Digital Commons Network^™

A Review On Machine Learning Methods For Customer Churn Prediction And Recommendations For Business Practitioners, Awais Manzoor, M. Atif Qureshi, Etain Kidney, Luca Longo

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Due to market deregulation and globalisation, competitive environments in various sectors continuously evolve, leading to increased customer churn. Effectively anticipating and mitigating customer churn is vital for businesses to retain their customer base and sustain business growth. This research scrutinizes 212 published articles from 2015 to 2023, delving into customer churn prediction using machine learning methods. Distinctive in its scope, this work covers key stages of churn prediction models comprehensively, contrary to published reviews, which focus on some aspects of churn prediction, such as model development, feature engineering and model evaluation using traditional machine learning-based evaluation metrics. The review emphasises …

The Motherhood Penalty In The United Kingdom: An Unconditional Quantile Regression Analysis, Abhijit Sharma, Stefano Grillini, Richard Woodward

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No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Public Participation Processes Employed For An Urban Greenway Project, Maeve O'Connell

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The purpose of this study is to examine the public participation mechanisms employed for a proposed new infrastructure project. Public participation is a core characteristic of a contemporary democratic society as policy makers are increasingly encouraged to engage with citizens for learning and legitimacy. Participation is a loose concept with many forms and interpretations. This study explores the key characteristics of public participation formats, challenges to and the criteria for success. This analysis is then applied to the proposed local infrastructure consultation process. An additional survey is designed and its role in the public participation process is assessed. The processes …

Covid-19 Vaccine Race–The Shadow Of Political And Multinational Interests, Daniel Rajmil, Lucía Morales, Toni Aira

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused global disruption in 2020, throwing the world into an unprecedented health crisis with unpredicted socio-economic consequences. Strikingly, politicians and supranational organizations failed to collaborate and coordinate a united global response. In light of this, this research study explores how the vaccine race may have been used as a weapon of political communication, constantly influenced by international relations and economic interests. This study analyses the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how the vaccine development was used to support Trump's political discourse to gain international political leadership amidst the electoral campaign to become reelected. The core …

A Multi-Life Cycle Assessment Of External Wall Insulation Strategies In An Irish Domestic Retrofit, Sara Carrigan, Patrick Daly, Alberta Congeduti

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European Union (EU) policy and initiatives are driving both building renovation and the uptake of low-embodied carbon and circular design in the construction sector. The European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) recast (2021) introduces global warming potential (GWP) methodology, and the future state will likely be embodied carbon targets for which life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings will be required. External wall insulation (EWI) will have an important role to play in meeting targets. In this context, this paper compares the carbon emission payoff of three alternative EWI strategies that address conventional, low-carbon and circular solutions to EWI respectively, in …

Biobased Construction From Agricultural Crops: Paper 2 - Supply Chain Dynamics Of European Case Studies, Patrick Daly, Paula G. Barril

Articles

Energy security, economics and environmental factors are key drivers toward greater energy efficiency, decarbonisation and circularisation of the building sector.

Bio-based construction provides a potential low carbon and circular strategy toward these aims, as these materials can sequester carbon, are derived from renewable and nontoxic sources and can be re circulated in either technical or bio cycles.

This innovative research undertakes a state of play into select agri-crop biobased construction materials, products and systems across Europe focusing on their supply chain types and dynamics.

The research is based on a multi case study applying a range of mainly qualitative research …

Data Justice In Education: Toward A Research Agenda, Luci Pangrazio, Glenn Auld, Julianne Lynch, Carly Sawatzki, Gavin Duffy, Shelley Hannigan, Jo O'Mara

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Educational institutions increasingly rely on digital platforms to deliver content and learning, monitor attendance, communicate with stakeholders, and evaluate institutional performance. Despite the efficiency and accessibility gains they offer, digital platforms are powered by personal data which, through a process of datafication, can be used to track, monitor, and profile staff and students. The insights drawn from this data can be used to shape educational and professional futures. This article examines how datafication has become a social justice issue in education, discussing the implications for well-being, decision-making, governance, and power in education. Using Hintz and colleagues framework for data justice, …

The Impact Of Emerging Technologies Of Industry 4.0 On Sustainability Dimensions, Mohammed Alnahhal, Waqas Saleem, Bashir Salah

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In the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) era, emerging technologies positively affect sustainability both internally within the industry and externally at the global level. Sustainable productive systems are expected to be with the best indicators levels through using emerging technologies in the I4.0. This study aims to investigate the effect of emerging technologies in the I4.0 on the sustainability pillars through an analysis of a case study conducted at King Saud University about a Smart Yogurt Filling System. In this system, the most critical emerging technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, Near field communication technology (NFC), and Node-RED, were …

