Design and development of an intelligent system based on the Internet of Things for the early detection of forest fires

Automatic environmental monitoring is a field that encompasses several scientific practices for the assessment of risks that may negatively impact a given environment, such as the forest. A forest is a natural environment that hosts various forms of plant and animal life, so preserving the forest is a top priority. To this end, the authors of this paper will focus on the development of an intelligent system for the early detection of forest fires, based on an IoT solution. This latter will thus facilitate the exploitation of the functionalities offered by the Cloud and mobile applications. Detecting and predicting forest fires with accuracy is a difficult task that requires machine learning and an in-depth analysis of environmental conditions. This leads the authors to adopt the forward neural network algorithm by highlighting its contribution through real experiments, performed on the prototype developed in this paper.

The Precautionary Principles of the Potential Risks of Compound Events in Danish Municipalities

The risk of compound events describes potential weather and climate events in which the combination of multiple drivers and hazards consolidate, resulting in extreme socio-economic impacts. Compound events affecting exposed societies can therefore be deemed a crucial security risk. Designing appropriate preparation proves difficult, as compound events are rarely documented. This paper explores the understanding and practices of climate risk management related to compound events in specific Danish municipalities vulnerable to flood hazards (i.e., Odense, Hvidovre, and Vejle). These practices illuminate that different understandings of compound events steer risk attitudes and consequently decisions regarding the use of different policy instruments. Through expert interviews supported by policy documents, we found that the municipalities understand compound events as either a condition or situation and develop precautionary strategies to some extent. Depending on their respective geographical surroundings, they observe compound events either as no clear trend (Odense), a trend to be critically watched (Hvidovre), or already as a partial reality (Vejle). They perceive flood drivers and their combinations as major physical risks to which they adopt different tailor-made solutions. By choosing a bottom-up approach focusing on local governance structures, it demonstrated that the mismatch between responsibility and capacity and the ongoing separation of services related to climatic risks in the Danish municipality context need to be critically considered. The findings highlight that the complex challenge of compound events cannot be solved by one (scientific) discipline alone. Thus, the study advocates a broader inclusion of scientific practices and increased emphasis on local focus within compound event research to foster creative thinking, better preparation, and subsequently more effective management of their risks.

The key characteristics of project-based learning: how teachers implement projects in K-12 science education

The aim of this multiple-case study was to research the key characteristics of project-based learning (PBL) and how teachers implement them within the context of science education. K-12 science teachers and their students’ videos, learning diaries and online questionnaire answers about their biology related PBL units, within the theme nature and environment, were analysed using deductive and inductive content analysis (n = 12 schools). The studied teachers are actively engaged in PBL as the schools had participated voluntarily in the international StarT programme of LUMA Centre Finland. The results indicate that PBL may specifically promote the use of collaboration, artefacts, technological tools, problem-centredness, and certain scientific practices, such as carrying out research, presenting results, and reflection within science education. However, it appeared that driving questions, learning goals set by students, students’ questions, the integrity of the project activities, and using the projects as a means to learn central content, may be more challenging to implement. Furthermore, although scientific practices had a strong role in the projects, it could not be defined how strongly student-led the inquiries were. The study also indicated that students and teachers may pay attention to different aspects of learning that happen through PBL. The results contribute towards a deeper understanding of the possibilities and challenges related to implementation of PBL and using scientific practices in classrooms. Furthermore, the results and the constructed framework of key characteristics can be useful in promoting research-based implementation and design of PBL science education, and in teacher training related to it.

SUBJECTIVE COMPONENTS OF THE LINGUISTIC IMAGE OF A WOMAN POLITICIAN: THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL AND SPEECH ACTIVITY

