Blockchain-Based Digitalization of Logistics Processes—Innovation, Applications, Best Practices

Blockchain technology is becoming one of the most powerful future technologies in supporting logistics processes and applications. It has the potential to destroy and reorganize traditional logistics structures. Both researchers and practitioners all over the world continuously report on novel blockchain-based projects, possibilities, and innovative solutions with better logistic service levels and lower costs. The idea of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the status quo in research and possibilities to effectively implement blockchain-based solutions in business practice. This Special Issue reprint contained well-prepared research reports regarding recent advances in blockchain technology around logistics processes to provide insights into realized maturity

Graphs behind data: A network-based approach to model different scenarios

openAl giorno d’oggi, i contesti che possono beneficiare di tecniche di estrazione della conoscenza a partire dai dati grezzi sono aumentati drasticamente. Di conseguenza, la definizione di modelli capaci di rappresentare e gestire dati altamente eterogenei è un argomento di ricerca molto dibattuto in letteratura. In questa tesi, proponiamo una soluzione per affrontare tale problema. In particolare, riteniamo che la teoria dei grafi, e più nello specifico le reti complesse, insieme ai suoi concetti ed approcci, possano rappresentare una valida soluzione. Infatti, noi crediamo che le reti complesse possano costituire un modello unico ed unificante per rappresentare e gestire dati altamente eterogenei. Sulla base di questa premessa, mostriamo come gli stessi concetti ed approcci abbiano la potenzialità di affrontare con successo molti problemi aperti in diversi contesti. ​Nowadays, the amount and variety of scenarios that can benefit from techniques for extracting and managing knowledge from raw data have dramatically increased. As a result, the search for models capable of ensuring the representation and management of highly heterogeneous data is a hot topic in the data science literature. In this thesis, we aim to propose a solution to address this issue. In particular, we believe that graphs, and more specifically complex networks, as well as the concepts and approaches associated with them, can represent a solution to the problem mentioned above. In fact, we believe that they can be a unique and unifying model to uniformly represent and handle extremely heterogeneous data. Based on this premise, we show how the same concepts and/or approach has the potential to address different open issues in different contexts. ​INGEGNERIA DELL'INFORMAZIONEopenVirgili, Luc

Theories of Informetrics and Scholarly Communication

Scientometrics have become an essential element in the practice and evaluation of science and research, including both the evaluation of individuals and national assessment exercises. Yet, researchers and practitioners in this field have lacked clear theories to guide their work. As early as 1981, then doctoral student Blaise Cronin published "The need for a theory of citing" —a call to arms for the fledgling scientometric community to produce foundational theories upon which the work of the field could be based. More than three decades later, the time has come to reach out the field again and ask how they have responded to this call. This book compiles the foundational theories that guide informetrics and scholarly communication research. It is a much needed compilation by leading scholars in the field that gathers together the theories that guide our understanding of authorship, citing, and impact

Theories of Informetrics and Scholarly Communication

Scientometrics have become an essential element in the practice and evaluation of science and research, including both the evaluation of individuals and national assessment exercises. Yet, researchers and practitioners in this field have lacked clear theories to guide their work. As early as 1981, then doctoral student Blaise Cronin published The need for a theory of citing - a call to arms for the fledgling scientometric community to produce foundational theories upon which the work of the field could be based. More than three decades later, the time has come to reach out the field again and ask how they have responded to this call. This book compiles the foundational theories that guide informetrics and scholarly communication research. It is a much needed compilation by leading scholars in the field that gathers together the theories that guide our understanding of authorship, citing, and impact

UNPREDICTABLE MEMES: Speculative Futures of meme creators' ownership through the Lens of Disruptive Technologies

Unpredictable Memes explores the impact of technological change on the creation and propagation of memes in contemporary digital culture and envisions a possible future for the meme creator’s ownership. In this thesis, I begin with a historical and economic review to delve into technological movements and trends on social media in the attention economy, highlighting how Artificial Intelligence(AI) algorithms and Blockchain technologies disrupt the monetization of memes in ways that affect the ownership. Considering the legal and ethical segments of the potential future of meme monetization, the review of copyright and ownership of human and AI-created memes. I employ Economic Constructivism and Participatory Speculation as methodologies to collaboratively imagine both optimistic and dark future scenarios with experts from different fields related to memes, to create an interactive documentary that depicts the evolution of meme creators and the proposed vision of their future. Through this study, I speculate that in the future, AI algorithms will present new opportunities to catalyze human creativity for meme creators and to think of what creators should do to avoid homogenization of creativity, while Blockchain technologies will open up possibilities for emerging communities where meme creators can reshape ownership and scarcity in valuing creativity

(Self-)Documentation of Thai Communities: Does the Western 'Community Archive' Movement Provide a Model?

