Exploiting Positional Information for Session-Based Recommendation

For present e-commerce platforms, it is important to accurately predict users’ preference for a timely next-item recommendation. To achieve this goal, session-based recommender systems are developed, which are based on a sequence of the most recent user-item interactions to avoid the influence raised from outdated historical records. Although a session can usually reflect a user’s current preference, a local shift of the user’s intention within the session may still exist. Specifically, the interactions that take place in the early positions within a session generally indicate the user’s initial intention, while later interactions are more likely to represent the latest intention. Such positional information has been rarely considered in existing methods, which restricts their ability to capture the significance of interactions at different positions. To thoroughly exploit the positional information within a session, a theoretical framework is developed in this paper to provide an in-depth analysis of the positional information. We formally define the properties of forward-awareness and backward-awareness to evaluate the ability of positional encoding schemes in capturing the initial and the latest intention. According to our analysis, existing positional encoding schemes are generally forward-aware only, which can hardly represent the dynamics of the intention in a session. To enhance the positional encoding scheme for the session-based recommendation, a dual positional encoding (DPE) is proposed to account for both forward-awareness and backward-awareness . Based on DPE, we propose a novel Positional Recommender (PosRec) model with a well-designed Position-aware Gated Graph Neural Network module to fully exploit the positional information for session-based recommendation tasks. Extensive experiments are conducted on two e-commerce benchmark datasets, Yoochoose and Diginetica and the experimental results show the superiority of the PosRec by comparing it with the state-of-the-art session-based recommender models.

TVS: a trusted verification scheme for office documents based on blockchain

To realize the encryption of document information, authority authentication, and traceability of historical records, we propose a trusted verification scheme (TVS) for office documents to ensure security. Specifically, the scheme is realized by timestamps, smart contracts (or chaincode), and other blockchain technologies. It is based on the features of blockchain, such as security, credibility, immutability, and traceability of network behavior. And the TVS stores users and documents information through blockchain; it can monitor the state changes of office documents in real time by setting the trigger conditions of smart contracts. The experiment indicates that we have realized the real-time monitoring of data and the traceability of historical records. Moreover, we have achieved the purpose of document encryption and authority authentication, ensuring the authenticity and objectivity of data, avoiding the illegal tampering of malicious users to realize the trusted verification for documents.

Differential word expression analyses highlight plague dynamics during the second pandemic

Research on the second plague pandemic that swept over Europe from the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries mainly relies on the exegesis of contemporary texts and is prone to interpretive bias. By leveraging certain bioinformatic tools routinely used in biology, we developed a quantitative lexicography of 32 texts describing two major plague outbreaks, using contemporary plague-unrelated texts as negative controls. Nested, network and category analyses of a 207-word pan-lexicome, comprising overrepresented terms in plague-related texts, indicated that ‘buboes' and ‘carbuncles' are words that were significantly associated with the plague and signalled an ectoparasite-borne plague. Moreover, plague-related words were associated with the terms ‘merchandise’, ‘movable’, ‘tatters', ‘bed’ and ‘clothes'. Analysing ancient texts using the method reported in this paper can certify plague-related historical records and indicate the particularities of each plague outbreak, which can inform on the potential sources for the causative Yersinia pestis .

Tackling erosion-accumulation events in a moat sequence from a unique Ottoman memorial place (Szigetvár, SW Hungary) using 14C and geoarcheological data

One of the most influential rulers of the sixteenth century, Sultan Suleyman I, passed away and was buried temporarily near the fortress of Szigetvár in SW Hungary in 1566. Later, a memorial place was erected on the site in the second half of the sixteenth century. The complex was surrounded by a palisade system and a moat on its northern side. The site was fully destroyed in 1692, and the exact location vanished with time. Recent investigations of historical sources complemented by geophysical, archeological, and geoarcheological investigations managed to identify the location of the site, and probe corings revealed the moat system. This study presents the results of complex chronological, sedimentological, and geochemical investigations done on the sediments accumulated in the moat. Based on geoarcheological data, two major changes could have been noted in the nature of the deposit marking erosion and transportation of soil from the banks of the moat. Elevated concentrations of Fe and K, and high MS values mark the effects of fire on the deposit and accumulation of flue ash. A rise in heavy metals in these horizons is attributable to anthropogenic sources related to the destruction of the site. Chronological data comes from dateable artifacts reposited and 14C dates of charred cereal seeds. A Bayesian age model built using 14C ages constrained by written historical data on site use helped us to determine the age of moat construction and the referred erosion-accumulation events. The older event was dated around 1670, which is in line with historical records of the first siege of Szigetvár. The second event postdates 1684 and thus must correspond to the time of the site’s final siege and later destruction.

