Choosing friends carefully: allies for critical computing

In this paper, we argue firstly that researchers in critical computing should address the specific information and communication technology (ICT) needs and activities of those agencies concerned with emancipatory issues. Secondly, we argue that a critical perspective, explicitly foregrounding empowerment and emancipatory concerns, forms a basis for emphasising the practice of individuals, groups and organsations , rather than purely focusing on organisational form in social action. We discuss this context of social action, identifying some relevant ICT-related challenges. We identify three themes that highlight factors that differentiate ICT support for social action groups from the setting of conventional business and service organisations: Free / Libre Open- Source Software, techniques and technologies for engagement through storytelling, and learning and evaluation in social action.</p

Integration of Cost andWork Breakdown Structures in the Management of Construction Projects

Scope management allows project managers to react when a project underperforms regarding schedule, budget, and/or quality at the execution stage. Scope management can also minimize project changes and budget omissions, as well as improve the accuracy of project cost estimates and risk responses. For scope management to be effective, though, it needs to rely on a robust work breakdown structure (WBS). A robust WBS hierarchically and faithfully reflects all project tasks and work packages so that projects are easier to manage. If done properly, the WBS also allows meeting the project objectives while delivering the project on time, on budget, and with the required quality. This paper analyzes whether the integration of a cost breakdown structure (CBS) can lead to the generation of more robust WBSs in construction projects. Over the last years, some international organizations have standardized and harmonized different cost classification systems (e.g., ISO 12006-2, ISO 81346-12, OmniClass, CoClass, UniClass). These cost databases have also been introduced into building information modeling (BIM) frameworks. We hypothesize that in BIM environments, if these CBSs are used to generate the project WBS, several advantages are gained such as sharper project definition. This enhanced project definition reduces project contradictions at both planning and execution stages, anticipates potential schedule and budget deviations, improves resource allocation, and overall it allows a better response to potential project risks. The hypothesis that the use of CBSs can generate more robust WBSs is tested by the response analysis of a questionnaire survey distributed among construction practitioners and project managers. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), the correlation (agreement) and perception differences between two 250-respondent subsamples (technical project staff vs. project management staff) are also discussed. Results of this research support the use of CBSs by construction professionals as a basis to generate WBSs for enhanced project management (PM)

Review of international flood insurance and recovery mechanisms: Implications for New Zealand and the resilience of older people

Widely available insurance within a well-functioning and solvent market has the potential to not only assist the recovery from hazard events; but also positively influence mitigation behaviour. However, the characteristics of current flood insurance models and their effectiveness vary considerably between countries. How flood insurance provision is structured, what losses are covered and excluded and how it is purchased all impact upon the effectiveness of the scheme for recovering from flood losses and ultimately how burden sharing is split between the at-risk individual and society. This study reviews international insurance provision (and compensation schemes) for adverse natural events. Each insurance model is described and its performance for aiding recovery as well as modifying risk behaviour examined. A number of criteria are used to evaluate these models including; degree of insurance penetration, coverage, insurability, equity, incentives for mitigation and impact on market solvency. The review also examines the role of insurance within a broader portfolio of flood and storm management. Recognising the balance between a focus on proactive management and recovery as well as public and private investment is critical to understanding the overall role of insurance within a country and wider lessons that can be drawn. This cultural and flood management context is fundamental to assessing the impact that flood insurance may have on community resilience. Where possible, the review draws on information about insurance trends and other data for the provision of cover for older people; although the availability of data specifically for this group is limited

Recovery and refining of precious metals alloys by oxi-nitrogen leaching

In recent years the demand for gold and other precious metals has increased dramatically, insomuch as in the last decade gold prices have quintupled. In the contest of the lack of trust in the traditional financial market, recovery and refining of precious metals from e-waste, automotive catalysts, and scrap jewellery and waste generated by jewellery manufacture have become increasingly more important. Controlled recovery of precious metals reduces additional waste production and helps prevent the need for supplementary mining. Metal recovery and refining processes can also have adverse effects on the environment when not conducted properly, especially when the pressure of the precious metals market price makes the refining companies speed up production. Separation technology described here is the hydrometallurgical method whereby gold-bearing alloys are obtained from gold scraps and wastes. Different metal grades are refined by aqua-regia or nitric acid dissolution in the presence of oxi-nitrogen species