An Image Processing Approach For Real-Time Safety Assessment Of Autonomous Drone Delivery, Assem A. Abdelhak, Dan Moss, Alan Hicks, Susan Mckeever

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The aim of producing self-driving drones has driven many researchers to automate various drone driving functions, such as take-off, navigation, and landing. However, despite the emergence of delivery as one of the most important uses of autonomous drones, there is still no automatic way to verify the safety of the delivery stage. One of the primary steps in the delivery operation is to ensure that the dropping zone is a safe area on arrival and during the dropping process. This paper proposes an image-processing-based classification approach for the delivery drone dropping process at a predefined destination. It employs live streaming …

A Global Model-Agnostic Rule-Based Xai Method Based On Parameterized Event Primitives For Time Series Classifiers, Ephrem Tibebe Mekonnen, Luca Longo, Pierpaolo Dondio

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Time series classification is a challenging research area where machine learning and deep learning techniques have shown remarkable performance. However, often, these are seen as black boxes due to their minimal interpretability. On the one hand, there is a plethora of eXplainable AI (XAI) methods designed to elucidate the functioning of models trained on image and tabular data. On the other hand, adapting these methods to explain deep learning-based time series classifiers may not be straightforward due to the temporal nature of time series data. This research proposes a novel global post-hoc explainable method for unearthing the key time steps …

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (Xai) 2.0: A Manifesto Of Open Challenges And Interdisciplinary Research Directions, Luca Longo, Mario Brcic, Federico Cabitza, Jaesik Choi, Roberto Confalonieri, Javier Del Ser, Riccardo Guidotti, Yoichi Hayashi, Francisco Herrera, Andreas Holzinger, Richard Jiang, Hassan Khosravi, Freddy Lecue, Gianclaudio Malgieri, Andrés Páez, Wojciech Samek, Johannes Schneider, Timo Speith, Simone Stumpf, Artificial Intelligence And Cognitive Load Research Lab

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Understanding black box models has become paramount as systems based on opaque Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to flourish in diverse real-world applications. In response, Explainable AI (XAI) has emerged as a field of research with practical and ethical benefits across various domains. This paper highlights the advancements in XAI and its application in real-world scenarios and addresses the ongoing challenges within XAI, emphasizing the need for broader perspectives and collaborative efforts. We bring together experts from diverse fields to identify open problems, striving to synchronize research agendas and accelerate XAI in practical applications. By fostering collaborative discussion and interdisciplinary cooperation, …

Relative Effectiveness Of A Radionuclide (210pb), Surface Elevation Table (Set), And Lidar At Monitoring Mangrove Forest Surface Elevation Change, Richard Mackenzie, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Eugene Eperiam, Jan Van Aardt, Ali Rouzbeh-Kargar, Jessica Grow, Val Klump

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Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the greatest future threats to mangrove forests. Mangroves have kept up with or paced past SLR by maintaining their forest floor elevation relative to sea level through root growth, sedimentation, and peat development. Monitoring surface elevation change (SEC) or accretion rates allows us to understand mangrove response to SLR and prioritizes resilient ecosystems for conservation or vulnerable ecosystems for restoration. We compared three methods to measure SEC and accretion in mangrove forests: 210Pb, surface elevation tables (SETs), and a terrestrial light detection and ranging system (compact biomass LiDAR—CBL). Lead-210 accretion rates were not significantly …

The Structure Of Secondary Copyright Liability, Felix T. Wu

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Secondary copyright liability and secondary patent liability largely parallel each other. And yet, secondary copyright cases are often quite different from secondary patent cases. Whereas most secondary patent infringers act in a way that targets a particular patent or group of related patents, secondary copyright infringement mostly arises in the context of technologies or services that work across all copyrighted works. Secondary copyright liability raises issues of platform liability in ways that secondary patent liability usually does not.

The current structure and framing of secondary copyright liability inadequately account for this distinction. The result is that secondary copyright liability tends …

The Need For Energy Storage On Renewable Energy Generator Outputs To Lessen The Geeth Effect, I.E. Short-Term Variations Mainly Associated With Wind Turbine Active Power Output, Tony Kealy

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Many studies investigating the short-term variations associated with the power output from wind turbine generators utilise simulated or modelled data in the analysis. This current study uses short-term empirical data downloaded directly from operational wind turbines via electrical power quality meters. The empirical data shows that the short-term variations (one-second or sub-one-second timeframe) occur continuously over most of the power output range. A novel name is proposed, the Geeth Effect, for this variability phenomenon. The Geeth Effect is measured using the coefficient of variation mathematical expression and is likely contributing to (i) lower-than-expected financial and environmental benefits associated with …

States’ Duty Under The Federal Elections Clause And A Federal Right To Education, Evan Caminker

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Fifty years ago, in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, the Supreme Court failed to address one of the preeminent civil rights issues of our generation—substandard and inequitable public education—by holding that the federal Constitution does not protect a general right to education. The Court didn’t completely close the door on a narrower argument that the Constitution guarantees “an opportunity to acquire the basic minimal skills necessary for the enjoyment of the rights of speech and of full participation in the political process.” Both litigants and scholars have been trying ever since to push that door open, pressing …

The Federal Reserve's Mandates, David T. Zaring, Jeffery Y. Zhang

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Solutions to systemic problems such as climate change and racial inequities have eluded policymakers for decades. In searching for creative solutions, some policymakers have recently thought about expanding the Federal Reserve’s core set of macroeconomic mandates to tackle these issues. But there are real questions about whether that can be done from a legal perspective and whether that should be done from a policy perspective.

