Preparing Laboratory and Real-World EEG Data for Large-Scale Analysis: A Containerized Approach.

Large-scale analysis of EEG and other physiological measures promises new insights into brain processes and more accurate and robust brain-computer interface models. However, the absence of standardized vocabularies for annotating events in a machine understandable manner, the welter of collection-specific data organizations, the difficulty in moving data across processing platforms, and the unavailability of agreed-upon standards for preprocessing have prevented large-scale analyses of EEG. Here we describe a "containerized" approach and freely available tools we have developed to facilitate the process of annotating, packaging, and preprocessing EEG data collections to enable data sharing, archiving, large-scale machine learning/data mining and (meta-)analysis. The EEG Study Schema (ESS) comprises three data "Levels," each with its own XML-document schema and file/folder convention, plus a standardized (PREP) pipeline to move raw (Data Level 1) data to a basic preprocessed state (Data Level 2) suitable for application of a large class of EEG analysis methods. Researchers can ship a study as a single unit and operate on its data using a standardized interface. ESS does not require a central database and provides all the metadata data necessary to execute a wide variety of EEG processing pipelines. The primary focus of ESS is automated in-depth analysis and meta-analysis EEG studies. However, ESS can also encapsulate meta-information for the other modalities such as eye tracking, that are increasingly used in both laboratory and real-world neuroimaging. ESS schema and tools are freely available at www.eegstudy.org and a central catalog of over 850 GB of existing data in ESS format is available at studycatalog.org. These tools and resources are part of a larger effort to enable data sharing at sufficient scale for researchers to engage in truly large-scale EEG analysis and data mining (BigEEG.org)

Integrating Distributed Sources of Information for Construction Cost Estimating using Semantic Web and Semantic Web Service technologies

A construction project requires collaboration of several organizations such as owner, designer, contractor, and material supplier organizations. These organizations need to exchange information to enhance their teamwork. Understanding the information received from other organizations requires specialized human resources. Construction cost estimating is one of the processes that requires information from several sources including a building information model (BIM) created by designers, estimating assembly and work item information maintained by contractors, and construction material cost data provided by material suppliers. Currently, it is not easy to integrate the information necessary for cost estimating over the Internet. This paper discusses a new approach to construction cost estimating that uses Semantic Web technology. Semantic Web technology provides an infrastructure and a data modeling format that enables accessing, combining, and sharing information over the Internet in a machine processable format. The estimating approach presented in this paper relies on BIM, estimating knowledge, and construction material cost data expressed in a web ontology language. The approach presented in this paper makes the various sources of estimating data accessible as Simple Protocol and Resource Description Framework Query Language (SPARQL) endpoints or Semantic Web Services. We present an estimating application that integrates distributed information provided by project designers, contractors, and material suppliers for preparing cost estimates. The purpose of this paper is not to fully automate the estimating process but to streamline it by reducing human involvement in repetitive cost estimating activities

Multilingual Information Framework for Handling textual data in Digital Media

This document presents MLIF (Multi Lingual Information Framework), a high-level model for describing multilingual data across a wide range of possible applications in the translation/localization process within several multimedia domains (e.g. broadcasting interactive programs within a multilingual community)

Dynamically generated multi-modal application interfaces

This work introduces a new UIMS (User Interface Management System), which aims to solve numerous problems in the field of user-interface development arising from hard-coded use of user interface toolkits. The presented solution is a concrete system architecture based on the abstract ARCH model consisting of an interface abstraction-layer, a dialog definition language called GIML (Generalized Interface Markup Language) and pluggable interface rendering modules. These components form an interface toolkit called GITK (Generalized Interface ToolKit). With the aid of GITK (Generalized Interface ToolKit) one can build an application, without explicitly creating a concrete end-user interface. At runtime GITK can create these interfaces as needed from the abstract specification and run them. Thereby GITK is equipping one application with many interfaces, even kinds of interfaces that did not exist when the application was written. It should be noted that this work will concentrate on providing the base infrastructure for adaptive/adaptable system, and does not aim to deliver a complete solution. This work shows that the proposed solution is a fundamental concept needed to create interfaces for everyone, which can be used everywhere and at any time. This text further discusses the impact of such technology for users and on the various aspects of software systems and their development. The targeted main audience of this work are software developers or people with strong interest in software development

