bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Culture on Workplace Conflict in the Caribbean
Authors: Scott Susan
Published: December 2013

There are many subtleties within a culture that affect decision-making. Lack of understanding of these nuances enhances the mystique of cross-cultural business. Global managers need to better understand trans-cultural decision-making to maximize the benefits of alliances and business relationships abroad. One of these subtleties, often discussed in relation to business in the Orient, is conflict management. The notion of “face” and the importance of individual honor pervade cultural briefing materials on countries such as Japan. It is a defining difference in human relationship management between East and West. Yet when dealing with employees in nations speaking the same language, as a U.S. manager to a Caribbean manager, one often fails to account for equally significant differences in managing conflict. This chapter discusses the impact of culture-specific attitudes concerning workplace conflict on business performance in the Caribbean, using examples specifically from Grenada.
The Changing State of the South African Nation
Authors: Turner Irina
Published: December 2013

The colonization of discourses (Chilton & Schäffner, 2002) is a wide-spread phenomenon of globalization and naturally affects politics. The power of business-speak over politics and the media seems to be steadily increasing. Most vulnerable to that development, which the author calls businification, seem to be countries in transition that have to assert themselves rhetorically on a global scale while keeping traditional voters content at home. In an application of critical discourse analysis, the chapter seeks to trace this businification by comparing three presidential state-of-the-nation-addresses (SoNA) of three South African presidents after one year in office (1995, 2000, and 2010). Through contextualizing these texts with their media reception from a corpus of 15 newspaper articles reporting on the speeches, the outer influences on the core text become transparent. The findings suggest a parallelism between a growing professionalism in politics and the businification of political rhetoric whose development cannot be viewed as exclusively negative.
Using the Cultural Challenges of Virtual Team Projects to Prepare Students for Global Citizenship
Authors: Flammia Madelyn
Published: December 2013

Global citizens are those individuals who understand the complex and interdependent nature of the world and who take action to address global issues at a local level. Many faculty members recognize the need to prepare students for the demands of global work and citizenship. In this chapter, the author demonstrates how virtual team projects are an ideal means to help students develop global competency and offers suggestions for faculty seeking to structure projects geared to civic engagement.
Quality Management
Authors: Vecchi Alessandra , Brennan Louis
Published: December 2013

The purpose of this chapter is to address the extent to which quality management is “culture-specific.” The chapter presents the results of a survey administered across 21 countries that seeks to examine quality priorities and practices by adopting the Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness (GLOBE) framework (House et al., 2004). Drawing on previous research (Vecchi & Brennan, 2011), data was collected in 2009 as part of the fifth iteration of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS). The methodology involved the use of a self-administered questionnaire to director/head of operations/manufacturing in best practice firms within the sector of firms classified by ISIC codes (rev.3.1) Divisions 28-35. From this study, it emerges that adopting the GLOBE framework provides an invaluable insight into understanding quality management across countries. While some previous research portrays quality management as a comprehensive management paradigm with elements and relationships that transcend cultural and national boundaries, the current study provides evidence that the adoption of certain quality practices across different countries can follow distinctive patterns.
The Gramulator
Authors: McCarthy Philip M. , Watanabe Shinobu , Lamkin Travis A.
Published: December 2013

Natural language processing tools, such as Coh-Metrix and LIWC, have been tremendously successful in offering insight into quantifiable differences between text types. Such quantitative assessments have certainly been highly informative in terms of evaluating theoretical linguistic and psychological categories that distinguish text types (e.g., referential overlap, lexical diversity, positive emotion words, and so forth). Although these identifications are extremely important in revealing ability deficiencies, knowledge gaps, comprehension failures, and underlying psychological phenomena, such assessments can be difficult to interpret because they do not explicitly inform readers and researchers as to which specific linguistic features are driving the text type identification (i.e., the words and word clusters of the text). For example, a tool such as Coh-Metrix informs us that expository texts are more cohesive than narrative texts in terms of sentential referential overlap (McNamara, Louwerse, & Graesser, in press; McCarthy, 2010), but it does not tell us which words (or word clusters) are driving that cohesion. That is, we do not learn which actual words tend to be indicative of the text type differences. These actual words may tend to cluster around certain psychological, cultural, or generic differences, and, as a result, researchers and materials designers who might wish to create or modify text, so as to better meet the needs of readers, are left somewhat in the dark as to which specific language to use. What is needed is a textual analysis tool that offers qualitative output (in addition to quantitative output) that researchers and materials designers might use as a guide to the lexical characteristics of the texts under analysis. The Gramulator is such a tool.
The Impact of Global Financial Crises on the Family in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Lih-Rong , Chen Fen-ling
Published: December 2013

