation, and soil science. It should also be noted that for most farmers, farm managers, and foremen, the whole arena of chemicals and fertigation is intimidating. The ITRC Fertigation book is over 20 years old, and includes neither the latest information on injection equipment and controllers, nor information on important regulatory subjects such as the A/R (Application/Removal) ratio of N by crops.

Test Prescribing scenario tested Alert produced? System A System B System C System D 1 Aspirin prescribed for child of 8 years No No No No 2 Methotrexate prescribed in pregnancy No Yes No No 3 Penicillin prescribed in patient with penicillin allergy No Yes Yes Yes 4 Oxytetracycline prescribed in a patient with renal impairment No Yes No No 5 Enalapril prescribed in patient with renal impairment No No No No 6 Microgynon 30 (combined contraceptive pill) prescribed in patient with history of deep vein thrombosis No No No No 7 Oxytetracycline prescribed in patient with serum creatinine of 160 mol/l No No No No 8 Propranolol prescribed in patient with history of heart failure No No No No 9 Sumatriptan prescribed in patient with history of coronary heart disease No No No No 10 Naproxen prescribed in patient with history of peptic ulcer disease No No No No 11

XML has emerged as a standard for data exchange over the internet.Relational databases provides a mature technology to store these documents. In this paper we transform ER diagram of relational databases in to DTD of XML documents. We provide an algorithm that translates ER diagram with cycles in to recursive DTDs.This algorithim translates each component of ER diagram in to components of DTDs along with cycles in ER diagram to generate recursive DTD's

This study aimed to identify and assess the edaphic invertebrate macrofauna associated with cassava crop in succession to different soil coverages. The experimental design was randomized blocks as 6 x 3 factorial design with four replications. The first factor was soil cover cultivated from December 2014 to April 2015 (fallow, pearl millet, forage sorghum, Crotalaria ochroleuca, Urochloa ruziziensis and Corn+Urochloa ruziziensis). The second factor was sampling periods (March/2015, October/2015 and June/2016). We sampled four blocks of 0.25 x 0.25 x 0.20 m in each system, following the TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility) collection method. The taxonomic composition and abundance of organisms, richness of groups and the diversity indexes of Shannon, Pielou equitability and Simpson dominance were evaluated. There was no interaction between the factors (soil cover x season) for the variables studied. There was difference in the dominance of organisms according to the soil cover ...

Noninvasive diagnostic methods such as dermoscopy or epiluminescence light microscopy have been developed in an attempt to improve diagnostic accuracy of pigmented skin lesions. The evaluation of the many morphologic characteristics of pigmented skin lesions observable by epiluminescence light microscopy, however, is often extremely complex and subjective. With the aim of obviating these problems of qualitative interpretation, methods based on mathematical analysis of pigmented skin lesions have recently been designed. These methods are based on computerized analysis of digital images obtained by epiluminescence light microscopy. In this study we used a digital dermoscopy analyzer with 147 clinically atypical pigmented skin lesions (90 nevi and 57 melanomas) to determine its dis-criminating power with respect to histologic diagnosis. The system evaluated 48 objective parameters used to train an arti®cial neural network. Using the arti®cial neural network with 10 variables selected by a stepwise procedure, we obtained a maximum accuracy in distinguishing melanoma from benign lesions of about 93%. Comparing this result with those of the many studies using classical epiluminescence light microscopy, it emerges that the method proposed is equal or even superior in diagnostic accuracy and has the advantage of not depending on the expertise of the clinician who examines the lesion.

The paper describes advances in the development of an ultrasound silent speech interface for use in silent communications applications or as a speaking aid for persons who have undergone a laryngectomy. It reports some first steps towards making such a device lightweight, portable, interactive, and practical to use. Simple experimental tests of an interactive silent speech interface for everyday applications are described. Possible future improvements including extension to continuous speech and real time operation are discussed.