Bannock Diplomacy: How Métis Women Fought Battles and Made Peace in North Dakota, 1850s–1870s

Métis women have been neglected in scholarship because they are hard to find in historical records. Seeking out little-used sources and amplifying their voices in them demonstrate that they were significant figures in maintaining peace within their communities on the northern Great Plains in the mid- to late nineteenth century. Through their actions in battles and diplomatic negotiations, they showed themselves to be particularly skilled in conflict resolution. This article highlights two key instances in which Métis women used both courage and judiciousness to support their communities. The first is the 1851 Battle of Grand Coteau between the Yanktonais Sioux and a Métis and Anishinaabe bison-hunting party. The second is a Métis trading family negotiating with Lakota in the late 1870s through the actions of Sarah Nolin. In this article, we survey key historical moments in Métis women’s lives and experiences in the geography now known as North Dakota, exemplifying their approaches to diplomacy, conflict resolution, and political affirmation.

Note on Historical Records, Geographical Distribution, and Ecological Characteristics of a Mud Lobster, Thalassina anomala (Herbst, 1804) (Decapoda, Gebiidea, Thalassinidae) in Sarawak, Borneo

The presence of mud lobster mounds is a common natural feature along coastal areas and tidal influence habitats in Sarawak. However, the number of species of mud lobsters that constructed the mounds is yet to be ascertained. This paper reviews historical records and geographical distribution of mud lobster in Sarawak from various forms of literature. The early records of mud lobster were from Buntal in Kuching, and Lingga in Sri Aman back more than 130 years ago. A few other records were reported from the central and northern regions of Sarawak between 1928 and 2019. All these records have identified mud lobster of Sarawak as Thalassina anomala (Herbst, 1804). Our present study at two sites in Buntal area with a careful examination of morphological characters of fresh specimens has confirmed the taxonomy of the species and its existence in the area. Some ecological characteristics of the mud lobster, such as size variation, population density, and mound characteristics, are also discussed. The present study also found that construction of massive mounds by mud lobster has posed a conflict to farmers and coastal communities at Buntal area, who regarded the animal as a pest. On the other hand, research on the potential medicinal value of mud lobster in Sarawak is growing. This implies that accurate taxonomy and comprehensive ecological data of T. anomala are necessary to support best practices of mud lobster pest management and sustainable harvesting of the animal for medicinal purposes, which eventually lead to conserving the animal.

