A simulated study of implicit feedback models

In this paper we report on a study of implicit feedback models for unobtrusively tracking the information needs of searchers. Such models use relevance information gathered from searcher interaction and can be a potential substitute for explicit relevance feedback. We introduce a variety of implicit feedback models designed to enhance an Information Retrieval (IR) system's representation of searchers' information needs. To benchmark their performance we use a simulation-centric evaluation methodology that measures how well each model learns relevance and improves search effectiveness. The results show that a heuristic-based binary voting model and one based on Jeffrey's rule of conditioning [5] outperform the other models under investigation

Kinetic equations for concurrent size and shape coarsening by the ledge mechanism

The kinetic equations describing concurrent size and shape coarsening of plate-and rod-shaped particles having shapes that deviate from equilibrium are presented. In the derivations, the assumption is made that some of the interfaces are fully or partially coherent and migrate by the ledge mechanism. Three different interfacial character combinations are considered. The analysis also assumes a small and constant volume fraction of particles so that the average matrix composition can be estimated from knowledge of the particle size distribution, the surface area available for atomic attachment/detachment, and the diffusion distance. The resultant flux equations are then used in a computer model to predict the coarsening behavior of an ensemble of nonequilibrium-shaped particles. Comparison of these results with those obtained from the traditional coarsening theory of Lifshitz and Slyosov1 and Wagner2 (LSW) show significant discrepancies. These differences are attributed to the invalidity of many assumptions made in the LSW theory when applied to solid:solid coarsening systems. © 1991 The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, and ASM International