Activity-partner recommendation

LNCS v. 9077 entitled: Advances in Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining: 19th Pacific-Asia Conference, PAKDD 2015 ... Proceedings, Part 1In many activities, such as watching movies or having dinner, people prefer to find partners before participation. Therefore, when recommending activity items (e.g., movie tickets) to users, it makes sense to also recommend suitable activity partners. This way, (i) the users save time for finding activity partners, (ii) the effectiveness of the item recommendation is increased (users may prefer activity items more if they can find suitable activity partners), (iii) recommender systems become more interesting and enkindle users' social enthusiasm. In this paper, we identify the usefulness of suggesting activity partners together with items in recommender systems. In addition, we propose and compare several methods for activity-partner recommendation. Our study includes experiments that test the practical value of activity-partner recommendation and evaluate the effectiveness of all suggested methods as well as some alternative strategies.postprin

Outcomes from collaborative provision audit: frameworks, guidance and formal agreements

The reports on Collaborative provision audits conducted between 2005 and 2007 indicate that, in general, the frameworks established by institutions for the management of quality and academic standards in their collaborative provision are sound and effective. Nevertheless, most reports provided advice on how particular aspects of the frameworks might be improved. The reports describe the various models or types of collaboration undertaken by institutions, and the relationships between these and the quality management arrangements employed. Recommendations in this context focused on the need for clarity in the use of terms and their procedural implications. Particular difficulties were associated with accreditation agreements in a number of institutions. The reports' consideration of formal agreements between awarding and partner institutions suggests several recurring themes, including: the relationship between types of collaboration and the contracted arrangements and responsibilities; the relationship between institutional and programme elements in agreements; arrangements for the review and renewal of agreements; and the need for ratification of agreements prior to the operation of programmes. The guidance provided on frameworks and processes for managing quality and standards in collaborative provision emerged as a widespread strength in awarding institutions and was linked with numerous features of good practice

Deconstructing The Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights From Interviews With Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex

In December of 2006 and June of 2007 the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE), Prostitution Research and Education (PRE), and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) launched a research initiative in Chicago to investigate the cognitive and behavioral patterns of men who purchase sex. A team of ten individuals, including three survivors of the sex trade, were trained by CAASE and PRE. In total, the team interviewed 113 men who buy sex. Men were recruited through the "Erotic Services" section of Craigslist, the Chicago Reader, and Chicago After Dark. Each interview lasted approximately an hour and a half to two hours and consisted of both quantitative and qualitative questions

Service-Learning Community Partner Impact Assessment Report

In the summer of 2017, VCU’s Office of Service-Learning conducted an evaluation of the impact of service-learning on community partner organizations. This assessment aimed to collect actionable feedback from partners and to inform improvements to service-learning courses at VCU that successfully address partners’ concerns. An external researcher conducted phone interviews with a representative sample of 22 community partners. Partners were asked how a specific service-learning course impacted their organization in three areas: organizational capacity, economically, and socially. Partners were also asked about faculty interactions and the likelihood of recommending the service-learning course to other organizations like their own. This report presents the findings of this community partner impact assessment, outlines an assessment model for a three-year continuous improvement cycle, and offers key recommendations and next steps that emerged from this assessment

Investigating partner involvement in pregnancy and identifying barriers and facilitators to participating as a couple in a digital healthy eating and physical activity intervention

BACKGROUND: Maternal obesity and excessive gestational weight gain are associated with adverse maternal and foetal health outcomes. Interventions targeting dietary and physical activity behaviours during pregnancy have typically been directed at women only. A digital intervention targeting couples could encourage expectant parents to support each other in improving energy balance (dietary and physical activity) behaviours. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the role partners play in pregnant women’s energy balance behaviours, and to identify barriers and facilitators to participating as a couple in a digital intervention to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in pregnancy. METHODS: A qualitative design combined online focus groups and telephone interviews. Three focus groups were held with men (n = 15) and one mini focus group (n = 3) and 12 telephone interviews were conducted with women. Participants were either in the last trimester of pregnancy or had a baby under 18 months old. Most were from more deprived population groups where prevalence of maternal obesity is higher. Data were analysed thematically. Barriers and facilitators to participating as a couple in a digital intervention were mapped to the COM-B model and the Theoretical Domains Framework. RESULTS: Four main themes were identified; partner involvement and support; partner understanding of good energy balance behaviours; couple concordance of energy balance behaviours; partner influence on her energy balance behaviours. Most facilitators to participating in a digital intervention as a couple fell within the Reflective Motivation domain of COM-B. Men were motivated by the desire to be supportive partners and good role models. Women were motivated by their belief that partner involvement would improve their success in achieving goals and enhance couple-bonding. Other facilitators included concordance in dietary behaviours (Physical Opportunity), healthcare practitioner recommendation, perceptions of pregnancy as ‘ours’ (Social Opportunity) and feeling supported and involved (Automatic Motivation). Barriers were rarely mentioned but included potential for partner conflict, perceptions of pregnancy as ‘hers’ and economic constraints. CONCLUSIONS: An opportunity exists to harness partner support to improve maternal energy balance behaviours. Barriers and facilitators to participating in a digital intervention as a couple indicate its potential to benefit emotional and relationship wellbeing in addition to physical health