Query Interface for Smart City Internet of Things Data Marketplaces: A Case Study

Cities are increasingly getting augmented with sensors through public, private, and academic sector initiatives. Most of the time, these sensors are deployed with a primary purpose (objective) in mind (e.g., deploy sensors to understand noise pollution) by a sensor owner (i.e., the organization that invests in sensing hardware, for example, a city council). Over the last few years, communities undertaking smart city development projects have understood the importance of making the sensor data available to a wider community – beyond their primary usage. Different business models have been proposed to achieve this, including creating data marketplaces. The vision is to encourage new start-ups and small and medium-scale businesses to create novel products and services using sensor data to generate additional economic value. Currently, data are sold as pre-defined independent datasets (e.g., noise level and parking status data may be sold separately). This approach creates several challenges, such as (i) difficulties in pricing, which leads to higher prices (per dataset), (ii) higher network communication and bandwidth requirements, and (iii) information overload for data consumers (i.e., those who purchase data). We investigate the benefit of semantic representation and its reasoning capabilities towards creating a business model that offers data on-demand within smart city Internet of Things (IoT) data marketplaces. The objective is to help data consumers (i.e., small and medium enterprises (SMEs)) acquire the most relevant data they need. We demonstrate the utility of our approach by integrating it into a real-world IoT data marketplace (developed by synchronicity-iot.eu project). We discuss design decisions and their consequences (i.e., trade-offs) on the choice and selection of datasets. Subsequently, we present a series of data modeling principles and recommendations for implementing IoT data marketplaces

Surviving marginalization in development-induced displacement in Zimbabwe: a case study of Tokwe Mukosi Dam Project.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This thesis focuses on the state-people relations in the Tokwe-Mukosi dam project and the subsequent displacement in Masvingo, Zimbabwe. It dwells on the implications of the displacements on social networks and local institutions. It then proceeds to look at the adaptation mechanisms deployed by the flood victims in the new environs. Emphasis is made on the significance of livelihood assets, social capital, social networks and local institutions in dealing with marginalization. The study was grounded in qualitative methodology and participant observation, unstructured interviews, Focus Group Discussions and secondary sources of data were used as data gathering techniques. The study is actually based on the actual narratives of the Tokwe Mukosi people derived from twelve months of research at Chingwizi. Findings point to ambivalent relations between the Tokwe Mukosi people and the state. Of note is the fact that from the state’s perspective, the displacements are necessary in the interest of ‘the greater good’ and development. Conversely for the affected villagers, these displacements can never be justified since they had adverse effects on their livelihoods, social networks, local institution, as well as their social wellbeing. This has culminated in an unpalatable impasse between the residents and the state in this development-displacement paradox. Of note is the fact that despite enormous interest on the plight of the Tokwe Mukosi people nationally and internationally, research tended to evaluate them as passive victims of the state. The study nonetheless reveals that the Tokwe Mukosi people are far from becoming passive victims of their situation. The aptitude of the displaced people of Tokwe Mukosi to act based on agency is very clear in their ability to resist perpetual relocations at Chingwizi, as reflected in this study. In the same philosophy, the findings reveal their capacity to mobilize local resources to build resilience in the post displacement milieu. Central to their survival is a cocktail of livelihood assets, social capital and social networks. I highlighted that a significant number of the displaced people are falling back on local institutions. Emphasis was on how they are mobilizing and or creating new local institutions to build resilience. I also argued that their strategies for survival range between individual strategies and collective responses. These responses are enabling them to deal with the evacuated futures, and to continue aspiring for better life in the hostile and marginalized environment. I however argue that many of the livelihood options adopted by the residents in question border on immorality, illegality and criminality. Nevertheless, the displacee status becomes the sanctifier of those anti-social and immoral strategies. The thesis also revealed that the livelihood options for the Tokwe Mukosi people are binary in nature. This means that they are either survivalists, or they are more sustainable in orientation. Findings also revealed that the Tokwe Mukosi people have been surviving for more than half a decade with very little state protection, but there is always a danger of justifying the state’s inaptness under the guise of agency. The research highlighted that some residents are actually suffering from the unintended consequences of intended actions (survival strategies). In this study, I triangulated the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, the Actor Oriented Approach and the social capital theory to analyze the findings made herein. Complimentary concepts like legibility, strategic essentialism, capacity to aspire, times and the futures are also used to have a nuanced understanding of the Tokwe Mukosi people as rational calculative and strategic actors

