Construction of query concepts based on feature clustering of documents

In Information Retrieval, since it is hard to identify users’ information needs, many approaches have been tried to solve this problem by expanding initial queries and reweighting the terms in the expanded queries using users’ relevance judgments. Although relevance feedback is most effective when relevance information about retrieved documents is provided by users, it is not always available. Another solution is to use correlated terms for query expansion. The main problem with this approach is how to construct the term-term correlations that can be used effectively to improve retrieval performance. In this study, we try to construct query concepts that denote users’ information needs from a document space, rather than to reformulate initial queries using the term correlations and/or users’ relevance feedback. To form query concepts, we extract features from each document, and then cluster the features into primitive concepts that are then used to form query concepts. Experiments are performed on the Associated Press (AP) dataset taken from the TREC collection. The experimental evaluation shows that our proposed framework called QCM (Query Concept Method) outperforms baseline probabilistic retrieval model on TREC retrieval.     

Russian Science Citation Index: Areas for Development Identified by Active Users

The current state of the Russian Science Citation Index is analyzed. Several areas for its further development identified by long-standing active users, such as data searching, refinement, and storage; current user alerts; data input with the Science Index license; patent information; and the application programming interface (API) are investigated.     

On the training of highly qualified scientific staff in the field of information security

This article considers the dynamics and specifics of training highly qualified scientific staff (philosophy doctors and doctors of sciences) in the field of information security and data protection in a 10-year period of 2004–2013 in basic research specialties as classified by the Higher Attestation Commission (VAC) of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.     

Abandoning Either/Ors in Analyzing Shifts in Humanitarian Reporting

ABSTRACT

The shifting constitution of journalists as humanitarian actors has profound implications for changing forms of journalism practice, as well as for the normative models through which journalists understand and reflect on that practice. In an effort to develop a more empirically-grounded engagement with change, this article explores the interview testimonies of Australian journalists who cover international and humanitarian issues. It argues that frameworks reliant on stark oppositions (between past and present, optimism and pessimism, or moral agency and material structure) are both empirically and practically problematic, and seeks to move beyond these. Engagement with data from semi-structured interviews offers insight into how journalists’ perceptions of and responses to change are shaped by the historical and shifting institutional relations in which they are implicated.     

Symbolic Management of the Degree of Information Security by Integer Splitting

This paper demonstrates the application of module arithmetic for controlling the level of information security by a new technique referred as integer splitting. The basic definitions and concepts of the method are provided. The mathematical function of arising transformation is described in detail; its properties were studied and the basic theorems were proven that justify the use of splitting in practical applications. An active system was designed and characteristic cases of its operation are considered.     

How do Tertiary Dropouts Fare in the Labour Market? A Comparison between EU Countries

Dropping out of university is regularly discussed as a negative indicator. However, research on actual career trajectories of dropouts is virtually non‐existent. This study estimates the association between tertiary dropouts and career chances in 15 European countries. Using data from the 2011 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), estimates are derived from the application of propensity score matching taking a variety of individual background characteristics including cognitive skills into account. Results indicate that individuals are likely to fare better in the labour market if they enrol in university and drop out than if they do not enrol at all. Policy makers need to revise the notion that dropping out is purely negative.     

Guiding Low Spatial Ability Individuals through Visual Cueing: The Dual Importance of Where and When to Look

Research suggests that spatial ability may predict success in complex disciplines including anatomy, where mastery requires a firm understanding of the intricate relationships occurring along the course of veins, arteries, and nerves, as they traverse through and around bones, muscles, and organs. Debate exists on the malleability of spatial ability, and some suggest that spatial ability can be enhanced through training. It is hypothesized that spatial ability can be trained in low-performing individuals through visual guidance. To address this, training was completed through a visual guidance protocol. This protocol was based on eye-movement patterns of high-performing individuals, collected via eye-tracking as they completed an Electronic Mental Rotations Test (EMRT). The effects of guidance were evaluated using 33 individuals with low mental rotation ability, in a counterbalanced crossover design. Individuals were placed in one of two treatment groups (late or early guidance) and completed both a guided, and an unguided EMRT. A third group (no guidance/control) completed two unguided EMRTs. All groups demonstrated an increase in EMRT scores on their second test (P < 0.001); however, an interaction was observed between treatment and test iteration (P = 0.024). The effect of guidance on scores was contingent on when the guidance was applied. When guidance was applied early, scores were significantly greater than expected (P = 0.028). These findings suggest that by guiding individuals with low mental rotation ability “where” to look early in training, better search approaches may be adopted, yielding improvements in spatial reasoning scores. It is proposed that visual guidance may be applied in spatial fields, such as STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine), surgery, and anatomy to improve student's interpretation of visual content. Anat Sci Educ. © 2018 American Association of Anatomists.