0000000000384382
AUTHOR
Rukhsana Ali
De-naturalizing the “predatory”: A study of “bogus” publications at public sector universities in Pakistan
Predatory publishing has recently emerged as a menace in academia. University professors and researchers often exploit this practice for their economic gains and institutional prestige. The present study investigates such existing predatory publishing practices in Pakistani public sector universities using Bourdieu’s (1991) concept of symbolic violence. For this purpose, we analyzed 495 articles published by 50 university professors in the social sciences and humanities over the period 2017-2021. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 postgraduate students to gather their perspectives on publishing practices. The study shows that 69% of the sample papers were published in pred…
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence : Research Challenges and Potential Solutions
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly emerging paradigm with many applications in healthcare, industries, and smart cities. However, this rise of global interest in AI has fueled a renewed interest from the public sector and global policymakers. As AI networks (e.g., chatbots, automation systems, and helping agents) are paving their way as interactive household items, a critically important research issue is understanding the ethical impact of these autonomous agents. What is the explanation of the AI decision-making process? What are the legal, societal, and moral consequences of these decisions and actions? Should these AI systems be allowed to make decisions for human beings and to w…
Security in Modern Smart Cities: An Information Technology Perspective
In a big and modern city, the security system is not a single-layered single module system. Instead, it consists of many layers with autonomous subsystems which are capable of interfacing reciprocally in an efficient and coordinated way horizontally and vertically. The design of such indigenous subsystems and ensuring tight interaction between them while taking into account high usability and resource utilization is not a simple task. In this regard, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the security systems in smart cities. We begin by introducing trends and key stakeholders in smart cities. Next, we provide examples of mass surveillance systems in developed countries like the …
Social Media as an Opinion Formulator: A Study on Implications and Recent Developments
Social media has a great influence on how information reaches us and how we form an opinion based on it. For many users, social media increases the variety of information and ensure its accessibility across different platforms. However, recent years have seen an exponential increase in the power of social media. Most often, the forwarding and sharing of journalistic articles serve the recommendation from the user's point of view, but recently, these platforms have been developed into an echo chamber to transport additional information or even a critical attitude. In addition, the uncontrolled influx of social media in different parts of the world favors phenomena such as fake news and socia…