bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Building a Health Care Multi-Agent Simulation Sysmte with Role-Based Modeling
Authors: Zhang Xiaoquin , Xu Haiping , Shrestha Bhavesh
Published: May 2010

Multi-Agent System (MAS) is a suitable programming paradigm for simulating and modeling health care systems and applications, where resources, data, control and services are widely distributed. We have developed a multi-agent software prototype to simulate the activities and roles inside a health care system. The prototype is developed using a framework called Role-based Agent Development Environment (RADE). In this chapter, the authors present an integrated approach for modeling, designing and implementing a multi-agent health care simulation system using RADE. They describe the definition of role classes and agent classes, as well as the automatic agent generation process. The authors illustrate the coordination problem and present a rule-based coordination approach. In the end, they present a runtime scenario of this health care simulation system, which demonstrates that dynamic task allocation can be achieved through the creation of role instances and the mapping from role instances to agents. This scenario also explains how agents coordinate their activities given their local constraints and interdependence among distributed tasks.
A Multi-Agent Simulation of Kidney Function for Medical Education
Authors: Wang Kin Lik , Reed Nancy E. , Vincent Dale S.
Published: May 2010

This chapter describes a multi-agent system to simulate kidney function for the purpose of teaching renal physiology to healthcare students. Renal function is modeled with agents. Agents represent molecules and fluids and the environment represents the structures, membranes and volumes of the nephrons in the kidneys. The agents move dynamically through their environment, responding appropriately depending on their surroundings. The authors describe how this multi-agent system is used in research and teaching medical students about the renal system. Results of heuristic and usability testing by medical students show improved visualization of the function of the renal system and self-confidence in learning renal physiology.
Projecting Health Care Factors into Future Outcomes with Agent-Based Modeling
Authors: Bobashev Georgiy , Borshchev Andrei
Published: May 2010

Human behavior is dynamic; it changes and adapts. In this chapter, we describe modeling approaches that consider human behavior as it relates to health care. We present examples the demonstrate how accounting for the social network structure changes the dynamics of infectious disease, how social hierarchy affects the chances of getting HIV, how the use of low dead-space syringe reduces the risk of HIV transmission, and how emergency departments could function more efficiently when real-time activities are simulated. The examples we use build from simple to more complex models and illustrate how agent-based modeling opens new horizons for providing descriptions of complex phenomena that were not possible with traditional statistical or even system dynamics methods. Agent-based modeling can use behavioral data from a cross-sectional representative study and project the behavior into the future so that the risks can be studied in a dynamical/temporal sense, thus combining the advantages of representative cross-sectional and longitudinal studies for the price of increased uncertainty. The authors also discuss data needs and potential future applications for this method.
Investigating Temporal Structure Usage in Individual Time Management Practices
Authors: Wu Dezhi
Published: May 2010

Researchers in management and organizational behavior have shown that temporal rhythms and norms exist and that they collectively impact multiple aspects of an organization. They have also shown that individual productivity is hampered if temporal cycles clash. This suggests that individual time management is related to the temporal structures that govern and constrain an individual’s life. At its simplest form, individuals use external records to capture explicit temporal structures that allow them to view this constraint. This external record then allows individuals to view the relationships between the temporal structures affecting their lives and the relationships between the different temporal structures. Thus, knowing these relationships can help an individual build a personal schedule in a calendar tool that optimizes his or her use of time while still abiding by the temporal structures that cannot be controlled. It is expected that people who are very busy or very interested in personal advancement want to optimize their time usage and, therefore, spend time learning about the myriad of temporal structures that affect their lives so that they can best control them. It follows that people who are effective time managers are likely to use and understand temporal structures in a more sophisticated fashion than people who are not. This research investigates this possibility through two sets of intensive field interviews with a group of academic professionals at a U.S. public research university. The focus of this work is on investigating types of temporal structures being used in individual time management with calendar tools.
How Academics Exhibit their Time Management Behaviors through Various Temporal Structure Usage
Authors: Wu Dezhi
Published: May 2010

Following the survey study proposed in Chapter 7, a large data set was collected from academics including faculty, staff, and students at a U.S. public research university. This chapter primarily reports descriptive data analyses, constructs independence and univariate analyses for this large survey. The survey respondents from the researched university included over seven hundred students, faculty, and staff. The survey was designed respectively for the three different groups of people, since they experienced different time requirements based upon their different roles at this academic research site. Their temporal requirements are referred to various types of temporal structures in this research. A number of comparison figures were drawn to compare the time management and different temporal structure usage behaviors among students, faculty, and staff based on the univariate data analysis results. This chapter also describes the process of normality tests, skewness and kurtosis analyses.
What is the Relationship between the Quality of Individual Time Management and Temporal Structure Usage? Building and Testing a Research Model
Authors: Wu Dezhi
Published: May 2010

