Entity Ranking on Graphs: Studies on Expert Finding

Todays web search engines try to offer services for finding various information in addition to simple web pages, like showing locations or answering simple fact queries. Understanding the association of named entities and documents is one of the key steps towards such semantic search tasks. This paper addresses the ranking of entities and models it in a graph-based relevance propagation framework. In particular we study the problem of expert finding as an example of an entity ranking task. Entity containment graphs are introduced that represent the relationship between text fragments on the one hand and their contained entities on the other hand. The paper shows how these graphs can be used to propagate relevance information from the pre-ranked text fragments to their entities. We use this propagation framework to model existing approaches to expert finding based on the entity's indegree and extend them by recursive relevance propagation based on a probabilistic random walk over the entity containment graphs. Experiments on the TREC expert search task compare the retrieval performance of the different graph and propagation models

PFTijah: text search in an XML database system

This paper introduces the PFTijah system, a text search system that is integrated with an XML/XQuery database management system. We present examples of its use, we explain some of the system internals, and discuss plans for future work. PFTijah is part of the open source release of MonetDB/XQuery

The Hvar survey for roAp stars: II. Final results (Research Note)

The 60 known rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars are excellent laboratories to test pulsation models in the presence of stellar magnetic fields. Our survey is dedicated to search for new group members in the Northern Hemisphere. We attempt to increase the number of known chemically peculiar stars that are known to be pulsationally unstable. About 40 h of new CCD photometric data of 21 roAp candidates, observed at the 1m Austrian-Croatian Telescope (Hvar Observatory) are presented. We carefully analysed these to search for pulsations in the frequency range of up to 10mHz. No new roAp star was detected among the observed targets. The distribution of the upper limits for roAp-like variations is similar to that of previoius similar efforts using photomultipliers and comparable telescope sizes. In addition to photometric observations, we need to consolidate spectroscopic information to select suitable targets.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

A comparison of the Nordtest and Japanese test methods for the moisture buffering performance of building materials

Two test methods, one worked out in a Nordtest project and the other available as a Japanese Industrial Standard, both developed to characterize building materials with respect to moisture buffering performance, are analyzed in detail by a numerical study on four different materials. Both test methods are based on a similar kind of dynamic loading, but the specifications of each test protocol vary. Therefore, the sensitivity of the test protocols is investigated by varying different protocol parameters. Subsequently, the practical applicability of the obtained values is investigated by confronting the values obtained for the four materials with the dynamic response of a small room with each of the materials used in turns as finishing material. Finally, the results determined according to the dynamic test protocol are compared with values calculated from steady-state material data.status: publishe

Роль информационных технологий в защите окружающей среды и здоровье человека

В этой статье анализируется роль информационных технологий (ИТ) в обеспечении общественного доступа к экологической информации. Также указаны отношения между применением ИТ и уровнем информированности общественности об окружающей среде и влияние этих отношений на охрану окружающей среды. В статье рассматривается роль ИТ в защите здоровья человека.This article analyzes the role of information technology (IT) in providing public access to environmental information. Also, the relationship between the application of IT and the level of public awareness of the environment and the impact of these relations on environmental protection are indicated. The article examines the role of IT in protecting human health

Spin relaxation of conduction electrons in bulk III-V semiconductors

Spin relaxation time of conduction electrons through the Elliot-Yafet, D'yakonov-Perel and Bir-Aronov-Pikus mechanisms is calculated theoretically for bulk GaAs, GaSb, InAs and InSb of both $n$- and $p$-type. Relative importance of each spin relaxation mechanism is compared and the diagrams showing the dominant mechanism are constructed as a function of temperature and impurity concentrations. Our approach is based upon theoretical calculation of the momentum relaxation rate and allows understanding of the interplay between various factors affecting the spin relaxation over a broad range of temperature and impurity concentration.Comment: an error in earlier version correcte

Generation of spin currents via Raman scattering

We show theoretically that stimulated spin flip Raman scattering can be used to inject spin currents in doped semiconductors with spin split bands. A pure spin current, where oppositely oriented spins move in opposite directions, can be injected in zincblende crystals and structures. The calculated spin current should be detectable by pump-probe optical spectroscopy and anomalous Hall effect measurement