1,197 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

    Talking about personal recovery in bipolar disorder: Integrating health research, natural language processing, and corpus linguistics to analyse peer online support forum posts

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    Background: Personal recovery, ‘living a satisfying, hopeful and contributing lifeeven with the limitations caused by the illness’ (Anthony, 1993) is of particular value in bipolar disorder where symptoms often persist despite treatment. So far, personal recovery has only been studied in researcher-constructed environments (interviews, focus groups). Support forum posts can serve as a complementary naturalistic data source. Objective: The overarching aim of this thesis was to study personal recovery experiences that people living with bipolar disorder have shared in online support forums through integrating health research, NLP, and corpus linguistics in a mixed methods approach within a pragmatic research paradigm, while considering ethical issues and involving people with lived experience. Methods: This mixed-methods study analysed: 1) previous qualitative evidence on personal recovery in bipolar disorder from interviews and focus groups 2) who self-reports a bipolar disorder diagnosis on the online discussion platform Reddit 3) the relationship of mood and posting in mental health-specific Reddit forums (subreddits) 4) discussions of personal recovery in bipolar disorder subreddits. Results: A systematic review of qualitative evidence resulted in the first framework for personal recovery in bipolar disorder, POETIC (Purpose & meaning, Optimism & hope, Empowerment, Tensions, Identity, Connectedness). Mainly young or middle-aged US-based adults self-report a bipolar disorder diagnosis on Reddit. Of these, those experiencing more intense emotions appear to be more likely to post in mental health support subreddits. Their personal recovery-related discussions in bipolar disorder subreddits primarily focussed on three domains: Purpose & meaning (particularly reproductive decisions, work), Connectedness (romantic relationships, social support), Empowerment (self-management, personal responsibility). Support forum data highlighted personal recovery issues that exclusively or more frequently came up online compared to previous evidence from interviews and focus groups. Conclusion: This project is the first to analyse non-reactive data on personal recovery in bipolar disorder. Indicating the key areas that people focus on in personal recovery when posting freely and the language they use provides a helpful starting point for formal and informal carers to understand the concerns of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder and to consider how best to offer support

    The politics of content prioritisation online governing prominence and discoverability on digital media platforms

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    This thesis examines the governing systems and industry practices shaping online content prioritisation processes on digital media platforms. Content prioritisation, and the relative prominence and discoverability of content, are investigated through a critical institutional lens as digital decision guidance processes that shape online choice architecture and influence users’ access to content online. This thesis thus shows how prioritisation is never neutral or static and cannot be explained solely by political economic or neoclassical economics approaches. Rather, prioritisation is dynamically shaped by the institutional environment and by the clash between existing media governance systems and those emerging for platform governance. As prioritisation processes influence how audiovisual media services are accessed online, posing questions about the public interest in such forms of intermediation is key. In that context, this research asks how content prioritisation is governed on digital media platforms, and what the elements of a public interest framework for these practices might be. To address these questions, I use a within case study comparative research design focused on the United Kingdom, collecting data by means of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Through a thematic analysis, I then investigate how institutional arrangements influence both organisational strategies and interests, as well as the relationships among industry and policy actors involved, namely, platform organisations, pay-TV operators, technology manufacturers, content providers including public service media, and regulators. The results provide insights into the ‘black box’ of content prioritisation across three interconnected dimensions: technical, market, and regulatory. In each dimension, a battle between industry and policy actors emerges to influence prioritisation online. As the UK Government and regulator intend to develop new prominence rules, the dispute takes on a normative dimension and gives rise to contested visions of what audiovisual services should be prioritised to the final users, and which private- and public-interest-driven criteria are (or should) be used to determine that. Finally, the analysis shows why it is crucial to reflect on how the public interest is interpreted and operationalised as new prominence regulatory regimes emerge with a variety of sometimes contradictory implications for media pluralism, diversity and audience freedom of choice. The thesis therefore indicates the need for new institutional arrangements and a public interest-driven framework for prioritisation on digital media platforms. Such a framework conceives of public interest content standards as an institutional imperative for media and platform organisations and prompts regulators to develop new online content regulation that is appropriate to changing forms of digital intermediation and emerging audiovisual market conditions. While the empirical focus is on the UK, the implications of the research findings are also considered in the light of developments in the European Union and Council of Europe initiatives that bear on the future discoverability of public interest media services and related prominence regimes

    20th SC@RUG 2023 proceedings 2022-2023

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    Improving patient safety by learning from near misses – insights from safety-critical industries

