Encouraging attention and exploration in a hybrid recommender system for libraries of unfamiliar music

There are few studies of user interaction with music libraries comprising solely of unfamiliar music, despite such music being represented in national music information centre collections. We aim to develop a system that encourages exploration of such a library. This study investigates the influence of 69 users’ pre-existing musical genre and feature preferences on their ongoing continuous real-time psychological affect responses during listening and the acoustic features of the music on their liking and familiarity ratings for unfamiliar art music (the collection of the Australian Music Centre) during a sequential hybrid recommender-guided interaction. We successfully mitigated the unfavorable starting conditions (no prior item ratings or participants’ item choices) by using each participant’s pre-listening music preferences, translated into acoustic features and linked to item view count from the Australian Music Centre database, to choose their seed item. We found that first item liking/familiarity ratings were on average higher than the subsequent 15 items and comparable with the maximal values at the end of listeners’ sequential responses, showing acoustic features to be useful predictors of responses. We required users to give a continuous response indication of their perception of the affect expressed as they listened to 30-second excerpts of music, with our system successfully providing either a “similar” or “dissimilar” next item, according to—and confirming—the utility of the items’ acoustic features, but chosen from the affective responses of the preceding item. We also developed predictive statistical time series analysis models of liking and familiarity, using music preferences and preceding ratings. Our analyses suggest our users were at the starting low end of the commonly observed inverted-U relationship between exposure and both liking and perceived familiarity, which were closely related. Overall, our hybrid recommender worked well under extreme conditions, with 53 unique items from 100 chosen as “seed” items, suggesting future enhancement of our approach can productively encourage exploration of libraries of unfamiliar music

System model development for nuclear thermal propulsion

A critical enabling technology in the evolutionary development of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) is the ability to predict the system performance under a variety of operating conditions. This is crucial for mission analysis and for control subsystem testing as well as for the modeling of various failure modes. Performance must be accurately predicted during steady-state and transient operation, including startup, shutdown, and post operation cooling. The development and application of verified and validated system models has the potential to reduce the design, testing, and cost and time required for the technology to reach flight-ready status. Since Oct. 1991, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Defense (DOD), and NASA have initiated critical technology development efforts for NTP systems to be used on Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) missions to the Moon and Mars. This paper presents the strategy and progress of an interagency NASA/DOE/DOD team for NTP system modeling. It is the intent of the interagency team to develop several levels of computer programs to simulate various NTP systems. The first level will provide rapid, parameterized calculations of overall system performance. Succeeding computer programs will provide analysis of each component in sufficient detail to guide the design teams and experimental efforts. The computer programs will allow simulation of the entire system to allow prediction of the integrated performance. An interagency team was formed for this task to use the best capabilities available and to assure appropriate peer review

The Planning and Appraisal of Mega Transport Infrastructure Projects Delivered by Public–Private Partnerships: The Case for the Use of Policy-Led Multi-Criteria Analysis

Mega transport infrastructure projects are frequently perceived as critical to the “success” of major metropolitan, regional and national development because of their potential to affect significant socioeconomic and territorial changes. However, the mega infrastructure development literature tends to focus upon the frequent failures of such projects because of their inability to meet their original expectations. A major cause for such perceived underperformance has been attributed to the inadequacies of ex-ante project appraisal methodologies. In particular, their excessively narrow focus has prompted growing calls for broader and more transparent project appraisal frameworks. These calls coincide with a period where public private partnerships (PPPs) are growing in importance globally as the favoured procurement route for governments looking to undertake new mega transport infrastructure developments. Some see the practicalities of PPPs as placing them at odds with aspirations for more inclusive and open project appraisal with adequate consideration of the public interest. It is the authors’ contention that if introduced with broader and more systematically presented sustainability concerns, PPPs can remain compatible with such ambitions. Towards this end, this paper presents the rudimentaries of a policy-led multi-criteria analysis (PLMCA) approach to project appraisal as a means by which PLMCA can contribute to more holistic PPP procurement practices. The authors contend in the latter part of the paper that PLMCA addresses many of the limitations associated with the application of narrower decision-making and project appraisal approaches currently supporting PPPs and other more conventional procurement practices

Improving performance and the reliability of off-site pre-cast concrete production operations using simulation optimisation

The increased use of precast components in building and heavy civil engineering projects has led to the introduction of innovative management and scheduling systems to meet the demand for increased reliability, efficiency and cost reduction. The aim of this study is to develop an innovative crew allocation system that can efficiently allocate crews of workers to labour-intensive repetitive processes. The objective is to improve off-site pre-cast production operations using Multi-Layered Genetic Algorithms. The Multi-Layered concept emerged in response to the modelling requirements of different sets of labour inputs. As part of the techniques used in developing the Crew Allocation “SIM_Crew” System, a process mapping methodology is used to model the processes of precast concrete operations and to provide the framework and input required for simulation. Process simulation is then used to model and imitate all production processes, and Genetic Algorithms are embedded within the simulation model to provide a rapid and intelligent search. A Multi-Layered chromosome is used to store different sets of inputs such as crews working on different shifts and process priorities. A ‘Class Interval’ selection strategy is developed to improve the chance of selecting the most promising chromosomes for further investigation. Multi-Layered Dynamic crossover and mutation operators are developed to increase the randomness of the searching mechanism for solutions in the solution space. The results illustrate that adopting different combinations of crews of workers has a substantial impact on the labour allocation cost and this should lead to increased efficiency and lower production cost. In addition, the results of the simulation show that minimum throughput time, minimum process-waiting time and optimal resource utilisation profiles can be achieved when compared to a real-life case study

First Record of the Southern Red-Backed Vole, Clethrionomys gapperi, in Newfoundland: Implications for the Endangered Newfoundland Marten, Martes americana atrata

We report on the first capture of the Southern Red-backed Vole (Clethrionomys gapperi), the eleventh non-native terrestrial mammal established on the island of Newfoundland over the last 150 years. Red-backed Voles may have been accidentally introduced by unknown sources in pulpwood imports or may have been deliberately introduced in an attempt to augment the depauperate small mammal fauna as a vigilante recovery effort for the endangered Newfoundland Marten (Martes americana atrata). We anticipate significant utilization of the Red-backed Vole as prey by both Newfoundland Marten and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) with associated demographic responses within and between these species. Red-backed Voles will likely change habitat utilization patterns for the endemic subspecies of Meadow Vole, Microtus pennsylvanicus terraenovae

Mule Deer Management in Southeastern Montana

In 1982, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 7 implemented a five week regionwide general license either-sex plus additional antlerless B license harvest structure for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).   This harvest strategy implemented three important changes from previous years. First, the regionwide harvest structure eliminated the use of small hunting districts and allows the law of diminishing returns to operate: hunters tend to avoid areas with low deer numbers and focus on areas with higher densities.  Second, general licenses were made either-sex, rather than antlered-only for mule deer.  Third, following natural population declines (e.g., due to severe natural stressors), biologists began increasing antlerless quotas soon after populations began to recover, rather than waiting until populations were at or above long-term averages.  This management system has maximized opportunity and flexibility for hunters while simplifying regulations and enforcement.  In the 30-plus years since implementation, Region 7 has seen a reduction in game damage complaints, and an increase in buck-to-doe ratios.  Mule deer populations and harvest have been stable long-term, and population fluctuations have decreased in magnitude.  This harvest strategy has produced similar results in both Region 7 as a whole (75% private lands) and on the Custer National Forest, a 436,000-ac block of public land