Community archives, a phenomenon that developed out of the 1960s – 1970s civil rights and social justice movements, came to the attention of Western archival academia in the 1990s. Discussion of the phenomenon focused on relationships between the mainstream archives and the community practitioners and a range of subjects in archival studies. Despite the growth of the community archives movement in the context of post-colonial countries in the West, literature suggests that this particular concept has not been hitherto recognised by communities in Thailand. Therefore, this thesis seeks to examine this concept via the Western literature as the basis for further investigation of the community-based heritage activities of the four case studies in the North-eastern (Isan) communities in order to examine the commonalities and differences between the findings from the Western literature and the field research, to identify whether the theoretical and practical models of Western community archives are helpful and applicable to the Thai community heritage activities. The research used qualitative methodologies with a case study approach, including semi-structured interviews, observation, and photographic recording to gain data from the field research. Eighteen interviewees were recruited based on their relevant roles in the communities, including religious and spiritual leaders, members of communities that led or participated in heritage activities, an individual collector, and organisation founders, as well as visitors to the repositories and the audience at community public events. Discussion of research findings is divided into the three main themes that emerged from the field data: motivation, provenance and sustainability. The main conclusions drawn from this research are that, first, the Thai communities focus on saving their heritage from devaluation and neglect rather than trying to fill a perceived gap in mainstream collections, a motivation often found in the relationship between mainstream and community archives suggested by the Western literature. Second, members of communities relied heavily on their leaders and the study revealed the risk to the community archives of over-dependency on individuals; and, despite the evidence that community members had positive views on volunteering, the cooperation from volunteers was primarily driven by the dedication and commitment of the leaders. Third, tangible and intangible heritage in Thai community archives are intertwined and both form important elements in community memory and identity, which the community sees as valuable to preserve and pass on to future generations. Fourth, community archives that are accepted by the Thai community as being a good representation of their heritage tend to be established in community spaces, with the exception of a formal organisation where the space is separated from the communities being represented which, as a consequence, became rather disadvantageous for the organisation. Fifth, ethnic provenance plays a significant part in heritage documentation in Thai communities, especially in the Isan region, where there is a diversity of ethnicity and the majority share similar cultures across the borders with neighbouring countries. Lastly, community archiving practices in Thailand are shown to be affected by their cultural context. This research argues that there are sufficient commonalities between the Western literature and the research findings for each to inform the other. At the same time, the findings from the four case studies have offered some alternative perspectives which can further develop mainstream (and Western) professionals’ understanding of the range, variety and meaning of archival practices in a community context. It is possible to understand the Thai case studies as ‘community archives’ but care should be taken not to assume that they share all the same features as Western examples of the genre. Moreover, particular resonances in literature dealing with less ‘Westernised’ examples have been suggested by Western scholarship; nevertheless, it should be re-emphasised that care should be taken not to create an artificial binary of ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ community archives. Keywords: community archives, community-based archives, independent archives, Thai heritage activities, Thai community learning centr

Dictionary of privacy, data protection and information security

The Dictionary of Privacy, Data Protection and Information Security explains the complex technical terms, legal concepts, privacy management techniques, conceptual matters and vocabulary that inform public debate about privacy. The revolutionary and pervasive influence of digital technology affects numerous disciplines and sectors of society, and concerns about its potential threats to privacy are growing. With over a thousand terms meticulously set out, described and cross-referenced, this Dictionary enables productive discussion by covering the full range of fields accessibly and comprehensively. In the ever-evolving debate surrounding privacy, this Dictionary takes a longer view, transcending the details of today''s problems, technology, and the law to examine the wider principles that underlie privacy discourse. Interdisciplinary in scope, this Dictionary is invaluable to students, scholars and researchers in law, technology and computing, cybersecurity, sociology, public policy and administration, and regulation. It is also a vital reference for diverse practitioners including data scientists, lawyers, policymakers and regulators

The Trials, Tribulations, and Celebrations of Younger LGB Couples in Long-term Relationships

This thesis explores the long-term relationship experiences of younger LGB couples. It builds upon existing knowledge and understandings of LGB couple relationships and the lives of younger adults. The study utilised multiple qualitative methods informed by social science research on intimate relationships whilst appraising the biographical, socio-cultural, and temporal contexts within which LGB couple relationship experiences are situated. The research highlights the importance of attending to how couples ‘do’ their relationships as well as the ‘practices’ which sustain them. Findings emphasise the interconnected dimensions of time, space, and intimacy as resources for sustaining couple relationships, with analysis underlining the role of the ‘relational present’ as a lens for understanding everyday relationship experiences. It provides insight into how couples negotiate their everyday lives through relationship work, to facilitate connection, and to maintain and cultivate personal autonomy alongside their couple identity. The temporal horizons of the past and the future inform relationship experiences in different ways, increasing understanding of relating behaviours and signifying a commitment to a shared future. Such futures included marriage/civil partnership, children, and buying homes. Experiences were embedded in the context of participant biography, the wider relationships and communities of the couple, and the current zeitgeist of increased acceptance and civil rights for LGB individuals in the UK. The thesis concludes by discussing the findings in terms of age, reciprocity, relationship resources, and gender

Theories of Informetrics and Scholarly Communication

Scientometrics have become an essential element in the practice and evaluation of science and research, including both the evaluation of individuals and national assessment exercises. Yet, researchers and practitioners in this field have lacked clear theories to guide their work. As early as 1981, then doctoral student Blaise Cronin published "The need for a theory of citing" —a call to arms for the fledgling scientometric community to produce foundational theories upon which the work of the field could be based. More than three decades later, the time has come to reach out the field again and ask how they have responded to this call. This book compiles the foundational theories that guide informetrics and scholarly communication research. It is a much needed compilation by leading scholars in the field that gathers together the theories that guide our understanding of authorship, citing, and impact

Building information modeling – A game changer for interoperability and a chance for digital preservation of architectural data?

Digital data associated with the architectural design-andconstruction process is an essential resource alongside -and even past- the lifecycle of the construction object it describes. Despite this, digital architectural data remains to be largely neglected in digital preservation research – and vice versa, digital preservation is so far neglected in the design-and-construction process. In the last 5 years, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has seen a growing adoption in the architecture and construction domains, marking a large step towards much needed interoperability. The open standard IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is one way in which data is exchanged in BIM processes. This paper presents a first digital preservation based look at BIM processes, highlighting the history and adoption of the methods as well as the open file format standard IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) as one way to store and preserve BIM data