Describing Scholarly Works with Dublin Core: A Functional Approach

This article describes the development of the Scholarly Works Application Profile (SWAP)—a Dublin Core application profile for describing scholarly texts. This work provides an active illustration of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) “Singapore Framework” for Application Profiles, presented at the DCMI Conference in 2007, by incorporating the various elements of Application Profile building as defined by this framework—functional requirements, domain model, description set profile, usage guidelines, and data format. These elements build on the foundations laid down by the Dublin Core Abstract Model and utilize a preexisting domain model (FR-BR—Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records) in order to support the representation of complex data describing multiple entities and their relationships. The challenges of engaging community acceptance and implementation will be covered, along with other related initiatives to support the growing corpus of scholarly resource types, such as data objects, geographic data, multimedia, and images whose structure and metadata requirements introduce the need for new application profiles. Finally, looking to other initiatives, the article will comment on how Dublin Core relates to the broader scholarly information world, where projects like Object Re-use and Exchange are attempting to better equip repositories to exchange resources

York Digital Library : an ecological view of interactions and systems

This case study of York Digital Library examines the development of a digital library of images at the University of York. In particular, it examines the project phase of the Fedora-based digital library and its provision of service to the History of Art department. The case study examines the technical, cultural, and human interactions of the digital library using the metaphor of an ecosystem. This approach is based on earlier work by the Repositories Research Tea

Multitraining support vector machine for image retrieval

Relevance feedback (RF) schemes based on support vector machines (SVMs) have been widely used in content-based image retrieval (CBIR). However, the performance of SVM-based RF approaches is often poor when the number of labeled feedback samples is small. This is mainly due to 1) the SVM classifier being unstable for small-size training sets because its optimal hyper plane is too sensitive to the training examples; and 2) the kernel method being ineffective because the feature dimension is much greater than the size of the training samples. In this paper, we develop a new machine learning technique, multitraining SVM (MTSVM), which combines the merits of the cotraining technique and a random sampling method in the feature space. Based on the proposed MTSVM algorithm, the above two problems can be mitigated. Experiments are carried out on a large image set of some 20 000 images, and the preliminary results demonstrate that the developed method consistently improves the performance over conventional SVM-based RFs in terms of precision and standard deviation, which are used to evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of a RF algorithm, respectively

Ground penetrating radar migration with uncertain parameters

The focusing principle of Kirchoff migration is described. This allows the introduction of optical focusing techniques that can be used to focus migration. Three focus measures are described that are useful for optimising migration. Simple optimisation routines are implemented that model uncertainties in the migration parameters. The focus measures are then used as cast functions to be maximised. Results show that these measures are useful in optimising migration when there are uncertainties in the parameter

The use of field-programmable gate arrays for the hardware acceleration of design automation tasks

This paper investigates the possibility of using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (Fr’GAS) as reconfigurable co-processors for workstations to produce moderate speedups for most tasks in the design process, resulting in a worthwhile overall design process speedup at low cost and allowing algorithm upgrades with no hardware modification. The use of FPGAS as hardware accelerators is reviewed and then achievable speedups are predicted for logic simulation and VLSI design rule checking tasks for various FPGA co-processor arrangements

Improvement of the coking properties of coal by the addition of oil.

This serves to introduce the present research and is chiefly historical. It deals briefly with methods of assessing the coking ability of coals and also with early modern, and contemporary investigations upon coke formation. The author's earlier work on the distillation of oil from coals is described fully since it forms both the starting point and the basis of the present research. This work showed the power of retention of oil which is capable of 'wetting' the surface of the coal, up to temperatures of 420 degrees C., was an essential characteristic of coking coals. Part II deals with attempts to add more oil mechanically to improve the coking performance of various coals

Image processing applications using a novel parallel computing machine based on reconfigurable logic

Zelig is a 32 physical node fine-grained computer employing field-programmable gate arrays. Its application to the high speed implementation of various image pre-processing operations (in particular binary morphology) is described together with typical speed-up result

