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

Improving Public Record Access

Nantucket\u27s public and historic records are maintained by many different institutions and are kept in various forms. The project\u27s goal was to address this fragmentation and find a way to improve access to public and historic records on Nantucket. The team researched other collaborative digitization projects and interviewed record-holding organizations on the island to create an inventory of existing records and to gauge interest in the creation of a single website to provide access to Nantucket\u27s records. The team identified the key steps for a successful digital collaborative project, developed a prototype records database and web interface, and recommended how Nantucket should move this effort forward

Content-based image retrieval and its benefits for the stock photography market

The development of powerful low-cost desktop computer systems has changed the pre-press business where tight deadlines must be met per sistently. An increasing number of newspapers and magazines are acquiring, handling, and storing images digitally while the use of hardcopies and slides decreases. Today\u27s computers and high capacity storage-media enable stock pho tography agencies to build digital image databases, giving users fast access to large numbers of images. However, the transition from analog to digital image archives imposes new problems: with thousands of images at hand, the search for a particular image may turn into the search for the needle in a haystack. The first image Database Management Systems (DBMSs) were extended text DBMSs, which stored the image data along with a set of manually entered descriptive keywords. The major problem with this approach is that there is no generally agreed-upon language to describe images. Even sophis ticated DBMSs are unable to detect synonyms; hence, an image described with certain properties such as curvy may not be found if a user enters wavy as a search criterion. Furthermore, some image properties are hard to describe with keywords. A search is likely to fail if properties were not described at the database population stage when images are added to the database. Finally, assigning a sufficient set of keywords to every image adds a tremendous amount of labor to the population stage. Research at many scientific institutions and companies is geared towards overcoming the shortcomings of image DBMSs with keyword-based search engines. Pattern recognition which allows for comparing images based on their visual content is being introduced to image DBMSs, improving the accuracy of search engines. Sketches, sample images, and other means of describing the visual content of images may be used as search criteria in addition to keywords. This thesis project summarizes the basics of pattern recognition and its applications in image database management for contentbased image retrieval. The purpose of this thesis project is to determine the impact of contentbased image retrieval on the stock photography market in the near future. In order to obtain the necessary information, two different questionnaires were sent out to a number of selected stock photography agencies, newspapers, and magazines. The evaluation of the replies was conducted for the three groups separately. The replies from stock photography agencies showed a high interest in digital image archives. They also showed concerns about increased overhead with digital archives. The estimated amount of work required for categoriz ing images and assigning keywords ranged from fifty to ninety percent as compared to ten to fifty percent for scanning. All survey participants agreed that pattern recognition can improve the accuracy of keyword-based search engines. However, they all denied that this approach would reduce the need for assigning keywords. Different needs could be determined for newspaper and magazines. Newspapers rely heavily on keywords since images are often chosen based upon the circumstances under which they were taken while their visual con tent may be secondary. Therefore, newspapers\u27 profits from content-based image retrieval are minute. For magazines, the visual content of images seemed to have a higher priority and the appreciation for corresponding search capabilities was accordingly higher. To summarize, users of digital image archives can profit from contentbased image retrieval if the visual content is an important issue. For image providers, there are a number of reasons that delay the transition to contentbased image retrieval. Currently, there is only one shrink-wrapped commer cial product available that meets the needs of stock photography agencies. This product requires additional work for fully exhausting its capabilities. Finally, many companies have already built their image database and the transition to another system is time-consuming, expensive, and risky

URLs in the OPAC : comparative reflections on US vs UK practice

To examine whether placing URLs into library OPACs has been an effective way of enhancing the role of the catalogue for the contemporary library user

GCS programmer's manual

A variety of instructions to be used in the development of implementations of software for the Guidance and Control Software (GCS) project is described. This document fulfills the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics RTCA/DO-178A guidelines, 'Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification' requirements for document No. 4, which specifies the information necessary for understanding and programming the host computer, and document No. 12, which specifies the software design and implementation standards that are applicable to the software development and testing process. Information on the following subjects is contained: activity recording, communication protocol, coding standards, change management, error handling, design standards, problem reporting, module testing logs, documentation formats, accuracy requirements, and programmer responsibilities

Standard operating procedures (SOPS) for health and demographic research data quality assurance: the case of VADU HDSS site

