Posters for Web Science DTC Industrial Day

These posters were created by Web Science MSc and PhD students as a discussion point with representatives from the DTC Industrial Advisory Group

A manifesto for Web Science

A clarion call for a new research agenda has been sounded, notably by Berners-Lee et al (2006a 2006b) and Hendler et al (2008) for a ‘science of decentralised information systems’ to ‘discover’ generative mechanisms, and synthesise knowledge and technology to push both forwards. Computer Science alone - focussing as it does on the engineering/technology of the web - could not deliver the ambitions of this new agenda. Equally, other disciplines implicated in Web Science might use the web to support their research, or be interested in virtual life, but they lacked a coherent or unifying mandate for engaging with the web. By calling for Web Science these pioneers opened up a new space. But this is uncharted terrain. As a technology the web is still new. While it has grown rapidly and unexpectedly we are only just beginning to think about the web as a phenomena to be studied. The proponents of Web Science had the vision to see that this new approach had to include disciplines beyond their own; it had to be greater than the sum of the parts of individual disciplines. This is a radical call to leave disciplinary silos and work collaboratively to produce something bigger and better. Moreover, it takes in the founding principles of the web and a desire for a web that is pro-human: this is a call for a science that is capable of insight and intervention to create a better world. Our paper aims to take up this challenge and suggests how we might map the Web Science terrain. We come at this from a slightly different direction to the web science pioneers and want to demonstrate how social science can, and indeed must, contribute to developing Web Science. This paper will explore the contribution of social theory and sociological concepts that shape how we engage with the web. We focus on four key aspects which seem to be central to this understanding. Firstly co-constitution, the fact that the web both shapes and is shaped by humans/society. Secondly the importance of heterogeneous networks of multiple and diverse actors (including technologies themselves) that make the web as we know it. Thirdly the significance of performativity, that the web is an unfolding, enacted practice, as people interact with http to build ‘the web’ moment by moment. Finally, drawing these ideas together we see the web we have now as an immutable mobile or temporarily stabilised network. We use these ideas to map what web science could be and to suggest how we might use sociology to understand the web. Our aim is to provoke and stimulate debate and to move beyond superficial popular psychology and sociology (which envisages engineering human behaviour) and to challenge some of the ways in which social science has engaged with technology and technical actors. To facilitate this, and taking our lead from Donna Harroway, the paper sets out a radical manifesto for web science

Aggregation Behavior of a Willow Flea Beetle, \u3ci\u3eAltica Subplicata\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

This study examined the aggregation behavior of a specialist insect herbivore, Altica subplicata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on its host plant, Salix cordata. Mark-recapture experiments were conducted in patches of S. cordata growing along the shores of Lake Huron. Beetles aggregated on individual host plants, but did not aggregate in larger areas containing many host plants. Plants colonized by marked beetles had significantly higher abundances of unmarked beetles than did plants that were not colonized by marked beetles. Experimental manipulations of the number of beetles present on plants showed that colonization rates by marked beetles were higher on plants with conspecifics than on plants which had all beetles removed the previous day. The sex of beetles, however, did not influence colonization behavior; both male and female beetles colonized plants regardless of the sex of beetles already present on plants. These results are discussed with respect to possible explanations for aggregation, and the role of aggregation and movement in influencing insect distributions

Moving Women out of Poverty: A Call to Action for Legal Aid

https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/impact_center/1011/thumbnail.jp

The music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912): a critical and analytical study

Discussions of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and his music have, to date, focused predominantly, indeed primarily on his choral work, Hiawatha, and on the black cultural elements of his work. Whilst not ignoring the African aspect of his writing or personality, this thesis uniquely argues a different approach to the man and his music in that it seeks to fill the lacuna by examining the significance of his worth as a composer through the musical substance itself, aside from external features. In consequence, the essence of this study is concerned with questions of structure, tonality, style, influences, musical reception and context within the larger framework of contemporary Britain and its so-called 'musical renaissance'. The main thrust of the thesis focuses on those substantial works in ColeridgeTaylor's output where these elements of craftsmanship are most conspicuous, and in order to best facilitate this, each separate chapter within the main corpus of the thesis (Chapters 2 - 6) discusses a different genre of Coleridge-Taylor's music – namely chamber music, large-scale choral music and orchestral music - where selected works are examined. The exception to this is the opening chapter, a biographical sketch that outlines the main points of reference and contextualizes the composer's works, and the concluding chapter, which discusses two of his final works in different genres – a cantata, A Tale of Old Japan, and the recently revived Violin Concerto. In addition, the study draws attention to other neglected works, most significantly, ColeridgeTaylor's 'missing' opera that was unearthed as a result of this research. The opera is central to this reassessment of Coleridge-Taylor, and the thesis presents, for the first time, a critical examination of the work through a thorough investigation of the discovered manuscripts. A fully indexed source catalogue comprising details of all of Coleridge-Taylor's music forms an extensive and important appendix

Moving Women out of Poverty: A Call to Action for Legal Aid

https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/impact_center/1011/thumbnail.jp

Using mixed methods to track the growth of the Web: tracing open government data initiatives

In recent years, there have been a rising number of Open Government Data (OGD) initiatives; a political, social and technical movement armed with a common goal of publishing government data in open, re-usable formats in order to improve citizen-to-government transparency, efficiency, and democracy. As a sign of commitment, the Open Government Partnership was formed, comprising of a collection of countries striving to achieve OGD. Since its initial launch, the number of countries committed to adopting an Open Government Data agenda has grown to more than 50; including countries from South America to the Far East.Current approaches to understanding Web initiatives such as OGD are still being developed. Methodologies grounded in multidisciplinarity are still yet to be achieved; typically research follows a social or technological approach underpinned by quantitative or qualitative methods, and rarely combining the two into a single analytical framework. In this paper, a mixed methods approach will be introduced, which uses qualitative data underpinned by sociological theory to complement a quantitative analysis using computer science techniques. This method aims to provide an alternative approach to understanding the socio-technical activities of the Web. To demonstrate this, the activities of the UK Open Government Data initiative will be explored using a range of quantitative and qualitative data, examining the activities of the community, to provide a rich analysis of the formation and development of the UK OGD community

Alien Registration- Carr, Mary Catherine (Bangor, Penobscot County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/14077/thumbnail.jp