Assessment of Networking of Higher Education Institution

Networking phenomenon of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) is investigates in this dissertation, thus addressing the problem of networking assessment evolving from the need to use the networking for the strategic management of the HEI in a more extensive way. Also the possibilities of managing the networking of higher education more effectively are investigated in order to support growing networking based activities of internationalisation, collaboration and interdisciplinarity indicating the relevance of the thesis. At a scientific level, a lack of different tools for assessing and monitoring the networking and portfolio of the HEI can be noticed, which may assist in understanding the surrounding network on more systematic grounds. The object of the dissertation is the networking (entering and participation in the network and interaction with other institutions) of the Higher Education Institution. The core of the dissertation is the development and empirical testing of a Networking Assessment Model that would increase the strategic use of networking in order to improve the competitiveness of HEIs. The dissertation consists of the introduction, three chapters, general conclusions and 9 annexes. Chapter 1 presents networking phenomena in contemporary management and further proceeds with a review of networking in public sector management which leads to the analysis of network assessment methods and to the formulation of the scientific problem of the thesis. Chapter 2 turns the structure and overview of the Network Assessment Model (NAM) into a more detailed explanation of three stages of the model: Stage 1 adapts multi-criteria methods for the assessment of networking, Stage 2 presents assessment applying network pictures and Stage 3 explains how to transform the results of network assessment into strategic insights. Chapter 3 assesses the networking of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in order to test the NAM and derives recommendations for strategies on developing more effective networking in the fields of research and studies. 6 publications focusing on the subject discussed in the dissertation have been issued: 4 of those have been included in internationally recognized databases, 1 represents conference material and 1 is a study

News devices : how digital objects participate in news work and research

News work is increasingly taking place in and through a variety of intersecting digital devices, from websites, to search engines, online platforms, apps, bots, web analytics, data analysis and visualisation tools. These devices are also increasingly used as resources in digital research, and their implications are yet to be fully understood. This thesis examines how digital objects participate in news work and research. To this end, I propose an orientation towards the news device as a research topic and approach. The news device approach calls attention to the ways in which practices and relations are co-produced with digital objects involved in news work. It also attends to how such digital devices may afford modes of studying these practices. To make the case for this approach, I examine the participation of three types of devices in three aspects of news work: (1) the role of the network graph in journalistic storytelling, (2) the role of the online platform in journalism coding, and (3) the role of the web tracker in news audience commodification. In all, the thesis contributes to understanding the digital transformations of news in two ways. First, it develops a rich, nuanced, multidisciplinary, collaborative and reflexive approach to news research with digital methods. Secondly, it provides novel insights into how digital devices shape both news processes and relations with the online advertising and marketing industries, commercial online platforms, digital visual culture, and other digital content producers

Mining complex trees for hidden fruit : a graph–based computational solution to detect latent criminal networks : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand.

The detection of crime is a complex and difficult endeavour. Public and private organisations – focusing on law enforcement, intelligence, and compliance – commonly apply the rational isolated actor approach premised on observability and materiality. This is manifested largely as conducting entity-level risk management sourcing ‘leads’ from reactive covert human intelligence sources and/or proactive sources by applying simple rules-based models. Focusing on discrete observable and material actors simply ignores that criminal activity exists within a complex system deriving its fundamental structural fabric from the complex interactions between actors - with those most unobservable likely to be both criminally proficient and influential. The graph-based computational solution developed to detect latent criminal networks is a response to the inadequacy of the rational isolated actor approach that ignores the connectedness and complexity of criminality. The core computational solution, written in the R language, consists of novel entity resolution, link discovery, and knowledge discovery technology. Entity resolution enables the fusion of multiple datasets with high accuracy (mean F-measure of 0.986 versus competitors 0.872), generating a graph-based expressive view of the problem. Link discovery is comprised of link prediction and link inference, enabling the high-performance detection (accuracy of ~0.8 versus relevant published models ~0.45) of unobserved relationships such as identity fraud. Knowledge discovery uses the fused graph generated and applies the “GraphExtract” algorithm to create a set of subgraphs representing latent functional criminal groups, and a mesoscopic graph representing how this set of criminal groups are interconnected. Latent knowledge is generated from a range of metrics including the “Super-broker” metric and attitude prediction. The computational solution has been evaluated on a range of datasets that mimic an applied setting, demonstrating a scalable (tested on ~18 million node graphs) and performant (~33 hours runtime on a non-distributed platform) solution that successfully detects relevant latent functional criminal groups in around 90% of cases sampled and enables the contextual understanding of the broader criminal system through the mesoscopic graph and associated metadata. The augmented data assets generated provide a multi-perspective systems view of criminal activity that enable advanced informed decision making across the microscopic mesoscopic macroscopic spectrum

EUSN 2021 Book of Abstracts, Fifth European Conference on Social Networks

Book of abstract of the fifth European conference on Social Networks EUSN 202

Mining Time-aware Actor-level Evolution Similarity for Link Prediction in Dynamic Network

