Search Results (57)

Data Spaces appear to offer a solution to data sovereignty concerns in public cloud environments, which are managed by third parties and must therefore be considered potentially untrusted. The IDS Connector, a key component of Data Space architecture, acts as a secure gateway, enforcing data sovereignty by controlling data usage and ensuring that data processing occurs within a trusted and verifiable environment. This study compares the performance of cloud-native data sharing services offered by major cloud providers—Amazon, Microsoft, and Google—with Data Spaces services delivered via two connector implementations: the Dataspace Connector and the Prometheus-X Dataspace Connector. An extensive set of experiments reveals significant differences in the performance of cloud-native managed services, as well as between connector implementations and hosting methods. The results indicate that the differences in the performance of data sharing services are unexpectedly substantial between providers, reaching up to 187%, and that the performance of different connector implementations also varies considerably, with an average difference of 56%. This indicates that the choice of cloud provider and data space Connector implementation has a major impact on the performance of the designed solution. Full article

The Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is framed as a flagship of Türkiye’s national low-carbon transition. This study examines how domestic economic actors perceive the project’s socio-economic and environmental impacts, and how those perceptions align with—or diverge from—official assessments and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the research draws on 28 semi-structured interviews with members of the Silifke Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council. This lens captures how locally embedded businesses read the project’s risks and rewards in real time. Four themes stand out. First, respondents see a clear economic uptick—but one that feels time-bound and vulnerable to the project cycle. Second, many feel excluded from decision-making; as a result, their support remains conditional rather than open-ended. Third, participants describe environmental signals as ambiguous, paired with genuine ecological concern. Fourth, skepticism about governance intertwines with sovereignty anxieties, particularly around foreign ownership and control. Overall, while short-term economic benefits are widely acknowledged, support is tempered by procedural exclusion, environmental worry, and distrust of foreign control. Conceptually, the study contributes to energy-justice scholarship by elevating sovereignty as an additional dimension of justice and by highlighting the link between being shut out of processes and perceiving higher environmental risk. Policy implications follow directly: create robust, domestic communication channels; strengthen participatory governance so local actors have a real voice; and embed nuclear projects within regional development strategies so economic gains are durable and broadly shared. Full article

In general, the justification for the divine punishment in the Christian cosmos hinges on the notion of free will. Despite doctrinal complexities involving sin, grace, and divine sovereignty, individuals are held morally responsible for choosing evil over good. According to an ancient Chinese legend, however, the tyrant King Zhou (11th C. BCE) who lost his throne due to a changed mandate from Heaven was born with extreme evil tendencies. But if his evilness was determined before his birth and all his evil deeds are consequences of his natural tendencies, what might justify his punishment? Through an examination of Confucian responses to this question, this essay argues that Confucians did not ground moral responsibility in volitional freedom but rather in the extremity of one’s moral conduct. Their framework reveals a distinctive form of compatibilism—one in which blame is assigned not on the basis of freedom to choose otherwise but on how radically one’s actions deviate from shared ethical expectations. This suggests that the assumption of free will as a necessary condition for moral responsibility may reflect culturally specific intuitions, rather than a universal moral standard. Full article

Deep Federated Learning (DFL) revolutionizes machine learning (ML) by enabling collaborative model training across diverse, decentralized data sources without direct data sharing, emphasizing user privacy and data sovereignty. Despite its potential, DFL’s application in sensitive sectors is hindered by challenges in meeting rigorous standards like the GDPR, with traditional setups struggling to ensure compliance and maintain trust. Addressing these issues, our research introduces an innovative Zero Trust-based DFL architecture designed for GDPR compliant systems, integrating advanced security and privacy mechanisms to ensure safe and transparent cross-node data processing. Our base paper proposed the basic GDPR-Compliant DFL Architecture. Now we validate the previously proposed architecture by formally verifying it using High-Level Petri Nets (HLPNs). This Zero Trust-based framework facilitates secure, decentralized model training without direct data sharing. Furthermore, we have also implemented a case study using the MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets to evaluate the existing approach with the proposed Zero Trust-based DFL methodology. Our experiments confirmed its effectiveness in enhancing trust, complying with GDPR, and promoting DFL adoption in privacy-sensitive areas, achieving secure, ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) with transparent and efficient data processing. Full article

