Computer Science

A healthy lifestyle contributes to a better health and helps to diminish the risks for chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Moreover, people who have already developed such a chronic illness often improve or minimize their symptoms if they are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Although coaching apps that support people to make plans or remind them of their healthy goals are available in abundance, few of them are based on known theories of behavior change. In this work we introduce a computational model that describes formal relations between determinants of behavior change, based on psychological theories. The model is the core of an intelligent support system that tries to determine the reason why the user is unable to act in accordance with his or her health goals. Using a mobile phone app and an online lifestyle diary, the system coaches the user with tailored information and persuasive motivational messages.

Resources for LIS Job Seekers, find more entry-level/new grads (aspiring music-brarians) @hiringlib

[This post is a followup to my previous post, Generative vs. discriminative; Bayesian vs. frequentist.] I had a brief chat with Andrew Gelman about the topic of generative vs. discriminative models. It came up when I was asking him why he didn’t like the frequentist semicolon notation for variables that are not random. He said […]

When you prototype, you can learn a ton of things about what you’re building and how you should build it. Prototyping is an exploratory process, revealing details and ideas that only emerge once you have something in front of you. There’s one thing you can learn while prototyping that nobody ever talks about: Who should be involved in this project? Design is a team sport. Building and supporting a product or service will need the assistance of others. The traditional approach to involving these other folks is to hand them a requirements document and say, “Here. Build this.” The hardcore traditionalists spend weeks or even months describing every mind-numbing detail in the document, pretending the people they hand it to won’t have anything useful to contribute. Then the tradidtionalists wonder why these folks are pissed for treating them like they are idiot savants. Using a prototyping alternative, we can show what we’re doing to those folks who will be helping us get it out the door and supporting it once it’s out in the world. We can ask them questions like, “Is this the best way to get these results?” More importantly, we can ask these folks, “Who else should we be talking to? What might those folks tell us about what we’re trying to do?” Suddenly, we’re building a team of collaborators instead of trying to mimic a poorly-constructed factory assembly line. If you’re prototyping, are you asking, “who else should be looking at this? Who else should be playing with us as we try out these ideas?”

Synthesis of operational behaviour models from scenario-based specifications has been extensively studied. Focus has been mainly on either existential or universal interpretations. One noteworthy exception is Live Sequence Charts which provides expressive constructs for conditional universal scenarios and some limited support for non-conditional existential scenarios. In this paper we propose a scenario-based language that supports both existential and universal interpretations for conditional scenarios. Existing model synthesis techniques use traditional two-valued behaviour models, such as Labelled Transition Systems. These are not sufficiently expressive to accommodate specification languages with both existential and universal scenarios. We therefore shift the target of synthesis to Modal Transition Systems, an extension of Labelled Transition Systems that can distinguish between required, unknown and proscribed behaviour to capture the semantics of existential and universal scenarios. Modal Transition Systems support elaboration of behaviour models through refinement, which complements an incremental elicitation process suitable for specifying behaviour with scenario-based notations. The synthesis algorithm that we define constructs a Modal Transition System that uses refinement to characterise all the Labelled Transition Systems models that satisfy a mixed, conditional existential and universal scenario-based specification. We show how this combination of scenario language, synthesis and Modal Transition Systems supports behaviour model elaboration.