Электронное учебное пособие по учебной дисциплине "Философия" обязательного модуля "Философия" для студентов 1 ступени высшего образования всех специальностей очной и заочной форм получения образования

The textbook includes materials of a lecture course, guidelines for independent study of the discipline "Philosophy" a list of additional literature for independent, scientific and research work of students

Spirituality and environmental sustainability: Developing community engagement concepts in Perth, Western Australia

This research trials three concepts: The Connectivity Matrix; Five Dimensions; and Combined View. These engage communities of diverse backgrounds in conversation about their corporeal and metaphysical relationship with nature and spirituality: to ascertain the link between these phenomena in decision-making; and to analyse the influence of these experiences on the biophysical world. The findings identify three spiritual modalities and their impacts on the dichotomy of self-interest and selflessness, which in turn affect environmental sustainability

Query Answering in Probabilistic Data and Knowledge Bases

Probabilistic data and knowledge bases are becoming increasingly important in academia and industry. They are continuously extended with new data, powered by modern information extraction tools that associate probabilities with knowledge base facts. The state of the art to store and process such data is founded on probabilistic database systems, which are widely and successfully employed. Beyond all the success stories, however, such systems still lack the fundamental machinery to convey some of the valuable knowledge hidden in them to the end user, which limits their potential applications in practice. In particular, in their classical form, such systems are typically based on strong, unrealistic limitations, such as the closed-world assumption, the closed-domain assumption, the tuple-independence assumption, and the lack of commonsense knowledge. These limitations do not only lead to unwanted consequences, but also put such systems on weak footing in important tasks, querying answering being a very central one. In this thesis, we enhance probabilistic data and knowledge bases with more realistic data models, thereby allowing for better means for querying them. Building on the long endeavor of unifying logic and probability, we develop different rigorous semantics for probabilistic data and knowledge bases, analyze their computational properties and identify sources of (in)tractability and design practical scalable query answering algorithms whenever possible. To achieve this, the current work brings together some recent paradigms from logics, probabilistic inference, and database theory

Advancing the rights of rural women with disabilities in Zimbabwe: challenges and opportunities for the twenty first century