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science In Epidemiology (Research Data Management) Johannesburg, September 2016The idea of data quality assurance and security control is to monitor the quality of research data generated from any research activity. This consists of a thorough collection of documentation regarding all aspects of the research. Data management procedures of health and demographic research constantly changes or emerges through the iterative processes of data collection and analysis and requires that the investigator make frequent decisions that can alter the course of the study. As a result, audit trails that provides justification for these actions will be vital for future analysis. The audit trail provides a mechanism for retroactive assessment of the conduct of the inquiry and a means to address issues related to authenticity of the research datasets. This research seeks to develop an Information Assurance Policy and Standard Operating Procedures for Vadu Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site using ISACA/COBIT 5 family products and ISO/IEC ISMS as benchmark. The work proposes data assurance and security controls and measures for any given research project. To develop such SOP, there is a need to identify existing gaps and inconsistencies within the data management life cycle at VRHP site. This will allow us to establish the areas of focus for the SOP. We used an interview-based approach to identify the existing gaps associated with data management life cycle at VRHP site. The study population included key members of the data management team. The study was conducted utilizing a self-administered questionnaire with structured and open ended questions. Purposive sampling method used to enrol 21 data management team members consisting of 13 Field Research Assistants, 4 Field Research Supervisors, 1 Field Coordinator, 1 Software Application Developer, 1 Head of Data Management and 1 Data Manager. Unstructured interviews were conducted to gather information on respective roles and responsibilities of the members to ensure maximum open interactions. Data gathering and analyses were done concurrently. Two themes arose from the data: Current lapses in data collection at Vadu HDSS and current lapses in data management at Vadu HDSS. The response rate was 95.5%. We adopted the ISACA/COBIT 5 guidelines and ISO/IEC ISMS as benchmark to develop SOPs to guide data management life cycle activities in enforcing data quality assurance. We also included some guidelines that can be used in replicating the SOP at other research institution.MT201

Something Old and Something New: Exploring the Recent Amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence

This article provides a practical, nuts and bolts approach to understanding the new amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence and the proposed changes to Rule 807, with a focus on the policy rationale behind the new rules and pointers for how the new rules can affect evidentiary foundations. The article first addresses the amendment to Rule 803(16), providing the policy reasons prompting the change and offering alternative means of assessing hearsay issues for documents that will not meet the new threshold requirements. In Part II, this article analyzes the new self-authentication Rules 902 (13)-(14). The section begins with a discussion of the problems prompting the adoption of the new rules, then breaks down the requirements to satisfy the elements of the rules. This section then provides examples of the new rules\u27 application, and concludes with an analysis of potential Confrontation Clause issues raised by the amendments. Finally, this article sets forth the proposed amendments to Rule 807, the residual hearsay exception provision, and discusses the policy rationale behind the proposed changes

Flight Data Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) Repository

Dr. Daniel Winterhalter, NASA Engineering and Safety Center Chief Engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, requested the NASA Engineering and Safety Center sponsor a 3-year effort to collect entry, descent, and landing material and to establish a NASA-wide archive to serve the material. The principle focus of this task was to identify entry, descent, and landing repository material that was at risk of being permanently lost due to damage, decay, and undocumented storage. To provide NASA-wide access to this material, a web-based digital archive was created. This document contains the outcome of the effort

Special Libraries, December 1977

Volume 68, Issue 12https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1977/1008/thumbnail.jp

E-book adoption in academic and research libraries

Electronic books (e-books) have grown in importance in Academic and Research Libraries (ARLs). Some ARLs are now spending more on e-book acquisitions than hardcopy books. Whether this investment in e-book provision is justified by adoption outcomes is often the subject of simplistic, rather than rigorous research. This research has attempted to rigorously explore the phenomenon of e-book adoption in a case study ARL, namely, Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library. The study population consisted of ECU academics, students and non-academic staff. The research had three aims. First, by employing a theoretical framework based on technology adoption and information behaviour theory, the study sought explanations of adoption behaviours in the population. In a triangular research design, that included a survey, ECU users were invited to self-describe their own patterns of e-book behaviour. Survey data was used to determine if behaviour observed in transactions could be explained in terms of constructs derived from technology acceptance, information behaviour and other domain theories that seek to understand user interaction with information sources. Next, applying log analysis techniques to system-generated datasets of e-book usage, the researcher documented and analysed patterns of ECU e-book user behaviour in terms of the transaction record. Lastly, the study investigated whether transaction logs could be used with high reliability to profile users’ information behaviour providing the basis of a method for e-book individualisation. The study attempted to profile power users and to derive a predictive method for identifying them in log data. The study found many factors in technology acceptance theory that were significant in terms of adoption behaviour. E-book adoption in the case study ARL was found to be related to culture of use across the dimensions of habit/automaticity, preference for online resources and platforms, and information literacy. E-book collection sufficiency, purpose or task fit, convenience, functionality, and access/copy/print/download provisions were found to be significant in terms of performance expectancy. Dimensions of effort expectancy in finding/searching/reading e-books also significantly affected user behaviour. Other significant relations comprised perceived e-book hedonic attributes (pleasantness of experience, attractiveness of formats), familiarity (awareness, prior experience, differentiability), intimacy (personal likeness, emotional attachment, preferences), facilitating conditions (such as discovery, findability, connectivity/access, courseware embedded links), moderating factors (including respondent category, student programme, age, gender, and experience/years). These factors were found to be significant as sources of gratification and continuance intention. An original contribution to knowledge was also made by deriving a predictive equation for classifying users based on transaction log data. Further, the research developed a new model of higher level information behaviours displayed by sophisticated or so-called ‘power users,’ and generated a model of e-book information behaviour maturity that distinguishes nascent from mature behaviours. The model is grounded in self-reported information behaviour. As an expansive exploration of e-book usage patterns in a case study ARL using multiple methods, the work is also innovative both in terms of scope and as an exploration of e-book adoption in an Australian context. This research is significant in laying the foundations for machine-based user profiling and enhanced individualisation of e-books to make for more satisfying user experience and acceptance of e-books