Automatic query formulations in information retrieval.

Modern information retrieval systems are designed to supply relevant information in response to requests received from the user population. In most retrieval environments the search requests consist of keywords, or index terms, interrelated by appropriate Boolean operators. Since it is difficult for untrained users to generate effective Boolean search requests, trained search intermediaries are normally used to translate original statements of user need into useful Boolean search formulations. Methods are introduced in this study which reduce the role of the search intermediaries by making it possible to generate Boolean search formulations completely automatically from natural language statements provided by the system patrons. Frequency considerations are used automatically to generate appropriate term combinations as well as Boolean connectives relating the terms. Methods are covered to produce automatic query formulations both in a standard Boolean logic system, as well as in an extended Boolean system in which the strict interpretation of the connectives is relaxed. Experimental results are supplied to evaluate the effectiveness of the automatic query formulation process, and methods are described for applying the automatic query formulation process in practice.     

A usage study of retrieval modalities for video shot retrieval

As an information medium, video offers many possible retrieval and browsing modalities, far more than text, image or audio. Some of these, like searching the text of the spoken dialogue, are well developed, others like keyframe browsing tools are in their infancy, and others not yet technically achievable. For those modalities for browsing and retrieval which we cannot yet achieve we can only speculate as to how useful they will actually be, but we do not know for sure. In our work we have created a system to support multiple modalities for video browsing and retrieval including text search through the spoken dialogue, image matching against shot keyframes and object matching against segmented video objects. For the last of these, automatic segmentation and tracking of video objects is a computationally demanding problem which is not yet solved for generic natural video material, and when it is then it is expected to open up possibilities for user interaction with objects in video, including searching and browsing. In this paper we achieve object segmentation by working in a closed domain of animated cartoons. We describe an interactive user experiment on a medium-sized corpus of video where we were able to measure users’ use of video objects versus other modes of retrieval during multiple-iteration searching. Results of this experiment show that although object searching is used far less than text searching in the first iteration of a user’s search it is a popular and useful search type once an initial set of relevant shots have been found.     

Factors Affecting the Use of MIS as a Tool for Informing and Evaluating Teaching and Learning in Schools

This study looks at the way in which Management Information Systems (MISs) are being used in Primary Schools in Birmingham. Analysis was from data collected through a questionnaire, to a 50% sample of schools in May 1999 and semi structured interviews with a cross section of staff at 20 schools, conducted during the period September 1999 until September 2001. The findings indicate that despite an overwhelming acceptance of the value of such systems, they are generally being used to provide specific statutory returns and administrative type functions. This is as opposed to use as a constant monitoring tool for self-evaluation, performance management, alerting and feedback, which is then used to inform the teaching and learning process. The paper goes on to propose a hypothesis as to why this is occurring and makes suggestions as to how the situation may be remedied. The research and its findings are part of the LEAs continuous evaluation of the use of ICT in its schools and the remedies which follow are part of its planning for the future.     

Associative aspects of conditioned analgesia evoked by a discrete CS

Learning & Behavior - Four experiments with rat subjects assessed conditioned analgesia evoked by a discrete visual CS repeatedly paired with a shock US. In Experiment 1, rats that received...     

Innovation in curriculum: An overview

Innovation in curriculum is gaining its thrust from a new set of value priorities—humanism, concern for racial and socioeconomic minorities, support of pluralism and diversity, increased interest in affective development, education for the very young, and legitimization of the search for value. These priorities are coupled with new understandings of how learning takes place, which cast the learner in an active, responsible, self-actualizing role and, at the same time, support the development of precise, highly organized sets of learning materials designed to achieve clearly defined objectives as efficiently as possible. Implications of these factors are examined in relation to curriculum design, instructional materials, professional roles, and the need for in-service education.

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Résumé L'innovation des programmes d'étude est activée par une nouvelle échelle de priorités des valeurs: esprit d'humanisme, intérêt manifesté à l'égard des minorités raciales et socio-économiques, appui accordé au pluralisme et à la diversité, intérêt accru envers le développement affectif, éducation des très jeunes, et légitimisation de la recherche des valeurs. Ces priorités vont de pair avec de nouvelles connaissances sur le processus d'acquisition du savoir, connaissances qui lancent l'élève dans un rôle actif et responsable dans son épanouissement personnel et qui, en même temps, contribuent à la mise au point d'une série de textes éducatifs précis et hautement organisés conçus en vue de la poursuite, d'une manière aussi efficace que possible, de certains objectifs clairement définis. L'auteur étudie les répercussions provoquées par ces facteurs sur la conception des programmes, les textes d'étude, les rôles professionnels et la nécessité d'une éducation en cours d'exercice.

     

The effects of requiring different response strategies following caching in Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana)

Clark’s nutcrackers use spatial memory to recover stored food in the field and have performed very well in laboratory tests of spatial memory. During the present experiment, two groups of nutcrackers cached seeds every 4 days. Following each cache session, the stay group was tested with seeds in their caches; the shift group found seeds in novel sites. The stay group performed accurately throughout the experiment, but the shift group gave no indication of being able to learn to avoid sites where they had stored seeds. These results suggest that although nutcrackers can learn to shift away from remembered locations during some memory experiments, they cannot learn to shift away from cache sites. This raises interesting questions about the relationship between task characteristics, response strategies, and memory.     

The Extraordinary Growth of the Science‐Technology Museum

Abstract Science museums, coming off a period of 50 years of explosive growth, have been undergoing evolutionary development for over 200 years. Examples of three distinct generations thrive today, though hybrids are also common. The Science Museum in London is about half interactives; the Lawrence Hall of Science is known at least as much for its curriculum development as for its exhibitions; and the Exploratorium has built a large presence on the World Wide Web and in cities around the world. The evolution is continuing, but where is it going? Are science museums merging into one species, at last? Or are they diverging into many more categories, including virtual institutions with no physical collections at all?