A systematic survey of online data mining technology intended for law enforcement

As an increasing amount of crime takes on a digital aspect, law enforcement bodies must tackle an online environment generating huge volumes of data. With manual inspections becoming increasingly infeasible, law enforcement bodies are optimising online investigations through data-mining technologies. Such technologies must be well designed and rigorously grounded, yet no survey of the online data-mining literature exists which examines their techniques, applications and rigour. This article remedies this gap through a systematic mapping study describing online data-mining literature which visibly targets law enforcement applications, using evidence-based practices in survey making to produce a replicable analysis which can be methodologically examined for deficiencies

Tourism in contemporary cities. Proceedings of the International Tourism Studies Association Conference: University of Greenwich, London, UK 17–19 August 2016 Conference Proceedings

The 6th International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) Biennial conference was held at the University of Greenwich, London, England from 17‐19 August 2016. This was the first time that the conference had been held in Europe and it provided a unique opportunity to meet, hear from and network with tourism scholars and professionals from across Europe, Asia, Australasia, and North and South America. ITSA has a mission to encourage interaction and cooperation between developing and developed countries and the conference was successful in attracting 130 delegates from 29 countries. The main theme of the conference was 'Tourism in Contemporary Cities' with four conference sub‐themes of ‘Tourism Cities and Urban Tourism’, ‘The Chinese Market for European Tourism’, ‘River, Cruise and Maritime Tourism’, and ‘Heritage Tourism in Cities’, The subthemes were chosen to reflect the unique location of the conference on the UNESCO Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, and London which is Europe’s most visited tourist destination. The conference also presented ‘Dark Tourism and Cities’ and ‘Tourism and Communist Heritage’ as special sessions

Study on the gender dimension of trafficking in human beings

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the identification and understanding of what it means to be ‘taking into account the gender perspective, to strengthen the prevention of this crime and protection of the victims there-of’, as required in Article 1 of European Union (EU) Directive 2011/36/EU on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Protecting its Victims in the context of the EU Strategy (COM(2012) 286 final) Towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings. The study contributes to Priority E Action 2 of the Strategy, which states that ‘the Commission will develop knowledge on the gender dimensions of human trafficking, including the gender consequences of the various forms of trafficking and potential differences in the vulnerability of men and women to victimisation and its impact on them.’ Its specific objectives and tasks are to address: the ‘gender dimension of vulnerability, recruitment, and victimisation’; ‘gender issues related to traffickers and to those creating demand’; and ‘an examination of law and policy responses on trafficking in human beings from a gender perspective’. The study addresses the five priorities of the EU Strategy: identifying, protecting, and assisting victims of traf-ficking; stepping up the prevention of trafficking in human beings; better law enforcement; enhanced coordination and cooperation among key actors and policy coherence; and increased knowledge of an effective response to emerging concerns. This study, according to its terms of reference, aims to look specifically at the gender dimension of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This follows evidence from statistical data from Eurostat, as well as da-ta from The European Police Office (Europol) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), accord-ing to which the most reported form of exploitation of victims is that of sexual exploitation and its strong gen-der dimension (96 % women and girls). It further addresses recommendations addressed in the Resolution of the European Parliament of 26 February 2014 on sexual exploitation and prostitution and its impact on gender equality (2013/2103(INI)) urging the European Commission to evaluate the impact that the European legal frame-work designed to eliminate trafficking for sexual exploitation has had to date and to undertake further research on patterns of prostitution, on human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and on the increased lev-el of sex tourism in the EU, with particular reference to minors, and to promote the exchange of best practices among the Member States. The study identifies and draws on EU law and policy competence in gender equality in its identification of the gen-der dimensions of trafficking. The gender dimensions are clustered into five issues: gender specificity and equal treatment; gender expertise, gender balance in decision-making and gender mainstreaming; the relationship be-tween prostitution and trafficking; gendered policy fields and strategic priorities; gendered systems and the the-ory of prevention

Data quality measures for identity resolution

The explosion in popularity of online social networks has led to increased interest in identity resolution from security practitioners. Being able to connect together the multiple online accounts of a user can be of use in verifying identity attributes and in tracking the activity of malicious users. At the same time, privacy researchers are exploring the same phenomenon with interest in identifying privacy risks caused by re-identification attacks. Existing literature has explored how particular components of an online identity may be used to connect profiles, but few if any studies have attempted to assess the comparative value of information attributes. In addition, few of the methods being reported are easily comparable, due to difficulties with obtaining and sharing ground- truth data. Attempts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the identifiability of profile attributes are hindered by these issues. With a focus on overcoming these hurdles to effective research, this thesis first develops a methodology for sampling ground-truth data from online social networks. Building on this with reference to both existing literature and samples of real profile data, this thesis describes and grounds a comprehensive matching schema of profile attributes. The work then defines data quality measures which are important for identity resolution, and measures the availability, consistency and uniqueness of the schema’s contents. The developed measurements are then applied in a feature selection scheme to reduce the impact of missing data issues common in identity resolution. Finally, this thesis addresses the purposes to which identity resolution may be applied, defining the further application-oriented data quality measurements of novelty, veracity and relevance, and demonstrating their calculation and application for a particular use case: evaluating the social engineering vulnerability of an organisation

