System interactions in socio-technical transitions: Extending the multi-level perspective

This paper discusses contextual issues in sociotechnical systems and transitions under the Multi Level Perspective (MLP). It emphasises inter system interactions, for which a typology is developed drawing on a review and meta level analysis of published transition case studies. The typology is subsequently associated to the MLP transitions pathways. A novel transition pathway, is derived through this process, namely new system emergence, for systems that emerge from contributions of existing antecedent sociotechnical systems

Marker based Thermal-Inertial Localization for Aerial Robots in Obscurant Filled Environments

For robotic inspection tasks in known environments fiducial markers provide a reliable and low-cost solution for robot localization. However, detection of such markers relies on the quality of RGB camera data, which degrades significantly in the presence of visual obscurants such as fog and smoke. The ability to navigate known environments in the presence of obscurants can be critical for inspection tasks especially, in the aftermath of a disaster. Addressing such a scenario, this work proposes a method for the design of fiducial markers to be used with thermal cameras for the pose estimation of aerial robots. Our low cost markers are designed to work in the long wave infrared spectrum, which is not affected by the presence of obscurants, and can be affixed to any object that has measurable temperature difference with respect to its surroundings. Furthermore, the estimated pose from the fiducial markers is fused with inertial measurements in an extended Kalman filter to remove high frequency noise and error present in the fiducial pose estimates. The proposed markers and the pose estimation method are experimentally evaluated in an obscurant filled environment using an aerial robot carrying a thermal camera.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, Published in International Symposium on Visual Computing 201

Process perspective on homeowner energy retrofits: A qualitative metasynthesis

EU policy recognises the importance of encouraging low-carbon retrofit among homeowners to reduce operational energy use in dwellings and mitigate climate change. Building research and policy has traditionally focused on the identification of retrofit drivers and barriers, to strengthen the former and reduce the later. However valuable the static juxtaposition of drivers and barriers may be, it cannot capture their temporal dynamics during a retrofit process. Recent research emphasises repeatedly that retrofits should be understood as dynamic processes that unfold over extended periods of time. This paper presents a metasynthesis of qualitative case studies on energy retrofit in single-family owner-occupied dwellings. A process perspective is used to capture the dynamics between socio-technical aspects of the built environment that shape retrofit depth and energy use post-retrofit. Metasynthesis results show that: (i) pre-existing homeowner knowledge about energy retrofit plays a significant role on the depth of a technological solution achieved during the retrofit; (ii) the actual energy use post-retrofit depends on the extent of owners’ involvement in the development of their retrofit design solutions. These findings have important implications for EU energy policy uptake to support household transition to low-carbon living

Factors incorporated into future survival estimation among Europeans

Background: Subjective survival probabilities are affected by individual-specific judgment and vary by factors known to differentiate actual mortality. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether sociodemographic characteristics, physical and mental health, and lifestyle are incorporated into subjective survival probabilities of Europeans aged 50 or higher. Methods: We use data from Wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and period life tables from the Human Mortality Database (HMD). For the statistical analysis we employ multinomial logistic regression models. Results: Our results show that common factors drive the self-reported subjective survival probabilities. Certain factors affecting actual mortality are considered when forming subjective survival probabilities: income, education, poor physical and mental health, activities of daily living (ADLs), smoking, physical activity, diet, quality of life, and number of children. Other factors are not considered in a manner consistent with actual mortality patterns: age, gender, marital status, and body weight. The findings regarding cognitive function are inconclusive; whereas some aspects seem to be integrated in subjective survival probabilities (e.g., memory or self-writing skills), others are not (e.g., numeracy or orientation in time). Contribution: The contribution of this study is the grouping of sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics according to the subjective survival probabilities’ direction and consistency with general population mortality and actual mortality patterns. Hence, we assess which traits are incorporated in the formation of subjective survival probabilities among Europeans aged 50 or higher

Early Identification of Violent Criminal Gang Members

Gang violence is a major problem in the United States accounting for a large fraction of homicides and other violent crime. In this paper, we study the problem of early identification of violent gang members. Our approach relies on modified centrality measures that take into account additional data of the individuals in the social network of co-arrestees which together with other arrest metadata provide a rich set of features for a classification algorithm. We show our approach obtains high precision and recall (0.89 and 0.78 respectively) in the case where the entire network is known and out-performs current approaches used by law-enforcement to the problem in the case where the network is discovered overtime by virtue of new arrests - mimicking real-world law-enforcement operations. Operational issues are also discussed as we are preparing to leverage this method in an operational environment.Comment: SIGKDD 201

Sustainability and strategic directions in maritime education and training provision: An exploration of employers’ perceptions

The paper explores the importance of sustainability from the perspective of prospective employers of future and existing Maritime Education and Training (MET) graduates. More specifically, it investigates employers’ views on the incorporation of sustainability into MET provision. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey that addresses the concept of sustainability – among other emerging trends - from the angle of maritime education and training was distributed to European shipowning companies in the context of related EU funded research (SkillSea). A total of 23 responses were received but, albeit the relatively small sample, the findings suggest clearly that there is a significant gap between the skills presently acquired through MET. They also reveal the need for METs to develop a strategy aiming at a more comprehensive inclusion of the mega-trend of sustainability as a subject into the curricula of the various types of MET institutions. This paper contributes to the literature by addressing the mismatch between current and future needs and related issues arising for maritime education and training.Peer Reviewe

