Using a language independent domain model for multilingual information extraction

The volume of electronic text in different languages, particularly on the World Wide Web, is growing significantly, and the problem of users who are restricted in the number of languages they read obtaining information from this text is becoming more widespread. This article investigates some of the issues involved in achieving multilingual information extraction (IE), describes the approach adopted in the M-LaSIE-II IE system, which addresses these problems, and presents the results of evaluating the approach against a small parallel corpus of English/French newswire texts. The approach is based on the assumption that it is possible to construct a language independent representation of concepts relevant to the domain, at least for the small well-defined domains typical of IE tasks, allowing multilingual IE to be successfully carried out without requiring full machine translation.     

A microprocessor-based multilingual terminal for a computerized information handling system

Conclusion The technical feasibility of the proposed microprocessor-based multilingual terminal is apparent. The lower cost of the microprocessor family components makes the system economically viable. The addition and deletion of languages are very flexible. Including any new language requires only the following three steps: (1) assign a unique number to the language, (2) assign to the terminal keys the symbols necessary to generate the characters of the language and (3) develop software routines (preferably microcoded) to generate the characters of the language using the appropriate algorithm indicated and integrate these routines with the rest of the system. Similarly an existing language could be easily removed from the system. Finally, it should be mentioned that as of now a full hardware unit suitable for marketing is not yet ready. The algorithms explained have already been tested and the output shown in this paper generated by software through keyboard simulation using an existing terminal; the ‘CTRL’ control shift is used to accommodate the excess keys required in the multilingual terminal. The hardware development is in progress.     

Management of performance requirements for information systems

The management of performance requirements is a major challenge for information systems as well as other software systems. This is because performance requirements can have a global impact on the target system. In addition, there are interactions and trade-offs among performance requirements, other nonfunctional requirements (NFRs), and the numerous alternatives for the target system. To provide a systematic approach to managing performance requirements, this paper presents a performance requirements framework (PeRF). It integrates and catalogues a variety of kinds of knowledge of information systems and performance. These include: performance concepts, software performance engineering principles for building performance into systems, and information systems development knowledge. In addition, layered structures organize performance knowledge and the development process. All this knowledge is represented using an existing goal-oriented approach, the “NFR framework”, which offers a developer-directed graphical treatment for stating NFRs, analyzing and interrelating them, and determining the impact of decisions upon NFRs. This approach allows customized solutions to be built, taking into account the characteristics of the particular domain. The use of PeRF in managing performance requirements is illustrated in a study of performance requirements and other NFRs for a university student record system. This paper concludes with a summary of other studies of information systems, tool support and directions for future work     

语义为核心的多文种信息处理平台的模型

提出了一个基于语义、面向自然语言处理的多文种信息处理平台的模型SMIPP.该模型主要由应用程序/用户接口层、文字输入层和文字输出层、信息处理服务层、语料库层、多文种代码体系SemaCode层和语言Ontology层组成,该平台把各种语言文字统一用具有自描述能力的SemaCode表示,并通过语言Ontology来表示词汇的语义以及在各个文种间的联系,再通过服务形式提供各种基于语料库的文字信息处理功能,是一个全新的多文种信息处理模型.     

Using Web resources to construct multilingual medical thesaurus for cross-language medical information retrieval

Due to the language barrier, non-English users are unable to retrieve the most updated medical information from the U.S. authoritative medical websites, such as PubMed and MedlinePlus. However, currently, there is no any cross-language medical information retrieval (CLMIR) system that can help Chinese-speaking consumers cross the language barrier in finding useful English medical information. A few CLMIR systems utilize MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) to help overcome the language barrier. Unfortunately, the traditional Chinese version of MeSH is currently unavailable.In this paper, we employ a semi-automatic term translation method to construct a Chinese–English MeSH by exploiting abundant multilingual Web resources, including Web anchor texts and search–result pages. Through this method, we have developed a Chinese–English Mesh Compilation System to assist knowledge engineers in compiling a Chinese–English medical thesaurus with more than 19,000 entries. Furthermore, this thesaurus has been used to develop a prototypical system for cross-language medical information retrieval, MMODE, which can help consumers retrieve top-quality English medical information using Chinese terms.     

