Implementing electronic scales to support standardized phenotypic data collection - the case of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)

The main objective of this doctoral thesis was to facilitate the integration of the semantics required to automatically interpret collections of standardized clinical data. In order to address the objective, we combined the best performances from clinical archetypes, guidelines and ontologies for developing an electronic prototype for the Scale of the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), broadly used in neurology. A scaled-down version of the Human Phenotype Ontology was automatically extracted and used as backbone to normalize the content of the SARA through clinical archetypes. The knowledge required to exploit reasoning on the SARA data was modeled as separate information-processing units interconnected via the defined archetypes. Based on this approach, we implemented a prototype named SARA Management System, to be used for both the assessment of cerebellar syndrome and the production of a clinical synopsis. For validation purposes, we used recorded SARA data from 28 anonymous subjects affected by SCA36. Our results reveal a substantial degree of agreement between the results achieved by the prototype and human experts, confirming that the combination of archetypes, ontologies and guidelines is a good solution to automate the extraction of relevant phenotypic knowledge from plain scores of rating scales

Ensuring interoperability between network elements in next generation networks

Next Generation Networks (NGNs), based on the Internet Protocol (IP), implement several services such as IP-based telephony and are beginning to replace the classic telephony systems. Due to the development and implementation of new powerful services these systems are becoming increasingly complex. Implementing these new services (typically software-based network elements) is often accompanied by unexpected and erratic behaviours which can manifest as interoperability problems. The reason for this caused by insufficient testing at the developing companies. The testing of such products is by nature a costly and time-consuming exercise and therefore cut down to what is considered the maximum acceptable level. Ensuring the interoperability between network elements is a known challenge. However, there exists no concept of which testing methods should be utilised to achieve an acceptable level of quality. The objective of this thesis was to improve the interoperability between network elements in NGNs by creating a testing scheme comprising of three diverse testing methods: conformance testing, interoperability testing and posthoc analysis. In the first project a novel conformance testing methodology for developing sets of conformance test cases for service specifications in NGNs was proposed. This methodology significantly improves the chance of interoperability and provides a considerable enhancement to the currently used interoperability tests. It was evaluated by successfully applying it to the Presence Service. The second report proposed a post-hoc methodology which enables the identification of the ultimate causes for interoperability problems in a NGN in daily operation. The new methods were implemented in the tool IMPACT (IP-Based Multi Protocol Posthoc Analyzer and Conformance Tester), which stores all exchanged messages between network elements in a database. Using SQL queries, the causes for errors can be found efficiently. Overall the presented testing scheme improves significantly the chance that network elements interoperate successfully by providing new methods. Beyond that, the quality of the software product is raised by mapping these methods to phases in a process model and providing well defined steps on which test method is the best suited at a certain stage

Sistema de apoio à solução de não-conformidades: um estudo de caso na extrusão de alumínio

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica, Florianópolis, 2014Esta tese investiga o uso da abordagem de sistemas multiagentes (SMA) buscando compartilhar e recuperar conhecimentos decorrentes da solução de problemas prévios de não-conformidades e da aplicação do método de análise de modos de falha e efeitos em processos de manufatura (PFMEA) e raciocínio baseado em casos. Neste sentido, propõe-se um modelo de multiagentes em apoio à solução de problemas de não-conformidades em processos de fabricação, com o intuito de superar não somente as dificuldades relacionadas à natureza do conhecimento, mas também quanto à sua distribuição. A distribuição adotada no modelo considera tanto o aspecto geográfico das fontes quanto à fragmentação relacionada aos processos existentes na cadeia produtiva. Nesta ótica, são considerados agentes computacionais cujo comportamento inclui o uso de raciocínio baseado em casos e métodos de recuperação baseado em ontologias. Por fim, um protótipo computacional foi desenvolvido para permitir a verificação e a validação do modelo proposto, sendo que as bases de conhecimento manipuladas pelo sistema são instanciadas com conhecimentos no domínio do processo de extrusão de alumínio obtidos a partir da literatura e de pesquisas de campo em uma empresa que fabrica peças por extrusão de alumínio, com ênfase na liga 60xx.Abstract: This thesis investigates the use of the multi-agent systems (MAS) approach seeking to share and retrieve knowledge from previous solutions of nonconformance problems and the application of the method of failure modes and effects analysis in manufacturing processes (PFMEA) and case-based reasoning (CBR). In this sense, it is proposed a MAS-based model to support the solution of nonconformance problems in manufacturing processes in order to overcome the difficulties related to both the nature of knowledge and on its distribution. The distribution adopted in the model considers both the geographical aspect of the sources and the fragmentation related to existing processes in the production chain. From this perspective, agents were developed whose behavior includes the use of case-based reasoning and retrieval methods based on ontologies. Finally, a software prototype was developed to allow the verification and validation of the proposed model, and the foundations of knowledge manipulated by the system are instantiated with knowledge in the field of the aluminum extrusion process obtained from the literature and from a company that manufactures parts via aluminum extrusion, with emphasis on the 60xx alloy