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    Background Patients are at risk of being harmed by the very processes meant to help them. To improve patient safety, healthcare organisations attempt to identify the factors that contribute to incidents and take action to optimise conditions to minimise repeats. However, improvements in patient safety have not matched those observed in other safety-critical industries. One difference between healthcare and other safety-critical industries may be how they learn from near misses when seeking to make safety improvements. Near misses are incidents that almost happened, but for an interruption in the sequence of events. Management of near misses includes their identification, reporting and investigation, and the learning that results. Safety theory suggests that acting on near misses will lead to actions to help prevent incidents. However, evidence also suggests that healthcare has yet to embrace the learning potential that patient safety near misses offer. The aims of this research, in support of this thesis, were to explore how best healthcare can learn from patient safety near misses to improve patient safety, and to identify what guidance non-healthcare safety-critical industries, which have implemented effective near-miss management systems, can offer healthcare. As this research progressed the aims were updated to include consideration of whether healthcare should seek to learn from patient safety near misses. Methods This research took a mixed-methods approach augmented by scoping reviews of the healthcare (study 1) and non-healthcare safety-critical industry (study 3) literature. A qualitative case study (study 2) was undertaken to explore the management of patient safety near misses in the English National Health Service. Seventeen interviews were undertaken with patient safety leads across acute hospitals, ambulance trusts, mental health trusts, primary care, and national bodies. A questionnaire was also used to help access the views of frontline staff. A grounded theory (study 4) was used to develop a set of principles, based on learning from non-healthcare safety-critical industries, around how best near misses can be managed. Thirty-five interviews were undertaken across aviation, maritime, and rail, with nuclear later added as per the theoretical sampling. Results The scoping reviews contributed 125 healthcare and 108 non-healthcare safety-critical industry academic articles, published internationally between 2000 and 2022, to the evidence gained from the qualitative case study and grounded theory. Safety cultures and maturity with safety management processes were found to vary in and across the different industries, and there was a reluctance for healthcare to learn about safety and near misses from other industries. Healthcare has yet to establish effective processes to manage patient safety near misses. There is an absence of evidence that learning has led to improvements in patient safety. The definition of a patient safety near miss varies, and organisations focus their efforts on reporting and investigating incidents, with limited attention to patient safety near misses. In non-healthcare safety-critical industries, near-miss management is more established, but process maturity varies in and across industries. Near misses are often defined specifically for an industry, but there is limited evidence that learning from them has improved safety. Information about near misses are commonly aggregated and may contribute to company and industry safety management systems. Exploration of the definition of a patient safety near miss led to the identification of the features of a near miss. The features have not been previously defined in the manner presented in this thesis. A patient safety near miss is context-specific and complex, involves interruptions, highlights system vulnerabilities, and is delineated from an incident by whether events reach a patient. Across healthcare and non-healthcare safety-critical industries the impact of learning from near misses is often assumed or extrapolated based on the common cause hypothesis. The hypothesis is regularly cited in safety literature and is used as the basis for justifying a focus on patient safety near misses. However, the validity of the hypothesis has been questioned and has not been validated for different patient safety near miss and incident types. Conclusions The research findings challenge long-held beliefs that learning from patient safety near misses will lead to improvements in patient safety. These beliefs are based on traditional safety theory that is unlikely to now be valid in the complexity of modern-day systems where incidents are the result of multiple factors and can emerge without apparent warning. Further research is required to understand the relationship between learning from patient safety near misses and patient safety, and whether the common cause hypothesis is valid for different types of healthcare safety event. While there are questions about the value of learning directly from patient safety near misses, the contribution of near misses to safety management systems in non-healthcare safety-critical industries looks to be beneficial for safety improvement. Safety management systems have yet to be implemented in the National Health Service and future research should look to understand how best this may be achieved and their value. In the meantime, patient safety near misses may help healthcare’s understanding of systems and their optimisation to create barriers to incidents and build resilience. This research offers an evidence-based definition of a patient safety near miss and describes principles to support identification, reporting, prioritisation, investigation, aggregation, learning, and action to help improve patient safety

