Models of Social Groups in Blogosphere Based on Information about Comment Addressees and Sentiments

This work concerns the analysis of number, sizes and other characteristics of groups identified in the blogosphere using a set of models identifying social relations. These models differ regarding identification of social relations, influenced by methods of classifying the addressee of the comments (they are either the post author or the author of a comment on which this comment is directly addressing) and by a sentiment calculated for comments considering the statistics of words present and connotation. The state of a selected blog portal was analyzed in sequential, partly overlapping time intervals. Groups in each interval were identified using a version of the CPM algorithm, on the basis of them, stable groups, existing for at least a minimal assumed duration of time, were identified.Comment: Gliwa B., Ko\'zlak J., Zygmunt A., Models of Social Groups in Blogosphere Based on Information about Comment Addressees and Sentiments, in the K. Aberer et al. (Eds.): SocInfo 2012, LNCS 7710, pp. 475-488, Best Paper Awar

Evaluating implicit feedback models using searcher simulations

In this article we describe an evaluation of relevance feedback (RF) algorithms using searcher simulations. Since these algorithms select additional terms for query modification based on inferences made from searcher interaction, not on relevance information searchers explicitly provide (as in traditional RF), we refer to them as implicit feedback models. We introduce six different models that base their decisions on the interactions of searchers and use different approaches to rank query modification terms. The aim of this article is to determine which of these models should be used to assist searchers in the systems we develop. To evaluate these models we used searcher simulations that afforded us more control over the experimental conditions than experiments with human subjects and allowed complex interaction to be modeled without the need for costly human experimentation. The simulation-based evaluation methodology measures how well the models learn the distribution of terms across relevant documents (i.e., learn what information is relevant) and how well they improve search effectiveness (i.e., create effective search queries). Our findings show that an implicit feedback model based on Jeffrey's rule of conditioning outperformed other models under investigation

Destruction of Neel order and appearance of superconductivity in electron-doped cuprates by oxygen annealing process

We use thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements to study the effect of oxygen annealing on the superconductivity and magnetism in Pr$_{0.88}$LaCe$_{0.12}$CuO$_{4-\delta}$. Although the transition temperature $T_c$ measured by susceptibility and superconducting coherence length increase smoothly with gradual oxygen removal from the annealing process, bulk superconductivity, marked by a specific heat anomaly at $T_c$ and the presence of a neutron magnetic resonance, only appears abruptly when $T_c$ is close to the largest value. These results suggest that the effect of oxygen annealing must be first determined in order to establish a Ce-doping dependence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity phase diagram for electron-doped copper oxides.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.

Doping Dependence of Spin Dynamics in Electron-Doped Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2

The spin dynamics in single crystal, electron-doped Ba(Fe1-xCox)2As2 has been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering over the full range from undoped to the overdoped regime. We observe damped magnetic fluctuations in the normal state of the optimally doped compound (x=0.06) that share a remarkable similarity with those in the paramagnetic state of the parent compound (x=0). In the overdoped superconducting compound (x=0.14), magnetic excitations show a gap-like behavior, possibly related to a topological change in the hole Fermi surface (Lifshitz transition), while the imaginary part of the spin susceptibility prominently resembles that of the overdoped cuprates. For the heavily overdoped, non-superconducting compound (x=0.24) the magnetic scattering disappears, which could be attributed to the absence of a hole Fermi-surface pocket observed by photoemission.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, published versio

The Case for Dynamic Models of Learners' Ontologies in Physics

In a series of well-known papers, Chi and Slotta (Chi, 1992; Chi & Slotta, 1993; Chi, Slotta & de Leeuw, 1994; Slotta, Chi & Joram, 1995; Chi, 2005; Slotta & Chi, 2006) have contended that a reason for students' difficulties in learning physics is that they think about concepts as things rather than as processes, and that there is a significant barrier between these two ontological categories. We contest this view, arguing that expert and novice reasoning often and productively traverses ontological categories. We cite examples from everyday, classroom, and professional contexts to illustrate this. We agree with Chi and Slotta that instruction should attend to learners' ontologies; but we find these ontologies are better understood as dynamic and context-dependent, rather than as static constraints. To promote one ontological description in physics instruction, as suggested by Slotta and Chi, could undermine novices' access to productive cognitive resources they bring to their studies and inhibit their transition to the dynamic ontological flexibility required of experts.Comment: The Journal of the Learning Sciences (In Press

A targeted gene panel that covers coding, non-coding and short tandem repeat regions improves the diagnosis of patients with neurodegenerative diseases

Genetic testing for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is highly challenging because of genetic heterogeneity and overlapping manifestations. Targeted-gene panels (TGPs), coupled with next-generation sequencing (NGS), can facilitate the profiling of a large repertoire of ND-related genes. Due to the technical limitations inherent in NGS and TGPs, short tandem repeat (STR) variations are often ignored. However, STR expansions are known to cause such NDs as Huntington\u27s disease and spinocerebellar ataxias type 3 (SCA3). Here, we studied the clinical utility of a custom-made TGP that targets 199 NDs and 311 ND-associated genes on 118 undiagnosed patients. At least one known or likely pathogenic variation was found in 54 patients; 27 patients demonstrated clinical profiles that matched the variants; and 16 patients whose original diagnosis were refined. A high concordance of variant calling were observed when comparing the results from TGP and whole-exome sequencing of four patients. Our in-house STR detection algorithm has reached a specificity of 0.88 and a sensitivity of 0.82 in our SCA3 cohort. This study also uncovered a trove of novel and recurrent variants that may enrich the repertoire of ND-related genetic markers. We propose that a combined comprehensive TGPs-bioinformatics pipeline can improve the clinical diagnosis of NDs

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 and grapevine 'Pinot gris' virus are present in seedlings developed from seeds of infected grapevine plants

Nearly 80 different viruses belonging to different genera and families have been identified in grapevines, but their seed transmissibility remains largely unclear. Thus, the specific objective of this work is to monitor the presence of viruses in seedlings grown from seeds of virus-infected grapevine plants. Using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time RT-PCR, we showed the presence of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 2 (GLRaV-2), GLRaV-3, grapevine 'Pinot gris' virus (GPGV), grapevine rupestris stem pitting-associated virus (GRSPaV), grapevine virus A (GVA), and grapevine fleck virus (GFkV) in all tested parts including mature cane, leaf, petiole, young shoot, flower, berry skin, and seed of infected grapevine 'Moldova' plants. Furthermore, GLRaV-2 and GPGV were found in all tested seedlings developed from seeds of 'Moldova' plants, while the other four viruses were not detected. Our results provide the first evidence that GLRaV-2 and GPGV can be transmitted to progeny seedlings from seeds of infected grapevine plants

ASTROD, ASTROD I and their gravitational-wave sensitivities

ASTROD (Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices) is a mission concept with three spacecraft -- one near L1/L2 point, one with an inner solar orbit and one with an outer solar orbit, ranging coherently with one another using lasers to test relativistic gravity, to measure the solar system and to detect gravitational waves. ASTROD I with one spacecraft ranging optically with ground stations is the first step toward the ASTROD mission. In this paper, we present the ASTROD I payload and accelerometer requirements, discuss the gravitational-wave sensitivities for ASTROD and ASTROD I, and compare them with LISA and radio-wave PDoppler-tracking of spacecraft.Comment: presented to the 5th Edoardo Amaldi Conference (July 6-11, 2003) and submitted to Classical and Quantum Gravit