bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stem and Progenitor Cells for Liver Regenerative Medicine
Authors: Deblandre Gisèle A.  , Scheers Isabelle  , Sokal Etienne M.
Published: February 2025

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the gold standard treatment for end stage liver disease or inborn errors of liver metabolism. However organ shortage, severity of the surgical procedure and risks related to graft loss have stimulated the exploration of less invasive strategies. Liver cell transplantation has demonstrated short to medium-term efficacy in correcting inborn errors of metabolism and could offer a valuable bridging treatment for patients with acute liver failure awaiting liver transplant. However, hepatocyte transplantation in the clinic has shown important limitations including transient effect of donor cells, low proportion of engraftment and repopulation, poor resistance of hepatocytes to cryopreservation procedures and also shortage of procurement. Thus while hepatocyte transplantation remains a promising alternative to liver transplantation, replacement of hepatocytes by proliferating stem cells seems likely to circumvent many of the aforementioned obstacles. Building on the demonstration that various stem and progenitor cells can differentiate in vitro and in vivo into hepatocyte-like cells, these cells are now being investigated as an alternative to hepatocytes in liver regenerative medicine. In this study, we concentrate on cells sourced from human adult tissues only as the use of embryonic or fetal material still faces major ethical, safety and/or feasibility concerns. We summarize here the major progresses that have been achieved as regards the isolation and characterization of potential stem and progenitor cell candidates for liver cell therapies both from intra- and extra-hepatic sources. We also discuss animal transplantation data as well as considerations about the carcinogenic risk of such cell therapies.
European Regulations of MSC for Clinical Uses
Authors: Carella Cintia  , Capone Francesca  , Botta Rosanna  , Migliaccio Giovanni
Published: February 2025

Mesenchymal Stem Cells could represent one of the most promising candidate for Cell-based medicinal products. Nevertheless is still necessary to produce more data regarding their safety and efficacy before to allow their use in clinics.
Adipose Stem Cells: Identification, Properties and Interest for Clinical Applications
Authors: Sengenes Coralie  , Maumus Marie  , Jorgensen Christian  , Noël Danièle
Published: February 2025

Adipose derived mesenchymal stromal cells or adipose stem cells (ASCs) are undifferentiated progenitor cells residing in various locations of the fat tissue in the body. The increasing interest towards these adult stem cells relies on the ease of harvest in large quantities and the robust expansion rate that make them attractive sources of cells for regenerative medicine. These cells show phenotypic, differentiation and paracrine characteristics similar to adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow. These properties are shared by culture-expanded MSCs and ASCs. However, the phenotype as well as the migration potential of native and culture-expanded ASCs has been recently shown to differ. In the current review, we focus on the characterization of native ASCs, their functional properties and their relevance to adult stem cell-based regenerative medicine applications.
The Date-Time Vocabulary
Authors: Linehan Mark H.  , Barkmeyer Ed  , Hendryx Stan
Published: February 2025

The Date-Time Vocabulary is a new OMG specification that models continuous time, discrete time, the relationship of events and situations to time, language tense and aspect, time indexicals, timetables, and schedules. It offers a “business vocabulary” (i.e., a linguistically-oriented ontology), intended for application by business rules for any business domain. The vocabulary is defined in SBVR, in UML + OCL, and partially in Common Logic and in OWL.
A metamodel for design review derived from design specification templates
Authors: Motoyama Atsushi  , Nakatani Takako
Published: February 2025

In order to improve the quality of software, we review specifications refined from the specifications of the previous design process. Nevertheless, errors and defects of specifications are sometimes detected during testing processes. According to our research, we've found that the internal design specifications have more defects than other specifications. Most of those defects were embedded during the refining process from the external design to the internal design. The aim of our research is to detect those defects by reviewing the internal design specifications. One of the difficulties of reviews is that reviewers trace an item in the external design specifications to an item in the internal design specifications. In order to solve the difficulties, we defined two metamodels and a relationship model between those specifications by analyzing the templates of design specifications. The metamodels represent the structure with items of external design specifications and internal design specifications. The relationship model represents dependency between items in an external design specification and an internal design specification. The metamodels and the relationship model were evaluated by review checklists. This paper shows those models and the result of our evaluation. We conclude that the review checklist derived from the models can list up review perspectives more effectively than conventional checklists.
Enhancing Coalition Formation in Multi-Agent Systems When Agents Plan Their activities
Authors: Arib S.  , Aknine S.
Published: February 2025

