University of Kansas

About: University of Kansas is a education organization based out in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 38183 authors who have published 81381 publications receiving 2986312 citations. The organization is also known as: KU & Univ of Kansas.

Personalized Search Based on User Search Histories

Abstract: User profiles, descriptions of user interests, can be used by search engines to provide personalized search results. Many approaches to creating user profiles collect user information through proxy servers (to capture browsing histories) or desktop bots (to capture activities on a personal computer). Both these techniques require participation of the user to install the proxy server or the bot. In this study, we explore the use of a less-invasive means of gathering user information for personalized search. In particular, we build user profiles based on activity at the search site itself and study the use of these profiles to provide personalized search results. By implementing a wrapper around the Google [10] search engine, we were able to collect information about individual user search activities. In particular, we collected the queries for which at least one search result was examined, and the snippets (titles and summaries) for each examined result. User profiles were created by classifying the collected information (queries or snippets) into concepts in a reference concept hierarchy. These profiles were then used to re-rank the search results and the rank-order of the user-examined results before and after re-ranking were compared. Our study found that user profiles based on queries were as effective as those based on snippets. We also found that our personalized re-ranking resulted in a 34% improvement in the rank-order of the user-selected results.

The hierarchical structure of well-being.

Abstract: Theories of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being provide 3 extensively studied models for explaining flourishing mental health. Few studies have examined whether these models can be integrated into a comprehensive structure of well-being. The present study builds upon previous theoretical and empirical work to determine the complex relationships among these 3 models of well-being. Confirmatory factor analysis techniques were used to test a series of models in order to (a) confirm the proposed latent structures of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being and (b) examine whether these models could be successfully integrated into a hierarchical structure of well-being. In 2 large samples, results supported the proposed latent structures of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being and indicated that the various components of well-being could be represented most parsimoniously with 3 oblique second-order constructs of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being.

Identification of heavy-flavour jets with the CMS detector in pp collisions at 13 TeV

Abstract: Many measurements and searches for physics beyond the standard model at the LHC rely on the efficient identification of heavy-flavour jets, i.e. jets originating from bottom or charm quarks. In this paper, the discriminating variables and the algorithms used for heavy-flavour jet identification during the first years of operation of the CMS experiment in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, are presented. Heavy-flavour jet identification algorithms have been improved compared to those used previously at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. For jets with transverse momenta in the range expected in simulated events, these new developments result in an efficiency of 68% for the correct identification of a b jet for a probability of 1% of misidentifying a light-flavour jet. The improvement in relative efficiency at this misidentification probability is about 15%, compared to previous CMS algorithms. In addition, for the first time algorithms have been developed to identify jets containing two b hadrons in Lorentz-boosted event topologies, as well as to tag c jets. The large data sample recorded in 2016 at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV has also allowed the development of new methods to measure the efficiency and misidentification probability of heavy-flavour jet identification algorithms. The b jet identification efficiency is measured with a precision of a few per cent at moderate jet transverse momenta (between 30 and 300 GeV) and about 5% at the highest jet transverse momenta (between 500 and 1000 GeV).

Using empowerment theory in collaborative partnerships for community health and development

Abstract: Models of community empowerment help us understand the process of gaining influence over conditions that matter to people who share neighborhoods, workplaces, experiences, or concerns. Such frameworks can help improve collaborative partnerships for community health and development. First, we outline an interactive model of community empowerment that describes reciprocal influences between personal or group factors and environmental factors in an empowerment process. Second, we describe an iterative framework for the process of empowerment in community partnerships that includes collaborative planning, community action, community change, capacity building, and outcomes, and adaptation, renewal, and institutionalization. Third, we outline activities that are used by community leadership and support organizations to facilitate the process of community empowerment. Fourth, we present case stories of collaborative partnerships for prevention of substance abuse among adolescents to illustrate selected enabling activities. We conclude with a discussion of the challenges and opportunities of facilitating empowerment with collaborative partnerships for community health and development.

Structural Equation Modeling of Mediation and Moderation With Contextual Factors

Abstract: Researchers often grapple with the idea that an observed relationship may be part of a more complex chain of effects. These complex relationships are described in terms such as indirect influences, distal vs. proximal causes, intermediate outcomes, and ultimate causes; all of which share the concept of mediation. Similarly, researchers must often consider that an observed relationship may be part of a more complex, qualified system. These relationships are described using concepts such as interactions, subgroup differences, and shocks; all of which share the concept of moderation. Generally speaking, a mediator can be thought of as the carrier or transporter of information along the causal chain of effects. A moderator, on the other hand, is the changer of a relationship in as ystem. In this chapter, we explore both empirical and theoretical considerations in modeling mediation and moderation using structural equation modeling. Our