Latent factor model is one common technique to build recommendation systems. Standard latent factor model however does not take into account the order in which each individual user makes the ratings. Modeling the shift in user behaviour over time will not only allow making better recommendations to users, but also discover their hidden categories, “level of experiences” or “progression stages”....

Training a task-completion dialogue agent with real users via reinforcement learning (RL) could be prohibitively expensive, because it requires many interactions with users. One alternative is to resort to a user simulator, while the discrepancy of between simulated and real users makes the learned policy unreliable in practice. This paper addresses these challenges by integrating planning into...

The classical Joukowski transformation plays an important role in different applications of conformal mappings, in particular in the study of flows around the so-called Joukowski airfoils. In the 1980s H. Haruki and M. Barran studied generalized Joukowski transformations of higher order in the complex plane from the view point of functional equations. The aim of our contribution is to study the...

This paper aims to contribute to the evolving literature on the new landscape of scholarly journals. It builds on a series of experiences as a journal editor which span the print and digital eras, and focuses on two current activities with new journals. One was designed as a synoptic journal in a broad multidisciplinary field, supported by a commercial publisher; the other a non-revenue journal...

This paper describes how a knowledge building community (KBC) of preservice teachers used an on-line discussion forum to develop knowledge about the role of the teacher in modern schools. It traces their initial use of the technology and follows the evolution of its use over a three-year period describing the role of the students and university lecturers in facilitating discussion. The paper th...

Many researchers employ various statistical methods to locate faults in faulty programs. Like other researchers, we sometimes have made mistakes in the quest of making statistical fault localization both practical and scientific. In this experience report, we reflect on our work done on this topic, organize our isolated experiences in the format of models and errors, and cast them in the contex...

This paper examines the question: How do cultural differences influence students’ perceptions of Web-based learning? Research on cultural differences by Hofstede [1] [2] is used as a foundation to study students’ perceptions of Webbased learning. A survey of an on-line course has been conducted, linking the students’ cultural background to usage patterns, attitudes towards Web-based learning in...

Organisational learning, knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing are core components of the retail internationalisation process. However, organisational learning is not solely derived from examples of success – we also learn from failure. Divestment is an intrinsic feature of retail internationalisation, and has recently become a focus for academic research. This paper considers the growing bo...

At the EUROCALL conference 2009 in Gandia we, the editors of this special issue decided to blow a breath of fresh air into the Special Interest Group for Teacher Education and were overwhelmed by the response we received during the initial meeting. One of the outcomes was the decision to organize a smaller, 'between conferences' research seminar for those among us who are involved – both as pra...

background & objectives: fasting in the month of ramadan has several positive effects on the emotional and mental state and improves happiness in the community. this study aimed to investigate the effects of fasting on the level of happiness in the general population. materials and methods: in this study, we used pretest-posttest analysis to evaluate the hypothesis, and the study population con...