bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Research on an Integrated Hydrostatic-Driven Electric Generator with Controllable Load for Renewable Energy Applications
Authors: Wang Tao , Wang He
Published: August 2017

A hydrostatic transmission is a promising technology in renewable energy harvesting, such as wind energy and wave energy, where the hydrostatic-driven electric generator is a key energy conversion component. By using analytical and experimental methods, this paper investigates the performance of a novel hydrostatic-driven electric generator which integrates the functions of an axial piston hydrostatic motor and a permanent magnet electric generator together. The experimental platform consists of a prototype, an adjustable hydrostatic power source, a controllable electrical load, and various sensors. Energy conversions between hydrostatic and electrical forms are evaluated under different operating velocities and control signals. Power loss distributions are presented by combining measured data and analytical calculation. Thermal experiments are implemented under both of natural and oil-forced cooling conditions and it is found that the temperature rise is much lower when the machine is cooled by hydraulic oil. The experiments validate the energy conversion efficiency, steady controllability, and cooling capability of the integrated hydrostatic-driven electric generator. The results can provide references for further efficiency optimization, dynamic control, as well as practical application.
Can CMB Surveys Help the AGN Community?
Authors: Partridge Bruce , Bonavera Laura , López-Caniego Marcos , Datta Rahul , Gonzalez-Nuevo Joaquin , Gralla Megan , Herranz Diego , Lähteenmäki Anne , Mocanu Laura , Prince Heather , Vieira Joaquin , Whitehorn Nathan , Zhang Lizhong
Published: August 2017

Contemporary projects to measure anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) are now detecting hundreds to thousands of extragalactic radio sources, most of them blazars. As a member of a group of CMB scientists involved in the construction of catalogues of such sources and their analysis, I wish to point out the potential value of CMB surveys to studies of AGN jets and their polarization. Current CMB projects, for instance, reach mJy sensitivity, offer wide sky coverage, are “blind” and generally of uniform sensitivity across the sky (hence useful statistically), make essentially simultaneous multi-frequency observations at frequencies from 30 to 857 GHz, routinely offer repeated observations of sources with interesting cadences and now generally provide polarization measurements. The aim here is not to analyze in any depth the AGN science already derived from such projects, but rather to heighten awareness of their promise for the AGN community.
Breakfast Cereal Consumption and Obesity Risk amongst the Mid-Age Cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health
Authors: Quatela Angelica , Callister Robin , Patterson Amanda , McEvoy Mark , MacDonald-Wicks Lesley
Published: August 2017

Obesity affects 27.5% of Australian women. Breakfast cereal consumption has been proposed to be protective against obesity. This study investigated the association of breakfast cereal consumption with the risk of developing obesity (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) over 12 years among mid-age participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH). Dietary data were obtained at S3 and obesity incidence at S4–S7. Women were excluded if: dietary data were incomplete, energy intake was <4500 or >20,000 kJ/day, or they reported being overweight or obese at S3. Logistic regressions with discrete time survival analysis investigated the association between breakfast cereal intake and incident obesity and were adjusted for: area of residency, income, smoking, physical activity, hypertension, dietary intakes and a discrete measure of time. There were 308 incident cases of obesity. Any breakfast cereal intake was not associated with incident obesity (Odds Ratio (OR): 0.92; p = 0.68). Oat-based cereal (OR: 0.71; p = 0.01), muesli (OR: 0.57; p = 0.00) and All-Bran (OR: 0.62; p = 0.01) intakes were associated with a significant reduction in obesity risk. Among this cohort, muesli on its own, or as part of oat-based cereals, and All-Bran, were associated with a reduction in obesity. This effect may be due to particular characteristics of these cereal eaters, but the relationship warrants further investigation.
Identification of Potential High-Risk Habitats within the Transmission Reach of Oncomelania hupensis after Floods Based on SAR Techniques in a Plane Region in China
Authors: Shi Yuanyuan , Qiu Juan , Li Rendong , Shen Qiang , Huang Duan
Published: August 2017

Schistosomiasis japonica is an infectious disease caused by Schistosoma japonicum, and it remains endemic in China. Flooding is the main hazard factor, as it causes the spread of Oncomelania hupensis, the only intermediate host of Schistosoma japonicum, thereby triggering schistosomiasis outbreaks. Based on multi-source real-time remote sensing data, we used remote sensing (RS) technology, especially synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and geographic information system (GIS) techniques to carry out warning research on potential snail habitats within the snail dispersal range following flooding. Our research result demonstrated: (1) SAR data from Sentinel-1A before and during a flood were used to identify submerged areas rapidly and effectively; (2) the likelihood of snail survival was positively correlated with the clay proportion, core area standard deviation, and ditch length but negatively correlated with the wetness index, NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), elevation, woodland area, and construction land area; (3) the snail habitats were most abundant near rivers and ditches in paddy fields; (4) the rivers and paddy irrigation ditches in the submerged areas must be the focused of mitigation efforts following future floods.
The Complex Interplay between DNA Injury and Repair in Enzymatically Induced Mutagenesis and DNA Damage in B Lymphocytes
Authors: Bahjat Mahnoush , Guikema Jeroen
Published: August 2017