In a multiagent system, coalition formation is a coordination method for agents aiming to form groups of interest. In this paper, we focus on the particular context where agents are self-interested and plan their activities. We develop a new coalition formation model that uses the plans of the agents to guide the search for the coalitions and analyzes the coalition proposals already suggested by other agents in order to derive their preferences. This eases the negotiation for the coalitions. We analyse and develop the constraints that should be enforced on self-interested agents in order to form suitable coalitions which guarantee significant solution concepts. In addition, we detail in this paper our coalition formation mechanism, we experiment and evaluate it.
Preference Extraction From Negotiation Dialogues
Authors: Cadilhac Anaïs  , Asher Nicholas  , Benamara Farah  , Popescu Vladimir  , Seck Mohamadou
Published: February 2025

This paper presents an NLP-based approach to extracting preferences from negotiation dialogues. We propose a new annotation scheme to study how preferences are linguistically expressed on two different corpus genres. We then automatically extract preferences in two steps: first, we extract the set of outcomes; then, we identify how these outcomes are ordered. We finally assess the reliability of our method on each corpus genre.
Adversarial Label Flips Attack on Support Vector Machines
Authors: Xiao Han  , Xiao Huang  , Eckert Claudia
Published: February 2025

To develop a robust classification algorithm in the adversarial setting, it is important to understand the adversary's strategy. We address the problem of label flips attack where an adversary contaminates the training set through flipping labels. By analyzing the objective of the adversary, we formulate an optimization framework for finding the label flips that maximize the classification error. An algorithm for attacking support vector machines is derived. Experiments demonstrate that the accuracy of classifiers is significantly degraded under the attack.
Approximation of Steiner Minimum Trees in Euclidean Planar Graphs Using Euclidian Steiner Minimum Trees
Authors: Zenker Bjoern
Published: February 2025

Exact solutions for Steiner tree problems in large graphs with large terminal sets cannot be calculated efficiently at the moment. For approximating Steiner minimum trees in large euclidean planar graphs, we propose an algorithm, which uses a solution to the problem in the euclidian plane for initialisation. This is further optimized using stochastic hillclimbing. The algorithm is empirically evaluated with respect to approximation ratio, running time and memory consumption on street networks and compared to an implementation of the Dreyfus Wagner algorithm. The results show, that a SMT can be efficiently approximated in our scenario with an observed average approximation ratio of 1.065 or 1.034 respectively by also using means of local search.
Bringing Research to the Point of Care: Hypergenes Project Study
Authors: Vitkin Edward  , Neuvirth-Telem Hani  , Carmeli Boaz  , Shabo Amnon  , Farkash Ariel
Published: February 2025

With advance of health information IT systems and increasing volumes of disparate biomedical information repositories, harvesting them for research purposes is becoming more difficult. This is partly due to the proprietary nature of the current systems, but also due to diverse requirements of different research paradigms. On the flip side, ever larger amounts of clinical and genomic data are currently accumulated in research projects. Tapping into these research silos would not only contribute to further research, but could help convey timely information to clinicians at the point of care. This paper presents RIMon – a portal-based infrastructure for information-intensive research cycle as used in the Hypergenes projectProject funded by European Community's Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement n° 201550.
TEDIS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder' patients Information System, Preliminary results
Authors: Ben Said Mohamed  , Robel Laurence  , Pellegrin-Touati Marie  , Rousselot-Pailly Berangere  , Golse Bernard  , Jais Jean Philippe  , Landais Paul
Published: February 2025

TEDIS, an information system dedicated to patients with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) was tested. Results focused on the process of behavioural changes among physicians and health professionals with regard to structured organized patient information.The experiment encouraged changes in professionals' habits for further documenting and systematizing patient information collection. TEDIS' project federated professionals for developing methods for a systematic and exhaustive patient data management, in a longitudinal and cross-domain perspective, for improving knowledge and health care management.
A Semiotic View on Paper and Mobile Care Data Quality
Authors: De La Harpe Retha
Published: February 2025

Data quality of paper health records remain problematic and little is known about mobile health data quality. A semiotic data quality framework is used as an analytical lens to identify the quality of data in care health service provision in resource-restricted communities. A mobile application was developed using a co-design approach. The results of the empirical study indicate data quality problems on the syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and social semiotic levels. The social aspect of data quality is an important contributor of quality associated problems. It is important to consider this human involvement in the capturing and using of data for the value of care data to be fully utilized. With better quality data a better care service can be provided and ultimately resulting in better quality life.
Automatic Detection of Inconsistencies between Free Text and Coded Data in Sarcoma Discharge Letters
Authors: Rinott Ruty  , Torresani Michele  , Bertulli Rossella  , Goldsteen Abigail  , Casali Paolo  , Carmeli Boaz  , Slonim Noam
Published: February 2025