Family plays an unusually important role in Taiwanese society, and this chapter analyzes the consequences of global financial crises on the family in Taiwan. With its export-oriented economy, Taiwan is vulnerable to global vacillations. In the periods from 1997 to 2004 and from 2008 to the 2009, Taiwan experienced mass unemployment and family suffering. This chapter deals with the effects of the economic recession on family finances and family attitudes involved. The study shows how the anxiety affected the willingness of people to have children and/or support their parents. Furthermore, the victims of financial crises had a greater awareness of the necessity of providing intergenerational support, but they also wanted to have fewer children. The data clearly presents that economic hardship changes the traditional generational contract as well.
Teenage Pregnancy and its Support System in Korea
Authors: Sôma Naoko , Park Jiyoon , Baek Sun-Hee , Morita Akemi
Published: December 2013

While family structure continues to diversify in Korean society, society’s rejection of unmarried mothers continues to be a strong obstacle. However, Korean teenage mothers increasingly are deciding to raise their own children and live their daily lives in communities that hold biases and express rejection towards them. At present, the Single-Parent Family Support Act is central to the development of support policies for unmarried mothers, but as pointed out in this study, it is important to implement detailed, individualized, comprehensive, and continual assistance, not limited to those who opt for childrearing but also towards all unmarried mothers who opt for adoption. While raising one’s own child, it is important to provide long-term and continual support and support that helps the recipient foresee how she can step her way up to independence, rather than short-term and sporadic handouts.
Policies and Politics
Authors: Chan Raymond K. H.
Published: December 2013

Since the late 1950s, Hong Kong’s public health services have increased. They are mainly funded by taxes, supplemented by minimal user fees. In the late 1980s, the government recognized the limitations of this financing model and has subsequently proposed alternative methods of funding. Their proposals have been rejected by various stakeholders, who represent different, and even conflicting, values and interests. This chapter describes the development of health services and the debates that have surrounded health financing since the late 1980s. It shows that the health finance debate in Hong Kong is not a simple issue that can be tackled by rational planning; instead, it is a complex consequence of welfare politics in an increasingly mobilized society.
The Japanese Model of Risk Society
Authors: Merviö Mika Markus
Published: December 2013

Japan, two years after the triple catastrophe of earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear plant crisis, is only slowly wakening to the new reality of a new kind of reflexive relationship with nuclear power and, more generally, the use of modern technology and the social risks linked with modern life. In Japan, the idea that Japan’s very own catastrophe is, instead, a global catastrophe has not really sunk in. Coping with the disasters may be the most urgent and visible task of the government, but the Japanese society can hardly wait to find solutions to many long-term policy choices. This chapter analyzes the Japanese model of risk society, the risk society discourse in Japan, and the challenges of risk society to Japanese public policy.
Turkish Youth’s (Re)Construction of their Political Identity in Social Media, before “Resistanbul”
Authors: Gülşen Tüge T.
Published: December 2013

This chapter explores the political potential of social media widely used as a means of communication by Turkish young people and examines how they perceive social media as alternative social environments, where they can manifest their political identities. In addition, the study conducted aims at understanding whether the political situation in Turkey before the “Resistanbul” events, beginning toward the end of May 2013, created fear among young people that could cause them to hesitate to express their political thoughts or feel the need to veil their political identities. The results of the survey reveals that Turkish young people, despite having a high sense of freedom, tend to be politically disengaged in social media, and they seem to be hesitant to reveal their political identities in this alternative democratic social space, but they do not mind “others” manifesting their political identities.
Constructions of Banksy
Authors: Spiegel Cheri Lemieux
Published: December 2013

This chapter examines how multiple, often competing, identities of the street artist Banksy are constructed through a variety of media. It uses actor network theory and activity theory to trace and analyze the contexts, or networks, wherein Bansky’s identity is constructed. Banksy’s identity is of particular interest because he is an anonymous figure, and he actively abstains from social media. This examination of how he is constructed online sheds light on the agency that individuals have in constructing their identity in digital spaces. The insight from this investigation should be of great relevance for all professionals as they consider the non-professional writing they do, or chose not to do, beyond their office walls, within the public domain.
Moving Mountains
Authors: Keifer-Boyd Karen , Knight Wanda B. , Knochel Aaron , Liao Christine , Meier Mary Elizabeth , Patton Ryan , Shin Ryan , Sweeny Robert W.
Published: December 2013

Moving Mountains is a collaborative venture by eight art educators who explore the notion of distributed leadership to transcend boundaries of proximity, ideation, and artistic production. Their distributed leadership, enacted through both human and non-human performers, involved sharing knowledge and skills to create a cyberformance and machinima. They completed these projects from conceptualization to artistic production without a designated leader and without hierarchical constraints. In this chapter, the authors view distributed leadership in Moving Mountains collaborations through actor-network theory, crowdsourcing, and transformative potential. Moving Mountains collaborators continue to create video art, written work, curriculum, and virtual world performances, through distributed leadership, in order to challenge oppression and transgress borders.
Friends and Rivals
Authors: Bezio Kristin M. S.
Published: December 2013

