bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Une invitation aux enquêtes transnationales
Authors: Vari-Lavoisier Ilka
Published: June 2016

Cette contribution propose un retour sur une enquête collective, interdisciplinaire et transnationale menée entre le Sénégal et la France. L’envie de comprendre les dimensions économiques et sociales des transferts d’argent des migrants sénégalais vivant en France a donné naissance à un dispositif empirique original : l’enquête « Terrains Interdisciplinaires et Multi-sites : Migrations et Engagements » (TIMME).
Migrations internationales et variations sur l’échelle du village global dans la mondialisation
Authors: Milazzo Josepha
Published: June 2016

Les municipalités villageoises, en apparence excentrées des métropoles, ne sont ni en marge des processus liés à la mondialisation ni à l’écart des dynamiques migratoires internationales. Comment alors interroger l’intégration de ces espaces dans la mondialisation ? Comment analyser le rôle de la migration internationale dans le développement de ces espaces ? Observer l’évolution de ces espaces villageois et la participation de la migration à leurs transformations requiert du chercheur un regard distancié à l’égard des paradigmes urbains dominants qui font des villes globales et des métropoles les points de référence analytiques de la mondialisation et de la migration. Telle est la posture proposée par cet article qui interroge les transformations de Cadaqués dans la mondialisation : un village touristique espagnol catalan, semi-périphérique, non-métropolitain et côtier, dont la population résidente se compose pour plus d’un tiers de migrants étrangers. Pour ce faire, je discute l’opérationnalité d’un concept recyclé, le village global. Dans ce cadre théorique, interroger les rapports entre l’échelle, les formes d’incorporation des migrants et les transformations de l’espace, permet de comprendre comment ce village a évolué et évolue. Plus généralement, ceci nous montre que les modes distincts d’organisation de l’espace et des sociétés au sein des villages, ne cessent - comme dans les villes -, de changer avec la mondialisation.
Big Data Analysis
Authors: Prakash Rajanala Vijaya
Published: June 2016

The data management industry has matured over the last three decades, primarily based on Relational Data Base Management Systems (RDBMS) technology. The amount of data collected and analyzed in enterprises has increased several folds in volume, variety and velocity of generation and consumption, organizations have started struggling with architectural limitations of traditional RDBMS architecture. As a result a new class of systems had to be designed and implemented, giving rise to the new phenomenon of “Big Data”. The data-driven world has the potential to improve the efficiencies of enterprises and improve the quality of our lives. There are a number of challenges that must be addressed to allow us to exploit the full potential of Big Data. This article highlights the key technical challenges of Big Data.
Big Data Management in Financial Services
Authors: Vidal-García Javier , Vidal Marta
Published: June 2016

Many organizations are beginning to feel frustrated by the limited progress of their companies with the application of new technologies to date. At the same time is convenient to remember that this is something that always happens when new technologies are introduced, companies must accept the challenge of self-assessment and measure the barriers that threaten to prevent them from reaching to get the maximum potential derived from big data and analytics In financial services, there are significant opportunities to obtain benefits by applying technologies and methodologies of big data and analytics. Regulatory pressure has forced many businesses, particularly in banking, to invest in areas such as risk management, compliance and operations. This has accelerated the trend toward enterprise data management.
“There Are No Observers Here”
Authors: Monforton Hazel E.
Published: June 2016

As an emergent medium capable of telling complex stories, the video game gives us unique insight and challenges to established critical theory. This chapter will examine the ways ‘the gaze' is expressed and utilized in video games, particularly the “survival horror” genre. It will discuss some of the ways ‘the gaze' has been shaped by literary and filmic studies before turning to Outlast (2013) by Red Barrels Games as an example of the way the medium can rearticulate our understanding of watching and being watched. Through its player-driven diegesis, immersion and phenomenologically-situated avatar body, and an ability to stimulate emotional response through game mechanics, the video game gaze might be capable of engendering emotional sympathy rather than constructing hierarchical positions of mastery. With its narratives of state control and institutionalization, journalistic distance, and medical invasiveness, Outlast uses critical understandings of ‘the gaze' to ask questions about privacy, complicity, and responsibility.
The Game Space of Dear Esther and Beyond
Authors: Weihl Harrington
Published: June 2016

This chapter argues that the spaces created by video games are central to the formulation of player agency in the game. More precisely, this chapter analyzes several recent independent and experimental games—Dear Esther, Menagerie, and the work of games collective Arcane Kids—to argue that the dislocation or alienation of player agency through the formal category of game space has political and aesthetic significance. The dislocation of player agency sees ‘agency' taken away from the player and granted instead to the game space itself; players are placed at the mercy of the game space in such a way that their lack of agency is emphasized. The effect of this emphasis is to enable these games to critique the atomized, neoliberal undercurrents of contemporary cultural production.
She Designs Therefore She Is?
Authors: Cunningham Carolyn Michelle
Published: June 2016

