Recent Advances in Social Data and Artificial Intelligence 2019

The importance and usefulness of subjects and topics involving social data and artificial intelligence are becoming widely recognized. This book contains invited review, expository, and original research articles dealing with, and presenting state-of-the-art accounts pf, the recent advances in the subjects of social data and artificial intelligence, and potentially their links to Cyberspace

Galois : a system for parallel execution of irregular algorithms

textA programming model which allows users to program with high productivity and which produces high performance executions has been a goal for decades. This dissertation makes progress towards this elusive goal by describing the design and implementation of the Galois system, a parallel programming model for shared-memory, multicore machines. Central to the design is the idea that scheduling of a program can be decoupled from the core computational operator and data structures. However, efficient programs often require application-specific scheduling to achieve best performance. To bridge this gap, an extensible and abstract scheduling policy language is proposed, which allows programmers to focus on selecting high-level scheduling policies while delegating the tedious task of implementing the policy to a scheduler synthesizer and runtime system. Implementations of deterministic and prioritized scheduling also are described. An evaluation of a well-studied benchmark suite reveals that factoring programs into operators, schedulers and data structures can produce significant performance improvements over unfactored approaches. Comparison of the Galois system with existing programming models for graph analytics shows significant performance improvements, often orders of magnitude more, due to (1) better support for the restrictive programming models of existing systems and (2) better support for more sophisticated algorithms and scheduling, which cannot be expressed in other systems.Computer Science

Evaluating the Dynamics of Knowledge-Based Network Through Simulation: The Case of Canadian Nanotechnology Industry

Collaboration is a major factor in the knowledge and innovation creation in emerging science-driven industries, where the technology is rapidly changing and constantly evolving, such as nanotechnology. The scientific collaborations among individuals and organizations form knowledge co-creation network within which information is shared, innovative ideas are exchanged and new knowledge is generated. Although various simulation attempts have been carried out recently to analyze the performance of such networks at the firm level, the individual level has not been much explored in the literature yet. The objective of this thesis is to investigate the role of individual scientists and their collaborations in enhancing the knowledge flows, and consequently the scientific production within the Canadian nanotechnology scientists. The methodology involves two main phases. First, in order to understand the collaborative behavior of scientists in the real world, the data on all the nanotechnology journal publications in Canada was extracted from the SCOPUS database and the scientists' research performance and partnership history was analyzed using social network analysis. Moreover, the predominant properties that make a scientist sufficiently attractive to be selected as a research partner were determined using data mining and through a questionnaire sent directly to the researchers selected from our database. In the second phase, an agent-based model using Netlogo has been developed to simulate the knowledge-based network where several factors regarding the ratio, existence and absence of various categories of scientists could be controlled. It was found that scientists in centralized positions in such network have a considerable positive impact on the knowledge flows, while loyalty and cliquishness negatively affected the knowledge transmission. Star scientists appear to play a substitutive role in the network as most famous and trustable partners to be selected when usual collaborators are scarce or missing. Besides, the changes in the performance of some categories in case of the absence of others have been also observed. The major contribution of this work stems from the fact that the developed simulation model is the first one, which is fully based on the real data and on the observed behavior of the scientists in knowledge-based network

Profiling IoT botnet activity

Undoubtedly, Internet of Things (IoT) devices have evolved into a necessity within our modern lifestyles. Nonetheless, IoT devices have proved to pose significant security risks due to their vulnerabilities and susceptibility to malware. Evidently, vulnerable IoT devices are enlisted by attackers to participate into Internet-wide botnets in order to instrument large-scale cyber-attacks and disrupt critical Internet services. Tracking these botnets is challenging due to their varying structural characteristics, and also due to the fact that malicious actors continuously adopt new evasion and propagation strategies. This thesis develops BotPro framework, a novel data-driven approach for profiling IoT botnet behaviour. BotPro provides a comprehensive approach for capturing and highlighting the behavioural properties of IoT botnets with respect to their structural and propagation properties across the global Internet. We implement the proposed framework using real-world data obtained from the measurement infrastructure that was designed in this thesis. Our measurement infrastructure gathers data from various sources, including globally distributed honeypots, regional Internet registries, global IP blacklists and routing topology. This diverse dataset forms a strong foundation for profiling IoT botnet activity, ensuring that our analysis accurately reflects behavioural patterns of botnets in real-world scenarios. BotPto encompasses diverse methods to profile IoT botnets, including information theory, statistical analysis, natural language processing, machine learning and graph theory. The framework’s results provide insights related to the structural properties as well as the evolving scanning and propagation strategies of IoT botnets. It also provides evidence on concentrated botnet activities and determines the effectiveness of widely used IP blacklists on capturing their evolving behaviour. In addition, the insights reveal the strategy adopted by IoT botnets in expanding their network and increasing their level of resilience. The results provide a compilation of the most important autonomous system(AS) attributes that frequently embrace IoT botnet activity as well as provide a novel macroscopic view on the influence of AS-level relationships with respect to IoT botnet propagation. Furthermore, It provides insights into the structural properties of botnet loaders with respect to the distribution of malware binaries of various strains. The insights generated by BotPro are essential to equip next generation automated cyber threat intelligence, intrusion detection systems and anomaly detection mechanisms with enriched information regarding evolving scanning, establishment and propagation strategies of new botnet variants. Industry will be equipped with even more improved ways to defend against emerging threats in the domains of cyber warfare, cyber tourism and cybercrime. The BotPro framework provides a comprehensive platform for stakeholders, including cybersecurity researchers, security analysts and network administrators to gain deep and meaningful insights into the sophisticated activities and behaviour exhibited by IoT botnets

