2,968 research outputs found
A series of case studies to enhance the social utility of RSS
RSS (really simple syndication, rich site summary or RDF site summary) is a dialect of
XML that provides a method of syndicating on-line content, where postings consist of
frequently updated news items, blog entries and multimedia. RSS feeds, produced by
organisations or individuals, are often aggregated, and delivered to users for consumption
via readers. The semi-structured format of RSS also allows the delivery/exchange of
machine-readable content between different platforms and systems.
Articles on web pages frequently include icons that represent social media services
which facilitate social data. Amongst these, RSS feeds deliver data which is typically
presented in the journalistic style of headline, story and snapshot(s). Consequently, applications
and academic research have employed RSS on this basis. Therefore, within the
context of social media, the question arises: can the social function, i.e. utility, of RSS be
enhanced by producing from it data which is actionable and effective?
This thesis is based upon the hypothesis that the
fluctuations in the keyword frequencies
present in RSS can be mined to produce actionable and effective data, to enhance
the technology's social utility. To this end, we present a series of laboratory-based case
studies which demonstrate two novel and logically consistent RSS-mining paradigms. Our first paradigm allows users to define mining rules to mine data from feeds. The second
paradigm employs a semi-automated classification of feeds and correlates this with sentiment.
We visualise the outputs produced by the case studies for these paradigms, where
they can benefit users in real-world scenarios, varying from statistics and trend analysis
to mining financial and sporting data.
The contributions of this thesis to web engineering and text mining are the demonstration
of the proof of concept of our paradigms, through the integration of an array of
open-source, third-party products into a coherent and innovative, alpha-version prototype
software implemented in a Java JSP/servlet-based web application architecture
What type of student avails of mathematics support and extra mathematics initiatives?
Most mathematics support initiatives aim to help st
ruggling
or at-risk students. However, studies show that st
udents who avail
themselves of mathematics support vary both in term
s of their ability
and their reasons for seeking extra support. It is
also well known that a
considerable number of at-risk students do not avai
l themselves of
support services. To provide efficient and effecti
ve supports it is
important to have a description of the type of stud
ents attending or not
attending and the reasons why. We present an overv
iew of the initial
findings of two research projects on these topics.
We will discuss
preliminary findings from a study of repeat and non
-repeat
mathematics students which suggests several reasons
(not necessarily
related to ability) why students do not avail thems
elves of mathematics
support. We will also present evidence that at-ris
k first year students
are more likely to attend the Mathematics Support C
entre than
students who are not deemed to be at-risk. However
, a significant
minority of at-risk students do not avail themselve
s of the supports
offered
How do students deal with difficulties in mathematics?
We report on a study carried out by the Mathematics Department at the National University of Ireland Maynooth to determine why students do or do not engage with mathematics support. Initial interviews were conducted with students who had failed first year. This paper gives preliminary findings from interviews with a second group of students who had passed first year. Students were chosen who had similar mathematical backgrounds to the first group and who had all engaged with mathematics. The students’ mathematical backgrounds do not appear to be the only major factor in determining engagement. We found that both groups experienced similar difficulties and problems. However, the second group had several different strategies or coping mechanisms to enable them to get through. We compare the two groups and will discuss some of these coping mechanisms in detail
Why do students not avail themselves of mathematics support?
The Mathematics Department at the National University of Ireland Maynooth has
many supports in place to help students if they experience difficulties. These include
small group tutorials, online refresher courses, workshops, and a successful drop-in
mathematics support centre. Research has shown that students who take advantage
of these services have a greater chance of succeeding in examinations than those who
do not, (Mac an Bhaird, Morgan, and O’Shea 2009). However, a small minority of
at-risk students do not take advantage of the support available. The aim of our study
is to investigate the reasons why some students who are experiencing difficulties do
not seek help
Structure and stereochemistry of the base excision repair glycosylase MutY reveal a mechanism similar to retaining glycosidases.
