Semantic Grounding Strategies for Tagbased Recommender Systems

Recommender systems usually operate on similarities between recommended items or users. Tag based recommender systems utilize similarities on tags. The tags are however mostly free user entered phrases. Therefore, similarities computed without their semantic groundings might lead to less relevant recommendations. In this paper, we study a semantic grounding used for tag similarity calculus. We show a comprehensive analysis of semantic grounding given by 20 ontologies from different domains. The study besides other things reveals that currently available OWL ontologies are very narrow and the percentage of the similarity expansions is rather small. WordNet scores slightly better as it is broader but not much as it does not support several semantic relationships. Furthermore, the study reveals that even with such number of expansions, the recommendations change considerably.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Valuing PSS outputs and quality changes

The Gershon review of efficiency recommended that target improvements in efficiency should be met both through financial savings and through improvements in quality of outputs. This paper reports on a pilot project designed to feed into an approach for local authorities to quantify in monetary terms quality gains in the provision of personal social services (PSS), with a specific application to the provision of home care for older people. There are a number of practical and theoretical problems with attributing monetary values to aspects of quality. The approach described here builds on ongoing work into the measurement of PSS outputs for the purposes of National Accounts and measuring changes in productivity and efficiency more widely. This approach distinguishes what services could provide (capacity for benefit) from the quality of what is provided in practice. By attaching a financial valuation to capacity for benefit we are able to attribute a monetary valuation to changes in the quality of provision measured (in the case of home care) through service user experiences of their care. Capacity for benefit (CfB) is defined in terms of eight domains of outcome that services address and four levels of need (no needs, all needs met, low needs, high needs) within these domains. In addition we identify whether people are living in their own homes, as a key attribute of care provision. The characteristics of the service (in terms of domains of outcome and whether living at home) and service users (in terms of level of need that need to be met) determine the CfB of a given service

Factors influencing abortion decision-making processes among young women

Background: Decision-making about if and how to terminate a pregnancy is a dilemma for young women experiencing an unwanted pregnancy. Those women are subject to sociocultural and economic barriers that limit their autonomy and make them vulnerable to pressures that influence or force decisions about abortion. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the individual, interpersonal and environmental factors behind the abortion decision-making process among young Mozambican women. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in Maputo and Quelimane. Participants were identified during a cross-sectional survey with women in the reproductive age (15-49). In total, 14 women aged 15 to 24 who had had an abortion participated in in-depth interviews. A thematic analysis was used. Results: The study found determinants at different levels, including the low degree of autonomy for women, the limited availability of health facilities providing abortion services and a lack of patient-centeredness of health services. Conclusions: Based on the results of the study, the authors suggest strategies to increase knowledge of abortion rights and services and to improve the quality and accessibility of abortion services in Mozambique

Adult and young women communication on sexuality : a pilot intervention in Maputo-Mozambique

Background: Communication on sexuality within the family has been considered a determinant factor for the sexual behaviour of young women, contributing to delaying sexual initiation. Taking into account that young women are increasingly exposed to sexualized messages, they need clear, trustful and open communication on sexuality more than ever. However, in Mozambique, communication about sexuality is hampered by strict social norms. This paper evaluates the case of an intervention aimed at reducing the generational barrier for talking about sexuality and to contribute to better communication within the family context. Methods: The intervention consisted of three weekly one-hour coached sessions in which female adults and young interacted about sexuality. Realist evaluation was used as a framework to assess context, mechanisms, and outcomes of the intervention. Interviews were conducted among 13 participants of the sessions. Result: The interaction sessions were positively appreciated by the participants and contributed to change norms and attitudes towards communication on sexuality within families. Recognition of similarities and awareness of differences were key in the mechanisms leading to these outcomes. This was reinforced by the use of visual materials and the atmosphere of respect and freedom of speech that characterized the interactions. Limiting factors were related to the long-standing taboo on sexuality and existing misconceptions on sexuality education and talks about sex. Conclusion: By elucidating mechanisms and contextual factors our study adds knowledge on strategies to improve transgenerational communication about sexuality

ANÁLISE DENDROECOLÓGICA DE Ocotea pulchella Nees et Mart. ex Nees (CANELA LAGEANA) NA SERRA GERAL DE SANTA MARIA, RS, BRASIL

Foram estudadas as relações entre variáveis climáticas e o incremento em diâmetro do tronco de cinco árvores de Ocotea pulchella localizadas às margens de uma barragem no município de Itaára, RS. Os dados de crescimento, em diâmetro, foram obtidos mediante análise de tronco, utilizando-se seções transversais retiradas na altura de 1,3 m (DAP), sendo os incrementos radiais determinados por meio da média de quatro raios, diametralmente, opostos. As seqüências médias dos incrementos foram estandartizadas para salientar a variação a curto prazo. Os dados climáticos são oriundos da estação meteorológica do município de Santa Maria, RS. Foram calculadas grandezas climáticas compostas, como a evapotranspiração e o balanço hídrico, para melhor descrever as condições hídricas de crescimento das árvores. Foram determinados anéis de crescimento característicos e sensitividades das seqüências de crescimento. Possíveis mudanças no estado de competição das árvores e seu efeito no crescimento foram estudados. Além disso, foram relacionados o incremento radial e as variáveis climáticas selecionadas por intermédio de análise de correlação. Não foi possível identificar nenhuma variável climática que, coerentemente, tenha influenciado no incremento durante o período observado. Os resultados mostram que o excesso de água influencia no crescimento diamétrico das árvores

Symmetric Operation of the Resonant Exchange Qubit

We operate a resonant exchange qubit in a highly symmetric triple-dot configuration using IQ-modulated RF pulses. At the resulting three-dimensional sweet spot the qubit splitting is an order of magnitude less sensitive to all relevant control voltages, compared to the conventional operating point, but we observe no significant improvement in the quality of Rabi oscillations. For weak driving this is consistent with Overhauser field fluctuations modulating the qubit splitting. For strong driving we infer that effective voltage noise modulates the coupling strength between RF drive and the qubit, thereby quickening Rabi decay. Application of CPMG dynamical decoupling sequences consisting of up to n = 32 {\pi} pulses significantly prolongs qubit coherence, leading to marginally longer dephasing times in the symmetric configuration. This is consistent with dynamical decoupling from low frequency noise, but quantitatively cannot be explained by effective gate voltage noise and Overhauser field fluctuations alone. Our results inform recent strategies for the utilization of partial sweet spots in the operation and long-distance coupling of triple-dot qubits.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Negative spin exchange in a multielectron quantum dot

By operating a one-electron quantum dot (fabricated between a multielectron dot and a one-electron reference dot) as a spectroscopic probe, we study the spin properties of a gate-controlled multielectron GaAs quantum dot at the transition between odd and even occupation number. We observe that the multielectron groundstate transitions from spin-1/2-like to singlet-like to triplet-like as we increase the detuning towards the next higher charge state. The sign reversal in the inferred exchange energy persists at zero magnetic field, and the exchange strength is tunable by gate voltages and in-plane magnetic fields. Complementing spin leakage spectroscopy data, the inspection of coherent multielectron spin exchange oscillations provides further evidence for the sign reversal and, inferentially, for the importance of non-trivial multielectron spin exchange correlations.Comment: 8 pages, including 4 main figures and 2 supplementary figurure