Cluster searching strategies for collaborative recommendation systems

In-memory nearest neighbor computation is a typical collaborative filtering approach for high recommendation accuracy. However, this approach is not scalable given the huge number of customers and items in typical commercial applications. Cluster-based collaborative filtering techniques can be a remedy for the efficiency problem, but they usually provide relatively lower accuracy figures, since they may become over-generalized and produce less-personalized recommendations. Our research explores an individualistic strategy which initially clusters the users and then exploits the members within clusters, but not just the cluster representatives, during the recommendation generation stage. We provide an efficient implementation of this strategy by adapting a specifically tailored cluster-skipping inverted index structure. Experimental results reveal that the individualistic strategy with the cluster-skipping index is a good compromise that yields high accuracy and reasonable scalability figures.     

构建电子环境中的可信任文件管理框架

本研究的目的在于构建一个电子环境中的可信任文件管理框架.通过文献研究和最佳实践,对可信任电子文件管理的有关标准进行整理,并将这些标准进行专家测试,建立了构建电子文件可信任管理所需的因素,即监管、文件保管系统、档案、技术、人员技能和素质.这个框架为良好的文件管理实践奠定了基础.     

Self reported awareness of child maltreatment among school professionals in Saudi Arabia: impact of CRC ratification

Objectives

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was ratified by Saudi Arabia 15 years ago; yet addressing the issue of child maltreatment only began in more recent years. School professionals play a significant role in children's lives, as they spend a great deal of time with them and are hence essential to protecting and identifying those in danger or at risk. The objective of this study is to identify school professional's awareness of child maltreatment and the existing national policies and procedures to examine the extent of efforts made in Saudi Arabia and to activate the roles of schools and school professionals in protecting children from violence and implementation of Article 19 of the CRC.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study, where school professionals from randomly selected schools throughout the country were invited to participate in a self-administered questionnaire.

Results

A total of 3,777 school professionals participated in the study. Fifty-five percent of professionals had at least 10 years of work experience. A low-level of awareness of child maltreatment was found in about 1/3 of school professionals. Only 1.9% of school professionals had ever attended any sort of specific training on child maltreatment, though 69.3% of those who had not, were willing to attend future training. With regards to awareness of CRC Article 19 or policies and procedures addressing child maltreatment, only 22% reported being aware of it.

Conclusion

The majority of school professionals in Saudi Arabia have a low-intermediate level of awareness of child maltreatment, ratification of CRC, and related national policies and procedures, yet most are willing to attend training programs on this subject matter. Efforts need to be made in the country to fill this gap.     

Attitude, Perception and Use of E-Learning at Open University Malaysia

To ensure the success of the e-learning initiatives, OUM has developed its own e-learning management system, known as myLMS. Since its introduction, many modifications and improvements have been introduced to increase its effectiveness. It is now timely that OUM take stock of its students＇ attitudes towards e-learning. Thus, a survey was conducted on about 1,000 students at one of OUM＇s own learning centres, that is, the Kelantan Regional Centrel. The study indicated that generally the teacher cohort had a somewhat neutral attitude towards e-learning. The use of e-learning was more specifically aimed at achieving short term goals of obtaining good coursework and examination grades by capitalizing on the use of the Discassion Board and Courseware. A closer examination reveals that the females prefer the Discussion Board while the males prefer the Courseware. Learners in the Engineering and English programmes had more positive attitudes towards e-learning compared to learners in the Mathematics and Science programmes. Learners with CGPA 〉 3.0 who are categorized as high achievers are more positive towards e-learning as compared to the low achievers （ CGPA 〈 3.0）. Age difference, learners＇ income per month, learners＇ Internet and e-learning habits were also found to be predictors of attitude towards e-learning.     

Philosophical Approaches of Religious Jewish Science Teachers Toward the Teaching of ‘Controversial’ Topics in Science

This research examines the problems that religious Jewish science teachers in Israeli high schools have in coping with science subjects (such as geological time) which conflict with their religious beliefs. We do this by characterizing the philosophical approaches within Judaism that such teachers have adopted for dealing with such controversy. Thus, we surveyed 56 religious teachers using a Likert‐type questionnaire developed for this research, as well as interviewed 11 teachers to more deeply probe their approaches. In addition, we surveyed 15 religious scientists, so that we could both contrast their views with our teacher samples as well as to better understand their coping strategies when confronted by scientific topics that challenge their beliefs. Results indicated that no single philosophical approach earned overwhelming support from the teachers or scientists. Instead, most of the subjects relate separately to each source of possible conflict in accordance with the philosophical approach that appears to be the most fruitful for resolving such conflicts. Moreover, both the scientists and the teachers felt less conflicted toward the specific subject of geological time, in comparison to issues connected to creation of the earth and (especially) evolution. The teachers did differ from the scientists in their preference toward philosophical approaches which help them better integrate the domains of science and religion. Based on our findings, we are able to suggest a set of strategies to help teachers overcome their difficulties in teaching ‘controversial’ science topics to a religiously oriented student population.     

Books Received

Abstract

This paper analyses the organizational, financial and technological incentives that service organizations used to motivate farmers to finance agricultural research and extension in Benin. Understanding the foundations and implications of these motivation systems is important for improving farmer financial participation in agricultural research and extension.

We studied three cases of farmer financial participation in the field of agricultural research and extension in Benin. We conducted semi-structured interviews with leaders of service organizations and farmers’ associations, local authorities and individual farmers. Our interviews focused on service delivery systems, mechanisms of farmers’ financial contribution, the functioning of farmers’ associations, and the appropriateness of services provided. We performed thematic and comparative analyses at the interfaces between (1) service providers and partner–farmer associations, (2) service providers and delivered services, and (3) farmers/farmers’ associations and services.

Incentives for farmer financial participation are the increasing participation strategy, the fulfillment of farmers’ needs and the local leadership valorization. The selection and combination of their variants determine the motivating capacity and orientation of service organizations. Conversely to the increasing participation strategy, an effective fulfillment of farmers’ needs and local leadership valorization can lead to sustainable motivation. As the fulfillment of farmers’ needs determines importantly the effectiveness and sustainability of farmers’ motivation, the strategies of farmer financial participation are likely to fail if there are no successful agricultural technological incentives.

In the current context of privatization of agricultural services in developing countries, this analytical framework is of interest for policy makers and development workers for identifying conditions of farmer financial participation and designing effective motivation strategies.     

Popular pedagogy and the changing political landscape: a case study of a women's housing movement in South Africa

This paper sets out to explore the relationship between popular education and the changing South African political landscape through case study research of the Victoria Mxenge Housing Development Association. The research took place over an extended period of time from 1992–2003 and discusses how popular education was advocated by the South African Homeless People's Federation and its parent NGO (People's Dialogue); how it was implemented, how an increasing disjuncture between teaching and learning occurred, and how pedagogy was shaped by both political and personal factors. The paper discusses the interactions between social movements and NGOs and the limitations of social movements and popular education. It argues for a more nuanced conceptual understanding of learning in social movements within development contexts.