The rubber industry is facing major socio-economic and environmental constraints. Rubber-based agroforestry systems represent a more sustainable solution through the diversification of income and the provision of greater ecosystem services than monoculture plantations. Participative approaches are known for their ability to co-construct solutions with stakeholders and to promote a positive impact on smallholders. This study therefore implemented a participatory research process with stakeholders in the natural rubber sector for the purpose of improving inclusion, relevance and impact. Facilitation training sessions were first organised with academic actors to prepare participatory workshops. A working group of stakeholder representatives was set up and participated in these workshops to share a common representation of the value chain and to identify problems and solutions for the sector in Indonesia. By fostering collective intelligence and systems thinking, the process is aimed at enabling the development of adaptive technical solutions and building capacity across the sector for future government replanting programmes. The resulting adaptive technical packages were then detailed and objectified by the academic consortium and are part of a participatory plant breeding approach adapted to the natural rubber industry. On-station and on-farm experimental plans have been set up to facilitate the drafting of projects for setting up field trials based on these outcomes. Research played a dual role as both knowledge provider and facilitator, guiding a co-learning process rooted in social inclusion, equity and ecological resilience. The initiative highlighted the potential of rubber cultivation to contribute to climate change mitigation and food sovereignty, provided that it can adapt through sustainable practices like agroforestry. Continued political and financial support is essential to sustain and scale these innovations. Full article

There is a long tradition of studying river sharing problems. A central question frequently examined and addressed is how common benefits or costs can be distributed fairly. In this context, axiomatic approaches of cooperative game theory often use contradictory principles of international water law, which are strictly rejected in practice. That leads to the question: Are these methods suitable for a real-world application? First, we conduct a systematic literature review based on the PRISMA approach to categorise the river sharing problems. We identified several articles describing a variety of methods and real-world applications, highlighting interdisciplinary interest. Second, we evaluate the identified axiomatic literature related to TU games with regard to their suitability for real-world applications. We exclude those “standalone” methods that exclusively follow extreme principles and/or do not describe cooperative behaviour. This is essential for a fair distribution. Third, we propose to use the traditional game-theoretical approach of airport games in the context of river protection measures to ensure a better economic interpretation and to enforce future cooperation in the joint implementation of protective measures. Full article

In the deep integration process between digital infrastructure and new economic forms, structural imbalance between the evolution rate of cloud storage technology and the growth rate of data-sharing demands has caused systemic security vulnerabilities such as blurred data sovereignty boundaries and nonlinear surges in privacy leakage risks. Existing academic research indicates current proxy re-encryption schemes remain insufficient for cloud access control scenarios characterized by diversified user requirements and personalized permission management, thus failing to fulfill the security needs of emerging computing paradigms. To resolve these issues, a revocable attribute-based proxy re-encryption scheme supporting policy-hiding is proposed. Data owners encrypt data and upload it to the blockchain while concealing attribute values within attribute-based encryption access policies, effectively preventing sensitive information leaks and achieving fine-grained secure data sharing. Simultaneously, proxy re-encryption technology enables verifiable outsourcing of complex computations. Furthermore, the SM3 (SM3 Cryptographic Hash Algorithm) hash function is embedded in user private key generation, and key updates are executed using fresh random factors to revoke malicious users. Ultimately, the scheme proves indistinguishability under chosen-plaintext attacks for specific access structures in the standard model. Experimental simulations confirm that compared with existing schemes, this solution delivers higher execution efficiency in both encryption/decryption and revocation phases. Full article

Amid the dual imperatives of global trade expansion and low-carbon transition, intelligent maritime shipping has emerged as a central driver for the innovation of international logistics systems, now entering a critical window period for the deep integration of Internet technologies and automated port infrastructure. While existing research predominantly focuses on isolated applications of intelligent technologies, systematic evaluations of the synergistic effects of technological integration on maritime ecosystems, policy compatibility, and contributions to global carbon emission governance remain under-explored. Leveraging bibliometric analysis, this study systematically examines 488 publications from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection (2000–2024), yielding three pivotal findings: firstly, China dominates the research landscape, with a 38.5% contribution share, where Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and port automation constitute the technological pillars. However, critical gaps persist in cross-system protocol standardization and climate-adaptive modeling, accounting for only 2.7% and 4.2% of the literature, respectively. Secondly, international collaboration networks exhibit pronounced “Islamization”, characterized by an inter-team collaboration rate of 17.3%, while the misalignment between rapid technological iteration and existing maritime regulations exacerbates industry risks. Thirdly, a dual-track pathway integrating Cyber–Physical System (CPS)-based digital twin ports and open-source vertical domain-specific large language models is proposed. Empirical evidence demonstrates its efficacy in reducing cargo-handling energy consumption by 15% and decision-making latency by 40%. This research proposes a novel tripartite framework, encompassing technological, institutional, and data sovereignty dimensions, to resolve critical challenges in integrating multi-source maritime data and managing cross-border governance. The model provides academically validated and industry-compatible strategies for advancing sustainable maritime intelligence. Subsequent investigations should expand data sources to include regional repositories and integrate interdisciplinary approaches, ensuring the adaptability of both technical systems and international policy coordination mechanisms across diverse maritime ecosystems. Full article