Discordance between data stored in Electronic Health Records (EHR) may have a harmful effect on patient care. Automatic identification of such situations is an important yet challenging task, especially when the discordance involves information stored in free text fields. Here we present a method to automatically detect inconsistencies between data stored in free text and related coded fields. Using EHR data we train an ensemble of classifiers to predict the value of coded fields from the free text fields. Cases in which the classifiers predict with high confidence a code different from the clinicians' choice are marked as potential inconsistencies. Experimental results over discharge letters of sarcoma patients, verified by a domain expert, demonstrate the validity of our method.
Ontology-based Reusable Clinical Document Template Production System
Authors: Nam Sejin  , Lee Sungin  , Kim James G. Boram  , Kim Hong-Gee
Published: February 2025

Clinical documents embody professional clinical knowledge. This paper shows an effective clinical document template (CDT) production system that uses a clinical description entity (CDE) model, a CDE ontology, and a knowledge management system called STEP that manages ontology-based clinical description entities. The ontology represents CDEs and their inter-relations, and the STEP system stores and manages CDE ontology-based information regarding CDTs. The system also provides Web Services interfaces for search and reasoning over clinical entities. The system was populated with entities and relations extracted from 35 CDTs that were used in admission, discharge, and progress reports, as well as those used in nursing and operation functions. A clinical document template editor is shown that uses STEP.
Efficient Wavelet Sign Prediction: Simulated Annealing vs Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Navarro J.M.  , Moreno P.  , Rodríguez-Ballester F.  , Martí A.  , Cruz-Chávez M.A.  , Malumbres M.P.  , López O.
Published: February 2025

Wavelet transforms have proved to be very powerful tools for image compression, since many state-of-the-art image codecs employ DWT into their algorithms. One advantage of this transform is the provision of both frequency and spatial localization of image energy compacted into a small fraction of the transform coefficients, equally likely to be positive or negative. Previous studies have verified that there is a strong correlation between the sign of a wavelet coefficient and the signs of their neighbors. This correlation opens the possibility of using a sign predictor in order to improve the image compression process. In this work we evaluate two algorithms, one based on Genetic programming and other based on Simulated Annealing process in order to obtain a good wavelet sign predictor.
On the Continuous Evaluation of the Macrostructure of Sleep
Authors: Alvarez-Estevez Diego  , Fernández-Pastoriza José M.  , Hernández-Pereira Elena  , Moret-Bonillo Vicente
Published: February 2025

Sleep staging is one of the most important tasks on the context of sleep studies. For more than 40 years the gold standard to the characterization of patient’s sleep macrostructure was the set of rules proposed by Rechtschaffen and Kales (R&K) recently modified by AASM rules. Nevertheless the resulting map of sleep, the so-called hypnogram, has several limitations such as its low temporal resolution and the unnatural characterization of sleep through assignment of discrete sleep states. This study reports an automatic method for the characterization of the structure of the sleep. The method is based on the use of fuzzy inference in order to provide soft transitions among the different states. Main intention is to overcome limitations of epoch-based sleep staging by obtaining a more continuous evolution of the sleep of the patient.
An empirical investigation of the role of technology-based education in Iran
Authors: Ghazinoory Sepehr  , Afshari-Mofrad Masoud
Published: February 2025

It is important for practitioners and researchers to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of E-Learning and determine different factors which affect its outcomes. The first aim of this research is to compare smart schools with traditional schools in terms of school connectedness, academic motivation and academic achievement. Secondly, this research tries to assess the role of seven factors (including content, technical supports, ease of use, reliability, computer self-efficacy, expert and culture) in E-Learning outcomes and establish the degree of importance for each factor. The results revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between students in smart schools and traditional schools. Also the results of ranking by MPLUS 3.00 software and PCA method demonstrated that technical support is the most important factor which affects E-Learning outcomes.
Group Persuasion through Uncertain Audience Modelling
Authors: Oren Nir  , Atkinson Katie  , Li Hengfei
Published: February 2025

In this paper we examine the problem of practical reasoning utilising Atkinson et al.'s argument scheme in situations where differences as to the desirability of social value promotion exists. We focus on the situation where a single speaker attempts to persuade a set of listeners to undertake an action, assuming that the speaker has only a probabilistic model of the listener's mental state. To achieve this, we provide a new mapping from Atkinson's argumentation scheme to a VAF, introducing a new epistemic level to the VAF. We then present a simple protocol for the interaction between a single speaker and the set of listeners. Finally, situations in which strategic reasoning is necessary for the speaker are identified.
Clarifying some misconceptions on the ASPIC
Authors: Prakken Henry  , Modgil Sanjay
Published: February 2025

