La realizzazione di RDA

L'autore ripercorre lo sviluppo di RDA dal principio, nel 2005, fino alla sua prima pubblicazione, nel 2010. L'impegno di sviluppo è inserito nel contesto di un ambiente digitale in evoluzione che trasforma sia la produzione sia la diffusione delle risorse informative e delle risorse utilizzate per creare, immagazzinare e accedere ai dati che descrivono tali risorse. L'autore esamina l'interazione tra l'impegno strategico ad allineare RDA con i nuovi modelli concettuali, le strutture di database emergenti e lo sviluppo dei metadati nelle comunità alleate, da una parte, e la compatibilità con l'eredità di AACR2 e dei database esistenti dall'altra. Gli aspetti esaminati comprendono la strutturazione di RDA come linguaggio di descrizione delle risorse, l'organizzazione del nuovo standard come uno strumento di lavoro e il raffinamento delle linee guida e delle istruzioni per la registrazione dei dati secondo RDA.The author revisits the development of RDA from its inception in 2005 through to its initial release in 2010. The development effort is set in the context of an evolving digital environment that was transforming both the production and dissemination of information resources and the technologies used to create, store, and access data describing those resources. The author examines the interplay between strategic commitments to align RDA with new conceptual models, emerging database structures, and metadata developments in allied communities, on the one hand, and compatibility with AACR2 legacy databases on the other. Aspects of the development effort examined include the structuring of RDA as a resource description language, organizing the new standard as a working tool, and refining guidelines and instructions for recording RDA data.

Using hierarchical clustering methods to classify motor activities of COPD patients from wearable sensor data

BACKGROUND: Advances in miniature sensor technology have led to the development of wearable systems that allow one to monitor motor activities in the field. A variety of classifiers have been proposed in the past, but little has been done toward developing systematic approaches to assess the feasibility of discriminating the motor tasks of interest and to guide the choice of the classifier architecture. METHODS: A technique is introduced to address this problem according to a hierarchical framework and its use is demonstrated for the application of detecting motor activities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation. Accelerometers were used to collect data for 10 different classes of activity. Features were extracted to capture essential properties of the data set and reduce the dimensionality of the problem at hand. Cluster measures were utilized to find natural groupings in the data set and then construct a hierarchy of the relationships between clusters to guide the process of merging clusters that are too similar to distinguish reliably. It provides a means to assess whether the benefits of merging for performance of a classifier outweigh the loss of resolution incurred through merging. RESULTS: Analysis of the COPD data set demonstrated that motor tasks related to ambulation can be reliably discriminated from tasks performed in a seated position with the legs in motion or stationary using two features derived from one accelerometer. Classifying motor tasks within the category of activities related to ambulation requires more advanced techniques. While in certain cases all the tasks could be accurately classified, in others merging clusters associated with different motor tasks was necessary. When merging clusters, it was found that the proposed method could lead to more than 12% improvement in classifier accuracy while retaining resolution of 4 tasks. CONCLUSION: Hierarchical clustering methods are relevant to developing classifiers of motor activities from data recorded using wearable systems. They allow users to assess feasibility of a classification problem and choose architectures that maximize accuracy. By relying on this approach, the clinical importance of discriminating motor tasks can be easily taken into consideration while designing the classifier

Reassessing Conventional Paradigms for Document Description [Version presented at the International Conference]

We are currently in a transitional state, adapting cataloguing conventions and rules to accommodate the description of newly emerging forms of digital resources. We are dealing with a moving target. Digital technologies are relatively new and continue to evolve at a rapid pace. The application of digital technologies to the production and transmission of information resources is even newer than many of the technologies themselves. There is still a great deal of experimentation and innovation in the application of the new technologies, and that is not likely to diminish any time soon. It is difficult to predict what transformations we may see in either the near term or the longer term. It is becoming increasingly apparent, nonetheless, that document production and document transmission have already undergone changes of a quite fundamental nature as the result of digital technologies. In light of those changes, a reassessment of our approach to document description is inevitable. A question remains, however, as to how far-reaching a reassessment is needed. Contents: The digital document; The digital network; Implications for document description; Identification and description; Defining document boundaries; Reflecting relationships; Resource discovery and resource management; Persistence; The global context; Interfacing with other sources of descriptive data

The Library Catalogue in a Networked Environment

This paper provides an overview of how technology has changed the relationships between the library catalogue, the catalogue user, alternative sources of bibliographic data, and the resources described in the catalogue. It looks--from a technical perspective--at what those changes mean for the way we support various interfaces to the catalogue, and it highlights changes in approach that will be needed in order to maintain and enhance the effectiveness of those interfaces in an evolving networked environment