Text in English with abstracts in English, isiXhosa and isiZuluDisability studies largely ignored or neglected the experiences of rural women with disabilities (WWD) in the Global South. This qualitative study documents the challenges faced by Zimbabwean rural WWD in the enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms. Against the backdrop of various global, regional and national efforts to advance WWD’s rights, the study examines possibilities for change. Utilising a phenomenological design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with women and girls with disabilities (WGWD), and semi-structured interviews with state and non-state actors in disability rights. Augmented by observations and extensive literature and policy reviews, the research findings revealed that the majority of rural WWD are not aware of their legal rights and have limited access to productive resources, information, employment, education and food. Rural WWD face mobility challenges and are largely discriminated against in health institutions and excluded from taking part in socioeconomic and political activities. Girls with disabilities in inclusive schools battle against a myriad of attitudinal, environmental and administrative hurdles that limit their academic and social functioning. The results confirm the feminist disability theory’s view that the functioning of WGWD is heavily determined by wider contextual, social, historic and gendered power relations. The findings support recommendations for an urgent alignment of liberal national disability instruments, policies and practices to international human rights norms. The 2013 Constitution effectuates a human rights approach to disability, yet in practice the exclusion of the disabled, rural, female ‘other’ continues unabated. Transformation in this regard must include a restructuring of financial resourcing of various state institutions for advancing disability rights. Various avenues to ensure for effective disability rights mainstreaming, lobbying, advocacy, awareness raising, and capacitation of rural communities are suggested. At the heart of it all is a change in mind-sets to embrace WWD as equal human beings with rights and dignity.Izifundo zobulwelwe azikhange ziyithathele ngqalelo imeko namava abantu basetyhini abayimilwelwe behlala emaphandleni kumazwe asemaZantsi. Esi sifundo somgangatho sibhala ngemingeni ejongene nabasetyhini abayimilwelwe basemaphandleni eZimbabwe xa befuna ukuxhamla amalungelo nenkululeko eyimfanelo yabo yemveli. Ngokuqwalasela imizamo eliqela yehlabathi jikelele, yezithili neyesizwe ekuphuhliseni amalungelo abasetyhini abayimilwelwe, esi sifundo sivavanya amathuba otshintsho. Ngokusebenzisa uyilo lwezifundo ngokwenzekayo, kwaqokelelwa iinkcukacha zolwazi ngokuqhuba udliwano ndlebe olunzulu namakhosikazi namantomabazana ayimilwelwe, kwaqhutywa nodliwano ndlebe lwemibuzo engenampendulo zithe ngqo (semi structured interviews) nemibutho yoburhulumente nengeyoyoburhulumente esebenza ngamalungelo emilwelwe. Uphando olwalukhatshwa kukuzibonela nokufunda nzulu okubhaliweyo ngemigaqo nkqubo, lwaveza ukuba uninzi lwabasetyhini abayimilwelwe basemaphandleni alwazi nto ngamalungelo alo asemthethweni kwaye alufikeleli ngokwaneleyo kwimithombo eluncedo, ulwazi, imisebenzi, imfundo nokutya. Abasetyhini abayimilwelwe basemaphandleni bajamelene nemingeni yokungakwazi ukuhamba kwaye bayacalucalulwa kakhulu kumaziko ezempilo. Ababandakanywa ekuthatheni inxaxheba kwimisebenzi yezentlalo, uqoqosho nezombuso/upolitiko. Amantombazana ayimilwelwe asezikolweni zikawonkewonke asedabini nemiqobo emininzi yendlela acingelwa ngayo, indawo ewangqongileyo nolawulo, zinto ezo zikuthibazayo ukusebenza kwawo kwezemfundo nasekuhlaleni. Iziphumo zophando ziyangqinelana nengcingane yezifundo zabasetyhini ethi indlela yokwenza izinto yabasetyhini abayimilwelwe ilawulwa ikakhulu lunxulumano lweemeko ezigqubayo, ezentlalo, ezembali nezesini. Iziphumo zophando