Intelligent search for distributed information sources using heterogeneous neural networks

As the number and diversity of distributed information sources on the Internet exponentially increase, various search services are developed to help the users to locate relevant information. But they still exist some drawbacks such as the difficulty of mathematically modeling retrieval process, the lack of adaptivity and the indiscrimination of search. This paper shows how heteroge-neous neural networks can be used in the design of an intelligent distributed in-formation retrieval (DIR) system. In particular, three typical neural network models - Kohoren's SOFM Network, Hopfield Network, and Feed Forward Network with Back Propagation algorithm are introduced to overcome the above drawbacks in current research of DIR by using their unique properties. This preliminary investigation suggests that Neural Networks are useful tools for intelligent search for distributed information sources

Forest Schools and environmental attitudes: a case study of children aged 8–11 years

There is growing evidence that children in the UK are suffering from a lack of engagement with nature and the outdoor environment. This paper investigates the attitudes of children towards the natural environment and focuses on Forest School programmes as a mechanism to promote a “pro-environmental” attitude. The study identified that there was a statistically significant difference in environmental attitude between groups of children that had participated in a Forest Schools programme and those that had not participated, with children who have taken part in Forest Schools demonstrating a more pro-environmental attitude. Whilst it is recognised that Forest Schools may not be the only factor influencing these attitudes, this is still an important finding that adds to the overall benefits of participation in Forest Schools programmes

A multi-layered Bayesian network model for structured document retrieval

New standards in document representation, like for example SGML, XML, and MPEG-7, compel Information Retrieval to design and implement models and tools to index, retrieve and present documents according to the given document structure. The paper presents the design of an Information Retrieval system for multimedia structured documents, like for example journal articles, e-books, and MPEG-7 videos. The system is based on Bayesian Networks, since this class of mathematical models enable to represent and quantify the relations between the structural components of the document. Some preliminary results on the system implementation are also presented

An attempt to identify the extended synchrotron structure associated with the micro-quasar GRS 1915+105

The energy ejected from the galaxy micro-quasar GRS1915+105 in the form of jets is expected to lead to formation of an extended double lobe/hot-spot structure with the energy content comparable to an average supernova remnant. We used the Effelsberg 100m telescope at 10.45 GHz in attempt to identify such structures. For this distant galactic plane source any definite identification was not possible due to high confusion by numerous background sources, however, a few suspect structures were pointed out.Comment: LaTeX uses a new 2001 A&A macro, 4 pages, 2 figures, A&A accepte

A cooperative-relational approach to digital libraries

Copyright @ 2007 Springer-Verlag, Berlin HeidelbergThis paper presents a novel approach to model-driven development of Digital Library (DL) systems. The overall idea is to allow Digital Library systems designers (e.g. information architects, librarians, domain experts) to easily design such systems by using a visual language. We designed a Domain Specific Visual Language for such a purpose and developed a framework supporting it; this framework helps designers by automatically generating code for the defined Digital Library system, so that they do not have to get involved into technical issues concerning its deployment. In our approach, both Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Supported Collaborative Work techniques are exploited when generating interfaces and services for the specific Digital Library domain

Spectral Index of the Diffuse Radio Background Measured From 100 to 200 MHz

The mean absolute brightness temperature of the diffuse radio background was measured as a function of frequency in a continuous band between 100 and 200 MHz over an effective solid angle of ~pi str at high Galactic latitude. A spectral brightness temperature index of beta = 2.5 +/- 0.1 (alpha_s = 0.5) was derived from the observations, where the error limits are 3-sigma and include estimates of the instrumental systematics. Zenith drift scans with central declinations of -26.5 degrees and spanning right ascensions 0 to 10 hours yielded little variation in the mean spectral index. The mean absolute brightness temperature at 150 MHz was found to reach a minimum of T = 237 +/- 10 K at a right ascension of 2.5 hours. Combining these measurements with those of Haslam et al. 1982 yields a spectral index of beta = 2.52 +/- 0.04 between 150 and 408 MHz.Comment: 8 pages including 7 figures and 4 tables. Accepted by A

