On the Web, users typically forage for information by navigating from page to page along Web links. Their surfing patterns or actions are guided by their information needs. Researchers need tools to explore the complex interactions between user needs, user actions, and the structures and contents of the Web. In this paper, we describe two computational methods for understanding the relationship between user needs and user actions. First, for a particular pattern of surfing, we seek to infer the associated information need. Second, given an information need, and some pages as starting points, we attempt to predict the expected surfing patterns. The algorithms use a concept called "information scent", which is the subjective sense of value and cost of accessing a page based on perceptual cues. We present an empirical evaluation of these two algorithms, and show their effectiveness.

These results support continued evaluation of pramlintide as a potential treatment for obesity.

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SUMMARYEcology of Anthocoris nemorum (L.) and of pear psylla populations was studied in orchards in the Paris region. A. nemorum was abundant on pear trees only in autumn, apparently searching for hibernation sites. In summer, it preferred to stay in the herbaceous stratum, especially in nettle, where it preyed upon various species of insects, which were more favorable for its proliferation than Psylla pyri (L.

Abstract. As part of a search for natural enemies of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), virus-infected samples were collected near Toulouse, France. Light and electron microscope studies confirmed that the French strain is a multinucleocapsid nuclear polyhe drosis virus (MNPV).