This chapter introduces the research model designed for this study. A test of the measurement model is presented in detail. The software utilized in this research is the PLS-Graph version 3.0. A partial least square (PLS) data analysis was run on students, faculty, and staff datasets respectively. This chapter also reports all results on the building of the structural model that represents the relationship between time management quality and understanding of temporal structures. PLS results for students, faculty, and staff members are reported respectively. This chapter also summarizes the differences among students, faculty, and staff in their capture, use and understanding of different types of temporal structures.
The Theory and Practice Divide in Relation to Teacher Professional Development
Authors: Scott Shelleyann
Published: May 2010

The 21st century is a time of rapid change and increasing accountability within education contexts and teacher professional development (TPD) is frequently perceived to be crucial in instituting reforms. This chapter explores the divide between theories of effective TPD and the realities of practice within educational contexts. Two case studies, one from Australia and the other from Canada are presented to illustrate the positives and negatives inherent within professional development approaches in these contexts. A number of key dimensions are identified, which when coalesced inform the establishment and sustainability of effective programmes. Online technologies present innovative ways to overcome the impediments to effective professional development. Online communities of practice utilising socialnetworking technologies provide new opportunities for initiating “webs of enhanced practice’ (Scott, 2009), where individuals around the globe can engage in collegial collaborations that enhance the passion of teaching.
Case Studies from the Inquiry Learning Forum
Authors: Scheckler Rebecca
Published: May 2010

Two intense case studies were done of teachers using the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), an online space for professional development in inquiry pedagogies. Major findings included: The ILF initially conceived as an online professional development tool in the form of a Community of Practice (COP) was reconceived as an electronic tool within a larger space that included the online tool but also many co-present spaces pertinent to a teacher’s practice of inquiry pedagogy. These case studies also demonstrated the transformative nature of teachers engaging in a COP. Not only is the teacher changed but also the COP is changed by the practice. The cases demonstrated the need for teachers to feel disequilibrium in their practice before they are willing to engage in change of those practices. Lastly immersion in practice described as The Pedagogy of Poverty hampered one teacher’s progress in the ILF. These findings are based upon my empirical observations with the backdrop of John Dewey’s Theory of Inquiry and of Etienne Wenger’s concept of communities of Practice. Future trends in using online COPs for professional development need to look at practice in these terms where allowance for transaction, support outside the electronic space, and disequilibrium are considered.
VideoPaper as a Bridging Tool in Teacher Professional Development
Authors: Hauge Trond Eiliv , Norenes Svein Olav
Published: May 2010

This study demonstrates the possibilities of new media and affordable technological tools that support teacher professional development in a workplace setting. A team of 5 mathematics teachers in a secondary school is followed over a period of six months as they work jointly to improve their teaching and team practice using a multimedia Web developer system (VideoPaper). VideoPaper is an easy-to-use tool for developing and sharing of Web documents that integrates video resources, images, and texts reflecting local practices. The framework of Developmental Work Research methods aligned to historical-cultural activity theory (Engeström, 2001, 2008) was adapted to the local needs and workplace conditions. The findings point to changes in teachers’ conceptual approaches to learning and teaching, and to the significance of technology-enhanced support for professional development. The study contributes to an understanding of the complexities in bridging practices between social and technological design for teacher development and the development of learning communities.
TPD as Online Collaborative Learning for Innovation in Teaching
Authors: Laurillard Diana , Masterman Elizabeth
Published: May 2010

This chapter focuses on supporting university teachers in the UK in the more innovative use of digital technologies. Although the use of these technologies is now widespread and increasing, it is not always optimised for effective learning. It is important that teachers’ use of technology should be directed towards innovation and improvement in teaching and learning, and should not merely replicate their current practice in a digital medium. The authors therefore make the case for an online collaborative environment to scaffold teachers’ engagement with technology-enhanced learning. The chapter outlines the findings of our recent research into a blended approach to TPD, and use these to identify the requirements for an online collaborative environment: tools for learning design, guidance, and access to relevant resources to support teachers in their discovery of new forms of technology-enhanced teaching and learning. Such an environment, they argue, would provide a framework for a “community of innovation” in which teachers participate both as learners and researchers.
Building Epistemic Awareness in the Early Childhood Classroom
Authors: Winsor Denise L. , Blake Sally
Published: May 2010

