Prize Competition Research Articles

2011–2012 Gary L. Lilien ISMS-MSI Practice Prize Competition—Special Section Introduction

I introduce the work of the finalists in the 2011–2012 Gary L. Lilien ISMS-MSI Practice Prize Competition, representing once again the best combinations of rigor and relevance produced by marketing scientists. The winning paper is by a team who developed an innovative approach to measuring the impact of a social media campaign for an Indian premium ice cream retailer, Hokey Pokey. The other two finalists are from a team that developed a category management tool for a leading wine brand, Beringer, and a team that developed a system called PROSAD, which determines optimal bids to maximize an advertiser's profit per search engine advertising keyword.

Time-aware recommender systems: a comprehensive survey and analysis of existing evaluation protocols

Exploiting temporal context has been proved to be an effective approach to improve recommendation performance, as shown, e.g. in the Netflix Prize competition. Time-aware recommender systems (TARS) are indeed receiving increasing attention. A wide range of approaches dealing with the time dimension in user modeling and recommendation strategies have been proposed. In the literature, however, reported results and conclusions about how to incorporate and exploit time information within the recommendation processes seem to be contradictory in some cases. Aiming to clarify and address existing discrepancies, in this paper we present a comprehensive survey and analysis of the state of the art on TARS. The analysis show that meaningful divergences appear in the evaluation protocols used--metrics and methodologies. We identify a number of key conditions on offline evaluation of TARS, and based on these conditions, we provide a comprehensive classification of evaluation protocols for TARS. Moreover, we propose a methodological description framework aimed to make the evaluation process fair and reproducible. We also present an empirical study on the impact of different evaluation protocols on measuring relative performances of well-known TARS. The results obtained show that different uses of the above evaluation conditions yield to remarkably distinct performance and relative ranking values of the recommendation approaches. They reveal the need of clearly stating the evaluation conditions used to ensure comparability and reproducibility of reported results. From our analysis and experiments, we finally conclude with methodological issues a robust evaluation of TARS should take into consideration. Furthermore we provide a number of general guidelines to select proper conditions for evaluating particular TARS.

Finding the true $1000 Genome

Finding the true $1000 Genome

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2012 Winner Category B: “Materials Behaviour and Weldability” Influence of the [creq+Nieq] Alloy Level on the Transition Between Solidification Modes in Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal

It is well known that primary austenitic solidification modes [A, AF] are related to hot cracking susceptibility in the welding of austenitic stainless steels; therefore the transition between primary austenitic solidification mode [AF] and primary ferritic solidification mode [FA] is of utmost importance and traditionally has been related to a critical Creq /Nieq ratio. This paper presents the experimental results obtained when analysing the effect of alloy level on the transition between solidification modes in austenitic stainless steel weld metals. With this aim, two series of compositions of austenitic stainless steel samples were prepared using an electric arc remelting furnace, keeping the overall alloying composition at two constant levels of [Creq+Nieq] = 30 wt% and [Creq+Nieq] = 40 wt% while changing the Creq/Nieq ratio from 1.22 up to 2.00 in each series. The experimental results show that for an alloy level of [Creq+Nieq] = 30 wt%, the critical Creq/Nieq ratio for the [AF]/[FA] transition takes place between 1.38 and 1.55, while in case of [Creq+Nieq] = 40 wt% the critical Creq/Nieq ratio takes place between 1.28 and 1.32, which is lower in value and narrower in range than the values obtained for the lower alloyed series. A comparison between these experimental results and other authors’ previous research is presented. Results reveal the importance of the alloy level [Creq+Nieq ] as a key parameter in the transition between solidification modes.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2011

Controlling the level of mostly detrimental residual stresses already during the welding process would be highly attractive as time and cost consuming post processing may be prevented. Therefore, in this study, the approach using suitable alloy concepts with reduced phase transformation temperatures has been evaluated concerning the interactions between transformation temperature, transformation kinetics and resulting residual stresses. Ideal tools for observing these phenomena in-situ are diffraction techniques. For that purpose, a special setup was developed allowing for localized observation of phase transformation kinetics during a real welding process by energy dispersive synchrotron diffraction (EDXRD). In the present work, this setup was successfully applied for the first time in order to characterize a selection of alloys especially designed for residual stress control. The results demonstrate that in-process observation is highly suitable for characterizing and discussing phase transformation sensitive phenomena like residual stress formation. Furthermore, it was proven that residual stresses can be effectively controlled by means of an adjusted alloy design.