Girls and women play video games in equal number to boys, yet they continue to be under-represented in the video game industry. The goal of this chapter is to examine initiatives that encourage gender equality in video game design. This chapter argues that the process of becoming a video game designer may have the potential to shift girls' notions of identity. Drawing on research on girls and video game design, as well as analyses of informal programs that teach girls video game design, this chapter emphasizes the intersection of design and identity. This chapter offers directions and recommendations for future research, including the need for expanded understandings of the cultural and democratic benefits of video game design for girls.
Playful Experiments
Authors: Thomaz Felippe Calazans , Filho Jorge Cardoso
Published: June 2016

This study investigates the conditions to aesthetic experience in games for touchscreen devices from a non-hermeneutic perspective. For that reason, the body and the technical devices are taken as fundamental dimensions in the process of having “an experience”, in which their material aspects are not indifferent. In other words, what is of interest is to analyze game situations and the mutual influence between player and game, in the sense of identifying elements that could lead to “an experience”, taking as objects the games Mountain and Monument Valley. Moreover, concerns to understand how such titles contribute to the broadening of the technoludic experience. The article is sustained in the induction that from the moment in which characteristics of traditional games are tensioned, it seems that they assume an air of experimentation in their ways of calling to action. We argue that “an experience” can emerge from the articulation between “effects of presence” and “effects of meaning”, so that the material constitution of the medium is not indifferent.
Tensions between Cognitive and Social Presence in Blended K-12 Classes
Authors: Rubin Beth , Fernandes Ron
Published: June 2016

This chapter takes the perspective of the teacher as the leader of a blended K-12 classroom, working to create a community of inquiry. There is an inherent tension between the teacher/class leader encouraging social presence, while simultaneously maximizing cognitive presence and higher order thinking for students. Teachers differentiate among students in order to maximize learning for students of different ability levels, which can create either intentional or accidental groups that develop a sense of identity and hold different perceptions of the class and the teacher. The reduces social presence within the class by encouraging inter-group differentiation, which impedes the free and open inquiry needed for high levels of cognitive presence for all students. The use of social media to enhance the relationships and trust among all students, as well as the use of alternative groupings, are potential solutions that enhance class-level social presence and contribute to higher levels of learning for all.
Morfosis Educational Philosophy
Authors: Gialamas Stefanos P. , Pelonis Peggy , Cherif Abour H.
Published: June 2016

Early in the 21st Century it became obvious that the world has developed in multiple and complex directions which resulted in the pressing demand of a different type of citizen. Many of the previously well-established principles and values are under examination, and oftentimes are explicitly challenged. Any K-12 academic institution that holds as a central belief that knowledge is individually and socially constructed by learners who are active observers of the world, active questioners, agile problem posers and critical and creative problem solvers, must design, implement and promote an educational philosophy that mirrors the needs described above. This chapter discusses a new educational philosophy (Morfosis) that has been adopted by ACS Athens over the past decade. Morfosis is defined within the 21st Century framework, as a holistic, meaningful, and harmonious educational experience, guided by ethos. The chapter also advances the concept of successful vs. significant institutions, and shares recommendations on how to establish a culture that promotes and establishes the latter.
Aristeia Leadership
Authors: Gialamas Stefanos P. , Pelonis Peggy , Cherif Abour H. , Medeiros Steven
Published: June 2016

This chapter will present the second component of the gMp, that is, the Aristeia leadership defined as a continuous act of effectively engaging all members of an organization, or community, as well as utilizing their differences, their authentic energies, creative ideas, and diverse qualities primarily for the benefit of their constituencies. The catalyst for implementing the aforementioned is the institutional leader, who should possess all the necessary skills to support, promote and foster a culture of innovation within the institution. The Aristeia Leadership approach is defined by its three essential components (a) the establishment of an Authentic Leadership Identity (ALI), (b) the creation of a Collective Leadership-Partnership Approach (CPA) and (c) Serving Humanity (Gialamas, Pelonis, & Medeiros, 2014; Gialamas & Avgerinou, 2015).
The i2Flex Methodology
Authors: Avgerinou Maria D. , Gialamas Stefanos P.
Published: June 2016

This chapter begins with a brief overview of blended learning in the K-12 in order to provide the theoretical framework for the i2Flex methodology and ground it on the larger educational landscape of the early 21st Century. The background, definition, and praxis of the methodology are then presented, followed by the conditions that are critical to its success. Specific reference is made to perspectives, instruments and processes that have served as pillars and guides for i2Flex, such as Boyer's scholarship of teaching (1990), TPACK (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework (Garrison, et al., 2000), and the Quality Matters® course design standards and rubric.
Towards a Model of Playful Learning
Authors: Raphael Raphael
Published: June 2016

