This paper presents an overview of our participation in the TAC 2008 Opinion Pilot Summarization task, as well as the proposed and evaluated post-competition improvements. We first describe our opinion summarization system and the results obtained. Further on, we identify the system’s weak points and suggest several improvements, focused both on information content, as well as linguistic and re...

The hitherto limited interpretation of service as deployed in IT value creation and solutions implementation is perhaps a reason why so few IT projects are seen to have successful business outcomes. There are strong indications that the commonly used measures of quality and performance have never been adequate for complex services such as IT. As cloud-based technology changes the business and I...

The behavior of the beta-function of the low-energy effective coupling in the N = 2 supersymmetric SU(2) QCD with several massive matter hypermultiplets and in the SU(3) Yang-Mills theory is determined near the superconformal points in the moduli space. The renormalization group flow is unambiguously fixed by looking at limited types of deformation near the superconformal points. It is pointed ...

The paper seeks to investigate the effect of the location of material and information decoupling points on the extent and role of demand planning in supply chains. In order to achieve this goal, the relationships between the location of two types of decoupling points are identified and necessary characteristics of demand planning process are recognized. The theoretical considerations are then e...

Our paper analyzes the issue of managing structural and technological modernization of the Russian power utilities industry based on the basic criteria of sustainable development. We have chosen coal-fired generation and its defining technologies as the main subject for our analysis. Key points of the Russian power utilities development strategy that has been drawn up to 2030 are compared again...

This paper presents a kinematic algorithm of multifingered manipulation. To model the motion of the handobject system with rolling contact, two equations are necessary: the equation of contact and the one describing the relationship between the object velocity and the joint velocity. We provide a simple method in developing the second equation. By defining the orthogonal decomposition of the ve...

This report identifies strategies used by public health inspectors in the Central West Region of Ontario during restaurant inspections, based on and comparing the perceptions of inspectors, their managers, and restaurant operators. Factors influencing the choice of strategies are reviewed, putting into perspective the importance of manager and policy expectations relative to other influences ex...

This article presents some of the innovative practitioner experiences with environmental impact assessment (EIA) follow-up discussed at a workshop during the recent IAIA’01 conference in Colombia. Key issues raised included how EIA follow-up is initiated and who is responsible. Examples driven by proponents, regulators and the community are presented. Key points are that a focus on environmenta...