1,116 research outputs found
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Pioneers, subcultures and cooperatives: The grassroots augmentation of urban places
About the book:
There have been numerous possible scenarios depicted on the impact of the internet on urban spaces. Considering ubiquitous/pervasive computing, mobile, wireless connectivity and the acceptance of the Internet as a non extraordinary part of our everyday lives mean that physical urban space is augmented, and digital in itself. This poses new problems as well as opportunities to those who have to deal with it.
This book explores the intersection and articulation of physical and digital environments and the ways they can extend and reshape a spirit of place. It considers this from three main perspectives: the implications for the public sphere and urban public or semi-public spaces; the implications for community regeneration and empowerment; and the dilemmas and challenges which the augmentation of space implies for urbanists. Grounded with international real -life case studies, this is an up-to-date, interdisciplinary and holistic overview of the relationships between cities, communities and high technologies
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Grassroots initiated networked communities: a viable method of overcoming multiple digital inequalities within communities of locality?
Minimum Distance Distribution of Irregular Generalized LDPC Code Ensembles
In this paper, the minimum distance distribution of irregular generalized
LDPC (GLDPC) code ensembles is investigated. Two classes of GLDPC code
ensembles are analyzed; in one case, the Tanner graph is regular from the
variable node perspective, and in the other case the Tanner graph is completely
unstructured and irregular. In particular, for the former ensemble class we
determine exactly which ensembles have minimum distance growing linearly with
the block length with probability approaching unity with increasing block
length. This work extends previous results concerning LDPC and regular GLDPC
codes to the case where a hybrid mixture of check node types is used.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to the IEEE International Symposium on
Information Theory (ISIT) 201
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Using ICT to support public and private community memories: case studies and lessons learned
Information communication technologies (ICTs) enable the development of memories across a variety of communities. We identify a spectrum of deployment from private through to open public spaces. As we move along this spectrum key variables change including mechanisms of trust and accountability and the definition of ownership, authorship and readership. Some challenges however, remain constant such as designing for sustainability and the need to align research and community goals.
Private spaces can be created to enhance existing interactions, develop bonding capital and build shared memory. Such spaces allow a defined membership the opportunity to explore new ideas away from the public gaze, using language which may not be intelligible to outsiders. ICTs may be used to bridge internal and external audiences, repurposing content for a wider public. The original content may require alternative presentation, organisation or navigation methods to support its effective use by an external audience.
Increasingly, community memories are being developed using social software within the public sphere, however this raises issues of authority, reputation management, and conflict resolution. Unexpected innovation may occur, and issues of sustainability must be addressed. In our analysis we will draw on three ICT initiatives in which we have participated: Bletchley Park GuidesтАЩ Forum, Bletchley Park Text and Milton Keynes Open Guide
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More notspots than hotspots: strategies for undertaking networked learning in the real world
Much of the mobile learning literature implies that connectivity between devices can be taken for granted. This is not clearly not true with patchy network coverage and variable signal strength even in well developed urban areas. In this paper, we describe strategies devised for overcoming the challenges of variable connectivity quality to ensure mobile learning in authentic field locations and also bridging contexts (home, school, work). We consider three approaches: the use of Wi-Fi, 3G phone networks, and working locally with post-activity synchronisation. We conclude with recommendations for practitioners and researchers
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Ubiquity from the bottom up: Grassroots initiated networked communities
About the book:
This peer-reviewed collection represents some of the finest research presented at the 2004 Association of Internet Researchers Conference held in Sussex in 2004. Responding to the theme of ubiquity, papers collected here represent a diverse range of inquiries into the development, as well as perceived development, of the Internet. Offering new and important work about blogs, online games, users, norms and access, to name just a few topics, this collection is a must-read for Internet scholars intent on keeping pace with a rapidly expanding field
Grassroots initiated networked communities: A study of hybrid physical/virtual communities
Virtual communities have been the focus of research since the beginning of the Internet. A more recent phenomenon is the hybrid networked community: a physical community extended by a network infrastructure, seeking to enhance existing social interactions, storage and dissemination of knowledge using both online and offline channels of communication.
This paper considers one specific form: grassroots initiated networked communities. These are communities of locality that have developed their own Internet and /or intranet infrastructure with minimal external support. They believe that establishing such a network will enhance communication and 'sense of community' within their geographically defined boundaries. These initiatives may offer a viable and sustainable method for overcoming multiple digital inequalities, support the development of social capital, and provide insights into the impact of near-ubiquitous social computing.