P‐23: Application of Digital Micro Hinge display Technology in Biosensing

AbstractConvergence and the ability to harness intrinsic properties of some display technologies can open up new dimensions to the ubiquitous mobile devices. Biosensing mobile displays being one such dimension we hereby present based on our Digital Micro Hinge [DMH] Display technology research. Interest in such biosensing devices is obvious from the recently announced $10 million Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize competition.

A Spanish View of Modernist Poetry in American Periodicals (1925)

A Spanish View of Modernist Poetry in American Periodicals (1925)

Opinion, Knowledge Exchange, and Section News published exclusively online

Abstract: OPINION MEDIA NOTES:“Welcome (& Farewell) of Tears: The Erasure of Indigenous Rights in 21st Century Brazil” by Jonathan D HillKenneth Routon is contributing editor of the Media Notes column in Anthropology News.ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR:“Building a Department: Starting from Scratch” by Sarah Ono, Heather Schacht Reisinger and Samantha SolimeoNOTES FROM THE FIELD:“Living with the Spirits: Ghost Stories of Southern Belize” by douglas carl reeserARCHEOLOGY IN NORTH AMERICA:“Opinions on the Early Period in North American Prehistory” by Robert MuckleINTERNATIONAL ACTIVISM:“Activists, Media and public Support — Four Profiles in Activism” by Robert R Sauders KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE CHANGING THE ATMOSPHERE:“Of Aquifers and Islands” by Sarah Strauss with Heather Lazrus SECTION NEWS SOCIETY FOR URBAN, NATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL/GLOBAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Susan Falls, ed. “SUNTA Graduate Paper Prize Competition”SOCIETY FOR URBAN, NATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL/GLOBAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Susan Falls, ed. “Leeds Prize and CORI Update”Keywords:Indigenous rights, Brazil, public anthropology, applied anthropology, fieldwork, Belize, archaeology, social justice, human rights activist, climate change, NCAR, environmental anthropology

Improving Aggregate Recommendation Diversity Using Ranking-Based Techniques

Recommender systems are becoming increasingly important to individual users and businesses for providing personalized recommendations. However, while the majority of algorithms proposed in recommender systems literature have focused on improving recommendation accuracy (as exemplified by the recent Netflix Prize competition), other important aspects of recommendation quality, such as the diversity of recommendations, have often been overlooked. In this paper, we introduce and explore a number of item ranking techniques that can generate substantially more diverse recommendations across all users while maintaining comparable levels of recommendation accuracy. Comprehensive empirical evaluation consistently shows the diversity gains of the proposed techniques using several real-world rating data sets and different rating prediction algorithms.

평가의 시간 순서를 고려한 강화 학습 기반 협력적 여과

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in recommender systems which provide users with personalized suggestions for products or services. In particular, researches of collaborative filtering analyzing relations between users and items has become more active because of the Netflix Prize competition. This paper presents the reinforcement learning approach for collaborative filtering. By applying reinforcement learning techniques to the movie rating, we discovered the connection between a time sequence of past ratings and current ratings. For this, we first formulated the collaborative filtering problem as a Markov Decision Process. And then we trained the learning model which reflects the connection between the time sequence of past ratings and current ratings using Q-learning. The experimental results indicate that there is a significant effect on current ratings by the time sequence of past ratings.

Notices

Announcement of the Morris D. Forkosch book prize competition; announcement of the Selma V. Forkosch prize for the best article published in the Journal of the History of Ideas ; announcement of NEH Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers, "Tudor Books and Readers: 1485-1603," June-July 2012, including application information.

“Please Don’t Tell Me”

Knowledge is generally a good thing. People who know lots of bits of information are generally admired. Some of them win prizes in TV competitions. If you were offered the gift of having an entire encyclopedia wired into your brain, you would probably accept, without thinking. But we should be wary of assuming that all knowledge is good. Too much knowledge can inhibit rather than enable thought.