Recombinant DNA technology has significantly enhanced our ability for crop improvement, to meet the increased demand for food and fiber. Considerable progress has been made over the past two decades in manipulating genes from diverse sources to develop plants with resistance to insect pests, improve effectiveness of bio control agents, marker assisted selection for insect resistance, understand the nature of gene action and metabolic pathways, production of genetically modified sterile insects, use of molecular techniques in insect taxonomy, understand the mode of action of insecticides, and identify insecticides with newer mode of action...

Using steel braces is regarded as one of the significant methods for retrofitting and seismic rehabilitating of reinforced concrete frames. Thanks to its easy implementation, economic considerations and appropriate seismic retrofitting performance against lateral forces, this system has received more attention from researchers in comparison with other seismic resistant systems. In this type of structural system, the connection properties are of high significance which can play a significant role in the obtained results including ductility, resistance, stiffness, etc. The detailed behaviour and performance of this type of connection have received less attention from researchers; hence, it is regarded as an under-researched issue which we have addressed in the present study; we made an effort to explore and investigate this issue comprehensively. ABAQUS finite element software was applied for modelling and numerical analysis; a total of 8 models were analysed and investigated which we...

A Local Positioning System for Autonomous Robot guidance aid is proposed, based on the principles of GPS, but being the emitter placed on the Robot(s) and the detectors placed in the environment. The emitted signal is an infrared laser signal ASKmodulated with a Pseudo-Random Sequence. Auto-correlation is performed at a central node. Distances to the reference points are computed in terms of differential phase shift measurements. Using m-sequence-codes makes multiemission-working conditions possible. High precision is achieved as it is shown in a final table.

This article explores the possibilities of substituting internal combustion vehicles (ICV) by fuel cell vehicles (FCV) refueled with hydrogen generated by electrolysis during the hours of low demand in the electrical grid, having been estimated that this substitution ratio would be below 25% of the total number of vehicles existing today, against the 100% in the case of using electric vehicles. Furthermore, a network of 322 hydrogen stations would be necessary for refueling the maximum number of fuel cell vehicles, given the actual limitations of the electrical grid for hydrogen generation. Thus, considering that hydrogen used for refueling would be generated by electrolysis using the electrical grid, fuel cell vehicles would only be a 4% less polluting than an internal combustion vehicle. However, if we could achieve a substitution ratio of 25% of the total ICV by FCV, the Autonomous Region of Murcia could avoid the emission of up to 24,500 metric Tons of CO 2 to the atmosphere every year. This value contrasts with the 2.2 millions of metric tons of CO 2 that could be avoided using electric vehicles.

Variability of semantic expression is a fundamental phenomenon of a natural language where same meaning can be expressed by different texts. The process of inferring a text from another is called textual entailment. Textual Entailment is useful in a wide range of applications, including question answering, summarization, text generation, and machine translation. The recognition of textual entailment is one of the recent challenges of the Natural Language Processing (NLP) domain. This paper summarizes key ideas from the area of textual entailment recognition by considering in turn the different recognition models. The paper points to prominent testing data, training data, resources and Performance Evaluation for each model. Also this paper compares between textual entailment models according to the method which used, the result of each method and the strong and weakness of each method.

This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication of either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, duplicate copy, or copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image of the page can be found in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note will appear listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photographed, a definite method of "sectioning" the material has been followed. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again-beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete. 4. For illustrations that cannot be satisfactorily reproduced by xerographic means, photographic prints can be purchased at additional cost and inserted into your xerographic copy. These prints are available upon request from the Dissertations Customer Services Department. 5. Some pages in any document may have indistinct print. In all cases the best available copy has been filmed.

Truck crashes on steep downgrades exact devastating tolls on lives and property. An important intervention to reduce the frequency of truck crashes on downgrades has been to present quality information to drivers about upcoming downgrades through warning signs. The use of advance warning signs on downgrades to prevent truck crashes is the current state of practice for most highway agencies; thus, it is critical to assess the safety effectiveness of such warning signs. Though several studies have evaluated the efficacies of warning signs, the safety effectiveness of advance downgrade signs is less clear. This study uses a propensity scores framework to assess the effectiveness of current downgrade warning signs by matching treated and untreated downgrade segments in Wyoming. The advantage of propensity score matching over other traditional analysis techniques is that it reduces bias in safety evaluation by mimicking randomization and accounts for confounding factors. Using the risk r...

as soon as possible after acceptance. Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). Please note that during production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content.

