MS Thesis Defense

Learning Hierarchical Workflows Using Community Detection

Akshay Peshave

1:00pm Friday, 18 April 2014, ITE 325b

Workflows identified from user event logs and click-stream data are useful as knowledge bases for behavioral analysis and recommendation systems. In this study we identify abstractions or summaries of event logs modeled as user activity flow networks. The abstractions are identified based on structural properties as well as user activity flow dynamics over the network using community detection methods. We apply a fast modularity optimization and multi-level resolution approach to detect hierarchical community structure in user activity flow networks. The detected communities are compared to those detected by the information-theoretic map equation minimization approach to weigh pros and cons of the fast modularity optimization approach in the workflows context. We further attempt to identify the most probable sources and sinks of user activity in individual communities and trim the network accordingly to reduce entropy of the workflow abstractions.

Committee: Drs. Tim Oates (chair), Matt Schmill and Tim Finin

MS Thesis Defense

Learning Hierarchical Workflows Using Community Detection

Akshay Peshave

1:00pm Friday, 18 April 2014, ITE 325b

Workflows identified from user event logs and click-stream data are useful as knowledge bases for behavioral analysis and recommendation systems. In this study we identify abstractions or summaries of event logs modeled as user activity flow networks. The abstractions are identified based on structural properties as well as user activity flow dynamics over the network using community detection methods. We apply a fast modularity optimization and multi-level resolution approach to detect hierarchical community structure in user activity flow networks. The detected communities are compared to those detected by the information-theoretic map equation minimization approach to weigh pros and cons of the fast modularity optimization approach in the workflows context. We further attempt to identify the most probable sources and sinks of user activity in individual communities and trim the network accordingly to reduce entropy of the workflow abstractions.

Committee: Drs. Tim Oates (chair), Matt Schmill and Tim Finin

Dr. Casey Overby, Assistant Professor Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine University of Maryland - Baltimore

1:00pm Friday, 25 April 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

Abstract: There is a growing evidence base to support the use of many genomic applications in healthcare. There are, however, several barriers to healthcare providers making use of genomic data and information on a routine basis. This talk will describe some of the challenges and successes with implementing genomic medicine programs within the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine at UMB, introduce one way to conceptualize translational research and translational bioinformatics in this context, describe a proposed model for evaluating and implementing genomic medicine programs, and describe some of the current and planned research in translational bioinformatics

Bio: Casey L. Overby is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine and the Center for Health-related Informatics and Bio-Imaging at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She received her Masters of Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, her PhD in Biomedical and Health Informatics and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Genetics from the University of Washington in 2011. In 2013, she completed her post-doctoral training in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University and started her position at University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Translational Bioinformatics Approaches to Evaluate
and Implement Genomic Medicine Programs

Dr. Casey Overby, Assistant Professor

Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine
University of Maryland – Baltimore

1:00pm Friday, 25 April 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

There is a growing evidence base to support the use of many genomic applications in healthcare. There are, however, several barriers to healthcare providers making use of genomic data and information on a routine basis. In this talk, I will describe some of our challenges and successes with implementing genomic medicine programs within the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine at UMB, introduce one way to conceptualize translational research and translational bioinformatics in this context, describe a proposed model for evaluating and implementing genomic medicine programs, and describe some of my current and planned research in translational bioinformatics.

Casey L. Overby is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine and the Center for Health-related Informatics and Bio-Imaging at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She received her Masters of Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, her PhD in Biomedical and Health Informatics and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Genetics from the University of Washington in 2011. In 2013, she completed her post-doctoral training in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University and started her position at University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Host: Marie desJardins, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

Translational Bioinformatics Approaches to Evaluate
and Implement Genomic Medicine Programs

Dr. Casey Overby, Assistant Professor

Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine
University of Maryland – Baltimore

1:00pm Friday, 25 April 2014, ITE 325b, UMBC

There is a growing evidence base to support the use of many genomic applications in healthcare. There are, however, several barriers to healthcare providers making use of genomic data and information on a routine basis. In this talk, I will describe some of our challenges and successes with implementing genomic medicine programs within the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine at UMB, introduce one way to conceptualize translational research and translational bioinformatics in this context, describe a proposed model for evaluating and implementing genomic medicine programs, and describe some of my current and planned research in translational bioinformatics.