Henry Granjon Prize Competition 2010 Winner Category C: “Design and Structural Integrity” Fatigue Design of Welded Structures — Some Aspects of Weld Quality and Residual Stresses

The research work reported in this paper aims to increase the accuracy of fatigue life prediction of welded steel structures using local analysis methods by i) establishing a link between weld quality and fatigue life ii) developing simplified engineering methods using finite element routines for prediction of welding residual stresses iii) incorporating the residual stresses into the fatigue life predictions. Acceptance criteria were developed for the weld quality by comprehensive FE-and fracture mechanical analysis and fatigue testing. The results are the foundation for the new weld class system within the Volvo group company. Simplified FE welding simulation routines and procedures for incorporating the predicted residual stresses into crack growth analysis were developed showing good agreement with residual stress measurements and fatigue testing.

The new date, new format, new goals and new sponsor of the Archon Genomics X PRIZE Competition

The Archon Genomics X PRIZE presented by MEDCO is a $10 million prize for whole human genome sequencing that will test 100 samples and establish a defined method for determining quality and cost per genome. The contest will entail a head-to-head competition starting on 3 January 2013. The $10 million grand prize will be awarded to the first team to meet all the quality standards. If there is no grand prize winner, lesser awards will be made for single achievements in the three categories of accuracy, completeness and haplotype phasing. Similar to the open comment period offered earlier this year for the validation protocol, the X PRIZE Foundation seeks commentary from the scientific community on the revised competition format and judging criteria prior to publishing final rules as part of a master agreement with competing teams next year. The official validation protocol will make the competition judging transparent and fair using multiple standard techniques and robust bioinformatics. With sponsorship from Medco Health Solutions (MEDCO), the 100 samples will be derived from genomes of appropriately consented centenarian subjects. At the conclusion of the contest, the data from the redundantly sequenced genomes will be deposited into a scientific database and provide a heretofore unrealized depth of sequence data based on multiple technologies. The sample set and the bioinformatic pipeline will also be made available to the scientific community.

Ernest Jonathan Naylor, 1917–1985, and the Naylor prize competition

Ernest Jonathan Naylor, 1917–1985, and the Naylor prize competition

Notices

Announcement of the Morris D. Forkosch book prize competition; announcement of the Selma V. Forkosch prize for the best article published in the Journal of the History of Ideas.

The effect of inducement prizes on innovation: evidence from theAnsariXPrize and theNorthropGrummanLunarLanderChallenge

Inducement prizes are increasingly popular because of their potential to induce technological innovations and attain related goals. Academic research, however, has barely investigated these prizes. This paper investigates the motivation of prize entrants, the characteristics of their research and development (R&D) activities, and the overall effect of prizes on innovation using case study research and documentary data sources. TheAnsariXPrize and theNorthropGrummanLunarLanderChallenge, both considered successful technology competitions in the aerospace sector, are investigated. The findings show that, first, incentives created by competitions, particularly those that are nonmonetary, attract unconventional entrants. The market value of the prize technologies motivate entrants as well but do not attract traditional industry players. Second, limited technology development lead times and no up‐front funding characterize prizeR&Dactivities, yet their differences with traditional industry practices are caused by participant‐level factors. Most importantly, the introduction of novelR&Dapproaches is associated with the participation of unconventional entrants. Third, these prizes induced innovations over and above what would have occurred anyway, with the caveat that they were linked to significant technology incentives and fundamentally, ongoingR&Dprocesses. These findings put forward lessons that inform the design of more effective prize competitions.

Notices

Announcement of the Morris D. Forkosch book prize competition; announcement of the Selma V. Forkosch prize for the best article published in the Journal of the History of Ideas . Announcement of fellowships at the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study.

2009–2010 ISMS-MSI Practice Prize Competition—Special Section Introduction

I introduce the work of the finalists in the 2009–2010 ISMS-MSI Practice Prize Competition, representing once again the best combinations of rigor and relevance produced by marketing scientists. The winning paper is by a team from several German universities and represents a collaboration with Bayer AG on an important problem—allocating the marketing budget dynamically across countries, products, and the marketing mix. The other three finalists described projects involving a branding project for an Australian airline, Jetstar, based on a dynamic choice model; a new tool for differentiating Prudential's variable annuities from the competition; and a marketing communications model for a small, family-run European office furniture supplier, Inofec.

CYP2D6 and CYP3A genotypes influence metabolism of R- and S-ondansetron

s and Programme: EUROANAESTHESIA 2011: The European Anaesthesiology Congress: ESA Best Abstract Prize Competition (BAPC)