A Process to Support Analysts in Exploring and Selecting Content from Online Forums

The public content increasingly available on the Internet, especially in online forums, enables researchers to study society in new ways. However, qualitative analysis of online forums is very time consuming and most content is not related to researchers’ interest. Consequently, analysts face the following problem: how to efficiently explore and select the content to be analyzed? This article introduces a new process to support analysts in solving this problem. This process is based on unsupervised machine learning techniques like hierarchical clustering and term co-occurrence network. A tool that helps to apply the proposed process was created to provide consolidated and structured results. This includes measurements and a content exploration interface.

Knowledge presentation model for QnA web forums

For an extract description of threads information in question and answer （QnA） web forums, it is proposed to construct a QnA knowledge presentation model in the English language, and then an entire solution for the QnA knowledge system is presented, including data gathering, platform building and applications design. With pre-defined dictionary and grammatical analysis, the model draws semantic information, grammatical information and knowledge confidence into IR methods, in the form of statement sets and term sets with semantic links. Theoretical analysis shows that the statement model can provide an exact presentation for QnA knowledge, breaking through any limits from original QnA patterns and being adaptable to various query demands; the semantic links between terms can assist the statement model, in terms of deducing new from existing knowledge. The model makes use of both information retrieval （IR） and natural language processing （NLP） features, strengthening the knowledge presentation ability. Many knowledge-based applications built upon this model can be improved, providing better performance.

Organization of Propaganda Forums (Such as COP21) by Some Heads of State Seriously Disturbs Scientific Debates on Real Causes of Climate Global Changes

Faced with many problems (practically insoluble) that call them politicians lie (to save their careers), claiming that they are resolutely interested to earth’s environment protection. Unnecessary (for some) and outrageously expensive (for others) organization of COP21 is part of this logic of distracting the “international community” by (for example) making believe that the reduction of CO2 emissions is something reachable for humans and that this reduction can weaken the harmful effects of global warming such as: floods, endless droughts, melting glaciers, upsurge of hurricanes or tornadoes, etc. Can the “binding” commitments taken during COP21 be effective? Our objective and immediate answer is: No. Because those who have made commitments, ignore completely how the CO2 (main object of their attentions) or sulfur dioxide (SO2) behave with respect to some predominant elements of the atmosphere such as clouds. Moreover, a significant number of the propaganda forums’ stakeholders ignores that earth’s atmosphere is considerably affected by the radiation from the sun and that the intensity of solar radiation received at the surface of the earth mainly depends on the Earth-Sun distance and the precession angle of the earth relative to its orbit. Earth-Sun distance and precession angle of the Earth’s orbit vary in space and time: this Physical law must be constantly present in our minds. Teaching the fundamentals of Atmospheric Physics allows solar radiation and its derivative forms (e.g.: winds, snow or rains) to cease to be a mystery in the mind of the international community.

Intertextile Beijing Features More Informative programme of seminars and trend forums add value to fair

Intertextile Beijing Apparel Fabrics,will be held from 29-31 March 2009 at the China International Exhibition Centre,will showcase the latest textiles from around the world on 48,000 sqm of exhibition space.The event has confirmed 1100 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions including

Is Participating in MOOC Forums Important for Students？ A Data-driven Study from the Perspective of the Supernetwork

Purpose： Compared with traditional course materials used in the classroom, the massive open online course（MOOC） forum that delivers unlimited learning content to students has various advantages. Yet MOOC has also received criticism recently, notably the problem of extremely low participation rates in its discussion forums. This study aims to explore the correlation between forum activity and student course grade in MOOC, and identify more accurately the forum activity levels of participants and the quality of threads in MOOC.Design/Methodology/Approach： We crawled students’ tests, final exams, exercises, discussions performance data and total scores from a course in Chinese College MOOC from May 2014 to August 2014. And we use the data to analyze the correlation between Forum Participation and Course Performance based on nonparametric tests as well as multiple linear regressions with the software of R. The study provides definitions and algorithms of super degrees based on the supernetwork model to help find high-quality threads and active participants.Findings： A positive correlation between forum activity and course grade is found in this study. Students who participate in the forum have better performance than those who do not. Using the definitions and algorithms of super degrees in the supernetwork, forum activity levels of participants as well as the quality of threads they employ are identified. Research limitation： Only limited representative forum participants and threads are used to analyze the activity level and significance of the MOOC forum. Also, the study only investigates one Chinese course on information retrieval. More data and more data sources could be helpful in better understanding the MOOC forum phenomenon.Practical implications： As super degrees can reveal more latent information and recognize high-quality threads as well as active participants, these parameters can be used to assess needs to improve forum settings and alleviate the problem of low forum participation. The proposed super degrees can be applied in social network domains for further research.Originality/Value： Definitions and algorithms of super degrees are provided and used for forum analysis. Super degrees can be applied to find high-quality threads and active participants, which is beneficial to guide students to participate in these high-quality threads and have a better understanding of knowledge MOOC provides.