What is the role of play in learning? What ways can we as educators leverage our students' extracurricular digital lives in meaningful ways in our digital and physical learning environments? What roles can the elements of game mechanics and game thinking serve towards these ends, especially in a blended learning environment? These are some of the initial questions that guided my action research at the American Community Schools, Athens (ACS). My project considers the efficacy of employing gamification strategies within a blended learning environment. This chapter in turn provides a brief narrative account of my research experience, focusing on an entrepreneur simulation in the ACS Academy (High School), and a series of gamified interventions done with ACS middle school students. It closes with a brief gamification toolset, a series of practical considerations drawn from this field experience and relevant research that may be helpful for teachers and administrators interested in exploring ways to gamify their own digital and physical learning communities or spaces.
Flipping and Flexing in Science
Authors: Rontogiannis Labrini
Published: June 2016

The Digital Native is experiencing education during a very unique time. Learning with the help of technology, becoming independent and flexible learners, will only build on the skills they need to face a rapidly changing world and truly become architects of their own learning. The i2Flex model (a blended learning model) allows curriculum demands to be met while creating a learning environment whereby Middle School Science students are motivated and become engaged in higher order skills. This chapter will discuss the i2Flex philosophy and how the flipped classroom complements this methodology and allows students to build on higher order thinking skills within a K-12 international school setting.
The Humanities Program
Authors: Jasonides Kathleen , Karvouniaris Janet , Zavacopoulou Amalia
Published: June 2016

Innovative since its inception, the ACS Honors Humanities program has a long history of more than 40 years as an interdisciplinary team-taught course that examines essential questions through literature, visual and performing arts, philosophy and history. This innovative approach has continued to motivate successive teaching teams to modify and enhance a program that challenges students academically, utilizing the best possible resources and taking advantage of new technology. The program consists of two year-long, completely integrated i2Flex ACS Athens Honors diploma courses and three i2Flex 20-week enrichment courses accessible to students anywhere. This chapter presents two case studies which explain the transformation of the Honors Humanities course from Face to Face to i2Flex. The authors describe and present examples of how they redesigned the courses. They present data on student feedback and findings regarding the benefits and challenges of adopting the i2Flex methodology for this program. This chapter is intended as a reference for teachers, teachers in training and professionals who train teachers.
Entering the i-World of Teens
Authors: Dragatakis Mandy , Makris Anna , Pelonis Peggy
Published: June 2016

In an ever-evolving digital world, it is imperative to guide students in best fit choices by allowing them to self-reflect in meaningful ways. This chapter addresses this Holistic, Meaningful and Harmonious process (Gialamas & Pelonis, 2009) of applying to college through the digital world and caters to such audience as guidance counselors, principals, teachers and parents interested in making the college application process a meaningful journey through which students will obtain skills and tools to use when life calls for them. The implementation of the i2Flex Model methodology to college guidance is discussed within this context.
The Effects of i2Flex Learning on Students' Holistic Well-Being and Academic Success
Authors: Sax Alessandra
Published: June 2016

With rapid changes taking place in today's society, individuals need more than ever to be equipped with tools that will assist them to cope with the changes they are faced with within multitude domains of their lives: school, work and social environments. As learning is a life- long process that touches and interacts with many domains of one's individual life and overall functioning, individuals must be flexible and able to adapt to the everyday changes around them. More specifically in education, students over the last decade with increased technological advances, have opportunities that extend beyond the brick -and- mortar traditional learning environment, thus indicated as “blending learning”; a combination of web-based teaching and learning experiences along with structured individual and collaborative interaction among students and their teachers. The i2Flex model, piloted at the American Community Schools of Athens, Greece will be examined and illustrate how learning within this framework, assists students in being flexible, adaptive and skilled 21st century learners.
Simulating Passive Design Strategies of Rural Residential Buildings in Severe Cold Regions of Northeast China
Authors: Zhen Meng , Sun Cheng , Goh Bee Hua
Published: June 2016

With a strong dependency on regions and climate, passive design is the most economically effective strategy to reduce energy consumption. Using Climate Consultant 5.5 software, data analysis is conducted to analyze 16 cities in Northeast China. The independent and integrated effectiveness of nine kinds of passive design strategy are studied like sun shading of windows, high thermal mass, high thermal mass night flushed, direct evaporative cooling, two-stage evaporative cooling, natural ventilation cooling, passive solar direct gain low mass, passive solar direct gain high mass, wind protection of outdoor spaces. The results show that passive solar heat gains are the most important passive design strategy, whether in the heating or non-heating season, with an average contribution rate of 14.64% and 28.38%, respectively. This study provides suggestions on passive design in severe cold regions in Northeast China. The effectiveness-evaluation tables proposed can be referred to by architects in their passive designs.
Smart Homes and Sustainable Energy in Nigeria
Authors: Oni Oluwasola
Published: June 2016