Lymphocytes are endowed with unique and specialized enzymatic mutagenic properties that allow them to diversify their antigen receptors, which are crucial sensors for pathogens and mediators of adaptive immunity. During lymphocyte development, the antigen receptors expressed by B and T lymphocytes are assembled in an antigen-independent fashion by ordered variable gene segment recombinations (V(D)J recombination), which is a highly ordered and regulated process that requires the recombination activating gene products 1 & 2 (RAG1, RAG2). Upon activation by antigen, B lymphocytes undergo additional diversifications of their immunoglobulin B-cell receptors. Enzymatically induced somatic hypermutation (SHM) and immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) improves the affinity for antigen and shape the effector function of the humoral immune response, respectively. The activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) enzyme is crucial for both SHM and CSR. These processes have evolved to both utilize as well as evade different DNA repair and DNA damage response pathways. The delicate balance between enzymatic mutagenesis and DNA repair is crucial for effective immune responses and the maintenance of genomic integrity. Not surprisingly, disturbances in this balance are at the basis of lymphoid malignancies by provoking the formation of oncogenic mutations and chromosomal aberrations. In this review, we discuss recent mechanistic insight into the regulation of RAG1/2 and AID expression and activity in lymphocytes and the complex interplay between these mutagenic enzymes and DNA repair and DNA damage response pathways, focusing on the base excision repair and mismatch repair pathways. We discuss how disturbances of this interplay induce genomic instability and contribute to oncogenesis.
Vitamin C Status and Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review
Authors: Travica Nikolaj , Ried Karin , Sali Avni , Scholey Andrew , Hudson Irene , Pipingas Andrew
Published: August 2017

Vitamin C plays a role in neuronal differentiation, maturation, myelin formation and modulation of the cholinergic, catecholinergic, and glutaminergic systems. This review evaluates the link between vitamin C status and cognitive performance, in both cognitively intact and impaired individuals. We searched the PUBMED, SCOPUS, SciSearch and the Cochrane Library from 1980 to January 2017, finding 50 studies, with randomised controlled trials (RCTs, n = 5), prospective (n = 24), cross-sectional (n = 17) and case-control (n = 4) studies. Of these, 36 studies were conducted in healthy participants and 14 on cognitively impaired individuals (including Alzheimer’s and dementia). Vitamin C status was measured using food frequency questionnaires or plasma vitamin C. Cognition was assessed using a variety of tests, mostly the Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE). In summary, studies demonstrated higher mean vitamin C concentrations in the cognitively intact groups of participants compared to cognitively impaired groups. No correlation between vitamin C concentrations and MMSE cognitive function was apparent in the cognitively impaired individuals. The MMSE was not suitable to detect a variance in cognition in the healthy group. Analysis of the studies that used a variety of cognitive assessments in the cognitively intact was beyond the scope of this review; however, qualitative assessment revealed a potential association between plasma vitamin C concentrations and cognition. Due to a number of limitations in these studies, further research is needed, utilizing plasma vitamin C concentrations and sensitive cognitive assessments that are suitable for cognitively intact adults.
Dynamic Post-Earthquake Image Segmentation with an Adaptive Spectral-Spatial Descriptor
Authors: Sun Genyun , Hao Yanling , Chen Xiaolin , Ren Jinchang , Zhang Aizhu , Huang Binghu , Zhang Yuanzhi , Jia Xiuping
Published: August 2017

