Looking at Vector Space and Language Models for IR using Density Matrices

In this work, we conduct a joint analysis of both Vector Space and Language Models for IR using the mathematical framework of Quantum Theory. We shed light on how both models allocate the space of density matrices. A density matrix is shown to be a general representational tool capable of leveraging capabilities of both VSM and LM representations thus paving the way for a new generation of retrieval models. We analyze the possible implications suggested by our findings.Comment: In Proceedings of Quantum Interaction 201

Phytochemicals Recovery from Grape Pomace: Extraction Improvement and Chemometric Study

In the last 20 years, an increased interest has been shown in the application of different types and combinations of enzymes to obtain phenolic extracts from grape pomace in order to maximize its valorization. Within this framework, the present study aims at improving the recovery of phenolic compounds from Merlot and Garganega pomace and at contributing to the scientific background of enzyme-assisted extraction. Five commercial cellulolytic enzymes were tested in different conditions. Phenolic compound extraction yields were analyzed via a Design of Experiments (DoE) methodology and a second extraction step with acetone was sequentially added. According to DoE, 2% w/w enzyme/substrate ratio was more effective than 1%, allowing a higher total phenol recovery, while the effect of incubation time (2 or 4 h) variation was more enzyme-dependent. Extracts were characterized via spectrophotometric and HPLC-DAD analyses. The results proved that enzymatic and acetone Merlot and Garganega pomace extracts were complex mixtures of compounds. The use of different cellulolytic enzymes led to different extract compositions, as demonstrated using PCA models. The enzyme effects were observed both in water enzymatic and in the subsequent acetone extracts, probably due to their specific grape cell wall degradation and leading to the recovery of different molecule arrays

Heavy Metals Bioindication Potential of the Common Weeds Senecio vulgaris L., Polygonum aviculare L. And Poa annua L

In recent years, heavy metals (HMs) levels in soil and vegetation have increased considerably due to traffic pollution. These pollutants can be taken up from the soil through the root system. The ability of plants to accumulate HMs into their tissues can therefore be used to monitor soil pollution. The aim of this study was to test the ruderal species Senecio vulgaris L., Polygonum aviculare L., and Poa annua L., as possible candidates for biomonitoring Cu, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in multiple environments. The soils analyzed in this work came from three different environments (urban, woodland, and ultramafic), and therefore deeply differed for their metal content, texture, pH, and organic matter (OM) content. All urban soils were characterized by high OM content and presence of anthropogenic metals like Pb, Zn, Cd, and Cu. Woodland soils were sandy and characterized by low metal content and low OM content, and ultramafic soils had high Ni and Cr content. This soil variability affected the bioindication properties of the three studied species, leading to the exclusion of most metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Cd, and Pb) and one species (P. aviculare) due to the lack of linear relations between metal in soil and metal in plants. Senecio vulgaris and Poa annua, conversely, appeared to be good indicators of Ni in all the soils tested. A high linear correlation between total Ni in soil and Ni concentration in P. annua shoots (R2 = 0.78) was found and similar results were achieved for S. vulgaris (R2 = 0.88)

Using the quantum probability ranking principle to rank interdependent documents

A known limitation of the Probability Ranking Principle (PRP) is that it does not cater for dependence between documents. Recently, the Quantum Probability Ranking Principle (QPRP) has been proposed, which implicitly captures dependencies between documents through “quantum interference”. This paper explores whether this new ranking principle leads to improved performance for subtopic retrieval, where novelty and diversity is required. In a thorough empirical investigation, models based on the PRP, as well as other recently proposed ranking strategies for subtopic retrieval (i.e. Maximal Marginal Relevance (MMR) and Portfolio Theory(PT)), are compared against the QPRP. On the given task, it is shown that the QPRP outperforms these other ranking strategies. And unlike MMR and PT, one of the main advantages of the QPRP is that no parameter estimation/tuning is required; making the QPRP both simple and effective. This research demonstrates that the application of quantum theory to problems within information retrieval can lead to significant improvements