In many developing countries, there is limited access to electricity with the populace typically resorting to purchasing personal electricity generating units. This research explores the factors affecting the possibility of introducing smart homes that would conserve electricity, reduce a need for reliance on the national grid and lower energy costs. Advantages and disadvantages, as well as the impact on society and development in general are examined in addition to future perspectives on smart homes and sustainable energy.
Utilization of SVM, LSSVM and GP for Predicting the Medical Waste Generation
Authors: Jagan J. , Dalkiliç Yıldırım , Samui Pijush
Published: June 2016

The prediction of wastes generated in the hospital will help their management for several activities like storage, transport and disposing. This chapter adopts Support Vector Machine (SVM), Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) and Genetic Programming (GP) in order to estimate the rate of medical waste generation. In the event of predicting the rate, type of hospital, capacity and bed occupancy has been used as inputs of SVM, LSSVM and GP. SVM is based on statistical learning theory, which provides an elegant tool for nonlinear system modeling. LSSVM is the re-formulation to the general SVM. GP, a best part of evolutionary algorithm and also the specification of Genetic Algorithm (GA). These SVM, LSSVM and GP have been used as the regression techniques. The results show the performance of the developed SVM, LSSVM and GP models were elegant and outstanding.
“Small Is Beautiful”
Authors: Nemec Juraj , Matejova Lenka , Soukopová Jana
Published: June 2016

This chapter discusses the problem of territorial fragmentation and summarizes the arguments for and against a solution in the form of territorial consolidation regarding the example of the Czech Republic. The main reason for the consolidation of municipalities are the benefits derived from the theory of the economies of scale. Linked to this is also the question of how to determine the optimal size of a municipality in order to make the best use of the principles of scale economies. The second part of this chapter shows an analysis of Czech municipal expenditures on selected public services that municipalities provide, and based on the results, determine the optimal size of the municipality for the analyzed services. Data from the Czech Republic do not clearly support the economic arguments for territorial consolidation
Local and Urban Administrations, Politics, and Elections in Turkey
Authors: Gül Hüseyin , Kamalak İhsan , Kiriş Hakan Mehmet
Published: June 2016

As a result of comprehensive reforms since the late 1990s, the structures, powers, functions and relations of the central government and local administrations, and of the state, market and civil society have been reshaped in Turkey. Besides, Turkey's democratic and administrative system and the local, metropolitan and regional administrations have been strengthened. This study focuses on the local and urban politics and elections as well as the local administration structure in Turkey. Accordingly, first, this chapter aims to present a conceptual and theoretical background for the paper on local and urban politics. Second, the paper gives a short review of the local administrative system in Turkey. Third, the study focuses on the types and characteristics of the local and urban politics and elections, actors involved, participation patterns, etc. Finally, a short review of the issues discussed in the chapter along with some recommendations is presented.
Local Governments in China
Authors: Cheng Joseph Y. S.
Published: June 2016

Local governments in China operate within a hierarchical system of bureaucratic control in which each level of government has to be accountable to the next higher level, and provincial governments must accept the unified leadership of the State Council. The system is buttressed by the Party's nomenclatura system tightly controlling the appointments of officials at all levels. Local governments officials do not have to be answerable to voters, but they have to undergo detailed performance assessments annually by their superiors within the Party state. Local governments in China, assume a significant role in economic development. They own enterprises and also compete against each other, for example, they all try to attract more foreign investment. Chinese people are increasingly concerned with environmental pollution, food security, health care reforms, education reforms, etc. These are the new tests for local government leaders.
Challenge of Democracy and Local Governance in Pakistan
Authors: Idris Sofia
Published: June 2016

The chapter is a study of the democratic challenges faced and the local governance structures in Pakistan; how these two are intertwined and influenced by one another. The importance of local government elections and the issue of reinstatement of local government system in the current political scenario has also been the focus of the research. The role of political parties both in the government and in the opposition, in holding the local government elections that is also affecting the mainstream politics up to a significant level. Thus, the resultant situation is definitely affecting the democratic process in the country. The chapter will therefore study this cause and effect phenomenon occurring in the political landscape of Pakistan.
The Satisfaction of the Citizens with the Place and the Impact of This Evaluation on Local Government Management
Authors: Nigro Héctor Oscar , Císaro Sandra Elizabeth González
Published: June 2016