Syndromic surveillance has evolved into a vital public health tool, providing near real-time data to detect and respond to health threats. While states administer syndromic surveillance systems, Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) serve American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities across multistate regions, often encountering significant barriers to data access and utilization. This manuscript explores how TECs access and use syndromic surveillance data to address health disparities in AIAN populations, highlighting successes, innovations, and ongoing challenges. The Alaska Native Epidemiology Center (ANEC), Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (GPTEC), and Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (NWTEC) provide insights into their syndromic surveillance practices. This includes data access methods, the creation of dashboards and reports, technical assistance for Tribal Health Organizations (THOs), and strategies for overcoming jurisdictional and data-sharing barriers. TECs have successfully leveraged syndromic surveillance to monitor critical health issues, including respiratory illnesses, substance misuse, behavioral health, and maternal care. Collaborative efforts have addressed race misclassification and data gaps, enabling targeted interventions such as air purifier distribution and improving health care delivery for tribal veterans. However, TECs can face restrictive data use agreements, jurisdictional misalignments, and limited access to granular data, hindering their ability to serve AIAN communities comprehensively. Syndromic surveillance offers transformative potential for improving public health in AIAN communities. To fully realize this potential, systemic changes are needed to streamline data-sharing agreements and improve data accuracy. These efforts, along with strong collaborations between TECs and state health departments, are critical to advancing health equity, respecting tribal sovereignty, and ensuring timely, actionable insights for AIAN populations. Full article

Digitalization is transforming the maritime sector, and the amount and variety of data generated is increasing rapidly. Effective data utilization is crucial for data-driven services such as for highly automated maritime systems and efficient traffic coordination. However, these applications depend on heterogeneous, distributed data sources managed by different actors, making secure and sovereign information sharing difficult. This paper investigates how maritime data can be exchanged reliably and securely without jeopardizing data sovereignty. Based on the existing literature, we identify the main challenges and current research gap in sharing maritime information, emphasizing the importance of data availability. From this, we derive requirements for a secure and sovereign infrastructure for data exchange. To address these challenges, we propose a fully decentralized architecture for the maritime sector based on the concept of a data space. Our approach integrates protocols to improve data availability while minimizing data volume, considering maritime constraints such as volatile connectivity, low bandwidth and existing standards. We evaluate our architecture through a maritime traffic management case study and demonstrate its ability to enable secure and sovereign exchange of heterogeneous data. The results confirm that our solution reliably supports distributed data collection and enables data-driven, value-added services, which in turn will improve the safety and efficiency of the maritime domain in the near future. Full article

This paper explores the crucial role of Cree elders’ knowledge in revitalizing Indigenous food sovereignty, focusing on food as a cornerstone of Cree identity, spirituality, and wellbeing. Based on a study of Cree elders in Manitoba in 2020, this paper highlights the depth of Cree food knowledge, intertwined with spiritual practices, language, and land ethics. Using an Indigenous research paradigm, ten Cree elders were interviewed and shared their experiences of traditional communal practices, the detrimental impacts of colonialism on food systems, and the spiritual connections between food, land, and community. The elders emphasized the need for education and the preservation of Cree languages, which encode critical knowledge for sustaining food practices. Through their stories, elders illustrated how food sovereignty is not merely about physical sustenance but involves maintaining sacred relationships and responsibilities to the land and all its inhabitants. This research underscores the importance of Cree knowledge in reclaiming and sustaining Indigenous food systems, essential for the health and resilience of Cree communities. Full article

