The sum of its parts: reducing sparsity in click estimation with query segments

The critical task of predicting clicks on search advertisements is typically addressed by learning from historical click data. When enough history is observed for a given query-ad pair, future clicks can be accurately modeled. However, based on the empirical distribution of queries, sufficient historical information is unavailable for many query-ad pairs. The sparsity of data for new and rare queries makes it difficult to accurately estimate clicks for a significant portion of typical search engine traffic. In this paper we provide analysis to motivate modeling approaches that can reduce the sparsity of the large space of user search queries. We then propose methods to improve click and relevance models for sponsored search by mining click behavior for partial user queries. We aggregate click history for individual query words, as well as for phrases extracted with a CRF model. The new models show significant improvement in clicks and revenue compared to state-of-the-art baselines trained on several months of query logs. Results are reported on live traffic of a commercial search engine, in addition to results from offline evaluation.     

Becoming a social partner with peers: cooperation and social understanding in one- and two-year-olds

One- and two-year-old peer dyads were presented with a simple cooperative task. Age differences were found in amount of coordinated activity, monitoring the peer's activity and location in relation to the goal, and attempting to achieve the goal when the peer was (or was not) available as a partner. One-year-olds' coordinated actions appeared more coincidental than cooperative whereas older children appeared to be more actively cooperating toward a shared goal. Differences in coordinated activity with peers were associated with differences in attention sharing with an adult and with language about self and other. The ability to cooperate with peers, becoming a true social partner, develops over the 2nd and 3rd years of life in concert with growing social understanding.     

Faecal fat content in healthy adults by the ‘acid steatocrit method’

Malabsorption syndromes causing steatorrhoea are quite common in India. Estimation of faecal fat is an important non-invasive investigation, which provides vital information regarding the occurrence of malabsorption. The aim of this study was to estimate the fat excretion per day in stools of apparently healthy adults on an unrestricted diet in random spot stool samples using the Acid Steatocrit Method, which provides an alternate, simpler and yet reliable method of stool fat estimation. Several studies have proved the correlation of the acid steatocrit method with the conventional methods. In India, however, there has been no published data regarding the normal levels of fat in the stools, by the acid steatocrit method. We follow the normal range values, as set by the United States and the European countries, not having a range for the Indian population. Hence, we took up a preliminary study, to estimate stool fat in a section of normal and healthy Indian population. The result obtained after screening 600 healthy and normal adults, showed the mean of stool fat to be 8.72 gms/24 hours, which is much higher than that, defined by Western literature (7 gms/24 hours). This can be accounted for, by the cultural and ethnic variations in dietary and food habits. Further studies are required in the same direction, involving larger population groups, and in different malabsorptive conditions.     

Democratising Teacher Education Research in India

This paper argues for the need to adopt a more participatory and research-based approach to teacher development in India. Drawing on the experiences of a participatory teacher educator development project in three States, we discuss processes of developing a democratically orientated qualitative research team to work with teachers and teacher educators, highlighting the interplay between their education and socialisation and the demands of the methodology. In the second part of the paper, aspects of developing collaborative action research projects with teacher educators in the context of District Institutes of Education and Training are discussed. Both these approaches require the development of autonomy and critical reflexivity, and although there are tensions in this process, these emerge as vital components of developing a more democratic approach to teacher education.     

Maryam Mirzakhani

The article outlines the life and work of Maryam Mirzakhani — the first and the only female winner of the Fields Medal since its inception in 1936. Mirzakhani is an inspiration to young women around the world, to believe in their own abilities and pursue their academic dreams.     

Temporal Trends of Malondialdehyde in Stored Human Plasma

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is widely used as oxidative stress biomarker in biomedical research. Plasma is stored in deep freezers generally till analysis. Effect of such storage on MDA values, which may be variable and prolong, was incidentally observed in the ongoing study which is to estimate oxidative stress with oral iron. Plasma from blood samples of pregnant women (20–30 years age) in third trimester of singleton pregnancy (n = 139), consuming oral iron tablets was stored at −20 °C with intention of MDA estimation, as soon as possible. However logistic problems led this storage for prolonged and variable period (1–708 days). When values of MDA estimated using “Ohkawa” 79 method and readings were plotted against time to check the temporal effect, it showed a hyperbolic curve. Standard deviation (SD) was lowest when samples were tested within 3 weeks time. The samples analyzed within 3 weeks had mean ± SD value of 31.59 ± 26.11 μmol/L, while 123.7 ± 93.97 and 366.5 ± 189.8 μmol/L for samples stored for 1–3 and 4 months to 1 year respectively. Mean ± SD were 539.9 ± 196.8 in the samples store for more than a year. Rate of change in values was also lowest (0.0433 μmol/L/day) in the samples tested within first 3 weeks, which rose to 1.2 μmol/L/day during 3 month’s storage. This rate peaked at storage of 120 days (1.87 μmol/L/day) and fell to 0.502 μmol/L/day in the second year of storage. It is concluded that at −20 °C, only 3 weeks of storage time should be considered valid for fairly acceptable stability in MDA values.     

Integrating gender concerns

This paper focuses on the education of girl children in India. It attempts to understand how gender identity influences the quality of their learning experiences. Reviewing available studies it explores how gender is contextualized within schools and pervades classroom processes, specifically in relation to ‘official’ school knowledge as well as the hidden curriculum of teacher attitudes and peer interaction. It points to the need for a gender perspective to inform school policy and classroom practices and also be integrated in teacher education. It suggests that unless gender concerns are seriously addressed, the number of girls who enrol in schools may increase, but they are unlikely to receive an education that is equitable.     

Spiral progression of Biochemistry in an integrated medical school

Biochemistry, a vital component of the medical science, is taught in medical schools to: a) explain the biochemical basis of diseases; b) understand the basis of laboratory investigations; c) interpret and apply results of the laboratory investigations in diagnosis and management of diseases. The curriculum of this medical school is a community oriented problem based approach with the basic concept being spiral progression of core knowledge. This also creates an opportunity for innovative promotion of teaching and learning. In this medical school, the undergraduate medical course is divided into three phases as Phase I, II and III. Biochemistry is not taught as a separate subject in Phase I but integrated with other relevant disciplines and implemented into the teaching packages of the three phases. The gradual progression of this subject from Phase I to II and III makes it possible to implement the subject in a more meaningful and relevant manner throughout the course. A set of objectives pertaining to the biochemistry input is incorporated into the appropriate teaching packages of each phase, in keeping with the spiral pattern of the curriculum. The appropriate modes of implementation of the objectives include Small Group Discussion (SGD), Structured Learning Units (SLU), Problem Based Learning (PBL), Fixed Learning Module (FLM), Tape Slide Programmes (TSP), Student Seminars (SS) and Structured Self Learning (SSL). In addition to all these methods, the computer-aided instruction (CAI) is also used as teaching learning units. Since multidisciplinary integration is ensured during the teaching of Biochemistry, the assessment of the subject is also conducted in a integrated manner using Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Short Essay Questions (SEQ), Modified Essay Questions (MEQ), Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE), Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), Viva and Clinical Examination. This article will deal with the spiral progression of Biochemistry from Phase I to Phase III in the integrated environment of this medical school.     

Learner-centric MOOC model: a pedagogical design model towards active learner participation and higher completion rates

Educational technology research and development - MOOCs support the global need of learning resources with large impact through online access and no geographical boundaries. However, pedagogical...