A Study of Problems Modelled as Network Equilibrium Flows

This thesis presents an investigation into selfish routing games from three main perspectives. These three areas are tied together by a common thread that runs through the main text of this thesis, namely selfish routing games and network equilibrium flows. First, it investigates methods and models for nonatomic selfish routing and then develops algorithms for solving atomic selfish routing games. A number of algorithms are introduced for the atomic selfish routing problem, including dynamic programming for a parallel network and a metaheuristic tabu search. A piece-wise mixed-integer linear programming problem is also presented which allows standard solvers to solve the atomic selfish routing problem. The connection between the atomic selfish routing problem, mixed-integer linear programming and the multicommodity flow problem is explored when constrained by unsplittable flows or flows that are restricted to a number of paths. Additionally, some novel probabilistic online learning algorithms are presented and compared with the equilibrium solution given by the potential function of the nonatomic selfish routing game. Second, it considers multi-criteria extensions of selfish routing and the inefficiency of the equilibrium solutions when compared with social cost. Models are presented that allow exploration of the Pareto set of solutions for a weighted sum model (akin to the social cost) and the equilibrium solution. A means by which these solutions can be measured based on the Price of Anarchy for selfish routing games is also presented. Third, it considers the importance and criticality of components of the network (edges, vertices or a collection of both) within a selfish routing game and the impact of their removal. Existing network science measures and demand-based measures are analysed to assess the change in total travel time and issues highlighted. A new measure which solves these issues is presented and the need for such a measure is evaluated. Most of the new findings have been disseminated through conference talks and journal articles, while others represent the subject of papers currently in preparation

Trends in Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure

The recently established Sustainable Development Goals call for a paradigm shift in the way that buildings and infrastructures are conceived. The construction industry is a major source of environmental impacts, given its great material consumption and energy demands. It is also a major contributor to the economic growth of regions, through the provision of useful infrastructure and generation of employment, among other factors. Conventional approaches underlying current building design practices fall short of covering the relevant environmental and social implications derived from inappropriate design, construction, and planning. The development of adequate sustainable design strategies is therefore becoming extremely relevant regarding the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Goals for Sustainable Development. This book comprises 11 chapters that highlight the actual research trends in the construction sector, aiming to increase the knowledge on sustainable design practices by highlighting the actual practices that explore efficient ways to reduce the environmental consequences related to the construction industry, while promoting social wellbeing and economic development. The chapters collect papers included in the Special Issue “Trends in Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure” of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Ecosystem services and the blue economy: navigating power and values

