LungMAP Portal Ecosystem: Systems-Level Exploration of the Lung

ABSTRACTAn improved understanding of the human lung necessitates advanced systems models informed by an ever-increasing repertoire of molecular omics, cellular, imaging and pathological datasets. To centralize and standardize information across broad lung research efforts we expanded the LungMAP.net website into a gateway portal. This portal connects a broad-spectrum of research networks, bulk and single-cell multi-omics data and a diverse collection of image data that span mammalian lung development and disease. The data are standardized across species and technologies using harmonized data and metadata models that leverage recent advances including those from the Human Cell Atlas, diverse ontologies, and the LungMAP CellCards initiative. To cultivate future discoveries, we have aggregated a diverse collection of single-cell atlases for multiple species (human, rhesus, mouse), to enable consistent queries across technologies, cohorts, age, disease and drug treatment. These atlases are provided as independent and integrated queriable datasets, with an emphasis on dynamic visualization, figure generation and reference-based classification of user-provided datasets (Azimuth). As this resource grows, we intend to increase the breadth of available interactive interfaces, data portals and datasets from LungMAP and external research efforts.

The Wikipedia Diversity Observatory: helping communities to bridge content gaps through interactive interfaces

In this paper, we present the Wikipedia Diversity Observatory, a project aimed to increase diversity within Wikipedia content. The project provides dashboards with visualizations and tools which show content gaps in terms of imbalances in the coverage of topics, and of concepts that are not shared across Wikipedia language editions. The dashboards are built on datasets generated for each of the more than 300 existing language editions, with features that label each article according to geography, gender and other categories relevant to overall content diversity. Through various examples, we show how the tools encourage and help editors to bridge the gaps in Wikipedia content. Finally, we discuss the project’s impact on the communities and implications for the Wikimedia movement in a moment in which covering diversity is considered strategic.

Handwriting Quality Analysis using Online-Offline Models

This work is part of an innovative e-learning project allowing the development of an advanced digital educational tool that provides feedback during the process of learning handwriting for young school children (three to eight years old). In this paper, we describe a new method for children handwriting quality analysis. It automatically detects mistakes, gives real-time on-line feedback for children’s writing, and helps teachers comprehend and evaluate children’s writing skills. The proposed method adjudges five main criteria: shape, direction, stroke order, position respect to the reference lines, and kinematics of the trace. It analyzes the handwriting quality and automatically gives feedback based on the combination of three extracted models: Beta-Elliptic Model (BEM) using similarity detection (SD) and dissimilarity distance (DD) measure, Fourier<br>Descriptor Model (FDM), and perceptive Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Support Vector Machine (SVM) comparison engine. The originality of our work lies partly in the system architecture which apprehends complementary dynamic, geometric, and visual representation of the examined handwritten scripts and in the efficient selected features<br>adapted to various handwriting styles and multiple script languages such as Arabic, Latin, digits, and symbol drawing. The application offers two interactive interfaces respectively dedicated to learners, educators, experts or teachers and allows them to adapt it easily to the specificity of their disciples. The evaluation of our framework is enhanced by a database collected in Tunisia primary school with 400 children. Experimental results show the efficiency and robustness of our suggested framework that helps teachers and children by offering positive feedback throughout the handwriting learning process using tactile digital devices.<br>

Workbook for e-Education: Children’s Online Handwriting Quality Analysis.

<div>This paper describes an innovative e-learning project which is the development of a digital workbook that helps teaching handwriting at school. In this work, we propose a new qualitative and quantitative analysis process of cursive handwriting. This process detects automatically mistakes, gives a real-time feedback and helps teachers evaluate children’s writing skills. The main aim of this digital workbook is to help children learn how to write correctly. The proposed process is composed of five main criteria: shape,direction, stroke order, position respect to the reference lines and kinematics of the trace. It analyzes the handwriting quality and gives automatically feedback based on the Beta-Elliptic Model using similarity detection (SD) and dissimilarity distance (DD) measure. Our work apprehends dynamic and visual representation of the acquired traces and selects efficient features adapted to various handwriting styles and multiple script languages such as Arabic, Latin, digits, and symbols drawing. It demonstrates that beta-elliptic is not only a model for segmentation and recognition but also a tool to evaluate handwriting. Our application offers two interactive interfaces respectively dedicated to learners, and experts or teachers who can adapt it easily to the specificity of each child. The validation of the proposed system is done on a database collected in Tunisia primary schools with 400 children. Experimental results show that the efficiency and robustness of our suggested framework that do help teachers and children by offering positive feedback throughout the handwriting learning process using tactile digital devices.</div>

Workbook for e-Education: Children’s Online Handwriting Quality Analysis.