Making Tradable White Certificates Trustworthy, Anonymous, And Efficient Using Blockchains, Nouman Ashraf, Sachin Sharma, Sheraz Aslam, Khursheed Aurangzeb

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Fossil fuel pollution has contributed to dramatic changes in the Earth’s climate, and this trend will continue as fossil fuels are burned at an ever-increasing rate. Many countries around the world are currently making efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and one of the methods is the Tradable White Certificate (TWC) mechanism. The mechanism allows organizations to reduce their energy consumption to generate energy savings certificates, and those that achieve greater energy savings can sell their certificates to those that fall short. However, there are some challenges to implementing this mechanism, such as the centralized and costly verification and control …

Typ.Ologies: Reframing Ireland's Vernacular Letterform Through The Lens Of Heritage, Deirdre Maher Ring

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Since the late 1800s, vernacular letterforms have been vital components of the traditional shopfronts of Ireland, enlivening, place-making, and inspiring dialogue with streetscapes. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage identifies, records, and evaluates Ireland’s post-1700 architectural heritage. While the state initiative appraises architecturally significant shopfronts, it typically overlooks the critical signage element. This research aims to bridge this gap by documenting, mapping, and interpreting the existing vernacular letterforms in Kilkenny as a paradigm. Through the lens of heritage, the study seeks to construct a case for preserving, promoting, and advocating for vernacular letterforms and the traditional craft of signwriting. Signwriting …

Walking The Walk: Ex-Prisoners, Lived Experience, And The Delivery Of Restorative Justice, Allely Albert

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Although the role of prisoners and ex-prisoners has recently received significant attention in restorative justice research, the literature typically treats them as the ‘offending’ party within restorative justice processes. This article instead focuses on ex-prisoners as facilitators of restorative justice, highlighting their ability to lead such programmes. Using a case study from Northern Ireland, the article examines the way that experiences of incarceration have directly influenced practitioners’ skills and their ability to uphold restorative justice principles. It is contended that qualities developed and honed in the prison environment ultimately translate to unique characteristics that can improve the restorative process. As …

The Awkward Middle For Automated Vehicles: Liability Attribution Rules When Humans And Computers Share Driving Responsibilities, William H. Widen, Philip Koopman

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This Article proposes an architecture of concepts and language for use in a state statute that establishes when a human occupant of an automated vehicle (AV) has contributory negligence for her interactions with a driving automation system. Existing law provides an insufficient basis for addressing the question of liability because a driving automation system intentionally places some burden for safe operation of an AV on a human driver. Without further statutory guidance, leaving resolution to the courts will likely significantly delay legal certainty by creating inefficient and potentially inconsistent results across jurisdictions because of the technological complexity of the area. …

Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, And The Judicial Strike Zone - Home Run Or Foul On The Play?, Jan L. Jacobowitz

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Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Micky Mantle, and Shoeless Joe Jackson—There are many well-known baseball legends, but perhaps less well-known is the story of Kenesaw Mountain Landis, a judge turned baseball commissioner who inspired not only baseball fans, but also the American Bar Association’s first Judicial Canon of Ethics. The parallel stories of baseball’s greatest scandal, the judge appointed to be the first baseball commissioner, and the development of the judicial canons, provide context for the current controversial judicial prohibition--the appearance of impropriety.

The Weakness Of Neighborhood Revitalization Planning In The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program: Warnings From Connecticut, Noah Kazis, Katherine M. O'Regan

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The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the nation's largest program to produce and preserve subsidized housing. To ensure that LIHTC avoids harmfully concentrating poverty, entrenching segregation, or inefficiently deploying resources, federal law requires that states prioritize allocating credits to projects located in high-poverty locations that contribute to a "concerted community revitalization plan" (CCRP). In high-poverty neighborhoods, tax credit developments are meant to facilitate broader neighborhood revitalization, not only to benefit the residents of the housing itself. This paper provides new, empirical support for long-standing concerns that the CCRP process is ineffectively enforced.