zixhasa iingcebiso ezithi makukhawuleziswe kwenziwe ungqamano phakathi kwezixhobo, imigaqo nkqubo nemisebenzi yobulwelwe esizweni nezimiselo zamalungelo oluntu kwihlabathi ngokubanzi. UMgaqo Siseko wama-2013 ubeka elubala indlela yokujongana nobulwelwe, kodwa kuyaqhubeka kona ukujongelwa phantsi kwemilwelwe, yabasemaphandleni, yabasetyhini. Inguqu kulo mbandela kufuneka iquke ukuyilwa ngokutsha kwenkxaso mali kumaziko oburhulumente ahlukeneyo ukwenzela ukuba kuqhutyelwe phambili amalungelo emilwelwe. Kucetyiswa ngeendlela ezahlukeneyo zokuqinisekisa amalungelo emilwelwe njengokwenza iinkqubo ezifanelekileyo ezingundoqo, ngokuthethathethana nokuphembelela, ngokwazisa uluntu nokuxhobisa uluntu lwasemaphandleni. Esizikithini sako konke kufuneka utshintsho lwengqondo ukwenzela ukuba bamkelwe abasetyhini abayimilwelwe njengabantu abalingana nabanye benamalungelo nesidima.Izifundo ezimayelana nokukhubazeka zivame ukunganaki noma ukungabi nandaba nokwenzeka kubantu besifazane abakhubazekile (ama-WWD) abahlala emaphandleni emazweni angakathuthuki ngokwanele (aseGlobal South). Lolu cwaningo olubheka kabanzi imininingwane engamaqiniso luqopha izingqinamba ezikhungethe abesifazane baseZimbabwe abakhubazekile abahlala emaphandleni ngenkathi bethokozela amalungelo abo asemqoka kanye nenkululeko yabo. Phezu kwemizamo eyahlukahlukene yezinga lomhlaba, lezifunda nelikazwelonke, yokuthuthukisa amalungelo abesifazane akhubazekile, lolu cwaningo lubheka amathuba akhona oguquko. Kwasetshenziswa uhlobo lokucwaninga olubheka okuthize ngokuhlola imibono yalabo abake baba sesimweni salokho okucwaningwa ngakho, ngokufaka imibuzo abesifazane kanye namantombazane akhubazekile, kanye nalabo abadlala indima kwezamalungelo abantu abakhubazekile abasebenzela umbuso nabangasebenzeli umbuso. Ngokufakazelwa kakhulu ngokubonakele kanye nokuhlaziywa kwemibhalo nenqubomgomo, imiphumela yocwaningo enohlonze iveze ukuthi iningi labesifazane abakhubazekile basemaphandleni abawazi amalungelo abo ezomthetho kanti futhi abafinyeleli ngokuphelele emithonjeni elusizo, kwimininingwane, kwimisebenzi, kwezemfundo kanye nasekudleni. Abesifazane abakhubazekile basemaphandleni babhekana nezingqinamba zokungakwazi ukuhamba kahle kanti futhi bayacwaswa ezikhungweni zezempilo, baphinde banganikwa ithuba lokubamba iqhaza kwezenhlalo-mnotho nezepolitiki. Amantombazane akhubazekile ezikoleni ezamukela zonke izinhlobo zabafundi babhekana nezimo eziningi eziyizingqinamba maqondana nendlela aphathwa ngayo, nesimo sendawo kanye nokwenziwa kwezinto okuba nomkhawulo ekwenzeni kwabo maqondana nezemfundo nezenhlalo. Imiphumela iqinisekisa umbono wenzululwazi elwela abesifazane abakhubazekile wokuthi ukusebenza kwabesifazane abakhubazekile, esikhathini esiningi, kuvame ukuvela ngenxa yengqikithi esabalele yobudlelwano bamandla maqondana nenhlalo, umlando kanye nobulili. Imiphumela yocwaningo yeseka izincomo zokuthi kumele kube khona ukulinganiswa okuphuthumayo kwempahla yokusebenza maqondana nokukhubazeka, izinqubomgomo kanye nezindlela zokusebenza ezingeni likazwelonke kanye nokuvamile ezingeni lomhlaba wonke kokuphathelene namalungelo abantu. UMthethosisekelo wonyaka we-2013 wenza kusebenze indlela yokubheka ukukhubazeka ngeso lamalungelo abantu, kodwa indlela okwenziwa ngayo iqhubeka kakhulu nokubandlulula abesifazane abakhubazekile basemaphandleni. Uguquko, maqondana nalokhu, kumele lufake ukuhlelwa kabusha kosizo lwezimali ezikhungweni ezahlukahlukene zombuso eziqhuba phambili amalungelo aba. Kuhlongozwa izindlela ezahlukahlukene zokuqinisekisa amalungelo abakhubazekile okufaka kukho ukufakwa kwemiphakathi yasemaphandleni ezinhlelweni, ukukhulumisana nayo ukuze ibambe iqhaza, ukuyilwela, ukwenza ukuba iqaphele okwenzekayo kanye nokuyinikeza amandla okwenza. Okuyiyona nto ebaluleke kakhulu, wuguquko ekucabangeni ukuze abesifazane abakhubazekile bathathwe njengabantu abalingana nabanye abanamalungelo nesithunzi.Development StudiesD. Phil. (Development Studies

