On Document Relevance and Lexical Cohesion between Query Terms

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Lexical cohesion is a property of text, achieved through lexical-semantic relations between words in text. Most information retrieval systems make use of lexical relations in text only to a limited extent. In this paper we empirically investigate whether the degree of lexical cohesion between the contexts of query terms' occurrences in a document is related to its relevance to the query. Lexical cohesion between distinct query terms in a document is estimated on the basis of the lexical-semantic relations (repetition, synonymy, hyponymy and sibling) that exist between there collocates - words that co-occur with them in the same windows of text. Experiments suggest significant differences between the lexical cohesion in relevant and non-relevant document sets exist. A document ranking method based on lexical cohesion shows some performance improvements. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Mapping the cellular electrophysiology of rat sympathetic preganglionic neurones to their roles in cardiorespiratory reflex integration:A whole cell recording study in situ

Sympathetic preganglionic neurones (SPNs) convey sympathetic activity flowing from the CNS to the periphery to reach the target organs. Although previous in vivo and in vitro cell recording studies have explored their electrophysiological characteristics, it has not been possible to relate these characteristics to their roles in cardiorespiratory reflex integration. We used the working heart–brainstem preparation to make whole cell patch clamp recordings from T3–4 SPNs (n = 98). These SPNs were classified by their distinct responses to activation of the peripheral chemoreflex, diving response and arterial baroreflex, allowing the discrimination of muscle vasoconstrictor-like (MVC(like), 39%) from cutaneous vasoconstrictor-like (CVC(like), 28%) SPNs. The MVC(like) SPNs have higher baseline firing frequencies (2.52 ± 0.33 Hz vs. CVC(like) 1.34 ± 0.17 Hz, P = 0.007). The CVC(like) have longer after-hyperpolarisations (314 ± 36 ms vs. MVC(like) 191 ± 13 ms, P < 0.001) and lower input resistance (346 ± 49  MΩ vs. MVC(like) 496 ± 41 MΩ, P < 0.05). MVC(like) firing was respiratory-modulated with peak discharge in the late inspiratory/early expiratory phase and this activity was generated by both a tonic and respiratory-modulated barrage of synaptic events that were blocked by intrathecal kynurenate. In contrast, the activity of CVC(like) SPNs was underpinned by rhythmical membrane potential oscillations suggestive of gap junctional coupling. Thus, we have related the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of two classes of SPNs in situ to their roles in cardiorespiratory reflex integration and have shown that they deploy different cellular mechanisms that are likely to influence how they integrate and shape the distinctive sympathetic outputs

Separability and entanglement of four-mode Gaussian states

The known Peres-Horodecki criterion and scaling criterion of separability are considered on examples of three-mode and four-mode Gaussian states of electromagnetic field. It is shown that the principal minors of the photon quadrature dispersion matrix are sensitive to the change of scaling parameters. An empirical observation has shown that the bigger the modulus of negative principal minors, the more entangled the state.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Etched distributed Bragg reflectors as three-dimensional photonic crystals: photonic bands and density of states

The photonic band dispersion and density of states (DOS) are calculated for the three-dimensional (3D) hexagonal structure corresponding to a distributed Bragg reflector patterned with a 2D triangular lattice of circular holes. Results for the Si/SiO$_2$ and GaAs/AlGaAs systems determine the optimal parameters for which a gap in the 2D plane occurs and overlaps the 1D gap of the multilayer. The DOS is considerably reduced in correspondence with the overlap of 2D and 1D gaps. Also, the local density of states (i.e., the DOS weighted with the squared electric field at a given point) has strong variations depending on the position. Both results imply substantial changes of spontaneous emission rates and patterns for a local emitter embedded in the structure and make this system attractive for the fabrication of a 3D photonic crystal with controlled radiative properties.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev.

Moderate hypothermia within 6 h of birth plus inhaled xenon versus moderate hypothermia alone after birth asphyxia (TOBY-Xe): a proof-of-concept, open-label, randomised controlled trial

Background Moderate cooling after birth asphyxia is associated with substantial reductions in death and disability, but additional therapies might provide further benefit. We assessed whether the addition of xenon gas, a promising novel therapy, after the initiation of hypothermia for birth asphyxia would result in further improvement. Methods Total Body hypothermia plus Xenon (TOBY-Xe) was a proof-of-concept, randomised, open-label, parallel-group trial done at four intensive-care neonatal units in the UK. Eligible infants were 36–43 weeks of gestational age, had signs of moderate to severe encephalopathy and moderately or severely abnormal background activity for at least 30 min or seizures as shown by amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), and had one of the following: Apgar score of 5 or less 10 min after birth, continued need for resuscitation 10 min after birth, or acidosis within 1 h of birth. Participants were allocated in a 1:1 ratio by use of a secure web-based computer-generated randomisation sequence within 12 h of birth to cooling to a rectal temperature of 33·5°C for 72 h (standard treatment) or to cooling in combination with 30% inhaled xenon for 24 h started immediately after randomisation. The primary outcomes were reduction in lactate to N-acetyl aspartate ratio in the thalamus and in preserved fractional anisotropy in the posterior limb of the internal capsule, measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy and MRI, respectively, within 15 days of birth. The investigator assessing these outcomes was masked to allocation. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00934700, and with ISRCTN, as ISRCTN08886155. Findings The study was done from Jan 31, 2012, to Sept 30, 2014. We enrolled 92 infants, 46 of whom were randomly assigned to cooling only and 46 to xenon plus cooling. 37 infants in the cooling only group and 41 in the cooling plus xenon group underwent magnetic resonance assessments and were included in the analysis of the primary outcomes. We noted no significant differences in lactate to N-acetyl aspartate ratio in the thalamus (geometric mean ratio 1·09, 95% CI 0·90 to 1·32) or fractional anisotropy (mean difference −0·01, 95% CI −0·03 to 0·02) in the posterior limb of the internal capsule between the two groups. Nine infants died in the cooling group and 11 in the xenon group. Two adverse events were reported in the xenon group: subcutaneous fat necrosis and transient desaturation during the MRI. No serious adverse events were recorded. Interpretation Administration of xenon within the delayed timeframe used in this trial is feasible and apparently safe, but is unlikely to enhance the neuroprotective effect of cooling after birth asphyxia

Scaling Separability Criterion: Application To Gaussian States

We introduce examples of three- and four-mode entangled Gaussian mixed states that are not detected by the scaling and Peres-Horodecki separability criteria. The presented modification of the scaling criterion resolves this problem. Also it is shown that the new criterion reproduces the main features of the scaling pictures for different cases of entangled states, while the previous versions lead to completely different outcomes. This property of the presented scheme is evidence of its higher generality.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Neural Networks for Information Retrieval

Machine learning plays a role in many aspects of modern IR systems, and deep learning is applied in all of them. The fast pace of modern-day research has given rise to many different approaches for many different IR problems. The amount of information available can be overwhelming both for junior students and for experienced researchers looking for new research topics and directions. Additionally, it is interesting to see what key insights into IR problems the new technologies are able to give us. The aim of this full-day tutorial is to give a clear overview of current tried-and-trusted neural methods in IR and how they benefit IR research. It covers key architectures, as well as the most promising future directions.Comment: Overview of full-day tutorial at SIGIR 201