This chapter explores how through both narrative and gameplay mechanics, BioWare’s 2011 digital role-playing game Dragon Age II seeks to help players redefine their understanding of ethics in terms of human emotion and interaction. These interaction-based ethics are the product of our desire to situate ourselves within a social community rather than on an abstract continuum of universal “right” and “wrong.” The ambiguity contained within the friendship-rivalry system factionalizes Hawke and his/her companions, forcing the player, as the group’s leader, to ally with one of the two sides in the game’s overarching conflict. This coercive mechanic produces awareness in the player of the way in which interpersonal relationships form our responses in ethical situations, and causes the player to question whether their decisions are the product of “pure” ethics, or the consequence of deliberate or unconscious submission to the ethical mores of others.
Digital is Dead
Authors: Ramos Santos Felipe
Published: December 2013

This chapter draws from a 6-month participant-observation with an Occupy Wall Street group in Richmond, Virginia—Occupy Richmond—to deliver an ethnography of public discourse in postcolonial, queer, and multimedia contexts, as part of a critical analysis of imperialism in the digital age. The author develops techno-seduction as a term to deconstruct the lure of technological determinism that promotes static interpretations of democracy, participation, and the digital, in addition to considering how these interpretations impact intrapersonal and group identity formation. Finally, the chapter asks that we suspend our conception of the digital/non-digital dichotomy by thinking of the digital as dead, as a force that guides and influences our sociopolitical interactions, rather than as an isolated concept wholly separable from the non-digital.
The Spaces Between Us
Authors: Rajakumar Mohanalakshmi
Published: December 2013

Despite having one of the highest per-capita incomes of the world, social and political changes in Qatar have not kept pace with the country’s economic development. The expatriate and national population of the small emirate have access to luxury brands and a variety of Western goods including food as well as hotels. The high level of commercialization, however, does not mean that cultural differences between the various nationalities have been erased. Online forums and social media have provided neutral public spaces where debate and dialogue about identity and values can take place in a way they do not occur in public. This chapter examines a variety of examples through comments by expats and nationals on a number of media sites as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Evolution of Wireless and Mobile Communications
Authors: Matin M. A.
Published: December 2013

There has been a tremendous growth of mobile communications markets all over the world, as they provide ubiquitous communication access to citizens. Wireless technologies are the core of mobile communications. They fundamentally revolutionize data networking, telecommunication, and make integrated networks to increase capacity and coverage. This has made the network portable because of affordable digital modulation, adaptive modulation, information compression, wireless access, multiplexing, and so on. It supports exciting applications such as sensor networks, smart homes, telemedicine, video conferencing and distance learning, cognitive radio networks, automation, and so on. This chapter provides an overview of the evolution of wireless and mobile communications from 2G to 4G.
Sustainable Growth for Cellular Wireless Networks
Authors: Wang Siyi , Guo Weisi
Published: December 2013

It has been widely recognised that the exchange of information is one of the underpinning factors for economic growth in developing and developed nations. One of the fastest growing areas of information transfer is the mobile data sector. In 2012, global mobile data traffic grew by 70%. There is an urgent need to improve the wireless capacity of cellular networks in order to match this growth. One of the key issues faced by mobile operators is the fall in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and the growing Operational Expenditure (OPEX) due to capacity growth and rising energy prices. The challenge is therefore how to grow the wireless capacity in a way that minimizes the OPEX and thus improves the ARPU. Furthermore, there is growing focus on the environmental impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sectors. There are tangible, financial, and environmental motivations for reducing the energy expenditure of wireless networks whilst growing its capacity. This chapter examines recent research in the area of future wireless network architectures and deployments. This is done in the context of improving capacity in a sustainable way. That is to say, what is the lowest-cost and -energy method of achieving certain capacity targets? The authors of this chapter were researchers in the world’s first green wireless communications project—Mobile VCE Green Radio (2007-2012).
A Study of Research Trends and Issues in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Islam Noman , Shaikh Zubair A.
Published: December 2013