It is evident from the information in the previous chapters in this book that there is much to be learned about how technology fits into the world of early childhood education (ECE). This chapter discusses some exciting new thinking about epistemology and how children and teachers learn and how this could relate to technology and all learning with young children and their teachers. The new understanding of preschool education potential demands new approaches to these vital years of schooling if we are to prepare our children to succeed in the increasingly demanding academic environments.
Web-Based Multimedia Tools for Monitoring and E-Learning
Authors: Bellas F. , Fontenla-Romero O. , Sánchez-Maroño N. , Becerra J. A.
Published: May 2010

This chapter is devoted to the application of Web-based multimedia tools as a complement to traditional e-learning resources to improve the quality of teaching in two senses: adapting lesson contents to improving the understanding and increasing the motivation of the students. The authors present a set of practical tools that have achieved successful results in their courses and that, together, provide a more proactive teaching methodology based on interactive and mobile learning materials. These tools can be divided into two main groups: simulations and interactive videos, directly related to the process of studying, and quizzes and questionnaires, useful to adapt the teaching to the objective comprehension level. In addition, the authors point out the advantages of providing the students with more familiar multimedia materials suitable for being transported and consulted in mobile devices. A basic point of this methodology is that all these resources are available through a Web-based interface, so that the interaction does not depend on the physical presence of the students. Finally, the authors must point out that with their methodology they are focused on monitoring learning, which is achieved directly with online questionnaires, but they have also performed resource monitoring, in terms of degree of satisfaction and practical use. This is achieved, in this case, through the use of surveys and from the analysis of the statistics provided by the Web-based application.
Monitoring Activity in E-Learning
Authors: Mazzoni E. , Gaffuri P.
Published: May 2010

In this chapter the authors will focus on the monitoring of students’ activities in e-learning contexts. They will start from a socio-cultural approach to the notion of activity, which is conceived of as a context composed by actions, which, in turn, are composed by operations. Subsequently, the authors will propose a model for monitoring activities in e-learning, which is based on two principal measures. Firstly, they will take into consideration specific data collected through Web tracking, which they will elaborate further in order to obtain indicators that do not simply express frequencies, but that measure individuals’ actions within a Web environment. Secondly, the authors will suggest a possible application of social network analysis (SNA) to Web interactions occurring in collective discussions within Web environments. In the model that the authors will present, Web tracking data are considered as indicators of individual actions, whereas SNA indices concern two levels: collective indices referring to the activity carried out by groups and individual indices referring to the role that members play in collective e-learning activities.
Proposal of a Set of Reports for Students' Tracking and Assessing in E-Learning Platforms
Authors: Pantaleón Marta E. Zorrilla , Álvarez Sáiz Elena E.
Published: May 2010

The teaching-learning process has undergone a deep change with the appearance of new technologies. E-learning environments and, in particular, learning content management systems have provided capacities and tools which have contributed notably to this change. Their use has spread rapidly in the educational environments due to the advantages that they offer: freedom of timetable, ubiquity, tools for the communication and collaboration, etc. However, they still lack a suitable tool for the monitoring and follow-up of the students that allows the instructors, in an easy and intuitive way, to know what is happening with their distance students. This lack of knowledge is, to a great extent, the cause of a higher number of dropouts and a lower students’ performance in comparison to traditional education. Consequently, in this chapter, the authors propose a set of reports, designed from an educational point of view, which help instructors to carry out this task and an architecture software for their implementation.
Best Practices of Knowledge Strategy in Hospitals
Authors: Gonçalo Cláudio Reis , Jacques Edison Jacques
Published: May 2010

This study analyses best practices of knowledge strategies in hospitals considering the implementation of medical protocols. Protocols are research products originated from the based-on-evidence medicine. Knowledge strategy depends on specific organizational context that can be expressed by its barriers and enablers. Eight hospitals were studied in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, involving multidisciplinary teams of the cardiology services which are acknowledged as the area of expertise with more implemented protocols. The same protocols are available in all investigated hospitals and are implemented by different practices in daily activities. A formal structure for the promotion of the organizational context is proposed in relation to the protocol implementation. The following factors were found as critical for the promotion of knowledge strategies’ best practices in hospitals: a common language for sharing information among different professionals; the knowledge gap as a corporate vision, and the particular hole of information technology.
Critical Success Factors
Authors: Solli-Sæther Hans , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2010