The ASPIC+framework is a general framework for argumentation-based inference which aims to unifies two research strands: those in which arguments can only be attacked on their defeasible inferences and those in which arguments can only be attacked on their premises. The framework is meant to define a wide class of instantiations of abstract argumentation frameworks and to support the investigation of rationality postulates for argumentation-based inference. Recently, it has been argued that the ASPIC+framework suffers from several weaknesses. In this paper these criticisms are argued to be based on a number of misconceptions on the nature of the ASPIC+framework.
From crime prevention to urban development
Authors: Zurawski Nils
Published: February 2025

This case study examines how CCTV is used in local politics as a vehicle for different actors with different agendas. In discussing an actual case from Hamburg, in which five cameras have been installed and removed within two years, the article will give an account of local politics, in which CCTV is used for various purposes and part of many different agendas. Most interestingly, the arguments' focus is usually on crime prevention, but here they are modified towards the issue of urban regeneration over the course of the cameras' lives. The analysis explains of how CCTV is used in politics, ultimately proving that the technology is more an instrument of politics than of actual crime prevention. And lastly the article will show how the changes of the arguments develop in the process of negotiating CCTV within local politics by local actors, thus making surveillance cameras less given and untouchable than they often seem.
e-Governance: Past, Present and Future: A theoretical framework for prospective policy analysis
Authors: Misuraca Gianluca
Published: February 2025

The chapter presents an overview of the evolution of e-Governance with an emphasis on the multidimensional role played by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for governance. The aim is to learn from the past and put current policy developments in future perspective. The chapter builds on an analysis of the policy landscape and academic debate on e-Government and e-Governance and, in this connection it proposes to re-define the theory and practice of e-Governance. In order to do so, an original theoretical and interpretative framework to assess the public values underpinning the abstract construct of ICT-enabled governance is presented. Going further, the chapter set the basis for the future of e-Governance discussing the debate generated around the emerging field of ICT for governance and policy modelling, which can be considered as an umbrella term indicating the interplay between collaborative ICTs that are applied in order to achieve the target of participative, evidence-based governance and the related organisational and social processes associated with them. In this respect, the theoretical framework proposed is set out to help interpreting changes and developments towards the open model of governance enabled by ICTs. The chapter concludes outlining policy and research challenges for the future of e-Governance.
Understanding IT literacy in the context of the Arab region: a study in Oman
Authors: Aziz M. Sherif
Published: February 2025

Digital divides within and between countries is not merely about technology deprivation, but is also about many inter-related social, educational, cultural, political and economic issues. Understanding this in the context of different parts of the developing world is extremely important to address the problem in a meaningful way. This chapter is about an action research done in the district of Barkha in the Sultanate of Oman, through a pilot IT literacy campaign. The study reveals that, for evolving a digital society in an Arab region, issues such as linguistic literacy and information literacy are far more challenging than the much publicized computer literacy. The study also concludes that Oman is at the threshold of access to technology but has challenges with regard to cognitive access, content access and an enabling environment.
Implementing ICT For Governance In Fragile States – A Case Study of Afghanistan
Authors: Aziz Monis
Published: February 2025

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an insight into the various challenges faced by a fragile post-conflict nation like Afghanistan and suggest implementation of e-Governance. It explores various ICT tools and techniques that can help and assist government officials, leaders, stakeholders and decision-makers adopt appropriate governance systems and state building mechanisms as part of post-conflict reconstruction efforts. The chapter helps to identify the various ways in which post-conflict reconstruction issues can be dealt by using the best practices linked with ICT functional feasibility and implementation; and identify the specific challenges that a fragile state has to overcome with regard to e-Governance project formulation and implementation. Despite the specificity of each country, lessons highlighted in this chapter show that a sound mix of policies based on universally shared values, experience and the proper use of management systems and tools are crucial for every country emerging from conflict.
Surplus Value Sensitivity and Subsystem Analysis
Authors: Mullan C.  , Price M.  , Soban D.  , Fanthorpe C.
Published: February 2025

Current design methods used within the aviation industry include the Systems Engineering (SE) methodology. Many products produced using this approach experience both scheduling and financial overruns resulting in a loss of value for the design. Recent developments in design have seen the introduction of the Value Driven Design (VDD) methodology which is an enhancement on the traditional SE approach. As this methodology is still in its infancy, many issues need to be clarified and developed before VDD can be fully implemented within the industry. One such issue is the development of subsystem value functions. To date, these local value functions only look at each individual subsystem in turn which results in an isolated design procedure as per SE. The main results from this work see the introduction of a Value Influence (VI) factor which enables interactions between these low level subsystems to be accounted for, thereby moving away from the current isolated approach. Further work will be required to fully develop these VI factors across multiple subsystems to ensure reliable, accurate calculations of value can be undertaken.
Method-Driven Test Case Generation for Functional System Verification
Authors: Franke M.  , Gerke D.  , Hans C.  , Thoben K.
Published: February 2025

