Pesquisas recentes em medicina genômica sugerem que fatores de risco que incidem desde a concepção de uma criança até o final de sua adolescência podem influenciar no desenvolvimento de doenças crônicas da idade adulta. Artigos científicos com descobertas e estudos inovadores sobre o tema indicam que a epigenética deve ser explorada para prevenir doenças de alta prevalência como doenças cardiovasculares, diabetes e obesidade. A grande quantidade de artigos disponibilizados diariamente dificulta a atualização de profissionais, uma vez que buscas por informação exata se tornam complexas e dispendiosas em relação ao tempo gasto na procura e análise dos resultados. Algumas tecnologias e técnicas computacionais podem apoiar a manipulação dos grandes repositórios de informações biomédicas, assim como a geração de conhecimento. O presente trabalho pesquisa a descoberta automática de artigos científicos que relacionem doenças crônicas e fatores de risco para as mesmas em registros clínicos de pacientes. Este trabalho também apresenta o desenvolvimento de um arcabouço de software para sistemas de vigilância que alertem profissionais de saúde sobre problemas no desenvolvimento humano. A efetiva transformação dos resultados de pesquisas biomédicas em conhecimento possível de ser utilizado para beneficiar a saúde pública tem sido considerada um domínio importante da informática. Este domínio é denominado Bioinformática Translacional (BUTTE,2008). Considerando-se que doenças crônicas são, mundialmente, um problema sério de saúde e lideram as causas de mortalidade com 60% de todas as mortes, o presente trabalho poderá possibilitar o uso direto dos resultados dessas pesquisas na saúde pública e pode ser considerado um trabalho de Bioinformática Translacional. / Genomic medicine has suggested that the exposure to risk factors since conception may influence gene expression and consequently induce the development of chronic diseases in adulthood. Scientific papers bringing up these discoveries indicate that epigenetics must be exploited to prevent diseases of high prevalence, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity. A large amount of scientific information burdens health care professionals interested in being updated, once searches for accurate information become complex and expensive. Some computational techniques might support management of large biomedical information repositories and discovery of knowledge. This study presents a framework to support surveillance systems to alert health professionals about human development problems, retrieving scientific papers that relate chronic diseases to risk factors detected on a patient\'s clinical record. As a contribution, healthcare professionals will be able to create a routine with the family, setting up the best growing conditions. According to Butte, the effective transformation of results from biomedical research into knowledge that actually improves public health has been considered an important domain of informatics and has been called Translational Bioinformatics. Since chronic diseases are a serious health problem worldwide and leads the causes of mortality with 60% of all deaths, this scientific investigation will probably enable results from bioinformatics researches to directly benefit public health.

Diese Diplomarbeit führt kurz in das Thema Information Retrieval mit den Schwerpunkten Evaluation und Evaluationskampagnen ein. Im Anschluss wird anhand der Nachteile eines vorhandenen Retrieval Systems ein neues Retrieval Framework zur experimentellen Evaluation von Ansätzen aus dem Information Retrieval entworfen und umgesetzt. Die Komponenten des Frameworks sind dabei so abstrakt angelegt, dass verschiedene, bestehende Retrieval Systeme, wie zum Beispiel Apache Lucene oder Terrier, integriert werden können. Anhand einer Referenzimplementierung für den ImageCLEF Photographic Retrieval Task des ImageCLEF Tracks des Cross Language Evaluation Forums wird die Funktionsfähigkeit des Frameworks überprüft und bestätigt.