Casey L. Overby is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine and the Center for Health-related Informatics and Bio-Imaging at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She received her Masters of Biotechnology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, her PhD in Biomedical and Health Informatics and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Genetics from the University of Washington in 2011. In 2013, she completed her post-doctoral training in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University and started her position at University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Host: Marie desJardins, Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.

There’s really no question that Retrievers are some of the best and brightest in Maryland and around the world. Our alumni are teaching at Harvard and MIT. They’re doctors and researchers at Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health.  They’re leading the charge for non-profits that are changing the world. They’re starting super cool businesses.

And on top of all that, they’re just good, nice people who care about their friends, family and community. But if that’s not enough motivation to start typing now, we’ve put together six more reasons why you should nominate someone you know:

1. You can brag about how you “knew them when.”
2. Seriously, can you think of a better way to tell a friend how awesome you think they are?
3. Good karma. Need we say more?
4. We have a brand-new faculty award, so you can say thanks to that teacher who changed your life.
5. Your fellow alums deserve to be recognized for how awesome they are!
6. You’ll have a great reason to come to the alumni awards to eat tasty snacks and visit with old friends.

Nominate someone today. It’s so worth it.

Once upon a time, a little boy with no lower legs worked hard and became an Olympic gold medalist.  This is the stuff of fairy tales. Unfortunately, this one did not have a happy ending.

The athlete, of course, is Oscar Pistorius who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

This sad tale has grabbed the world’s attention not just for its celebrity fascination but also because it has exposed societal ills his home country of South Africa.

1.Violence against women. In 2009, 57% of all female homicide victims in South Africa were killed by a significant other. Some South African women think a conviction for Pistorius might indicate that the court system is ready to take violence against women seriously. 

2. Gun ownership isn’t just a hot topic in the United States. South Africa only has 12.7 guns per 100 people, as opposed to the U.S.’s 88.8 guns per 100 persons, but their presence is still controversial.

Pistorius’s defense asserts that their client shot after mistaking his girlfriend for an intruder and the trial raises questions about when gun ownership makes society safer versus more violent. Since the majority of South African gun owners are white men, this issue is also tied to persistent racial tensions. 

3. Hero worship. Pistorius’s inspiring story and  subsequent fall from grace has left many wondering about the role of national heroes.  In the words of Atlantic blogger Lane Wallace, 

We want to believe the fairy tale.

Whatever the outcome of the trial, this ending clearly isn’t “happily-ever-after.”

It’s often said that “Tragedy + Time = Comedy.”

But just how much time is enough time ? 10 years? 40 years? Or should some events never be made fun of?

We’ve certainly all heard our fair share of distasteful Holocaust, Adolf Hitler, and Nazi jokes – but most of us are able to easily dismiss them as immature and, frankly, ignorant. 

But what about the 9/11 attacks? 

A 14 year-old girl who identified herself as Sarah  tweeted a terroristic threat – which she unfortunately intended as a joke – to American Airlines, which read:

@AmericanAir hello my name’s Ibrahim and I’m from Afghanistan. I’m part of Al Qaida and on June 1st I’m gonna do something really big bye.

In turn, American Airlines responded:

Sarah, we take these threats very seriously.  Your IP address and details will be forwarded to security and the FBI.

Naturally, Sarah frantically replied that she was “kidding,” “joking,” and that she was not actually from Afghanistan (…as if we needed that last part clarified).  

Two days after her tweet, Sarah was arrested by the Rotterdam Police in the Netherlands. 

Many are split as to whether or not she deserved the arrest.  

On one hand, Sarah made an immature decision as an attention-seeking 14 year-old, and on the other, she made light of a day on which nearly 3,000 people lost their lives.

Regardless of where you stand, it’s safe to say we can all agree that this “joke” was just too soon.