The test process of safety-critical systems underlies the challenges of growing complex systems and still limited means to satisfy the functionality of a system under test against its requirements. The whole test process has to fulfill the criteria of reliability, objectivity and traceability, because its results act as verification for the correct functionality of the safety-critical system to the public authority. The classification tree method is a common method to support the test process in a model based way. Unfortunately, the actual implemented variants of this method break either the reliability or the traceability. This article presents an extension to the classification tree method to satisfy both, the reliability in the classification tree results and the traceability in the estimation of the adequate test cases. The application of the implemented extension is shown as an example.
The Nuts and Bolts of Administrative Action in an Information Age
Authors: Lenk Klaus
Published: February 2025

Informatization in public administration acts primarily on business processes at the operative level of administrative action, and not on governance structures and institutions. To understand the momentous ongoing process of “e-transformation” of the public sector, administrative action has to be investigated at the level of basic ingredients of human and technological agency. Such a focus on the operative level of administrative work allows to fathom the enabling and transformative potential of information technology with a view to improving the design of processes and institutions of a renewed public sector. This approach, developed by German “Verwaltungsinformatik” over a long time, is characterized by taking information, not technology, as focal concept, and by using a socio-technical lens, taking into account the various features which information technology introduces into what already now are inextricable socio-technical activity systems.
Free the Legislative Process of its Paper Chains: IT-inspired Redesign of the Legislative Procedure
Authors: Voermans Wim J.M.  , Fokkema Welmoed  , van Wijk Remco
Published: February 2025

Over the past decades legislatures have found ways and means to use IT technology to support legislative activity and improve access to legislative documents. Increasingly IT applications used for elements and parts of the legislative process are linked. This paper argues that it is now time we took the next step and redesign the legislative process by tailoring it to the information needs of the 21stcentury. The rationale and set up of most legislative processes is still the paper-based legislative process [See 1]. Different legislatures have used IT as a lever to redesign their legislative process. The paper gives examples of innovative technology EU-countries have introduced and touches upon IT-assisted architectures for legislative programming (preparation), legislative calendars, IT-assisted drafting systems, impact assessment, internet-based consultation, IT-assisted review, new ways of amending legislation (by MEP's for instance), electronic promulgation, electronic codification and consolidation, electronic access to legislation, IT-based effect monitoring (including evaluation) etc. The paper finishes by giving a framework for a new ‘paper-detached’ legislative procedure.
Human Resource Management in the Information Age
Authors: Steijn Bram  , van den Muyzenberg Marc
Published: February 2025

There is a two-way relationship between HRM and IT. First, IT can affect the HR function itself. Secondly, HRM can also help IT to be used to its full potential. This chapter mainly deals with the first factor by focusing on the diffusion of electronic HRM (e-HRM). We will show that this diffusion has been rather slow, although in the last decade it has become more widespread, especially with respect to the operational use of e-HRM. There is, however, no support for the claim that e-HRM has enabled the HR function to become more strategic. In fact, it is very unlikely that e-HRM as such will ever be able to do so. Research evidence about the spread of e-HRM within the public sector is mixed, but it probably lags slightly behind the private sector in this respect.
Towards an Informed Electorate? Voter-Information Websites and Representative Democracy
Authors: Edwards Arthur
Published: February 2025

Voter-information websites, in particular online voting indicators, have proliferated in European and other OECD countries. This chapter distinguishes three types of voter-information websites that support voters in prospective and retrospective voting. These types are discussed in the light of a typical case. Some empirical research is discussed on their actual use. On the individual level, voter information websites might have a modest effect on turnout. On the system level, these websites might put the classical liberal model of representation under (further) pressure and enhance a producer-consumer type of linkage.
Social Networks and e-Voting: A New Impulse for Democracy?
Authors: Poupa Christine
Published: February 2025

This paper presents the way direct democracy actually functions, and the contribution of information technology, especially Internet with e-voting and the emergence of social networks, towards making democracy a more concrete reality.
The IPS Compiler
Authors: Jain Abhishek  , Sahai Amit
Published: February 2025

