Abstract
Microtasks have become increasingly popular in the digital labor market since they provide easy access to a crowd of people with varying skills and aptitudes to perform remote work tasks that even the most capable algorithmic systems are unable to complete in a timely and efficient fashion. However, despite the latest advancements in crowd-powered and contiguous interfaces, many crowd workers still face some accessibility issues, which ultimately deteriorate the quality of the work produced. To mitigate this problem, we restrict attention to the development of two different web-based mini-games with a focus on cognitive personalization. We have conducted a pilot gamified experience, with six participants with autism, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity. The results suggest that a web-based mini-game can be incorporated in preliminary microtask-based crowdsourcing execution stages to achieve enhanced cognitive personalization in crowdsourcing settings.

Abstract
Understanding and accurately predicting stomatal conductance in almond orchards is critical for effective water-management strategies, especially under challenging climatic conditions. In this study, machine-learning (ML) regression models trained on multispectral (MSP) and thermal infrared (TIR) data acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used to address this challenge. Through an analysis of spectral indices calculated from UAV-based data and feature-selection methods, this study investigates the predictive performance of three ML models (extra trees, ET; stochastic gradient descent, SGD; and extreme gradient boosting, XGBoost) in predicting stomatal conductance. The results show that the XGBoost model trained with both MSP and TIR data had the best performance (R2 = 0.87) and highlight the importance of integrating surface-temperature information in addition to other spectral indices to improve prediction accuracy, up to 11% more when compared to the use of only MSP data. Key features, such as the green-red vegetation index, chlorophyll red-edge index, and the ratio between canopy temperature and air temperature (Tc-Ta), prove to be relevant features for model performance and highlight their importance for the assessment of water stress dynamics. Furthermore, the implementation of Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) values facilitates the interpretation of model decisions and provides valuable insights into the contributions of the features. This study contributes to the advancement of precision agriculture by providing a novel approach for stomatal conductance prediction in almond orchards, supporting efforts towards sustainable water management in changing environmental conditions.

Abstract
The Locarno Film Festival (LFF) archives represent a valuable collection of cinematic history, providing essential resources for research, education, and the promotion of international film culture. To ensure these resources are easily accessible, it is crucial to develop advanced methods for managing and linking the information they contain. This work focuses on creating a shared way for organizing information, transforming the LFF archives into dynamic, interconnected resources. This transformation is essential for preserving cinematic heritage, improving discoverability, promoting digital transformation, and efficiently managing archives. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we developed the OntoFest following the Linked Open Terms (LOT) Methodology. Significant outcomes of this project include the successful reuse of existing ontologies to manage heterogeneous information, which has improved our ability to understand and retrieve relevant data. This work demonstrates the potential of digital archives in the cinematic field and provides a foundation for future initiatives in digitizing cinematic heritage archives. OntoFest not only contributes to preserving the cinematic cultural heritage of the LFF but also lays the groundwork for new research and creative applications in the digital transformation of film festival archives. © 2024 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.

Abstract
Context: Mutation testing is a rigorous approach for assessing the quality of test suites by injecting faults (i.e., mutants) into software under test. Tools, such as CosmicRay and Mutpy, are examples of Mutation Testing tools for Python software programs. Problem: With different Python mutation testing tools, comparative analysis is lacking to evaluate their effectiveness in different usage scenarios. Furthermore, the evolution of these tools makes continuous evaluation of their functionalities and characteristics necessary. Method: In this work, we evaluate (statically and dynamically) four Python mutation testing tools, namely CosmicRay, MutPy, MutMut, and Mutatest. In static evaluation, we introduce a comparison framework, adapted from one previously applied to Java tools, and collected information from tool documentation and developer surveys. For dynamic evaluation, we use tests built based on those produced by Pynguin, which are improved through the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) and manual analyses. Then, the adequate test suites were cross-tested among different tools to evaluate their effectiveness in killing mutants each other. Results: Our findings reveal that CosmicRay offers superior functionalities and customization options for mutant generation compared to its counterparts. Although CosmicRay’s performance was slightly lower than MutPy in the dynamic tests, its recent updates and active community support highlight its potential for future enhancements. Cross-examination of the test suites further shows that mutation scores varied narrowly among tools, with a slight emphasis on MutPy as the most effective mutant fault model. © 2024 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).

Abstract

Abstract
Fake news detection (FND) tools are essential to increase the reliability of information in social media. FND can be approached as a machine learning classification problem so that discriminative features can be automatically extracted. However, this requires a large news set, which in turn implies a considerable amount of human experts' effort for labeling. In this paper, we explore Positive and Unlabeled Learning (PUL) to reduce the labeling cost. In particular, we improve PUL with the network-based Label Propagation (PU-LP) algorithm. PU-LP achieved competitive results in FND exploiting relations between news and terms and using few labeled fake news. We propose integrating an attention mechanism in PU-LP that can define which terms in the network are more relevant for detecting fake news. We use GNEE, a state-of-the-art algorithm based on graph attention networks. Our proposal outperforms state-of-the-art methods, improving F-1 in 2% to 10%, especially when only 10% labeled fake news are available. It is competitive with the binary baseline, even when nearly half of the data is labeled. Discrimination ability is also visualized through t-SNE. We also present an analysis of the limitations of our approach according to the type of text found in each dataset.