Sometimes, the satisfaction of the citizens with the city in which they live is high, but local and municipal governments do not get much credit for it. It is important for local and municipal authorities to understand what they can control and what they cannot. Then, they can focus on the most important factors that can affect citizens. A causal model based on partial least squares structural equation will be proposed. The Citizen Satisfaction Index (CSI) model developed by Zenker, Petersen, and Aholt (2013) is taken as reference. This model discusses that overall satisfaction with a place is mainly described by four different basic factors: Urbanity and Diversity, Nature and Recreation, Job Opportunities and Cost-efficiency. The aim of this work was the presentation of our model of Citizen Satisfaction with local Government Management and the comparison between our results and the Duffy et al. (2010) model.
Democratic Decentralisation and Functioning of Local Governments in Tribal Areas of India
Authors: Mohapatra Bishnu Prasad
Published: June 2016

The chapter reflects the evolution, institutionalisation and functioning of the local self-governing institutions in the tribal areas of India in the context of the emergence of Globalised Model of development. The decentralised self-governing institutions, otherwise known as Panchayats have been functioning since a long period of time in the country. However, the functioning of these institutions since the last three decades has passed through the era of reforms in which the so called economic reforms under the canopy of globalisation influenced their functioning. Such scenario created implicit and explicit impacts on the functioning of these institutions. Further, the tribal self-governance system, cultural practices, livelihood pattern and above all socio-economic development programmes also pass through the phase of transition, which creates hope as well as challenges for the tribals.
The Understanding of Public Service Ethics in Turkish Municipalities
Authors: Sadioglu Ugur , Omurgonulsen Ugur
Published: June 2016

Recent legal regulations provided more authorities and resources to municipalities, meanwhile corruption and unethical conduct cases were experienced more in the municipalities in Turkey. This paper aimed to detect the “public service ethics understanding” of municipality administrators in Turkey. To this end, a questionnaire was conducted among elected and appointed administrators of 9 urban-district municipalities in Ankara. Although the majority of municipality administrators agree that institutions and legal-administrative regulations based on universal values of public service ethics rather than the personal moral values, they still keep some local moral values which tolerate corrupt and unethical conducts. This reflects the dilemma of the Turkish administrators on this issue. Therefore, hard (like institutional and legal-administrative regulations) and soft (like training and cultural change) measures of public service ethics should go hand in hand in order to minimize the gap between the “good perceptions” and “widespread malpractices” of municipality administrators.
Recent Trends in Spatial Data Mining and Its Challenges
Authors: Jagadeesan Anuradha , Prathik A  , Tripathy B K
Published: June 2016

With tremendous development in the field of science and technology, there is vast amount of data which are used in analytics for decision making. Considering its spatial characteristics for mining will enhance the accuracy of decision. So, obtaining knowledge from spatial data becomes very essential and meaningful. The spatial database contains very numerous amounts of spatial and non-spatial data of different forms. Interpretation and analyzing of vast data is far beyond human ability. In order to acquire knowledge on such scenario we need spatial data mining. The challenges involved in spatial mining are to deal with different objects that represent the spatial characteristics. This makes spatial data mining a dominant research field. This chapter briefs about the characteristics of spatial data mining and the methods of spatial data mining in recent years.
Applying CI in Biology through PSO
Authors: Priyadarshini Rojalina , Dash Nilamadhab , Mishra Brojo Kishore , Misra Rachita
Published: June 2016

Conventional computing methods face challenges dealing with real world problems, which are characterised by noisy or incomplete data. To find solutions for such problems, natural systems have evolved over the years and on analysis it has been found these contain many simple elements when working together to solve real life complex problems. Swarm Intelligence (SI) is one of the techniques which is inspired by nature and is a population based algorithm motivated by the collective behaviour of a group of social insects. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is one of the techniques belonging to this group, used to solve some optimization problems. This chapter will discuss some of the problems existing in computational biology, their contemporary solution methods followed by the use of PSO to address those problems. Along with this several applications of PSO are discussed in few of the relevant fields are discussed having some future research directions on this field.
Extraction of Protein Sequence Motif Information using Bio-Inspired Computing
Authors: Rajasekaran Gowri , Rathipriya R
Published: June 2016