The region merging algorithm is a widely used segmentation technique for very high resolution (VHR) remote sensing images. However, the segmentation of post-earthquake VHR images is more difficult due to the complexity of these images, especially high intra-class and low inter-class variability among damage objects. Herein two key issues must be resolved: the first is to find an appropriate descriptor to measure the similarity of two adjacent regions since they exhibit high complexity among the diverse damage objects, such as landslides, debris flow, and collapsed buildings. The other is how to solve over-segmentation and under-segmentation problems, which are commonly encountered with conventional merging strategies due to their strong dependence on local information. To tackle these two issues, an adaptive dynamic region merging approach (ADRM) is introduced, which combines an adaptive spectral-spatial descriptor and a dynamic merging strategy to adapt to the changes of merging regions for successfully detecting objects scattered globally in a post-earthquake image. In the new descriptor, the spectral similarity and spatial similarity of any two adjacent regions are automatically combined to measure their similarity. Accordingly, the new descriptor offers adaptive semantic descriptions for geo-objects and thus is capable of characterizing different damage objects. Besides, in the dynamic region merging strategy, the adaptive spectral-spatial descriptor is embedded in the defined testing order and combined with graph models to construct a dynamic merging strategy. The new strategy can find the global optimal merging order and ensures that the most similar regions are merged at first. With combination of the two strategies, ADRM can identify spatially scattered objects and alleviates the phenomenon of over-segmentation and under-segmentation. The performance of ADRM has been evaluated by comparing with four state-of-the-art segmentation methods, including the fractal net evolution approach (FNEA, as implemented in the eCognition software, Trimble Inc., Westminster, CO, USA), the J-value segmentation (JSEG) method, the graph-based segmentation (GSEG) method, and the statistical region merging (SRM) approach. The experiments were conducted on six VHR subarea images captured by RGB sensors mounted on aerial platforms, which were acquired after the 2008 Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake. Quantitative and qualitative assessments demonstrated that the proposed method offers high feasibility and improved accuracy in the segmentation of post-earthquake VHR aerial images.
Infinite Spin Fields in d = 3 and Beyond
Authors: Zinoviev Yurii
Published: August 2017

In this paper, we consider the frame-like formulation for the so-called infinite (continuous) spin representations of the Poincare algebra. In the three-dimensional case, we give explicit Lagrangian formulation for bosonic and fermionic infinite spin fields (including the complete sets of the gauge-invariant objects and all the necessary extra fields). Moreover, we find the supertransformations for the supermultiplet containing one bosonic and one fermionic field, leaving the sum of their Lagrangians invariant. Properties of such fields and supermultiplets in four and higher dimensions are also briefly discussed.
Non-intuitive clustering of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone on Au(111)
Authors: Brown Ryan D , Quardokus Rebecca C , Wasio Natalie A , Petersen Jacob P , Silski Angela M , Corcelli Steven A , Kandel S Alex
Published: August 2017

The direct injection of a 9,10-phenanthrenequinone in tetrahydrofuran solution on a Au(111) substrate in high vacuum results in the formation of metastable clusters with a non-intuitive structure. Metastable, rectangular tetramers of this molecule form in which the net molecular dipoles all orient toward the center of the cluster. This structure does not allow for additional hydrogen bonding and thus the origin of its metastability is not clear. We compare this feature to other structures observed on this surface, as well as those formed during the deposition of 9-fluorenone, which does not exhibit this anomalous clustering behavior.
Introduction of a New Waste Sorting and Collection System
at a University
Authors: Vilms Monica , Kalda Oliver
Published: August 2017

Nowadays the usage of source separation waste collection system is essential for all organisations. This paper
describes a case of introduction of such a system at a university of applied sciences (UAS) in Tallinn. The project started
in September 2015. The main goals of the project were to reduce the number of garbage cans in the UAS, reduce the
amount of unsorted household waste and inform the school community about the significance of waste sorting and
relevant environmental matters. The first step of the project was to execute a full waste audit in UAS to identify precise
waste quantities which occurred on daily basis. During the week the environmental technology students weighed and
sorted all the waste in all premises of the UAS. Based on the collected data, the new system comprised of 19 waste
collection points with sorting instructions and adequate volume. The total number of garbage cans was reduced by 46%
and mixed household garbage cans by 72%. The final step was to analyse the efficiency of the new waste collection
arrangements. Results showed that the new system was well accepted and 80–85% of waste was sorted and collected in
the new waste collection points.
Solar Flare Termination Shock and Synthetic Emission Line Profiles of the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å Line
Authors: Guo Lijia , Li Gang , Reeves Kathy , Raymond John
Published: August 2017

Solar flares are among the most energetic phenomena that occur in the solar system. In the standard solar flare model, a fast mode shock, often referred to as the flare termination shock (TS), can exist above the loop-top source of hard X-ray emissions. The existence of the TS has been recently related to spectral hardening of a flare’s hard X-ray spectra at energies >300 keV. Observations of the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å line during solar flares by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spacecraft have found significant redshifts with >100 km s−1, which is consistent with a reconnection downflow. The ability to detect such a redshift with IRIS suggests that one may be able to use IRIS observations to identify flare TSs. Using a magnetohydrodynamic simulation to model magnetic reconnection of a solar flare and assuming the existence of a TS in the downflow of the reconnection plasma, we model the synthetic emission of the Fe xxi 1354.08 line in this work. We show that the existence of the TS in the solar flare may manifest itself in the Fe xxi 1354.08 Å line.
La rénovation d’un savoir entraîner/manager dans le basket-ball masculin français d’élite des années 1950 : conceptions, débats, enjeux
Authors: Claverie Éric
Published: August 2017

