Improving Communication in E-democracy Using Natural Language Processing

E-democracy, the design and development of new techniques for improving communication between public administration and citizens, is a major application field for natural language processing and language engineering. Helping citizens access information in a friendly, intuitive way is the primary objective of a global e-democracy framework. The E-democracy European Network project (EDEN) aimed at discovering whether a particular NLP (natural language processing) approach could further e-democracy by increasing citizens' participation in the decision-making process. The goal was twofold: to test whether e-democracy requirements could be meet using advanced linguistic technology and to test whether augmented phrase structure grammars (APSGs) were robust and well-assessed enough to use in a real-world environment. Also, the aim is to develop two toolsets to improve communication between PAs and citizens in the context of urban planning: a set of NLP-based tools to simplify access to information and knowledge and a set of forum and polling devices     

In vitro short-term response of human erythrocytes to implant materials used in maxillo-facial rigid internal fixation

A number of retinal proteins are phosphorylated by a variety of kinases, resulting in well-known regulatory effects. The identity and role of corresponding phosphatases is less clear. We simultaneously measured the activity of serine/ threonine protein phosphatases type 1, 2A and 2C in bovine retinae. The enzymes were classified according to substrate specificity, divalent cation requirement and the effect of phosphatase subtype-specific inhibitors. The total- and specific activity of phosphatase type 2A was prevalent. Type 2C was 10-fold less abundant. 80% of type 1 and 50% of type 2A and type 2C, respectively, were soluble. An economic purification scheme was developed. We demonstrated the presence of phosphatase isozymes 2Calpha and 2Cbeta in bovine rod outer segments by enzymatic analysis as well as immunological techniques. The results suggest a yet unknown role of phosphatase type 2C in phototransduction. On the other hand, the immense amount of protein phosphatases found to be soluble - therefore not associated with rod outer segment membranes - points towards participation of these enzymes in the process of visual transduction not considered thus far.     

Fault tolerance in FFT arrays: Time redundancy approaches

Fault tolerance in VLSI/WSI FFT arrays acquires relevance when defects and run-time faults become significant, due to large dimensions of processors and arrays. Then, both restructuring to overcome end-of-production defects and reconfiguration to overcome run-time faults are required, to achieve the dual purposes of higher yield and higher reliability.Adopting as basic FFT network the two-dimensions array that directly corresponds to the FFT flow graph, the usual structure redundancy techniques tailored for two-dimensions arrays reconfiguration are not well applicable, since the limited locality of this network leads to relevant area increase due to the augmented interconnection structure.In this paper,time redundancy is suggested as a viable alternative for the two-dimensions FFT array; two different solutions are presented, one based oninter-stage reconfiguration, the other one adoptingintra-state reconfiguration, both allowing for survival to multiple faults with limited increase of network complexity and very small hard-core sections. As usual in many time redundancy methods, both approaches result in a processing speed equal to half the processing speed granted by an ideal, fault-free device.Reliability and survival ratios to multiple faults are evaluated for the two cases, taking into account also the area increments necessary for fault tolerance. The reliability evaluations allow for a direct comparison of the two solutions.     

Bioprocess applications of model-based estimation techniques

The last decade has seen the development of a number of approaches for estimating those variables which are difficult to measure on-line in industrial process situations. Whilst a range of techniques is available, a common element is the use of process knowledge in the form of a system model. In the case of bioprocess systems, although a large range of models has been presented in the literature, their use in estimation schemes on an industrial scale has been limited. A number of reasons can be identified for their low level of utilisation. Of particular significance is the uncertainty which exists in quantifying system performance and the process-model mismatch which inevitably results. The level of ‘pre-defined model’ uncertainty, together with the knowledge gained during the course of the fermentation, serves to dictate estimator structure. The paper considers a range of estimation strategies and contrasts, through industrial applications, their performance characteristics and utility.     

An infrastructure for smart hospitals

In healthcare facilities most of the daily activities require strict coordination between clinicians, who often operate under heavy workloads and minimal workforce conditions in environments filled with increasingly complex technology. Ubiquitous Computing applications constitute a suitable solution for both reducing medical costs and improving patient safety by better supporting clinical processes. In this study we introduce an intelligent infrastructure for smart hospitals which implements basic services to optimize medical staff/patient interactions and grants ubiquitous and transparent access to clinical data stored in standard clinical databases. This infrastructure relies on the integration of Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) and photosensor technologies to identify, locate and track clinicians and patients equipped with mobile devices and wearable RFID tags.     

Hybrid materials based on metal oxides and poly(organophosphazenes)

In this paper the sol-gel preparation of hybrid materials made of metal oxide and polytorganophosphazenel components is described. The main problem focused on during this research was to avoid phase separation in order to get homogeneous materials. This problem was pursued looking at the formation of genuine chemical bonds between the exploited polyphosphazenes and the inorganic composite networks. Investigations on the thermal, mechanical, and electroconductive properties of the synthesized, phosphazene-containing composite materials showed that these matrices presented improved mechanical and thermal features with respect to those of the original phosphazene macromolecule, while the ionic conductivities of the prepared molecular hybrids doped with lithium or silver trillate are of the same order of magnitude as those measured for the neat, original phosphazene substrate.Presented at the Ist Italian Workshop on Cyclo- and Polytphosphazenel Materials. February 15–16, 1996. at the CNR Research Area in Padova, Italy.     

Silane functionalization of perfluoroether oligomers for reaction management and morphology control of two‐phase epoxy networks

Mixtures of an epoxy resin, hardener, and acid functionalized perfluoroether oligomers will readily undergo phase separation during curing. However, the conditions to bring about the growth of nuclei into microscopic particles have hitherto been found only for systems cured with anhydrides. In the present study perfluoroether oligomers were functionalized by established procedures to introduce both carboxylic acid groups and alkoxysilane groups in sites within the chain extended segments. The presence of alkoxysilane groups together with the prereaction step with an excess epoxy resin, prior to the addition of the aromatic amine hardener, induced phase separation by a nucleation‐and‐growth mechanism. The dual functionality in the perfluoroether oligomer was even more beneficial when the alkoxysilane groups were hydrolyzed prior to the addition of the amine hardener. Under such circumstances the precipitation of the perfluoroether oligomer occurred quantitatively, as indicated by the complete absence of any plasticization effects in the epoxy matrix. From electron microscopy examinations, thermal analysis, and measurements of mechanical properties it was possible to deduce a plausible mechanism for the formation of the typical core‐shell aggregates within the precipitated particles for these systems, which could also be applied to other systems, such as those using carboxylic‐acid‐terminated butadiene acrylonitrile oligomers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 1036–1049, 2005