Ad hoc networks enable network creation on the fly without support of any predefined infrastructure. The spontaneous erection of networks in anytime and anywhere fashion enables development of various novel applications based on ad hoc networks. However, ad hoc networks present several new challenges. Different research proposals have came forward to resolve these challenges. This chapter provides a survey of current issues, solutions, and research trends in wireless ad hoc networks. Even though various surveys are already available on the topic, rapid developments in recent years call for an updated account. The chapter has been organized as follows. In the first part of the chapter, various ad hoc network issues arising at different layers of TCP/IP protocol stack are presented. An overview of research proposals to address each of these issues is also provided. The second part of the chapter investigates various emerging models of ad hoc networks, discusses their distinctive properties, and highlights various research issues arising due to these properties. The authors specifically provide discussion on ad hoc grids, ad hoc clouds, wireless mesh networks, and cognitive radio ad hoc networks. The chapter ends with a presenting summary of the current research on ad hoc networks, ignored research areas and directions for further research.
Algorithms to Determine Stable Connected Dominating Sets for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Meghanathan Natarajan
Published: December 2013

This chapter presents three algorithms to determine stable connected dominating sets (CDS) for wireless mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) whose topology changes dynamically with time. The three stability-based CDS algorithms are (1) Minimum Velocity (MinV)-based algorithm, which prefers to include a slow moving node as part of the CDS as long as it covers one uncovered neighbor node; (2) Node Stability Index (NSI)-based algorithm, which characterizes the stability of a node as the sum of the predicted expiration times of the links (LET) with its uncovered neighbor nodes, the nodes preferred for inclusion to the CDS in the decreasing order of their NSI values; (3) Strong Neighborhood (SN)-based algorithm, which prefers to include nodes that cover the maximum number of uncovered neighbors within its strong neighborhood (region identified by the Threshold Neighborhood Ratio and the fixed transmission range of the nodes). The three CDS algorithms have been designed to capture the node size—lifetime tradeoff at various levels. In addition to presenting a detailed description of the three stability-based CDS algorithms with illustrative examples, the authors present an exhaustive simulation study of these algorithms and compare their performance with respect to several metrics vis-à-vis an unstable maximum density-based MaxD-CDS algorithm that serves as the benchmark for the minimum CDS Node Size.
Incidence of the Improvement of the Interactions between MAC and Transport Protocols on MANET Performance
Authors: Hamrioui Sofiane , Lorenz Pascal , Lloret Jaime , Lalam Mustapha
Published: December 2013

In this chapter, the authors present an improvement to the interactions between MAC (Medium Access Control) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) protocols for better performance in MANET. This improvement is called IB-MAC (Improvement of Backoff algorithm of MAC protocol) and proposes a new backoff algorithm. The principle idea is to make dynamic the maximal limit of the backoff interval according to the number of nodes and their mobility. IB-MAC reduces the number of collisions between nodes. It is also able to distinguish between packet losses due to collisions and those due to nodes’ mobility. The evaluation of IB-MAC solution and the study of its incidences on MANET performance are done with TCP New Reno transport protocol. The authors varied the network conditions such as the network density and the mobility of nodes. Obtained results are satisfactory, and they showed that IB-MAC can outperform not only MAC standard, but also similar techniques that have been proposed in the literature like MAC-LDA and MAC-WCCP.
An Overview of Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Lagkas Thomas D. , Eleftherakis George
Published: December 2013

Wireless Sensor Networks constitute one of the highest developing and most promising fields in modern data communication networks. The benefits of such networks are expected to be of great importance, since applicability is possible in multiple significant areas. The research community’s interest is mainly attracted by the usability of sensor networks in healthcare services and environmental monitoring. This overview presents the latest developments in the field of sensor-based systems, focusing on systems designed for healthcare and environmental monitoring. The technical aspects and the structure of sensor networks are discussed, while representative examples of implemented systems are also provided. This chapter sets the starting point for the development of an integrated cooperative architecture capable of widely providing distributed services based on sensed data.
Transport Protocol Performance for Multi-Hop Transmission in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)
Authors: Yunus Farizah , Ariffin Sharifah H. S. , Syed-Yusof S. K. , Ismail Nor-Syahidatul N. , Fisal Norsheila
Published: December 2013

The need for reliable data delivery at the transport layer for video transmission over IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has attracted great attention from the research community due to the applicability of multimedia transmission for many applications. The IEEE 802.15.4 standard is designed to transmit data within a network at a low rate and a short distance. However, the characteristics of WSNs such as dense deployment, limited processing ability, memory, and power supply provide unique challenges to transport protocol designers. Additionally, multimedia applications add further challenges such as requiring large bandwidth, large memory, and high data rate. This chapter discusses the challenges and evaluates the feasibility of transmitting data over an IEEE 802.15.4 network for different transport protocols. The analysis result highlights the comparison of standard transport protocols, namely User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Transport Control Protocol (TCP), and Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). The performance metrics are analyzed in terms of the packet delivery ratio, energy consumption, and end-to-end delay. Based on the study and analysis that has been done, the standard transport protocol can be modified and improved for multimedia data transmission in WSN. As a conclusion, SCTP shows significant improvement up to 18.635% and 40.19% for delivery ratio compared to TCP and UDP, respectively.
Comparative Study of Adaptive Multiuser Detections in Hybrid Direct-Sequence Time-Hopping Ultrawide Bandwidth Systems
Authors: Ahmed Qasim Zeeshan , Yang Lie-Liang
Published: December 2013

