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THE SCIENCE CLUSTERS are EU collaborative projects that were launched in 2019 to link ESFRI and other world-class Research Infrastructures (RIs) to the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The main impacts of the Science Clusters’ work programme concern: the improved access of researchers to data, tools and resources, leading to new insights and innovation for data-driven science both within and beyond the context of the domains in which the clusters are rooted; the creation of a cross-border open innovation environment for FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) data management for economies of scale, to develop synergies and rise the efficiency and productivity of researchers through open-science standards and thematic services; the enhanced co-developments to foster the cross-domain interoperability central to the EOSC goal. The Science Clusters are an integral part of EOSC. Their services and outcomes are now forming the core of the emerging EOSC fabric. As important partners of EOSC, Science Clusters contribute to its development and its implementation process. Importantly, the Science Clusters form a natural collaboration between the ESFRI RIs’ management boards partners in the clusters. As EOSC matures and begins delivering data and services for European research, a discussion is needed to stimulate the Open Science practices, cross-domain interoperability and long-term coordination of the scientific communities covered by the five Science Clusters. This position paper contributes formally to explain the urgent need of EC to support a longer-term role of the five Science Clusters to provide content to the EOSC, to enhance researchers’ involvement in Open Science and to suggest potential cooperative pathways in the Horizon-Europe framework and along with the EOSC Association roadmap. This paper is aimed at highlighting: Expectations of the clusters and the concerned research communities, pointing out a common structured vision and a series of suggestions for the future. A more detailed analysis from each cluster, that is provided for completeness.

In 2019, alpinism was inscribed in the UNESCO representative list of the intangi­ble cultural heritage of humanity. This thesis shows that alpinism as intangible cultural heritage can be made experienceable for everyone by means of interactive technologies of digital humanities. First, four relevant aspects of alpinism are elabo­rated and identified for which a total of nine different scenarios of interactive methods are then outlined, sketched and prototypically realised with basic digital tools. These scenarios are described from the user’s perspective and include virtual reality, augmented reality and location-based methods. Finally, these scenarios are analysed within a general framework for tan­gible interaction systems. The range of scenarios presented, whose actors are not only alpinists but also people who are not mountaineers, makes the different facets of alpinism as cultural heritage tangible for a wide range of people.

Denna avhandling presenterar en kritisk granskning av den positiva effekten av maskininlärning (ML) och Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) för att främja det kliniska beslutsstödsystemet (CDSS) kopplat till covid-19 och tidig upptäckt av sepsis. Avhandlingen betonar övergången mot patientcentrerade vårdsystem som kräver personlig och deltagande vård – en övergång som skulle kunna underlättas av dessa framväxande områden. Studien visar hur IoMT kan fungera som en robust plattform för dataaggregering, analys och överföring, vilket kan ge vårdgivare möjlighet att erbjuda mer effektiv vård. Covid-19-pandemin har särskilt betonat vikten av sådana patientcentrerade system för fjärrövervakning av patienter och sjukdomshantering. Integreringen av ML-drivna CDSS med IoMT ses som ett extremt viktigt steg i vårdsystemen som kan erbjuda stöd för beslutsfattande i realtid och förbättra patienternas hälsoutfall. Avhandlingen undersöker maskininlärningens förmåga att analysera komplexa medicinska dataset, identifiera mönster och korrelationer, samt göra anpassningar till föränderliga förhållanden, vilket därmed förbättrar dess prediktiva förmågor. Den fokuserar specifikt på utvecklingen av IoMT-baserade CDSS för covid-19 och tidig upptäckt av sepsis, med användning av avancerade ML-metoder och medicinska data. Nyckelfrågor som adresseras täcker bristen på dataannotering, dataspridning och dataheterogenitet, tillsammans med aspekter av säkerhet, integritet och tillgänglighet. Avhandlingen avser också att förbättra tolkbarheten av ML-prediktionsmodellbaserade CDSS. Etiska överväganden prioriteras för att säkerställa efterlevnad av de högsta standarderna. Avhandlingen demonstrerar potentialen och effektiviteten i att kombinera ML med IoMT för att förbättra CDSS genom att betona vikten av modelltolkbarhet, systemkompatibilitet och integrering av multimodala medicinska data för ett effektivt CDSS. Sammantaget bidrar denna avhandling till områdena ML och IoMT inom hälsovården, med deras kombinerade potential att förbättra CDSS, särskilt inom områdena covid-19 och tidig upptäckt av sepsis. Förhoppningen är att avhandlingen ska förbättra förståelsen bland medicinska intressenter och understryka behovet av kontinuerlig utveckling inom denna sektor. This thesis presents a critical examination of the positive impact of Machine Learning (ML) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) for advancing the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) in the context of COVID-19 and early sepsis detection. It emphasizes the transition towards patient-centric healthcare systems, which necessitate personalized and participatory care—a transition that could be facilitated by these emerging fields. The thesis accentuates how IoMT could serve as a robust platform for data aggregation, analysis, and transmission, which could empower healthcare providers to deliver more effective care. The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly stressed the importance of such patient-centric systems for remote patient monitoring and disease management. The integration of ML-driven CDSSs with IoMT is viewed as an extremely important step in healthcare systems that could offer real-time decision-making support and enhance patient health outcomes. The thesis investigates ML's capability to analyze complex medical datasets, identify patterns and correlations, and adapt to changing conditions, thereby enhancing its predictive capabilities. It specifically focuses on the development of IoMT-based CDSSs for COVID-19 and early sepsis detection, using advanced ML methods and medical data. Key issues addressed cover data annotation scarcity, data sparsity, and data heterogeneity, along with the aspects of security, privacy, and accessibility. The thesis also intends to enhance the interpretability of ML prediction model-based CDSSs. Ethical considerations are prioritized to ensure adherence to the highest standards. The thesis demonstrates the potential and efficacy of combining ML with IoMT to enhance CDSSs by emphasizing the importance of model interpretability, system compatibility, and the integration of multimodal medical data for an effective CDSS. Overall, this thesis makes a significant contribution to the fields of ML and IoMT in healthcare, featuring their combined potential to enhance CDSSs, particularly in the areas of COVID-19 and early sepsis detection. The thesis hopes to enhance understanding among medical stakeholders and acknowledges the need for continuous development in this sector.

