704 research outputs found

    Multidisciplinary perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the law

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    This open access book presents an interdisciplinary, multi-authored, edited collection of chapters on Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) and the Law. AI technology has come to play a central role in the modern data economy. Through a combination of increased computing power, the growing availability of data and the advancement of algorithms, AI has now become an umbrella term for some of the most transformational technological breakthroughs of this age. The importance of AI stems from both the opportunities that it offers and the challenges that it entails. While AI applications hold the promise of economic growth and efficiency gains, they also create significant risks and uncertainty. The potential and perils of AI have thus come to dominate modern discussions of technology and ethics – and although AI was initially allowed to largely develop without guidelines or rules, few would deny that the law is set to play a fundamental role in shaping the future of AI. As the debate over AI is far from over, the need for rigorous analysis has never been greater. This book thus brings together contributors from different fields and backgrounds to explore how the law might provide answers to some of the most pressing questions raised by AI. An outcome of the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law and its interdisciplinary working group on Law and Artificial Intelligence, it includes contributions by leading scholars in the fields of technology, ethics and the law.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    30th European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023)

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    This is the abstract book of 30th European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2023

    Design of an E-learning system using semantic information and cloud computing technologies

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    Humanity is currently suffering from many difficult problems that threaten the life and survival of the human race. It is very easy for all mankind to be affected, directly or indirectly, by these problems. Education is a key solution for most of them. In our thesis we tried to make use of current technologies to enhance and ease the learning process. We have designed an e-learning system based on semantic information and cloud computing, in addition to many other technologies that contribute to improving the educational process and raising the level of students. The design was built after much research on useful technology, its types, and examples of actual systems that were previously discussed by other researchers. In addition to the proposed design, an algorithm was implemented to identify topics found in large textual educational resources. It was tested and proved to be efficient against other methods. The algorithm has the ability of extracting the main topics from textual learning resources, linking related resources and generating interactive dynamic knowledge graphs. This algorithm accurately and efficiently accomplishes those tasks even for bigger books. We used Wikipedia Miner, TextRank, and Gensim within our algorithm. Our algorithm‘s accuracy was evaluated against Gensim, largely improving its accuracy. Augmenting the system design with the implemented algorithm will produce many useful services for improving the learning process such as: identifying main topics of big textual learning resources automatically and connecting them to other well defined concepts from Wikipedia, enriching current learning resources with semantic information from external sources, providing student with browsable dynamic interactive knowledge graphs, and making use of learning groups to encourage students to share their learning experiences and feedback with other learners.Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería Telemática por la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPresidente: Luis Sánchez Fernández.- Secretario: Luis de la Fuente Valentín.- Vocal: Norberto Fernández Garcí

    Examining the Relationships Between Distance Education Students’ Self-Efficacy and Their Achievement

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    This study aimed to examine the relationships between students’ self-efficacy (SSE) and students’ achievement (SA) in distance education. The instruments were administered to 100 undergraduate students in a distance university who work as migrant workers in Taiwan to gather data, while their SA scores were obtained from the university. The semi-structured interviews for 8 participants consisted of questions that showed the specific conditions of SSE and SA. The findings of this study were reported as follows: There was a significantly positive correlation between targeted SSE (overall scales and general self-efficacy) and SA. Targeted students' self-efficacy effectively predicted their achievement; besides, general self- efficacy had the most significant influence. In the qualitative findings, four themes were extracted for those students with lower self-efficacy but higher achievement—physical and emotional condition, teaching and learning strategy, positive social interaction, and intrinsic motivation. Moreover, three themes were extracted for those students with moderate or higher self-efficacy but lower achievement—more time for leisure (not hard-working), less social interaction, and external excuses. Providing effective learning environments, social interactions, and teaching and learning strategies are suggested in distance education