This chapter considers low-complexity detection in hybrid Direct-Sequence Time-Hopping (DS-TH) Ultrawide Bandwidth (UWB) systems. A range of Minimum Mean-Square Error (MMSE) assisted Multiuser Detection (MUD) schemes are comparatively investigated with emphasis on the low-complexity adaptive MMSE-MUDs, which are free from channel estimation. In this contribution, three types of adaptive MUDs are considered, which are derived based on the principles of Least Mean-Square (LMS), Normalized Least Mean-Square (NLMS), and Recursive Least-Square (RLS), respectively. The authors study comparatively the achievable Bit Error-Rate (BER) performance of these adaptive MUDs and of the ideal MMSE-MUD, which requires ideal knowledge about the UWB channels and the signature sequences of all active users. Both the advantages and disadvantages of the various adaptive MUDs are analyzed when communicating over indoor UWB channels modeled by the Saleh-Valenzuela (S-V) channel model. Furthermore, the complexity of the adaptive MUDs is analyzed and compared with that of the single-user RAKE receiver and also with that of the ideal MMSE-MUD. The study and simulation results show that the considered adaptive MUDs constitute feasible detection techniques for deployment in practical UWB systems. It can be shown that, with the aid of a training sequence of reasonable length, an adaptive MUD is capable of achieving a similar BER performance as the ideal MMSE-MUD while requiring a complexity that is even lower than that of a corresponding RAKE receiver.
A Survey of MAC Layer Protocols to Avoid Deafness in Wireless Networks Using Directional Antenna
Authors: Sharma Rinki , Kadambi Govind , Vershinin Yuri A. , Mukundan K. N.
Published: December 2013

Directional antennas have gained immense popularity among researchers working in the area of wireless networks. These antennas help in enhancing the performance of wireless networks through increased spatial reuse, extended communication range, energy efficiency, reduced latency, and communication reliability. Traditional Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols such as IEEE 802.11 are designed based on use of omnidirectional antennas. Therefore, suitable design changes are required to exploit the benefits of directional antennas in wireless networks. Though directional antennas provide many benefits to enhance network performance, their inclusion in the network also results in certain challenges in network operation. Deafness is one such problem that occurs among nodes using directional antennas. This chapter concentrates on the problem of deafness, which is introduced due to the use of directional antennas in wireless ad-hoc, sensor, and mesh networks. Many researchers have provided numerous solutions to deal with the problem of deafness in these networks. In this chapter, the authors first explain the problem of deafness and then present an extensive survey of solutions available in the literature to deal with the problem of deafness in wireless ad-hoc, sensor, and mesh networks. The survey is accompanied by a critical analysis and comparison of available solutions. Drawbacks of available solutions are discussed and future research directions are presented.
Why a Benchmarking with EEE Countries?
Authors: Boboc Cristina , Titan Emilia
Published: December 2013

This is a chapter that introduces the major arguments for selecting EEE countries for comparisons with Arab economies. The focus is placed on the neighborhood, with the European Union and the similarities related to the transition processes experienced by EEE countries while moving form centralized and administrated to open and market-driven economies. The series of international collaborative frameworks developed with the EU, with Arab countries, and within the Mediterranean region are also among the reasons behind selecting the comparisons between Arab and EEE economies.
School Attainment, Knowledge Economy in Arab Countries, and Comparisons with EEE Economies
Authors: Bentouila Ghita , Gamar Alae
Published: December 2013

The most important avenues emphasized in this chapter relate to the progress in school attainment as an important indicator of the knowledge position of a country. The descriptive statistical analyses besides other assessments are devoted to show the pertinence and the importance of education attainment. Barro and Lee 1950-2010 data are used in this chapter. The opportunities lost with the low level of school attainment are introduced and discussed. The relatively slow speed of recovery in schooling is already expressed by the lowest knowledge performances achieved between the economies of North Africa, Sudan, Yemen, and the Gulf countries. In addition, the description has shown a higher attainment in schooling of EEE economies in comparison to Arab countries.
The Situation of Knowledge Economy in the Arab and EEE Regions
Authors: Pele Daniel
Published: December 2013

This chapter introduces different knowledge components and indices and attempts to show their impacts on different economic and development indicators with focus on EEE and Arab economies. It uses mainly descriptive statistics and regression analysis to globally assess these performances. The sets of data used for EEE show already the data limitations faced by Arab economies.
Knowledge, Local Development, and Urbanization in Arab Economies
Authors: Zouag Nada , Driouchi Ahmed
Published: December 2013

