Automatic Query Refining Based on Eye-Tracking Feedback

This paper presents a new method named AQueReBET, which automatically refines a query set by an information seeker searching on the web. A revelation of the intention of an information seeker who is running a search can bring a significant improvement to the search process, and to browsing as well. It is practically impossible to acquire such intention by the explicit indication (feedback) due to the fact that web browsing takes place in real time. Therefore the intention must be determined in some other way. We hypothesize that it can be approximated by means of the implicit feedback preferably in the form of data from an eye tracker and mouse. We propose a method which automatically refines a seeker’s search query and thus we can offer documents with higher relevance, decrease the number of query reformulations and increase the seeker’s satisfaction. The query refinement is based on an analysis of gaze data from an eye tracker and also on groupization. In the proposed method, we calculate word-level importance based on term frequency, term uniqueness (tf-idf) and total fixation duration within the subdocument (word's snippet in search results)

Query Chains: Learning to Rank from Implicit Feedback

This paper presents a novel approach for using clickthrough data to learn ranked retrieval functions for web search results. We observe that users searching the web often perform a sequence, or chain, of queries with a similar information need. Using query chains, we generate new types of preference judgments from search engine logs, thus taking advantage of user intelligence in reformulating queries. To validate our method we perform a controlled user study comparing generated preference judgments to explicit relevance judgments. We also implemented a real-world search engine to test our approach, using a modified ranking SVM to learn an improved ranking function from preference data. Our results demonstrate significant improvements in the ranking given by the search engine. The learned rankings outperform both a static ranking function, as well as one trained without considering query chains.Comment: 10 page

The effect of dyslexia on information retrieval: A pilot study

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to resolve a gap in our knowledge of how people with dyslexia interact with Information Retrieval (IR) systems, specifically an understanding of their information searching behaviour. Very little research has been undertaken with this particular user group, and given the size of the group (an estimated 10% of the population) this lack of knowledge needs to be addressed. Design/Methodology/Approach - We use elements of the dyslexia cognitive profile to design a logging system recording the difference between two sets of participants: dyslexic and control users. We use a standard Okapi interface together with two standard TREC topics in order to record the information searching behaviour of these users. We gather evidence from various sources, including quantitative information on search logs, together with qualitative information from interviews and questionnaires. We record variables on queries, documents, relevance assessments and sessions in the search logs. We use this evidence to examine the difference in searching between the two sets of users, in order to understand the effect of dyslexia on the information searching behaviour. A topic analysis is also conducted on the quantitative data to show any effect on the results from the information need. Research limitations/implications – As this is a pilot study, only 10 participants were recruited for the study, 5 for each user group. Due to ethical issues, the number of topics per search was restricted to one topic only. The study shows that the methodology applied is useful for distinguishing between the two user groups, taking into account differences between topic. We outline further research on the back of this pilot study in four main areas. A different approach from the proposed methodology is needed to measure the effect on query variables, which takes account of topic variation. More details on users are needed such as reading abilities, speed of language processing and working memory to distinguish the user groups. Effect of topic on search interaction must be measured in order to record the potential impact on the dyslexic user group. Work is needed on relevance assessment and effect on precision and recall for users who may not read many documents. Findings – Using the log data, we establish the differences in information searching behaviour of control and dyslexic users i.e. in the way the two groups interact with Okapi, and that qualitative information collected (such as experience etc) may not be able to account for these differences. Evidence from query variables was unable to distinguish between groups, but differences on topic for the same variables were recorded. Users who view more documents tended to judge more documents as being relevant, either in terms of the user group or topic. Session data indicated that there may be an important difference between the number of iterations used in a search between the user groups, as there may be little effect from the topic on this variable. Originality/Value – This is the first study of the effect of dyslexia on information search behaviour, and provides some evidence to take the field forward

A review of technology-enhanced Chinese character teaching and learning in a digital context

The acquisition of Chinese characters has been widely acknowledged as challenging for learners of Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) due to their unique logographic nature and the time and effort involved. However, recent advancements in instructional technologies demonstrate a promising role in facilitating the teaching and learning of Chinese characters. This paper examines studies exploring technology-enhanced character teaching and learning (TECTL) through a systematic literature review of relevant publications produced between 2010 and 2021. The synthesized findings shed insights on the research undertaken in the TECTL field, identifying a focus on characters’ component disassembling, re-assembling, and associations among orthography, semantics, and phonology. In addition, learners’ perceptions toward the use of technology and the benefits of various types of technological tools are also discussed in detail. Implications for TECTL are also put forward for future pedagogical practice and exploration

Proceedings of the 2nd IUI Workshop on Interacting with Smart Objects

These are the Proceedings of the 2nd IUI Workshop on Interacting with Smart Objects. Objects that we use in our everyday life are expanding their restricted interaction capabilities and provide functionalities that go far beyond their original functionality. They feature computing capabilities and are thus able to capture information, process and store it and interact with their environments, turning them into smart objects

