While there is extensive research on how Russian interference – in particular Russian disinformation operation – has played out in different European countries, indications of Russian interference directly targeting EU, its institutions or policies received little attention. This paper argues why there is good reason to assume that the EU, its institutions and its policies are an ideal a target for authoritarian regimes to exploit. It then explores in what ways, if any, Russian disinformation campaigning targeted EU institutions and their policies during the political and electoral campaigns leading up to the European Parliament (EP) elections of May 2019. In this context disinformation campaigning in terms of both network flows and contents (‘narratives’) have been examined, on the basis of a review of various reports identifying Russian interference and disinformation and of analyses of overall disinformation flows in Europe and the use of a database monitoring occurrences of disinformation.
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Energy conservation is crucial in wireless ad hoc sensor network design to increase network lifetime. Since communication consumes a major part of the energy used by a sensor node, efficient communication is important. Topology control aims at achieving more efficient communication by dropping links and reducing interference among simultaneous transmissions by adjusting the nodes’ transmission power. Since dropping links make a network more susceptible to node failure, a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks is to find a communication graph with minimum interference and minimum power assignment aiming at an induced topology that can satisfy fault-tolerant properties. In this paper, we examine and propose linear integer programming formulations and a hybrid meta-heuristic GRASP/VNS (Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure/Variable Neighborhood Search) to determine the transmission power of each node while maintaining a fault-tolerant network and simultaneously minimize the interference and the total power consumption. Optimal biconnected topologies for moderately sized networks with minimum interference and minimum power are obtained using a commercial solver. We report computational simulations comparing the integer programming formulations and the GRASP/VNS, and evaluate the effectiveness of three meta-heuristics in terms of the tradeoffs between computation time and solution quality. We show that the proposed meta-heuristics are able to find good solutions for sensor networks with up to 400 nodes and that the GRASP/VNS was able to systematically find the best lower bounds and optimal solutions.
Most multi‑problem young adults (18–27 years old) have been exposed to childhood maltreatment and/or have been involved in juvenile delinquency and, therefore, could have had Child Protection Service (CPS) interference during childhood. The extent to which their childhood problems persist and evolve into young adult‑ hood may differ substantially among cases. This might indicate heterogeneous profiles of CPS risk factors. These pro‑ files may identify combinations of closely interrelated childhood problems which may warrant specific approaches for problem recognition and intervention in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to retrospectively identify distinct statistical classes based on CPS data of multi‑problem young adults in The Netherlands and to explore whether these classes were related to current psychological dysfunctioning and delinquent behaviour. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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“Empowering learners to create a sustainable future” This is the mission of Centre of Expertise Mission-Zero at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). The postdoc candidate will expand the existing knowledge on biomimicry, which she teaches and researches, as a strategy to fulfil the mission of Mission-Zero. We know when tackling a design challenge, teams have difficulties sifting through the mass of information they encounter. The candidate aims to recognize the value of systematic biomimicry, leading the way towards the ecosystems services we need tomorrow (Pedersen Zari, 2017). Globally, biomimicry demonstrates strategies contributing to solving global challenges such as Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and human interferences, rethinking how climate and circular challenges are approached. Examples like Eastgate building (Pearce, 2016) have demonstrated successes in the field. While biomimicry offers guidelines and methodology, there is insufficient research on complex problem solving that systems-thinking requires. Our research question: Which factors are needed to help (novice) professionals initiate systems-thinking methods as part of their strategy? A solution should enable them to approach challenges in a systems-thinking manner just like nature does, to regenerate and resume projects. Our focus lies with challenges in two industries with many unsustainable practices and where a sizeable impact is possible: the built environment (Circularity Gap, 2021) and fashion (Joung, 2014). Mission Zero has identified a high demand for Biomimicry in these industries. This critical approach: 1) studies existing biomimetic tools, testing and defining gaps; 2) identifies needs of educators and professionals during and after an inter-disciplinary minor at The Hague University; and, 3) translates findings into shareable best practices through publications of results. Findings will be implemented into tangible engaging tools for educational and professional settings. Knowledge will be inclusive and disseminated to large audiences by focusing on communication through social media and intervention conferences.