Depuis quelques années, Internet est devenu un média incontournable pour la diffusion de ressources multilingues. Cependant, les différences linguistiques constituent souvent un obstacle majeur aux échanges de documents scientifiques, culturels, pédagogiques et commerciaux. En plus de cette diversité linguistique, on constate le développement croissant de bases de données et de collections composées de différents types de documents textuels ou multimédias, ce qui complexifie également le processus de repérage documentaire. En général, on considère l’image comme « libre » au point de vue linguistique. Toutefois, l’indexation en vocabulaire contrôlé ou libre (non contrôlé) confère à l’image un statut linguistique au même titre que tout document textuel, ce qui peut avoir une incidence sur le repérage. Le but de notre recherche est de vérifier l’existence de différences entre les caractéristiques de deux approches d’indexation pour les images ordinaires représentant des objets de la vie quotidienne, en vocabulaire contrôlé et en vocabulaire libre, et entre les résultats obtenus au moment de leur repérage. Cette étude suppose que les deux approches d’indexation présentent des caractéristiques communes, mais également des différences pouvant influencer le repérage de l’image. Cette recherche permet de vérifier si l’une ou l’autre de ces approches d’indexation surclasse l’autre, en termes d’efficacité, d’efficience et de satisfaction du chercheur d’images, en contexte de repérage multilingue. Afin d’atteindre le but fixé par cette recherche, deux objectifs spécifiques sont définis : identifier les caractéristiques de chacune des deux approches d’indexation de l’image ordinaire représentant des objets de la vie quotidienne pouvant influencer le repérage, en contexte multilingue et exposer les différences sur le plan de l’efficacité, de l’efficience et de la satisfaction du chercheur d’images à repérer des images ordinaires représentant des objets de la vie quotidienne indexées à l’aide d’approches offrant des caractéristiques variées, en contexte multilingue. Trois modes de collecte des données sont employés : l’analyse des termes utilisés pour l’indexation des images, la simulation du repérage d’un ensemble d’images indexées selon chacune des formes d’indexation à l’étude réalisée auprès de soixante répondants, et le questionnaire administré aux participants pendant et après la simulation du repérage. Quatre mesures sont définies pour cette recherche : l’efficacité du repérage d’images, mesurée par le taux de succès du repérage calculé à l’aide du nombre d’images repérées; l’efficience temporelle, mesurée par le temps, en secondes, utilisé par image repérée; l’efficience humaine, mesurée par l’effort humain, en nombre de requêtes formulées par image repérée et la satisfaction du chercheur d’images, mesurée par son autoévaluation suite à chaque tâche de repérage effectuée. Cette recherche montre que sur le plan de l’indexation de l’image ordinaire représentant des objets de la vie quotidienne, les approches d’indexation étudiées diffèrent fondamentalement l’une de l’autre, sur le plan terminologique, perceptuel et structurel. En outre, l’analyse des caractéristiques des deux approches d’indexation révèle que si la langue d’indexation est modifiée, les caractéristiques varient peu au sein d’une même approche d’indexation. Finalement, cette recherche souligne que les deux approches d’indexation à l’étude offrent une performance de repérage des images ordinaires représentant des objets de la vie quotidienne différente sur le plan de l’efficacité, de l’efficience et de la satisfaction du chercheur d’images, selon l’approche et la langue utilisées pour l’indexation. / During the last few years, the Internet has become an indispensable medium for the dissemination of multilingual resources. However, language differences are often a major obstacle to the exchange of scientific, cultural, educational and commercial documents. Besides this linguistic diversity, many databases and collections now contain documents in various formats that can also adversely affect their retrieval process. In general, images are considered to be language-independent resources. Nevertheless, the image indexing process using either a controlled or uncontrolled vocabulary gives the image a linguistic status similar to any other textual document and thus leads to the same difficulties in their retrieval. The goal of our research is to first identify the differences between the indexing approaches using a controlled and an uncontrolled vocabulary for ordinary images of everyday-life objects and to then differentiate between the results obtained at the time of image retrieval. This study supposes that the two indexing approaches show not only common characteristics, but also differences that can influence image retrieval. Thus, this research makes it possible to indicate if one of these indexing approaches surpasses the other in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the image searcher in a multilingual retrieval context. For this study, two specific objectives are defined: to identify the characteristics of each approach used for ordinary image indexing of everyday-life objects that can effect image retrieval in a multilingual context; and to explore the differences between the two indexing approaches in terms of their effectiveness, their efficiency, and the satisfaction of the image searcher when trying to retrieve ordinary images of everyday-life objects indexed according to either approach in a multilingual retrieval context. Three methods of data collection are used: an analysis of the image indexing terms, a simulation of the retrieval of a set of images indexed according to each of the two indexing approaches conducted with sixty respondents, and a questionnaire submitted to the participants during and after the retrieval simulation. Four measures are defined in this research: the effectiveness of image retrieval measured by the success rate calculated in terms of the number of retrieved images; time efficiency measured by the average time, in seconds, used to retrieve an image; human efficiency measured in terms of the human effort represented per average number of queries necessary to retrieve an image; and the satisfaction of the image searcher measured by the self-evaluation of the participant of the retrieval process after each completed task. This research shows that in terms of ordinary image indexing representing everyday-life objects, the two approaches investigated are fundamentally distinct on the terminological, perceptual, and structural perspective. Additionally, the analysis of the characteristics of the two indexing approaches reveals that if the indexing language differs, the characteristics vary little within the same indexing approach. Finally, this research underlines that the two indexing approaches of ordinary images representing everyday-life objects have a retrieval performance that is different in terms of its effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the image searcher according to the approach and the language used for indexing.

This research investigated the feasibility of South African translations of Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). The study provides an introductory overview of DDC throughout the world, followed by its use in South Africa. The introduction highlights shortcomings and possible solutions – of which translations seem to be the most ideal. This research involved a critical analysis of the literature on DDC translations, a documentary analysis and technology-based research in the form of Google translations and evaluation of parts of Abridged Edition 15 of DDC. The critical analysis of the literature and the documentary analysis identified problems relating to translations, how translations deal with shortcomings in DDC, the fact that no literature exists on multilingual translations, and the process of translations (including the fact that this is an expensive endeavour). It also revealed information about sponsorship and the mixed translation model. The technology-based research, using Google Translate for translations of parts of Abridged Edition 15 and the subsequent evaluation of these translations indicated that Google translations were comprehensive and needed minimum editorial effort. Further to this it paved the way for describing a possible workflow for South African translations and indicated that the parts already translated as well as further Google translations can expedite the translation process. A model for South African translations, based on only the cost of the Pansoft translation software was proposed. The mixed model approach, where some languages are used as main languages (schedules, Relative Index terms and the like) and others for Relative Index terms only, was deemed the most appropriate in the South African context. This led to the conclusion that DDC translations into ten of the official South African languages are indeed feasible. The research supports translations that keep the integrity of DDC intact, with possible expansions based on literary arrant. It is important, though, to get the support of the South African library community and authoritative bodies such as the National Library of South Africa and/or the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) to negotiate and sign a contract for these translations. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

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