MutY adenine glycosylases prevent DNA mutations by excising adenine from promutagenic 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (OG):A mismatches. Here, we describe structural features of the MutY active site bound to an azaribose transition state analog which indicate a catalytic role for Tyr126 and approach of the water nucleophile on the same side as the departing adenine base. The idea that Tyr126 participates in catalysis, recently predicted by modeling calculations, is strongly supported by mutagenesis and by seeing close contact between the hydroxyl group of this residue and the azaribose moiety of the transition state analog. NMR analysis of MutY methanolysis products corroborates a mechanism for adenine removal with retention of stereochemistry. Based on these results, we propose a revised mechanism for MutY that involves two nucleophilic displacement steps akin to the mechanisms accepted for 'retaining' O-glycosidases. This new-for-MutY yet familiar mechanism may also be operative in related base excision repair glycosylases and provides a critical framework for analysis of human MutY (MUTYH) variants associated with inherited colorectal cancer
The Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies: Report on Research Findings in the U.K., Ireland, Canada and the U.S.
Migrants play an increasingly significant role in caring for the elderly due to a growing number of older people and declining domestic labour supplies, according to this report in the IOM Migration Research Series. It examines the demand for migrant care workers; compares the experiences of migrants, employers and older people; and presents recommendations for addressing the increasing significance of elder care and its implications for migrant labour
A series of case studies to enhance the social utility of RSS
RSS (really simple syndication, rich site summary or RDF site summary) is a dialect of
XML that provides a method of syndicating on-line content, where postings consist of
frequently updated news items, blog entries and multimedia. RSS feeds, produced by
organisations or individuals, are often aggregated, and delivered to users for consumption
via readers. The semi-structured format of RSS also allows the delivery/exchange of
machine-readable content between different platforms and systems.
Articles on web pages frequently include icons that represent social media services
which facilitate social data. Amongst these, RSS feeds deliver data which is typically
presented in the journalistic style of headline, story and snapshot(s). Consequently, applications
and academic research have employed RSS on this basis. Therefore, within the
context of social media, the question arises: can the social function, i.e. utility, of RSS be
enhanced by producing from it data which is actionable and effective?
This thesis is based upon the hypothesis that the
fluctuations in the keyword frequencies
present in RSS can be mined to produce actionable and effective data, to enhance
the technology's social utility. To this end, we present a series of laboratory-based case
studies which demonstrate two novel and logically consistent RSS-mining paradigms. Our first paradigm allows users to define mining rules to mine data from feeds. The second
paradigm employs a semi-automated classification of feeds and correlates this with sentiment.
We visualise the outputs produced by the case studies for these paradigms, where
they can benefit users in real-world scenarios, varying from statistics and trend analysis
to mining financial and sporting data.
The contributions of this thesis to web engineering and text mining are the demonstration
of the proof of concept of our paradigms, through the integration of an array of
open-source, third-party products into a coherent and innovative, alpha-version prototype
software implemented in a Java JSP/servlet-based web application architecture
The Birth of a Galaxy: Primordial Metal Enrichment and Stellar Populations
By definition, Population III stars are metal-free, and their protostellar
collapse is driven by molecular hydrogen cooling in the gas-phase, leading to
large characteristic masses. Population II stars with lower characteristic
masses form when the star-forming gas reaches a critical metallicity of 10^{-6}
- 10^{-3.5} Z_\odot. We present an adaptive mesh refinement radiation
hydrodynamics simulation that follows the transition from Population III to II
star formation. The maximum spatial resolution of 1 comoving parsec allows for
individual molecular clouds to be well-resolved and their stellar associations
to be studied in detail. We model stellar radiative feedback with adaptive ray
tracing. A top-heavy initial mass function for the Population III stars is
considered, resulting in a plausible distribution of pair-instability
supernovae and associated metal enrichment. We find that the gas fraction
recovers from 5 percent to nearly the cosmic fraction in halos with merger
histories rich in halos above 10^7 solar masses. A single pair-instability
supernova is sufficient to enrich the host halo to a metallicity floor of
10^{-3} Z_\odot and to transition to Population II star formation. This
provides a natural explanation for the observed floor on damped Lyman alpha
(DLA) systems metallicities reported in the literature, which is of this order.
We find that stellar metallicities do not necessarily trace stellar ages, as
mergers of halos with established stellar populations can create superpositions
of t-Z evolutionary tracks. A bimodal metallicity distribution is created after
a starburst occurs when the halo can cool efficiently through atomic line
cooling.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures; replaced with accepted version to ApJ;
additional movies and images can be found at
http://www.astro.princeton.edu/~jwise/research/GalaxyBirth.htm
- …