<div>This paper describes an innovative e-learning project which is the development of a digital workbook that helps teaching handwriting at school. In this work, we propose a new qualitative and quantitative analysis process of cursive handwriting. This process detects automatically mistakes, gives a real-time feedback and helps teachers evaluate children’s writing skills. The main aim of this digital workbook is to help children learn how to write correctly. The proposed process is composed of five main criteria: shape,direction, stroke order, position respect to the reference lines and kinematics of the trace. It analyzes the handwriting quality and gives automatically feedback based on the Beta-Elliptic Model using similarity detection (SD) and dissimilarity distance (DD) measure. Our work apprehends dynamic and visual representation of the acquired traces and selects efficient features adapted to various handwriting styles and multiple script languages such as Arabic, Latin, digits, and symbols drawing. It demonstrates that beta-elliptic is not only a model for segmentation and recognition but also a tool to evaluate handwriting. Our application offers two interactive interfaces respectively dedicated to learners, and experts or teachers who can adapt it easily to the specificity of each child. The validation of the proposed system is done on a database collected in Tunisia primary schools with 400 children. Experimental results show that the efficiency and robustness of our suggested framework that do help teachers and children by offering positive feedback throughout the handwriting learning process using tactile digital devices.</div>

Continuous Histograms for Anisotropy of 2D Symmetric Piece-Wise Linear Tensor Fields

In this chapter we present an accurate derivation of the distribution of scalar invariants with quadratic behavior represented as continuous histograms. The anisotropy field, computed from a two-dimensional piece-wise linear tensor field, is used as an example and is discussed in all details. Histograms visualizing an approximation of the distribution of scalar values play an important role in visualization. They are used as an interface for the design of transfer-functions for volume rendering or feature selection in interactive interfaces. While there are standard algorithms to compute continuous histograms for piece-wise linear scalar fields, they are not directly applicable to tensor invariants with non-linear, often even non-convex behavior in cells when applying linear tensor interpolation. Our derivation is based on a sub-division of the mesh in triangles that exhibit a monotonic behavior. We compare the results to a naïve approach based on linear interpolation on the original mesh or the subdivision.

A methodological approach for a home occupants centred web tool to support buildings energy retrofitting process

This paper presents a methodological approach to develop a user-oriented web tool to support the early stage of the decision making process for energy retrofitting of residential real estates. The tool mixes a simple analytical Urban Building Energy Model (UBEM) to user-oriented feedback interfaces to simulate the retrofitting potential of the residential units. The AUREE tool will be based on a Web – GIS GeoBlog portal with customized interfaces aimed to share the knowledge on urban building heritage and promote participation of stakeholders of the urban community. There are many literature exempla of guidelines or quality protocols on the topic of energy efficiency specified to particular types of buildings or focused on a territorial area, but these are generally not integrated into a geographically based tool. Moreover, the AUREE methodology aims to set interfaces that could use the portal users’ feedback to update the content of the portal itself. After touch on the theoretical context, a summary of the AUREE project is presented, and then the paper focuses on the structures of algorithms and tools adopted on the residential users’ interfaces. The interface mixes the results of an engineering Urban Building Energy Model based on local archetypal approach and standard energy calculation (series UNI 11300 - TS), with participative data provided via user-interactive interfaces to obtain customized retrofitting scenarios and suggestions. At the end of the paper, the main critical aspects and the further step of the research project are pointed

Conceptions of undergraduate students in Chemistry on the use of interactive interfaces in and for the activities developed in the distance course

In cyberculture, educational practices find on the internet and web 2.0 a useful space to produce and share information and content. The unidirectionality conferred to mass media is the place for network multidirectionality, reconfiguring the logic of the communication system. In Distance Education (DE), the multiple interactive interfaces available on the network, such as e-mail, forum, chat, whatsapp and virtual learning environment (VLE), provide the interaction and interactivity of the subjects, fundamental conditions for a process dialogical communication with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In this perspective, this study is part of a master's research in Science and Mathematics Teaching, and aims to investigate which interactive interfaces are used by students of a degree course in chemistry in the distance learning mode in and for the course activities. It is a research with a qualitative approach and a case study. Data were collected through a questionnaire in addition to consulting the course's pedagogical project and other documents. The results show that AVA and whatsapp stand out as the most used interfaces in the course, the latter being characteristic of learning with ubiquitous mobility and there are indications that interactivity occurs between the subjects through the interfaces and the relationships established are in line with what waits for this type of education, as they recognize the need to contemplate cyberculture in the teaching and learning process.