Middleware Technologies for Cloud of Things - a survey

The next wave of communication and applications rely on the new services provided by Internet of Things which is becoming an important aspect in human and machines future. The IoT services are a key solution for providing smart environments in homes, buildings and cities. In the era of a massive number of connected things and objects with a high grow rate, several challenges have been raised such as management, aggregation and storage for big produced data. In order to tackle some of these issues, cloud computing emerged to IoT as Cloud of Things (CoT) which provides virtually unlimited cloud services to enhance the large scale IoT platforms. There are several factors to be considered in design and implementation of a CoT platform. One of the most important and challenging problems is the heterogeneity of different objects. This problem can be addressed by deploying suitable "Middleware". Middleware sits between things and applications that make a reliable platform for communication among things with different interfaces, operating systems, and architectures. The main aim of this paper is to study the middleware technologies for CoT. Toward this end, we first present the main features and characteristics of middlewares. Next we study different architecture styles and service domains. Then we presents several middlewares that are suitable for CoT based platforms and lastly a list of current challenges and issues in design of CoT based middlewares is discussed.Comment: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352864817301268, Digital Communications and Networks, Elsevier (2017

Middleware Technologies for Cloud of Things - a survey

The next wave of communication and applications rely on the new services provided by Internet of Things which is becoming an important aspect in human and machines future. The IoT services are a key solution for providing smart environments in homes, buildings and cities. In the era of a massive number of connected things and objects with a high grow rate, several challenges have been raised such as management, aggregation and storage for big produced data. In order to tackle some of these issues, cloud computing emerged to IoT as Cloud of Things (CoT) which provides virtually unlimited cloud services to enhance the large scale IoT platforms. There are several factors to be considered in design and implementation of a CoT platform. One of the most important and challenging problems is the heterogeneity of different objects. This problem can be addressed by deploying suitable "Middleware". Middleware sits between things and applications that make a reliable platform for communication among things with different interfaces, operating systems, and architectures. The main aim of this paper is to study the middleware technologies for CoT. Toward this end, we first present the main features and characteristics of middlewares. Next we study different architecture styles and service domains. Then we presents several middlewares that are suitable for CoT based platforms and lastly a list of current challenges and issues in design of CoT based middlewares is discussed.Comment: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352864817301268, Digital Communications and Networks, Elsevier (2017

Toward a Better Future for this Generation and the Next...

The Oak Foundation commissioned Promundo-US to review and assess Oak's overall strategy in relation to its goal of engaging men and boys in the elimination of sexual abuse of children and comment more specifically on possible priorities and directions for work with respect to its objective that: Men and boys will have greater opportunities to engage positively in children's lives and to protect them from sexual abuse This report is the result of this assessment. The report is based on an extensive desk review of published research and program and policy evaluations, as well as the 'grey' literature on work with men and boys on child sexual abuse and other forms of intimate violence in the lives of children. Out of this review, a total of 35 key informants across a range of targeted sectors both internationally and within Oak's priority regions were identified and interviewed in person or over the phone, using a semi-structured interview tool. These key informant phone interviews gathered detailed information on both experiences and lessons from current thinking, policy and practice as well as on opportunities and priorities for future grant-making

Exploring the Ways Arts and Culture Intersect with Public Safety: Identifying Current Practice and Opportunities for Further Inquiry

This report describes the range of activities at the intersection of public safety and arts and culture, outlines a theory of change, and provides recommendations for further consideration. Through interviews with experts in the field, this research found that art in the public safety sector promotes empathy and understanding, influences law and policy, provides career opportunities, supports well-being, and advances the quality of place

Black Girls Clap Back: Intersectionality, Black Girlhood, and Inequity in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

The diverse lives of Black girls within North America are deeply rooted in various histories of marginalization. They continue to face forms of oppression as a result of their intersectional identities, which produces consequences for their lived experiences. Literature focused on the lives of Black girls in the United States highlights and demonstrates the consistent resilience of Black girls as they struggle to resist the impacts of racism, sexism, and other barriers in their lives. Less available in scholarship, however, is data outlining and describing the circumstances that impact the social and educational realities of Black girls within a Canadian context. This qualitative study focuses on the school and social experiences of fourteen Black teenage girls living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Through the analysis of narratives collected from focus groups and interviews, the study draws connections between medias controlling images and the situations the study participants encounter at school. Using theories that centre Black girlhood, intersectionality, and Black feminist pedagogy, this research examines the thoughts and opinions of the participants as they illustrate the impact of academic streaming, differing academic expectations for Black girls, teacher microaggressions, and media stereotypes, on their experiences in school. In addition, using analyses of representation, this study assists in explaining how normalized readings of historical and contemporary representations of Black female identity construct meaning for Black girls. The goal of this study is to highlight the voices of Black girls as they speak on their own experiences and to illuminate the need for practices such as safer spaces and pedagogical approaches focused on purposeful inclusion to support the development and well-being of Black girls in the GTA

Let’s Build Together: Expanding Comprehensive Sex Education in the United States

This paper seeks to critique the current state of sex education in the United States by examining the history of funding and the perceived effectiveness of some programs. In the past the American government has overwhelmingly supported abstinence-only methods of sex education through several federal funding streams. Yet there is little evidence to show that abstinence-only programs even work, thus there has been efforts to shift support to comprehensive sex education programs. This paper analyzes the results of several studies, which compare and evaluate the effectiveness of different types of sexuality education programs. Although these studies provide measurable evidence in support of comprehensive programs, our findings recognize that many of these programs are heteronormative and not inclusive of marginalized bodies and identities. Despite these critiques we offer up the Masakhane Center as an example of a program, which embodies a comprehensive, intersectional, LGBTQIA+ inclusive, non-hertonormative form of sexuality education

Trauma Informed Community Building Evaluation: A Formative Evaluation of the TICB Model and its Implementation in Potrero Hill

This formative evaluation of the TICB model and its implementation in the PTA public housing community was conducted between September 2014 and July 2015 by an evaluation team from the HOPE SF Learning Center. This evaluation was designed to support the further development of the TICB model as well as inform efforts to implement the model in Potrero Terrace and Annex and other communities. This evaluation seeks to examine the implementation and impact of the TICB model at PTA in order to: * Understand the impact of ongoing TICB-informed programming through analysis of outputs and outcomes prioritized by stakeholder partners [see Appendix A]. * Identify facilitators and barriers to implementation of the TICB model in community-building work within PTA and the surrounding Potrero Hill neighborhood. * Inform BRIDGE Housing's work to improve programming, and guide future program priorities and structures. * Generate information to better understand the impact of the financial investment in helping to build community with and between public housing residents and residents of the surrounding neighborhood. * Assess implications for replicability/reproducibility at other public housing communities, including the additional HOPE SF sites, and beyond