    Toward Efficient and Robust Computer Vision for Large-Scale Edge Applications

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    The past decade has been witnessing remarkable advancements in computer vision and deep learning algorithms, ushering in a transformative wave of large-scale edge applications across various industries. These image processing methods, however, still encounter numerous challenges when it comes to meeting real-world demands, especially in terms of accuracy and latency at scale. Indeed, striking a balance among efficiency, robustness, and scalability remains a common obstacle. This dissertation investigates these issues in the context of different computer vision tasks, including image classification, semantic segmentation, depth estimation, and object detection. We introduce novel solutions, focusing on utilizing adjustable neural networks, joint multi-task architecture search, and generalized supervision interpolation. The first obstacle revolves around the ability to trade off between speed and accuracy in convolutional neural networks (CNNs) during inference on resource-constrained platforms. Despite their progress, CNNs are typically monolithic at runtime, which can present practical difficulties since computational budgets may vary over time. To address this, we introduce Any-Width Network, an adjustable-width CNN architecture that utilizes a novel Triangular Convolution module to enable fine-grained control over speed and accuracy during inference. The second challenge focuses on the computationally demanding nature of dense prediction tasks such as semantic segmentation and depth estimation. This issue becomes especially problematic for edge platforms with limited resources. To tackle this, we propose a novel and scalable framework named EDNAS. EDNAS leverages the synergistic relationship between Multi-Task Learning and hardware-aware Neural Architecture Search to significantly enhance on-device speed and accuracy of dense predictions. Finally, to improve the robustness of object detection, we introduce a novel data mixing augmentation. While mixing techniques such as Mixup have proven successful in image classification, their application to object detection is non-trivial due to spatial misalignment, foreground/background distinction, and instance multiplicity. To address these issues, we propose a generalized data mixing principle, Supervision Interpolation, and its simple yet effective implementation, LossMix. By addressing these challenges, this dissertation aims to facilitate better efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of computer vision and deep learning algorithms and contribute to the advancement of large-scale edge applications across different domains.Doctor of Philosoph

    Current issues of the management of socio-economic systems in terms of globalization challenges

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    The authors of the scientific monograph have come to the conclusion that the management of socio-economic systems in the terms of global challenges requires the use of mechanisms to ensure security, optimise the use of resource potential, increase competitiveness, and provide state support to economic entities. Basic research focuses on assessment of economic entities in the terms of global challenges, analysis of the financial system, migration flows, logistics and product exports, territorial development. The research results have been implemented in the different decision-making models in the context of global challenges, strategic planning, financial and food security, education management, information technology and innovation. The results of the study can be used in the developing of directions, programmes and strategies for sustainable development of economic entities and regions, increasing the competitiveness of products and services, decision-making at the level of ministries and agencies that regulate the processes of managing socio-economic systems. The results can also be used by students and young scientists in the educational process and conducting scientific research on the management of socio-economic systems in the terms of global challenges

    Capturing simultaneity: International students’ connectedness and identity perceptions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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    Fostering meaningful intercultural connections between international and local students has been one of the key priorities in Australian strategy for international education, with the aim of improving students’ experiences and strengthening the country’s position as a leading global education provider. Despite these efforts, a number of studies in Australia have documented a lack of engagement between international and domestic students. This study aims to explore the underlying reasons for this absence of local friendships in international students’ social networks. The investigation includes exploring international students’ perspectives on their connections with host, home, and co-national contacts, as well as examining their agency in managing these relationships. Furthermore, the study seeks to uncover the interplay between international students’ perceptions of identity and their social connections. The transnational social fields concept serves as the theoretical framework for the research design and data analysis, enabling this study to explore the complexities of social relationships and the multiple identities that students construct while studying abroad. Through social network analysis and semi-structured interviews with nine Vietnamese students in Adelaide, this study identified five factors that influence the development and management of international students’ relationships with others. These factors include four personal aspects: students’ goals for studying abroad, affection for the host country, personality traits, and assessment of pre-existing relationships, as well as one external factor, which is the environment. International students’ perceptions of identity were found to be closely associated with these personal factors and influence their evaluation of their social needs. The study also highlighted the students’ agency in fostering, maintaining, or excluding contacts from their social networks to acquire essential resources, overcome challenges, and realise their aspirations. However, international students’ ability to exercise their agency can be influenced by external factors beyond their control, which may present opportunities or challenges for them to initiate or maintain social connections. These findings shed light on the reasons why international students may lack interest in cultivating friendships with local students, as well as factors that may hinder their efforts even when they have the desire to do so. This study contributes to the understanding of international students’ social experiences in the host country by examining the importance of self-perceptions and personal agency. Findings from this study suggests future research acknowledging the diversity of cultures and recognise the role of international students’ unique characteristics and personal experiences in their identity projection and relationship management. Additionally, practical recommendations for educational institutions are provided to help them achieve their goal of fostering intercultural interactions between local and international students.Thesis (MPhil.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 202
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