The Best Answers？ Think Twice： Identifying Commercial Campagins in the CQA Forums

In an emerging trend, more and more Internet users search for information from Community Question and Answer （CQA） websites, as interactive communication in such websites provides users with a rare feeling of trust. More often than not, end users look for instant help when they browse the CQA websites for the best answers. Hence, it is imperative that they should be warned of any potential commercial campaigns hidden behind the answers. Existing research focuses more on the quality of answers and does not meet the above need. Textual similarities between questions and answers are widely used in previous research. However, this feature will no longer be effective when facing commercial paid posters. More context information, such as writing templates and a user’s reputation track, needs to be combined together to form a new model to detect the potential campaign answers. In this paper, we develop a system that automatically analyzes the hidden patterns of commercial spam and raises alarms instantaneously to end users whenever a potential commercial campaign is detected. Our detection method integrates semantic analysis and posters’ track records and utilizes the special features of CQA websites largely different from those in other types of forums such as microblogs or news reports. Our system is adaptive and accommodates new evidence uncovered by the detection algorithms over time. Validated with real-world trace data from a popular Chinese CQA website over a period of three months, our system shows great potential towards adaptive detection of CQA spams.

Discovering High-Quality Threaded Discussions in Online Forums

Archives of threaded discussions generated by users in online forums and discussion boards contain valuable knowledge on various topics. However, not all threads are useful because of deliberate abuses, such as trolling and flaming, that are commonly observed in online conversations. The existence of various users with different levels of expertise also makes it difficult to assume that every discussion thread stored online contains high-quality contents. Although finding high-quality threads automatically can help both users and search engines sift through a huge amount of thread archives and make use of these potentially useful resources effectively, no previous work to our knowledge has performed a study on such task. In this paper, we propose an automatic method for distinguishing high-quality threads from low-quality ones in online discussion sites. We first suggest four different artificial measures for inducing overall quality of a thread based on ratings of its posts. We then propose two tasks involving prediction of thread quality without using post rating information. We adopt a popular machine learning framework to solve the two prediction tasks. Experimental results on a real world forum archive demonstrate that our method can significantly improve the prediction performance across all four measures of thread quality on both tasks. We also compare how different types of features derived from various aspects of threads contribute to the overall performance and investigate key features that play a crucial role in discovering high-quality threads in online discussion sites.

Noise from online discussion forums: Evidence from IPOs in China

In this study,we use initial public offerings(IPOs)in China to investigate how online stock forums influence information asymmetry and IPO valuation.The empirical analysis isolates the underpricing and overvaluation components of initial returns.The number of forum comments,postings,and readings are positively associated with initial returns and the degree of underpricing,implying that forums create noise that exacerbates information asymmetry during IPOs.This effect is amplified by the quiet period regulation,which drives investors to rely on online discussion forums to obtain information.Through sentiment analyses of forum posts and media coverage,we find that the negative effect of online forums is more prominent when bad news prevails.We clarify the role of online stock forums in IPO pricing and information asymmetry by separating underpricing from overvaluation in initial returns.

The Thematic Forum on China-Hungary Belt and Road Pragmatic Cooperation Held in Budapest

The Thematic Forum on China-Hungary Belt and Road Pragmatic Cooperation was held on May 2nd in Budapest,capital of Hungary.Liu Hongcai,Vice-President of the Chinese Association for International Understanding(CAFIU)said in his speech that all walks of life in China and Hungary should make great efforts to implement the important consensus between the state leaders,promote people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning among civilisation in an in-depth way,create more driving forces aiming at the future and fully leverage the advantage of multi-level cooperation platforms between the two countries,thus playing a constructive role in tackling global challenges together.

Overview of the Third Global Forum

Computer science continues to grow at a rapid pace,raising the issue of how universities can best adapt to this trend.At the third Global Forum on the Development of Computer Science(GFDCS),five heads of departments of computer science from Asia,Europe,and North America came together to exchange ideas under the theme Challenges and Opportunities of Computer Science in the New Era.Through the discussions,a number of new challenges were explored,including how to meet the growing demand for computer science education,how to manage increased teaching loads,how to foster collaboration between computer science and other disciplines,how to raise ethical awareness,and how to support new“transdisciplinary”modes of education and research.At the same time,there was a consensus on the need to strengthen the role of computer science in other departments,the importance of industrial collaboration,and the need for more scalable approaches to teaching.The evolving role of computer science within the context of broader science was also discussed.

