COORDINATORS FOREWORD

Author(s): Corina Moldovan,Christian Schuster / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The second issue of the Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai, Digitalia, offers a selection of papers and projects that were presented on the occasion of the first conference of the Digital Humanities Transylvania Centre, DigiHUBB, titled ‘Early digital computing in Eastern-Europe’, held on the 28 and the 29th of November 2017 at the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. The conference was inaugurated with the key-note speech given by Professor Willard McCarty, one of the first scholars to enthusiastically support the launch and the activities of DigiHUBB, the first digital humanities centre in Romania. In his plenary lecture, professor McCarty underlined the fact that the prospects of a new centre always brings into mind the causes of the disappearance of once brilliant ones, with the main reason being the lack of an intellectual agenda. In his paper entitled The programmer and the scholar: A conversation which opens the volume, the professor interrogates the meaning of the ‘common understanding’ that is vital for the resistance of the digital humanities as a field, a common ground understood as ‘a fundamentally interdisciplinary and methodological enterprise’ that gives value to the field of ‘intellectual ecology of the arts and the letters’. For McCarty, the programmer and the scholar are not two different kinds of people but ‘two states being in an evolving cognitive resonance’. Thus, the intersection between machine and the enquirer creates an intersection ‘where a genuine digital humanities – a practice of as well as in the human disciplines – takes place.’

THE PROGRAMMER AND THE SCHOLAR: A CONVERSATION

Author(s): Willard McCarty / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The prospects of a new centre for digital humanities brings to mind those once prominent centres that have disappeared, hence the question of what they did or did not do that would have made the difference. Here I suggest that they failed for lack of an intellectual agenda. Drawing from the early history of digital humanities, an ethnographic vignette of my own research, close attention to the machinery of computing and work in the history of the physical sciences, I suggest a beginning to such an agenda.

THE STORY OF THE FIRST ELECTRONIC COMPUTER IN HUNGARY

Author(s): Balint Domolki / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

After several preparatory activities in the early 50s, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences decided that it is necessary to have an electronic computer in Hungary. The Research Group for Cybernetics was established in mid-1956 and charged with the task of obtaining one. As commercial solutions proved to be impossible at that time it was decided to build the clone of a recently developed Soviet computer. The M-3 was a medium sized member of one of the first families of Soviet computers. Complete documentation and a package of key components were received in the framework of scientific cooperation. (Similar clones were built in Tallinn, Beijing, Erevan and M-3 was later manufactured in Minsk) Building of the M-3 started late 1957 (with the author's participation). Some life-signs were emerging in 1959, while more-or-less stabile operation was reached in 1960. Several improvements were made over the original design. Magnetic drum memory was exported to Timisoara for MECIPT. Despite its low performance, M-3 was successfully used to solve many real-life problems both for scientific-engineering calculations and in mathematical economics. Applications in other fields, like linguistics started too. The most important contribution of M-3 was its role in educating computer experts: many of the future leading personalities - both on the development and on the application side - got acquainted with computing around the M-3. M-3 served academic computing until 1965, extended with three more years at Szeged University. In the first part of the 60s commercial computers started to arrive to Hungary both from the USSR and the West.

COMPUTER ORIENTED HIGHER EDUCATION IN HUNGARY – THE BEGINNINGS

Author(s): Edit Sántáné-Tóth / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The history of computer-oriented higher education in Hungary started in 1957, when Prof. László Kalmár started the education of “applied mathematicians” at the University of Szeged. (The author graduated in the second year of this course, later called the “Szeged School.”) This paper starts with the computing experience around M-3, the first computer made in Hungary, and the use of this experience for educational purposes. It then continues with the initiatives of the University of Szeged, and, after surveying some basic and higher-degree courses, goes on to the institutions of higher learning offering education in computer studies, all the way to the programmer and program developer mathematician courses started in 1972 at three science-universities. However, the institutions of technical education will not be discussed in such detail; although teaching applied computing skills necessary for the technical field had begun quite early, the teaching of professional IT specialists was started only around 1990. The paper contains a table listing the first elective and founding subjects and the first specializations and independent training programmes offered by each university and college. Finally there is a short overview of the connections between contemporary professors and a list of the first conferences organized for IT teachers in Hungary.The IT History Forum (iTF) within the John von Neumann Computer Society (NJSZT) was founded at the beginning of 2009. At one of its events, it occurred to the author that information about the beginnings should be gathered while the persons in question are still alive. The study took 3 years to prepare and is the product of a large-scale collaboration: a total of 130 contemporary and present day teachers, researchers, and librarians participated in the work. Typotex published the material in the form of a book in 2012 . This study, which provides insight into the everyday lives of 30 institutions, is the source for this paper. (The book includes a name-index containing 300 entries and a list of almost 500 definitive contemporary articles, textbooks and technical books published until 1980.) – The paper is concluded with a brief presentation of the digitalised “Data Archive” (see the iTF website: http://itf2.njszt.hu) that serves to preserve the history of computing in Hungary.

VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO “ALBINA BANK” HISTORY REVEALED BY THE LECTURE OF DIGITAL ECONOMIC JOURNAL “REVISTA ECONOMICA” (1899-1918)

Author(s): Adriana Tiron-Tudor,Teodora Viorica FARCAS,Gianluca Zanellatto / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The paper reveals some valuable insights into “Albina Bank” history from a journalistic lens. This study is based on digital resources, in particular, the Economic Review journal “Revista economica” taking into consideration 20 years (1899-1918). Using a qualitative research method based on narrative inquiry and research techniques correlated to the type of data used, our study resorted to documentary research, historiography or the critical review of the business literature, and discourse analysis. In the analyzed period, the numerous mentions done by Economic Review Journal reveals the prolific activities of Albina Bank, helped and sustained the Romanian spirit and economic initiative. A new attempt of reconstructing the Romanian banking system’s activity of Transylvania was necessary due to the tracing of new possibilities to valorize both sources and a new effort, to achieve its framing within Austro-Hungary’s socio-economic and financial context. Albina Bank should be considered as a prototype, an innovation, as the successful introduction of an idea, perceived as new, into a given social system.

DAGUERREOBASE: DIGITIZING PHOTOGRAPHIC HERITAGE

Author(s): Călina Bârzu / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

The tendency to digitize and create online archives has recently become more common among cultural institutions. Digitizing collections and crowdsourcing the information bring more benefits to museums and the public because the digital medium facilitates a wider exposure and the circulation of a more consistent body of work. In the same line of practice, the Daguerreobase Project is a conservation initiative to digitally archive daguerreotypes on a large scale.

THE STORY OF A PROJECT: A COLLECTIVE MEMORY 1950-2000

Author(s): Andrada Cațavei / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2017

Conceived and started in 2007 as a result of a private initiative, the collective memory 1950-2000 transdisciplinary project is one whose story (creation, evolution, valorization) is of great interest in the history of digitalization in Romania. As one of the pioneering project of digitalization in the country, it focuses on the creation of an online image archive (www.memoriecolectiva.org) and of its contemporary cultural use. Dedicated to Romanian images especially but not only from the 1950-2000 period, is unique in the field both on the Romanian and international level by how it was conceived, theme, concept, complexity and display.Part of its uniqueness and values is due to the fact that besides collecting, preserving, archiving, digitalizing or presenting the images online it has an oral history component by presenting all the images together with records (voice, video, text) of their stories or/and the stories of their collectors or photographers. Thus an interesting and important asset of the project come into be discuss: the fact that the archive is an emotional one even if is created to be impartial, to have a scientific approach, to promote and encourage researchers and artists to work with it patrimony and an important part of the project it’s dedicated to research, study and to the cultural exploiting of the online archive.

Създаване на игри в часовете по информатика чрез използване на генератор на случайни числа

Author(s): Emilia Nikolova,Daniela Tuparova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2018

Methodological ideas are given in the paper for using the random numbers generator in programming education. A set of problems is presented in connection with visual programming education on the base of the C# language. The aims and the main stages are exposed for the solution of each problem. Also, the problems illustrate a possibility to combine the process of programming education with the creation of games. The set under consideration contains 10 problems, including 7 ones which are original and 3 ones are well-known classic games. The aim and the main stages of the solution are presented for each problem.

Как компютърът решава судоку – математически модел на алгоритъма

Author(s): Krasimir Yordzhev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2018

Some aspects of programming education are examined in this work. The emphasis is on the entertainment value. The most appropriate examples are chosen to demonstrate the different language constructions and data structures. Such an example is the demonstrated algorithm for solving the widespread nowadays sudoku puzzle. This is made because of the connection with the term set and putting it into practice in the programming.

Смарт класната стая – мит или реалност

Author(s): Milanka Decheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2018

The article shows the possibilities that “Smart Classroom” offers to students and teachers in class. The presence of smart technologies in the classroom will help to enhance learning activities as everything will happen faster. Such technology not only contributes to the progress of the learning process, but also engages students to participate in group educational interactive classes. Two lessons in math class for the 9th grade, held in a “smart” classroom, are examined.

