Motivated by the need for flexible, intuitive, reusable, and normalized terminology for guiding search and building ontologies, we present a general approach for generating sets of such terminologies from natural language documents. The terms that this approach generates are root- and rule-based terms, generated by a series of rules designed to be flexible, to evolve, and, perhaps most important, to protect against ambiguity and standardize semantically similar but syntactically distinct phrases to a normal form. This approach combines several linguistic and computational methods that can be automated with the help of training sets to quickly and consistently extract normalized terms. We discuss how this can be extended as natural language technologies improve and how the strategy applies to common use-cases such as search, document entry and archiving, and identifying, tracking, and predicting scientific and technological trends.
The goal of the paper is to discuss the possibilities of transforming universities in Croatia and the region into places that take account of the emerging community trends and current challenges that our students should be capable of dealing with once they finish their studies. Service learning (SL) was introduced in the largest faculty of the University of Zagreb (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) in 2006-07 through a series of faculty workshops and through academic courses. The goals and requirements of this teaching and learning method were based upon our U.S. experience, gained at the George Washington University. Since then around 50 SL projects in the IT field have been completed and evaluated. Service learning was also introduced in the Faculty of Economy at the University of Rijeka in 2008. In 2009 it was added as a regulation of the Croatian National Youth program 2009- 2013, approved by the Croatian Government. Also, in the same year the Croatian translation of the term “service learning” (“drustveno korisno ucenje”) offered by the author of this paper became accepted as a common term at the JFDP (Junior Faculty Development Program) Regional Conference. Although the workshops were extremely popular both in Croatia and the region, and although SL courses achieved remarkable student enrollment in a short time, the number of faculty who have so far implemented it as a teaching strategy is very low. This paper discusses the reasons for faculty resistance to engage in SL and some possible solutions.
Digital Functions and Data Reconstruction: Digital-Discrete Methods provides a solid foundation to the theory of digital functions and its applications to image data analysis, digital object deformation, and data reconstruction. This new method has a unique feature in that it is mainly built on discrete mathematics with connections to classical methods in mathematics and computer sciences. Digitally continuous functions and gradually varied functions were developed in the late 1980s. A. Rosenfeld (1986) proposed digitally continuous functions for digital image analysis, especially to describe the continuous component in a digital image, which usually indicates an object. L. Chen (1989) invented gradually varied functions to interpolate a digital surface when the boundary appears to be continuous. In theory, digitally continuous functions are very similar to gradually varied functions. Gradually varied functions are more general in terms of being functions of real numbers; digitally continuous functions are easily extended to the mapping from one digital space to another. This will be the first book about digital functions, which is an important modern research area for digital images and digitalized data processing, and provides an introduction and comprehensive coverage of digital function methods. Digital Functions and Data Reconstruction: Digital-Discrete Methods offers scientists and engineers who deal with digital data a highly accessible, practical, and mathematically sound introduction to the powerful theories of digital topology and functional analysis, while avoiding the more abstruse aspects of these topics.
This paper focuses on the visual warning signal as a rear-end crash countermeasure. It presents an overview of testing performed with visual warning signals positioned on the rear of a heavy truck trailer. A static method of testing (parked vehicles with individuals not driving) was used to determine how well various configurations of visual warning signals would provide improved eye-drawing capabilities. It was found that two Enhanced Rear Signaling (ERS) lighting configurations performed the best. These two ERS configurations were selected for dynamic testing on the Virginia Smart Road.
Research was conducted to examine patterns of simulator sickness during increased exposure in a motion-base driving simulator. Symptoms of simulator sickness were monitored over the course of three days. Participants drove a simulated vehicle through multiple drives each day in a motion-base driving simulator. Symptoms were monitored during each drive within a day and across each day. Symptoms were highest during the first day of exposure, but decreased significantly on the second day of exposure. They remained lower on the third day. While average intensity of simulator sickness symptoms increased during each subsequent drive during a day, simulator sickness ratings tended to decrease across multiple days. These patterns of simulator sickness are similar to those found in fixed-base simulators.
Interruptions in high risk environments such as driving may have negative effects. It is therefore important to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying the interruption process in order to try and mitigate the harmful effects. This study looked at the cognitive mechanisms used in resuming interrupted tasks, namely, memory for the goal and memory for the spatial location. The researchers manipulated the location and task type of the original task following an interruption. This yielded two groups. One group resumed fastest when the task and location of the original task were the same when resuming from an interruption and the other group performed fastest when the location of the original task was changed upon resumption. In order to investigate why people fell into one group or the other, a second study was conducted in which the researchers measured individual differences in working memory span and spatial ability with the goal of predicting group membership. However, the individual differences measured did not predict group membership. It was concluded that performance may result from a task specific response.
The effects that various psychoactive chemical substances have on roadway driving alertness and performance are reviewed. Substances of concern are prescribed and self-administered medications, other drugs, stimulants, hypnotics, and nutritional supplements, including energy drinks. The possible application of such compounds to maintain attentive driving is discussed, with special focus on how such substances affect the safe driving performance of commercial long-haul truck drivers and bus/motorcoach drivers. Cautions and recommendations are given for highway safety advocates, employers, commercial drivers, and the driving public.
Key events in the history of cybernetics and the American Society for Cybernetics are discussed: The origin of cybernetics in the Macy Foundation conferences held in the late 1940s and early 1950s; the pursuit of different interpretations of cybernetics by several professional societies; the reasons why the U.S. government supported or did not support cybernetics in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s; early experiments in cyberspace in the 1970s; conversations with Soviet scientists in the 1980s; the development of second order cybernetics in the 1990s; and increased interest in cybernetics in Europe and the U.S. in the 2000s due at least in part to improved understanding of the assumptions underlying the cybernetics movement.The history of cybernetics in the U.S. is viewed from the perspective of the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC). Several questions are addressed. Why was the ASC founded rather late, in 1964, about 10 years after the Macy Conferences ended? Why has the ASC remained small (300 or 400 members at its peak)? Why are there currently no departments or institutes of cybernetics in the US? How has thinking about cybernetics changed during the sixty year history of cybernetics in the US? Since most professionals in the US now spend a few hours a day in "cyberspace," why do most of them know nothing about cybernetics?
Space motion sickness is a significant operational concern in the American and Soviet space programs. Nearly 70% of all astronauts and cosmonauts are affected to some degree during their first several days of flight. It is now beginning to appear that space motion sickness like terrestrial motion sickness is the consequence of multiple etiological factors. As we come to understand basic mechanisms of spatial orientation and sensory-motor adaptation we can begin to predict etiological factors in different motion environments. Individuals vary greatly in the extent to which they are susceptible to these different factors. However, individuals seem to be relatively self-consistent in terms of their rates of adaptation to provocative stimulation and their retention of adaptation. Attempts to relate susceptibility to motion sickness during the microgravity phases of parabolic flight maneuvers to vestibular function under 1G and 0G test conditions are described.
The ocean covers three quarters of the earth’ssurfce, produces 90 percent of all its life-support-ing oxygen, and is the driving force behind theentire weather system. There are over 450 millioncubic miles of sea water on the earth; and eachcubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals. So vast and so pervasive is the sea that ifthe earth’s crust were made level, ocean water wouldform a blanket over 8,000 feet deep. The oceans contribute immeasurably to theearth’s life support System as well as provide anuntapped storehouse of food, minerals, energy,and archaeological treasure. Advanced atmospheric diving suits permit