    A strategic turnaround model for distressed properties

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    The importance of commercial real estate is clearly shown by the role it plays, worldwide, in the sustainability of economic activities, with a substantial global impact when measured in monetary terms. This study responds to an important gap in the built environment and turnaround literature relating to the likelihood of a successful distressed commercial property financial recovery. The present research effort addressed the absence of empirical evidence by identifying a number of important factors that influence the likelihood of a successful distressed, commercial property financial recovery. Once the important factors that increase the likelihood of recovery have been determined, the results can be used as a basis for turnaround strategies concerning property investors who invest in distressed opportunities. A theoretical turnaround model concerning properties in distress, would be of interest to ‘opportunistic investing’ yield-hungry investors targeting real estate transactions involving ‘turnaround’ potential. Against this background, the main research problem investigated in the present research effort was as follows: Determine the important factors that would increase the likelihood of a successful distressed commercial property financial recovery. A proposed theoretical model was constructed and empirically tested through a questionnaire distributed physically and electronically to a sample of real estate practitioners from across the globe, and who had all been involved, directly or indirectly, with reviving distressed properties. An explanation was provided to respondents of how the questionnaire was developed and how it would be administered. The demographic information pertaining to the 391 respondents was analysed and summarised. The statistical analysis performed to ensure the validity and reliability of the results, was explained to respondents, together with a detailed description of the covariance structural equation modelling method used to verify the proposed theoretical conceptual model. vi The independent variables of the present research effort comprised; Obsolescence Identification, Capital Improvements Feasibility, Tenant Mix, Triple Net Leases, Concessions, Property Management, Contracts, Business Analysis, Debt Renegotiation, Cost-Cutting, Market Analysis, Strategic Planning and Demography, while the dependent variable was The Perceived Likelihood of a Distressed Commercial Property Financial Recovery. After analysis of the findings, a revised model was then proposed and assessed. Both validity and reliability were assessed and resulted in the following factors that potentially influence the dependent variables; Strategy, Concessions, Tenant Mix, Debt Restructuring, Demography, Analyse Alternatives, Capital Improvements Feasibility, Property Management and Net Leases while, after analysis, the dependent variable was replaced by two dependent variables; The Likelihood of a Distressed Property Turnaround and The Likelihood of a Distressed Property Financial Recovery. The results showed that Strategy (comprising of items from Strategic Planning, Business Analysis, Obsolescence Identification and Property Management) and Concessions (comprising of items from Concessions and Triple Net Leases) had a positive influence on both the dependent variables. Property Management (comprising of items from Business Analysis, Property Management, Capital Improvements Feasibility and Tenant Mix) had a positive influence on Financial Turnaround variable while Capital Improvements Feasibility (comprising of items from Capital Improvements Feasibility, Obsolescence Identification and Property Management) had a negative influence on both. Demography (comprising of items only from Demography) had a negative influence on the Financial Recovery variable. The balance of the relationships were depicted as non-significant. The present research effort presents important actions that can be used to influence the turnaround and recovery of distressed real estate. The literature had indicated reasons to recover distressed properties as having wide-ranging economic consequences for the broader communities and the countries in which they reside. The turnaround of distressed properties will not only present financial rewards for opportunistic investors but will have positive effects on the greater community and economy and, thus, social and economic stability. Vii With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, issues with climate change and sustainability, global demographic shifts, changing user requirements, shifts in technology, the threat of obsolescence, urbanisation, globalisation, geo-political tensions, shifting global order, new trends and different generational expectations, it is becoming more apparent that the threat of distressed, abandoned and derelict properties is here to stay, and which will present future opportunities for turnaround, distressed property owners, as well as future worries for urban authorities and municipalities dealing with urban decay. The study concluded with an examination of the perceived limitations of the study as well as presenting a comprehensive range of suggestions for further research.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, School of the built Environment, 202

    Evaluación de la Accesibilidad y Adaptabilidad de Objetos de Aprendizaje y cursos online a través de estándares y metadatos