À l’aube de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le basket-ball français, malgré son embellie en termes d’audience médiatique et ses progrès liés à sa proximité avec les Pays baltes, reste techniquement très retardé dans ses conceptions d’entraînement. En outre, un certain nombre de blocages culturels – par auto-attribution et attribution de stéréotypes essentialisant les styles de jeu nationaux – freinent son progrès technique. L’immédiat après-guerre voit se dessiner une nouvelle phase. En une dizaine d’années, on assiste à une reconsidération des principes d’entraînement. La diffusion plus aisée de la connaissance en provenance des États-Unis, la constitution d’une Amicale des entraîneurs très productive participent largement au changement : intégration de la dimension interactive de l’opposition dans la conception du jeu, observation rationnelle et méthodique de celui-ci, naissance de la fonction de manager. Ces innovations faites sous la férule d’acteurs décisifs, entrent pourtant en opposition avec des positions plus traditionnelles. Le nœud de discorde entre protagonistes tient surtout à la divergence entre une conception rationnelle, scientifique et théorisée du jeu par opposition à une vision plus intuitive et spontanée des procédés. En outre, ces désaccords révèlent la lutte entre groupes sociaux rivaux, souvent professeurs d’EPS d’un côté et autodidactes de l’autre, pour une définition légitime et un contrôle du savoir entraîner et manager.
Adult Acute Scrotal Edema - When Radiologists Can Help to Avoid Unnecessary Surgical Treatment
Authors: Mesquita Romeu Duarte , Rosas José Leào
Published: August 2017

Acute idiopathic scrotal edema is a commonly painless self-limiting condition causing scrotal swelling, and is usually seen in children. In some cases, this condition is difficult to differentiate it from other causes of acute scrotum. In the right clinical scenario, ultrasonography has been used to confirm the diagnosis. We describe the ultrasound and CT findings of acute idiopathic scrotal edema in a 72-year-old male with coexistent involvement of the inferior abdominal wall.
Care Work vs. Career
Authors: Islam Md. Mynul , Jannat Gulay
Published: August 2017

Career is indispensable for woman to ensure their decision-making power to boost up their capability through active voice and participation. However, in Bangladesh most of the middle class working women are facing crisis to manage their double work. Keeping this in mind, this study explains how household related care work costs women's career. It reveals, most of the women have to face multiple problems to maintain their care and office work. Even, a good number of working women sacrificed their career to take care of children and family. Regarding these discriminatory social and institutional systems, most of the working women believe that, positive mind-set can bring a change for women to develop their career.
Women-Friendly Working Environment in Bangladesh
Authors: Haque Tania
Published: August 2017

Work is typically divided along gender lines with men being responsible for paid work and women for unpaid care work. There is a negative correlation between income and level of gender inequalities in unpaid care work. Income can give certain level of independence but reinforces new kinds of dependence and subordination of women in our society in Bangladesh. If women wish to begin their paid work, it means ideologically they want extra jobs and they have to willingly undertake this double burden of household and professional work. The study claims that there is a need of gender responsive rebalancing policies to ensure women friendly working environment to ensure actual empowerment of women in Bangladesh.
Emerging Trends and Challenges Faced in Women's Employment and Self-Employment in Pakistan
Authors: Nasreen Shagufta , Shah Nasreen Aslam
Published: August 2017

Women and work is a concept which is still exploratory although various researches have been conducted related to women and work and its related concepts. Women's economic participation has increased in different jobs as compared to the past; however, the question is how much it has been able to fulfill the goal that women economic participation leads to women empowerment. In developing countries, the economic restructuring influenced by globalization policies of trade liberalization, privatization and fiscal austerity has on one hand increased opportunities for economically stable, educated, skilled and urban oriented population excluding the poor, un-educated, un-skilled and rural population. This chapter aims to explore the concept of women and work by comparing the conditions of work women do in formal and informal sector expanding the scope of analysis to focus not only on women inclusion in paid jobs but to review why it is not changing their status and position.
Unveiling Barriers and Challenges of Brothel-Based Sex Workers in Private and Public Sphere of Bangladesh
Authors: Chowdhury Kuntala
Published: August 2017

The value of our society is constructed through different patriarchal organization. Sex workers or prostitutes whatever we call them literally they are stigmatized in our society. Double standard of our society influences us to play double role where a man act like a saint in front of society and at the night they are the regular visitor of a brothel but society respects them and abuse those women who provides sexual pleasure to that men. Most of the sex workers are engaged in this profession because of trafficking, blackmailing or they did not have any other way to earn. They are working in this profession as well as they are serving to the customers to fulfill their sexual demand. However the fact is that stigmatization, challenges and barriers are literally faced by those women who are working as sex workers. The intensity of their life struggle is too much among brothel based sex workers where they are confined to maintain all obligations imposed by Sordarni (Madam) or customers. Though challenges and barriers can be varied from chukri (new girls in brothel) to sordarni (experienced sex workers who control new girls), I tried to put intersectional lenses to understand their challenges. Sex workers in brothels are subjects of different kinds of violence in their public and private sphere and they are objectified as sex object. This chapter is going to show the condition and position of women by examining their barriers in public and private sphere of Bangladesh. This chapter also intends to recommend a few ways to redress these kinds of violence against brothel based sex workers.
Engaging Men in Women's Economic Empowerment in Butiama District, Mara Region, Tanzania
Authors: Sikira A. N. , Matekere T. , Urassa J. K.
Published: August 2017

