bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New Space for Biotechnology Innovation?
Authors: Tamoschus David
Published: December 2013

New technological opportunities and online communication constantly gain importance for knowledge integration and knowledge creation in any innovation-driven environment. The cooperation between firms and individual actors in biotechnology was characteristically organized in local or regional clusters, based on face-to-face communications and strategic temporary linkages to other clusters. However, this archetypal configuration can change with the emerging use of open innovation models such as online research communities. A qualitative case study including an analysis of forums within an open source biomedical research platform portrays how knowledge integration mechanisms, and hence, innovations are implemented in virtual space. In this newly created environment, a number of geographical patterns are inverted: The strong role of physical co-location is partly substituted by enabled online proximity and new opportunities of virtual “prototype-sharing”; the former global pipelines are transformed to local and virtual cross-community pipelines. Yet mechanisms of creating social coherence and stability illustrate noteworthy similarities with “localized capabilities” of regional agglomerations. Eventually, knowledge integration capabilities ensure that the network can operate as a successful knowledge provider.
E-Service Marketing
Authors: Ghorbani Ali , Yarimoglu Emel Kursunluoglu
Published: December 2013

In the cyber era, the extension of the information economy and electronic networks has caused the shifting of the economy from goods to services and emerging e-service marketing. The synthesis of Internet marketing and services marketing has formed this new area of marketing. This chapter starts with introducing e-service marketing and comparing components of traditional and electronic services marketing. The click-only and click-and-mortar business models are described as types of e-tailing. Afterward, the paradigm shift from traditional e-commerce to e-service is investigated. In order to measure of e-service quality, some scales are discussed. Finally, the chapter suggests 7Cs of the customer interface in e-service marketing.
Sport Marketing
Authors: Dos Santos Manuel Alonso
Published: December 2013

This chapter introduces and informs the reader about the new technologies used in the world of sports through their actors: players, athletes, teams, and events. The new media’s opportunities are processed, highlighting the way sports organizations make use of the potential of these new communication channels in their marketing strategy to interact and control both the message and content offered to their customers. This chapter also has a section specifically devoted to the use of social networks and virtual communities in the sports sector. Likewise, this chapter draws attention to the problems linked to the indiscriminate use of this technology such as distribution problems, information control, intrusiveness, and the latest studies and advances in sport marketing online strategies.
Climate Information Sources (CISs) and Tourist Satisfaction
Authors: Jafarzadeh Fatemeh
Published: December 2013

In recent years, the excellent status of tourism industry and its role on social-economical development has caused more attention to be paid to tourism’s various dimensions in countries, especially developing countries. Publicity and advertizing have significant influence on the sustainable growth of the tourism industry. In addition, the information sources can help tourism. That is why quality of the publicity and information sources are seriously considered by deputies and planners of the tourism sector for marketing of the tourism industry. It seems that the role of Climate Information Sources (CISs) on the tourism industry is more critical than other resources. This research is a descriptive survey study that investigates the satisfaction of CISs quality of foreign tourists in order to attract tourists to Iran. In this chapter, CISs are divided into two main categories: Website sources and printed sources. The two sources are investigated in the aspects of attractiveness, motivating/ influencing, usefulness, validity, user-friendliness, and usefulness. The results show that CISs quality of printed and Website sources are satisfactory from the viewpoint of Iran's foreign tourists. In addition, quality of CISs are good in the aspect of motivating/influencing, but they are not in good condition from the aspects of user-friendliness and usefulness.
Dynamics of Globalization
Authors: Sarıaslan Halil
Published: December 2013

In this chapter, developments of the last few decades and their effects on global financial systems are evaluated from the New World Order point of view.
K-20 Education and Globalization
Authors: Hope John K.
Published: December 2013

The stance taken in this chapter is that globalization has become pervasive in every country, and K-20 education can no longer be separated from its influence. The challenge for all educators is to acknowledge both positive and negative influences of globalization on K-20 education, attempt to neutralise the negative influences and optimise any of the benefits of globalization for improved student learning. Looking to the future, globally inspired developments in information and communication technology will increase the likelihood of the influence of globalization on K-20 education becoming even more profound.
Culture-Laden Social Engagement
Authors: Choi Sejung Marina , Chu Shu-Chuan , Kim Yoojung
Published: December 2013

