319 research outputs found

    Foreword to Routledge Handbook of Global Land and Resource Grabbing

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    Abductive Design of BDI Agent-based Digital Twins of Organizations

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    For a Digital Twin - a precise, virtual representation of a physical counterpart - of a human-like system to be faithful and complete, it must appeal to a notion of anthropomorphism (i.e., attributing human behaviour to non-human entities) to imitate (1) the externally visible behaviour and (2) the internal workings of that system. Although the Belief-Desire-Intention (BDI) paradigm was not developed for this purpose, it has been used successfully in human modeling applications. In this sense, we introduce in this thesis the notion of abductive design of BDI agent-based Digital Twins of organizations, which builds on two powerful reasoning disciplines: reverse engineering (to recreate the visible behaviour of the target system) and goal-driven eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) (for viewing the behaviour of the target system through the lens of BDI agents). Precisely speaking, the overall problem we are trying to address in this thesis is to “Find a BDI agent program that best explains (in the sense of formal abduction) the behaviour of a target system based on its past experiences . To do so, we propose three goal-driven XAI techniques: (1) abductive design of BDI agents, (2) leveraging imperfect explanations and (3) mining belief-based explanations. The resulting approach suggests that using goal-driven XAI to generate Digital Twins of organizations in the form of BDI agents can be effective, even in a setting with limited information about the target system’s behaviour

    Technological Fair Play: An Ethical Framework for Olympic Sports

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    This research strived to address age-old concerns clouding the governance of sport technologies, specifically in sports under the Olympic umbrella. Anti-doping has long been a mandatory clause in the Olympic Charter. Yet, other forms of technological incursions have long been left unaddressed or prohibited via premature reactive judgments. Utilizing a multidimensional philosophical lens encompassing scholarship in the fields of philosophy of sport, applied ethics and the philosophy of technology - this thesis is aimed at creating an accessible, structured, and principled ethical framework to guide the integration of emerging technologies within Olympic sports. Taking an analytical look into WADA’s underlying guiding principles for its anti-doping policy, several discrepancies have been unearthed; these gaps reside generally within the \u27spirit of sport\u27 interpretive weaknesses, as well as problems rooted in naturalistic misconceptions. Through reflective consideration of sporting ideals and principles inherent in leading conceptions of Fair Play and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism, this research distills these philosophies into a benchmark - ‘the conditions for the ideal Olympic Contest’. The evaluation process, throughout this study, leans on this benchmark for guidance. A rich understanding of sports\u27 technological biases was brought to life by Feenberg\u27s critical theory of technology. The subsequent stage developed an analytical structure discerning six primary technological orientations: Technology intended to facilitate constitutive elements; Technology intended to restore performance; Technology intended to improve performance; Technology intended to promote safety; Technology intended to monitor officiating and integrity; and Technology intended to enhance consumption and participation. These technologies are assessed using the Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE), aiding judgment about \u27good effects\u27 lining up with prescribed conditions for the ‘Ideal Olympic Contest’ balanced against foreseeable \u27bad effects\u27. To demonstrate practical utility two hypothetical cases were explored: HOTA - an AI assistant coach, and mRNA protein therapy intended for performance enhancement. This study delivers a pragmatic toolkit for academics and professionals alike - a \u27fair play\u27 counterbalance to the ever-growing risks posed by emerging technologies in Olympic sports

    Disclosure of suicidal drivers on social media: a natural language processing and thematic analysis approach

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    It is common for people to search for health information on the internet, share their health issues through social media, and ask for advice from people in online communities. Some people reported feeling more comfortable sharing their psychological stress online and anonymously asking for advice from people. As such, people disclose not only their suicide risk but also their suicidal risk-associated drivers (e.g., suicide ideation, relational stress, financial crisis). This study aims to identify suicidal drivers from narratives extracted from social media, synthesize findings and suicide theories, and provide insights into future suicide prevention policies and practices. This research gathered and analyzed 128,587 posts written by 76,547 people worldwide. The posts were written in English from January 2021 to December 2022 on the r/SuicideWatch of Reddit. Natural Language Processing and topic modeling, specifically Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), were used to identify clusters of posts based on similarities and differences between posts. Thematic analysis was used to identify suicidal drivers across clusters of posts. The web crawler developed by Brandwatch was used in data collection, and Python was used for all analyses.  Six theme clusters of posts were identified. The first theme was Disclosure of Repetitive Suicide Ideation (i.e., “I want to die. I want to die, I want to die…(repeated)”), and 36.4% of posts had this theme. The second theme was Disclosure of Relational Stress (i.e., “I don’t have any friends”), and 31.9% of posts had this theme. The third theme was Disclosure of Suicide Attempts and Negative Healthcare Experiences (i.e., “I’ve had a suicide attempt before”, “The nurses ignored me”), and 9.9% of posts had this theme. The fourth theme was Disclosure of Abuse (i.e., “He would beat me black and blue”), and 8.8% of posts had this theme. The fifth theme was Disclosure of Contextual Stress, including finance and legal matters (i.e., “every moment was a living fear of the debt collector knocking on the door”), and 7.2% of posts had this theme. The last theme was Philosophical and Informative Discussions around suicide (i.e., “After death, the physical begins to deteriorate and life/energy is simply moved to another being”), and 5.8% of posts had this theme. Understanding different suicidal drivers is an essential component in designing individualized intervention plans for people at suicide risk. The current research identified the idiosyncrasies in the suicide drivers people talked about when disclosing their suicidality. Furthermore, the findings from this study’s data-inspired and exploratory approach provided additional evidence supporting existing suicide theories and frameworks. This research has the potential to lay the groundwork for designing suicide intervention strategies that target individuals’ self-disclosures of their struggles online