Nowadays there are many people affected by the genetic disorder, hereditary diseases, etc. The protein complexes and their functions are detected, in order to find the irregularity in the gene expression. In a group of related proteins, there exist some conserved sequence patterns (motifs) either functionally or structurally similar. The main objective of this work is to find the motif information from the given protein sequence dataset. The functionalities of the proteins are ideally found from their motif information. Clustering approach is a main data mining technique. Besides the clustering approach, the biclustering is also used in many Bioinformatics related research works. The PSO K-Means clustering and biclustering approach is proposed in this work to extract the motif information. The Motif is extracted based on the structure homogeneity of the protein sequence. In this work, the clusters and biclusters are compared based on homogeneity and motif information extracted. This study shows that biclustering approach yields better result than the clustering approach.
Application of Computational Intelligence Techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks the State of the Art
Authors: Pani Subhendu Kumar
Published: June 2016

A wireless sensor network may contain hundreds or even tens of thousands of inexpensive sensor devices that can communicate with their neighbors within a limited radio range. By relaying information on each other, they transmit signals to a command post anywhere within the network. Worldwide market for wireless sensor networks is rapidly growing due to a huge variety of applications it offers. In this chapter, we discuss application of computational intelligence techniques in wireless sensor networks on the coverage problem in general and area coverage in particular. After providing different types of coverage encountered in WSN, we present a possible classification of coverage algorithms. Then we dwell on area coverage which is widely studied due to its importance. We provide a survey of literature on area coverage and give an account of its state-of-the art and research directions.
A Classification Framework for Data Mining Applications in Criminal Science and Investigations
Authors: Goyal Mahima , Bhatnagar Vishal , Jain Arushi
Published: June 2016

The importance of data analysis across different domains is growing day by day. This is evident in the fact that crucial information is retrieved through data analysis, using different available tools. The usage of data mining as a tool to uncover the nuggets of critical and crucial information is evident in modern day scenarios. This chapter presents a discussion on the usage of data mining tools and techniques in the area of criminal science and investigations. The application of data mining techniques in criminal science help in understanding the criminal psychology and consequently provides insight into effective measures to curb crime. This chapter provides a state-of-the-art report on the research conducted in this domain of interest by using a classification scheme and providing a road map on the usage of various data mining tools and techniques. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities in the application of data mining techniques in criminal investigation is explored and detailed in this chapter.
Visual Analytics for Crime Analysis and Decision Support
Authors: Ku Chih-Hao , Iriberri Alicia , Jena Goutam
Published: June 2016

Today, the amount of digital data increases exponentially due to the rapid growth of the Internet, mobile, and sensory data. Crime data are arriving from multiple sources and formats. The major challenge for crime analysis is to store, manipulate, manage, and analyze data efficiently. To gain useful insight from a great amount of raw data, visual analytics techniques have been drawn attention to law enforcement agencies and researchers. The visual analytics applications do not erase the need for crime analysts' insight. To make better predictions and smarter decisions, data mining, text mining, information visualization, human-computer interaction, and analytics techniques are important to explore. This book chapter provides an overview of different types of crime data, discusses how to analyze and visualize different types of data, and explores popular visualization toolkits that have been used for crime analysis.
Visual Data Mining
Authors: Ghaziasgar Mehrdad , De La Cruz Nathan , Bagula Antoine B. , Connan James
Published: June 2016

Current generation criminal justice relies mostly on manual procedures and processes which are time-consuming and error-prone. A polygraph test consists of only “yes” or “no” questions and depends several physiological responses in subjects. It's effectiveness and accuracy have been questioned due to the possibility of swaying the examiner by individuals that are capable of controlling their physical reactions in order to defeat the lie detection exercise. The criminal justice of the future is expected to be empowered by the most modern information and communication technologies to provide various participants in the justice system with a rich set of services such as virtual court presence and hearing participation through visual sensor networks. This chapter revisits the issue of deception detection by proposing visual data mining as a non-invasive alternative to deception detection in next generation criminal justice. Image processing and machine learning techniques are used to accurately detect facial micro-expressions which have been shown to be strong indicators of deception.
On the Use of Bayesian Network in Crime Suspect Modelling and Legal Decision Support
Authors: Isafiade O. E. , Bagula A. B. , Berman S.
Published: June 2016

Predictive policing (Pp) relates to identifying potentially related offences, similar criminal attributes and potential criminal activity, in order to take actionable measures in deterring crime. Similarly, Legal Decision Making Process (LDMP) considers some level of probabilistic reasoning in deriving logical evidence from crime incidents. Bayesian Networks (BN) have great potential in contributing to the area of Pp and LDMP. Being based on probabilistic reasoning, they can assess uncertainty in crime related attributes and derive useful evidence based on crime incident observations or evidential data. For example, in a particular context of crime investigation, BN based inference could help collect useful evidence about a crime scenario or incident. Such evidence promotes effective legal decision making process and can assist public safety and security agencies in allocating resources in an optimal fashion. This chapter reports on various application areas of BN in the crime domain, highlights the potential of BN and presents “thought experiments” on how offender characteristics could be modelled for decision support in legal matters. The chapter further reports on the performance of empirical analysis in the legal decision support process, in order to elucidate the practical relevance and challenges of using BN in the crime domain.
How a BI-wise Responsible Integrated Management System May Support Food Traceability
Authors: Gianni Maria , Gotzamani Katerina , Linden Isabelle
Published: June 2016