In the absence of local knowledge measures, this chapter looks at how local universities and research centers could explain the potential for local development in territorial communities. This chapter also assesses the links between urbanization and development. It is mainly based on the review of literature, descriptive statistics, and regression analysis using data on local development, urbanization, global knowledge measures, and human development indices. The focus here is on Arab economies. The current situation and development prospects are discussed in relation to the role of knowledge economy in local development but also in further urbanization. Smart, livable, and inclusive cities are discussed.
How Local Development is Achieved in Relation to Knowledge in EEE Countries
Authors: Boboc Cristina , Titan Emilia
Published: December 2013

Local and regional development is an increasingly important issue for researchers and politicians. The challenge of enhancing prosperity, improving wellbeing, and increasing living standards has become acute for localities and regions with developing economies. Moreover, questions about the implications of globalization for local and regional development in transition economies are of strong interest. The present chapter looks at how EEE countries have been developed at regional and local levels during the transition period and identifies some examples for Arab countries using a series of indicators and statistical methods.
Production, Trade, Knowledge Economy, and ICTs in Arab Countries
Authors: Zouag Nada , Achehboune Amale
Published: December 2013

This chapter introduces, respectively, the issues related to production, trade with a focus on the degrees of concentration and diversification besides the relationships to innovation, and knowledge with a focus of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The link between innovation and the value added in diverse sectors of the overall Arab economies is then addressed and discussed. Links between ICTs and other sectors are also discussed for the development of Arab economies.
Harnessing Knowledge for Sustainable Development
Authors: Djeflat Abdelkader
Published: December 2013

Arab countries face two major challenges resulting from increasing competition from the rest of the world and persistent reliance on mineral resources for their growth. At the same time, sustainable development is increasingly becoming a major concern for world development. In this respect, and from a sustainability point of view, knowledge economy opens up new and more accessible opportunities through the ‘substitution’ of physical resources by immaterial resources. This situation raises two fundamental questions: the first one relates to the opportunity of ensuring sustainable development while the knowledge base remains rather weak and policies often short-sighted. The second one is how an integrated approach based on knowledge can strengthen existing knowledge bases and create new ones to further sustainable development. Looking at a sample of advanced countries and Arab countries, this chapter argues that sustainability of growth rests fundamentally on the capability of properly harnessing knowledge.
Education Attainment and Feminization of Labor Markets in Arab Countries with Comparisons to Eastern and Central European Countries
Authors: Adib Fatima-Zohra Filali , Achehboune Amale
Published: December 2013

The feminization of labor markets through the role of education is among the means that enhance the participation of women to development and ensure further involvement of human resources in the growth and development processes. While this is a process that is highly pursued in most developed economies, it is not clearly seen to be pervasive in most developing countries. The Arab economies are among those countries where lower participation of women is observed but where education can be an important leverage for further feminization of labor markets. These issues are discussed in the present chapter to underline the role of education in Arab economies.
An Experimental Investigation of Pulse Measurement by Means of a Plethysmographic Sensor Integrated in a ZigBee Medical Network
Authors: Marghescu Cristina , Pantazica Mihaela , Pasca Sever
Published: December 2013

This paper aims to investigate the performance of a system consisting of plethysmographic sensors used to measure the human pulse (or heart rate), and ZigBee wireless networks used to collect the data in view of processing and storing. A demo system build around a MICROCHIP development kit (PICDEM Z) is described. Some conclusion derived on the basis of the observations obtained during the implementation of the demo system and during the measurement campaign are given.
Attention-Based Health Monitoring
Authors: Theodosiou Zenonas , Tsapatsoulis Nicolas
Published: December 2013

The application of mobile technologies for health monitoring has garnered great attention during the last years. The sensors together with a mobile device form a personal area network that monitors the patient’s health status. It gives advice to the patient, adjusts the environmental conditions according to the patient’s needs, and in the case of an emergency, notifies the patient’s doctor or the corresponding medical center. In the current work the authors present a new attention-based architecture for health monitoring emphasizing on the identification of attention seeking and dangerous health states. The experimental results indicate that the proposed architecture responses very fast to the changes of the patient’s biosignals and accurately in decisions concerning the patient’s health status.
A Non-Linear Approach to ECG Signal Processing using Morphological Filters
Authors: Bhateja Vikrant , Verma Rishendra , Mehrotra Rini , Urooj Shabana
Published: December 2013