New Quality Development of Future Energy-The Sixth Future Energy Convention(FEC2024)Successfully Concluded

The 6th Future Energy Convention(FEC2024)was held in Suzhou,Jiangsu Province from September 5 to September 7,2024,and was successfully concluded.This convention was organized by the China Energy Research Society and China Energy Net,with the theme of“New Quality Development of Future Energy”.The convention included one main forum and four thematic forums.The main forum comprised the Future Energy Academician Forum,Dialogue among Global Outstanding Leaders,and Future Energy International Forum;the four thematic forums included the Future Energy Global CTO Forum,Carbon Neutrality Industrial Cooperation,Advanced Nuclear Energy-Focusing on Nuclear Fusion,and“AI+”Empowering Green and Low-Carbon Transformation.

2024中关村论坛系列活动——标准化与科技创新发展论坛在京举行

The Forum on Standardization and Science and Technology Innovation Development,one of the series activities of 2024 ZGC Forum,was successfully held in hybrid forms at the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center,Beijing on April 26.

Meeting of Young Minds--Lancang-Mekong Young Entrepreneurs Forum in Kunming

On July 23,the Lancang-Mekong Young Entrepreneurs Forum,themed“Deepen Cooperation,Share Prosperity,”was held in Kunming,southwest China’s Yunnan Province.The forum,initially proposed by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Fourth Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Leaders’Meeting in December 2023,aimed to enhance practical cooperation among youth in the Lancang-Mekong region and accelerate the development of the Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt.Over 100 representatives of youth organizations and young entrepreneurs from Lancang-Mekong countries attended the event.

China-Europe Talent Forum Highlights

The China-Europe Talent Forum has been held five times since it was initiated by the Chinese Embassy in Switzerland in collaboration with the Swiss Adecco Group in 2018.Its 2024 edition will be due on October 15.Over the years,it has served as a platform for strengthening talent exchange and cooperation between China and Europe.

China Daily Chemicals Biodegradable,Recyclable and Renewable Technology Innovative Development Forum Successfully Held

Guided by carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals,China Daily Chemicals Biodegradable,Recyclable and Renewable Technology Innovative Development Forum was successfully held.The forum was organized by China Research Institute of Daily Chemical,China Information Center of Daily Chemical Industry,Productivity Promotion Centre for the Surfactant and Detergent Industry,and Shanxi Daily Chemical Industry Association.Over 200 experts,scholars or enterprises’representatives from daily chemical businesses or R&D institutes gathered here.

Overview of the International Forum for Clean Energy(Macao)

Established in 2012,the International Forum for Clean Energy(Macao)(IFCE)is a leading global platform committed to advancing clean energy solutions.Strategically located at the crossroads of East and West,in Macao,the forum leverages its unique geographical and cultural position to foster international cooperation,innovation,and policy dialogue in the clean energy sector.

The Boao Forum Accentuates China’s Appeal

As both a vanguardist and low-cost supplier of core green infrastructure,China is expected to unfold the strength of new quality productive forces.

Key Highlights of the 11^(th) International Forum on Clean Energy

The International Forum for Clean Energy(Macao)serves as a premier global platform for clean energy exchange and collaboration.Dedicated to advancing innovation and the application of clean energy technologies,it plays a key role in driving the global transition to sustainable,green energy.This year’s forum,themed Innovation Driving a Sustainable Green Future,aims to strengthen international partnerships and regional integration.It bridges the gap between laboratory research and industrial application,fostering comprehensive dialogues on policy,technology,and finance to catalyze global energy transformation.

UN World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024

The UN World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024 will take place from May 27-31,2024 in Geneva,Switzerland in parallel with the AI Global Summit,with options for remote participation.During the open event,a series of workshops(Partner Insights),high-level policy sessions(Leaders TalkX)and special tracks will be held on various thematic areas addressing issues that are important in helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).

Setting a New Direction The Boao Forum for Asia has been central to the process of the realisation among the developing countries of their global importance

As developing and emerging nations move away from the periphery and start realising their collective importance and growing value in the transitioning of global geopolitics,a change of narrative and perception is taking shape.Since 2001,the Boao Forum for Asia(BFA),often dubbed the“Davos of Asia,”has been central to this process of self-realisation and has had a huge impact on the global stage.