Trimetallic Pt-Re-Sn catalysts supported on chlorided alumina were prepared by successive impregnation, following different orders, of the metal precursors. The content of each metal was 0.3% (w/w). The catalysts were tested in the reaction of cyclohexane dehydrogenation which was also poisoned by sulphur. The results of bimetallic Pt-Sn and Pt-Re catalysts indicate that the influence of Sn in decreasing Pt activity is greater than that of Re. Trimetallic catalysts present smaller catalytic activity and thiotolerance than Pt and the bimetallics indicating an additive action of Re and Sn on Pt. The rate of deactivation during S addition is intermediate between the ones of Pt-Re and Pt-Sn, suggesting a simultaneous poisoning of Pt-Re and Pt-Sn sites. The metallic function was further characterised by means of TPR, H 2 chemisorption, TEM and CO-FT-IR spectroscopy. The results suggest an electronic transfer from Sn and Re to Pt, greatly influencing its catalytic properties.

Central venous catheterization is associated with potential complications secondary to accidental puncture, including venous bleeding and pneumothorax. We developed a system that avoids these complications and simplifies the procedure using a robot to provide puncture assistance. We herein report a puncture experiment conducted in vivo in a porcine to evaluate the manipulator. The right and left jugular veins of a pig were punctured five times each through both opened and unopened skin at a puncture angle and speed. A venous placement rate of 80% was obtained with opened skin. A much lower rate of 40% was obtained with unopened skin. One of five attempts in opened skin was unsuccessful, likely because of the stick-slip phenomenon. This system was effective for jugular venous puncture of opened skin. Future studies should focus on puncture conditions that facilitate needle placement, inhibit the stick-slip phenomenon, and minimize needle bending due to the presence of skin.

Central venous catheterization is associated with potential complications secondary to accidental puncture, including venous bleeding and pneumothorax. We developed a system that avoids these complications and simplifies the procedure using a robot to provide puncture assistance. We herein report a puncture experiment conducted in vivo in a porcine to evaluate the manipulator. The right and left jugular veins of a pig were punctured five times each through both opened and unopened skin at a puncture angle and speed. A venous placement rate of 80% was obtained with opened skin. A much lower rate of 40% was obtained with unopened skin. One of five attempts in opened skin was unsuccessful, likely because of the stick-slip phenomenon. This system was effective for jugular venous puncture of opened skin. Future studies should focus on puncture conditions that facilitate needle placement, inhibit the stick-slip phenomenon, and minimize needle bending due to the presence of skin.

A computer simulation model was used to evaluate a bowl versus inverted bowl assembly line arrangement for normal and exponential distributions and variances equal to 1 and 16. The model was developed on the basis of a realistic case problem and applied to a sixstation assembly line. The results show that the inverted bowl is superior to the bowl arrangement for a normal distribution in terms of the total elapsed time evaluation criterion; however, with an exponential distribution, the bowl was found better than the inverted bowl for the same criterion. On the basis of the average percentage of working time and the average time in the system evaluation criteria, the bowl was found superior to the inverted bowl for a normal distribution. Similar results were obtained for an exponential distribution with a variance equal to 1, but no definitive inference could be made with a variance equal to 16.

Appropriate use of computer technology in the learning process has been lacking and many web-based and stand alone tutorial systems in today's market-place do not provide material that teaches students in an enjoyable and effective way. This paper proposes a Web-based Intelligent Tutorial System that will present material in an intuitive, interactive, and innovative manner while focusing on ways to integrate qualitative and quantitative methods throughout the learning experience. In this system, the lessons are guided by the actual skill set of the student taking the course. The system evaluates the student's state of knowledge through examination and, depending on the specific percentage and level of questions they answer correctly, it will guide them through a lesson plan tailored to their learning needs. The students take these exams at regular intervals and the lesson plan is adjusted in accordance to their learning at each specific level. The emphasis in this proposal is Algebra, as it provides the basis for higher learning in any field of study.