We review a case study of five such projects in the UK, identifying characteristics, methods of function, and long term aims. An outline of this work is presented and indications of likely future developments offered
Design of LDPC Code Ensembles with Fast Convergence Properties
The design of low-density parity-check (LDPC) code ensembles optimized for a
finite number of decoder iterations is investigated. Our approach employs EXIT
chart analysis and differential evolution to design such ensembles for the
binary erasure channel and additive white Gaussian noise channel. The error
rates of codes optimized for various numbers of decoder iterations are compared
and it is seen that in the cases considered, the best performance for a given
number of decoder iterations is achieved by codes which are optimized for this
particular number. The design of generalized LDPC (GLDPC) codes is also
considered, showing that these structures can offer better performance than
LDPC codes for low-iteration-number designs. Finally, it is illustrated that
LDPC codes which are optimized for a small number of iterations exhibit
significant deviations in terms of degree distribution and weight enumerators
with respect to LDPC codes returned by more conventional design tools.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to the 3rd International Black Sea
Conference on Communications and Networking (IEEE BlackSeaCom 2015
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The challenge of supporting networked personal inquiry learning across contexts
Supporting learning across different contexts can be challenging. Defining formal, informal and nonformal learning is the subject of continuing debate as each can be difficult to describe. We report on a study that evaluated the effectiveness of a Personal Inquiry toolkit on supporting personal inquiries into the sustainability of the food cycle, carried out across the contexts of home and an after school club in a UK secondary school. The toolkit consisted of a web-based Sustainability Investigator that could be accessed from any location, together with a selection of data-gathering tools such as environmental sensors (e.g. temperature probes) and cameras. It was designed to support students through the process of carrying out inquiries within the club and between the club and their home. Our main focus here is on describing how the Sustainability Investigator supported students' inquiries that were conceived and designed within the club and conducted at home. The 30 students (aged 12-14 years) chose to investigate home food storage, packaging and preservation. Our focus is on exploring the nature of the semi-formal club context and how this mediated students' use of the Sustainability Investigator. Analysis of our field notes, log files of students' use of the Sustainability Investigator, together with video and audio recordings of club sessions and interviews with teachers and pupils, suggest that while the pupils' use of the toolkit across contexts was sporadic and varied between students, they successfully completed personally relevant inquiries and developed positive attitudes to the process. This was different to the predictable, sustained and consistent use of the toolkit identified in our previous studies when the students used it (again successfully) to support their inquiries in a formal classroom setting (see e.g. Scanlon et al. 2009). Three main features of the
school club context that mediated the ways in which the Sustainability Investigator was used by the students across contexts were: 1) the students' aims and priorities, 2) affordances and constraints of the technology, and 3) institutional priorities. We use this example of a study of learning across contexts to suggest implications of the work for the potential of a Personal Inquiry toolkit to support learning across the life course
Improving the Quality of Low Fat Cheddar Cheese
End of Project ReportThe aims of this study were to elucidate the contribution of fat to cheese biochemistry and texture and to improve the texture and flavour of half-fat Cheddar cheese by modifications in make procedure, the addition of a fat mimetic, and/or the use of novel starter cultures/bacterial culture adjuncts.
The main conclusions were as follows:
A 'Moorepark Process' has been established for the production of half-fat Cheddar cheese with improved sensory acceptability. The flavour and texture of half-fat (17% w/w) Cheddar was improved by modification of the cheesemaking procedure and/or ripening conditions and through the use of novel starter cultures and/or bacterial culture adjuncts.
Extensive databases have been compiled on:
the effects of fat on the compositional, microbiological, biochemical, rheological and sensory properties of, and the yield of, Cheddar cheese.
the compositional, biochemical and sensory characteristics of commercial Cheddar cheeses of different fat levels, available on the Irish and UK markets.
Reduction in the fat level of Cheddar cheese resulted in a marked deterioration both in texture and flavour due to:
increases in cheese hardness and fracture stress, indicating that the cheese became more elastic, tough and less amenable to mastication.
a higher ratio of secondary-to-primary proteolysis
a reduction in the level of primary proteolysis and an increase in the concentration of hydrophobic peptides which are conducive to bitterness.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin
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