9,710 research outputs found

    Executable Models and Instance Tracking for Decentralized Applications on Blockchains and Cloud Platforms -- Metamodel and Implementation

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    Decentralized applications rely on non-centralized technical infrastructures and coordination principles. Without trusted third parties, their execution is not controlled by entities exercising centralized coordination but is instead realized through technologies supporting distribution such as blockchains and serverless computing. Executing decentralized applications with these technologies, however, is challenging due to the limited transparency and insight in the execution, especially when involving centralized cloud platforms. This paper extends an approach for execution and instance tracking on blockchains and cloud platforms permitting distributed parties to observe the instances and states of executable models. The approach is extended with (1.) a metamodel describing the concepts for instance tracking on cloud platforms independent of concrete models or implementation, (2.) a multidimensional data model realizing the concepts accordingly, permitting the verifiable storage, tracking, and analysis of execution states for distributed parties, and (3.) an implementation on the Ethereum blockchain and Amazon Web Services (AWS) using state machine models. Towards supporting decentralized applications with high scalability and distribution requirements, the approach establishes a consistent view on instances for distributed parties to track and analyze the execution along multiple dimensions such as specific clients and execution engines.Comment: This is an unpublished preprint; both versions archived on arXiv.org have not been published. Although initially intended for publication, the preprint has undergone further improvements and has been utilized as input for new publications. (see also: https://www.unifr.ch/inf/digits/en/group/team/haerer.html

    Complicated objects: artifacts from the Yuanming Yuan in Victorian Britain

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    The 1860 spoliation of the Summer Palace at the close of the Second Opium War by British and French troops was a watershed event within the development of Britain as an imperialist nation, which guaranteed a market for opium produced in its colony India and demonstrated the power of its armed forces. The distribution of the spoils to officers and diplomatic corps by campaign leaders in Beijing was also a sign of the British Army’s rising power as an instrument of the imperialist state. These conditions would suggest that objects looted from the site would be integrated into an imperialist aesthetic that reflected and promoted the material benefits of military engagement overseas and foregrounded the circumstances of their removal to Britain for campaign members and the British public. This study mines sources dating to the two decades following the war – including British newspapers, auction house records, exhibition catalogs and works of art – to test this hypothesis. Findings show that initial movements of looted objects through the military and diplomatic corps did reinforce notions of imperialist power by enabling campaign members to profit from the spoliation through sales of looted objects and trophy displays. However, material from the Summer Palace arrived at a moment when British manufacturers and cultural leaders were engaged in a national effort to improve the quality of British goods to compete in the international marketplace and looted art was quickly interpolated in this national conversation. Ironically, the same “free trade” imperatives that motivated the invasion energized a new design movement that embraced Chinese ornament. As a consequence, political interpretations of the material outside of military collections were quickly joined by a strong response to Chinese ornament from cultural institutions and design leaders. Art from the Summer Palace held a prominent place at industrial art exhibitions of the postwar period and inspired new designs in a number of mediums. While the availability of Chinese imperial art was the consequence of a military invasion and therefore a product of imperialist expansion, evidence presented here shows that the design response to looted objects was not circumscribed by this political reality. Chinese ornament on imperial wares was ultimately celebrated for its formal qualities and acknowledged links to the Summer Palace were an indicator of good design, not a celebration of victory over a failed Chinese state. Therefore, the looting of the Summer Palace was ultimately an essential factor in the development of modern design, the essence of which is a break with Classical ornament

    An empirical investigation of the relationship between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in supply chains

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    This research aimed to develop an empirical understanding of the relationships between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in the supply chain domain, based on which, two conceptual frameworks were constructed to advance the field. The core motivation for the research was that, at the stage of writing the thesis, the combined relationship between the three concepts had not yet been examined, although their interrelationships have been studied individually. To achieve this aim, deductive and inductive reasoning logics were utilised to guide the qualitative study, which was undertaken via multiple case studies to investigate lines of enquiry that would address the research questions formulated. This is consistent with the author’s philosophical adoption of the ontology of relativism and the epistemology of constructionism, which was considered appropriate to address the research questions. Empirical data and evidence were collected, and various triangulation techniques were employed to ensure their credibility. Some key features of grounded theory coding techniques were drawn upon for data coding and analysis, generating two levels of findings. These revealed that whilst integration and dynamic capabilities were crucial in improving performance, the performance also informed the former. This reflects a cyclical and iterative approach rather than one purely based on linearity. Adopting a holistic approach towards the relationship was key in producing complementary strategies that can deliver sustainable supply chain performance. The research makes theoretical, methodological and practical contributions to the field of supply chain management. The theoretical contribution includes the development of two emerging conceptual frameworks at the micro and macro levels. The former provides greater specificity, as it allows meta-analytic evaluation of the three concepts and their dimensions, providing a detailed insight into their correlations. The latter gives a holistic view of their relationships and how they are connected, reflecting a middle-range theory that bridges theory and practice. The methodological contribution lies in presenting models that address gaps associated with the inconsistent use of terminologies in philosophical assumptions, and lack of rigor in deploying case study research methods. In terms of its practical contribution, this research offers insights that practitioners could adopt to enhance their performance. They can do so without necessarily having to forgo certain desired outcomes using targeted integrative strategies and drawing on their dynamic capabilities

