Science and Technology Studies Commons^™

The Latent Maximum Entropy Principle, Shaojun Wang, Dale Schuurmans, Yunxin Zhao

Kno.e.sis Publications

We present an extension to Jaynes’ maximum entropy principle that incorporates latent variables. The principle of latent maximum entropy we propose is different from both Jaynes’ maximum entropy principle and maximum likelihood estimation, but can yield better estimates in the presence of hidden variables and limited training data. We first show that solving for a latent maximum entropy model poses a hard nonlinear constrained optimization problem in general. However, we then show that feasible solutions to this problem can be obtained efficiently for the special case of log-linear models---which forms the basis for an efficient approximation to the latent maximum …

What Kind Of #Communication Is Twitter? A Psycholinguistic Perspective On Communication In Twitter For The Purpose Of Emergency Coordination, Hemant Purohit, Andrew Hampton, Valerie L. Shalin, Amit P. Sheth, John Flach

Kno.e.sis Publications

The present research aims to detect coordinated citizen response within social media traffic to assist emergency response. We use domain-independent linguistic properties as the first step in narrowing the candidate set of messages for domain-dependent and computationally intensive analysis.

Exploring The Impact Of Knowledge And Social Environment On Influenza Prevention And Transmission In Midwestern United States High School Students, William L. Romine, Tanvi Banerjee, William S. Barrow, William R. Folk

Kno.e.sis Publications

We used data from a convenience sample of 410 Midwestern United States students from six secondary schools to develop parsimonious models for explaining and predicting precautions and illness related to influenza. Scores for knowledge and perceptions were obtained using two-parameter Item Response Theory (IRT) models. Relationships between outcome variables and predictors were verified using Pearson and Spearman correlations, and nested [student within school] fixed effects multinomial logistic regression models were specified from these using Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). Neural network models were then formulated as classifiers using 10-fold cross validation to predict precautions and illness. Perceived barriers against taking precautions …

Integration Of Multiple Stakeholders In Scientific Research: A Sensemaking-Sensegiving Approach, Nicolas Battard, Paul F. Donnelly, Vincent Mangematin

Conference papers

This paper argues that senior scientists in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology build a new vision of their research activity in order to encompass multiple stakeholders such as policy makers, funding agencies and PhD students. Through a qualitative and inductive study and the lens of sensemaking and sensegiving, we show that senior scientists shape new boundaries in order to make the new vision visible to both internal and external stakeholders. Finally, they engage in sensemaking and sensegiving on a daily basis in order to adapt and sustain their activity over time.

Iexplore: A Provenance-Based Application For Exploring Biomedical Knowledge, Vinh Nguyen, Olivier Bodenreider, Thomas Rindflesch, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

W3c Semantic Sensor Networks: Ontologies, Applications, And Future Directions, Cory Andrew Henson

Kno.e.sis Publications

Plenary Talk discussing the W3C Semantic Sensor Network, including the ontology, applications, and future directions.

Now It Is Impossible 'Simply To Continue Along Previous Lines': A Partial Design Sketch Of Enactable Social Theorizing, Peter J. Taylor

Working Papers on Science in a Changing World

A compilation of 39 notes provides the basis for two shifts: from shaping a better social theory to allowing for social theorizing; and from representing social dynamics to enacting the social theorizing so as to repeatedly define and pursue engagements in the heterogeneous dynamics that intersect in all kinds of society-making. A key move is to bring the multiple strandedness of changing social life into the center by combining, on one hand, the analysis of intersecting processes, which link across scales in the production of any outcome and in their own on-going transformation, and, on the other hand, a participatory …

Topical Anomaly Detection From Twitter Streams, Pramod Anantharam, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Prediction Of Topic Volume On Twitter, Yiye Ruan, Hemant Purohit, David Fuhry, Srinivasan Parthasarathy, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

We discuss an approach for predicting microscopic (individual) and macroscopic (collective) user behavioral patterns with respect to specific trending topics on Twitter. Going beyond previous efforts that have analyzed driving factors in whether and when a user will publish topic-relevant tweets, here we seek to predict the strength of content generation which allows more accurate understanding of Twitter users' behavior and more effective utilization of the online social network for diffusing information. Unlike traditional approaches, we consider multiple dimensions into one regression-based prediction framework covering network structure, user interaction, content characteristics and past activity. Experimental results on three large Twitter …

A Web-Based Study Of Self-Treatment Of Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms With Loperamide, Raminta Daniulaityte, Robert G. Carlson, Russel S. Falck, Delroy H. Cameron, Sujan Udayanaga, Lu Chen, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

Aims: Many websites provide a medium for individuals to freely share their experiences and knowledge about different drugs. Such user-generated content can be used as a rich data source to study emerging drug use practices and trends. The study aims to examine web-based reports of loperamide use practices among non-medical opioid users. Loperamide, a piperidine derivative, is an opioid agonist approved for the control of diarrhea symptoms. Because of its general inability to cross the blood-brain barrier, it is considered to have no abuse potential and is available without a prescription. Methods: A website that allows free discussion of illicit …

Creating And Sustaining A Scientific Specialty: A Sensemaking-Sensegiving Approach, Nicolas Battard, Paul Donnelly, Vincent Mangematin

Conference papers

In this paper, we argue the community of nanoscience and nanotechnology is a loosely-coupled community as the sensemaking and sensegiving processes are incomplete. Policy markers poured massive amounts of money into this area to enable scientific researchers build infrastructure and buy equipment in order to conduct research at the nanoscale. However, scientists coming from diverse backgrounds do not make sense of nanotechnology in the same way and tend to publish in their own community or in an already existing one. By giving sense back to different communities, they hinder the creation of a common sense that would have facilitated the …