Articulation of information requirements for personalised knowledge construction

The quality of information provision influences considerably knowledge construction driven by individual users’ needs. In the design of information systems for e-learning, personal information requirements should be incorporated to determine a selection of suitable learning content, instructive sequencing for learning content, and effective presentation of learning content. This is considered as an important part of instructional design for a personalised information package. The current research reveals that there is a lack of means by which individual users’ information requirements can be effectively incorporated to support personal knowledge construction. This paper presents a method which enables an articulation of users’ requirements based on the rooted learning theories and requirements engineering paradigms. The user’s information requirements can be systematically encapsulated in a user profile (i.e. user requirements space), and further transformed onto instructional design specifications (i.e. information space). These two spaces allow the discovering of information requirements patterns for self-maintaining and self-adapting personalisation that enhance experience in the knowledge construction process.     

A secure web-based approach for accessing transitional health information for people with traumatic brain injury

A web-based transitional health record was created to provide regional healthcare professionals with ubiquitous access to information on people with brain injuries as they move through the healthcare system. Participants included public, private, and community healthcare organizations/providers in Eastern Ontario (Canada). One hundred and nineteen service providers and 39 brain injury survivors registered over 6 months. Fifty-eight percent received English and 42% received bilingual services (English-French). Public health providers contacted the regional service coordinator more than private providers (52% urban centres, 26% rural service providers, and 22% both areas). Thirty-five percent of contacts were for technical difficulties, 32% registration inquiries, 21% forms and processes, 6% resources, and 6% education. Seventeen technical enquiries required action by technical support personnel: 41% digital certificates, 29% web forms, and 12% log-in. This web-based approach to clinical information sharing provided access to relevant data as clients moved through or re-entered the health system. Improvements include automated digital certificate management, institutional health records system integration, and more referral tracking tools. More sensitive test data could be accessed on-line with increasing consumer/clinician confidence. In addition to a strong technical infrastructure, human resource issues are a major information security component and require continuing attention to ensure a viable on-line information environment.     

一种新的基于信息安全的Web访问数据库模型

该文从增强Web访问安全性出发,对C/S,B/S传统的Web访问模式介绍,从而提出了一种新Web的访问模式,来改进传统的访问模式,提高网络访问的安全性,并阐述了新的Web访问模式的设计、流程以及访问过程。     

An ontological modelling of user requirements for personalised information provision

The knowledge economy offers opportunity to a broad and diverse community of information systems users to efficiently gain information and know-how for improving qualifications and enhancing productivity in the work place. Such demand will continue and users will frequently require optimised and personalised information content. The advancement of information technology and the wide dissemination of information endorse individual users when constructing new knowledge from their experience in the real-world context. However, a design of personalised information provision is challenging because users’ requirements and information provision specifications are complex in their representation. The existing methods are not able to effectively support this analysis process. This paper presents a mechanism which can holistically facilitate customisation of information provision based on individual users’ goals, level of knowledge and cognitive styles preferences. An ontology model with embedded norms represents the domain knowledge of information provision in a specific context where users’ needs can be articulated and represented in a user profile. These formal requirements can then be transformed onto information provision specifications which are used to discover suitable information content from repositories and pedagogically organise the selected content to meet the users’ needs. The method is provided with adaptability which enables an appropriate response to changes in users’ requirements during the process of acquiring knowledge and skills.     

The process of deriving requirements for a hospital information system

Abstract

This paper describes the process through which a small regional oncology hospital derived information and implementation requirements for an organization-wide information system. In part, this was in response to the recent changes in the UK National Health Service. The project was conducted in the action research tradition, combining both practical and theoretical goals, and took a stakeholder perspective. A range of methods were used to explore the issues of information and organizational needs, including questionnaires,interviews, discussion groups and ‘tracer’ studies. As a result of the intervention, a framework of information needs and an implementation strategy were drawn up as a plan for the hospital's continuing work in this area.     

The process of deriving requirements for a hospital information system

This paper describes the process through which a small regional oncology hospital derived information and implementation requirements for an organization-wide information system. In part, this was in response to the recent changes in the UK National Health Service. The project was conducted in the action research tradition, combining both practical and theoretical goals, and took a stakeholder perspective. A range of methods were used to explore the issues of information and organizational needs, including questionnaires,interviews, discussion groups and 'tracer' studies. As a result of the intervention, a framework of information needs and an implementation strategy were drawn up as a plan for the hospital's continuing work in this area.     

Challenges for a multilingual wordnet

Wordnets have been created in many languages, revealing both their lexical commonalities and diversity. The next challenge is to make multilingual wordnets fully interoperable. The EuroWordNet experience revealed the shortcomings of an interlingua based on a natural language. Instead, we propose a model based on the division of the lexicon and a language-independent, formal ontology that serves as the hub interlinking the language-specific lexicons. The ontology avoids the idiosyncracies of the lexicon and furthermore allows formal reasoning about the concepts it contains. We address the division of labor between ontology and lexicon. Finally, we illustrate our model in the context of a domain-specific multilingual information system based on a central ontology and interconnected wordnets in seven languages.     