Presentazione fatta da Roberto Barbera alla XIIth AIES Conference "Diagnosis, Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage"

The Colossi of Memnon are a prominent feature of the constructed landscape at ancient Thebes (modern day Luxor, Egypt). They were built on the West Bank during the later years of Amenhotep III reign and they stood in front of his royal cult temple, Mansion of Millions of Years, known today colloquially as Kôm el-Hetan. There is no consensus on the purpose of the statues and it is plausible that they were meant to represent multiple things. However, what all the theories surrounding their purpose have in common is that they are all reliant on the visibility of the statues. The Theban Harbours and Waterscapes Survey led by Angus Graham (Uppsala University) discovered that the royal cult temple and colossi statues was built on top of an elevated area of what is believed to be have been a pre-existing wadi fan (Toonen et al.2018; 2019). To the east of the temple, a minor channel of the Nile river was also discovered. The aim of this thesis was to analyse the visibility and visual experience of the Colossi of Memnon during the 18thDynasty. By analysing the boreholes from the Theban Harbours and Waterscapes Survey, I have (re)constructed the geological features of the surrounding landscape in a game engine (Unity). The visual analysis was done by a combined GIS spatial analysis and a VR based phenomenological approach. I concluded that the levees of the minor channel of the Nile were not elevated high enough to create any substantial blocking of the view from the floodplain or from inside of the channel during the low season. It was only when you got up close to the levees and kneeled on the ground that you would lose sight of parts of the colossi. As the surface level of the Nile rose during its annual cyclethe, it would be easier to observe the statues from any part of the minor channel. As for the visual experience of observing the Colossi of Memnon from different parts of the model, the experience only changed slightly from viewing the statues from the view of the floodplain or the channel. What changed the experience drastically was if you approached the statues from the front of from the side. As you approached the statues from the front you had the statues standing symmetrically in front of the temple and they are in turn facing you. Being in front of the Colossi statues creates a feeling of being part of the statues’ experience. Not only where the humans meant to see the statues, I believe that the statues were meant to see us. This as the most ideal location to observe and visually experience the statues, is where we are in the view of both the Colossi of Memnon. The experience of the statues fades as you approach them from their side where you become the observer rather than the observed. The visual experience from the side also results in that you do not get to fully take part in the experience that both statues provide. This is because one of them becomes slightly blocked by the other.  På grund av pandemi utfördes opponering på distans över Zoom

This thesis investigates the User eXperience (UX) and risks associated with Virtual Reality (VR) technology in museum exhibitions. The study builds upon the Hybrid Museum Experiences: Theory and Design by Løvlie, Sundnes et al. (2022) and adopts the User eXperience in Immersive Virtual Environment (UXIVE) Model developed by Tcha-Tokey et al. (2018). The aim is to analyse the interplay between Flow, Presence, and Experience Consequence in VR experiences and assess the impact of computational skills on user engagement. Additionally, the study evaluates the effectiveness of VR exhibits in addressing common risks. Findings indicate a positive correlation between experience consequence and flow, as well as suggest a potential influence of computational skills on flow, and highlight the significance of presence in fostering engagement and immersion. The VR exhibits effectively mitigated the common risks, as reflected in positive participant feedback. This research contributes to enhancing UX in VR museum experiences and provides insights for designing immersive exhibits while managing associated risks. Further research is recommended to validate the study's inferences and delve deeper into the influence of computational skills on flow.

