Examining Variations of Prominent Features in Genre Classification.

This paper investigates the correlation between features of three types (visual, stylistic and topical types) and genre classes. The majority of previous studies in automated genre classification have created models based on an amalgamated representation of a document using a combination of features. In these models, the inseparable roles of different features make it difficult to determine a means of improving the classifier when it exhibits poor performance in detecting selected genres. In this paper we use classifiers independently modeled on three groups of features to examine six genre classes to show that the strongest features for making one classification is not necessarily the best features for carrying out another classification.

Building a document genre corpus: a profile of the KRYS I corpus

This paper describes the KRYS I corpus, consisting of documents classified into 70 genre classes. It has been constructed as part of an effort to automate document genre classification as distinct from topic detection. Previously there has been very little work on building corpora of texts which have been classified using a nontopical genre palette. The reason for this is partly due to the fact that genre as a concept, is rooted in philosophy, rhetoric and literature, and highly complex and domain dependent in its interpretation ([11]). The usefulness of genre in everyday information search is only now starting to be recognised and there is no genre classification schema that has been consolidated to have applicable value in this direction. By presenting here our experiences in constructing the KRYS I corpus, we hope to shed light on the information gathering and seeking behaviour and the role of genre in these activities, as well as a way forward for creating a better corpus for testing automated genre classification tasks and the application of these tasks to other domains.

Building a Document Genre Corpus: a Profile of the KRYS I Corpus

This paper describes the KRYS I corpus (http://www.krys-corpus.eu/Info.html), consisting of documents classified into 70 genre classes. It has been constructed as part of an effort to automate document genre classification as distinct from topic detection. Previously there has been very little work on building corpora of texts which have been classified using a non-topical genre palette. The reason for this is partly due to the fact that genre as a concept, is rooted in philosophy, rhetoric and literature, and highly complex and domain dependent in its interpretation ([11]). The usefulness of genre in everyday information search is only now starting to be recognised and there is no genre classification schema that has been consolidated to have applicable value in this direction. By presenting here our experiences in constructing the KRYS I corpus, we hope to shed light on the information gathering and seeking behaviour and the role of genre in these activities, as well as a way forward for creating a better corpus for testing automated genre classification tasks and the application of these tasks to other domains

How Independent are Independent Directors? The Case of Italy

In this article, we provide an interpretation for the voluntary independence requirements contained in the Italian Corporate Governance Code (Preda Code) checking them against a proxy for international best practice, the independence criteria provided in the EC Recommendation on non-executive and supervisory directors of 2005. We then check to what extent company disclosure for 2003 allows the verification of the independence of directors qualified as independent by the Italian 40 blue chips. We find that the Preda Code (currently under revision) should be updated in several respects in order to make it abreast with best practice in the European Union. We also find that for two key independence requirements (not to have business relationships with the company and not to have too many concurrent commitments outside of the company) the level of compliance is dramatically low (4% and 16% respectively). Overall, for only 5 out of the 284 directors declared as independent by the Italian blue chips is it possible to verify the respect of all the Italian independence standards (and for only 4 directors with respect to the EC standards). This raises the problem of who should monitor what listed companies declare.Independent directors, Corporate governance

Good practice characteristics of diet and physical activity interventions and policies : an umbrella review

BACKGROUND: This umbrella review aimed at eliciting good practice characteristics of interventions and policies aiming at healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and lowering sedentary behaviors. Applying the World Health Organization's framework, we sought for 3 types of characteristics, reflecting: (1) main intervention/policy characteristics, referring to the design, targets, and participants, (2) monitoring and evaluation processes, and (3) implementation issues. This investigation was undertaken by the DEDPIAC Knowledge Hub (the Knowledge Hub on the DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity), which is an action of the European Union's joint programming initiative. METHODS: A systematic review of reviews and stakeholder documents was conducted. Data from 7 databases was analyzed (99 documents met inclusion criteria). Additionally, resources of 7 major stakeholders (e.g., World Health Organization) were systematically searched (10 documents met inclusion criteria). Overall, the review yielded 74 systematic reviews, 16 position review papers, and 19 stakeholders' documents. Across characteristics, 25% were supported by ≥ 4 systematic reviews. Further, 25% characteristics were supported by ≥ 3 stakeholders' documents. If identified characteristics were included in at least 4 systematic reviews or at least 3 stakeholders' documents, these good practice characteristics were classified as relevant. RESULTS: We derived a list of 149 potential good practice characteristics, of which 53 were classified as relevant. The main characteristics of intervention/policy (n = 18) fell into 6 categories: the use of theory, participants, target behavior, content development/management, multidimensionality, practitioners/settings. Monitoring and evaluation characteristics (n = 18) were grouped into 6 categories: costs/funding, outcomes, evaluation of effects, time/effect size, reach, the evaluation of participation and generalizability, active components/underlying processes. Implementation characteristics (n = 17) were grouped into eight categories: participation processes, training for practitioners, the use/integration of existing resources, feasibility, maintenance/sustainability, implementation partnerships, implementation consistency/adaptation processes, transferability. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the proposed list of 53 good practice characteristics may foster further development of health promotion sciences, as it would allow for identification of success vectors in the domains of main characteristics of interventions/policies, their implementation, evaluation and monitoring processes