We have identified a total of eleven theories that help explain why IT outsourcing is occurring worldwide. These theories were presented in the previous Chapter 2. Based on these theories, we develop eleven critical success factors in IT outsourcing, one for each theory. These factors are presented in the first section of this chapter. We developed the following research question: How do practitioners rank critical success factors based on outsourcing theories? To study this research question, we developed a survey instrument and conducted a survey among business organizations. Results from this survey and discussion of the findings are presented. In the second section of this chapter, we conceptualize the outsourcing of IT services as an electronic business activity, where the vendor electronically provides IT services to the client. The idea is that the purchasing of IT services is a business-to-business (B2B) relationship, which leads to outsourcing implications in terms of services that the vendor has to provide to its customers. Thus, we will in the second section look at critical success factors in electronic business infrastructure as an example of issues that need to be addressed.
Case Study Research
Authors: Solli-Sæther Hans , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2010

In order to understand the inherent complexities and the underlying constructs of managing IT outsourcing relationships and the performance of these relationships, empirical research was conducted. The empirical research in terms of an exploratory case study had the following guiding research questions: 1) How do client and vendor organizations manage their IT outsourcing relationship? 2) How do different stakeholders influence, or get influenced by, the IT outsourcing relationship? In this research context, the unit of analysis was both the relationship (question 1) and the individual stakeholders (question 2). As our goal was to explore managerial and individual issues, rather than analytical generalization, no research propositions or hypotheses were developed in advance of the empirical study. First in this chapter, we present the methodology applied in the case study process. Next, we present three internationally based IT outsourcing relationships that were studied (Solli-Sæther, 2006). In the following section, data collected are put into cross-case issues of managing IT outsourcing relationships. Finally, we use the theoretical framework developed in Chapter 2 for evaluating different aspects of the cases studied.
Conclusion
Authors: Solli-Sæther Hans , Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2010

Achieving superior performance in IT outsourcing relationships is both a demanding and a rewarding activity. To perform well managers need to understand outsourcing opportunities, critical success factors, company value configuration and maturity for outsourcing, the need for knowledge transfer, and management and control of outsourcing arrangement. Outsourcing opportunities can be derived from resource-based theory, transaction cost theory, activity theory, agency theory, or other theories of the firm. Based on such opportunities, companies develop business-oriented enter strategies. A strategy defines vision, mission and objectives of the firm. It includes changes in electronic business and other important business areas that impact future use of information technology. The strategy analyzes business direction, information management strategy, and ambition level for IT outsourcing. The theoretical and empirical based critical success factors serve as recommendations for what to outsource and how to succeed in managing IT outsourcing relationships. Outsourcing business functions, managers must first understand – the underlying business logic of their firm, the company’s value configuration, and how resources such as information systems affect the performance of various component activities.
Business Rules Enabled Semantic Service Discovery and Selection for B2B Integration
Authors: Friesen Andreas
Published: May 2010

In service-oriented business applications, B2B integration happens when a service requester invokes services of one or more service providers. Typically, there are several candidate services with similar capabilities that can be chosen by a requester in order to serve his business needs. The selection of the service to be invoked may depend on different functional and non-functional properties. The nonfunctional properties usually address security, reliability, performance, and so forth. The functional properties address the business process interplay at the level of the technical Web service interface and the message choreography associated with it. At the technical integration level, the description of functional and non-functional service properties has been exhaustively addressed in the scientific literature in the past. The business level however, namely, the requester’s business need, the business meaning of an offered service, and the capability of a service provider to successfully perform the requested business transaction, has been rather ignored. This chapter describes a solution for service discovery and selection at the business level, that is, at the level of offered business capability of a service provider and the ability to serve a concrete requested business transaction. The proposed solution is based on semantic interpretation of offered service capabilities, contractual restrictions, business rules of the requestor specifying selection preferences, and the parameters of the run-time service request. The applicability of the proposed solution is demonstrated on a shipper-carrier integration scenario.
Building Visual Travel Recommender Systems and Tourism Communities for Effective User Experience
Authors: Sharda Nalin
Published: May 2010

Modern information and communication technology (ICT) systems can help us in building travel recommender systems and virtual tourism communities. Tourism ICT systems have come a long way from the early airline ticket booking systems. Travel recommender systems have emerged in recent years, facilitating the task of destination selection as well activities at the destination. A move from purely text-based recommender systems to visual recommender systems is being proposed, which can be facilitated by the use of the Web 2.0 technologies to create virtual travel communities. Delivering a good user experience is important to make these technologies widely accepted and used. This chapter presents an overview of the historical perspective of tourism ICT systems and their current state of development vis-à-vis travel recommender systems and tourism communities. User experience is an important aspect of any ICT system. How to define user experience and measure it through usability testing is also presented.
Semantic User Model Inferences for Travel Recommender Systems
Authors: Yang Yanwu
Published: May 2010