One of the most fundamental goals in cryptography is to design protocols that remain secure when adversarial participants can engage in arbitrary malicious behavior. In 1986, Goldreich, Micali, and Wigderson presented a powerful paradigm for designing such protocols: their approach reduced the task of designing secure protocols to designing protocols that only guarantee security against “honest-but-curious” participants. By making use of zero-knowledge proofs, the GMW paradigm enforces honest behavior without compromising secrecy. Over the past two decades, this approach has been the dominant paradigm for cryptographic protocol design.
Complexity of Multi-Party Computation Functionalities
Authors: Maji Hemanta K.  , Prabhakaran Manoj  , Rosulek Mike
Published: February 2025

The central objects of secure multiparty computation are the “multiparty functions” (or functionalities) that it seeks to securely realize. In this chapter we survey a set of results that constitute a Cryptographic Complexity Theory. This theory classifies and compares multiparty functions according to their secure computability and reducibility to each other. The basic questions studied, under various notions of security and reducibility, include:
Recognition of Semantic Elements from Pictorial Symbols: Towards A Visual Dictionary
Authors: Tirronen Ville  , Eskelinen Matti  , Heimbürger Anneli
Published: February 2025

Collections of visual symbols are context-specific, and include symbols and signs for example at airports, in hotels, and in traffic. They symbolize our living environments and guide us in different situations. We introduce a pattern recognition system, based on bag-of-features descriptors and support vector machine classifier, for recognizing semantic elements from pictorial symbols. We evaluate our approach by extracting semantic tags from Finnish and Japanese road signs, and by translating their meaning. Our paper demonstrates the idea of a visual dictionary that anyone from any culture can understand in any context of life.
Testing and Evaluating Software in a Social Network Creating Baseline Knowledge
Authors: Kopecký Michal  , Pokorný Jaroslav  , Vojtáš Peter  , Kubalík Jiří  , Matoušek Kamil  , Maryška Miloš  , Novotný Ota  , Peška Ladislav
Published: February 2025

This paper describes the concept and some preliminary experiments of extension of the sitIT.cz portal – the social network of the ICT specialists in Czech Republic. SitIT.cz interconnects ICT specialists and offers effective search according to several types of structured – machine readable – profiles. It is intended to support technology transfer, sharing information, building teams and to enable discussions, especially targeted to increase of competitiveness of R&D in ICT. Main stimulus for sitIT.cz extension came from acquaintance with software development which often needs extensive testing – not only technological but also from users' point of view. Extension can make network more attractive for both developers and users. We propose new structured profiles that can be used for evaluating software and allowing developers obtain as valuable feedback as possible. One of main outcomes of this system is creating baseline knowledge by humans for further comparison and/or training.
Potentials of environmental protection by geotechnical engineering
Authors: Katzenbach R.  , Clauss F.  , Leppla S.  , Ruppert T.
Published: February 2025

To guarantee sustainability for mankind and environment three aspects are important: resource efficiency, minimisation of pollution and the recovery of contaminated or damaged areas. The World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainability as follows: “Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the abilitiy of future generations to meet their own needs” [1]. For sustainable construction an economic and environment-friendly design is necessary [2]. Environmental geotechnics consist of avoiding and remediation of contamination and pollution, protection of nature reserves, prevention against natural disasters and using environmentally friendly geothermical energy. Many national and international geotechnical organisations, for example the Technical Committee TC 215 of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, are working together with construction companies, consultants, public administration and scientific research institutions on enhancements of environmental geotechnics. In this paper the importance of environment geotechnics is being shown on examples from engineering practice on the basis of new results of scientific research.
Behavior of geosynthetic reinforced retaining walls under earthquake loading conditions
Authors: Guler Erol
Published: February 2025

In this paper first a short review of the literature is given. This literature survey clearly indicates that the geosynthetic reinforced soil retaining structures show superior behavior. This superiority against traditional retaining walls is even more pronounced under earthquake loading condition. This is one of the reasons why nowadays the geosynthetic reinforced retaining structures are more preferred. Another reason for the preference of geosynthetic reinforced retaining structures is their easy constructability and aesthetic appearances. In this paper some examples of walls constructed in Turkey are shown, mainly to emphasize their aesthetic appearance. Finally results of several shaking table tests are given to clearly demonstrate the superior behavior of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls.
On the effect of suction on the stability of ancient retaining walls
Authors: Aversa S.  , Nicotera M.V.
Published: February 2025

The paper briefly presents some results of a parametric study on the stability of old masonry walls retaining unsaturated backfill subjected to infiltration of water from the limit surface. The topic is discussed in order to show the importance of the role of suction on the stability of such type of structures interacting with this kind of soils. It emerged that it is possible to guarantee the safety without very invasive interventions, like anchors, micropiles, shotcrete and so on, but only trying to avoid the saturation of the backfill with superficial or inner drainage. This approach is in agreement with the basic principles of Preservation of Monuments and their extension to the Ground-Monument System as defined by many documents produced by the Technical Committee TC-301 – Preservation of Historic Sites of ISSMGE.
The PLU Problem: Are We Designing Personal ehealth for People Like Us?
Authors: Showell Chris  , Turner Paul
Published: February 2025