    Design with the living : learning to work together

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    Orientador: Prof. Dr. Adriano HeemannCoorientador: Prof. Dr. Aguinaldo dos SantosTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Artes, Comunicação e Design, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design. Defesa : Curitiba, 26/05/2023Inclui referênciasResumo: A prática do biodesign parece estar se consolidando por meio de redes, concursos, exposições, e educação formal. Este estudo se baseia na definição de biodesign de Dade-Robertson, que compreende o design e a pesquisa em design que trabalhem com sistemas vivos como parte da sua produção e funcionamento. Assim, ainda numa perspectiva antropocêntrica de pesquisa, surgem novas possibilidades com as capacidades e características de várias espécies e as novas formas de construir e fazer. No entanto, vários desafios práticos e teóricos ainda limitam a difusão do biodesign. Uma lacuna parece ser a estruturação de um artefato de facilitação para o ensino e aprendizagem do processo de biodesign. A fim de contribuir para a mitigação desta lacuna, o presente trabalho procurou desenvolver e avaliar um framework para facilitar o ensino e a aprendizagem do processo de biodesign no ensino de graduação, considerando um contexto com poucos recursos, como a falta de um espaço para experimentação e um laboratório. A estratégia metodológica utilizada é a Design Science Research (DSR) conforme Dresch, Lacerda, e Antunes Jr. (2015). Esta estratégia foi adaptada às etapas: 1. Problema e Contexto; 2. Artefatos Relacionados; 3. Desenvolvimento; 4. Avaliação; e 5. Conclusão. O framework baseou-se na revisão da literatura, que inspirou 59 insights, que embasaram 17 requisitos que, por sua vez, foram estruturados em 21 objetivos de aprendizagem em acordo com a taxonomia de Bloom. O framework considera dois espaços de contexto: a sala de aula e as casas do(a)s estudantes. Ele é composto por 6 elementos principais: 1. Conceitos, 2. Repertório, 3. Metodologia de Projeto; 4. Prática; 5. Reflexões; e 6. Gestão. Exemplos das materialidades e atividades do framework são um diário de projetos e tinkering. Para além do framework, foram desenvolvidos artefatos de apoio: quatro modelos didáticos do processo de biodesign baseados em entrevistas semi-estruturadas com designers experientes - design em colaboração com (1) cogumelos, com (2) árvores, com (3) gramíneas, e com (4) bactérias. Os modelos basearam-se numa adaptação do Método Mosaico de Kim e Lee (2015), da Estrutura de Duplo Diamante do Design Council, e do Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos de Rozenfeld et al. (2006). A instanciação ocorreu na disciplina obrigatória Materiais e Processos III do curso de graduação de Design de Produto da Universidade Federal do Paraná. O framework foi avaliado por meio de observação aberta e da rubrica de avaliação do framework pela professora da disciplina e pelo(a)s estudantes. A triangulação e a correspondência de padrões com os objetivos de aprendizagem sugerem que 14 deles foram cumpridos, enquanto os outros 7 foram parcialmente atendidos. Ao longo do processo, o(a)s estudantes parecem ter desenvolvido novas sensibilidades em design, relacionadas com a empatia e as negociações com o outro organismo vivo com o qual trabalharam. Foi feita uma imersão no cluster de excelência "Matters of Activity. Image, Space, Material" para a discussão dos resultados. O framework deve ser testado em outros contextos. Como trabalho futuro, poderá ser desenvolvida uma versão modular para abrir as heurísticas de contingência a contextos mais amplos e diferentes tempos de aplicação.Abstract: The biodesign practice seems to consolidate through organized networks, contests, exhibitions, and formal education. This study relies on Dade-Robertson's definition of biodesign, which comprises the design and design research that work with living systems as part of their production and operation. Thus, still on an anthropocentric research perspective, new possibilities arise with the abilities and characteristics of various species and new ways of building and making. However, several practical and theoretical challenges still set back the diffusion of biodesign. One gap seems to be the structuring of a facilitation artifact for teaching and learning the biodesign process. In order to contribute to mitigate this gap, the present work aimed to develop and evaluate a framework to facilitate the teaching and learning of the biodesign process in undergraduate education, considering a context with few resources, like the lack of proper space for experimentation and a lab. The methodological strategy used is Design Science Research (DSR) following Dresch, Lacerda, and Antunes Jr. (2015). It was adapted into the steps: 1. Problem and Context; 2. Related Artifacts; 3. Development; 4. Evaluation; and 5. Conclusion. The framework drew on the literature review, which inspired 59 insights. The insights grounded 17 framework requirements, which in turn, rendered 21 learning objectives developed according to Bloom's taxonomy. The framework considers two context-spaces: the classroom and the student's homes. It consists of 6 main elements: 1. Concepts, 2. Repertoire, 3. Project Methodology; 4. Practice; 5. Reflections; and 6. Management. Examples of materialities and activities in the framework are a project journal and tinkering. Besides the framework, other support artifacts were developed in the research process: four didactic models of the biodesign process based on semi-structured interviews with experienced designers - design in collaboration with (1) mushrooms, (2) trees, (3) grass, and (4) bacteria. The models drew on an adaptation of Kim and Lee's (2015) Mosaic Method, the Design Council's Double Diamond Framework, and the Product Development Process from Rozenfeld et al. (2006). The instantiation occurred in the mandatory course Materials and Processes III of the Product Design undergraduate program of the Federal University of Paraná. The framework was evaluated through overt observation and through the framework's evaluation rubric by the course professor and by the students. Triangulation and pattern-matching to the learning objectives suggested that 14 learning objectives were met, while the other 7 were partially met. Throughout the process, students seem to have developed "new designerly sensibilities", related to empathy and negotiations with the other organism they worked with. An immersion was made at the Cluster of Excellence "Matters of Activity. Image, Space, Material" to discuss the results. The framework must be further tested in other contexts. For future work, a modular version of the framework might be developed to open its contingency heuristics to broader contexts and different application times