An Exploratory Study Of Online Information Regarding Colony Collapse Disorder, Meredith K. Boehm

School of Information Student Research Journal

The cause or causes of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) are uncertain. CCD defines specific characteristics of the nationwide deaths of honey bee colonies in the last decade. Adult bees often disappear from the hive and die, leaving the colony weak and vulnerable to disease. Environmental scientists and agriculturalists have developed many different theories about CCD and its origins. The different theories create challenges regarding the effective dissemination of information about CCD to the different realms of public information seekers. There is a need for an exploration of the online communication of CCD information using federal environmental agency web resources. CCD …

Integrating Owl And Rules: A Syntax Proposal For Nominal Schemas, David Carral Martinez, Adila Krisnadhi, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper proposes an addition to OWL 2 syntax to incorporate nominal schemas, which is a new description-logic style extension of OWL 2 which was recently proposed, and which makes is possible to express "variable nominal classes" within axioms in an OWL 2 ontology. Nominal schemas make it possible to express DL-safe rules of arbitrary arity within the extended OWL paradigm, hence covering the well-known DL-safe SWRL language. To express this feature, we extend OWL 2 syntax to include necessary and minimal modifications to both Functional and Manchester syntax grammars and mappings from these two syntaxes to Turtle/RDF. We also …

Semantic Aspects Of Earthcube, Pascal Hitzler, Krzysztof Janowicz, Gary Berg-Cross, Leo Obrst, Amit P. Sheth, Timothy Finin, Isabel F. Cruz

Kno.e.sis Publications

In this document, we give a high-level overview of selected Semantic (Web) technologies, methods, and other important considerations, that are relevant for the success of EarthCube. The goal of this initial document is to provide entry points and references for discussions between the Semantic Technologies experts and the domain experts within EarthCube. The selected topics are intended to ground the EarthCube roadmap in the state of the art in semantics research and ontology engineering.

We anticipate that this document will evolve as EarthCube progresses. Indeed, all EarthCube parties are asked to provide topics of importance that should be treated in …

Trust Networks, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Pramod Anantharam, Cory Andrew Henson, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

Trust relationships occur naturally in many diverse contexts such as collaborative systems, e-commerce, interpersonal interactions, social networks, semantic sensor web, etc. As collaborating agents providing content and services become increasingly removed from the agents that consume them, the issue of robust trust inference and update become critical. There is a need to find online substitutes for traditional (direct or face-to-face) cues to derive measures of trust, and create efficient and secure system for managing trust, to support decision-making. Unfortunately, there is neither a universal notion of trust that is applicable to all domains nor a clear explication of its semantics …

The Economic Benefits Of Mobile Broadband, James Prieger

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Mobile broadband is becoming increasingly important to national economies and the personal lives of users. However, broadband availability and adoption are not diffusing as quickly in rural areas or among certain minority groups. This article updates the rural and minority digital divide. Empirical estimations of mobile broadband provision and fixed broadband usage in the US show that rural areas have fewer providers and minorities have lower usage rates. The potential for mobile broadband to benefit rural areas through economic development and urban areas through enhancing the digital inclusion of minority communities is also examined.

Extending Description Logic Rules, David Carral Martinez, Pascal Hitzler

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Description Logics – the logics underpinning the Web Ontology Language OWL – and rules are currently the most prominent paradigms used for modeling knowledge for the Semantic Web. While both of these approaches are based on classical logic, the paradigms also differ significantly, so that naive combinations result in undesirable properties such as undecidability. Recent work has shown that many rules can in fact be expressed in OWL. In this paper we extend this work to include some types of rules previously excluded. We formally define a set of first order logic rules, C-Rules, which can be expressed within OWL …

Designing An "Information-Experience" Using Creativity Science Theory And Tools, Stephanie Belhomme

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

An “information-experience” encapsulated by a technological/digital audio-visual tool presents data and potentially meaningful information to prompt actionable knowledge concerning: “unspoken creative process elements;” their profound impacts on both how well our “physiology of creativity” functions; but also on how well foundational creative thinking and behavioral prerequisites (energy, motivation, imagination, and ownership) are leveraged.

The product: 1) introduces the user to one component of the CPS (Creative Problem Solving) Facilitation Process - Exploring the Challenge; 2) features a content specific component which prompts exploration of the many correlations between societal, organizational / community, human physiological / behavioral data, and the direct …

Student Loyalty Assessment With Online Master's Programs, Ali Dehghan

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Relationship marketing is attracting, maintaining, and, in multi-service organizations, enhancing customer relationships. Educational programs and services, like those of businesses, depend highly on the repeated purchases of their loyal customers. The purpose of this descriptive research is to investigate the relationships between factors that may lead to student loyalty in online graduate educational programs. Specifically, the study seeks to examine the relationships between service quality, technology, trust, commitment and satisfaction, reputation and ultimately loyalty. A new model is presented, which includes the results of testing these variables.

The results of this study concluded that satisfaction with the program has the …

Perceptions Measurement Of Professional Certifications To Augment Buffalo State College Baccalaureate Technology Programs, As A Representative American Postsecondary Educational Institution, Christopher N. Brown

Industrial Technology Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess, measure, and analyze whether voluntary, nationally-recognized professional certification credentials were important to augment technology programs at Buffalo State College (BSC), as a representative postsecondary baccalaureate degree-granting institution offering technology curricula. Six BSC undergraduate technology programs were evaluated within the scope of this study: 1.) Computer Information Systems; 2.) Electrical Engineering, Electronics; 3.) Electrical Engineering, Smart Grid; 4.) Industrial Technology; 5.) Mechanical Engineering; and 6.) Technology Education. This study considered the following three aspects of the problem: a.) postsecondary technology program enrollment and graduation trends; b.) the value/awareness of professional certifications to employers …