Information filtering via preferential diffusion

Recommender systems have shown great potential to address information overload problem, namely to help users in finding interesting and relevant objects within a huge information space. Some physical dynamics, including heat conduction process and mass or energy diffusion on networks, have recently found applications in personalized recommendation. Most of the previous studies focus overwhelmingly on recommendation accuracy as the only important factor, while overlook the significance of diversity and novelty which indeed provide the vitality of the system. In this paper, we propose a recommendation algorithm based on the preferential diffusion process on user-object bipartite network. Numerical analyses on two benchmark datasets, MovieLens and Netflix, indicate that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. Specifically, it can not only provide more accurate recommendations, but also generate more diverse and novel recommendations by accurately recommending unpopular objects.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

Suicide in cricket: A sociological explanation

Statistics from David Friths’ (2001) book ‘Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides’ indicates cricket players are almost twice as likely as the average male to commit suicide, and furthermore have a higher rate of suicide than participants of any other sports. This thesis proposes to draw on the sociology of suicide devised by Emile Durkheim during the late 19th century. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to examine the social causes of the suggested suicide rate in cricket. Using data generated from 9 cricket players’ auto/biographies, the findings suggest that cricket, specifically long tours spent away from home, place unique strains on family relations when compared with those from other sporting occupations. Furthermore, findings allude towards a high divorce rate in cricket and high divorce rates have long been associated with an increase in suicide (Durkheim, 1966). Moreover, findings suggest retirement impacts on the suicide rate in cricket, as retirement leads to a loss of social regulation among cricketers, thus, creating an increase in the sense of anomie, or ‘normlessness’ among players, which causes an increase in the rate of anomic suicide. However, findings also propose retirement’s impact on the suicide rate is contingent on the presence of the family group; where a family group is present, retirement may negatively impact the suicide rate as retirement allows cricket players to re-integrate into the family group, thus increasing their sense of social integration which acts as a barrier, preventing an increase in the suicide rate

Cholesterin Metabolism: An Account of Physiological, Pathological and Experimental Investigations

The writer's personal investigations have concerned the following problems. 1. Investigations of the general physiology and metabolism of cholesterin in the body. 2. The physiological alterations in cholesterin metabolism which occur during pregnancy. 3. Cholesterin metabolism in relation to the formation of gall-stones. 4. Experimental work on the relations of cholesterin to the production of atheroma and arterio-sclerosis

Latina Immigrant Mothers\u27 Counterstories of Education: Challenging Deficit Myths

Despite major gains in working-class Latin@ immigrant graduation rates and college attendance in recent years, most educators and administrators still perceive Latin@ students with deficit mindsets. Majoritarian storytelling perpetuates deficit myths about working-class Latin@ immigrant students and their families not valuing education. This study joins a growing body of research that uses counterstories to challenge deficit mentalities in education toward working-class Latin@ immigrant students and their families. This qualitative study involved individual, focus group, and member checking interviews with four Latin@ immigrant mothers in the San Francisco Bay Area. The goal of the study was to learn about the following areas: 1) the educational and schooling experiences and academic aspirations of the mothers, 2) the educational and schooling experiences of their children and grandchildren along with the mothers’ academic aspirations for them, and 3) the mothers’ schooling and education-related hopes for working-class Latin@ immigrant students in the United States in general. The educational counterstories shared by the mothers provided very rich data and detail, powerfully contradicting deficit ideas in education about working-class Latin@ immigrant students and their families. The findings support the importance of bilingual education, bilingualism, and biliteracy. Furthermore, the study concludes that amazing educational counterstories like these should be used as tools in teacher and administrator preparation programs for bilingual and social justice educators. The rich data provided by the counterstories is ideal material for teaching important educational concepts, theories, strategies, and methods

Diffusion Properties of Dental Plaque in Relation to Dental Caries

Diffusion in dental plaque is recognised to be important to caries formation. It has been postulated that plaque acts as a barrier to diffusion, thereby trapping harmful acid at the tooth surface. Extracellular polysaccharides, such as glucan, in the plaque matrix were thought to be the diffusion controlling component of plaque. However, there were no quantitative measurements to support these hypotheses

Study of Arterial Gas Emboli

In an attempt to better understand the behavior of gas emboli, a bench top vascular bifurcation model was designed and manufactured. The model represented physiological parameters of arteries and arterioles, resulting in an accurate portrayal of likely bubble behavior in the body. To further achieve realistic properties, a 60% glycerin-water solution was prepared to match relevant physiological Reynolds and Capillary numbers. By investigating various flow rates, roll angles, and bubble geometries, the findings indicate that all of these factors influence the emboli transport

Graduate Programs in Forest Engineering and Forest Operations: Working Towards Extinction

The availability and employment potential of doctoral graduates in forest engineering and forest operations across North America is explored in this paper. Past graduation rates, along with current and future employer needs for these graduates were examined through a survey of University-based programs, private companies, and public agencies. The survey suggests that graduation rates for doctoral students are low across North America. Currently, academic openings exist at several Universities and suitable candidates for these positions are not currently available. The survey showed that only half of the students who graduated in the past ten years pursued an academic career after graduation. Based on noted graduation rates, the need for qualified doctoral graduates will steadily increase at many University-based programs. Survey results of companies and public agencies suggest that the predominant public employer for graduates over the last ten years was the USDA Forest Service, although current attitudes within this agency may limit future employment opportunities. Private companies provide some opportunity for additional employment, although only the largest forest product companies seem willing to hire doctoral graduates. In this survey, only three of the surveyed companies had employees with a doctorate in forest operations or forest engineering

Development of a Self Sustaining Building

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of converting the East Campus Dormitory at Worcester Polytechnic Institute into a self sustaining green building. Alternative energy methods were researched, and appropriate technologies for on-site energy production were proposed. It is estimated by WPI facilities that the building will need 2 MW of electricity per year, and will consume 42,600 Therms of natural gas annually. To meet this demand, a solar water heating system has been implemented in the proposed design. This, along with geothermal heat pumps allows for the complete elimination of natural gas from the building. The proposed roof mounted vertical axis wind turbines will produce 2.6 MW of power annually, which will satisfy the total electrical load of the building