Query-related data extraction of hidden web documents

The larger amount of information on the Web is stored in document databases and is not indexed by general-purpose search engines (i.e., Google and Yahoo). Such information is dynamically generated through querying databases — which are referred to as Hidden Web databases. Documents returned in response to a user query are typically presented using templategenerated Web pages. This paper proposes a novel approach that identifies Web page templates by analysing the textual contents and the adjacent tag structures of a document in order to extract query-related data. Preliminary results demonstrate that our approach effectively detects templates and retrieves data with high recall and precision

Information extraction from template-generated hidden web documents

The larger amount of information on the Web is stored in document databases and is not indexed by general-purpose search engines (such as Google and Yahoo). Databases dynamically generate a list of documents in response to a user query – which are referred to as Hidden Web databases. Such documents are typically presented to users as templategenerated Web pages. This paper presents a new approach that identifies Web page templates in order to extract queryrelated information from documents. We propose two forms of representation to analyse the content of a document – Text with Immediate Adjacent Tag Segments (TIATS) and Text with Neighbouring Adjacent Tag Segments (TNATS). Our techniques exploit tag structures that surround the textual contents of documents in order to detect Web page templates thereby extracting query-related information. Experimental results demonstrate that TNATS detects Web page templates most effectively and extracts information with high recall and precision

Feasibility of Geological Carbon Dioxide Storage; From Exploration to Implementation

This study utilises a range of techniques to investigate the feasibility of the geological storage of carbon dioxide. Three specific themes were addressed. Saline aquifers have been proposed as an attractive geological storage medium due to the theoretical storage capacity offered, despite the poor quality and quantity of date available to appraise them. Published methodologies are numerous, which attempt to refine the uncertainty by the introduction of capacity coefficients producing estimates with a variance of up to five orders of magnitude. The source of this uncertainty is investigated using Monte Carlo based sensitivity on a North Sea case study site. This shows the limitations and sources of error inherent in the application of such method. A new method is proposed to account for the limited available input data. Injectivity of geological reservoirs has been highlighted as a potential setback for CO2 storage. Reservoir hosted compartmentalising membrane seals are shown to permit CO2 migration without compromising storage integrity in three North Sea examples. The presence of oil as a wetting fluid in the substrate significantly reduces the capillary entry pressure of a membrane seal as a product of CO2 water contact angle of cos 85° to cos 90°. Cross fault flow rates are shown to be on operational timescales. CO2 storage projects have been cancelled as a consequence of public objection. Public Engagement has been proven to affect the public’s perception of CCS in both positive and negative directions by facilitating informed decision making. The perception of trust and impartiality are demonstrated to outdo the perception of knowledge and experience. Furthermore the perceived benefits of CCS are evidenced to be tempered by person’s preordained perception either of the technology, or those who advocate it

Strategies to increase organ donation

With the increasing prevalence of kidney failure, demand for kidney transplants outpaces kidneys available for transplantation. People who die in hospital under appropriate circumstances may be considered for potential organ donation. If their family consents and they are medically suitable, they become an actual donor. Efforts to increase potential donors have not translated to more actual donors. Potential donors declined due to perceived cancer transmission risk may be suitable under donation guidelines, presenting an avenue for increasing donation. Relying on SAFEBOD data (donors and recipients linked to health records), this thesis sought to: 1) identify missed opportunities for donation from deceased donors with perceived cancer, 2) evaluate the risk of receiving a transplant from a donor with cancer, 3) develop an economic model to assess the cost-effectiveness of strategies to increase utilisation of kidneys from deceased donors with brain cancer, and 4) explore variations to this model. Decisions about donors' medical suitability are often made with imperfect information (e.g., cancer reported by next-of-kin but not confirmed in health records). Among those declined due to perceived cancer, 29% were verified suitable (missed opportunities). Possible interventions are: 1) decision support, 2) real-time data-linkage, and 3) more risk tolerance. Cancer transmission is rare, especially from donors with brain cancer. No brain cancer transmissions were identified in SAFEBOD, and risk estimates are based on case reports. The economic model showed transplanting more kidneys from brain cancer donors improves health outcomes and saves money. More risk tolerance (accept grade IV brain cancers: 6.4% transmission risk) provides the most benefit, +18.6 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and $2.2m savings. Findings were robust to rigorous scenario and sensitivity analyses. Accepting more donors with brain cancer could increase donation and improve patient outcomes

Light harvesting for organic photovoltaics

The authors are grateful to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of the UK (grants EP/J009016/1 and EP/L017008/1) and the European Research Council (grant number 321305) for financial support. IDWS also acknowledges a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.The field of organic photovoltaics has developed rapidly over the last 2 decades, and small solar cells with power conversion efficiencies of 13% have been demonstrated. Light absorbed in the organic layers forms tightly bound excitons that are split into free electrons and holes using heterojunctions of electron donor and acceptor materials, which are then extracted at electrodes to give useful electrical power. This review gives a concise description of the fundamental processes in photovoltaic devices, with the main emphasis on the characterization of energy transfer and its role in dictating device architecture, including multilayer planar heterojunctions, and on the factors that impact free carrier generation from dissociated excitons. We briefly discuss harvesting of triplet excitons, which now attracts substantial interest when used in conjunction with singlet fission. Finally, we introduce the techniques used by researchers for characterization and engineering of bulk heterojunctions to realize large photocurrents, and examine the formed morphology in three prototypical blends.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

‘Pontinization’ of the medulla: two clinical case studies

The authors report 2 clinical cases of human brainstems where there is blurring of the boundary between the medulla and pons, leading to "pontinization" of the medull

Degradation and forgone removals increase the carbon impact of intact forest loss by 626%

Intact tropical forests, free from substantial anthropogenic influence, store and sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon but are currently neglected in international climate policy. We show that between 2000 and 2013, direct clearance of intact tropical forest areas accounted for 3.2% of gross carbon emissions from all deforestation across the pantropics. However, full carbon accounting requires the consideration of forgone carbon sequestration, selective logging, edge effects, and defaunation. When these factors were considered, the net carbon impact resulting from intact tropical forest loss between 2000 and 2013 increased by a factor of 6 (626%), from 0.34 (0.37 to 0.21) to 2.12 (2.85 to 1.00) petagrams of carbon (equivalent to approximately 2 years of global land use change emissions). The climate mitigation value of conserving the 549 million ha of tropical forest that remains intact is therefore significant but will soon dwindle if their rate of loss continues to accelerate

Sampling, information extraction and summarisation of Hidden Web databases

Hidden Web databases maintain a collection of specialised documents, which are dynamically generated using page templates. This paper presents the Two-Phase Sampling (2PS) technique that detects and extracts query-related information from documents contained in databases. 2PS is based on a two-phase framework for the sampling, information extraction and summarisation of Hidden Web documents. In the first phase, 2PS samples and stores documents for further analysis. In the second phase, it detects Web page templates from sampled documents and extracts relevant information from which a content summary is then generated. Experimental results demonstrate that 2PS effectively eliminates irrelevant information from sampled documents and generates terms and frequencies with improved accuracy