Topological evolution over time in a dynamic network triggers both the addition and deletion of actors and the links among them. A dynamic network can be represented as a time series of network snapshots where each snapshot represents the state of the network over an interval of time (for example, a minute, hour or day). The duration of each snapshot denotes the temporal scale/sliding window of the dynamic network and all the links within the duration of the window are aggregated together irrespective of their order in time. The inherent trade-off in selecting the timescale in analysing dynamic networks is that choosing a short temporal window may lead to chaotic changes in network topology and measures (for example, the actors’ centrality measures and the average path length); however, choosing a long window may compromise the study and the investigation of network dynamics. Therefore, to facilitate the analysis and understand different patterns of actor-oriented evolutionary aspects, it is necessary to define an optimal window length (temporal duration) with which to sample a dynamic network. In addition to determining the optical temporal duration, another key task for understanding the dynamics of evolving networks is being able to predict the likelihood of future links among pairs of actors given the existing states of link structure at present time. This phenomenon is known as the link prediction problem in network science. Instead of considering a static state of a network where the associated topology does not change, dynamic link prediction attempts to predict emerging links by considering different types of historical/temporal information, for example the different types of temporal evolutions experienced by the actors in a dynamic network due to the topological evolution over time, known as actor dynamicities. Although there has been some success in developing various methodologies and metrics for the purpose of dynamic link prediction, mining actor-oriented evolutions to address this problem has received little attention from the research community. In addition to this, the existing methodologies were developed without considering the sampling window size of the dynamic network, even though the sampling duration has a large impact on mining the network dynamics of an evolutionary network. Therefore, although the principal focus of this thesis is link prediction in dynamic networks, the optimal sampling window determination was also considered

Community and individual identity of the Kashmiri community : a case study of Luton

A thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of LutonThis thesis is the study of the relationship between individuals and communities in the context of racialised minorities in the United Kingdom. The research examines the ways in which individuals belonging to the Kashmiri community articulate and manifest 'Kashmyriat' in conditions of diaspora. Specifically, the research is an investigation of the core features of Kashmiri identity. These were selected as being identifications based on culture, religion and the territorial identification with the land of Kashmir, the nature of culture conflict between individuals and community and differences between generations of Kashmiris and the role of gender identity in 'Kashmyriat'. The central premise is that identity is constantly updated, multiple and redefined in relation to contextual changes through a process of enculturation. Results of the research suggest that culture, religion and territorial identification with the land of Kashmir are central core features of Kashmiri identity in Luton. The younger generation appear to be maintaining a distinct and separate identity based partly on shared culture, religion and terrirotial identification with the land of Kashmir with the older generation whilst they are redefining their identity in response to the contexts in which they have been born and brought up. Gender identities appear to be less significant as part of overall identity development. Theoretically the thesis is an exploration of identity and its relationship to cultural identity among migrants. In this thesis I rely on qualitative ethnographic work as well as the quantitative research methodology of Identity Structure Analysis (ISA) to try and draw a textured analysis of Kashmiri identity transformation in the wake of immigration to Luton. Using the notion of enculturation the thesis sets out to deepen and make this concept more academically rigorous. Enculturation is deployed as a means to understanding the process of identity transformation. Results of the research suggest that culture, religion and affiliation with the land of Kashmir. Whilst they share the first two with other South Asian ethnicised communities in the United Kingdom it appears that the territorial affiliation with the land of Kashmir which can be translated as political identity is currently their self-defined identity. This is marking the Kashmiris as a national community whose individuals and collectivities centre their identity on 'Kashmyriat'

BECOMING A PERSON-CENTRED FACILITATOR OF LEARNING: A participatory action-oriented inquiry exploring the experience of embodying person-centredness by educators working in hospital settings

Background: Many educators working in the hospital setting are not well-prepared for their role. They rely on the expert teacher-centred model which is not aligned with nor contributing to developing person-centred cultures. As these educators are positioned to contribute to developing and advancing person-centredness, it is imperative they are enabled to become person-centred in their practice. Little is known about how educators transform from the expert teacher-centred approach to a person-centred facilitation approach. This study investigated how educators become person-centred facilitators. Approach and Methods: With a participatory, action-oriented research design informed by four person-centred methodological principles predicated on practice development and relational inquiry, educators in the hospital setting co-investigated their experience of becoming person-centred facilitators. Collective and individual capacity development activities enabled educators to co-create a pathway to embodying person-centredness. Data was analyzed through five phases of relational inquiry infused critical creative hermeneutics. Findings: A conceptual framework representing becoming person-centred emerged and a Roadmap for Becoming Person-centred was developed. Transformation was guided by three principles, Starting with Self, Developing Community & Belonging, and Bumping Against Culture & Inviting Transformation. Becoming occurred intrapersonally, interpersonally, and contextually through moments of discovery, reconciliation, and action. Findings indicate the four person-centred methodological principles, developed into the RACC Model, are effective in providing educational theory and working in person-centred ways. These principles enable educators to contribute to advancing person-centredness within the realities and complexities of the hospital setting. Conclusions and Implications: Educators working in hospital settings can be enabled to become person-centred facilitators by providing them person-centred learning opportunities and support over time. As pedagogy, the four person-centred methodological principles should be used within orientation programs so educators attain competence in educational theory and person-centredness and use these principles within their own practice. As educators embody being person-centred facilitators, they can contribute to advancing person-centredness