The near-pervasive introduction of ehealth systems, and the more recent implementation of systems intended for patient use offer patients the opportunity to participate in their own care. Unfortunately the design of these systems means that they may work better for “People Like Us” rather than for those on the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’. This paper looks at the professional, practical and ethical implications of this conundrum.
Tailored Care Management with Patient-Centered Web-Based Portal in Primary Health Care: Sustaining a Relational Context
Authors: Ronan James P.
Published: February 2025

While many innovative information and communication technologies have been offered as solutions to primary care management challenges, few have been shown to be effective and or sustainable over time. Information technology approaches have been narrow in focus, relying on designs that enhance usability, interoperability and adaptability by delimiting the traits, attributes, and characteristics of individual communication processes. It is increasingly understood in primary health care settings that relational communication continuity between the patient and the health care team is essential for optimizing co-determined treatments, interventions, and self-management strategies. Successful utilization of a patient-centered web-based portal must account for essential proximity of the relational aspect of care between the patient and the immediate health care team.
Developing a Multivariate Electronic Medical Record Integration Model for Primary Health Care
Authors: Lau Francis  , Price Morgan  , Lesperance Mary
Published: February 2025

This paper describes the development of a multivariate electronic medical record (EMR) integration model for the primary health care setting. Our working hypothesis is that an integrated EMR is associated with high quality primary health care. Our assumption is that EMR integration should be viewed as a form of complex intervention with multiple interacting components that can impact the quality of care. Depending on how well the EMR is integrated in the practice setting, one can expect a corresponding change in the quality of care as measured through a set of primary health care quality indicators. To test the face validity of this model, a Dephi study is being planned where health care providers and information technology professionals involved with EMR adoption are polled for their feedback. This model has the potential to quantify and explain the factors that influence successful EMR integration to improve primary health care.
Microsoft Kinect Based Head Tracking for Life Size Collaborative Surgical Simulation Environments (LS-CollaSSLE)
Authors: Dargar Saurabh  , Nunno Austin  , Sankaranarayanan Ganesh  , De Suvranu
Published: February 2025

Virtual surgical skills trainers are proving to be very useful for the medical training community. With efforts to increase patient safety and surgeon expertise, the need for surgical skills trainers that provide training in an operating room (OR) like condition is now more pressing. To allow for virtual surgery simulators to be instructed in an OR-like setting we have created a large display based immersive surgical simulation environment. Using the Microsoft Kinect we have created a real-time simulation environment that tracks the test user and appropriately adjust the perspective of the virtual OR for an immersive virtual experience.
On engineering design methodology
Authors: Spitas C. (Christos)  , Spitas V. (Vasilios)
Published: February 2025

In this article we introduce additional insights obtained during the symposium proceedings, which included a survey as well as workshops. Furthermore, we attempt a first study of the presented cases to identify common patterns, learn from them what aspects of the design methodology the industry places its attention on, and draw potentially useful conclusions about the nature of engineering design, as practiced today in the industry.
Surveillance as X-ray
Authors: Webster C. William R.
Published: February 2025

This article reflects on an emerging academic perspective of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) which places a consideration of ‘surveillance’ at the heart of its analysis. It is argued, that a new ‘surveillance perspective’ is becoming more prominent and that this perspective offers new and different insights into comprehending the nature of new and emergent technologies and their application in governmental and public service settings. The surveillance perspective offers the potential to provide x-ray vision, an approach which can be utilised to comprehend and ‘shine a light on’ the surveillance implications of ICTs in modern society. In addition, to providing a fresh look at the implications of the way new ICTs are integrated into public administration the surveillance perspective allows us to make different judgements about the desirability, or otherwise, of the use of ICTs in public administration and society. Here the core argument is that the surveillance perspective provides a different type of insight, and an understanding of the use and implications of ICTs which is often missing from mainstream eGovernment studies. Implicit in this perspective is the view that our attitudes towards the use and usefulness of ICT applications may be different if we reflect on the surveillance consequences of their use.
The social media innovation challenge in the public sector
Authors: Mergel Ines
Published: February 2025