Lokalisierung und Internationalisierung von Fahrerinformationssystemen

Ein Produkt, das auf verschiedenen Märkten eingeführt werden soll, kann bereits während der Entwicklung so gestaltet werden, dass eine nachfolgende Anpassung an die jeweiligen Märkte, die sogenannte "Lokalisierung", möglichst einfach durchgeführt werden kann. Diese Art der Produktentwicklung wird als "Internationalisierung" bezeichnet. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde untersucht, inwieweit kulturelle Unterschiede bei der Verwendung der Benutzeroberfläche von Fahrerinformationssystemen (FIS) existieren, vor allem in Bezug auf die Menüstruktur. Die dabei ermittelten Daten bildeten anschließend die Grundlage für eine beispielhafte Implementierung eines Systems mit internationalisierter Menüstruktur. Im Rahmen einer Online-Befragung unter BMW-Mitarbeitern in Deutschland, den USA und Japan wurden 47 Funktionen eines Fahrerinformationssystems in Bezug auf die fünf Parameter "Wichtigkeit", "Sichtbarkeit", "Häufigkeit", "sofort einzuschalten" und "Extraknopf" abgefragt. Immerhin 32% aller Funktionen wurden im Hinblick auf die drei Parameter "Wichtigkeit", "Sichtbarkeit" und "Häufigkeit" in mindestens zwei der Länder signifikant unterschiedlich eingeschätzt und 47% im Hinblick auf drei der fünf abgefragten Parameter. Die höchste Anzahl von Unterschieden wurde im Bereich "Kommunikation" festgestellt, gefolgt von "Unterhaltung". Dabei waren stärkere Abweichungen zwischen Japan und USA als zwischen Japan und Deutschland zu erkennen, am ähnlichsten waren die Antworten von Befragten aus Deutschland und den USA. Aus den erhobenen Daten wurden am Beispiel des Moduls "Unterhaltung" landestypische Menüstrukturen für Deutschland, USA und Japan abgeleitet und aus diesen eine allgemeine, den dreien zugrundeliegende Struktur. Diese Struktur wurde formalisiert und mittels Transformationen in die landestypischen Strukturen umgewandelt. Dies wurde mit Hilfe der Programme Extensible Markup Language (XML) für eine strukturierte Darstellung der Daten, Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) und XML Path Language (Xpath) für das Transformieren eines Dokuments und Scalable Vector Graphics (auf XML basierende Auszeichnungssprache SVG) für das Erzeugen von Vektorgrafiken und Animationen durchgeführt. Damit wurde ein System implementiert, mit dem eine grundlegende Struktur durch Transformationen in eine landesspezifische Version umgewandelt werden konnte. Dadurch wurde unter anderem eine Trennung der Texte und Symbole von der Struktur erreicht, was eine spätere Übersetzung erleichtert und zugleich dafür sorgt, dass die Struktur selbst durch externe Scripte modifizierbar bleibt. So können im Rahmen einer Lokalisierung Änderungen leicht durchgeführt werden, ohne dass der Quellcode selbst geändert werden muss

Automated synthesis of data extraction and transformation programs

Due to the abundance of data in today’s data-rich world, end-users increasingly need to perform various data extraction and transformation tasks. While many of these tedious tasks can be performed in a programmatic way, most end-users lack the required programming expertise to automate them and end up spending their valuable time in manually performing various data- related tasks. The field of program synthesis aims to overcome this problem by automatically generating programs from informal specifications, such as input-output examples or natural language. This dissertation focuses on the design and implementation of new systems for automating important classes of data transformation and extraction tasks. It introduces solutions for automating data manipulation tasks on fully- structured data formats like relational tables, or on semi-structured formats such as XML and JSON documents. First, we describe a novel algorithm for synthesizing hierarchical data transformations from input-output examples. A key novelty of our approach is that it reduces the synthesis of tree transformations to the simpler problem of synthesizing transformations over the paths of the tree. We also describe a new and effective algorithm for learning path transformations that combines logical SMT-based reasoning with machine learning techniques based on decision trees. Next, we present a new methodology for learning programs that migrate tree-structured documents to relational table representations from input-output examples. Our approach achieves its goal by decomposing the synthesis task to two subproblems of (A) learning the column extraction logic, and (B) learning the row extraction logic. We propose a technique for learning column extraction programs using deterministic finite automata, and a new algorithm for predicate learning which combines integer linear programing and logic minimization. Finally, we address the problem of automating data extraction tasks from natural language. Specifically, we focus on data retrieval from relational databases and describe a novel approach for learning SQL queries from English descriptions. The method we describe is fully automatic and database-agnostic (i.e., does not require customization for each database). Our method combines semantic parsing techniques from the NLP community with novel programming languages ideas involving probabilistic type inhabitation and automated sketch repair.Computer Science

XSL Transformations (XSLT) version 2.0

Esta norma define la sintaxis y la semántica de XSLT 2.0, un lenguaje para transformar documentos XML en otros mediante mecanismos que permiten que, por ejemplo, las hojas de estilo sean aplicadas a una extensa clase de documentos que tienen estructuras de recursos similares. El término hoja de estilo refleja el hecho de que uno de los roles más importantes de XSLT es añadir información de estilo a un documento fuente XML para transformarlo en un documento que consta de objetos de formato XSL, o en otro formato orientado a la presentación, tal como HTML, XHTML, o SVG. Sin embargo, lo que caracteriza a XSLT es que se usa para un gran número de tareas de transformación, no exclusivamente para aplicaciones de formato y presentación. XSLT 2.0 es una versión revisada de las recomendaciones XSLT 1.0 publicadas en noviembre de 1999 y está diseñado para ser utilizado conjuntamente con XPath 2.0, con el que comparte el mismo modelo de datos

Reading paths and visual perception in multimodal research, psychology and brain sciences

Peer reviewe

Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture Standard. Release 1.02.1

This document contains the NASA architecture standard for software defined radios used in space- and ground-based platforms to enable commonality among radio developments to enhance capability and services while reducing mission and programmatic risk. Transceivers (or transponders) with functionality primarily defined in software (e.g., firmware) have the ability to change their functional behavior through software alone. This radio architecture standard offers value by employing common waveform software interfaces, method of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. These common interfaces within the architecture abstract application software from the underlying hardware to enable technology insertion independently at either the software or hardware layer