The Making of RDA

The author revisits the development of RDA from its inception in 2005 through to its initial release in 2010. The development effort is set in the context of an evolving digital environment that was transforming both the production and dissemination of information resources and the technologies used to create, store, and access data describing those resources. The author examines the interplay between strategic commitments to align RDA with new conceptual models, emerging database structures, and metadata developments in allied communities, on the one hand, and compatibility with AACR2 legacy databases on the other. Aspects of the development effort examined include the structuring of RDA as a resource description language, organizing the new standard as a working tool, and refining guidelines and instructions for recording RDA data. L'autore ripercorre lo sviluppo di RDA dal principio, nel 2005, fino alla sua prima pubblicazione, nel 2010. L'impegno di sviluppo è inserito nel contesto di un ambiente digitale in evoluzione che trasforma sia la produzione sia la diffusione delle risorse informative e delle risorse utilizzate per creare, immagazzinare e accedere ai dati che descrivono tali risorse. L'autore esamina l'interazione tra l'impegno strategico ad allineare RDA con i nuovi modelli concettuali, le strutture di database emergenti e lo sviluppo dei metadati nelle comunità alleate, da una parte, e la compatibilità con l'eredità di AACR2 e dei database esistenti dall'altra. Gli aspetti esaminati comprendono la strutturazione di RDA come linguaggio di descrizione delle risorse, l'organizzazione del nuovo standard come uno strumento di lavoro e il raffinamento delle linee guida e delle istruzioni per la registrazione dei dati secondo RDA

The National Library's Role in Facilitating Scholarly Communications

Abstract: This paper reviews the role the National Library of Canada plays in supporting effective and efficient access both to current research findings and the scholarly archive of Canadian publications. The impact of electronic dissemination of scholarly information is examined in the context of collections development, services to scholars and researchers, and co-operative initiatives. The paper focuses on emerging issues surrounding electronic publications relating to legal deposit, preservation, standards for encoding, proprietary rights to information, and research services. It also explores the potential for enhancements to the National Library's Canadian Theses Program in the context of an electronic environment. Résumé: Cet article examine le rôle que joue la Bibliothèque nationale du Canada à assurer un accès rapide et efficace aux résultats de recherche courants et aux archives de publications savantes canadiennes. Il examine en outre l'impact de la dissémination électronique de l'information savante sur le développement des collections, les services offerts aux savants et aux chercheurs, et les initiatives coopératives. L'article met l'accent sur les questions émergentes portant sur les publications électroniques, y compris le dépôt légal, la conservation, les normes de codage, les droits de propriété à l'information, et les services de recherche. L'article explore aussi les améliorations possible au Programme des thèses canadiennes de la Bibliothèque nationale dans un environnement électronique

Evaluation of Performance of Modern Roundabouts Using Paramics Microsimulation Model

Use of modern roundabouts as a viable traffic control measure instead of traffic signals or priority intersections is increasing in many jurisdictions in North America. Their strength lies in their ability to reduce the number of vehicular conflicts at intersections and thereby enhance intersection capacity and safety. There are additional intangible benefits of roundabouts such as their traffic calming effect, gateway feature and aesthetics. Although on the rise, adoption of modern roundabouts as a common intersection form is hindered by the general lack of suitable analysis tools that can be used to evaluate their operational performance and thereby facilitate an objective comparison between them and other intersection control strategies. This study investigated the viability of using Paramics micro-simulation model in evaluation of operational performance of roundabouts. The Paramics model is an advanced micro-simulation tool with capabilities of modelling both roundabout and traffic signals to acceptable level of detail. Motion of an individual vehicle is simulated in small time steps and each vehicle is followed from the time it is generated into the network to the point of its exit. Vehicular behaviour at roundabouts is modelled on the basis of a gap acceptance approach. Drawing from recent experiences, the paper reviews the practical steps and efforts required to model a modern roundabout and compare it with a traffic signal alternative in a typical Canadian urban environment using the Paramics model. It describes the model’s ability to capture the effects of various geometric and traffic features like approach angle, inscribed circle, number of circulatory lanes, position of the stop line and proportion of turning flows, and evaluates their impacts on the resulting capacities. However, because Paramics is a lane based model, it was unable to analyze the effects of entry width. Evaluation of the results indicates that the model is able to capture most of the important features of a roundabout and provides a good basis for comparing their operational performance to that of other intersection forms