Dark Tourism and Dissonant Memories in Korea and Japan: The potentials of dark tourism as a tool to visualise marginalised narratives of colonialism

Dissonant collective memories of colonialism underlie enduring conflicts between South Korea and Japan. Memory and identity politics, aimed at nurturing national pride, have perpetuated misrepresentations of their shared colonial past, sidelining narratives of victims misaligned with the official discourse. This research explores the potential of dark tourism for illuminating marginalised memories of war and colonialism. Dark tourism can be defined as a methodology of travel that engages with both “bright” and “dark” collective memories, offering insights into contemporary society and its complex contradictions. This study examines how sites of colonial memory can be adapted for educational dark tourism by site managers, external actors, and individual visitors, and how such tourism can impact the collective memory and social identities of Koreans, Japanese, and other individuals who engage with it. Data was collected through tourism participation and observation in Korea and Japan, focusing on four case study sites. Semistructured research interviews were conducted with 17 stakeholders, and a street survey targeting 250 Koreans was conducted. Findings show that despite governmental memory politics obstructing impartial narratives at official sites, many Koreans, Japanese, and others express interest in confronting colonial memories while traveling. Particularly, younger Koreans, less influenced by ethnic nationalism, and Japanese individuals with a genuine interest in Korean tourism, find educational value in dark tourism related to colonial memory, and are less likely to perceive it as a threat to their national identities. The data analysis suggests that an increase in dark tourism at sites of colonial memory in Korea and Japan could contribute to fostering mutual understanding of dissonant and sensitive collective colonial memories. The findings underscore how the roles of both Korean and Japanese NGOs and other non-governmental groups are pivotal in highlighting colonial memory excluded from official narratives at pertinent heritage sites in both countries

East Asia Today

East Asia attracts growing interest in the West. Th e region is the world’s hotbed of economic growth, led by burgeoning China aided by more advanced Asian economies investing heavily in manufacturing and trading networks involving China. Western entrepreneurs clamor to join the China wave

State and Crafts in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

This book, full of quantitative evidence and limited-circulation archives, details manufacturing and the beginnings of industrialisation in China from 1644 to 1911. It thoroughly examines the interior organisation of public craft production and the complementary activities of the private sector. It offers detailed knowledge of shipbuilding and printing. Moreover, it contributes to the research of labour history and the rise of capitalism in China through its examination of living conditions, working conditions, and wages

The Clash of Connectedness: Infrastructures, Prosperity, and Border Life Volatility in Mekong Towns

In the Mekong borderlands of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, the proliferation of infrastructures, particularly influenced by China's logistical power, might project an aura of stability, security, and forthcoming prosperity. However, this research indicates that these infrastructures have introduced volatility and disruptions for many of the inhabitants of this frontier. Structured into five chapters, this thesis details how borderland infrastructures, including rivers, land, roads, highways, river ports, cross-border bridges, hydropower dams, and Special Economic Zones, have spurred boom and bust cycles in the area. These infrastructures have ignited political and socio-economic volatility, as well as triggered significant environmental fluctuations that transcend human boundaries. The narrative transitions from historic roads echoing Cold War tensions to contemporary complexities such as land speculation, alternative trade routes, and environmental activism. I present the “infrastructure of prosperity” concept to examine the intertwined relationships between infrastructure, wealth culture, and moral values. Conducted during both ordinary times and pandemic periods, the fieldwork reveals that rather than outright avoiding volatility, many actively engage with it, charting a course towards a preferred future. This thesis aims to spotlight the connectedness, an assemblage of relationships among diverse groups. Some of these groups either form social networks that serve as parallel, alternative infrastructures to the pre-existing ones or modify incoming ones to align with their moral purpose. Responses to these transformations vary, ranging from navigating uncertainty, negotiating and speculating, to retrofitting infrastructure or even adopting a stance of waiting. In conclusion, infrastructure acts as a platform where power dynamics manifest, histories resurface, and often, hardships and inequalities are illuminated. This research underscores the significance of recognising the “seamful” moments, the crucial transitional pauses or gaps inherent to the Thai Mekong border towns, urging a deeper look beyond the surface to grasp the intricacies of an ostensibly interconnected world

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality