Fast Algorithms for the Computation of Ranklets

Ranklets are orientation selective rank features with applications to tracking, face detection, texture and medical imaging. We introduce efficient algorithms that reduce their computational complexity from O(N logN) to O(!N + k), where N is the area of the filter. Timing tests show a speedup of one order of magnitude for typical usage, which should make Ranklets attractive for real-time applications

On the probabilistic logical modelling of quantum and geometrically-inspired IR

Information Retrieval approaches can mostly be classed into probabilistic, geometric or logic-based. Recently, a new unifying framework for IR has emerged that integrates a probabilistic description within a geometric framework, namely vectors in Hilbert spaces. The geometric model leads naturally to a predicate logic over linear subspaces, also known as quantum logic. In this paper we show the relation between this model and classic concepts such as the Generalised Vector Space Model, highlighting similarities and differences. We also show how some fundamental components of quantum-based IR can be modelled in a descriptive way using a well-established tool, i.e. Probabilistic Datalog

Making It Click: Using an Audience Response System to Engage Students and Assess Learning

As accessibility to technology in the classroom increases and promises to improve student engagement and performance, it is easy to be tempted into using wikis, blogs and clickers without fully understanding the implications of their use. Librarians and other educators continuously experiment with new technologies in an attempt to lure Millennials away from their iPods and cell phones, but without careful consideration of the pedagogy that supports the use of these new technologies, their effectiveness as learning tools is diminished. This session will focus on the use of an audience response system (“clickers”) to engage students in active learning during information literacy instruction. The pedagogy behind the use of an audience response system will be discussed; the presenter will offer examples and techniques for effectively employing clickers in an educational setting based on her experiences and current literature. The presenter will also explore data collection and assessment using an audience response system. After this session, participants will be able to: • Define what an audience response system is and identify its uses in educational settings • Develop the pedagogical framework for using an audience response system in their lesson plans • Create audience response lessons that engage students and foster active learning • Articulate their learning objectives as audience response questions that assess student comprehensio

Letting Students Take the Lead: Active Learning in the Library Classroom

Each fall reluctant first year students are herded into the academic library for a one-shot, sixty minute library session. Desperate to keep students’ eyes from glossing over and fingers from texting, librarians have tried everything from treasure hunts and games to murder mysteries and raves. But what if you do not have the time, staff, budget, or energy to orchestrate an hour of edutainment for thousands of students? In this session you will discover how one librarian managed to engage her students and reduce her stress by surrendering control and allowing the students to take the lead in the classroom. Attend this session and find out what happens when students teach their peers about library resources and services. The librarian will explain how she used a course management system, discovery learning, and small groups to create an introductory library session for first year students that did not bore them, or her, to death. In addition to sharing her lesson plan and facilitator tips, she will discuss the methods she used to assess student learning and the unexpected insights she gained about first year students’ information literacy skills

Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences for First Year Students

With only 55.5% of U.S. college students graduating with a bachelor’s degree within 6 years there is an obvious need for interventions that will help students adjust to college culture and teach learning habits that foster students’ abilities to persist to graduation. This presentation will illuminate the process of weaving together study skills, a common reading book and life on a college campus to design a cohesive first year seminar that facilitates student success

Metabolically Engineered Yeasts: 'Potential' Industrial Applications

Industrial biotechnology and metabolic engineering can offer an innovative approach to solving energy and pollution problems. The potential industrial applications of yeast are reviewed here