Abstract
The coalgebraic method is of great significance to research in process algebra, modal logic, object-oriented design and component-based software engineering. In recent years, fuzzy control has been widely used in many fields, such as handwriting recognition and the control of robots or air conditioners. It is then an interesting topic to analyze the behavior of fuzzy automata from a coalgebraic point of view. This paper models different types of fuzzy automata as coalgebras with a monad structure capturing fuzzy behavior. Based on the coalgebraic models, we can define a notion of fuzzy language and consider several versions of bisimulation for fuzzy automata. A group of combinators is defined to compose fuzzy automata of two branches: state transition and output function. A case study illustrates the coalgebraic models proposed and their composition.

Abstract
The use of virtual reality technologies for data visualization and analysis has been an emerging topic of research in the past years. However, one type of data has been left neglected, the point cloud. While some strides have been made in the visualization and analysis of point clouds in immersive environments, these have yet to be used for direct manipulation interactions. It is hypothesized that as with other types of data, bringing direct interactions and 3D visualization to point clouds may increase the ease of performing basic handling tasks. An immersive application for virtual reality HMDs was developed in Unity to help research this hypothesis. It is capable of parsing classified point cloud files with extracted objects and representing them in a virtual environment. Several editing tools were also developed, designed with the HMD controllers in mind. The end result allows the user to perform basic transformative tasks to the point cloud with an ease of use and intuitive feeling unmatched by the traditional desktop-based tools. © 2021 Owner/Author.

Abstract
Entity-oriented search tasks heavily rely on exploiting unstructured and structured collections. Moreover, it is frequent for text corpora and knowledge bases to provide complementary views on a common topic. While, traditionally, the retrieval unit was the document, modern search engines have evolved to also retrieve entities and to provide direct answers to the information needs of the users. Cross-referencing information from heterogeneous sources has become fundamental, however a mismatch still exists between text-based and knowledge-based retrieval approaches. The former does not account for complex relations, while the latter does not properly support keyword-based queries and ranked retrieval. Graphs are a good solution to this problem, since they can be used to represent text, entities and their relations. In this survey, we examine text-based approaches and how they evolved to leverage entities and their relations in the retrieval process. We also cover multiple aspects of graph-based models for entity-oriented search, providing an overview on link analysis and exploring graph-based text representation and retrieval, leveraging knowledge graphs for document or entity retrieval, building entity graphs from text, using graph matching for querying with subgraphs, exploiting hypergraph-based representations, and ranking based on random walks on graphs. We close with a discussion on the topic and a view of the future to motivate the research of graph-based models for entity-oriented search, particularly as joint representation models for the generalization of retrieval tasks. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Abstract
As a compact representation of joint probability distributions over a dependence graph of random variables, and a tool for modelling and reasoning in the presence of uncertainty, Bayesian networks are of great importance for artificial intelligence to combine domain knowledge, capture causal relationships, or learn from incomplete datasets. Known as a NP-hard problem in a classical setting, Bayesian inference pops up as a class of algorithms worth to explore in a quantum framework. This paper explores such a research direction and improves on previous proposals by a judicious use of the utility function in an entangled configuration. It proposes a completely quantum mechanical decision-making process with a proven computational advantage. A prototype implementation in Qiskit (a Python-based program development kit for the IBM Q machine) is discussed as a proof-of-concept.

Abstract

Abstract
Software engineering education requires students to develop technical knowledge and advanced cognitive and behavioral skills, particularly in the transition from novice to proficient. In distance learning, the hurdles are greater because students require greater autonomy, adopting strategies of self and co-regulation of learning. Facing these challenges, the SimProgramming approach has been transposed into the context of DL: e-SimProgramming. In the second iteration of e-SimProgramming implementation (2019/2020), one adaptation was inclusion of metacognitive challenges (MC) to promote students' self-reflection on their learning process. We explain the design of the two types of implemented MCs. We provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of: 1) evolution of MCs submission throughout the semester, identifying regularity and completion within deadlines and their relationship to student success; 2) students' perceptions of MCs. Results show a positive correlation between high MC submission and student success, greater interest and involvement of students in type 2 MCs and positive perceptions of students about MCs.