The phosphatase activity of mammalian polynucleotide kinase takes precedence over its kinase activity in repair of single strand breaks

The dual function mammalian DNA repair enzyme, polynucleotide kinase (PNK), facilitates strand break repair through catalysis of 5′-hydroxyl phosphorylation and 3′-phosphate dephosphorylation. We have examined the relative activities of the kinase and phosphatase functions of PNK using a novel assay, which allows the simultaneous characterization of both activities in processing nicks and gaps containing both 3′-phosphate and 5′-hydroxyl. Under multiple turnover conditions the phosphatase activity of the purified enzyme is significantly more active than its kinase activity. Consistent with this result, phosphorylation of the 5′-hydroxyl is rate limiting in cell extract mediated-repair of a nicked substrate. On characterizing the effects of individually mutating the two active sites of PNK we find that while site-directed mutagenesis of the kinase domain of PNK does not affect its phosphatase activity, disruption of the phosphatase domain also abrogates kinase function. This loss of kinase function requires the presence of a 3′-phosphate, but it need not be present in the same strand break as the 5′-hydroxyl. PNK preferentially binds 3′-phosphorylated substrates and DNA binding to the phosphatase domain blocks further DNA binding by the kinase domain

Community land: Proposals for a local authority land scheme, based on a financial study of the Community Land Act, 1975

From an analysis of the financial arrangements of the Community Land Act, this dissertation proposes an alternative framework for a local authority land scheme. The Community Land Act, which enabled local authorities to take development land into public ownership in order to ensure that its development was in the best interests of "the community", was passed by a Labour Government in 1975 and vigorously opposed throughout its existence by the Conservative Party. Chapter 1 outlines the political controversy that surrounded the Act's operation. Its dismantling and imminent repeal by the new Conservative Government comes as no surprise; but the Government stresses that this is on the grounds of its impracticality and not of political opposition. The retention of a high level of Development Land Tax (introduced a year later than the Community Land Act and designed to return a proportion of increases in land values to the community), and of the Land Authority for Wales (an executive body set up to implement the Land Act in the Principality), together with the establishment of Urban Development Corporations (redevelopment bodies to be equipped with broad powers of land acquisition and management), seem to indicate that the Conservative Party is not opposed in principle to public ownership of development land or at least a part of development value. The Government cites the Community Land Act's poor financial performance with respect to the amount of land it provided for development as the reason for its unacceptability. Thus perhaps a practical land scheme would enjoy acceptability and, unlike the Central Land Board of 1947 and the Land Commission of 1967, whose histories are outlined in chapter 2, would survive the short terms of party political power. This is felt to be particularly important to Planning as access to the ownership rights over development land gives the Planner the opportunity to see his proposals implemented in a positive way rather than negatively through existing development control mechanisms. The criteria for practicality and acceptability of a local authority land scheme are thought to be administrative efficiency and effectiveness of implementation and it is believed that both can be fulfilled through the provision of an adequate financial framework. The financial discipline introduced by the Community Land Act is classified in chapter 3 and examined in terms of three "Key Areas". The first of these deals with the administration of Central Government loan sanctions for the commencement of programmes; the second, with the operation of the Community Land Accounts for the continuation of programmes; and the three, with the division of surpluses and financing of deficits on the completion of programmes. For their analysis in chapter according to the experience of six local authorities in a variety of circumstances, another "Key Area"; of land dealing practices before and during the operation of the Community Land Act; is added. The study is carried out principally by means of Questionnaire sur*vey of Council Financial Officials. On the basis of the analysis, conclusions are drawn in chapter 5 as to the suitability of the Land Act's financial arrangements to local authority land dealing, and recommendations are made in chapter 6 for the efficient administration and effective implementation of a future land scheme. If the financial framework of any such scheme is sound, it is thought that survival at the least will be assured and the Planning Profession will be given the opportunity of a fair trial in that which may have been its intended form of operation