Integration of a recommender system into an online video streaming platform

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a recommender system for the SmartVideo platform. The platform streams different content of local channels for the Grand Est Region of France to a large public. So, we aim to propose a solution to alleviate the data representation and data collection issue of recommender systems by adopting and adjusting the xAPI standard to fit our case of study and to be able to represent our usage data in a formal and consistent format. Then, we will propose and implement a bunch of recommendation algorithms that we are going to test in order to evaluate our developed recommender system.Le but ultime de ce projet est de développer un système de recommandation dédié à la plateforme SmartVideo de diffusion de vidéo en ligne. En effet, la plateforme met à disposition diverses contenus des chaînes locales de la région Grand Est du France. Alors, nous allons présenter une solution pour alléger le problème de représentation et de collecte de données d’usages par adopter et ajuster le standard xAPI pour représenter et collecter les données de façon simple et formelle. Ensuite, nous allons proposer et implanter des algorithmes de recommandation que nous allons les tester pour évaluer notre système de recommandation

Ubiquitous Semantic Applications

As Semantic Web technology evolves many open areas emerge, which attract more research focus. In addition to quickly expanding Linked Open Data (LOD) cloud, various embeddable metadata formats (e.g. RDFa, microdata) are becoming more common. Corporations are already using existing Web of Data to create new technologies that were not possible before. Watson by IBM an artificial intelligence computer system capable of answering questions posed in natural language can be a great example. On the other hand, ubiquitous devices that have a large number of sensors and integrated devices are becoming increasingly powerful and fully featured computing platforms in our pockets and homes. For many people smartphones and tablet computers have already replaced traditional computers as their window to the Internet and to the Web. Hence, the management and presentation of information that is useful to a user is a main requirement for today’s smartphones. And it is becoming extremely important to provide access to the emerging Web of Data from the ubiquitous devices. In this thesis we investigate how ubiquitous devices can interact with the Semantic Web. We discovered that there are five different approaches for bringing the Semantic Web to ubiquitous devices. We have outlined and discussed in detail existing challenges in implementing this approaches in section 1.2. We have described a conceptual framework for ubiquitous semantic applications in chapter 4. We distinguish three client approaches for accessing semantic data using ubiquitous devices depending on how much of the semantic data processing is performed on the device itself (thin, hybrid and fat clients). These are discussed in chapter 5 along with the solution to every related challenge. Two provider approaches (fat and hybrid) can be distinguished for exposing data from ubiquitous devices on the Semantic Web. These are discussed in chapter 6 along with the solution to every related challenge. We conclude our work with a discussion on each of the contributions of the thesis and propose future work for each of the discussed approach in chapter 7

How Green Public Procurement Contributes to Sustainable Development in China: Evidence from the IISD Green Public Procurement Model

The People's Republic of China spent more than CNY 1.6 trillion (USD 252 billion) on procurement in 2013, accounting for 11.7 per cent of all national spending (Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China, 2014). In light of these numbers, the potential environmental, social and economic multipliers of greening government purchases become evident. The benefits of a comprehensive and efficient green public procurement (GPP) policy are not limited to the green products and services the public sector buys, but will have a ripple effect that encourages green consumption nationwide. The significant purchasing power of the government will provide the much-needed incentives in order for businesses to invest and innovate in green products and services to meet the government's guaranteed long-term and high-volume demand. Additionally, GPP is in line with China's national plans to pioneer "eco-civilisation" and with the upcoming 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP), which underlines the importance of GPP.This paper is the second and final component of IISD's contribution to greening public procurement in China. Our discussion paper Green Public Procurement in China: Quantifying the Benefits, published in April 2015, analyzed China's GPP landscape, taking a closer look at current practices, actors at different levels of government and the underlying legal framework. In addition, the paper introduced the IISD GPP Model, discussing its potential for quantifying and communicating the benefits of GPP, while providing a high-level overview of the modelling approach used and of the scope of the model envisioned. Building on the results of the IISD GPP Model, consultations with stakeholders and an extensive literature review, this paper provides targeted recommendations addressing the development areas identified to improve GPP in China. The recommendations follow a multiphase approach offering more immediate solutions as well as more ambitious, larger-scale overhauls of the GPP framework for the long term. The results of the IISD GPP Model will be shared for the first time as part of this paper, making the case for green procurement through analyzing five product categories: air conditioners, lighting, cars, paper and cement. These categories were selected because they represent significant financial flows in procurement, have notable environmental impacts and domestic production, and have sufficient data available to facilitate their analysis. A detailed overview of the key elements of the modelling approach will be provided, in addition to an explanation of the model setup and the range of externalities monetised for each product category. Finally, we will look at how to use the model at the different levels of government as well as how its scope can be extended and customised in order to leverage its potential under a wider range of circumstances and areas of procurement