Hot spots policing of small geographic areas effects on crime

Background In recent years, crime scholars and practitioners have pointed to the potential benefits of focusing crime prevention efforts on crime places. A number of studies suggest that there is significant clustering of crime in small places, or “hot spots,” that generate half of all criminal events. Researchers have argued that many crime problems can be reduced more efficiently if police officers focused their attention to these deviant places. The appeal of focusing limited resources on a small number of high-activity crime places is straightforward. If crime can be prevented at these hot spots, then citywide crime totals could be reduced. Objectives To assess the effects of focused police crime prevention interventions at crime hot spots. The review also examined whether focused police actions at specific locations result in crime displacement (i.e., crime moving around the corner) or diffusion (i.e., crime reduction in surrounding areas) of crime control benefits. Search Methods A keyword search was performed on 15 abstract databases. Bibliographies of past narrative and empirical reviews of literature that examined the effectiveness of police crime control programs were reviewed and forward searches for works that cited seminal hot spots policing studies were performed. Bibliographies of past completed Campbell systematic reviews of police crime prevention efforts were reviewed and hand searches of leading journals in the field were completed. Experts in the field were consulted and relevant citations were obtained. Selection Criteria To be eligible for this review, interventions used to control crime hot spots were limited to police-led prevention efforts. Suitable police-led crime prevention efforts included traditional tactics such as directed patrol and heightened levels of traffic enforcement as well as alternative strategies such as aggressive disorder enforcement and problem-oriented policing. Studies that used randomized controlled experimental or quasiexperimental designs were selected. The units of analysis were limited to crime hot spots or high-activity crime “places” rather than larger areas such as neighborhoods. The control group in each study received routine levels of traditional police crime prevention tactics. Data Collection and Analysis Sixty-five studies containing 78 tests of hot spots policing interventions were identified and full narratives of these studies were reported. Twenty-seven of the selected studies used randomized experimental designs and 38 used quasiexperimental designs. A formal meta-analysis was conducted to determine the crime prevention effects in the eligible studies. Random effects models were used to calculate mean effect sizes. Results Sixty-two of 78 tests of hot spots policing interventions reported noteworthy crime and disorder reductions. The meta-analysis of key reported outcome measures revealed a small statistically significant mean effect size favoring the effects of hot spots policing in reducing crime outcomes at treatment places relative to control places. The effect was smaller for randomized designs but still statistically significant and positive. When displacement and diffusion effects were measured, a diffusion of crime prevention benefits was associated with hot spots policing. Authors\u27 Conclusions The extant evaluation research suggests that hot spots policing is an effective crime prevention strategy. The research also suggests that focusing police efforts on high-activity crime places does not inevitably lead to crime displacement; rather, crime control benefits may diffuse into the areas immediately surrounding the targeted locations

Low carbon building performance in the construction industry: A multi-method approach of system dynamics and building performance modelling

The construction industry contributes significantly to energy consumption and carbon emissions. Moreover, people spend more time inside buildings, so their health is increasingly influenced by indoor environmental conditions. When considered through these lenses, the concept of total building performance can span energy consumption, the associated CO2 emissions, and indoor environmental quality (IEQ). At the individual project level, building underperformance with respect to energy and IEQ is frequent, and the ex post performance gap is partially attributed to the construction project management and operations phase of the building lifecycle. This underperformance motivates the research of this paper into the construction process outcomes in terms of energy performance and IEQ, and ways to reduce the performance gap. The paper develops a multi-methodology framework to analyse the effect of building development project process on energy performance and IEQ from an operations management perspective. The framework couples system dynamics modelling of construction project management to building performance modelling. The paper details the way they are coupled, the application steps and data requirements, so that they can be applied on a case by case basis. The aim is to combine operations management to building performance disciplines and deliver insights for industry practitioners and policy makers

Ventricular Standstill Following Intravenous Erythromycin and Borderline Hypokalemia

Ventricular standstill (VS) is a potentially fatal arrhythmia that is usually associated with syncope, if prolonged and is rarely asymptomatic[1]. Its mechanism involves either a lack of supraventricular impulse or an interruption in the transmission of these signals from the atria to the ventricles, resulting in a sudden loss of cardiac output[2]. Although rare, ventricular arrhythmias have been associated with intravenous (IV) erythromycin. However, to our knowledge, VS has not been reported following the administration of IV erythromycin. The Authors describe a rare case of asymptomatic VS and subsequent third-degree atrioventricular block, following the administration of IV erythromycin in a 49-year-old woman with borderline hypokalemia. Through this case, the Authors highlight the importance of cardiac monitoring and electrolyte replacement when administering IV erythromycin, as well as discuss several other mechanisms that contribute to ventricular arrhythmias