The chapter addresses women's income poverty using men as active participants in empowering women economically. Butiama district was used as a study area, using 120 women and their husbands who were beneficiaries of the programme dealing with loan provision. As an outcome of the study, men had little participation in women's economic activities, hence, women's economic empowerment was at medium level. Unlike men, women's income was used for fulfilling basic needs of the family, therefore, had little impact on their economic empowerment. By conclusion, men as decision makers have high impact on women's economic empowerment. It is recommended that, awareness creation among men would enhance their participation in empowering women. Improvement of women's access to and control over production resources would improve their income. It is recommended that lobbying and advocacy approaches should be applied to enable women's control over the production resources.
Migration, Muslim Women, and Social Reproduction of Gender Inequality
Authors: Wahid Ishret Binte , Kamaruzzaman Mohammed
Published: August 2017

Does international migration have a role to reproduce unequal gender relation in a patriarchal society? How does it make such role? How does it further implicate people's religious as well as cultural practices? These are the questions have been addressed in this paper. It takes the case of Bangladesh, a South Asian Muslim-majority country with millions of international labour migrants to different Middle East and Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. This international migration makes very positive financial contributions to the migrants and their families at origins, mostly in rural villages. The paper makes it focus on social outcomes, especially on household level gender relations with such migration. Taking up the idea of ‘social remittances', it argues that these migrants, mostly men, experience with a range of ‘Islamic' norms and practices in destinations, and send back those to origins for religious obligations. These norms and practices largely include discouraging female household members, especially wives, to earn or go outside without purdah in line with the perceived ‘Islam'. The paper explains that such ‘social remittances' encourage the female household members to be ‘good' Muslim women along with the reproduction of gender inequality between women and men.
Media Literacy in the Digital Age
Authors: Manzoor Amir
Published: August 2017

Time has come to equip people communities around the world with digital and media literacy skills. In order make informed decisions, people need ability to access, analyze and engage in critical thinking about the daily messages they receive on a variety of issues such as health and politics. Today's “connected homes” provide people access to latest information and communication technologies. To become an effective participants in the information society of 21st century, people need not only acquire the multimedia skills but also the ability to use these skills effectively. One way this can be achieved is by including digital and media literacy in formal education. The objective of this chapter is to examine the media literacy programs working across the world to equip citizens to analyze and evaluate incoming information. In addition, the chapter provides some specific recommendations to bring digital and media literacy education into formal and informal settings.
A Study Regarding the Perception of Digital Citizenship Among Adults and the Assessment of This Perception
Authors: Cubukcu Ahmet , Bazyan Sahin
Published: August 2017

Over time, as the influences of digital technologies on individuals' lives became apparent, the concept of digital citizenship as developed. Digital citizenship is considered to consist of 9 dimensions. These 9 dimensions have been previously described by Mike Ribble and his colleagues. These studies demonstrate not only the importance of effective use of digital technologies, and especially online technologies, but also the importance of ethically responsible and critical use. Over time, the concept of digital competence, which represents an integral aspect of digital citizenship, is also defined. In this study, a digital literacy model is created associated with the dimensions of digital citizenship and the aspects of digital competence. Based on this model, the perception of individuals regarding the conscious, proper and effective use of online technologies is assessed, and a comprehensive field study regarding digital citizenship is conducted.
Mind the Gap
Authors: Ferreira Eduarda , Ponte Cristina , Silva Maria João , Azevedo Celiana
Published: August 2017

Digital practices are pervasive in the everyday lives of young people. However, to be emerged in digital networked practices does not inherently provide competences to critically examine media and online content. Formal learning could profit from young people's interests and enthusiasm in informal learning contexts, bridging the gap between formal learning and everyday digital practices. The school has an urgent and decisive role to promote digital literacies and to prepare young people to adapt to a changing world. This paper presents results from the project Net Children Go Mobile in Portugal to analyze the gap between digital practices and school. The digital gap between the culture of the school and the culture of children's lives outside school is not just about having more access to technology or more ICT training, it is essentially about having the competence of using critical thinking and a diverse set of skills in digital practices.
Emerging and Traditional ICT as Critical Success Factors for Local Governments
Authors: Claver-Cortes Enrique , de Juana-Espinosa Susana , Valdés-Conca Jorge
Published: August 2017

