Teaching and learning in information retrieval

A literature review of pedagogical methods for teaching and learning information retrieval is presented. From the analysis of the literature a taxonomy was built and it is used to structure the paper. Information Retrieval (IR) is presented from different points of view: technical levels, educational goals, teaching and learning methods, assessment and curricula. The review is organized around two levels of abstraction which form a taxonomy that deals with the different aspects of pedagogy as applied to information retrieval. The first level looks at the technical level of delivering information retrieval concepts, and at the educational goals as articulated by the two main subject domains where IR is delivered: computer science (CS) and library and information science (LIS). The second level focuses on pedagogical issues, such as teaching and learning methods, delivery modes (classroom, online or e-learning), use of IR systems for teaching, assessment and feedback, and curricula design. The survey, and its bibliography, provides an overview of the pedagogical research carried out in the field of IR. It also provides a guide for educators on approaches that can be applied to improving the student learning experiences

Microstructural and molecular level characterisation of plastic crystal phases of pyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonyl salts

Ambient temperature conductive plastic crystal phases of alkylmethylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonyl amide (TFSA) salts are studied using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to examine the role of vacancy size and concentration in conductivity. The ethyl methylpyrrolidinium TFSA salt (P12 TFSA) has larger vacancies and a greater concentration of vacancies than the dimethylpyrrolidinium TFSA salt (P11 TFSA) over the temperature range investigated. The relative vacancy size and concentration vary with temperature and reflect the solid&ndash;solid transitions as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). P12 TFSA has greater conductivity than P11 TFSA and has furthermore been observed to exhibit slip planes at room temperature. P12 TFSA has greater entropy changes associated with solid&ndash;solid phase transitions below the melting point than P11 TFSA possibly indicating greater rotational freedom in P12 TFSA. These results support the notion that the diffusion, conduction, and plastic flow properties of the pyrrolidinium TFSA salts are derived from the lattice vacancies.<br /

a term is known by the company it keeps”: On selecting a good expansion set in pseudo-relevance feedback

Abstract. It is well known that pseudo-relevance feedback (PRF) improves the retrieval performance of Information Retrieval (IR) systems in general. However, a recent study by Cao et al [3] has shown that a non-negligible fraction of expansion terms used by PRF algorithms are harmful to the retrieval. In other words, a PRF algorithm would be better off if it were to use only a subset of the feedback terms. The challenge then is to find a good expansion set from the set of all candidate expansion terms. A natural approach to solve the problem is to make term independence assumption and use one or more term selection criteria or a statistical classifier to identify good expansion terms independent of each other. In this work, we challenge this approach and show empirically that a feedback term is neither good nor bad in itself in general; the behavior of a term depends very much on other expansion terms. Our finding implies that a good expansion set can not be found by making term independence assumption in general. As a principled solution to the problem, we propose spectral partitioning of expansion terms using a specific term-term interaction matrix. We demonstrate on several test collections that expansion terms can be partitioned into two sets and the best of the two sets gives substantial improvements in retrieval performance over model-based feedback

A Novel Combined Term Suggestion Service for Domain-Specific Digital Libraries

Interactive query expansion can assist users during their query formulation process. We conducted a user study with over 4,000 unique visitors and four different design approaches for a search term suggestion service. As a basis for our evaluation we have implemented services which use three different vocabularies: (1) user search terms, (2) terms from a terminology service and (3) thesaurus terms. Additionally, we have created a new combined service which utilizes thesaurus term and terms from a domain-specific search term re-commender. Our results show that the thesaurus-based method clearly is used more often compared to the other single-method implementations. We interpret this as a strong indicator that term suggestion mechanisms should be domain-specific to be close to the user terminology. Our novel combined approach which interconnects a thesaurus service with additional statistical relations out-performed all other implementations. All our observations show that domain-specific vocabulary can support the user in finding alternative concepts and formulating queries.Comment: To be published in Proceedings of Theories and Practice in Digital Libraries (TPDL), 201

Assessment of a rapid liquid-based cytology method for measuring sputum cell counts

Differential sputum cell counting is not widely available despite proven clinical utility in the management of asthma. We compared eosinophil counts obtained using liquid-based cytology (LBC), a routine histopathological processing method, and the current standard method. Eosinophil counts obtained using LBC were a strong predictor of sputum eosinophilia (≥3%) determined by the standard method suggesting LBC could be used in the management of asthma

Elective laparoscopic splenectomy for giant hemangioma: a case report

Although unusual, hemangioma is the most common primary splenic neoplasm. Splenectomy is indicated when the tumor is large, with increased risk of hemorrhage. The laparoscopic approach is preferred for most elective splenectomies. Although technically feasible, laparoscopic splenectomy can be a challenge in the patient with splenomegaly. We present herein a case of an 18-year-old male asymptomatic patient who underwent laparoscopic splenectomy for the incidental finding of splenomegaly caused by a large splenic hemangioma. Laparoscopic splenectomy appears to be a safe and effective procedure, in appropriately experienced hands, for patients with splenomegaly, given the spleen's fragile anatomy and its relationship to other abdominal viscera

Thermal analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and impedance spectroscopy of N,N-dimethyl-pyrrolidinium iodide: An ionic solid exhibiting rotator phases

N,N-dimethyl-pyrrolidinium iodide has been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, second moment calculations, and impedance spectroscopy. This pyrrolidinium salt exhibits two solid-solid phase transitions, one at 373 K having an entropy change, Delta S, of 38 J mol(-1) K-1 and one at 478 K having Delta S of 5.7 J mol(-1) K-1. The second moment calculations relate the lower temperature transition to a homogenization of the sample in terms of the mobility of the cations, while the high temperature phase transition is within the temperature region of isotropic tumbling of the cations. At higher temperatures a further decrease in the H-1 NMR linewidth is observed which is suggested to be due to diffusion of the cations. (C) 2005 American Institute of Physics

Совершенствование технологии сооружения подводных переходов трубопроводов проложенных методом горизонтально-направленного бурения

Цель работы – разработка рекомендаций по применению технологии прокладки трубопроводов методом горизонтально-направленного бурения с применением защитного устройства. В процессе исследования проводились сравнительная характеристика существующих методов бестраншейной прокладки трубопроводов, расчет основных характеристик подводного перехода, подбор защитного устройства, исследование напряженно-деформированного состояния трубопровода с помощью конечно-элементного моделирования в программном комплексе Ansys. В результате исследования подобраны оптимальные параметры подводного перехода, методом конечно-элементного моделирования в программном комплексе Ansys определено напряженно-деформированнон состояние трубопровода с защитным устройством и без него.The purpose of the work is to develop recommendations for the application of pipeline laying technology by the method of horizontal directional drilling using a protective device. In the process of the research, the existing methods of trenchless pipeline laying, the calculation of the main characteristics of the underwater crossing, the selection of the protective device, the study of the stress-strain state of the pipeline using finite element modeling in the software complex Ansys were compared. As a result of the research, optimal parameters of the underwater transition were selected, the finite element method in the software complex Ansys determined the stress-strain state of the pipeline with the protective device and without it