Looking at each application for competitive tax …

The Right To Access Information On Land Recovery, Compensation, Assistance, And Resettlement: Case Study, City Of Can Tho, Vietnam, Hien Trung Phan, Hugh D. Spitzer

Articles

Land recovery in Vietnam is the process of compulsory transfer of land use rights from the hands of land users to the hands of the State by way of local government agencies. Land recovery frequently raises issues of compensation, assistance, and resettlement. It is vital for affected land users and the general public to have access to reports on land recovery, compensation, and resettlement. The article describes a limited survey of Vietnamese people whose land was subject to government recovery and evaluates their access to and understanding of information at each stage of the land recovery process. The study revealed …

“Social Workers By Day And Terrorists By Night?” Wounded Healers, Restorative Justice, And Ex-Prisoner Reentry, Allely Albert

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Common to many post-conflict societies, former political prisoners and combatants in Northern Ireland are often portrayed as security threats rather than as potential contributors to societal peacebuilding processes. This distrust limits their ability to contribute to the transitional landscape and additionally hinders desistance processes during their reentry from prison. Drawing from the work of Maruna, LeBel, and others on “wounded healers,” this article critically examines the restorative justice work of ex-prisoners who have become involved in leadership roles within community based restorative justice. It is argued that such practitioner work can help former combatants overcome many of the challenges typically …

Analysing Child Sexual Abuse Activities In The Dark Web Based On An Efficient Csam Detection Algorithm, Vuong Ngo, Christina Thorpe, Susan Mckeever

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Abstract: Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) activities are prevalent on the Dark Web to evade detection, posing a global challenge for law enforcement. Our objective is to analyze CSAM discussions in this concealed space using a Support Vector Machine model, achieving an accuracy of 87.6%. Across eight forums, approximately 28.4% of posts contained CSAM, with victim ages most commonly reported as 12, 14, 13, and 11 years old for YouTube, Skype, Instagram, and Facebook, respectively. Additionally, in forums discussing boys, the most frequently mentioned nationalities in CSAM posts were English, German, and American, accounting for 12%, 7.8%, and 6% of …

Sustainability Matchmaking: Exploration Into Using Excess Renewable Energy To Deliver ‘Free’ Energy To Fuel Poor Homes – A Preliminary Case Study In Ireland, Ciara Ahern, Ronan Oliver

Articles

The aggregated fuel cost of domestic hot water (DHW) generation in Ireland, in 2022, was €529M with associated emissions/load of 1.3MtCO₂/289GWh. The shadow price of carbon monetises the negative impact of emissions, rising with time; DHW generation has an associated shadow carbon cost of €13M in 2022, rising to €42M in 2030 and €335M in 2050.

In 2020, c12%/€441M of wind was curtailed or wasted as inter alia, there was no demand at times of high wind. Meanwhile, a ‘silent crisis’ is occurring in Ireland wherein one-in-two dwellings were considered in fuel poverty in 2022. Households in …

Automated Vehicles, Moral Hazards & The "Av Problem", William H. Widen

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No abstract provided.

Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, Michael Hatfield

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collects more information on more individuals than any other government agency. The information is not only financial but personal, potentially including information about health care needs and decisions; the caregivers, disabilities, and foreign birth of children; the educational progress and felony convictions of students; and one’s religious and charitable associations. In acknowledging the vast quantity of information held by the IRS, and the necessity of taxpayers trusting tax administrators with their information, Congress provided greater protection for taxpayer information under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) than it was provided under the Privacy Act. Congress obligated …

Graph Modeling For Openflow Switch Monitoring, Ali Malik, Ruairí De Fréin

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Network monitoring allows network administrators to facilitate network activities and to resolve issues in a timely fashion. Monitoring techniques in software-defined networks are either (i) active, where probing packets are sent periodically, or (ii) passive, where traffic statistics are collected from the network forwarding elements. The centralized nature of software-defined networking implies the implementation of monitoring techniques imposes additional overhead on the network controller. We propose Graph Modeling for OpenFlow Switch Monitoring (GMSM), which is a lightweight monitoring technique. GMSM constructs a flow-graph overview using two types of asynchronous OpenFlow messages: packet-in and flow-removed, which improve monitoring and decision making. …

Inéire: An Interpretable Nlp Pipeline Summarizing Inclusive Policy Making Concerning Migrants In Ireland, Arefeh Kazem, Arjumand Younus, Mingyeong Jeon, Muhammad Atif Qureshi, Simon Caton

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Reaching marginal and other migrant communities to elicit their political views and opinions is a well-known challenge. Social media has enabled a certain amount of online activism and participation, especially in societies with abundant multicultural identities. However, it can be quite challenging to isolate the voice of the migrant in English-speaking countries, especially with an abundance of content in English on social media. In this paper, we pursue a case study of Ireland’s Twitter landscape, specifically migrant and native activists. We present a methodology that can accurately ( >80% ) isolate the Irish migrant voice with as little as 25 …