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    El emprendimiento ha adquirido relevancia como tema de investigación en los últimos años. El individuo emprendedor tiene un rol influyente en la economía, por lo que entender sus motivaciones y aspiraciones es clave en esta investigación. El emprendimiento puede considerarse desde dos perspectivas, a nivel individual y desde el punto de vista de la organización, tratando así el intraemprendimiento o emprendimiento corporativo. Así pues, este trabajo tiene como objetivo principal analizar los diferentes niveles en los que se desarrolla la actividad emprendedora y entender el vínculo existente con las soft skills, permitiendo así considerar esta actividad como elemento de dinamización. Para abordar el objetivo general planteado se ha estudiado en primera instancia la literatura anterior vinculada con el concepto de emprendimiento, la cual queda vinculada al entorno individual y organizacional. Posteriormente, se analizan las habilidades o soft skills determinantes como elementos influyentes que permiten el desarrollo y crecimiento emprendedor. De esta forma, se consigue abordar la repercusión de la actividad emprendedora e intraemprendedora desde una perspectiva general. En esta línea, elementos como la creatividad y el conocimiento han quedado vinculados a lo largo de toda la investigación, puesto que los emprendedores requieren la actualización constante de conocimientos, y la búsqueda y el aprovechamiento de las oportunidades existentes. En consecuencia, esta investigación contribuye con el gap existente en la literatura y permite poner en valor las capacidades más relevantes en el entramado laboral, permitiendo con esto analizar los nuevos vínculos entre la sociedad y la iniciativa emprendedora. Las primeras aproximaciones de la investigación se han desarrollado a través del análisis de la base de datos European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO), la cual ha permitido destacar las cualidades y competencias clave en el desarrollo emprendedor. A su vez, se ha realizado, como primer artículo de la tesis un análisis bibliométrico del concepto de emprendimiento. Con esto se ha conseguido destacar a los investigadores más representativos en este ámbito, y entender las redes y conexiones existentes entre ellos. De igual forma, se han destacado las palabras innovación y formación vinculadas a este concepto siendo clave para continuar con la investigación en el tema. A nivel del individuo se ha desarrollado un análisis de las motivaciones del emprendedor, quedando reflejado en el segundo artículo de la tesis. En este caso, la investigación ha examinado cómo influyen las variables de creatividad, comunicación y liderazgo en la decisión de convertirse en emprendedor en una situación prepandémica y en la situación actual, considerada como la nueva normalidad. En este sentido, la motivación emprendedora ha destacado por quedar influenciada por factores como la incertidumbre. Además, las variables creatividad, comunicación y liderazgo no son representativas en la presencia de emprendedores potenciales en la situación post-pandémica de nueva normalidad, sin embargo, sí que lo eran antes de la Covid-19. Por consiguiente, se vuelve necesario mencionar que debido a la Covid-19 se desarrolló un análisis comparativo, enriqueciendo en gran medida los resultados obtenidos. Por último, y debido a la dificultad que supone acceder a los datos estratégicos internos de las organizaciones, se han estudiado las variables que impactan en la estrategia de la empresa a través del desarrollo de una encuesta a 241 pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMES). Esto, ha permitido considerar la influencia que ha tenido cada variable destacada en el análisis anterior, creatividad, comunicación y liderazgo, en la organización. En consecuencia, a través del tercer artículo se consigue un análisis en profundidad de la repercusión de la formación y las skills determinantes en la estrategia empresarial. Se investiga en este artículo si esas variables impactan directamente en el desarrollo de iniciativas intraemprendedoras. La investigación destaca la relevancia de la formación de los empleados en las organizaciones como componente diferencial y generador de valor. Así pues, la formación en habilidades y competencias les permitirá desarrollar actividades emprendedoras, lo que ayudará a la toma de decisiones estratégicas y a la diferenciación en el actual mercado competitivo y cambiante

    Law and technology through the lens of autopoiesis:An analytical framework for dealing with regulatory disconnection illustrated through the case of the GDPR