Reconciling competing interests is a key challenge for environmental governance, especially in marine ecosystems, which are facing a combination of environmental pressures and high levels of human dependence. At the same time, there is increasing interest in oceans as a source of economic growth. Marine ecosystems are often characterised by legal plurality, which adds another challenge for effective governance. Marine ecosystems governance is therefore complex, and it has been proposed that interactive governance that aligns the values and principles of different governance actors is needed to address multiple interlinked, but sometimes also competing, goals and interests. Contemporary governance approaches increasingly emphasise the interlinked interests of humans and nature, as demonstrated the concept of ecosystem services and the recently emerged blue economy. Ecosystem services are defined as “the benefits people obtain from ecosystems” (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 p. v). The blue economy has various definitions, that commonly emphasise “improvement of human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities” (The Commonwealth 2020 p. 1) Ecosystem services and the blue economy are thought to together offer potential for the alignment of different interests through their emphasis on multiple and interlinked goals for environmental governance. Whilst the blue economy informs wider policy discourse, ecosystem services can be seen as the materialisation of this discourse through capturing preferences and values on the ground. However, aiming for the simultaneous optimisation of different dimensions does not guarantee alignment of values, worldviews and images within or among elements of governance, and across scale. The question remains whether these increasingly dominant approaches to marine environmental governance succeed in demonstrating the importance of biodiversity whilst integrating diverse social, economic, and environmental interests. The ecosystem services concept tends to be directed at the system to be governed (e.g. ecosystems and resource users), whereas the blue economy concept is directed at the governing system (i.e. national governments and decision makers), and although they are related, it is not clear to what extent they are capable of connecting these different scales. In this thesis, I set out to develop a better understanding of the extent to which the evolving landscape of marine environmental governance contributes to aligning the values, worldviews and images of the governing system with those of the system-to-be-governed. To achieve this, I examine the blue economy and ecosystem services using different methods, from different angles, and at different scales. Thus, my aim is to assess the ability of both concepts to engage with a variety of actors in principle (in research and policy discourse), and the shape they take in practice, where they impact resource users. Successes would suggest interaction and negotiation among actors is possible such that the long-term underlying values, which shape governance, can inform and are informed by the short-term preferences, that are time-bound, and shape management on the ground. Specifically, in my thesis I ask whether an ecosystem service approach, which is focused on preferences, adequately captures the full range of peoples’ diverse and plural values, and whether the blue economy is reflective of these values on the ground. Therefore, the contribution of this thesis is the exploration of how values, worldviews and images interact to shape governance at local, national, and international scales. I use bibliometric and network analysis to assess interdisciplinarity in ecosystem services research. My approach focuses on evaluating the extent to which an article’s citations draw on knowledge from across disciplinary boundaries. I find that research on ecosystem services continues to grow exponentially, and that there is an increasing number of disciplines involved. This increase is also reflected in the growing number of social science disciplines that publish on ecosystem services. However, the proportion of social science involvement has remained stable over the years, and ecology-based knowledge, and therefore worldviews, remain the most influential in the field. Interestingly, economics, often highlighted as having a disproportionate influence in ecosystem services, appears marginal in the field’s development and network. Nevertheless, the growth of social science involvement in ecosystem services research points at potential for the inclusion of heterogeneous knowledge and plural worldviews. This could help the concept to return to its goal of connecting ecological functioning with human well-being, thereby raising support for conservation. Next, I apply the ecosystem services concept in a resource user-setting, eliciting preferences for specific ecosystem services through a ranking exercise and exploring the link with underlying values. I find that preferences are associated with underlying values that overall are considered unimportant, and that directly asking people to explain their preferences gives better insight into the reasons why they ranked the services the way they do. In addition, the reasons that people give were more aligned with the general values structure of Seychelles, which prioritises self-transcendence values over self-enhancement. I identify a need for the explicit deliberation of values in environmental governance, in order to align the realities of the system that is being governed with the institutions of the governing system, but also with their underlying values, worldviews, images and principles. Following this, I apply Q-methodology and interviews with people in roles of formal decision-making in environmental governance to explore images of the blue economy as expressed in perspectives on the concept in Seychelles. I find three perspectives on the blue economy in Seychelles: supportive in principle, critical in practice; pragmatic and accepting; and idealistic. These perspectives reflect some of the international critique on the concept, for instance doubts around the reconciliation of environmental and economic interests. However, I find that much of international discourse was not reflected in the perspectives in Seychelles, and very limited attention for the social dimension of the blue economy. Social concerns were only expressed by one of the actors, who was found to be of very low influence in the network of actors involved in the blue economy. Finally, building on interviews and observations from the wider governance landscape, I consider power relations within Seychelles as a part of the increasingly dominant blue economy narrative internationally. I find that internationally, the blue economy is maintained as influential through persuasion and the creation of a ‘common sense’, presenting the possibility of triple wins through rational management. On the ground, despite the sense that there are critical voices as Seychelles is shaping the blue economy, outward discussion is stifled by depoliticised decision-making processes, leading to simmering discontent that is only expressed in private. The internationally hegemonic status of the blue economy concept persists locally. Throughout my thesis, themes of values, power, depoliticization and dissent emerge as critical issues in the alignment of different governance actors. Ecosystem services take place within the system-to-be-governed, whereas the blue economy is a powerful discourse in the governing system. Therefore, both approaches present the possibility of complementing each other to facilitate alignment between the system that is being governed and the governing system and mediate their interactions. However, this alignment is inhibited by a lack of deliberation on values, worldviews and images that underpin governance, and are therefore essential to discuss. This lack of deliberation is facilitated by power dynamics and depoliticization. Power is mediated by the boundary object status of both ecosystem services and the blue economy, which although versatile, also can stifle discussion about incompatible interpretations of both concepts. Boundary objects can become a source of power by creating a ‘common sense’ in which conflicting interests are resolved rhetorically, thereby gaining power through persuasion. The boundary object status of the blue economy also contributes to the depoliticization of discussions, prioritising techno-managerial approaches instead. However, I also found that dissent is emerging both on the ground and in academic critique. This dissent is leading to calls for more deliberative and participatory approaches to the blue economy and ecosystem services, which would allow for exploration of the shared values, worldviews and images that underpin environmental governance. Thereby, pressures on and demands from marine ecosystems could be reconciled through interaction between different elements of society. Comparing people’s attitudes towards these underlying aspects of governance opens up processes of power, giving insight into whose values count, and which images are leading governance visions. Concepts that seek to reconcile competing interests by integrating and optimising their demands offer potential, but need to be applied with explicit recognition of power relations and conflicting values

State of the Art and Future Perspectives in Smart and Sustainable Urban Development

This book contributes to the conceptual and practical knowledge pools in order to improve the research and practice on smart and sustainable urban development by presenting an informed understanding of the subject to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. This book presents contributions—in the form of research articles, literature reviews, case reports, and short communications—offering insights into the smart and sustainable urban development by conducting in-depth conceptual debates, detailed case study descriptions, thorough empirical investigations, systematic literature reviews, or forecasting analyses. This way, the book forms a repository of relevant information, material, and knowledge to support research, policymaking, practice, and the transferability of experiences to address urbanization and other planetary challenges