Computational Intelligence for Natural Language Processing

For those working in a small library, particularly one that may have little technical support, a foundational knowledge of technology is crucial. Written for librarians, library staff and administrators at libraries serving populations of 15,000 or less, “Technology for Small and One-Person Libraries: A LITA Guide,” published by ALA TechSource, shows how to successfully develop, implement, sustain and grow technology initiatives. Editors Rene J. Erlandson, Rachel A. Erb and their contributors draw from personal experience in rural libraries and regional state university libraries to offer guidance for making sound technology decisions. Whether looking for a quick answer or starting an in-depth technology project, readers will quickly find basic information on the full range of library technology, organized into chapters with numerous headings for easy scanning. Topics include: An overview of library technology basics; Electronic resource fundamentals, including a look at licensing issues; Webpage development, Open-source (OS) applications and a six-step plan for social media and social networking; How to create and sustain an effective technology strategy. Erlandson is the director of virtual services at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) libraries, with oversight of computer systems, digital asset management, digital collection development, electronic resource management, emerging technologies, library systems, network infrastructure and Web development. Prior to joining the University of Nebraska faculty, she worked at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Iowa State University over the course of two decades. As the senior cataloger and project coordinator for the Library of Congress-administered Illinois Newspaper Project at UIUC, she visited many small libraries throughout the state of Illinois and was often consulted on technology questions by librarians working in those libraries. Erb has been working in technical services for over a decade with substantial experience in cataloging materials of various formats and in managing integrated library systems. She recently transitioned to focusing on electronic resources and is now the electronic resources management librarian at Colorado State University (CSU). Most of her professional experience consists of working in either rural settings with limited resources or regional state universities. She has also written several case studies of technical services operations in these environments. ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

New vacancy listings are posted weekly on Wednesday at approximately 12 noon Central Time. They appear under New This Week and under the appropriate regional listing. Postings remain on the LITA Job Site for a minimum of four weeks. New This Week Digital Archivist, Princeton University Library, Princeton, NJ Emerging Technology and Systems Librarian , University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Green Bay, WI Executive Director, Digital Scholarship Services, Rice University, Houston, TX Library Associate – AnswerLine, County Library System, Issaquah, WA Reference and Instruction Librarian, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University Libraries, Philadelphia, PA

The SemanticWeb.com Spotlight on Library Innovation Update Thank you for all the nominations we received for the first Semantic Web.com Spotlight on Innovation in Libraries. We are pleased to announce that Kevin Ford, from the Network Development and MARC Standards Office at the Library of Congress, was selected for the Semantic Web.com Spotlight on Innovation for his work with the Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME) and his continuing work on the Library of Congress’s Linked Data Service (loc.id). In addition to being an active contributor, Kevin is responsible for the BIBFRAME website; has devised tools to view MARC records and the resulting BIBFRAME resources side-by-side; authored the first transformation code for MARC data to BIBFRAME resources; and is project manager for The Library of Congress’ Linked Data Service. Kevin also writes and presents frequently to promote BIBFRAME, ID.LOC.GOV, and educate fellow librarians on the possibilities of linked data. Without exception, each nominee represented great work and demonstrated the power of Linked Data in library systems, making it a difficult task for the committee, and sparking some interesting discussions about future such spotlight programs. Congratulations, Kevin, and thanks to all the other great library linked data projects nominated! TheSemanticWeb.com Spotlight on Library Innovation team We’d also like to remind the library community that the Semantic Technology and Business Conference is well worth experiencing. SemTechBiz brings together industry thought leaders and practitioners to explore the challenges and opportunities jointly impacting both business leaders and technologists. Conference sessions include technical talks and case studies that highlight semantic technology applications in action. The program includes tutorials and over 130 sessions and demonstrations as well as a hackathon, start-up competition, exhibit floor, and networking opportunities. As supporters of the SemanticWeb.com Library Spotlight, LITA and OCLC members will get a 50% discount on a gold conference pass – use discount code LITA or OCLC when registering - LITA members – http://semtechbizsf2013.semanticweb.com/?c=stsflita – discount code “lita” minus quotes OCLC members – http://semtechbizsf2013.semanticweb.com/?c=stsfoclc – discount code “oclc” minus quotes

The ThoughtWorks Technology Advisory Board (TAB) has released the latest edition of our technology radar. This is where we highlight some of the technologies that are currently attracting our attention and that we feel are worth you taking a look at. In this edition our themes include my long term interest in breaking down boundaries between people and groups, lightweight option for analytics, infrastructure as code, and applying the practices that have worked well for us in development to places that are missing them.