Integrando servicios mediante la automatización de procesos para la selección y adquisición de datos (TDAQ) en el CERN

Shifter Assistant (SA) es un software desarrollado en CERN, la Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear, el cual permite ejecutar procesando datos operacionales de ATLAS y disparando alertas en condiciones específicas de eventos. Acompaña a los operadores en sus tareas diarias en la sala de control de ATLAS, permitiendo diagnosticar situaciones problemáticas y asistir en la solución de problemas, con algunas especiales indicaciones on qué pasos a seguir. Funciona mediante directivas que ofrecen validaciones, evaluando condiciones en tiempo real, procesando, analizando, y correlacionando fuentes de información heterogénea. Una vez que una condición se cumple, propaga el mensaje apropiado hacia el shifter en la sala de control, o, por ejemplo, enviando un SMS o un correo electrónico hacia el experto de guardia. El proyecto propuesto consiste en diseñar e implementar un flujo de trabajo que permita a diferentes usuarios insertar o modificar sus propias reglas de SA.Facultad de Informátic

Integrando servicios mediante la automatización de procesos para la selección y adquisición de datos (TDAQ) en el CERN

Shifter Assistant (SA) es un software desarrollado en CERN, la Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear, el cual permite ejecutar procesando datos operacionales de ATLAS y disparando alertas en condiciones específicas de eventos. Acompaña a los operadores en sus tareas diarias en la sala de control de ATLAS, permitiendo diagnosticar situaciones problemáticas y asistir en la solución de problemas, con algunas especiales indicaciones on qué pasos a seguir. Funciona mediante directivas que ofrecen validaciones, evaluando condiciones en tiempo real, procesando, analizando, y correlacionando fuentes de información heterogénea. Una vez que una condición se cumple, propaga el mensaje apropiado hacia el shifter en la sala de control, o, por ejemplo, enviando un SMS o un correo electrónico hacia el experto de guardia. El proyecto propuesto consiste en diseñar e implementar un flujo de trabajo que permita a diferentes usuarios insertar o modificar sus propias reglas de SA.Facultad de Informátic

Integrando servicios mediante la automatización de procesos para la selección y adquisición de datos (TDAQ) en el CERN

Shifter Assistant (SA) es un software desarrollado en CERN, la Organización Europea para la Investigación Nuclear, el cual permite ejecutar procesando datos operacionales de ATLAS y disparando alertas en condiciones específicas de eventos. Acompaña a los operadores en sus tareas diarias en la sala de control de ATLAS, permitiendo diagnosticar situaciones problemáticas y asistir en la solución de problemas, con algunas especiales indicaciones on qué pasos a seguir. Funciona mediante directivas que ofrecen validaciones, evaluando condiciones en tiempo real, procesando, analizando, y correlacionando fuentes de información heterogénea. Una vez que una condición se cumple, propaga el mensaje apropiado hacia el shifter en la sala de control, o, por ejemplo, enviando un SMS o un correo electrónico hacia el experto de guardia. El proyecto propuesto consiste en diseñar e implementar un flujo de trabajo que permita a diferentes usuarios insertar o modificar sus propias reglas de SA.Facultad de Informátic