Dynamic Context Modeling for Agile Case Management

International audienceCase Management processes are characterized by their high unpredictability and, thus, cannot be handled following traditional process- or activity-centered approaches. Adaptive Case Management paradigm proposes an alternative data-centered approach for management such processes. In this paper, we elaborate on this approach and explore the role of context data in Case Management. We use the state-oriented representation of the process that allows us to incorporate the contextual information in a systematic and transparent way, leading towards agile case management

Fabrication of endothelial cell-laden carrageenan microfibers for microvascularized bone tissue engineering applications

ecent achievements in the area of tissue engineering (TE) have enabled the development of three-dimensional (3D) cell-laden hydrogels as in vitro platforms that closely mimic the 3D scenario found in native tissues. These platforms are extensively used to evaluate cellular behavior, cell-cell interactions, and tissue-like formation in highly defined settings. In this study, we propose a scalable and flexible 3D system based on microsized hydrogel fibers that might be used as building blocks for the establishment of 3D hydrogel constructs for vascularized bone TE applications. For this purpose, chitosan (CHT) coated κ-carrageenan (κ-CA) microfibers were developed using a two-step procedure involving ionotropic gelation (for the fiber formation) of κ-CA and its polyelectrolyte complexation with CHT (for the enhancement of fiber stability). The performance of the obtained fibers was assessed regarding their swelling and stability profiles, as well as their ability to carry and, subsequently, promote the outward release of microvascular-like endothelial cells (ECs), without compromising their viability and phenotype. Finally, the possibility of assembling and integrating these cell-laden fibers within a 3D hydrogel matrix containing osteoblast-like cells was evaluated. Overall, the obtained results demonstrate the suitability of the microsized κ-CA fibers to carry and deliver phenotypically apt microvascular-like ECs. Furthermore, it is shown that it is possible to assemble these cell-laden microsized fibers into 3D heterotypic hydrogels constructs. This in vitro 3D platform provides a versatile approach to investigate the interactions between multiple cell types in controlled settings, which may open up novel 3D in vitro culture techniques to better mimic the complexity of tissues.Authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the personal grants SFRH/BD/42968/2008 through the MIT-Portugal Program (SMM) and SFRH/BD/64070/2009 (EGP). The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS and MIT/ECE/0047/2009 project

The skull of Epidolops ameghinoi from the early Eocene Itaboraí fauna, southeastern Brazil, and the affinities of the extinct marsupialiform order Polydolopimorphia

The skull of the polydolopimorphian marsupialiform Epidolops ameghinoi is described in detail for the first time, based on a single well-preserved cranium and associated left and right dentaries plus additional craniodental fragments, all from the early Eocene (53-50 million year old) Itaboraí fauna in southeastern Brazil. Notable craniodental features of E. ameghinoi include absence of a masseteric process, very small maxillopalatine fenestrae, a prominent pterygoid fossa enclosed laterally by a prominent ectopterygoid crest, an absent or tiny transverse canal foramen, a simple, planar glenoid fossa, and a postglenoid foramen that is immediately posterior to the postglenoid process. Most strikingly, the floor of the hypotympanic sinus was apparently unossified, a feature found in several stem marsupials but absent in all known crown marsupials. "Type II" marsupialiform petrosals previously described from Itaboraí plausibly belong to E. ameghinoi; in published phylogenetic analyses, these petrosals fell outside (crown-clade) Marsupialia. "IMG VII" tarsals previously referred to E. ameghinoi do not share obvious synapomorphies with any crown marsupial clade, nor do they resemble those of the only other putative polydolopimorphians represented by tarsal remains, namely the argyrolagids. Most studies have placed Polydolopimorphia within Marsupialia, related to either Paucituberculata, or to Microbiotheria and Diprotodontia. However, diprotodonty almost certainly evolved independently in polydolopimorphians, paucituberculatans and diprotodontians, and Epidolops does not share obvious synapomorphies with any marsupial order. Epidolops is dentally specialized, but several morphological features appear to be more plesiomorphic than any crown marsupial. It seems likely Epidolops that falls outside Marsupialia, as do morphologically similar forms such as Bonapartherium and polydolopids. Argyrolagids differ markedly in their known morphology from Epidolops but share some potential apomorphies with paucituberculatans. It is proposed that Polydolopimorphia as currently recognised is polyphyletic, and that argyrolagids (and possibly other taxa currently included in Argyrolagoidea, such as groeberiids and patagoniids) are members of Paucituberculata. This hypothesis is supported by Bayesian non-clock phylogenetic analyses of a total evidence matrix comprising DNA sequence data from five nuclear protein-coding genes, indels, retroposon insertions and morphological characters: Epidolops falls outside Marsupialia, whereas argyrolagids form a clade with the paucituberculatans Caenolestes and Palaeothentes, regardless of whether the Type II petrosals and IMG VII tarsals are used to score characters for Epidolops or not. There is no clear evidence for the presence of crown marsupials at Itaboraí, and it is possible that the origin and early evolution of Marsupialia was restricted to the "Austral Kingdom" (southern South America, Antarctica, and Australia)

VIVACE Context based search platform

One of the key challenges of knowledge management is to provide the right knowledge to the right person at the right time. To face this challenge, a context based search platform was developed in the frame of the European Integrated Project VIVACE. This platform is based on the identification of a user context and the subsequent pushing of applicable knowledge to that particular user. We introduce a context model to represent the user’s context. This context model is used to describe the context of an engineer working in a specific company. Further, we developed means to index available knowledge based on company engineering context and means to search for knowledge applicable to the user’s context. Since it is not always possible to describe in which context the knowledge assets should be applied, we added learning capabilities which enable the system to learn the applicability of specific knowledge to a user’s context based on user feedback.Validerad; 2007; 20070320 (daisan)</p

Ontology-Based Resource Discovery in Pervasive Collaborative Environments

International audienceMost of the working environments offer multiple hardware and software that could be shared among the members of staff. However, it could be particularly difficult to take advantages of all these resources without a proper software support capable of discovering the ones that fulfill both a user's requirements and each resource owner's sharing preferences. To try to overcome this problem, several service discovery protocols have been developed, aiming to promote the use of network resources and to reduce configuration tasks. Unfortunately, these protocols are mainly focused on finding resources based just on their type or some minimal features, lacking information about: user preferences, restrictions and contextual variables. To outstrip this deficiency, we propose to exploit the power of semantic description, by creating a knowledge base integrated by a set of ontologies generically designed to be adopted by any type of organization. To validate this proposal, we have customized the ontologies for our case of study, which is a research center

Is Group-Awareness Context-Awareness?

International audienceGroup awareness correspond to an important concept on Groupware applications, allowing individual users to be kept aware of group’s activities and status. Similarly, on Pervasive Computing, context is defined as any relevant information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity [7]. In this position paper, we advocate that group awareness information should be considered as context information and handled as such. Group awareness information is often employed for decision making, contributing to users’ activities and decisions. It represents also an important clue about user’s context, characterizing individual’s actions regarding the group. As such, group awareness may be used for adaptation purposes, adapting the system behavior, the supplied content or its services. To illustrate this point, we discuss the use of a context distribution system as a group awareness distribution mechanism