Taking into consideration that archaeologists and historians are today more frequently encouraged to think in terms of digital transduction of historical materials, this chapter focuses on the potentials and pitfalls of ‘visualizing’ ‘recre- ating’ and ‘re-enacting/experiencing the senses’ in Virtual Reality (thereon VR) environments. More precisely, we focus on the very idea of sensory immersion for archaeological enquiry, research, study and dissemination. This chapter draws upon four VR projects at Humlab, Umeå University. The first is an example of using archae- ological data for supporting the interpretation process in a Mesolithic site, environ- ment from GIS to an immersive platform. The second is a result of collaborative work with the project ancient dance modern dancers (Slaney et al. 2018) in capturing the intangible art of Roman Pantomime in the theatre of Pompeii on Virtual Reality. The third is the implementation of interactive tools for an immersive study of photogram- metric models of medieval rock-cut settlements while the fourth is an assessment of the implementation of VR Google Earth in teaching ancient topography for under- graduate archaeology students. We show how important and interesting research is made in the process of tool experimentation and tool development.

Previosusly it was thought that no picture of the first telescope installed at the Astronomical Tower of the University of Latvia was preserved. During thorough search at the Museum of the University of Latvia a single picture of the telescope was found. This video explains how the picture was found. Agrāk domāja, ka Latvijas Universitātes Astronomiskā torņa pirmā teleskopa fotogrāfija nav saglabājusies. Veicot rūpīgus meklējumus Latvijas Universitātes Muzejā, tika atrasta vienīgā teleskopa fotogrāfija. Video paskaidro, kā tā tika atrasta.

In the age of digitization, the use of Augmented and Virtual Reality as digital supplements to the traditional museum visit become much more frequent. The author of this study investigates development process, and the way history is communicated through the Gamla Upsala AR/VR and Uppåkra VR experiences. The development processes are analysed through the lens of design thinking perspective. The analysis of history communication through digital experience focuses on reflecting the concepts of performance of knowledge, archaeological imagination and narratology, and time travel. The research is based on qualitative material gathered from institutions (Gamla Uppsala Museum and Uppåkra Archaeological Centre) and software developers (Disir Productions AB and Elkington Communications AB) responsible for the creation and use of the digital experiences. Based on the answers, a comparison of the results from is provided, with the help of the theoretical framework. In the discussion, the author places the problematics of the design, production and communication of history through digital tools into a broader context, as well as discusses the extent to which they are reflected in the Gamla Uppsala AR/ VR and Uppåkra Archaeological Centre VR. Additionally, the study debates probable solutions for using VR/AR in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Political language's power to influence public opinion drives the present investigation into proverbs used by presidents during 1945-2008. The study’s purpose is to explore the proverbial language of American presidents, employing a digital methods approach. In addition to the predominant use of quantitative and comparative analyses, qualitative analysis is also occasionally employed. The research examines proverb frequency, patterns, and shifts in political speeches, revealing shared trends and distinctive usage of the proverbs. It also considers presidency duration and political circumstances, uncovering the presidents that favored proverbs in their discourses. Adopting computational means and tools, the study intends to cover gaps in existing research by quantifying proverb usage, focusing on the nuanced sociopolitical fabric. The research is based on vast bibliographic references including studies conducted by old paremiologists, as well as modern computational endeavors. Although the proverbs’ nature involves challenges such as metaphoricity, and existence of variants can cause difficulties in their identification by the tools, the research has been completed, answered all research questions that spanned proverb presence, evolution, and disparities among presidents' speeches, and produced interesting results. Overall, the research enhances understanding of proverbs' role in political discourse, revealing how politicians shape leadership communication through language. Due to the fact that all data was retrieved by open accessed sources, the research has not encountered any copyright issues. Some of the findings were expected, while others were unpredicted. The alternating sequence of challenges and achievements resulted in an understanding of previously raised questions as well as the need to tackle new ones.