In this paper, the oriental Wu-li Shi-li Ren-li system approach is reviewed at first. Before the WSR system approach was formally proposed by Gu and Zhu at Hull University in 1994, the approach itself underwent a long evolution process in China. The first part of this paper will review the evolution process, followed by brief descriptions of the essentials of WSR approach and its recent developments (various applications) in China. In the second part, the working process of WSR approach to a practical project of developing a computerized decision support tool for evaluation of naval weapon system evaluation is depicted. The concerned task in the project is seemingly a hard problem. However, tremendous effects of human factors, especially the peculiar culture within the clients, variety of disciplines of the project members, and contradiction between the goals and reality changed a hard problem to a messy issue. The key steps for the resolution of the issue are addressed where WSR ap...

3-5 TEM images of the nanometer scale structure of representative heat treated 19.1 mm bars:(a) industry anneal (350 • C for 0.5 h), (b) as-received + 300 • C for 1.5 h, (c) as-received + 325 • C for 1.5 h, (d) as-received + 350 • C for 1.5 h, (e) as-received + 375 • C for 1.5 h,and (e) industry anneal + 300 • C for 1.5h.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Despite significant advances in the medical field and its related technologies, cancer remains one of the biggest problems in medical science. Point common in all cancers need to do surgery and remove the tumor in advanced cases. Unfortunately, the surgery is not successful in some cases and later re-released in the body. Sometimes changing in the patient's tissues hides from human sight. One of the problems of comparing images taken at different times is change in imaging condition that causes distortion in the image and the difference between the textures in the image. To solve this problem and reduce the error, in this paper a semi-automatic method is presented for mammographic images registration. In this method using feature extraction of a mammogram such as brightness of the image, transformation distance, and also information that the user presents, can obtain the actual relationship between images and determines the di...

Performance and usability of real-world speech-to-speech translation systems, like the one developed within the Nespole! project, are affected by several aspects that go beyond the pure translation quality provided by the Human Language Technology components of the system. In this paper we describe these aspects as viewpoints along which we have evaluated the Nespole! system. Four main issues are investigated:(1) assessing system performance under various network traffic conditions;(2) a study on the ...

Actually, the ability to identify the documents authors provides more chances for using these documents for various purposes. In this paper, we present a new effective biometric writer identification system from online handwriting. The system consists of the preprocessing and the segmentation of online handwriting into a sequence of Beta strokes in a first step. Then, from each Beta stroke, we extract a set of static and dynamic features using four features extraction techniques based on the Beta Elliptic model and the Fuzzy Elementary Perceptual Codes. Next, all the segments which are composed of N consecutive Beta strokes are categorized into groups and subgroups according to their position and their geometric characteristics. Finally, Deep Neural Network are used for classification. Experimental results reveal that the proposed system achieves interesting results as compared to those of the existing writer identification systems on Latin and Arabic scripts.

Face recognition technology is a developing tool for the identification and verification of a person. Forensically, it is used for the profiling of a criminal so that identification can be possible. The recognition of a person takes place in a certain systematic procedure so that there will be less chances of the wrong results. Face recognition is another form of biometrics. This technology is used in various domains such as in ATM, Airports, law enforcement, Military, library, mess, banking etc. Initially, the detection and locating of a face in a frame is performed. After detection and location, the feature of a face is extracted and is converted into a mathematical representation so that it can be matched. this mathematical representation of the extracted features of the face is unique and different for each person which makes it precise to test the detected face with the match face. In the last, this detected face is compared with the faces which are already present in the database. Comparison again has two steps identification and verification. It is a reliable tool for the criminal profiling and recognition and sensors are also used for the detection of the face .Using sensors a camera can locate and detect a face in most of the conditions like lightening problems and faces with the mask which is beyond the capacity of a simple camera to detect and analyse a face. On daily basis we unlock our phones using face recognition through the camera without the need of typing a password. This saves the time and is a fast process that majority of people prefer to use such features of the smartphones. Although, it has substantial number of benefits, but it has inflated cost for the setting but accurate system and can give false positive and false negative results leading to wrongful arrest.