It was not long ago when Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) were not ubiquitous and Web 2.0 was the stuff of science fiction. However, these technologies are now here to stay, and local governments should learn how to make the most of them. In this chapter, the situation of emerging ICT in Spain in general and for Spanish e-government in particular is described. Next, the results of an empirical study based on a longitudinal quantitative survey are shown. The survey was carried out in 2005, before the advent of Web 2.0, and again in 2012. In the survey, the Chief Information Officers (CIO) of Spanish municipalities express their opinions on critical success factors that may enhance or hinder the effectiveness, connectivity, and transparency of their strategies for a connected government (c-government). The comparative findings reveal that political issues set off, then and now, local e-government success and failure, whereas ICT-based issues, once very important for these CIOs, have been downgraded in their minds. Therefore, the emergence of social media, mobile technologies, Web 2.0, and connected government has not had a truly significant role in the quest for e-government success on their own, but in combination with other factors. The chapter also discusses the related factors.
The QUAIL Framework
Authors: Georgiadou Elli , McGuinness Claire , Siakas Kerstin V. , Koukourakis Manolis , Repanovici Angela , Khan Nawaz , Rahanu Harjinder
Published: August 2017

Successful transfer and sharing of knowledge rely mainly on social attitudes, behaviours and networks, rather than ICT-based networks. The availability of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) facilitates the management of projects in general. ICTs are central to both managing Information Literacy projects and providing access to learning resources and opportunities for collaborative learning. In this paper, we propose a framework for quality management of information literacy projects. Learning from the field of Information Systems Quality Management the proposed framework encompasses Deming's PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) Cycle and Kitchenham's Process Improvement model. From the Information Literacy field the SCONUL model provide the dimension of standardisation. The framework is customisable to prioritise aspects based on the likelihood, proximity and impact of risks. The success of Information Literacy programmes and projects depends on the availability and use of ICTs and in this paper we argue how the Information Literacy Project success can be enhanced by using our framework.
An Interactive Ecosystem of Digital Literacy Services
Authors: Guzmán-Mendoza José Eder , Muñoz-Arteaga Jaime , Muñoz-Zavala Ángel Eduardo , Santaolaya-Salgado René
Published: August 2017

Knowledge Society (KS) is influenced by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), economic changes, political, cultural and social concepts allowing access to other levels of welfare and progress. However, the differences in terms of access and ICT skills between different groups in society have created a problem of digital divide. To overcome this problem, models and strategies are required to achieve a greater impact on the population and that population can develop skills that enhance inclusion in the society knowledge. This work proposes an Interactive Ecosystem of digital literacy that aims to set a new educational paradigm approach to encourage different learning communities to uses new technologies of information and communication that allows them to be more competitive in today's world and thus shorten the digital divide. Finally, a case study is shown as an implementation of the ecosystem throughout an architectural model in the state of Aguascalientes, México.
Skills of Digital Literacy to Address the Risks of Interactive Communication
Authors: Rodríguez-de-Dios Isabel , Igartua Juan-José
Published: August 2017

New technologies are fully integrated into the lives of children, so every day they spend more and more time using them. It is noteworthy that technologies offer many opportunities and benefits for children, but they are also associated with disadvantages and dangers. For this reason, parents and educators fear that children could suffer any of the network risks: exposure to pornography, cyberbullying, sexual harassment or grooming, sexting, contact with strangers, and impersonation. In this situation, the authors should not deprive minors of the use of digital technologies. Nevertheless, the solution is to provide them with digital skills so they become digital literate and can use these tools safely. Therefore, through this study they sought to identify the skills that compound digital literacy: technological or instrumental, communication, information, critical, and security. Finally, the authors propose the implementation of a literacy intervention with the aim of providing the children with these skills.
Creating Global Classrooms Using Universal Design for Learning
Authors: Brown Victoria
Published: August 2017

Media and digital content has become an integral part of our lives. Digital content has expanded the opportunities for accessing information for individuals with special needs and classrooms with culturally diverse students. Because the digital content is taught through multiple modes, it provides access to information previously available only through print formats. By incorporating universal design into the classroom, the students are using media and digital literacy skills, preparing them for the global world in which they live. In this chapter, a description of universal design will be provided, how to use the digital and media content to create a classroom that honors diversity, and how to use universal design for teaching different languages. The concepts of universal design and the global classroom are pulled together through project or problem-based learning. Finally, a glimpse into the future classroom technology is provided.
Social Space or Pedagogic Powerhouse
Authors: Rutherford Stephen M. , Standley Henrietta J.
Published: August 2017

