User - Thesaurus Interaction in a Web-Based Database: An Evaluation of Users' Term Selection Behaviour

A major challenge faced by users during the information search and retrieval process is the selection of search terms for query formulation and expansion. Thesauri are recognised as one source of search terms which can assist users in query construction and expansion. As the number of electronic thesauri attached to information retrieval systems has grown, a range of interface facilities and features have been developed to aid users in formulating their queries. The pilot study reported here aimed to explore and evaluate how a thesaurus-enhanced search interface assisted end-users in selecting search terms. Specifically, it focused on the evaluation of users' attitudes toward both the thesaurus and its interface as tools for facilitating search term selection for query expansion. Thesaurusbased searching and browsing behaviours adopted by users while interacting with a thesaurus-enhanced search interface were also examined

Thesauri on the Web: current developments and trends

This article provides an overview of recent developments relating to the application of thesauri in information organisation and retrieval on the World Wide Web. It describes some recent thesaurus projects undertaken to facilitate resource description and discovery and access to wide-ranging information resources on the Internet. Types of thesauri available on the Web, thesauri integrated in databases and information retrieval systems, and multiple-thesaurus systems for cross-database searching are also discussed. Collective efforts and events in addressing the standardisation and novel applications of thesauri are briefly reviewed

Implicit and explicit risk perception, affect, and trust : an investigation of food "traffic lights"

Obesity is a health problem in many developed countries and is a growing problem worldwide. In an effort to improve food choices the "traffic lights" nutritional labelling system has been developed. This system informs consumers of the relative (low, medium, high) levels of fat, saturated fats, sugar, and salt, along with energy information. There is debate over what type of thought processing drives perceptions of affect (or emotion) and risk regarding food products. These are System 1 (quick, intuitive) processing and System 2 (slower, deliberative) processing. In order to capture data on both types of processing, we used explicit and implicit measures (we developed an implicit measure of risk for this study). We also investigated the relationships of risk with affect, and trust. The results showed the presence of food "traffic lights" sometimes influenced both risk and affect perceptions but this was more pronounced for explicit measures. We also found that high risk was associated with negative affect, and low risk with positive affect, with larger effects when the “traffic lights” were present. We concluded that "traffic lights" can influence risk perception at both explicit and implicit levels but the influence was stronger if either the risk information was clear or the person was consciously evaluating the risk. Future research was discussed

Thesaurus-assisted search term selection and query expansion: a review of user-centred studies

This paper provides a review of the literature related to the application of domain-specific thesauri in the search and retrieval process. Focusing on studies which adopt a user-centred approach, the review presents a survey of the methodologies and results from empirical studies undertaken on the use of thesauri as sources of term selection for query formulation and expansion during the search process. It summaries the ways in which domain-specific thesauri from different disciplines have been used by various types of users and how these tools aid users in the selection of search terms. The review consists of two main sections covering, firstly studies on thesaurus-aided search term selection and secondly those dealing with query expansion using thesauri. Both sections are illustrated with case studies that have adopted a user-centred approach

Monitoring parasitic abundance in cage-based aquaculture : the effects of clustering

Most discussions of sampling protocols within the literature on monitoring aquatic parasites are based on the assumptions of simple random sampling. There has been a growing recognition within the fields of human and terrestrial veterinary epidemiology that data are often collected from individuals within clusters where such assumptions are not valid. These circumstances arise when monitoring ectoparasitic sea lice on Scottish salmon farms. In previous work the authors have demonstrated that significant intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) values are associated with cage-level abundance of sea lice, particularly when the parasite reaches its adult stage of development. In this paper two sets of data from Scottish farms with ICC values for adult L. salmonis of 0.35 [0.08-0.72, 95%CI] and for adult C. elongatus of 0.42 [0.14-0.66, 95%CI] are used to investigate the implications of clustering. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is used to illustrate the effect of various sampling approaches. The protocols simulated reflect those typically used across a range of countries and production environments in which salmon are currently reared. By illustrating clearly from empirical data sets what is known by theoretical argument it is hoped that guidelines for sampling parasites, and disease monitoring more generally, within aquaculture will in future incorporate appropriate consideration of issues related to the clustering that is typically present in cage-based production systems

Assessing the impact of user interaction with thesaural knowledge structures: a quantitative analysis framework

Thesauri have been important information and knowledge organisation tools for more than three decades. The recent emergence and phenomenal growth of the World Wide Web has created new opportunities to introduce thesauri as information search and retrieval aids to end user communities. While the number of web-based and hypertextual thesauri continues to grow, few investigations have yet been carried out to evaluate how end-users, for whom all these efforts are ostensibly made, interact with and make use of thesauri for query building and expansion. The present paper reports a pilot study carried out to determine the extent to which a thesaurus-enhanced search interface to a web-based database aided end-users in their selection of search terms. The study also investigated the ways in which users interacted with the thesaurus structure, terms, and interface. Thesaurus-based searching and browsing behaviours adopted by users while interacting with the thesaurus-enhanced search interface were also examined

The safety case and the lessons learned for the reliability and maintainability case

This paper examine the safety case and the lessons learned for the reliability and maintainability case

Estimating risk when zero events have been observed

Assessing the risk of complications or adverse events following an intervention presents challenges when they have not yet occurred. Suppose, for instance, a chronic shortage of cardiac telemetry beds has prompted a hospital to implement a new policy that places low-risk patients admitted to ‘rule out myocardial infarction’ in regular ward beds (ie, with no telemetry). After 6 months and the admission of 100 such patients, no cardiac arrests or other untoward events have occurred. This absence of harm (ie, zero adverse events) indicates a low risk, but clearly we cannot infer a risk of zero on the basis of only 100 patients. But, what can we say about the true underlying risk

Guest editorial

Significant resources are currently being spent on establishing offshore renewable energy systems such as wind and wave energy with recent trends to move sites to increased distances from shore and to greater water depths to exploit more energetic climatic conditions. The wind power industry has grown considerably over the past 15 years, but other offshore technologies such as wave and tidal energy have also emerged. With this trend to moving further offshore, technological and logistical challenges have emerged. Currently, the relative immaturity of energy conversion technologies and operational uncertainties make the cost of energy high compared to other more convetional enerty souces. Maintaining existing assets and developing strategies for new assets become a challenge and have a key empact on downtime and lost revenue. Hight quality research helps to ensure that offshore renewable energy becomes and economically viable alternative to conventional energy sources

The use of prevalence as a measure of lice burden: a case study of Lepeophtheirus salmonis on Scottish Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., farms

This study investigates the benefits of using prevalence as a summary measure of sea lice infestation on farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. Aspects such as sampling effort, the relationship between abundance and prevalence arising from the negative binomial distribution, and how this relationship can be used to indicate the degree of aggregation of lice on a site at a given time point are discussed. As a case study, data were drawn from over 50 commercial Atlantic salmon farms on the west coast of Scotland between 2002 and 2006. Descriptive statistics and formal analysis using a linear modelling technique identified significant variations in sea lice prevalence across year class, region and season. Supporting evidence of a functional relationship between prevalence and abundance of sea lice is provided, which is explained through the negative binomial distribution