Mapping Nefarious Social Media Actors to Speed-up Covid-19 Fact-checking

This report presents the outcomes of a project aimed at developing and testing a prototype tool that supports and speeds-up the work of fact-checkers and de-bunkers by surfacing and ranking potentially problematic information circulated on social media with a content-agnostic approach. The tool itself is the result of a multi-year research activity carried on within the Mapping Italian News Research Program of the University of Urbino Carlo Bo to study the strategies, tactics and goals of information operations aimed at manipulating the Italian public opinion by exploiting the vulnerabilities of the contemporary media ecosystem. This research activity led to developing original studies, public reports, new methods, maps and tools employed to study the activity of Italian nefarious social media actors aimed at amplifying the reach and impact of problematic information by coordinating their efforts. Tracking these actors proved instrumental to observe the “infodemic” unraveling during the early days of COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Combining this existing knowledge with a range of original tools and data sources provided by Meta’s Facebook Open Research Initiative (Fort) and by The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter, the report: documents those early days by highlighting a list of widely viewed and interacted links circulated on Facebook; traces the establishment, growth and evolution of Italian covid-skeptic coordinated networks on Facebook; presents a comprehensive and updated map of the activities performed by these networks of nefarious social media actors; unveils a set of original tactics and strategies employed by these actors to adjust their operations to the mitigation efforts adopted by social media platforms to reduce the spread of problematic information; describes the circulation of three specific piece of problematic information; provides an overview of the outcomes of the testing phase (carried out in collaboration with Facta.news) of a prototype tool that surfaces and ranks potentially problematic information circulated on social media with a content-agnostic approach.

Analysis of Ciliwung river flood debit and city flood anticipation using floods early detection system (FEDS)

This research is based on flood conditions that often occur in lowland areas such as Jakarta and Semarang. The problem faced is that the notification and early detection of floods is often late, done manually so that it cannot be anticipated by areas downstream of the river. Therefore, it is very important to be able to develop an IoT-based early warning tool so that floods can be detected early in a fast, real time, and immediately anticipated in the upstream area of the river. This research method uses design methods and experiments carried out in the field and laboratory. This research will present a prototype of the FEDS (Floods Early Detection System), based on the Blynk application. The results showed that the calculation of planned flood discharge with a return period of 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 years can provide an overview of the ability of an area to face the maximum possible rainfall. The FEDS prototype tool, with the Blynk application, can work well using a microcontroller, ultra sonic sensor, and a rainfall sensor. This system is suitable for use in the community to determine rain conditions and water level conditions used at river water level conditions, for early notification of floods.

Development of Prototypes of Exercise Aids (Glow in the dark gate and ball) in an Effort to Increase the Success of Training Programs for Pre-porprov Athletes in Woodball Sports, Klaten Regency

The objectives of the research were to: (1) produce a prototype design of tools in training for beginner and advanced male woodball athletes, (2) test the design of a prototype tool that could be effectively used by athletes to improve skills in training at night, (3) the prototype could used to anticipate training schedule constraints for woodball athletes. The steps used in the development procedure are: (1) Potential and Problems, (2) Develop the initial product, (3) Product Design, (4) Design Validation 2 woodball experts and 2 equipment experts, (4) Design improvement, (5) Product Trial for 6 athletes, and (6) Usage Trial for 10 athletes. The final product is a prototype model of an exercise aid (glow in the dark gate and ball) that can be used for training at night. The results of tool validation from the assessment rubric of woodball experts and equipment experts can answer complaints about the tight schedule of activities for athletes, while the effectiveness of the tool model can help coaches in maximizing training programs with experimental assessments by woodball experts on small-scale trials and large-scale trials getting an average score average after doing the test.