The recent development of Web 2.0 technologies has the potential to transform the learning environment of Higher Education (HE). Web 2.0 technologies are already commonplace within the social space, with the use of social media, co-authored online resources and encyclopaedias, blogs and video sources. Web 2.0 tools also have the potential to greatly enhance activity in educational environments. However, learners are not using Web 2.0 technology to its optimum potential outside of formal learning situations. Findings suggest that despite being digital natives and being aware of the technologies themselves, students may be naïve of the potential of Web 2.0 technologies as tools for the development of their learning. Educators in HE therefore need to actively expose our learners to the range of potentials of Web 2.0 technologies, if our students are to be able to innovate and engage with technology to its full extent.
Increasing Student Engagement and Extending the Walls of the Classroom With Emerging Technologies
Authors: Wangler Thomas G , Ziliak Ellen M
Published: August 2017

Some tend to view the use of technology as the panacea people have all been waiting for, and yet, if a piece of software or technology is not used properly, it can amount to little more than a high-tech pedagogical placebo. It is important to keep in mind that technology is a means to an end and not an end in itself. The goal is to impart knowledge, increase student understanding, and develop critical thinking skills. Further, if technology can be used to create learning experiences outside the classroom or enrich the educational experience inside the classroom, then it is a useful tool. This chapter reviews case studies of three emerging technologies: clickers (or audience response systems), Maple (computer algebra system), and screencasting (using a tablet PC) that have been implemented successfully on one campus to enhance student learning.
Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal E-Learning Experiences With Emerging Technologies
Authors: Czerkawski Betül , Hernández Jessica Nadine
Published: August 2017

In this case study, a group of graduate students in an Educational Technology Program were surveyed in their use of emerging technologies. The purpose of this survey was to examine the extent of emerging technology use and investigate how they aligned with students' formal, non-formal, and informal e-learning experiences. Suggestions for new technologies and tips for implementation are also provided.
Navigating 21st Century Multimodal Textual Environments
Authors: Wells Muriel , Lyons Damien
Published: August 2017

In the 21st century young people live and learn in a technological world that is fast paced and in a constant state of change. As technology becomes more and more accessible outside of the classroom, educators are challenged to re-consider the literacy skills required to be successfully literate. Enacting literacy teaching and learning in and for the 21st century requires teachers to update their pedagogical knowledge, skills and contextual understanding of the world children live and learn in. This chapter offers a brief overview of the Australian Curriculum, locating it within a 21st century learning discourse. The authors interpret and analyse one young student's creation of a digital text in a movie modality. Attention is paid to how the case study teacher created meaningful digital literacy learning experiences and opportunities for children to create and interact in social, multimodal textual environments, both within and beyond the school.
Reconciling Culture and Digital Literacy in the United Arab Emirates
Authors: Jewels Tony , Albon Rozz
Published: August 2017

For a number of years, there has been a concerted effort by the United Arab Emirates to take a prominent role in introducing e-business initiatives throughout the Gulf region, and this effort has translated into widespread access of internet technology for its own citizens. The country, in setting out to become a hub for foreign and domestic companies, realized that to achieve these goals it must provide appropriate e-business frameworks and infrastructures, which it has successfully done. Although, while not the only means of acquiring digital literacy, regular exposure to the internet does contribute to gaining these necessary 21st century skills. It might be expected that with such widespread access to the internet the population would contribute to becoming digitally competent. Using an ethnographic case study methodology, this paper investigates issues contributing to what might be a new form of digital divide; cultural issues which limit the acquisition of such digital skills.
Digital Literacy and Competence in Students Attending a Faculty of Humanities
Authors: Cartelli Antonio , Di Nuzzo Angela
Published: August 2017

In this paper the behaviors and tendencies in the use of digital technologies by university students are analyzed. After a short discussion of former studies and the presentation of the model for digital literacy structure and assessment in students attending compulsory school, the investigation carried out by the authors is described and the results obtained from the analysis of the university students' answers is reported. The survey was submitted to 331 students in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cassino, Italy, and the students' answers show a contradictory reality: on one side, digital technologies are mainly used to communicate in social networks or to play music and movies, on another side it is evident the students' interest for the most recent aspects of the application of digital technology and for the improvement in the quality of their use.
Media and Technology Integration Through Media Literacy Education
Authors: Redmond Theresa A.
Published: August 2017

This chapter reports case study research that investigated teachers' use of media and technology in a seventh grade media literacy class. The purpose of this study was to learn what media and technology were used in teaching practice and how they were used. Findings identify media literacy education as a subject of study and way of teaching that provides an entryway for information and communication technologies (ICTs) to be actively incorporated into school curricula and multimodal learning. Media and technology in this case were integrated through constructivist teaching of media literacy education that supported twenty-first century skills, including critical analysis and evaluation of texts in all forms and communication through project-based media production. However, the results also revealed challenges at both local and national levels that influenced the integration of media and technology into teaching and learning.
Media Literacy, Co-Innovation, and Productivity
Authors: Martínez-Cerdá Juan-Francisco , Torrent-Sellens Joan , Caprino Mônica Pegurer
Published: August 2017