This chapter proposes a semantic user model based on a description logic language to represent user’s knowledge and information, and a set of domain-dependent rules specific to the tourism domain in terms of spatial criteria (i.e., distance) and cognition to infer useful user features such as interests and preferences as important inputs for travel recommender systems (TRS). We also identify a spatial Web application scenario in the tourism domain, which is intended to provide personalized information about a variety of spatial entities in order to assist the user in traveling in an urban space.
Developing Knowledge-Based Travel Advisor Systems
Authors: Jannach Dietmar , Zanker Markus , Jessenitschnig Markus
Published: May 2010

In the domain of travel and tourism, recommender systems have proven to be valuable tools for supporting potential customers during the decision making process. In contrast to other domains, however, travel recommendation systems must not only include extensive knowledge about catalogued items but also require interactive elicitation of customer requirements. As a consequence, such systems often become highly-interactive and personalized Web applications, whose development can be costly and time-consuming. The authors see these factors as major obstacles to the widespread adoption of this type of recommender system in particular with respect to small and medium-sized companies and e-tourism platforms. The “Vibe virtual spa advisor” presented in this chapter is an example of a recommender system offering such high level interaction. It has been built with the help of AdVisor suite, an off-the-shelf knowledge-based and domain-independent framework for the rapid development of advisory applications. The chapter discusses how development costs can be reduced by using a framework that supports graphical domain modeling, domain-independent recommendation algorithms and semi-automated generation of production quality web applications. The authors also report on practical experiences and give an outlook on future work and opportunities in the domain of travel recommendation.
A Study of Web 2.0 Tourism Sites
Authors: Sellitto Carmine , Burgess Stephen , Cox Carmen , Buultjens Jeremy
Published: May 2010

The term Web 2.0 was coined around 2004 and was used to describe more interactive types of websites developed after the dot-com crash. An important characteristic of Web 2.0 sites is premised on being able to incorporate various technologies and applications within the site to enhance functionality. This enhanced functionality is primarily associated with such sites being able to publish and display diverse content— content that is user-contributed, or where the site might draw information synergistically from a third party. This increased functionality potentially affects two traditional areas of website implementation. Firstly, the embedding of applications within a website tends to increase design complexity that can contribute to a detrimental user experience when browsing— in turn, affecting website usability. Secondly, Web 2.0 sites in allowing users to publish, display and list diverse views, opinions, pictures, sounds, and so forth, will impact content and design features that are not encountered on traditional websites. Consequently, this chapter investigates a set of Web 2.0 tourism sites for their usability as well as reporting an overview of website content encountered. In examining these issues the paper provides a background primer on the advent of Web 2.0 sites, novel aspects of their design, including the potential for incorporating user content. Tourism sites are the focus of this chapter— both commercial and noncommercial Web 2.0 sites being of interest.
Facebook, Friends and Photos
Authors: White Leanne
Published: May 2010

This chapter undertakes a ‘snapshot’ or glimpse into social aspects of tourism informatics with specific reference to the travel photographs posted on the social networking site ‘Facebook’. This analysis will focus on the travel images (photographs) generated by 10 individuals (five male and five female) from the Facebook community. It must be emphasised that the study is deliberately narrow in its focus and does not attempt to make generalisations about how photos are used by other Facebook users. The aim of the study is to begin a dialogue about the use of travel photos on this popular social networking site. Examined in this chapter are a selection of visual images and written messages surrounding the tourism encounters of the particular Facebook members between September 2007 and September 2008. As Urry (1995) has argued, “the consumption of tourist services is important yet by no means easy to understand and explain” (p. 139). Tourism is experienced in a highly visual manner and there is a need for further research in this area. This chapter explores how the photographs taken, displayed and recorded on Facebook reinforce the travel experience for the tourist; and furthermore, how these images might influence the travel decisions of those who view the photos. Wider implications resulting from this type of research for the future development for tourism informatics (e-tourism) is also explored.
Visiting Tourist Landmarks in Virtual Reality Systems by Real-Walking
Authors: Steinicke F. , Bruder G. , Jerald J. , Frenz H.
Published: May 2010