Working for an algorithm:Power asymmetries and agency in online work settings

Drawing on interviews with 77 high-performing eBay business sellers, this article investigates the power asymmetries generated by customer evaluations in online work settings. Sellers' accounts revealed a high degree of sensitivity to negative reviews, which, while infrequent, triggered feelings of anxiety and vulnerability. These accounts exposed power asymmetries at two levels: the transactional level between sellers and customers, and the governance level between sellers and eBay. Our findings highlight three main mechanisms underlying power asymmetries in this context. First, online customer evaluations have created a new form of employee monitoring in which power is exercised through the construction of visibility gaps between buyers and sellers, and through an implicit coalition between buyers and the platform owner, who join together in the evaluation procedures. Second, by mediating and objectifying relations, algorithms reproduce power asymmetries among the different categories of actor, thereby constraining human agency. Third, online customer evaluations prompt sellers to exploit their practical knowledge of the algorithm to increase their agency. Through the lived experience of working for an algorithm, our findings contribute new understandings of power and agency in online work settings

Graphene-Paper-Based Electrodes on Plastic and Textile Supports as New Platforms for Amperometric Biosensing

The possibility of exfoliating graphite into graphene sheets allows the researchers to produce a material, termed “graphene paper” (G-paper), conductive as graphite but more flexible and processable. G-paper is already used for electronic applications, like conductors, antennas, and heaters, outperforming metal conductors thanks to its high flexibility, lightness, chemical stability, and compatibility with polymeric substrates. Here, the effectiveness in the use of G-paper for the realization of electrodes on flexible plastic substrates and textiles, and their applicability as amperometric sensors are demonstrated. The performance of these devices is compared with commercial platforms made of carbon-based inks, finding that they outperform commercial devices in sensing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), a key molecule for enzymatic biosensing; the electrodes can achieve state-of-the-art sensitivity (107.2 μA mm−1 cm−2) and limit of detection (0.6 × 10−6 m) with no need of additional functionalization. Thanks to this property, the stable deposition of a suitable enzyme, namely lactate dehydrogenase, on the electrode surface is used as a proof of concept of the applicability of this new platform for the realization of a biosensor. The possibility of having a single material suitable for antennas, electronics, and now sensing opens new opportunities for smart fabrics in wearable electronic applications

Social media and activism

This entry provides an overview of the ways in which social media and digital networks are contextualized and examined in relation to social movements and activism. A number of communicative practices that activists deploy are identified and the ways in which information and communication technology (ICT)-mediated practices are embedded in roles and functions relevant to activists and social movements are addressed giving attention to the importance of social ties and networks online and offline and to constraints and limitations of ICT use. Networks and communicative practices increasingly manifest themselves as a field of contention which is giving rise to a digital rights and freedoms agenda that is being embraced by activists, non-governmental organizations and social movements

The political identities of neighbourhood planning in England

The rise of neighbourhood planning has been characterised as another step in a remorseless de-politicisation of the public sphere. A policy initiated by the Coalition Government in England to create the conditions for local communities to support housing growth, neighbourhood planning appears to evidence a continuing retreat from political debate and contestation. Clear boundaries are established for the holistic integration of participatory democracy into the strategic plan-making of the local authority. These boundaries seek to take politics out of development decisions and exclude all issues of contention from discussion. They achieve this goal at the cost of arming participatory democracy with a collective identity around which new antagonisms may develop. Drawing on the post-political theories of Chantal Mouffe this paper identifies the return of antagonism and conflict to participation in spatial planning. Key to its argument is the concept of the boundary or frontier that in Mouffe’s theoretical framework institutionalises conflict between political entities. Drawing on primary research with neighbourhood development plans in England the paper explores how boundary conditions and boundary designations generate antagonism and necessitate political action. The paper charts the development of the collective identities that result from these boundary lines and argues for the potential for neighbourhood planning to restore political conflict to the politics of housing development

Visible-Light Assisted Covalent Surface Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheets with Arylazo Sulfones

We present an environmentally benign methodology for the covalent functionalization (arylation) of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets with arylazo sulfones. A variety of tagged aryl units were conveniently accommodated at the rGO surface via visible-light irradiation of suspensions of carbon nanostructured materials in aqueous media. Mild reaction conditions, absence of photosensitizers, functional group tolerance and high atomic fractions (XPS analysis) represent some of the salient features characterizing the present methodology. Control experiments for the mechanistic elucidation (Raman analysis) and chemical nanomanipulation of the tagged rGO surfaces are also reported