JSON Schemas with Semantic Annotations Supporting Data Translation

As service-oriented architectures are a solution for large distributed systems, interoperability between these systems, which are often heterogeneous, can be a challenge due to the different syntax and semantics of the exchanged messages or even different data interchange formats. This paper addresses the data interchange format and data interoperability issues between XML-based and JSON-based systems. It proposes novel annotation mechanisms to add semantic annotations and complement date values to JSON Schemas, enabling an interoperability approach for JSON-based systems that, until now, was only possible for XML-based systems. A set of algorithms supporting the translation from JSON Schema to XML Schema, JSON to XML, and XML to JSON is also proposed. These algorithms were implemented in an existing prototype tool, which now supports these systems’ interoperability through semantic compatibility verification and the automatic generation of translators.

Indexes to evaluate risk based metrological performance in companies in the energy sector

The metrological performance evaluation is a tool that allows feedback in the management of measurements and the monitoring of the results achieved by the organizations that apply it. In many companies this type of evaluation does not show relevant results, mainly due to limitations in the procedures and indicators used to carry it out. The objective of this work was to develop metrological risk indices for the evaluation of metrological performance in companies in the energy sector. For the development of the research, three organizations belonging to said sector are selected. From the use in the organizations of the risk approach and interviews, document review, brainstorming and mathematical statistical methods, the metrological risk index and the risk index in metrological management are defined for companies in the aforementioned sector. The results achieved showed that it is possible to create this prototype tool, as well as its usefulness to provide feedback on the management of measurements, in addition to guiding the management decision-making process in metrological matters.

An Approach for Schema Extraction of NoSQL Columnar Databases: the HBase Case Study

Although NoSQL databases do not require a schema a priori, being aware of the database schema is essential for activities like data integration, data validation, or data interoperability. This paper presents a process for the extraction of columnar NoSQL database schemas. We adopt JSON as a canonical format for data representation, and we validate the proposed process through a prototype tool that is able to extract schemas from the HBase columnar NoSQL database system. HBase was chosen as a case study because it is one of the most popular columnar NoSQL solutions. When compared to related work, we innovate by proposing a simple solution for the inference of column data types for columnar NoSQL databases that store only byte arrays as column values, and a resulting schema that follows the JSON Schema format.

Developing a Label for Excellence in Design for Urban Sustainability

<p>The thesis investigates the impact caused by urban development on the environment. In addition, the thesis proposes and tests a methodology and a prototype tool for assessing the environmental performance of urban environments. The first section of the research briefly discusses some of the important environmental performance rating systems available on the market, such as USGBC-LEED, BREEAM, ISO 14000, NABERS and CASBEE. Their use for assessing urban developments is investigated critically. The thesis points out relevant flaws in the methods of these institutions, exposing a gap in knowledge of urban environmental assessment. The next step of the thesis begins by considering some historical societies and their urban models in order to understand how those making urban developments have approached the environment and its limitations. Indeed, the analysis of these historical models was based on selected speculative aspects, since confirmed by the investigation, as being essential for an ecologically balanced society. The thesis dedicates a chapter to describing the impact caused by the progressive monetarization of ancient society on the relationship between the urban environment and nature. The chapter introduces a discussion about how money has interfered with and speeded up the process of job specialization in urban areas, and how it has been shaping urban areas today. The thesis then reflects on important urban problems from an ecological point of view, pointing out relevant issues in modern urban development. Additionally, the research connects the problems of modern urbanism and the economics that have acted as a major force in shaping cities and their expansions. Finally the research proposes a methodology for environmental assessment, based on the ecological footprint. The prototype tool developed puts together all relevant environmental aspects. It also includes personal habits, combining these with urban design, transportation, consumption and energy resources to measure the footprint impact. The research recognises that the footprint cannot be treated as a static number; therefore, the research also presents a second instrument, which calculates the biocapacity per capita, according to population and economic growth, serving as a numerical ecological parameter for the first prototype tool. This enables the environmental impact of proposed changes, such as urban growth, to be assessed. A number of case studies using the tools are presented. These include three new urban developments which have a label for more sustainable urban design (LEED). The measurement prototype tool is also applied to some of the ancient societies previously studied, in order to compare the present urban and life style model with that of ancient urban societies. The thesis ends by comparing results from LEED for Neighbourhood Development with those of the new prototype tool, including comparison of modern and historical urban models.</p>