In recent years virtual environments (VEs) have become more and more popular and widespread due to the requirements of numerous application areas in particular in the 3D city visualization domain. Virtual reality (VR) systems, which make use of tracking technologies and stereoscopic projections of three-dimensional synthetic worlds, support better exploration of complex datasets. However, due to the limited interaction space usually provided by the range of the tracking sensors, users can explore only a portion of the virtual environment (VE). Redirected walking allows users to walk through large-scale immersive virtual environments (IVEs) such as virtual city models, while physically remaining in a reasonably small workspace by intentionally injecting scene motion into the IVE. With redirected walking users are guided on physical paths that may differ from the paths they perceive in the virtual world. The authors have conducted experiments in order to quantify how much humans can unknowingly be redirected. In this chapter they present the results of this study and the implications for virtual locomotion user interfaces that allow users to view arbitrary real world locations, before the users actually travel there in a natural environment.
Analysis of Interactions through a Web Annotation Tool in a Pre-University Mathematics Online Course
Authors: Escudero-Viladoms Núria , Sancho-Vinuesa Teresa
Published: May 2010

employed as a collaborative tool or as a medium of artistic or social criticism, has been introduced in a mathematics course for online pre-engineering students. The objective of this innovation is to integrate the communication and the subject’s contents and to check whether a better level of communication between students and professors improves the acquisition of basic mathematical competencies. As a result of this study, we put forward a model for the analysis of the online interaction, as well as a classification of students in relation to the use of the communication tool.
A Brief History of eLearning
Authors: Kidd Terry T.
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this chapter is to explore prior research associated with the history of eLearning. While issues related to the eLearning, technology and innovation adoption, the online environment, the role of faculty in online environments, and preparing faculty for online instruction are important, it is prudent to examine the history of this innovation in order to chart the future of such practices.
The Paradigm Shift for Adult Education
Authors: Sonwalkar Nishikant
Published: May 2010

This chapter starts with the metaphor of educational slavery to indicate conventional mode of teaching practiced in the class room with a teacher-centric approach and proposes a brain-based synaptic learning approach for student-centric that leads to learning freedom. The chapter describes the basic functions connected with the anatomy of human brain and then crystallizes it to three main functions, namely, perception, cognition and interaction. The tree functions are then related to three sides of the pedagogical framework of learning cube. With the learning cube pedagogical framework author proposes an adaptive learning approach that enhances the synaptic activity in the human brain leading to long term retention for adult learners. A proposal is made to create a five-factored cognitive ability chart based on diagnostics of perception, cognition, interaction, memorization and assimilation. The cognitive ability chart is then used to create individualized prescription for enhancement of adult learning using synaptic learning environment. The chapter concludes by providing a road map for achieving learning freedom for human brain with synaptic learning.
Unpacking Social Inequalities
Authors: Henry Laurie A.
Published: May 2010

This chapter is based on a comparative, qualitative study that explored social equity issues related to technology integration among middle schools located in the United States of America. Differences between economically privileged and economically disadvantaged school districts were explored to determine if inequalities related to technology integration generally, and the development of multiliteracies specifically, exist. Participants included middle school students from grades 5 to 8, and teachers and administrators from nine schools located in four different school districts. Data included transcripts from interviews and focus groups, observational field notes, and various school artifacts collected from the research sites. Using these data, an exploration of the contextual factors that might influence the inclusion of instruction for new literacies directly related to literacy activities on the Internet was conducted. The results suggest that a disparity does exist along economic lines and several contextual factors were identified that may impede the development of the new literacies including the use of the Internet as an information resource among middle school students in the United States.
The Bard and the Web
Authors: Jetnikoff Anita
Published: May 2010

In a multiliterate age we are teaching through technology, even in erstwhile conservative subjects such as English. Once teacher preparation involved only print based texts which preservice teachers read. English has always occupied the territory of the printed word, but is there room for technology in the study of the bard? Multiliteracies involve the mastery of a repertoire of literacy practices, including those deploying technology. This chapter describes a research project, which explores the challenges and concerns preservice teachers face when teaching complex literature such as Shakespeare. The chapter describes and evaluates the effectiveness of preservice students’ interactions with a set of digital vodcasts featuring an ‘expert teacher’ teaching Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This is an exploratory study deploying mostly qualitative analysis of survey data and focus group discussions with preservice teachers in their final year of undergraduate study at an Australian university. The use of vodcast resources allowed preservice teachers to effectively access ‘expert performance,’ to critically problem-solve specific issues around teaching Shakespeare, detailed in the project’s design. In deploying this technology, the preservice teachers effectively engage in a ‘cognitive apprenticeship’ through a repertoire of literacy practices on their way to becoming reflective practitioners.
The Enterprise Systems Approach
Authors: Targowski Andrew
Published: May 2010