Analysis of the Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is the pre-requisite for the clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. ECG signal is degraded by artifacts such as baseline drift and noises which appear during the acquisition phase. The effect of impulse and Gaussian noises is randomly distributed whereas baseline drift generally affects the baseline of the ECG signal; these artifacts induce interference in the diagnosis of cardio diseases. The influence of these artifacts on the ECG signals needs to be removed by suitable ECG signal processing scheme. This paper proposes combination of non linear morphological operators for the noise and baseline drift removal. Non flat structuring elements of varying dimensions are employed with morphological filtering to achieve low distortion as well as good noise removal. Simulation outcomes illustrate noteworthy improvement in baseline drift yielding lower values of MSE and PRD; on the other hand high signal to noise ratios depicts suppression of impulse and Gaussian noises.
Supporting Binding-Sites Discovery via Iterative Database Processing
Authors: Tel-Nir Ran , Gelbard Roy , Spiegler Israel
Published: December 2013

Recognition of binding sites common to a set of protein structures is important for applications such as drug design. Common methods of binding-sites are based on heuristic algorithms that use summarized spatial data and superimposition techniques. However, computational operations generally do not store intermediate data for further calculation and information extraction. The current study presents an alternative approach to binding calculation by introducing a binary representation scheme for three dimensional molecule data and a fast iterative algorithm which obviates the need to calculate and resolve spatial transformations in the binding site extraction process. This is achieved by using relational database indexing methods and an efficient iterative model. This general-purpose iterative algorithm was tested for binding small molecules. The results show that the method can be applied efficiently for binding site extraction, and bio-information extraction. This binary representation improves performance by reducing processing time by 31% compared to typical representations.
In Silico Analysis of the CST6 Tumor Suppressor Gene
Authors: Pavlopoulou Athanasia , Tsaramirsis Georgios
Published: December 2013

The gene encoding cystatin E/M, CST6, is a Class II tumor suppressor. Using bioinformatics tools for database mining and virtual gene expression profiling, the authors showed that CST6 is differentially expressed in various types of cancer. Moreover, epigenetic silencing mediated by hypermethylation of the CpG island located at the CST6 promoter was found to be conserved in mammalian species. Comprehensive analyses of animal genomes led to the identification of novel CST6 transcript orthologs and splice variants that enabled us to trace the evolutionary origin of CST6. Moreover, eight novel and potentially regulatory SNPs were identified in CST6 gene. Conserved cancer-relevant regulatory elements were identified in the CST6 gene promoter. In addition, miRNAs that are differentially expressed in human cancers were identified as putative posttranscriptional regulators of CST6. Collectively, the authors suggest that expression of CST6 in normal and cancer cells is coordinately regulated by genomic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.
Empathy and Human-Machine Interaction
Authors: Gouvrit Florence
Published: December 2013

This paper presents the framework of the author’s practice and research exploring empathy and human-machine interaction in projects involving robotic art and video installations and performance. The works investigate emotions and embodiment, presence and absence, relationships and loss, and ways to implicate these ideas in encounters between technology-based artwork and the viewer.
Using Stressors in Usability Tests
Authors: Janneck Monique , Balin Makbule
Published: December 2013

In this study the authors investigated whether the experience of stressors would influence the performance of users in usability tests as well as their subjective rating of the usability of an interactive system. To that end, an experimental study was conducted comparing a usability test that was performed in the lab under quiet, relaxed conditions with a test situation where several stressors (time pressure, noise, social pressure) were applied. Results show that participants in stress conditions performed worse regarding the completion and correctness of the tasks. The stress and negative feelings the participants experienced also influenced their view of the tested software. Participants in stress conditions rated the usability of the software and their user experience more negative. Implications for the practice of usability testing are discussed.
Precision Wireless Positioning Scheme in Small Range Based on First-Order Difference and Correlation Inspection
Authors: Li Zhengping , Wang Ziren , Zhang Yongmei , Ma Li
Published: December 2013

This paper made analysis of present situation and development trend of the positioning in small range at first and then made summary about the technologies and algorithms of the positioning in small range. According to the above content, wireless location technology has broad application prospects, especially the applications related to the location in small range. This new wireless positioning scheme mainly aims at improving the positioning method based on time difference of arrival (TDOA) in small range. This paper designs an improved positioning system which uses matched filter to calculate TDOA value. Then the system estimated the position of signal source by Chan's algorithm and used the first-order difference method to optimize the positioning results. From the simulation results by Matlab, it can be seen that this improved positioning system has improved the positioning accuracy and met the demand of the high precision positioning.
Pathological Role of Regulatory T Cells in the Initiation and Maintenance of Eczema Herpeticum Lesions
Authors: Takahashi Ryo , Sato Yohei , Kurata Maiko , Yamazaki Yoshimi , Kimishima Momoko , Shiohara Tetsuo
Published: December 2013