The Ang Pagtanom og Binhi Project is a University–Community partnership and community-based participatory research project exploring the health benefits of food sovereignty practices in the Philippines. In late 2021, in the midst of data collection, Super Typhoon Odette made landfall in the Philippines causing massive environmental and structural devastation. In the aftermath of the storm, community partners in the Philippines and members of the research team in the United States shared photos, texts, and updates. These messages included descriptions of structural and environmental damage caused by the storm and stories of mutual aid efforts and actions taken by individuals and small organizations, each highlighting connections between food sovereignty efforts in the Philippines and the impacts of climate change. Due to the richness of the stories, the interconnectedness between these conversations and the research topic, and the alignment within the theoretical foundations of the project, the researchers understood that these communications should be included as data. With feedback from the Community Advisory Board, the Research and Design Team amended project protocols, research questions, and consent forms to incorporate this emergent data. This manuscript describes the process that the team undertook and some of the lessons learned by taking this approach. Full article

The once-dominant view that architectural developments in mediaeval Southeast Asia closely followed Indian ‘influence’ is now largely rejected. Recent scholarship has shifted its focus onto the agency of local artists and architects in driving architectural innovations across the region. However, specific cases of transregional exchanges in architectural ideas and practices remain underexplored. This study examines three geographically distant Buddhist sites—Paharpur in northern Bangladesh, Candi Sewu in Central Java, Indonesia, and Samye Monastery in central Tibet—active in the late 8th century. I consider the significance of specific similarities and their temporal correlations within a broader range of styles, materials, and technologies. I argue that the activity at these sites reveals a shared architectural agenda transmitted over vast distances by religious experts, including Buddhist monks, in the last decades of the 8th century. Central to the network of three temple-monasteries proposed is the role that a specific architectural type was understood to play in protecting the kingdom and extending a king’s sovereignty while manifesting his spiritual aspirations. By distinguishing between architectural forms, architectural agendas, and modes of production, this study clarifies the complex nature of transregional architectural exchange in the premodern world. Full article

This paper aims to propose innovative actions of advanced technological solutions and consequent necessary institutional decisions to achieve in a reasonable time the definitive confidential data protection and data sovereignty, based on available scientific results. Confidential data protection is a fundamental and strategic issue in next-generation Internet systems to guarantee data sovereignty and the respect of human rights as stated in the foundation of the United Nations. Even if presently many international regulations are decisive steps to guarantee data protection within normative contexts, they are not adequate to face new technologies, such as facial recognition, automatic profiling, position tracking, biometric data, AI applications, and many others in the future, as they are implemented without any awareness by the interested subjects. Therefore, a new approach to data protection is mandatory based on innovative and disruptive technological solutions. A recent OECD report highlighted the need for the so-called Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) for the effective protection of confidential data, even more urgent for the coexistence of privacy and data sharing in international contexts. A common feature of these technologies is the use of software methodologies that can run on currently available microprocessors and their present immaturity. More effective and definitive protection can be achieved with another methodological approach based on the paradigm of ‘Data Usage Control’. This new concept guarantees data protection policy by default and initial design and it requires a new architecture of the data and a new HW&SW architecture of the computers. This contribution has a two-fold objective: first, to clarify why regulations alone and present technological proposals are not adequate for the effective and definitive protection of data and, second, to indicate the new necessary technological approach and the simultaneous institutional actions required to achieve the definitive protection and sovereignty of data in reasonable times, based on the results already available in the scientific literature. Full article

This qualitative study investigates the perspectives of urban Indigenous individuals in Saskatchewan, Canada, regarding their consumption of traditional foods. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 14 participants across Saskatoon, Regina, and Prince Albert, the research aimed to uncover the benefits, risks, and barriers associated with acquiring and consuming traditional foods. Participants emphasized the nutritional advantages of traditional foods, such as higher nutrient density and absence of industrial additives, which they linked to improved health outcomes and alignment with Indigenous biology. The study also highlighted the vital role of traditional foods in maintaining cultural identity and fostering community connections through practices of food sharing and intergenerational knowledge transfer. However, significant challenges were identified, including economic and physical barriers to access, environmental degradation, and regulatory issues that restrict the availability of traditional foods in urban settings. The findings suggest a complex landscape where cultural practices are both preserved and challenged within the urban environment. This study contributes to the broader understanding of how Indigenous populations navigate the preservation of their culinary heritage in the face of modern economic and environmental pressures, providing insights for policy and community-based interventions aimed at supporting Indigenous food sovereignty. Full article