Grand Challenges of Traceability: The Next Ten Years

In 2007, the software and systems traceability community met at the first Natural Bridge symposium on the Grand Challenges of Traceability to establish and address research goals for achieving effective, trustworthy, and ubiquitous traceability. Ten years later, in 2017, the community came together to evaluate a decade of progress towards achieving these goals. These proceedings document some of that progress. They include a series of short position papers, representing current work in the community organized across four process axes of traceability practice. The sessions covered topics from Trace Strategizing, Trace Link Creation and Evolution, Trace Link Usage, real-world applications of Traceability, and Traceability Datasets and benchmarks. Two breakout groups focused on the importance of creating and sharing traceability datasets within the research community, and discussed challenges related to the adoption of tracing techniques in industrial practice. Members of the research community are engaged in many active, ongoing, and impactful research projects. Our hope is that ten years from now we will be able to look back at a productive decade of research and claim that we have achieved the overarching Grand Challenge of Traceability, which seeks for traceability to be always present, built into the engineering process, and for it to have "effectively disappeared without a trace". We hope that others will see the potential that traceability has for empowering software and systems engineers to develop higher-quality products at increasing levels of complexity and scale, and that they will join the active community of Software and Systems traceability researchers as we move forward into the next decade of research

Grand Challenges of Traceability: The Next Ten Years

In 2007, the software and systems traceability community met at the first Natural Bridge symposium on the Grand Challenges of Traceability to establish and address research goals for achieving effective, trustworthy, and ubiquitous traceability. Ten years later, in 2017, the community came together to evaluate a decade of progress towards achieving these goals. These proceedings document some of that progress. They include a series of short position papers, representing current work in the community organized across four process axes of traceability practice. The sessions covered topics from Trace Strategizing, Trace Link Creation and Evolution, Trace Link Usage, real-world applications of Traceability, and Traceability Datasets and benchmarks. Two breakout groups focused on the importance of creating and sharing traceability datasets within the research community, and discussed challenges related to the adoption of tracing techniques in industrial practice. Members of the research community are engaged in many active, ongoing, and impactful research projects. Our hope is that ten years from now we will be able to look back at a productive decade of research and claim that we have achieved the overarching Grand Challenge of Traceability, which seeks for traceability to be always present, built into the engineering process, and for it to have "effectively disappeared without a trace". We hope that others will see the potential that traceability has for empowering software and systems engineers to develop higher-quality products at increasing levels of complexity and scale, and that they will join the active community of Software and Systems traceability researchers as we move forward into the next decade of research

Asservissement d'un bras robotique d'assistance à l'aide d'un système de stéréo vision artificielle et d'un suiveur de regard

RÉSUMÉ L’utilisation récente de bras robotiques sériels dans le but d’assister des personnes ayant des problèmes de motricités sévères des membres supérieurs soulève une nouvelle problématique au niveau de l’interaction humain-machine (IHM). En effet, jusqu’à maintenant le « joystick » est utilisé pour contrôler un bras robotiques d’assistance (BRA). Pour les utilisateurs ayant des problèmes de motricité sévères des membres supérieurs, ce type de contrôle n’est pas une option adéquate. Ce mémoire présente une autre option afin de pallier cette problématique. La solution présentée est composée de deux composantes principales. La première est une caméra de stéréo vision utilisée afin d’informer le BRA des objets présents dans son espace de travail. Il est important qu’un BRA soit conscient de ce qui est présent dans son espace de travail puisqu’il doit être en mesure d’éviter les objets non voulus lorsqu’il parcourt un trajet afin d’atteindre l’objet d’intérêt pour l'utilisateur. La deuxième composante est l’IHM qui est dans ce travail représentée par un suiveur de regard à bas coût. Effectivement, le suiveur de regard a été choisi puisque, généralement, les yeux d’un patient ayant des problèmes sévères de motricités au niveau des membres supérieurs restent toujours fonctionnels. Le suiveur de regard est généralement utilisé avec un écran pour des applications en 2D ce qui n’est pas intuitif pour l’utilisateur puisque celui-ci doit constamment regarder une reproduction 2D de la scène sur un écran. En d’autres mots, il faut rendre le suiveur de regard viable dans un environnement 3D sans l’utilisation d’un écran, ce qui a été fait dans ce mémoire. Un système de stéréo vision, un suiveur de regard ainsi qu’un BRA sont les composantes principales du système présenté qui se nomme PoGARA qui est une abréviation pour Point of Gaze Assistive Robotic Arm. En utilisant PoGARA, l’utilisateur a été capable d’atteindre et de prendre un objet pour 80% des essais avec un temps moyen de 13.7 secondes sans obstacles, 15.3 secondes avec un obstacle et 16.3 secondes avec deux obstacles.----------ABSTRACT The recent increased interest in the use of serial robots to assist individuals with severe upper limb disability brought-up an important issue which is the design of the right human computer interaction (HCI). Indeed, so far, the control of assistive robotic arms (ARA) is often done using a joystick. For the users who have a severe upper limb disability, this type of control is not a suitable option. In this master’s thesis, a novel solution is presented to overcome this issue. The developed solution is composed of two main components. The first one is a stereo vision system which is used to inform the ARA of the content of its workspace. It is important for the ARA to be aware of what is present in its workspace since it needs to avoid the unwanted objects while it is on its way to grasp the object of interest. The second component is the actual HCI, where an eye tracker is used. Indeed, the eye tracker was chosen since the eyes, often, remain functional even for patients with severe upper limb disability. However, usually, low-cost, commercially available eye trackers are mainly designed for 2D applications with a screen which is not intuitive for the user since he needs to constantly watch a reproduction of the scene on a 2D screen instead of the 3D scene itself. In other words, the eye tracker needs to be made viable for usage in a 3D environment without the use of a screen. This was achieved in this master thesis work. A stereo vision system, an eye tracker as well as an ARA are the main components of the developed system named PoGARA which is short for Point of Gaze Assistive Robotic Arm. Using PoGARA, during the tests, the user was able to reach and grasp an object for 80% of the trials with an average time of 13.7 seconds without obstacles, 15.3 seconds with one obstacles and 16.3 seconds with two obstacles