It remains unknown why the occurrence of eczema herpeticum (EH) caused by an extensive disseminated cutaneous infection with HSV-1 or HSV-2 is associated with the exacerbation of atopic dermatitis lesions after withdrawal of treatment. Although regulatory T cells (Tregs) limit the magnitude of HSV-specific T cell responses in mice, their role in the induction and resolution of EH has not been defined. We initially investigated the frequencies, phenotype, and function of Tregs in the peripheral blood of atopic dermatitis with EH (ADEH) patients at onset and after clinical resolution, atopic dermatitis patients without EH, and healthy controls. Tregs with the skin-homing phenotype and the activated/induced phenotype were expanded at onset and contracted upon resolution. Treg-suppressive capacity was retained in ADEH patients and, the expanded Tregs suppressed IFN-γ production from HSV-1–specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. The increased frequency of CD14dimCD16+ proinflammatory monocytes (pMOs) was also observed in the blood and EH skin lesions. Thus, pMOs detected in ADEH patients at onset were characterized by an increased ability to produce IL-10 and a decreased ability to produce proinflammatory cytokines, unlike their normal counterparts. Our coculture study using Tregs and pMOs showed that the pMOs can promote the expansion of inducible Tregs. Tregs were detected frequently in the vicinity of HSV-expressing and varicella zoster virus–expressing CD16+ monocytes in the EH lesions. Expansions of functional Tregs, together with pMOs, initially required for ameliorating excessive inflammation occurring after withdrawal of topical corticosteroids could, in turn, contribute to the initiation and progression of HSV reactivation, resulting in the onset of EH.
Neutrophil-Mediated IFN Activation in the Bone Marrow Alters B Cell Development in Human and Murine Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Palanichamy Arumugam , Bauer Jason W. , Yalavarthi Srilakshmi , Meednu Nida , Barnard Jennifer , Owen Teresa , Cistrone Christopher , Bird Anna , Rabinovich Alfred , Nevarez Sarah , Knight Jason S. , Dedrick Russell , Rosenberg Alexander , Wei Chungwen , Rangel-Moreno Javier , Liesveld Jane , Sanz Inaki , Baechler Emily , Kaplan Mariana J. , Anolik Jennifer H.
Published: December 2013

Inappropriate activation of type I IFN plays a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In this study, we report the presence of IFN activation in SLE bone marrow (BM), as measured by an IFN gene signature, increased IFN regulated chemokines, and direct production of IFN by BM-resident cells, associated with profound changes in B cell development. The majority of SLE patients had an IFN signature in the BM that was more pronounced than the paired peripheral blood and correlated with both higher autoantibodies and disease activity. Pronounced alterations in B cell development were noted in SLE in the presence of an IFN signature with a reduction in the fraction of pro/pre-B cells, suggesting an inhibition in early B cell development and an expansion of B cells at the transitional stage. These B cell changes strongly correlated with an increase in BAFF and APRIL expression in the IFN-high BM. Furthermore, we found that BM neutrophils in SLE were prime producers of IFN-α and B cell factors. In NZM lupus-prone mice, similar changes in B cell development were observed and mediated by IFN, given abrogation in NZM mice lacking type-I IFNR. BM neutrophils were abundant, responsive to, and producers of IFN, in close proximity to B cells. These results indicate that the BM is an important but previously unrecognized target organ in SLE with neutrophil-mediated IFN activation and alterations in B cell ontogeny and selection.
The Professional Socialization of the Athletic Trainer Serving as a Preceptor
Authors: Mazerolle Stephanie M. , Bowman Thomas G. , Dodge Thomas M.
Published: December 2013

Context:

The role of the preceptor requires the athletic trainer to be versed in effective instructional techniques, supervisory skills, and communication skills beyond his or her competence as an athletic trainer, but many have not received formal training in educational techniques.

Objective:

To gain a better understanding about the professional socialization process for the athletic trainer assuming the role of the preceptor.

Design:

Qualitative study.

Setting:

Athletic training education programs.

Patients or Other Participants:

Twenty-four preceptors (11 men, 13 women; age = 32 ± 7 years, clinical experience = 9 ± 6 years, preceptor experience = 5 ± 3 years) employed in the collegiate (n = 12) or secondary school (n = 12) setting.

Data Collection and Analysis:

We gathered data using asynchronous, in-depth interviewing via QuestionPro. We analyzed data using a general inductive approach to uncover the dominant themes. Credibility was secured by using consistency and stakeholder checks and a peer review.

Results:

We identified 2 main themes by which preceptors develop in their roles as clinical instructors: formal processes and informal processes. The participants used observations, previous experiences or interactions with role models, and self-reflection and evaluation as informal socialization processes. Formal socialization processes included preceptor training/workshops, professional development, and formal teacher certification.

Conclusions:

Athletic trainers who serve as preceptors learned their roles by a combination of informal and formal processes. Preceptor training sessions appeared to be effective in initially helping preceptors learn their responsibilities, whereby more informal processes seemed to help them refine their skills. Furthermore, one socialization strategy did not appear to dominate role learning; rather, a combination of several processes fostered an understanding.