Interactive Game Development to Assist Cultural Heritage

Author(s): Zsolt László Márkus,Gábor Kaposi,Miklós Veres,Zsolt Weisz,György Szántó,Tibor Szkaliczki,Desislava Paneva-Marinova,Radoslav Pavlov,Detelin Luchev,Maxim Goynov,Lilia Pavlova / Language(s): English Issue: VIII/2018

Serious educational games provide a novel way to transfer knowledge on cultural heritage, which can especially attract young people by using interactive multimedia technology. The paper presents a new flexible tool for developing, managing and presenting games. This server-based solution can facilitate the game development by applying game templates, layout styles and question pools. It also supports the development of game packages for multiple languages and multiple platforms (Web and mobile). The games can easily be customised for various learning domains. Complex games can be composed from several so-called minigames (e.g. puzzle, multiple choice, memory game, crossword etc.) and the tool also supports the evaluation of the user answers and organising competitions. The games were applied to deepen knowledge on various topics related to our cultural heritage. The latest game development is represented by the serious educational game “The Thracians” running in a virtual 360º panorama environment, which presents the life, beliefs and traditions of the ancient tribes.

Музей за литература и изкуства „Егише Черенц“ в Ереван. Добрата практика за достъп до архива на един музей

Author(s): Mariyana Piskova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2018

DIGITAL ECONOMY AND HUMANITIES

Author(s): Liana Stanca,Christian Schuster,Corina Moldovan / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

As editors of Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Digitalia, we are proud to announce the publication of the third issue of Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Digitalia, the first Romanian academic journal dedicated entirely to the Digital Economy and Humanities research and practice. The main aims of Studia UBB Digitalia are motivating and promoting the research in the interdisciplinary field of Digital Economy and Humanities, especially in Europe, in general, and Romania, in particular. Publishing a new journal on Digital Economy and Humanities is indeed an audacity, given that the field is still seen, after decades of evolution, as an odd hybrid between seemingly incompatible realms of scientific endeavour. Bridging this apparent dichotomy has been the focus of many researchers in the economy, humanities and the computer sciences for the past 50 years, but still the boundaries between the realms exist and grow strong, especially in the institutional practice of universities. Trying to break this barrier proves to be even harder in Romania, where the classification of “traditional” fields of scientific research dictate the distribution of research funds and the evaluation process of research output. Chances are, if an historian publishes an article on his research using computational methods in a journal for computer sciences, that his or her results cannot be “capitalised” in his own field; likewise, computer scientists may see their work in Digital Economy and Humanities not accounted for, if published elsewhere than in well-known CS journals. Digital technologies in economy area have impacted the modern workplace and stimulated the evolution of new forms of management. We are interested how big data and digital technologies are changing how we work and the world we live in. The digital phenomenon is multifaceted and changes the way organizations compete and innovate. It threatens long-lasting business models, and opens up new ways of creating and capturing value. As such, it is not only clearly relevant for management and IT&C practitioners, but also centrally important for management scholars. Digital Humanities and Economy: digital economy is an interdisciplinary field that also uses contributions from digital humanities: big data to understand narratives and plots, methods such as algorithmic analysis of text / videos, advanced visualization techniques, 3-D mapping of texts, digital economy tools for analyzing business and management content, communications, and behavior. The digital humanities sit at the crossroads of computer science and the humanities.

BETWEEN MYTH AND STEREOTYPE: THE METHOD OF STUDYING THE IMAGES OF RUSSIA IN THE VISUAL MEDIA CULTURE OF JAPAN

Author(s): Yulia V. Yashchenko,Anatoly V. Yashchenko,Anastasia S. Fadeeva / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The main sets of symbols of Russia in the visual media culture of Japan are formed in the XX century. This period was saturated with military conflicts and under the conditions of a bipolar political system; reactionary images with noticeable militaristic influence were formed. This study was performed on the materials of visual media culture in Japan, sources such as anime and manga were studied, in which a high concentration of Russian images is observed. During the study of these sources, a complex of several hundred visual and verbal images of Russia was identified, which seems to be a unique phenomenon. Since such an interest in the country-opponent in foreign policy issues is nowhere else observed. The purpose of this study is to identify markers that denote the space of Russian images in individual visual sources and determine their place in the media culture as a whole. Accordingly, the main objective of the study became the development of methods based on approaches of Digital Humanities and Visual Studies. This study allows us to determine the most economically viable images of Russia in the Japanese media industry and makes it possible to use the results of the research in Russia’s state image by stimulating Japan’s visual media culture sector for representation the most auspicious images.

DECISION MAKING IN SMART SUPPLY CHAINS: A CASE STUDY ON THE ENERGY INDUSTRY

Author(s): Florina Livia Covaci / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The dynamic economic environment is driving the evolution of traditional supply chains toward a connected, smart, and highly efficient supply chain ecosystem. Algorithms become powerfull tools that enable machines to make autonomous decisions in the digitized supply chain of the future. The present paper proposes an decision making mechanism for smart supply chain management in the petroleum industry. This industry has a strategic position as it is the base for other essential activities of the economy of any country. The petroleum industry is faced with volatile feedstock costs, cyclical product prices and seasonal final products demand. The current paper considers the position of a refinery as it is at the middle of the integrated petroleum supply chain, between the upstream and downstream. It procures crude oil from upstream assessing the price, quality, timing, and distance to the refinery in order to decide the optimal acquisition. Additionally, the refiner has to carefully monitor the price risk and manage the inventory. The manufacturing activities of the refiner requires thoroughly planning and scheduling the production levels and supply chains for all the derivates and feedstocks for petrochemical industry using tools for decision making in order to estimate market opportunities and threats under volatile market conditions.In order to provide a reliable and practical decision making model, the current paper proposes a mechanism for decision support under uncertainty using maximum expected utility.