Food manufacturers are required to meet certain traceability specifications. This research aims at underscoring the relevant needs and expectations of various stakeholders across the entire food supply chain. In this context, firms' decisions on resource allocation and risk mitigation overlap several domains, such as quality, safety, environment, social responsibility and information. Business Intelligence (BI) platforms are specifically conceived to support analytical decision making by providing a centralised view on multiple distributed data sources. However, BI solutions are usually deployed within a single organization, whilst traceability involves multiple actors with potentially divergent interests and diverse levels of willingness to participate. Along this line of thought, integration of management systems within a company and throughout the overall supply chain is suggested to meet the emerging managerial challenges. After a detailed survey of integrated management systems (IMSs) in food traceability contexts, this research proposes a BI-wise solution using the IMS overarching approach and investigates its success conditions.
An Investigation into Chinese College English Teachers' Beliefs of Students' Web-based Informal Language Learning
Authors: Jiang Jiahong
Published: June 2016

With the rapid development of information and technology, language learners have more ways to acquire the target language. Recently, WILL has gained popularity, for informal web-based learning of English has been depicted as a process driven by the purpose of communication. Thus, teachers have many challenges when teaching learners who have experienced informal online language learning. Therefore, teachers may change their teaching strategies in order to achieve their teaching effectiveness. The present study investigated 30 Chinese in-service college English teachers' beliefs of WILL in order to provide for teachers the insight into the current consciousness language teachers should have of these practices.
Potential Tangible and Intangible Benefits of Sustainable Shipping in Small Island Developing States
Authors: Teeter Jennifer
Published: June 2016

Small island development states (SIDS) have called for a 25% reduction in fossil fuel used by transport by 2033 at COP21 in 2015. Recognizing that the current global shipping system based on the container ship model is effectively wreaking havoc on the global environment while marginalizing people in their countries, attention is being turned to small-scaled, durable, affordable, energy-efficient, renewable-energy powered wind ships built to fit the needs, means and context of the communities that use them. After outlining the impacts of the current shipping system, this article turning to an analysis of the Greenheart Project. Greenheart Project aims to create a network of vessels powered by solar and wind technologies for transportation purposes, while developing a means for further regional and international cooperation, sustainability, and ethical business that prioritizes the unique and differing needs of communities. This paper will evaluate the Greenheart Project model of small-scaled cargo transport, measuring its tangible and intangible benefits and discussing potential applications in the South Pacific for regional trade and transport networks.
Layered Architecture for Mobile Web Based Application
Authors: Kumar Bimal Aklesh
Published: June 2016

Mobile and other PDA devices allow us to access the World Wide Web anytime and anywhere using fully functional mobile web browsers. This study utilizes the mobile web to deliver services to register students for courses at Fiji National University (FNU). Developing dynamic web based applications for mobile devices is a challenging task, because these devices have limited processing power and physical memory. In order to overcome these limitations, the author proposed layered architecture for the development of this system. This paper describes the architecture, design and implementation of the new system. Experimental results demonstrate that proposed architecture can effectively reduce the client side resource utilization (processing power and physical memory) of dynamic mobile web based systems. Furthermore the author conclude this paper by outlining future work for research in this area.
In Pursuit of Continuous Improvement
Authors: Liberato Marco
Published: June 2016

Companies focus on software development in order to survive in a highly competitive world. They not only need to keep up to date with the changes that are occurring in their environment, but they also need to assure the effectiveness of their processes. One way to do that is pursuing high quality standards by continuously improving the development processes. This article describes the decision of a software company specialized in information technology services for banking to pursue the improvement of its software development processes through CMMI ML3 certification and LEAN implementation. Throughout the article is shown the reasons why it was decided to take this enhancement step, the tools used to support the implementation, and the obtained results. The intent is to show that continuous improvement is not an immediate result of a certification or best practices implementation but the decision to make improvement as company's DNA.
Health Website's Games and Features Evaluation by Middle Schoolers
Authors: Chapman-Novakofski Karen , Muzaffar Henna , Castelli Darla , Scherer Jane
Published: June 2016