    Building data marts to analyze university faculty activities using power BI

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    Evaluating the performance of university faculty is a hard task because of the diversity of the work performed. The authors assume that the founder of the university evaluates the effectiveness of the university according to performing the teaching staff. The aim of the study is to improve the monitoring of key performance indicators of the university teaching staff based on data management. The authors present an information system to support decision-making related to the teaching staff at Kemerovo State University. The authors of the paper describe creating such a system using Business Intelligence technologies step by step. The authors identified data sources, designed the structure of the data mart and built ETL-processes for its filling, implemented various analytical dashboards. Implementing the information system in the daily activities of the university allows responding promptly to changes in the key indicators, forecasting their further change, deciding on activation of efforts in the chosen direction or types of work

    Exploring tourists’ social identities in a similar-others destination: the case of Chinese tourists in North Korea

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    Purpose: This study aims to contribute to social identity theory in tourism by exploring the reflections of Chinese tourists visiting North Korea and how they negotiate their intergroup identity in this similar-others destination. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected via online platforms and in-depth interviews. A qualitative approach, i.e. thematic analysis, was used to analyse the two sets of data. Findings: Results showed that when encountering North Koreans perceived as similar others amid the social, economic and political environments in which they were embedded, Chinese tourists often categorised themselves as ordinary tourists, preferentially treated tourists and vicarious tourists based on intergroup similarities to North Koreans. They also performed intergroup comparison to boost their self-esteem at group and collective levels and developed corresponding strategies to generate distinct emotional group commitments. Practical implications: It is recommended that destinations reinforce the friendly and unique relationship with their similar-others source markets to improve their attractiveness. Destinations should also strive to enhance the experience of tourists from their similar-others markets by arousing their positive collective-level affection, emotional resonance and nostalgic memories and avoiding negative emotions. Originality/value: This study offers a theoretical framework analysing the features of tourists’ social identities while visiting a similar-others destination, contributing to our understanding of the interactive and contingency nature of social identity in tourism, and responding to the call for addressing the broader social contexts in which tourists’ group identity is embedded

    Presenting A Model For Distributing Books in Iran Based on Structural Equation Models

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    The present study was conducted to provide a suitable model for book distribution in Iran. This research is applied in terms of purpose, and the research method is mixed (qualitative: grounded theory; and quantitative: analytical survey). The data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews at the qualitative stage. The population of the qualitative section consisted of 10 book distribution experts who were selected by using the snowball method; for the second population, 118 book distributors were purposefully selected, and the research questionnaire was distributed among them. The MAXQDA software was used to determine the qualitative section's concepts, categories, and subcategories. Then the paradigm of book distribution in Iran was identified. The model was determined using PLS software in the form of descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling in the quantitative section. In the qualitative section, the five cultural, economic, legal and political, substructural, and professional factors were identified; the results of the quantitative section showed that the cultural dimension had a weak relationship with distribution factors, and the relationship was vital for other dimensions. It can be said that the cultural dimension has the lowest intensity of the relationship, and the substructural dimension, economic dimension, professional dimension, and legal and political dimension have the highest intensity correlation with distribution factors, respectively. The most influential factors influencing book distribution were the lack of reading culture, inadequate distribution, unprofitability, weak rules, and unprincipled publishing support. The most effective way to improve the distribution was to strengthen the professional distributors. Distribution channels of goods and cultural services in Iran are mainly traditional. Moreover, the traditional distribution network, lack of use of new technologies, the long flow path of goods, the minimal share of bookstores in the distribution system, weakness of distribution substructures, lack of manpower skills in the distribution sector, and lack of capable public and private distribution networks cause inefficiency of the book distribution network and result in consumer dissatisfaction

    Formation control of autonomous vehicles with emotion assessment

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    Autonomous driving is a major state-of-the-art step that has the potential to transform the mobility of individuals and goods fundamentally. Most developed autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs) aim to sense the surroundings and control the vehicle autonomously with limited or no driver intervention. However, humans are a vital part of such vehicle operations. Therefore, an approach to understanding human emotions and creating trust between humans and machines is necessary. This thesis proposes a novel approach for multiple AGVs, consisting of a formation controller and human emotion assessment for autonomous driving and collaboration. As the interaction between multiple AGVs is essential, the performance of two multi-robot control algorithms is analysed, and a platoon formation controller is proposed. On the other hand, as the interaction between AGVs and humans is equally essential to create trust between humans and AGVs, the human emotion assessment method is proposed and used as feedback to make autonomous decisions for AGVs. A novel simulation platform is developed for navigating multiple AGVs and testing controllers to realise this concept. Further to this simulation tool, a method is proposed to assess human emotion using the affective dimension model and physiological signals such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmography (PPG). The experiments are carried out to verify that humans' felt arousal and valence levels could be measured and translated to different emotions for autonomous driving operations. A per-subject-based classification accuracy is statistically significant and validates the proposed emotion assessment method. Also, a simulation is conducted to verify AGVs' velocity control effect of different emotions on driving tasks

    Faculty Of Education UNHI

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    Faculty Of Education UNH
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