    METROPOLITAN ENCHANTMENT AND DISENCHANTMENT. METROPOLITAN ANTHROPOLOGY FOR THE CONTEMPORARY LIVING MAP CONSTRUCTION

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    We can no longer interpret the contemporary metropolis as we did in the last century. The thought of civil economy regarding the contemporary Metropolis conflicts more or less radically with the merely acquisitive dimension of the behaviour of its citizens. What is needed is therefore a new capacity for imagining the economic-productive future of the city: hybrid social enterprises, economically sustainable, structured and capable of using technologies, could be a solution for producing value and distributing it fairly and inclusively. Metropolitan Urbanity is another issue to establish. Metropolis needs new spaces where inclusion can occur, and where a repository of the imagery can be recreated. What is the ontology behind the technique of metropolitan planning and management, its vision and its symbols? Competitiveness, speed, and meritocracy are political words, not technical ones. Metropolitan Urbanity is the characteristic of a polis that expresses itself in its public places. Today, however, public places are private ones that are destined for public use. The Common Good has always had a space of representation in the city, which was the public space. Today, the Green-Grey Infrastructure is the metropolitan city's monument that communicates a value for future generations and must therefore be recognised and imagined; it is the production of the metropolitan symbolic imagery, the new magic of the city

    Changing Priorities. 3rd VIBRArch

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    In order to warrant a good present and future for people around the planet and to safe the care of the planet itself, research in architecture has to release all its potential. Therefore, the aims of the 3rd Valencia International Biennial of Research in Architecture are: - To focus on the most relevant needs of humanity and the planet and what architectural research can do for solving them. - To assess the evolution of architectural research in traditionally matters of interest and the current state of these popular and widespread topics. - To deepen in the current state and findings of architectural research on subjects akin to post-capitalism and frequently related to equal opportunities and the universal right to personal development and happiness. - To showcase all kinds of research related to the new and holistic concept of sustainability and to climate emergency. - To place in the spotlight those ongoing works or available proposals developed by architectural researchers in order to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. - To underline the capacity of architectural research to develop resiliency and abilities to adapt itself to changing priorities. - To highlight architecture's multidisciplinarity as a melting pot of multiple approaches, points of view and expertise. - To open new perspectives for architectural research by promoting the development of multidisciplinary and inter-university networks and research groups. For all that, the 3rd Valencia International Biennial of Research in Architecture is open not only to architects, but also for any academic, practitioner, professional or student with a determination to develop research in architecture or neighboring fields.Cabrera Fausto, I. (2023). Changing Priorities. 3rd VIBRArch. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/VIBRArch2022.2022.1686
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