Developing a Label for Excellence in Design for Urban Sustainability

<p>The thesis investigates the impact caused by urban development on the environment. In addition, the thesis proposes and tests a methodology and a prototype tool for assessing the environmental performance of urban environments. The first section of the research briefly discusses some of the important environmental performance rating systems available on the market, such as USGBC-LEED, BREEAM, ISO 14000, NABERS and CASBEE. Their use for assessing urban developments is investigated critically. The thesis points out relevant flaws in the methods of these institutions, exposing a gap in knowledge of urban environmental assessment. The next step of the thesis begins by considering some historical societies and their urban models in order to understand how those making urban developments have approached the environment and its limitations. Indeed, the analysis of these historical models was based on selected speculative aspects, since confirmed by the investigation, as being essential for an ecologically balanced society. The thesis dedicates a chapter to describing the impact caused by the progressive monetarization of ancient society on the relationship between the urban environment and nature. The chapter introduces a discussion about how money has interfered with and speeded up the process of job specialization in urban areas, and how it has been shaping urban areas today. The thesis then reflects on important urban problems from an ecological point of view, pointing out relevant issues in modern urban development. Additionally, the research connects the problems of modern urbanism and the economics that have acted as a major force in shaping cities and their expansions. Finally the research proposes a methodology for environmental assessment, based on the ecological footprint. The prototype tool developed puts together all relevant environmental aspects. It also includes personal habits, combining these with urban design, transportation, consumption and energy resources to measure the footprint impact. The research recognises that the footprint cannot be treated as a static number; therefore, the research also presents a second instrument, which calculates the biocapacity per capita, according to population and economic growth, serving as a numerical ecological parameter for the first prototype tool. This enables the environmental impact of proposed changes, such as urban growth, to be assessed. A number of case studies using the tools are presented. These include three new urban developments which have a label for more sustainable urban design (LEED). The measurement prototype tool is also applied to some of the ancient societies previously studied, in order to compare the present urban and life style model with that of ancient urban societies. The thesis ends by comparing results from LEED for Neighbourhood Development with those of the new prototype tool, including comparison of modern and historical urban models.</p>

A Pilot Study on Machining Difficult-to-Cut Materials with the Use of Tools Fabricated by SLS Technology

The growing use of contemporary materials in various industrial sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, as well as the oil and gas industry, requires appropriate machining methods and tools. Currently, apart from the necessity to obtain high-dimensional and shape accuracy, the efficiency and economic aspects of the selected manufacturing process are equally important, especially when difficult-to-cut materials, such as hard and brittle ceramics, have to be machined. In the research presented in this paper, a prototype tool fabricated from polyamide powder by the SLS method was used in flat-lapping of Al2O3 ceramics, showing the promising potential and efficacy of rapid tooling and manufacturing in the area of abrasive machining. The influence of the selected input process factors, such as machining time, the type of abrasive suspension, kinematic parameters, and unit pressure, on technological effects, was analyzed. The microscopic observations of the active surface of the prototype tool showed its reinforcement with loose diamond abrasive particles (size D107), resulting in the effective material removal and improved surface finish of Al2O3 ceramic samples. The directions for further development of tools fabricated by the SLS method for applications in abrasive machining were also envisaged by the authors.

Developing Prototype in Online Class using Justinmind: A COVID-19 Story

COVID-19 gives a drastic change in our lifestyle. In education, it effects on motivation, routine and the dilemma in using certain application. The university has taken various proactive measures for ensuring the productivity of their stakeholders. Students and instructors are changing their teaching and learning style which this impact on learning technology usage while having online class. This paper shares COVID-19 story in terms of learning system development online which is challenging for learners and instructors. They need to adjust themselves so that the message is conveyed, and problem is solved during the online class. This paper looks at how the learners and instructors manage their online class by using an online prototype tool, Justinmind, for assisting them to learn system development during COVID-19. The learners have been asked to plan, gather, and design the user interface according to the requirements stated previously. This study found out that there are some difficulties in conducting system development class in online mode since there is a change of routine as well as teaching and learning style. However, the difficulties have been addressed by the utilization of the technology and thus creating more exciting journey for the class regardless of the pandemic era.