XML Document Retrieval with PADRE

title: Searcher performance in question answering
abstract: There are many tasks that require information finding. Some can be largely automated, and others greatly benefit from successful interaction between system and searcher. We are interested in the task of answering questions where some synthesis of information is required-the answer would not generally be given from a single passage of a single document. We investigate whether variation in the way a list of documents is delivered affected searcher performance in the question answering task. We will show that there is a significant difference in performance using a list customized to the task type, compared with a standard web-engine list. This indicates that paying attention to the task and the searcher interaction may provide substantial improvement in task performance.

title: The role of a judge in a user based retrieval experiment (poster session)
abstract: A tuning device for tympani that displays the pitch of each instrument's tympanum. The pitch is determined by measuring the strain in an adjustable tensioning mechanism employed in all tympani to keep proper tension on the tympanum. The pitch or tone of the tympani is determined by the vibration frequency of the tympanum when the tympani is played and the frequency is determined by the tension in the tympanum. A transducer measures the strain in the tensioning mechanism to give an accurate indication of what the tympanum tension, and therefore the pitch, of the tympani would be when played. The transducer includes a resistance-type strain gage mounted on the tympanum tensioning mechanism. The length of the conductor in the strain gage and therefore its resistance, changes with stress changes in the tensioning mechanism used to tune the tympani. A switch means selects a desired one of the strain gages mounted on each of the one or more tympani for inclusion as one section of a four-section resistance bridge circuit configuration. A signal conditioning module provides excitation to the bridge circuit and also conditions the output of the bridge circuit. The output of the bridge circuit varies as the resistance of the strain gage varies. The conditioned output of the bridge circuit is displayed on a voltmeter whose scale has been calibrated to indicate the pitch of the tympani being monitored.

title: Question-driven classification of retrieved documents
abstract: Many existing information access systems deliver ranked lists of documents in response to users' queries. Some systems also endeavour to represent some of the various types of relationships that can exist between documents. However, few systems provide effective mechanisms to help users discover useful information within the set of retrieved documents. In this paper, we present a question-driven approach to delivering retrieved documents in an attempt to organize them in a way that is closer to the user's mental representation of the expected answer. In our proposed approach, retrieved documents are dynamically classified into categories; an appropriate classification scheme is selected by a user on the basis of his own understanding of the information need. Experimental results show that users are more satisfied with such a directed categorization than with a list of retrieved documents.

title: Myriad: An Architecture for Contextualized Information Retrieval and Delivery
abstract: Users’ information needs are largely driven by the context in which they make their decisions. This context is dynamic. It includes the users’ characteristics, their current domain of application, the tasks they commonly perform and the device they are currently using. This context is also evolving. When one information need is satisfied, another is likely to emerge. An information access system must, therefore, be able to track this dynamic and evolving context, and exploit it to retrieve actionable information from appropriate sources and deliver it in a form suitable for the current situation. This paper presents a generic architecture that supports the construction of information retrieval and delivery systems that make use of context. The architecture, called Myriad, includes an adaptive virtual document planner, and explicit, dynamic representations of the user’s current context.

title: Generating Personal Travel Guides from Discourse Plans
abstract: This paper describes a system that delivers travel guides tailored to individual needs. It does so by integrating a discourse planner with a system for querying the web and generating synthesised web pages using document prescriptions. We show by way of example how a user model can lead to a personal travel guide, and show what this might look like in different media. We briefly describe the investigations we are undertaking to determine the utility of such approaches.

title: Query optimization for selections using bitmaps
abstract: Bitmaps are popular indexes for data warehouse (DW) applications and most database management systems offer them today. This paper proposes query optimization strategies for selections using bitmaps. Both continuous and discrete selection criteria are considered. Query optimization strategies are categorized into static and dynamic. Static optimization strategies discussed are the optimal design of bitmaps, and algorithms based on tree and logical reduction. The dynamic optimization discussed is the approach of inclusion and exclusion for both bit-sliced indexes and encoded bitmap indexes.

title: Multiuser cross-layer resource allocation for video transmission over wireless networks
abstract: With the advancement of video-compression technology and the wide deployment of wireless networks, there is an increasing demand for wireless video communication services, and many design challenges remain to be overcome. In this article, we discuss how to dynamically allocate resources according to the changing environments and requirements, so as to improve the overall system performance and ensure individual quality of service (QoS). Specifically, we consider two aspects with regard to design issues: cross-layer design, which jointly optimizes resource utilization from the physical layer to the application layer, and multiuser diversity, which explores source and channel heterogeneity for different users. We study how to efficiently transmit multiple video streams, encoded by current and future video codecs, over resource-limited wireless networks such as 3G/4G cellular system and future wireless local/metropolitan area networks (WLANs/WMANs)

title: Video access control via multi-level data hiding
abstract: The paper proposes novel data hiding algorithms and system design for high quality digital video. Instead of targeting on a single degree of robustness, which results in overestimation and/or underestimation of the noise conditions, we apply multi-level embedding to digital video to achieve more than one level of robustness-capacity tradeoff. In addition, an adaptive technique is proposed to determine how many bits are embedded in each part of the video. Besides user data, control information such as synchronization and the number of hidden user bits are embedded as well. The algorithm can be used for applications such as access control.

title: Fingerprinting Curves
abstract: This paper presents a new method for robust data hiding in curves and highlights potential applications including digital fingerprinting of map document for trace and track purposes. We parameterize a curve using the B-spline model and add a spread spectrum sequence to the coordinates of the B-spline control points. In order to achieve robust fingerprint detection, we propose an iterative alignment-minimization algorithm to perform curve registration and deal with the non-uniqueness of B-spline control points. We show through experiments the robustness of our method against various attacks such as collusion, geometric transformations and perturbation, printing-and-scanning, and some of their combinations. We demonstrate the feasibility of our method for fingerprinting topographic maps as well as writings and drawings. The extension from hiding data in 2D topographic maps to 3D elevation data sets is also discussed.

title: Under My Finger: Human Factors in Pushing and Rotating Documents Across the Table
abstract: When passing a document to someone across a table, the person passing the document often rotates it to face the receiver. In this paper, we present the results of a user evaluation of three Push-and-Rotate schemes that offer different underlying control semantics for how an electronic document can automatically rotate as it is pushed across an interactive tabletop surface. The effects of document size are also discussed.