Effectiveness of security analyst information accessing strategies: A computer interactive assessment

The present study illustrates how computers can substantially extend the range and ease of application of the behavioral process information monitoring procedures that are increasingly being used to capture and preserve traces of pre-decision information accessing behavior. Employing such an extension, the study examined whether better and poorer decision marker performance was related to differences in the extent and content of information accessing behavior. The results of a computer simulation involving practicing financial security analysts engaged in a securities analysis task revealed that the better performing analysts generally considered slightly greater amounts of information and different types of information than did the poorer performing analysts. These findings are interpreted in terms of the concept of “control schemas” postulated by Kozminsky, Kintsch, and Bourne (1981). A concluding section describes numerous ways in which computers improve upon both the flexibility and validity of traditional research paradigms.     

Quality assurance systems information requirements planning

The rapid development of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is causing significant difficulties for planning the information requirements for the technical managers of quality assurance systems. This paper examines the general model of information requirements planning for quality assurances with emphasis on the problems of structuring and adapting to a CIM environment.     

Computer-supported information requirement analysis tool based on novel methodology for analysing CIM information requirements

A computer-supported information requirement analysis tool (COMSIRA) has been developed for an existing novel methodology (integration-based requirement analysis methodology (IBRAM)); in order to capture and represent the approach of experienced analysts studying the enterprise-wide CIM information requirements. This paper introduces the methodology and describes the operational aspects of COMSIRA, which is a user friendly CASE tool that can be used by people with little prior computer experience for the establishment of requirements. Systems analysts can use it for analysing and modelling the CIM environment for both the static and dynamic requirements of a CIM implementation within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).     

An approach to information requirements specification for process control tasks

This paper discusses the need for designers of process plant supervisory systems to make greater effort in anticipating the information that operators require to carry out their duties. A method for dealing with this problem of information requirements specification in process plant design is proposed. This method translates a task analysis into a set of standard task elements from which standard sets of information, called ‘sub-goal templates’ can be derived. The resultant information requirements specification sets out the operators' information needs in the context of the operating goals that have to be attained. Early trials with the method indicate its promise, but highlight the need for its implementation in a computer tool to assist the designer. The features of such a tool and the further work necessary to develop and test the method are described.     

The Delphi Method as a tool for information requirements specification

An application of the Delphi Method to the logical design of an Information System supporting the operation, control, evaluation and planning of student -related academic administration activities is presented. The logical design process was as follows: (1) a traditional top-down approach was used to define the system objectives and the information required to support structured (i.e., operational) activities; (2) the Delphi Method was used for generating a group opinion with respect to the proposed system objectives and the information required by unstructured and/or ill-structured decision making. The paper finally discusses how this search for group opinion significantly enhances the effectiveness of the resulting information system.     

Cross-lingual thesaurus for multilingual knowledge management

The Web is a universal repository of human knowledge and culture which has allowed unprecedented sharing of ideas and information in a scale never seen before. It can also be considered as a universal digital library interconnecting digital libraries in multiple domains and languages. Beside the advance of information technology, the global economy has also accelerated the development of inter-organizational information systems. Managing knowledge obtained in multilingual information systems from multiple geographical regions is an essential component in the contemporary inter-organization information systems. An organization cannot claim itself to be a global organization unless it is capable to overcome the cultural and language barriers in their knowledge management. Cross-lingual semantic interoperability is a challenge in multilingual knowledge management systems. Dictionary is a tool that is widely utilized in commercial systems to cross the language barrier. However, terms available in dictionary are always limited. As language is evolving, there are new words being created from time to time. For examples, there are new technical terms and name entities such as RFID and Baidu. To solve the problem of cross-lingual semantic interoperability, an associative constraint network approach is investigated to construct an automatic cross-lingual thesaurus. In this work, we have investigated the backmarking algorithm and the forward evaluation algorithm to resolve the constraint satisfaction problem represented by the associative constraint network. Experiments have been conducted and show that the forward evaluation algorithm outperforms the backmarking one in terms of precision and recall but the backmarking algorithm is more efficient than the forward evaluation algorithm. We have also benchmarked with our earlier technique, Hopfield network, and showed that the associate constraint network (either backmarking or forward evaluation) outperforms in precision, recall, and efficiency.