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    English: This dissertation is about the gap between law and technology – the idea that technology develops at a faster pace than law is able to adapt. New technologies (sometimes) bring the current regulatory regime under pressure, or may even lead to a mismatch whereby the regulatory regime might need to be adapted. Such mismatches between assumptions embedded in the law and the new (sociotechnical) context are referred to in literature as regulatory disconnection, and the consequences thereof affect how the regulatory regime is supposed to work. A holistic and systematic approach to identifying regulatory disconnection is currently lacking. While a few approaches can be identified for addressing regulatory disconnection, there is currently little guidance on how to select the most suitable one in a given situation. Such guidance is important because adopting one manner of re-connection when another would have been necessary, might leave things in an even worse state. The aim of this project is to make a next step in the direction of developing a general theory of law and technology, by addressing the following research question: How can the theory of autopoiesis further our understanding of the interaction between law and technology, and what would a new, autopoiesis-inspired analytical framework for dealing with regulatory disconnection contribute to this understanding?This project brings together insights from the field of law and technology, regulation theory, and legal theory, combining elements of methodologies such as critical literature review, doctrinal method and discourse analysis. It draws inspiration from the theory of autopoiesis in law and develops a ‘ready-to-use’ analytical framework for the identification and addressing regulatory disconnection. Essentially, the theory of autopoiesis proposes that the world is composed of different (self-producing) systems. These systems can only view the world through their internal mechanisms that function as a filter. Because of this, each system develops its own world-view, or its model of reality of what other systems look like. The concept of model of reality becomes central to the three-phase analytical framework, in which the user is supported by guiding questions. Because it is developed as ‘ready-to-use’, actors such as regulators, judges and Advocate Generals, academics, lawyers, or NGOs that play a role in identifying and addressing regulatory disconnection can use the framework without a thorough understanding of the theory underlying it. The framework provides tools that support the users in conducting a systematic analysis of mismatches between law and the sociotechnical landscape, hence informing decisions regarding the right manner of re-connection. To illustrate its usefulness, the developed analytical framework is applied to the illustrative case of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), more specifically on the concept of ‘controller’, and finds a regulatory disconnection within this legislative instrument. The extent of the disconnection is in such a manner that addressing it through interpretation would not be suitable, and regulatory effort should be dedicated towards re-connection.This research concludes that that the theory of autopoiesis provides a different, yet compatible perspective to the interaction between law and technology, thereby adding an additional explanatory layer to the state of the art in literature. The autopoiesis-inspired analytical framework provides a ‘ready-to-use’ integrated and systematic approach for identifying and addressing regulatory disconnection from a substantive perspective, which strengthens the current approaches of dealing with the difference in pace between law and technology. In addition, the analytical framework also has the potential to facilitate interdisciplinary research, whose implementation is currently both a desire as well as a challenge in (legal) academia. Furthermore, the tools developed could also be used in other contexts, such as drawing inspiration from one legal domain to address issues in another. The full potential of this framework should be further investigated and tested. Dutch:Dit proefschrift gaat over de kloof tussen recht en technologie - de idee dat technologie zich sneller ontwikkelt dan het recht zich kan aanpassen. Nieuwe technologieën zetten het bestaande wettelijk regime (soms) onder druk, of kunnen zelfs leiden tot een mismatch waardoor de wet moet worden aangepast. Dergelijke mismatches tussen aannames die in de wet verankerd zijn en de nieuwe (sociotechnische) context worden in de wetenschappelijke literatuur regulatory disconnection genoemd, en de gevolgen daarvan hebben invloed op de manier waarop het wettelijke regime verondersteld wordt te werken. Op dit moment ontbreekt een holistische en systematische aanpak voor het identificeren van regulatory disconnection. Hoewel er enkele wetenschappelijke benaderingen voor de aanpak van de problematiek kunnen worden geïdentificeerd, ontbreekt het momenteel aan voldoende houvast om de meest geschikte benadering in een specifieke situatie te selecteren. Een voldoende houvast is belangrijk omdat de specifieke aanpak voor het adresseren van een regulatory disconnection veelal nauw komt en de