Characterisation of Longitudinal Brain Morphology, Neurometabolism and Prenatal to Neonatal Brain Growth in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affect 8 in 1000 newborns (Liu et al. 2019). The consequences of CHD vary greatly, depending on the specific type of CHD. While advancements in surgical techniques and patient care have led to a high survival rate for severe types of CHD, patients are still at risk of impaired neurodevelopment (ND). Early ND impairment can manifest in various domains, including motor, cognitive or language development (Latal 2016). As a result, one area of CHD research is dedicated to studying the brain development of these patients. This thesis focuses on the longitudinal description of brain development during the late fetal and neonatal period. First, we explored whether deformation-based morphometry (DBM) could be a suitable tool to study CHD patients from fetal to neonatal time period by applying this method to a healthy control cohort. Next, we analysed longitudinally collected data from two studies, primarily focusing on quantifying brain development and searching for associations with ND outcomes in CHD patients. In the first study we explored how DBM could be applied to fetal and neonatal MRI data to observe asymmetry changes during this period. By using DBM, we were able to reveal temporal changes of asymmetry patterns. However, the results may greatly depend on the various combinations of analysis tools and their parameters used. In the second study, where we compared brain development in CHD patients to healthy controls, we therefore relied on volume and surface measurements to quantify growth. Here, we could show that the total brain volume growth trajectory for CHD patients was reduced compared to healthy controls. Finally, we investigated neurometabolite ratios in CHD patients and their association to ND outcome. While we found that a specific neurometabolite ratio (NAA/Cho; N-acetylaspartate to choline-containing compounds) was reduced in the CHD cohort compared to healthy controls, we could not find any association with ND outcome measured at one year of age. In conclusion, the work presented in this thesis uses various methods to study brain development in a longitudinal manner. The findings provide further evidence that brain 4 development in CHD patients is altered while its association with ND outcome requires further investigation

Regulatory limitations and global stakeholder mapping of carbon capture and storage technology – a legal and multi-level perspective analysis

Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technology (CCS) is propounded as one of the key bridging technologies and temporary abatement measure in the battle against climate change. Not only is it based on well-established technology, used and improved upon for decades in the fossil fuels industry, but it also has the potential to remove vast quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere giving much needed alleviation away from climate tipping points. Despite these advantages, CCS has been slow to start and easy to stall, with financial risk and uncertainty, lack of regulatory cohesion and a disjointed policy mix all playing a part in impeding its commercialization. Systems Thinking and Transition Theory in particular have been widely adopted as methodologies which have the potential to elucidate the barriers to development in socio-technical systems of the likes of CCS. Using one such theory - Multi-Level Perspective Analysis - as an analytical framework, an in-depth investigation was performed of both the ‘Niche’ and ‘Regime’ of CCS. This was undertaken through a comprehensive legal and regulatory analysis and a global survey of 604 stakeholders involved in research and development throughout the technology chain. The combined examination of the legal and stakeholder system boundaries is used to set the ‘chessboard’ and ‘pieces’ upon which further analysis of the ‘combinations’ of moves open to CCS will be revealed. In essence, the regulatory and stakeholder configurations, which most lend themselves to CCS technology development, are explored and elucidated. This is done with the aim to address the knowledge gaps in the legal and regulatory requirements necessary for implementing CCS on a wider scale, as identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2005).Open Acces

Predicting early user churn in a public digital weight loss intervention

Digital health interventions (DHIs) offer promising solutions to the rising global challenges of noncommunicable diseases by promoting behavior change, improving health outcomes, and reducing healthcare costs. However, high churn rates are a concern with DHIs, with many users disengaging before achieving desired outcomes. Churn prediction can help DHI providers identify and retain at-risk users, enhancing the efficacy of DHIs. We analyzed churn prediction models for a weight loss app using various machine learning algorithms on data from 1,283 users and 310,845 event logs. The best-performing model, a random forest model that only used daily login counts, achieved an F1 score of 0.87 on day 7 and identified an average of 93% of churned users during the week-long trial. Notably, higher-dimensional models performed better at low false positive rate thresholds. Our findings suggest that user churn can be forecasted using engagement data, aiding in timely personalized strategies and better health results