Statement of the problem. This work is devoted to the study of the linguistic image of a Russian woman politician – a special type of public image that attracts the attention of both the mass addressee and the professional expert community. The very concept of “linguistic image” is used in many social and scientific practices, being of great interest for modern humanitarian knowledge – imageology, linguistics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, advertising, public relations, etc. Within the field of linguistic image, as well as in the linguistic theory of linguistic personality, the aspect of the subjective component of public speech, the so-called “author in the text”, has always been highlighted as a separate aspect. This is interconnected not only with anthropocentrism as a universal scientific idea of ​​the 21st century, but also with the global process of mediatization of all spheres of human activity. The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the subjective component of the linguistic image of a woman politician in the context of public social and speech activity. The methodology (materials and methods). The methodology of the analysis undertaken is based on the provisions and ideas of imageology, the theory of linguistic personality and linguistic semantics, in the context of which descriptive-analytical and comparative methods were used, as well as the method of semantic text analysis. The research material included the texts of public speeches and statements of 2016–2018, belonging to two representatives of modern Russian politics – Maria Zakharova and Natalia Poklonskaya. Research results. In the speeches of M. Zakharova and N. Poklonskaya, the description of social-speech communication corresponds to one language model and is presented in three aspects: 1) space (where?), 2) participants (who?), and 3) metascenarios of social-speech communication (what is happening?). In the texts of these women politicians, this semantic model is filled with its own content, which has general and specific elements that characterize their public images in different ways. Russia is described as a common communicative space for the activities of political subjects, despite the fact that for M. Zakharova the Ministry of Foreign Affairs turns out to be a specific medium of communication, and for N. Poklonskaya these are the State Duma, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Crimea. The common thing is that both speakers inscribe their own communicative activity in a threefold structure, where the main participants are a) the speaker himself, b) his associates and c) his opponents. In the contexts of M. Zakharova, the listed participants are embodied in roles: a) “Me” as “an intermediary” or “a moderator”, b) “We” as “diplomats”, as “teammates”, or a subject of the “conciliar” type (Russia, Moscow, diplomatic corps);in the contexts of M. Poklonskaya – a) “Me” as “a stateswoman” or “a prosecutor”, and also b) “We” as “prosecutors”, as “associates” and as “trustees”, respectively. As for the opponents, in both cases the set is practically the same: USA or the Ukrainian. The content of the described model is complemented by the so-called metascripts, which represent the social-speech situation in a new way and have a different functional purpose in every statement. Conclusion. The linguistic image of M. Zakharova is more objectified and restrained, in fact merging with the typical diplomatic image, while the image of N. Poklonskaya is more emotional and subjective, reinforced by the characteristic features of speech spontaneity and directness. At the same time, both images, framed by the modus of involvement and team goal-setting, organically fit into the space of the professional communication.

“Samples Are Precious”: Value Formations in the Potentiality and Practices of Biobanking in Singapore

Biobanking in Singapore is characterized by contested relations between funding ambitions and research practices, and different notions of what the (potential) value of storing samples and data for medical research is. Different biobanking efforts anticipate the production of public goods from stored materials in specifically situated ways. These efforts to produce public goods in the form of scientific and economic value can be fruitfully understood in terms of extraction, a complex sociotechnical process of retrieving (potential) value from raw materials, which both informs and is informed by specific social values. In exploring the extraction of potential value in relation to practice values, I propose the notion of value formations to account for the coproduction of and intersections between different forms of value(s) in scientific practices situated in particular social contexts. I trace value formations across the life span of biobanking collections, which range from recruitment, collection, and processing of samples to their storage, retrieval, and use. Observations along this life span show the social and temporal complexity of value-making in biobanking in Singapore, pointing to the contextual specificity of how biobanking is understood as a public good.

Mulheres, flores e suas prisões: reflexões sobre botânica, gênero e ciência com alunas privadas de liberdade

Este artigo apresenta uma pesquisa realizada em aulas de ciências desenvolvidas com base na vertente da História Cultural da Ciência com foco nas práticas botânicas durante os séculos XVIII e XIX. A investigação ocorreu junto ao grupo de pesquisa NIEHCC e com alunas privadas de liberdade, quando do estudo de temas do conteúdo de Biologia na Educação de Jovens e Adultos (ecologia, nomenclatura científica, botânica). O recorte histórico suscitou discussões sobre as relações entre gênero e ciência, a partir da discussão da participação feminina na Botânica no recorte histórico selecionado. A pesquisa histórica indicou que as práticas científicas em que as mulheres se envolveram, em geral, eram restritas ao espaço privado e derivaram de um interesse do contato das mulheres com a ciência. O método etnográfico foi escolhido para análise das intervenções em sala de aula. As alunas trouxeram para as aulas temáticas como homossexualidade, machismo, maternidade na adolescência, papel da mulher, diferenças entre os gêneros, opressões, violência masculina no seio familiar e barreiras no acesso da mulher à escola e ao trabalho, apontando que a abordagem da História Cultural da Ciência possibilitou conectar discussões sobre práticas científicas com o contexto das alunas.Women, flower and their prisons: reflections about botany, gender, science and the social condition of women with female students inmatesAbstractThe paper reports the results of a study carried out in science classes from the Cultural History of Science approach, focusing on Botanical practices during the 18th and 19th centuries. The investigation was carried out with the NIEHCC research group and with students deprived of liberty when studying topics of Biology in Youth and Adult Education's mandatory curriculum (ecology, the scientific terminology, botany). The historical episode aimed to raise discussions about the relations between gender and science with the students, as many women participated in Botany in the selected historical section. The historical research indicated that the scientific practices in which women were involved, in general, were restricted to the private space and derived from an interest in women's contact with science. The ethnographic method was chosen to give voice to the speech of the participating students. Themes as homosexuality, sexism, adolescent motherhood, women's role, gender differences, oppression, male violence within the family, and barriers to women's access to school and work emerged in class, which indicates that the historical discussions were related to the students' context. Keywords: Science Education; Gender and Science; Cultural History of Science; Prison Education.