Intertextual Readings of the Nyāyabhūṣaṇa on Buddhist Anti-Realism

This two-part dissertation has two goals: 1) a close philological reading of a 50-page section of a 10th-century Sanskrit philosophical work (Bhāsarvajña's Nyāyabhūṣaṇa), and 2) the creation and assessment of a novel intertextuality research system (Vātāyana) centered on the same work. The first half of the dissertation encompasses the philology project in four chapters: 1) background on the author, work, and key philosophical ideas in the passage; 2) descriptions of all known manuscript witnesses of this work and a new critical edition that substantially improves upon the editio princeps; 3) a word-for-word English translation richly annotated with both traditional explanatory material and novel digital links to not one but two interactive online research systems; and 4) a discussion of the Sanskrit author's dialectical strategy in the studied passage. The second half of the dissertation details the intertextuality research system in a further four chapters: 5) why it is needed and what can be learned from existing projects; 6) the creation of the system consisting of curated textual corpus, composite algorithm in natural language processing and information retrieval, and live web-app interface; 7) an evaluation of system performance measured against a small gold-standard dataset derived from traditional philological research; and 8) a discussion of the impact such new technology could have on humanistic research more broadly. System performance was assessed to be quite good, with a 'recall@5' of 80%, meaning that most previously known cases of mid-length quotation and even paraphrase could be automatically found and returned within the system's top five hits. Moreover, the system was also found to return a 34% surplus of additional significant parallels not found in the small benchmark. This assessment confirms that Vātāyana can be useful to researchers by aiding them in their collection and organization of intertextual observations, leaving them more time to focus on interpretation. Seventeen appendices illustrate both these efforts and a number of side projects, the latter of which span translation alignment, network visualization of an important database of South Asian prosopography (PANDiT), and a multi-functional Sanskrit text-processing web application (Skrutable).:Preface (i) Table of Contents (ii) Abbreviations (v) Terms and Symbols (v) Nyāyabhūṣaṇa Witnesses (v) Main Sanskrit Editions (vi) Introduction (vii) A Multi-Disciplinary Project in Intertextual Reading (vii) Main Object of Study: Nyāyabhūṣaṇa 104–154 (vii) Project Outline (ix) Part I: Close Reading (1) 1 Background (1) 1.1 Bhāsarvajña (1) 1.2 The Nyāyabhūṣaṇa (6) 1.2.1 Ts One of Several Commentaries on Bhāsarvajña's Nyāyasāra (6) 1.2.2 In Modern Scholarship, with Focus on NBhū 104–154 (8) 1.3 Philosophical Context (11) 1.3.1 Key Philosophical Concepts (12) 1.3.2 Intra-Textual Context within the Nyāyabhūṣaṇa (34) 1.3.3 Inter-Textual Context (36) 2 Edition of NBhū 104–154 (39) 2.1 Source Materials (39) 2.1.1 Edition of Yogīndrānanda 1968 (E) (40) 2.1.2 Manuscripts (P1, P2, V) (43) 2.1.3 Diplomatic Transcripts (59) 2.2 Notes on Using the Edition (60) 2.3 Critical Edition of NBhū 104–154 with Apparatuses (62) 3 Translation of NBhū 104–154 (108) 3.1 Notes on Translation Method (108) 3.2 Notes on Outline Headings (112) 3.3 Annotated Translation of NBhū 104–154 (114) 4 Discussion (216) 4.1 Internal Structure of NBhū 104–154 (216) 4.2 Critical Assessment of Bhāsarvajña's Argumentation (218)   Part II: Distant Reading with Digital Humanities (224) 5 Background in Intertextuality Detection (224) 5.1 Sanskrit Projects (225) 5.2 Non-Sanskrit Projects (228) 5.3 Operationalizing Intertextuality (233) 6 Building an Intertextuality Machine (239) 6.1 Corpus (Pramāṇa NLP) (239) 6.2 Algorithm (Vātāyana) (242) 6.3 User Interface (Vātāyana) (246) 7 Evaluating System Performance (255) 7.1 Previous Scholarship on NBhū 104–154 as Philological Benchmark (255) 7.2 System Performance Relative to Benchmark (257) 8 Discussion (262) Conclusion (266) Works Cited (269) Main Sanskrit Editions (269) Works Cited in Part I (271) Works Cited in Part II (281) Appendices (285) Appendix 1: Correspondence of Joshi 1986 to Yogīndrānanda 1968 (286) Appendix 1D: Full-Text Alignment of Joshi 1986 to Yogīndrānanda 1968 (287) Appendix 2: Prosopographical Relations Important for NBhū 104–154 (288) Appendix 2D: Command-Line Tool “Pandit Grapher” (290) Appendix 3: Previous Suggestions to Improve Text of NBhū 104–154 (291) Appendix 4D: Transcript and Collation Data for NBhū 104–154 (304) Appendix 5D: Command-Line Tool “cte2cex” for Transcript Data Conversion (305) Appendix 6D: Deployment of Brucheion for Interactive Transcript Data (306) Appendix 7: Highlighted Improvements to Text of NBhū 104–154 (307) Appendix 7D: Alternate Version of Edition With Highlighted Improvements (316) Appendix 8D: Digital Forms of Translation of NBhū 104–154 (317) Appendix 9: Analytic Outline of NBhū 104–154 by Shodo Yamakami (318) Appendix 10.1: New Analytic Outline of NBhū 104–154 (Overall) (324) Appendix 10.2: New Analytic Outline of NBhū 104–154 (Detailed) (325) Appendix 11D: Skrutable Text Processing Library and Web Application (328) Appendix 12D: Pramāṇa NLP Corpus, Metadata, and LDA Modeling Info (329) Appendix 13D: Vātāyana Intertextuality Research Web Application (330) Appendix 14: Sample of Yamakami Citation Benchmark for NBhū 104–154 (331) Appendix 14D: Full Yamakami Citation Benchmark for NBhū 104–154 (333) Appendix 15: Vātāyana Recall@5 Scores for NBhū 104–154 (334) Appendix 16: PVA, PVin, and PVSV Vātāyana Search Hits for Entire NBhū (338) Appendix 17: Sample Listing of Vātāyana Search Hits for Entire NBhū (349) Appendix 17D: Full Listing of Vātāyana Search Hits for Entire NBhū (355) Overview of Digital Appendices (356) Zusammenfassung (Thesen Zur Dissertation) (357) Summary of Results (361