Kuo-pao Yang

Building content dictionaries for geometric algebra in OMDoc format

This paper describes why and how to build Content Dictionaries for Geometric Algebra implemented in OMDoc format, an XML-based markup language. Geometric Algebra is a powerful and general language available for the development of mathematical physics. Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) enables one to write XML-based language to display mathematical formulae on web browsers and OpenMath makes the text semantics available by creating a series of Content Dictionaries, but no markup languages have been previously created for Geometric Algebra to interpret semantics of documentations. Open Mathematical Documentation (OMDoc) extends OpenMath by providing more features such as axiom, theorem, and proof structures. The working Content Dictionary implemented in OMDoc format for Geometric Algebra has been established. It is able to be transformed and then displayed in the Firefox web browser for instance. This research will lead to the study and design of many more various scientific fields interested in accessibilities and capabilities through the internet.

Automatic generation of web survey for assessment purposes in computer science

This paper discusses the development and implementation of an engine that automatically creates web survey tool pages from course documents. Issues related to assessment practices in computer science are addressed and the benefits of this new assessment mechanism are presented.

Using OpenMath to present semantics of Geometric Algebra

This research aids in developing of a Physics Markup Language (PML) for the representation of Physical models. By providing a standard way of documenting the physical and mathematical semantics of these physics based models, a Physics Markup Language (PML) will improve communication of models semantics to support interoperability between physics-based models, such as multi-physics simulation and interoperability with other non-physics based models. Geometric Algebra (GA) is a powerful and practical framework for the representation and solution of geometrical problems. GA is the fundamental underlying mathematics for most physical models. OpenMath is a XML-based markup language for representing and communicating mathematics that tries to combine natural and formal language. This research utilized OpenMath by creating Content Dictionaries, to implement the mathematical semantics for the underlying mathematics, Geometric Algebra.

Equivalence of Hardware and Software: A case study for solving polynomial functions

Newtons Method for finding roots of polynomials is investigated as a case study in demonstrating the Principle of Equivalence of Hardware and Software. Implementations of this procedure in C++ code and in hardware on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) are presented. The similarities and differences in the two approaches are discussed.

Generating better text summaries for a patient simulation program

We have been working on a new version of text generation component of the Intelligent Medical Record (IMR), a patient simulation program. The new text generator is based on American Bar Foundation (ABF) generation system to support the production of text for progress notes and for form letters. The old IMR produced a text report of patient encounters and also created a list of patient features, but this text contained a number of grammatical errors and disfluencies. The new ABF-based text generator runs on a variety of platforms, fixes the old generator errors, and incorporates standard vocabulary from the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT).

Using a Java Dynamic Tree to Manage the Terminology in a Suite of Medical Applications

OBJECTIVES Now that the National Library of Medicine has made SNOMED-CT widely available, we are trying to manage the terminology of a whole suite of medical applications and map our terminology into that in SNOMED. METHODS This paper describes the design and implementation of the Java Dynamic Tree that provides structure to our medical terminology and explains how it functions as the core of our system. RESULTS The tree was designed to reflect the stages in a patient interview, so it contains components for identifying the patient and the provider, a large set of chief complaints, review of systems, physical examination, several history modules, medications, laboratory tests, imaging, and special procedures. The tree is mirrored in a commercial DBMS, which also stores multi-encounter patient data, disorder patterns for our Bayesian diagnostic system, and the data and rules for other expert systems. The DBMS facilitates the import and export of large terminology files. CONCLUSIONS Our Java Dynamic Tree allows the health care provider to view the entire terminology along with the structure that supports it, as well as the mechanism for the generation of progress notes and other documents, in terms of a single hierarchical structure. Changes in terminology can be propagated through the system under the control of the expert. The import/ export facility has been a major help by replacing our original terminology by the terminology in SNOMED-CT.

What the disorder pattern toolbox can do

The Disorder Pattern Toolbox helps medical experts create and maintain the collection of disorder patterns and translate the existing vocabulary into the terminology bank of the SNOMEDCT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms). The disorder patterns were initially designed for use in MEDAS (the Medical Emergency Decision Assistance System), a Bayesian diagnostic expert system, but they are now used as well in a test selection system and for building patient cases in a multimedia patient simulation system. This toolbox allows the expert to open a web page or a treatment guideline or a scientific paper, to select a phrase with a mouse, and to add the phrase into an opened disorder pattern. This toolbox then asks for probability estimates and integrates this information into the collection of disorder patterns. It also connects the expert to the Java Dynamic Tree, our vocabulary management tool, which helps users identify appropriate labels for patient features in the SNOMED-CT terminology bank.