DIGITAL AND CODING LITERACY FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

Author(s): Mariana Dindelegan / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

In the digitalization era, the notion of gamification appeared in every field of activity. Experimenting gamification of programming hours by practitioners and teachers in the 2017-2018 school year at the 5th grade is part of the research area related to identifying ways to improve student engagement and skills for lifelong learning.The article will present the outcome of this pilot experiment, which aims to track the evolution of pupils during the project, by analyzing and comparing the results from the initial evaluation with those from the final evaluation. The purpose of the article is, on one hand, to contribute to the literature with new results in the field of digitization of the teaching-learning activities through gamification, and, on the other hand, to present a new teaching instrument used to streamline the instructive-educational process at the fifth grade students, within the Computer Science, which is now a mandatory object. The experiment was conducted in accordance with the Creative Computing curriculum created by the ScratchEd team at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

MEASURING PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL PRESENCE IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ERA

Author(s): Romeo Stanca,Rodica Sobolu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

In the present study, we analyze the students’ reaction to the introduction of Web 2.0 as teaching-learning environment in digital economic theory, in a society where the internet was introduced in 1990. The article is the result of a research extended over two years. The research focuses on the study of behavior observed to the students with computer usage knowledge in relation to the translation of their activities on Moodle platform. The students belong to a department of Economics Informatics of a Romanian University. Specifically, we sought if Moodle with its facilities to assist/guide the student in the learning process can increase the percentage of those who will assimilate knowledge of databases theory apply in economic fields, compared to traditional ways of teaching. The outcome of this study can be considered favourable on Moodle application.

METHODOLOGY FOR CREATING DATA VISUALIZATION. A CASE STUDY FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY TIMELINES BETWEEN 1750-1900

Author(s): Voica Puşcaşiu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The present study was originally aimed at creating a helping tool for teaching and understanding art history through the use of visual schemes. Despite the fact that timelines are often present in both history and art history books their status is rather that of footnotes (Wolf, Gombrich 656-663, * * * 392-395) and a study for their methodology and usage was truly lacking. Considering the way in which simple data visualization can comprise vast amount of information and deliver it in an efficient manner, it makes it worthwhile to ensure its scientific quality and accuracy through proper methods, as well as to actually creating ones that are both simple and eye-catching. Thus this paper is a result of a personal interest in the development of such tools and the challenges encountered along the way. Offering valuable information in a short glimpse through simple graphics over the life and the artistic creation of various artists is only enhanced by the opportunities provided by digital tools and the virtual environment, so it is perhaps an auspicious time to start seriously considering this type of research.

YING JIANG, SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-DIPLOMACY IN CHINA. SCRUTINIZING THE POWER OF WEIBO, NEW YORK: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, DOI:10.1057/978-1-137-59358-0, 2017, 147 P.

Author(s): Radu Sava / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

Once the advances in technology evolved into being recorded, and awareness regarding globalization processes strengthened, it became facile to observe the rhythm and the series of changes produced in societies, political systems or economic and cultural life, as well as the transversal effects that resurface. And unequivocally these effects become implied in most areas of activity. Thus, an example of this could be the appointment of the first Digital Ambassador, namely that of Denmark, “based out in Silicon Valley, in order to create a line of communication between the US tech companies and the Danish government” .

III Ogólnopolska Konferencja Naukowa „Człowiek – Informacja. Książka. Media”, Toruń, 15–16 marca 2018 r.

Author(s): Mariusz Balcerek / Language(s): Polish Issue: 1/2018

Aim: The aim of the text is a brief presentation of the conference that took place on March 15-16, 2018. At that time, the 3rd National Scientific Conference entitled: “Man – Information. Book. Media “ took place at the Collegium Humanisticum of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (hereinafter: UMK) Its organizer was the PhD Student Scientific Circle ePRINT, operating at the Institute of Information Science and Bibliology of Nicolaus Copernicus University. Research method: The author participated in the symposium sessions, listening to all speeches, additionally asking questions during the discussion. Results/Conclusions: The conference is a great initiative for young scientists, who thanks to it can test their skills in this type of activity; it was the fourth edition of this congress. Unfortunately, the overall positive impression was spoilt by a few speeches of low quality that should not have been allowed to be delivered.