This paper reports the results of the first of a series of co-laboratories organized by Cypriot peace pioneers 30 months after the negative outcome of the referendum concerning UN General Secretary’s plan for reunification of the island. The purpose of this co-laboratory was to support a diverse group of disengaged and disappointed peace pioneers and activists representing Turkish and Greek communities of Cyprus develop a shared understanding of factors contributing to the perceived widening of the gap between the two divided communities in Cyprus. The co-laboratory was organized using the structured dialogic design process (SDDP) approach within the context of a rich web-based communication environment. The root causes contributing to the widening of the gap are discussed and are also compared with those identified during a similar co-laboratory employing the Interactive Management methodology 12 years earlier.

The aim of this paper is to assess the mental health system in Brazil in relation to the human resources and the services available to the population. The World Health Organization Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO AIMS) was recently applied in Brazil. This paper will analyse data on the following sections of the WHO-AIMS: a) mental health services; and b) human resources. In addition, two more national datasets will be used to complete the information provided by the WHO questionnaire: a) the Executive Bureau of the Department of Health (Datasus); and b) the National Register of Health Institutions (CNS). Results: There are 6003 psychiatrists, 18,763 psychologists, 1985 social workers, 3119 nurses and 3589 occupational therapists working for the Unified Health System (SUS). At primary care level, there are 104,789 doctors, 184, 437 nurses and nurse technicians and 210,887 health agents. The number of psychiatrists is roughly 5 per 100,000 inhabitants in the Southeast region, and the Northeast region has less than 1 psychiatrist per 100,000 inhabitants. The number of psychiatric nurses is insufficient in all geographical areas, and psychologists outnumber other mental health professionals in all regions of the country. The rate of beds in psychiatric hospitals in the country is 27.17 beds per 100,000 inhabitants. The rate of patients in psychiatric hospitals is 119 per 100,000 inhabitants. The average length of stay in mental hospitals is 65.29 days. In June 2006, there were 848 Community Psychosocial Centers (CAPS) registered in Brazil, a ratio of 0.9 CAPS per

Learning for sentence re-writing is a fundamental task in natural language processing and information retrieval. In this paper, we propose a new class of kernel functions, referred to as string rewriting kernel, to address the problem. A string re-writing kernel measures the similarity between two pairs of strings. It can capture the lexical and structural similarity between sentence pairs without the need of constructing syntactic trees. We further propose an instance of string re-writing kernel which can be computed efficiently. Experimental results on benchmark datasets show that our method can achieve comparable results with state-of-the-art methods on two sentence re-writing learning tasks: paraphrase identification and recognizing textual entailment. * The paper on which this extended abstract is based was the recipient of the best student paper award of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics . wrote . Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

This paper discusses the design and operational assessment of a minimum-power, 2.45 GHz portable pulse receiver and associated base transmitter comprising the interrogation link in a duplex, cross-band RF transponder designed for short-range, remote patient monitoring. A tangential receiver sensitivity of Ϫ 53 dBm was achieved using a 50 ⍀ microstrip stub-matched zero-bias diode detector and a CMOS baseband amplifier consuming 20 A from ϩ 3 V. The base transmitter generated an on-off keyed peak output of 0.5 W into 50 ⍀. Both linear and right-hand circularly-polarised antennas were employed in system evaluations carried out within an operational Coronary Care Unit ward. For transmitting antenna heights of between 0.3 and 2.2 m above floor level, transponder interrogations were 95% reliable within the 82 m 2 area of the ward, falling to an average of 46% in the surrounding rooms and corridors. Separating the polarisation modes, using the circular antenna set gave the higher overall reliability.