This research analyzes the connections between media literacy and context of the knowledge economy, establishing a relationship between so-called co-innovative sources (ICT, organizational innovation and qualifications of employees) of the business environment and media literacy. It seeks to verify the behavior of media literacy as a co-innovative source, as fundamental as the three other ones to the viability and sustainability of companies. Authors start from a literature review related to media literacy and knowledge-based economy and then raise their own model that integrates the co-innovative sources and media literacy (the ‘Tetrahedron of Co-Innovative Sources') with which analyze media literacy in the business context. To verify the proposed relations, the research uses the Celot and Pérez Tornero's (2009) framework (proposed in the “Study on Assessment Criteria for Media Literacy Levels” delivered to the European Commission) with official statistical sources in Europe, returning results with which to test the hypothesis that a higher level of media literacy of citizens of a country has a positive influence on its companies and businesses.
Fostering Early Literacy Skills With Technology
Authors: Sullivan Pamela M. , Baker Marianne
Published: August 2017

In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of research literature for technology use with emergent-stage literacy learners. They review the overall research on technology for young children, then look at literacy and the role of technology in the classroom. The authors outline the development of literacy skills in the emergent stage (commonly defined as birth to age five). Finally, they use the framework established by the previous studies and the developmental sequence of the emergent stage to critically evaluate several literacy apps and e-books aimed at these learners. The authors finish with a selection of resources for selecting and using technology to foster these early literacy skills.
Digital and Global Literacies in Networked Communities
Authors: Limbu Marohang
Published: August 2017

This chapter explores how the concept of literacy, digital literacy, and global literacy is shifting; how technologies (YouTube, Facebook, Skype, blogs, vlogs, and Google Hangouts) and digital literacies facilitate cross-cultural and intercultural communication and global cultural understandings; how technologies engage global citizens to share, collaborate, cooperate, and create their narratives; and how people become able to address local and global socio-cultural and political issues through various global digital engagements. Finally, this chapter investigates how knowledge is produced, disseminated, and consumed across global cultures in digital contexts.
Recognizing Similarities and Differences Between Print and Digital Literacy in Education
Authors: Harvey Miles M.
Published: August 2017

This article focuses on recognizing similarities and differences between print and digital literacy in the field of education since the 1980's. The author found that many books and peer-reviewed articles agreed that both forms of literacy are social constructions of thought used to help humans read and write in the world. Literature suggests more work must be completed in the field of literacy studies and education in order to best understand the needs of digitally driven students in the United States. Differing definitions of print and digital literacy among articles were apparent, but those differences highlighted the importance of the meaning-making process. The evolution of recent advances in technology gives reason for researchers to question the future of literacy and its role in education. Literature for this review was limited to texts in English from the UNM Library databases: ERIC, WorldCat.org, ArticleFirst, Education Abstracts, Google Scholar, and Academic Search Complete.
The Geography of Digital Literacy
Authors: Davis Stuart , Palmer Lucia , Etienne Julian
Published: August 2017

Building off of Straubhaar, Spence, Tufecki, and Lentz's Inequity in the Technopolis: Race, Class, Gender, and the Digital Divide in Austin, TX (2013), a ten-year study of how social, cultural, and economic tensions in Austin have been buried under the city's highly lauded model of technology-led development, this chapter discusses three programs that attempt to promote different forms of media and technology training within the city. Adapting a definition of “digital literacy” theorized by Jenkins (2009) that emphasizes competency, capacity, and empowerment, we examine how these programs present disparate yet potentially compatible approaches for harnessing the transformational potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within underrepresented, marginalized, or at-risk populations.
Reflecting Emerging Digital Technologies in Leadership Models
Authors: Smith Peter A. C. , Cockburn Tom
Published: August 2017

In this chapter, Smith and Cockburn reaffirm the claim that they made in a previous book (Smith & Cockburn, 2013), namely that today's global business environments are characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and that leaders must focus less on developing behavioral competencies and more on complex thinking abilities and mindsets. In so doing, leaders must be familiar with emerging digital technologies, their benefits and drawbacks, and utilize these technologies in their practice as appropriate. In their previous book (Smith & Cockburn, 2013), the authors defined flexible and dynamic leadership models that assure successful leadership in the above turbulent contexts, and also described learning related processes that are essential to mastering the ability to learn and adapt at rates consistent with the business complexity leaders face. In this chapter, the authors extend their previous research (Smith & Cockburn, 2013), review newly emerging elements of social digital connectivity that are contributing to global business complexity, and explain how these elements may be applied by leaders to augment the power of the recommended dynamic leadership models.