The enterprise system approach is defined by its evolution and major milestones of architectural planning. The ES architectures are multi-faceted solutions, hence it is defined in the scope of the enterprise organization architecture (EOA), enterprise functional architecture (EFA), enterprise processive architecture (EPA), enterprise information architecture (EIA), enterprise software architecture (ESA), enterprise network architecture (ENA), enterprise service architecture (ESA), business component architecture (BCA), enterprise information infrastructure (EII), and enterprise configurations. A composite ES architecture is presented as a transitional architecture, which is currently practiced by most enterprises. The near future of the ES approach will be rather limited to the ways of delivering ES’ applications within a framework of service-oriented architecture (SOA) and the cloud computing, which satisfies effective large-scale operations. The progressive process of organization/business virtualization and the urgent need for more sustainable enterprise development should lead to new development of enterprise systems.
A Methodology for the Auditing of Technological Knowledge Management
Authors: Arís Enrique Paniagua , Ayuso Belén López
Published: May 2010

This work presents a methodology for auditing technological knowledge management that allows the proposed solution to be aligned with the competitive strategy of organisations, as well as with their processes, key competences, and the associated knowledge resources. That enables the solution to be technologically oriented and to be applied to different types of business, from SOHO and SME to large companies. Firstly, the authors will present their view regarding knowledge management, which is a technological perspective; they will specify the context of application and their objectives. Secondly, the authors will analyse the characteristics of knowledge as the object to be managed and will identify, analyse and criticise the most relevant knowledge management approaches, models and methodologies related to their objectives, then outlining the requirements that technological knowledge management must meet. Thirdly, the authors will present the components of the model on which the methodology is based, and they will describe its stages and tasks. Then the authors will analyse the advantages of the model and methodology regarding other proposals. Finally, the conclusions and future lines of work will be presented.
Enterprise Tomography
Authors: Aalmink Jan , Gómez Jorge Marx
Published: May 2010

Enterprise tomography is an interdisciplinary approach for an efficient application lifecycle management of enterprise platforms and very large business applications (VLBA). Enterprise tomography semiautomatically identifies and localizes semantic integration concepts and visualizes integration ontologies in semantic genres. Especially delta determination of integration concepts is performed in dimension space and time. Enterprise tomography supports software and data comprehension. SMEs, large scaled development organizations and maintenance organizations can benefit from this new approach. This methodology is useful for tracking database changes of business processes or coding changes within a specific domain. In this way root cause analysis is supported.
The Nature of Distributed Leadership and its Development in Online Environments
Authors: Thornton Kate
Published: May 2010

Distributed leadership is a practice that spreads leadership over a number of people who work cooperatively and interdependently to achieve the purpose of their group. Unlike heroic models of leadership, which rely on the capabilities of one person, distributed leadership encourages all members to contribute their knowledge and expertise. Online environments such as communities of practice, action learning groups and virtual teams are ideally suited to fostering the development of distributed leadership because they allow all group members ready access to information and also allow for the sharing of information between group members. This chapter will consider how distributed leadership can be encouraged in online environments by both positional and emergent leaders and by the use of appropriate technologies.
Building Collective Awareness in Virtual Teams
Authors: Daassi Mohamed , Jawadi Nabila , Favier Marc , Kalika Michel
Published: May 2010

This chapter investigates the role of e-leaders in building and maintaining collective awareness within virtual teams. The authors examine the effects of behavioral leadership orientation on collective awareness building. The study explores the bi-dimensional structure of both collective awareness and leader behavior orientation. According to this conceptualization, activity-awareness is linked to task-oriented behaviors of e-leaders. Activities related to goal clarification, coordination and work monitoring are expected to provide more visibility regarding team members’ actions and their contribution to work completion. At the same time, social awareness is developed through the e-leaders’ relation-oriented behaviors. The development of aspects related to interpersonal relationships such as trust, cohesion, and conflict management reduce uncertainty regarding the behavior of team members. Interviews conducted with 12 members of two virtual teams confirm the authors’ theoretical development and emphasize information management as a key managerial practice for e-leaders to build collective awareness.
Engaging in Virtual Collaborative Writing
Authors: Wojahn Patti G. , Blicharz Kristin A. , Taylor Stephanie K.
Published: May 2010