Language Contact Between Lithuanian and Polish in the Historical Anthroponymy of Kėdainiai Town of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Language Contact Between Lithuanian and Polish in the Historical Anthroponymy of Kėdainiai Town of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth CenturiesThis article presents Lithuanian naming trends specific to residents of Kėdainiai in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, underlining characteristic cases of Polonisation of their personal names and the most significant factors that affected the recording of anthroponyms in town books. Historical records from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (24 Kėdainiai register books from 1623–1799) were used to extract 505 cases of names of Kėdainiai residents. For comparison, the study also considers examples from the 1752–1799 register of christenings kept by St George’s Church of Kėdainiai Parish. The sources under consideration mostly relied on the binary nomination model (using a name and a surname or a personal name that performed the function of the latter), where the first component was a Christian name written in Polish or Latin. In seventeenth-century records, surnames were Polonised: obvious cases of phonetic alterations were noted, some surnames had no endings, some Lithuanian patronymic and diminutive suffixes were replaced with Slavic suffixes, and Slavic patronymic suffixes -evič, -ovič were added to names without suffixes. However, the Slavicisation of anthroponyms particular to Kėdainiai residents in the seventeenth century was not very intense due to extralinguistic and historical circumstances. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the town of Kėdainiai was a Reformist centre of Lithuanianness, and the Lithuanian language was used in the public life of the town. This element of Lithuanianness can also be noticed in the analysed historical sources. Anthroponyms were mostly Polonised in Kėdainiai register books from the eighteenth century. Slavic patronymic suffixes -evič, -ovič were predominant in this period. Litewsko-polskie kontakty językowe w historycznej antroponimii siedemnasto- i osiemnastowiecznych KiejdanNiniejszy artykuł omawia litewskie tendencje antroponimiczne charakterystyczne dla mieszkańców Kiejdan w XVII i XVIII wieku, podkreślając charakterystyczne przypadki polonizacji oraz najistotniejsze czynniki, które wpłynęły na zapis antroponimów w księgach miejskich. Z siedemnasto- i osiemnastowiecznych zapisów (24 księgi miejskie z lat 1623–1799) wyekstrahowano 505 przypadków nazwisk mieszkańców Kiejdan. Dla porównania, w opracowaniu uwzględniono również przykłady z księgi chrztów z lat 1752–1799, prowadzonej przez kościół parafialny św. Jerzego w Kiejdanach. W omawianych zapisach źródłowych stosowano głównie antroponimy o modelu dwuczłonowym (użycie imienia i nazwiska lub imienia, które pełniło funkcję nazwiska), gdzie pierwszym elementem było imię chrzestne zapisywane po polsku lub po łacinie. W zapisach siedemnastowiecznych nazwiska polonizowano: odnotowano oczywiste przypadki zmian fonetycznych, niektóre nazwiska nie miały końcówek, niektóre litewskie przyrostki patronimiczne i deminutywne zastępowano przyrostkami słowiańskimi, słowiańskie przyrostki patronimiczne -ewicz, -owicz dodawano do nazwisk, które nie miały przyrostków. Mimo że slawizacja antroponimów była charakterystyczna dla Kiejdan w XVII wieku, nie była jednak szczególnie intensywna ze względu na uwarunkowania pozajęzykowe i historyczne. Kiejdany były ośrodkiem reformacji i litewskości, który posługiwał się językiem litewskim w życiu publicznym miasta. Ten element litewskości można również dostrzec w analizowanych źródłach historycznych. W księgach kiejdańskich z XVIII wieku antroponimy występują przeważnie w formach spolszczonych. W tym okresie dominowały słowiańskie przyrostki patronimiczne -ewicz, -owicz.

Manuscript Books: Collections of Political Life Materials from the Area of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Dating Back to the 17th and 18th Centuries in Libraries, Archives and Museums in Poland

The article discusses manuscript books – collections of public life materials created in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, now located in Poland. They were created mainly by nobles and by chancellery clerks and officials employed at magnates’ and state dignitaries’ courts as an expression of the interests of collectors or documentary and historiographical concerns, and sometimes also as support for public activity. They contained various materials related to conducting, documenting and recording public life. The present overview is based on an identification of copies and on the information contained in printed and online manuscript catalogues and inventories. The number of surviving manuscripts of that type can be hypothetically estimated at ca. 400–500 copies, with ca. 100 copies identified in Poland. Their largest collection is held in the Radvilos Archives, part of the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, with single copies scattered across different libraries and museums. The oldest ones date back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The greatest value should be attributed to several manuscripts originating from the Radvilos of Biržai community from the mid-17th century. Other valuable manuscripts include some made by common nobles, especially in the 17th century, as they often contain unique materials, unknown from elsewhere, as well as those created in the circles of the Sapiegos and Radvilos of Nyasvizh magnate families. Standing out among the latter are miscellanies created during the first three decades of the 18th century by Kazimierz Złotkowski, secretary of the Grand Chancellor of Lithuania Karolis Stanislovas Radvila. These books attest to the integration of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s nobility and magnates with other lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. They largely contain materials relating to public life of the whole Commonwealth, while often including materials relating to local issues.