The Madhyamaka Contribution to Skepticism

This paper examines the work of Nāgārjuna as interpreted by later Madhyamaka tradition, including the Tibetan Buddhist Tsongkhapa (1357–1419). It situates Madhyamaka skepticism in the context of Buddhist philosophy, Indian philosophy more generally, and Western equivalents. Find it broadly akin to Pyrrhonism, it argues that Madhyamaka skepticism still differs from its Greek equivalents in fundamental methodologies. Focusing on key hermeneutical principles like the two truths and those motivating the Svātantrika/Prāsaṅgika schism (i.e., whether followers of Nāgārjuna should offer positive arguments or should proceed on a purely “negative” basis), it argues that the Svātantrika commitment to mere conventional practice is robust and allows for a skepticism consistent with the scientific practices we must take seriously in the modern world. These findings are put forth as an illustration of what the Western tradition might gain by better understanding of non-Western philosophy.

Predicting Partner’s Digital Transformation Based on Artificial Intelligence

Partner’s digital transformation is one of the most important metrics for businesses, particularly for businesses in the subscription world. Hence, how to predict partner transformation is a consistent focus in the industry. In this paper, we use an AI (Artificial Intelligence) relevant algorithm to analyze partner’s digital transformation issues and propose a novel method, named the hybrid VKR (VAE, K-means, and random forest) algorithm, to predict partner transformation. We apply our algorithm to partner transformation issues. First, we show the prediction of about 5980 partners from 25689 partners, who are transformed and sorted according to important indicators. Secondly, we recap the tremendous effort that was required by the company to obtain high-quality results for economic change when a partner is transforming along with one or many of the transformation dimensions. Finally, we identify unethical behavior by looking through deal transaction data. Overall, our work sheds light on several potential problems in partner transformation and calls for improved scientific practices in this area.

The Singularity Myth

Ray Kurzweil’s book "The Singularity Is Near" constitutes a most exhaustive compilation of “singularitarian” arguments and one of the most serious publications on the subject, but the work lacks scientific rigor. Kurzweil and the singularitarians are indulging in somesort of para-science, which differs from real science in matters of methodology and rigor. They tend to overlook rigorous scientific practices such as focusing on natural laws,giving precise definitions, verifying the data meticulously, and estimating theuncertainties. I list a number of scientific wrongdoings in this book. I try to rectify some of them in order to properly present my critique of the Singularity concept.

Using technologies to design personalized learning pathways as a part of scientific practice of students

Problem and goal. The article deals with the process of designing the high school internship program of the ITMO Universitys Information Chemistry Center by using information and communications technology (ICT). The program development process involved following stages: client briefing, exploratory study, hypotheses-formation processes and its testing, custom development, learning experience design and project defense. Methodology. The high school students views about the Infochemistry Internship Program were analyzed. Authors conduc- ted in-depth interviews with respondents and retrieved information about students scientific achievements, challenges and recommendations for improving the internship program. During the exploratory research stage the high school internship programs of Russian and foreign universities in the field of biology, chemistry, physics and IT were studied. The initial sample was composed of Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC), Stanford University Science Circle, Harvard University Summer School (Pre-College Program), Chemistry Research Academy of University of Pennsylvania. Three types of scientific practices - summer camp or summer school, university science circle and a research academy - were identified. Results. The authors emphasized that there is not a single high school internship program in the field of chemistry in Russia like at IMTO University. This immerse education program is based on laboratory learning that allows students experience chemistry principles under the guidance of leading scientists. The concept of the program based on the science education model. It involves the personalized learning pathway, scaffolding activities, and participation in the research project. Flexible learning pathway is the core of the program that includes various levels of personalization: project, scaffolding means, pace of learning, educational content, educational result. To prove the importance of using ICT and social media in educational process authors found the results of the research conducted by University College Dublin and University of Melbourne. Conclusion. The paper has highlighted the significance of revamping internship programs, identified the most common types of scientific practices and proved the importance of selected program principles.