keuze voor een sub-optimale aanpak de problematiek kan verergeren. Het doel van dit onderzoek is het zetten van een volgende stap in de ontwikkeling van een algemene theorie voor recht en technologie. Dat doet het onderzoek meer concreet via het beantwoorden van de volgende onderzoeksvraag: Hoe kan de theorie van autopoëse ons begrip van de interactie tussen recht en technologie bevorderen, en welke bijdrage kan een nieuw, op autopoëse geïnspireerd analytisch kader voor de omgang met regulatory disconnection, leveren aan dit begrip?Dit project brengt inzichten samen op het gebied van recht en technologie, theorie van regulering en rechtstheorie, en combineert elementen van methodologieën zoals kritisch literatuuronderzoek, doctrinair onderzoek en discoursanalyse. Het onderzoek ontleent inspiratie uit de theorie van autopoëse in het recht en ontwikkelt een 'gebruiksklaar' analytisch kader voor de identificatie en aanpak van regulatory disconnection. In de kern is de theorie van autopoëse gebaseerd op de aanname dat de wereld is samengesteld uit verschillende (zelfproducerende) systemen. Deze systemen kunnen de wereld alleen waarnemen door hun interne mechanismen die als een filter fungeren. Hierdoor ontwikkelt elk systeem zijn eigen wereldbeeld, oftewel een model van de werkelijkheid en daarmee hoe andere systemen eruit zien. De benadering via dergelijke modellen van de werkelijkheid staat centraal in een analytisch kader dat bestaat uit drie stappen waarbij de gebruiker deze stappen doorloopt aan de hand van een aantal leidende vragen. Omdat het kader als het ware 'gebruiksklaar' is ontwikkeld, kunnen actoren wiens taak het is een mismatch tussen recht en technologie te identificeren en aan te pakken, waaronder de wetgever, rechters en advocaten-generaal, academici, advocaten of NGO's, het raamwerk gebruiken zonder een grondig begrip te moeten hebben van de theorie die eraan ten grondslag ligt. Het kader biedt met andere woorden een hulpmiddel dat gebruikers ondersteunt bij het uitvoeren van een systematische analyse van mismatches tussen aannames in het recht enerzijds en de nieuwe (sociotechnische) context anderzijds, waardoor beslissingen over de juiste manier voor het adresseren van de mismatch onderbouwd kunnen worden. Om de bruikbaarheid ervan te illustreren, wordt het ontwikkelde analytische kader toegepast op het wettelijk kader van de Algemene Verordening Gegevensbescherming (AVG), meer specifiek op het concept 'verwerkingsverantwoordelijke'. Het betreft hier bij uitstek een voorbeeld waarin de mismatch niet aangepakt kan worden middels interpretatie van bestaande bepalingen maar de inspanningen gericht moeten zijn op het vinden van een hernieuwde aansluiting tussen recht en de (sociotechnische) context.Dit onderzoek concludeert dat de theorie van autopoëse een ander, maar compatibel perspectief biedt op de interactie tussen recht en technologie, en daarmee een aanvullend verklarend mechanisme oplevert binnen het bestaande wetenschappelijke debat. Het op autopoëse geïnspireerde analytisch kader biedt een 'gebruiksklare', geïntegreerde en systematische benadering voor het identificeren en aanpakken van de mismatch tussen recht en technologie. Het doet dit uit een inhoudelijk perspectief en verrijkt daarmee de huidige benaderingen voor de omgang met verschillen in tempo van ontwikkeling tussen recht en technologie. Daarnaast heeft het ontwikkelde analytisch kader ook de potentie om interdisciplinair onderzoek te faciliteren, waarvan de implementatie momenteel zowel een wens als een uitdaging is in de (juridische) academische wereld. Bovendien kunnen de inzichten mogelijk ook hun waarde tonen buiten het terrein van recht en technologie door de toepassing ook in andere contexten uit te testen. Het volledige potentieel van dit kader zal kortom voorwerp van verder onderzoek moeten zijn

    Accessibility of Health Data Representations for Older Adults: Challenges and Opportunities for Design

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    Health data of consumer off-the-shelf wearable devices is often conveyed to users through visual data representations and analyses. However, this is not always accessible to people with disabilities or older people due to low vision, cognitive impairments or literacy issues. Due to trade-offs between aesthetics predominance or information overload, real-time user feedback may not be conveyed easily from sensor devices through visual cues like graphs and texts. These difficulties may hinder critical data understanding. Additional auditory and tactile feedback can also provide immediate and accessible cues from these wearable devices, but it is necessary to understand existing data representation limitations initially. To avoid higher cognitive and visual overload, auditory and haptic cues can be designed to complement, replace or reinforce visual cues. In this paper, we outline the challenges in existing data representation and the necessary evidence to enhance the accessibility of health information from personal sensing devices used to monitor health parameters such as blood pressure, sleep, activity, heart rate and more. By creating innovative and inclusive user feedback, users will likely want to engage and interact with new devices and their own data
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