A Novel Framework for Improving Cyber Security Management and Awareness for Home Users

A wide and increasing range of different technologies, devices, platforms, applications and services are being used every day by home users. In parallel, home users are also experiencing a range of different online threats and attacks. Indeed, home users are increasingly being targeted as they lack the knowledge and awareness about potential threats and how to protect themselves. The increase in technologies and platforms also increases the burden upon a user to understand how to apply security across the differing technologies, operating systems and applications. This results in managing the security across their technology portfolio increasingly more troublesome and time-consuming. Thus, it is apparent that a more innovative, convenient and usable security management solution is vital. This thesis investigates current online awareness tools and reviews studies which try to enhance cybersecurity awareness and education among the home users. It is evident from the analysis that most of the studies which have made efforts in proposing “one-fits-all” solutions do not have the ability to provide the users with a tailored awareness content based on a number of criteria such as the current needs, prior knowledge, and security priorities for each user. The thesis proposes an approach for improving security management and awareness for home users by providing them with a customised security awareness. A design science research methodology has been used for understanding the current problem, creating and developing an artefact which can enhance security management and awareness for home users. A number of security controls and requirements were identified which need to be managed and monitored for different technologies and services. In addition, the research designed several preliminary interfaces which can show the main components and aspects in the proposed solution based on HCI principles. A participant-based study was undertaken to get feedback on the initial design requirements and interfaces. A survey of 434 digital device users was undertaken and reveal result that there is a positive correlation between the security concern, knowledge and management amongst home users towards different security aspects. Positive feedback and some valuable comments were received about the preliminary interface designs in terms of the usability and functionality aspects. This builds into a final design phase which proposes a novel architecture for enhancing security management and awareness for home users. The proposed framework is capable of creating and assigning different security policies for different digital devices. These assigned policies are monitored, checked and managed in order to review the user’s compliance with the assigned policies and provide bespoke security awareness. In addition. A mockup design was developed to simulate the proposed framework to show different interactions with different components and sections in order to visualise the main concepts and the functions which might be performed when it is deployed in a real environment. Ultimately, two separate focus group discussions, involving experts and end-users have been conducted in order to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the identified research problem, the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The overall feedback of the two discussions can be considered as positive, constructive and encouraging. The experts agreed that the identified research problem is very important and a real problem. In addition, the participants agreed that the proposed framework is feasible and effective in improving security management and awareness for home users. The outcomes have also shown a reasonable level of satisfaction from the participants towards different components and aspects of the proposed design.Saudi governmen

Management Communication: History, Distinctiveness, and Core Content

Management communication is the study of managers’ stewardship of writing and speaking to get work done with and through people. This paper overviews the field of management communication, its history, distinctiveness from other professional communication fields, and its content. The diversity of management communication training across the Financial Times’ top twenty MBA schools and of the theories influencing award-winning researchers’ work prompted a search for fundamental constructs. These training and researcher data, coupled with a review of the field’s most read journals and literature on the nature of managerial work, suggested a place to begin. Five core management communication activities are proposed: predicting audience response, selecting workplace language, seeing and shaping organizational genres, diagnosing communication effectiveness, and using discourse interactionhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97419/1/1186_Rogers.pd

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference EEDAL'11 Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting

This book contains the papers presented at the sixth international conference on Energy Efficiency in Domestic Appliances and Lighting. EEDAL'11 was organised in Copenhagen, Denmark in May 2011. This major international conference, which was previously been staged in Florence 1997, Naples 2000, Turin 2003, London 2006, Berlin 200h9a s been very successful in attracting an international community of stakeholders dealing with residential appliances, equipment, metering liagnhdti ng (including manufacturers, retailers, consumers, governments, international organisations aangde ncies, academia and experts) to discuss the progress achieved in technologies, behavioural aspects and poliacineds , the strategies that need to be implemented to further progress this important work. Potential readers who may benefit from this book include researchers, engineers, policymakers, and all those who can influence the design, selection, application, and operation of electrical appliances and lighting.JRC.F.7-Renewable Energ