The use of social media applications has been widely accepted in the U.S. government. Many of the social media strategies and day-to-day tactics have also been adopted around the world as part of local Open Government Initiatives and the worldwide Open Government Partnership. Nevertheless, the acceptance and broader adoption of sophisticated tactics that go beyond information and education paradigm such as true engagement or networking strategies are still in its infancy. Rapid diffusion is challenged by informal bottom-up experimentation that meets institutional and organizational challenges hindering innovative tactics. Going forward governments and bureaucratic organizations are also facing the challenge to show the impact of their social media interactions. Each of these challenges is discussed in this article and extraordinary examples, that are not widely adopted yet, are provided to show how government organizations can potentially overcome these challenges.
The Do It Yourself State
Authors: Meijer Albert J.
Published: February 2025

This paper starts with the observation that liberal and discursive perspectives have been dominant in academic analyses of the role of technology in the future of democracy. The perspective of democracy as a participatory practice is largely ignored by academic investigations of electronic democracy. This paper argues that new technologies increasingly enable citizens to organize their own forms of public value production in a Do It Yourself (DIY) State: governance without government. The DIY State should not be seen as utopia. Although the DIY State may reflect the hippy ideal of a supportive community, it could also take the form of a ‘jungle’ where only the fittest survive. A further understanding of this form of democracy, of the way it is affected by new technologies, and of the remaining role for government, is needed to inform public debate and practices.
Mining Twitter Data: Discover Quasi-Truss from Bipartite Graph
Authors: Li Yanting  , Kuboyama Tetsuji  , Sakamoto Hiroshi
Published: February 2025

Decomposing a large graph into cohesive subgraphs plays a significant role in finding community structures in social network analysis. Among a lot of definitions of cohesive subgraphs, the k-truss is one of the best known cohesive subgraphs with a good trade-off between computational efficiency and clique approximation. In this paper, a quasi-truss decomposition algorithm for bipartite graphs is proposed based on the truss decomposition algorithm for general graphs. The proposed method can be used for analyzing the international business, such as the relationship between clients and sales volume in a certain period, and also analyze the social networking, such as users and hashtags in the twitter community. The twitter community is considered, and useful information can be extracted hierarchically by using the algorithm proposed in this paper.
Child Vehicle Safety Simulation using Regression analysis and Predictive Data Mining
Authors: Gupta Ritwick  , Kobti Ziad  , Kent Robert D.
Published: February 2025

Much work has been done on making and perfecting agent-based simulations on child safety measures in cars. These simulations, using different algorithms, try and predict what factors are responsible for propagation of knowledge about child safety measures in a society. One of the biggest factors being over-looked in these simulations is validity. In absence of validation, these models may not be a true representation of a real world scenario and the trends predicted are questionable. This paper proposes a system design using regression analysis and predictive data mining on a survey done in the field of child safety measure. Using the result of this data mining process in form of a decision tree, we can initialize our agent-based model with data from the survey and later validate our model comparing the results to the survey.
Touch, and You Will Gaze: Elderly and Youngers' Use of Remote Controls in Interacting with a Healthcare Portal
Authors: Bruun Anders  , Hahn Claudia  , Voight Benjamin  , Schultz Martin
Published: February 2025

This study extends previous research by exploring the quality of the interaction experienced by a group of elderly participants interacting with a healthcare portal when applying a touch screen remote control. This is compared to a standard remote control with physical buttons.
Fall prediction with wearable sensors – an empirical study on expert opinions
Authors: Marschollek Michael  , Schulze Mareike  , Gietzelt Matthias  , Lovel Nigel  , Redmond Stephen J.
Published: February 2025

Falls represent a considerable problem for many developed societies with a large growth in the elderly population, and they inflict a sizable personal and social cost. Assessment of an individual's risk of falling, facilitated by advanced movement sensing technologies, has been heralded as a potential means to target fall prevention interventions to those most at need. This paper presents the summary of a questionnaire-based survey of expert opinions collected from three major international conference meetings on the topic of fall risk assessment and fall prediction. Specifically, current problems are discussed, both in terms of technology as well as in study design, in order to harmonize and guide future research activities. The analysis of this survey confirms that sensor-based fall prediction is both relevant and promising, and that large-scale prospective studies are needed as well as further harmonization of research methods.
The e-learning programmes in Greek Universities: A literature review
Authors: Zogas Spyros  , Lialiou Pashalina  , Gallos Parisis  , Mantas John
Published: February 2025

This paper presents an on-line research in Greek universities websites and an international literature review on electronic learning in the field of Health Informatics. The results reveal that there are a lot of e-learning programs offered by universities in Greece, but unfortunately none of them related to Health Informatics domain. On the other hand, the finding of the international literature shows that other European universities conduct e-learning studies in Health Informatics field. Future actions for the enrichment of e-learning service in Greek Health Informatics education are necessary.