Health information on the Internet is popular for both adults and adolescents. Providing this information in an enjoyable manner during school may provide an alternative to teacher-led education. However, there are advantages and disadvantages of ‘edutainment'. The objective of this study was to explore these advantages and disadvantages of a health-related website which incorporated games and interactive features from the adolescents' perspective. Most features received favorable evaluations, with the exception of one in particular using an interactive map. Social interaction with ratings and scores were seen as too competitive by some.
Examining the Use of Web-Based Reusable Learning Objects by Animal and Veterinary Nursing Students
Authors: Chapman-Waterhouse Emily , Silva-Fletcher Ayona , Whittlestone Kim David
Published: June 2016

This intervention study examined the interaction of animal- and veterinary nursing students with reusable learning objects (RLO) in the context of preparing for summative assessment. Data was collected from 199 undergraduates using quantitative and qualitative methods. Students accessed RLO via personal devices in order to reinforce taught sessions. Interviewees reported that the RLO helped them meet the requirements of the curriculum. Quantitative data supported two valid points; the lack of engagement of students when given a free-choice and reluctance for self-assessment. The practical significance of the qualitative outcomes lies with how first year undergraduates on animal and veterinary nursing-related courses use RLO designed to address equine management and health topics, where the students have mixed equine experience.
The Nano-Sized TiO2 Dispersions for Mass Coloration of Polyimide Fibers
Authors: Fjodorova Natalja , Novic Marjana , Diankova Tamara , Ostanen Anna
Published: June 2016

The implementation of nano-sized TiO2 dispersions for mass coloration of polyimide fibers is considered in the paper. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is not classified as hazardous according to United Nations (UN) Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The stability of TiO2 dispersions in dimethylformamide (DMF) medium in presence of different surfactants as well as the viscosity of poly(amic) acid spinning solutions was investigated. It was illustrated that nano fraction of mineral pigment increase the stability of spinning medium. Moreover, the introduction of 4,5% TiO2 in poly(amic) acid stabilized with 0,24% of surfactant (leukanol) caused the increasing of thermal stability on 10°C in comparison with non-colored fibers. Proposed method enables to get light colours and improve the thermal stability of polyimide fiber. The application of TiO2 in the mass coloration of fibers does not cause dangerous effect on consumer because the pigment is tightly connected with polymer inside fiber structure.
Action plan for the communication process in a nursing team
Authors: Broca Priscilla Valladares , Ferreira Márcia De Assunção
Published: June 2016

The objective of this study is to propose an action plan for the communication process in the nursing team. The theoretical references were: the model of a communication process proposed by Berlo and essential concepts of King´s Theory. It is a qualitative, convergent-care research. The data production technique was the semi-structured interview with 25 nurses of a public hospital. Data used the thematic content analysis technique. The elements of the communication team are: perception, self, space, time, stress, role, authority, power, status, audience, empathy and nonverbal communication. The plan proposes a dynamic, flexible, interactive and relational communication process, in order to contribute to the professional qualification and make new practices of care viable. It was concluded that its elements do not have a fixed and stable position, but throughout the process they are used according to the needs of each party.
Synthetic Amphipathic Helical Peptides Targeting CD36 Attenuate Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Acute Lung Injury
Authors: Bocharov Alexander V. , Wu Tinghuai , Baranova Irina N. , Birukova Anna A. , Sviridov Denis , Vishnyakova Tatyana G. , Remaley Alan T. , Eggerman Thomas L. , Patterson Amy P. , Birukov Konstantin G.
Published: June 2016

Synthetic amphipathic helical peptides (SAHPs) designed as apolipoprotein A-I mimetics are known to bind to class B scavenger receptors (SR-Bs), SR-BI, SR-BII, and CD36, receptors that mediate lipid transport and facilitate pathogen recognition. In this study, we evaluated SAHPs, selected for targeting human CD36, by their ability to attenuate LPS-induced inflammation, endothelial barrier dysfunction, and acute lung injury (ALI). L37pA, which targets CD36 and SR-BI equally, inhibited LPS-induced IL-8 secretion and barrier dysfunction in cultured endothelial cells while reducing lung neutrophil infiltration by 40% in a mouse model of LPS-induced ALI. A panel of 20 SAHPs was tested in HEK293 cell lines stably transfected with various SR-Bs to identify SAHPs with preferential selectivity toward CD36. Among several SAHPs targeting both SR-BI/BII and CD36 receptors, ELK-B acted predominantly through CD36. Compared with L37pA, 5A, and ELK SAHPs, ELK-B was most effective in reducing the pulmonary barrier dysfunction, neutrophil migration into the lung, and lung inflammation induced by LPS. We conclude that SAHPs with relative selectivity toward CD36 are more potent at inhibiting acute pulmonary inflammation and dysfunction. These data indicate that therapeutic strategies using SAHPs targeting CD36, but not necessarily mimicking all apolipoprotein A-I functions, may be considered a possible new treatment approach for inflammation-induced ALI and pulmonary edema.