In this chapter, the authors discuss factors useful for virtual collaborators to consider when initiating a new writing project. They identify the importance of and challenges common to getting to know others through virtual means. They then address issues associated with establishing expectations and protocols for the collaborative processes to be used for a given project. They do so by drawing from the literature on and their own experiences with virtual collaborative writing, as well as from communication logs and survey responses gathered from a small pilot study conducted in 2007. This pilot study focused on behavior and perceptions related to multiple types of communicative tools for interacting in daily workplace practice. They argue that behaviors, perceptions, expectations, and previous practice can all inform rules of engagement that can benefit teams working in virtual contexts. Time spent planning for the collaboration by defining common goals, rules, and guidelines in early stages of a virtual project can improve the collaborative experience: subsequent efficiency; role, task, and deadline delineations; and group satisfaction.
IASI-METOP and MIPAS-ENVISAT data fusion
Authors: Ceccherini S. , Cortesi U. , Del Bianco S. , Raspollini P. , Carli B.
Published: May 2010

Abstract. The combination of data obtained with different sensors (data fusion) is a powerful technique that can provide target products of the best quality in terms of precision and accuracy, as well as spatial and temporal coverage and resolution. In this paper the results are presented of the data fusion of measurements of ozone vertical profile performed by two space-borne interferometers (IASI on METOP and MIPAS on ENVISAT) using the new measurement-space-solution method. With this method both the loss of information due to interpolation and the propagation of possible biases (caused by a priori information) are avoided. The data fusion products are characterized by means of retrieval errors, information gain, averaging kernels and number of degrees of freedom. The analysis is performed both on simulated and real measurements and the results demonstrate and quantify the improvement of data fusion products with respect to measurements of a~single instrument.
Interannual variability in soil nitric oxide emissions over the United States as viewed from space
Authors: Hudman R. C. , Russell A. R. , Valin L. C. , Cohen R. C.
Published: May 2010

Abstract. We examine the interannual variability in the NO2 column over North America measured by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) in 2005–2008. By comparison to a model of soil NOx emissions driven by the North American Regional Reanalysis precipitation and 0–10 cm soil temperature fields, we show the source of this observed interannual variability over much of the central United States in June is fertilizer application. We find that dry,warm conditions followed by convective precipitation induces pulsed emissions of NOx over the agricultural Great Plains. In June~2006 we infer a 50% increase in soil NOx emission and a 30% increase in the tropospheric NO2 column relative to the June 2005–2008 mean. In a case-study of fertilized corn and soybean fields over SE South Dakota, we find an associated rain-induced pulsing event reaching 4.6×1015 molec cm−2, equivalent to a surface concentration of ~2 ppbv. We calculate that soil NOx emissions resulted in a mean daily maximum 8-h ozone enhancement over the agricultural Great Plains of 5 ppbv in June~2006 (with predicted events reaching 16 ppbv) compared with a mean enhancement of 3 ppbv for soil NOx in the years 2005–2008.
Effect of initiator type and concentration on polymerization rate and molecular weight in the bimolecular nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization of styrene
Authors: Nogueira Telma Regina , Gonçalves Maria Cecília , Ferrareso Lona Liliane Maria , Vivaldo‐Lima Eduardo , McManus Neil , Penlidis Alexander
Published: May 2010

To increase the polymerization rate in the bimolecular nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization (NMRP) of styrene, without using expensive non‐commercial reagents, an experimental study using 2,2,6,6‐tetramethyl‐1‐piperidinoxyl as a controller and tert‐butylperoxy 2‐ethylhexyl carbonate (TBEC) as the initiator was carried out. The basis for comparison was the bimolecular NMRP of styrene with dibenzoyl peroxide as initiator. It was found that faster polymerization rates and still relatively low polydispersities were possible using TBEC. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29:11–19, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20170
Combustion synthesis of ceramic nanoparticles for solid oxide fuel cells
Authors: Dong Dehua , Li Chun‐Zhu , Wang Huanting
Published: May 2010

Two combustion synthesis methods involving the use of polyacrylamide hydrogel and humic acids (HAs) as fuels were developed to synthesize ceramic nanoparticles for fabrication of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Using polyacrylamide hydrogel as fuel, highly crystalline NiO/Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC) and SDC nanoparticles were synthesized to make a modified layer and subsequent dense electrolyte film on the anode support. HA was used as complexible fuel to synthesize Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 nanoparticles for preparing the SOFC porous cathode. The single SOFCs made from these nanoparticles exhibited a maximum power density of 740 mW cm−2 at 650 °C operated with H2/air as fuel/oxidant, suggesting the synthesized nanoparticles are of high quality as SOFC materials. Copyright © 2010 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.