TRIS III: the diffuse galactic radio emission at δ=+42∘\delta=+42^{\circ}

We present values of temperature and spectral index of the galactic diffuse radiation measured at 600 and 820 MHz along a 24 hours right ascension circle at declination $\delta = +42^{\circ}$. They have been obtained from a subset of absolute measurements of the sky temperature made with TRIS, an experiment devoted to the measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature at decimetric-wavelengths with an angular resolution of about $20^{\circ}$. Our analysis confirms the preexisting picture of the galactic diffuse emission at decimetric wavelength and improves the accuracy of the measurable quantities. In particular, the signal coming from the halo has a spectral index in the range $2.9-3.1$ above 600 MHz, depending on the sky position. In the disk, at TRIS angular resolution, the free-free emission accounts for the 11% of the overall signal at 600 MHz and 21% at 1420 MHz. The polarized component of the galactic emission, evaluated from the survey by Brouw and Spoelstra, affects the observations at TRIS angular resolution by less than 3% at 820 MHz and less than 2% at 600 MHz. Within the uncertainties, our determination of the galactic spectral index is practically unaffected by the correction for polarization. Since the overall error budget of the sky temperatures measured by TRIS at 600 MHz, that is 66 mK(systematic)$+$18 mK (statistical), is definitely smaller than those reported in previous measurements at the same frequency, our data have been used to discuss the zero levels of the sky maps at 150, 408, 820 and 1420 MHz in literature. Concerning the 408 MHz survey, limiting our attention to the patch of sky corresponding to the region observed by TRIS, we suggest a correction of the base-level of $(+3.9\pm 0.6)$K.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

University students and faculty have positive perceptions of open/alternative resources and their utilization in a textbook replacement initiative

This is contribution no. 16-114-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. The Kansas State University Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative provides grants to faculty members to replace textbooks with open/alternative educational resources (OAERs) that are available at no cost to students. Open educational resources are available for anyone to access, while alternative educational resources are not open. The objective of this study was to determine the perceptions towards OAERs and the initiative, of students enrolled in, and faculty members teaching, courses using OAERs. A survey was sent out to 2,074 students in 13 courses using the OAERs. A total of 524 (25.3%) students completed the survey and a faculty member from each of the 13 courses using OAERs was interviewed. Students rated the OAERs as good quality, preferred using them instead of buying textbooks for their courses, and agreed that they would like OAERs used in other courses. Faculty felt that student learning was somewhat better and it was somewhat easier to teach using OAERs than when they used the traditional textbooks. Nearly all faculty members preferred teaching with OAERs and planned to continue to do so after the funding period. These results, combined with the tremendous savings to students, support the continued funding of the initiative and similar approaches at other institutions

A 4.8- and 8.6-GHz Survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud: I The Images

Detailed 4.8- and 8.6-GHz radio images of the entire Large Magellanic Cloud with half-power beamwidths of 33" at 4.8 GHz and 20" at 8.6 GHz have been obtained using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. A total of 7085 mosaic positions were used to cover an area of 6 degrees on a side. Full polarimetric observations were made. These images have sufficient spatial resolution (~8 and 5 pc, respectively) and sensitivity (3-sigma of 1 mJy/beam) to identify most of the individual SNRs and H II regions and also, in combination with available data from the Parkes 64-m telescope, the structure of the smooth emission in that galaxy. In addition, limited data using the sixth antenna at 4.5 to 6-km baselines are available to distinguish bright point sources (<3 and 2 arcsec, respectively) and to help estimate sizes of individual sources smaller than the resolution of the full survey. The resultant database will be valuable for statistical studies and comparisons with x-ray, optical and infrared surveys of the LMC with similar resolution.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in the Feb 2005 A

Clonal kinetics and single-cell transcriptional profiling of CAR-T cells in patients undergoing CD19 CAR-T immunotherapy

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has produced remarkable anti-tumor responses in patients with B-cell malignancies. However, clonal kinetics and transcriptional programs that regulate the fate of CAR-T cells after infusion remain poorly understood. Here we perform TCRB sequencing, integration site analysis, and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile CD8+ CAR-T cells from infusion products (IPs) and blood of patients undergoing CD19 CAR-T immunotherapy. TCRB sequencing shows that clonal diversity of CAR-T cells is highest in the IPs and declines following infusion. We observe clones that display distinct patterns of clonal kinetics, making variable contributions to the CAR-T cell pool after infusion. Although integration site does not appear to be a key driver of clonal kinetics, scRNA-seq demonstrates that clones that expand after infusion mainly originate from infused clusters with higher expression of cytotoxicity and proliferation genes. Thus, we uncover transcriptional programs associated with CAR-T cell behavior after infusion.Published versio