The central regulation of the preovulatory LH surge requires a complex sequence of interactions between neuronal systems that impinge on LH-releasing hormone (LHRH)-synthesizing neurons. The reported absence of estrogen receptors (ERs) in LHRH neurons indicates that estrogen-receptive neurons that are afferent to LHRH neurons are involved in mediating the effects of this steroid. We now present evidence indicating that central histaminergic neurons, exclusively located in the tuberomammillary complex of the caudal diencephalon, serve as an important relay in this system. Evaluation of this system revealed that 76% of histamine-synthesising neurons display ER␣-immunoreactivity in their nucleus; furthermore hista-

Social annotation systems such as SparTag.us and del.icio.us have been designed to encourage individual reading and marking behaviors that, when shared, accumulate to build collective knowledge spaces. Prior work reported on the experimental design and performance effects observed in a controlled study of SparTag.us. Study participants working independently on a sensemaking task who had access to a set of expert annotations were compared against participants using SparTag.us without those annotations and participants using only office software for annotation support. A learning effect favored the participants exposed to expert annotations. In this paper, we analyze the behavioral data captured during the experiment and identify differences in the work process that can explain the performance effects reported previously.

Face recognition system is a desktop application which is used to recognize human faces without human intervention in a video frame, an image or video file. It is an imminent issue in various domains. Due to wide range of increase in crime it can play a significant role in crime management and law enforcement. In this paper, Eigenfaces method is used for face recognition to improve its performance we have introduced key-frame concept by using color histogram. In the recognition process, an eigenface is created for the given face image, and the Euclidian distances between this eigenface and the pre stored eigenfaces are calculated. The eigenface with the least Euclidian distance is the one the person resembles the most. This technique is the first successful method in face recognition area.

Face recognition is an important biometric because of its potential applications in many fields, such as access control, surveillance, and human-computer interface. In this paper, a system that fuses the output of a PCA and LDA based system is presented. The fusion is based on a set of rules. Both PCA and LDA based systems were trained using the same training data and tuned to give the highest equal error rate. It was found out that the fusion of both systems increases the recognition rate by 8% and 3% from the performance of the PCA and LDA systems respectively.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to explore the feasibility of applying an internet-based information system (IBIS) to facilitate business alliance activities, especially for small and median enterprises whose business performance is highly dependent on their strategic alliance partnerships. Design/methodology/approach -A case study of six firms was conducted to understand current business alliance practices in Taiwan and to investigate the demand for applying IBIS systems in business alliance activities. A prototype of the IBIS system was also developed and evaluated. Findings -We found that communication and information sharing are the most appropriate activities in business alliances for the application of an IBIS system and that the decision to adopt an IBIS system is dependent on the allied partners' support and the technological capabilities they possess. However, the lack of trust in internet security is one of the key factors that may hinder enterprises from applying the IBIS system to business alliance activities. Research limitations/implications -The prototype IBIS system was tested by two case firms. Though the test result was positive, a larger test group might be helpful in discovering ways of improving the system for practical use. Practical implications -The positive result of the system evaluation supports the feasibility of applying the IBIS system to facilitate business alliance activities. Originality/value -Both the IBIS system and strategic alliance are important research issues in business. However, integrative research of the two issues is seldom undertaken. This study validates the feasibility of applying the IBIS system to increase the operational efficiency of a strategic alliance.

Formal threat and risk analysis methodologies (TRA) are paramount to know and manage the risks to which information systems are exposed, reducing such risks to acceptable levels. On the other hand, Common Criteria (CC) is the reference standard methodology for the evaluation of the security of information technology products. The security target, a primary source document during the evaluation, establishes the security problem that the product intends to resolve as well as the security functional and assurance requirements for such product. This information is used by the evaluator to ascertain if the product resists the attacks with the attack potential determined in the evaluation assurance level (EAL). Though reusing the results of a formal TRA seems a natural and useful approach to derive a security target, current heterogeneity between both worlds impedes it. In this paper we propose a methodology that unites both paradigms, allowing the construction of security targets that contain an accurate security problem, a coherent EAL, and security requirements that effectively counteract the identified threats.