In today's online environment, social networking sites (SNSs) flourish across the globe as an effective venue for social engagement. The objective of this chapter is to conceptually discuss and empirically demonstrate how social interactions within SNSs are still culturally bound and mirror the users' prevailing cultural orientations. After discussing a conceptual framework for illustrating cultural forces in social relationships within SNSs, the authors present findings from an online survey of SNS users from three cultures: the US, China, and South Korea.
Libraries and Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge in Developing Countries
Authors: Isah Abdulmumin , Bashorun M. T. , Omopupa K. T.
Published: December 2013

This chapter traces the role of libraries in the preservation of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in developing countries. It also highlights the nature of indigenous knowledge and the traditional role of libraries at preserving it for posterity; it discusses current issues surrounding the management of IK in libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions. It examines the various use of indigenous knowledge by array of information users within and outside the libraries. It x-rayed the traditional library services of identifying, acquiring, organizing, and presentation of IK to the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies. It concludes with the challenges in IK preservation and suggests measures that can be taken to alleviate the challenges.
The New Age E-Enterprise
Authors: Ahuja Vandana
Published: December 2013

Globalization and the resultant transition to virtual work are changing the dynamics of critical business relationships today. The organizational fabric is undergoing a transformation. The new knowledge economy, coupled with the modern customer based relationship approach has transformed the shape of business, catalyzed further by the internet revolution. Shrinking distance barriers and the emergence of new ways of building and delivering products and services online, is enabling the rapid globalization of markets. This chapter traces how the new knowledge economy, along with the modern customer based relationship approach, impacts the organizational fabric. The collaborative Web along with the e-enterprise, has brought into vogue the use of emergent social software platforms within companies, or between companies and their partners or customers. This, along with organizational willingness to take risks, has created new opportunities for companies in the domain of innovation, Internet based collaboration and co-creation.
Assessing Mobile Value-Added Preference Structures
Authors: Donaldson Opal , Duggan Evan W.
Published: December 2013

Globally, the telecommunications industry is transitioning from a business model that relied heavily on voice communication as the primary source of income to one in which data services provide the largest share of revenues. This trend is evident in Europe, the United States, India, and several other countries. However, while data services have been introduced widely, not all countries have experienced the same level of success. In this chapter, we posit that the differences in economic benefit are directly related to the cultural uniqueness of each mobile market and recommend a consumer-centric approach as a potential solution to successful market uptake. Cultural uniqueness is evident in the consumption of high levels of multimedia content in South Korea which is not enjoyed in other economies despite the push by telecommunication providers. It is also evident in the success of mobile banking for the unbanked poor in parts of Africa but western societies have not exploited its potential. In this research, we used Anckar and D’Incau’s (2002) analytical framework to assess consumer value-added preference structures by exploring the market preferences of a developing country which exhibits the characteristics of a telecommunication market that is saturated and poised for data services integration. The findings suggest that all value-added characteristics evaluated had a positive impact on consumer desirability for a mobile application. Most importantly, the findings highlighted that the inclusion of value-added features within a mobile application is not enough but optimizing the desired combination for a user group may be critical.
Leveraging Diversity in a Virtual Context
Authors: Berkley Robyn A. , Beard Roxanne , Kaplan David M.
Published: December 2013

In this chapter, the authors present a model for understanding the context and determinants of aggression within an on-line environment, known as cyber-aggression. They propose that the heterogeneity of global virtual teams along with other key individual characteristics such as Social Dominance Orientation, Identification Threat, and past experience with aggression/harassment will lead to greater likelihood of cyber-aggression occurring or being perceived by group members. Additionally, the use of lean communication media, as well as the distance between team members and the social and professional isolation that goes along with global virtual team work also contributes to greater likelihood of cyber-aggression occurring. Lastly, without any way to build meaningful trust in a virtual setting and a lack of cross-cultural competence, members of global virtual teams are more likely to engage in behaviors that do not demonstrate cultural sensitivity or cohesion on the team, resulting in poor communication which can lead to more aggressive behaviors. The authors conclude their chapter with recommendations on how to best combat these pitfalls of working in a virtual environment.
Designing, Developing and Evaluating Professional Language and Intercultural Competencies with Phone Simulations
Authors: Gabarre Cécile , Gabarre Serge
Published: December 2013

With the development of call centers to handle customer services, many tour operators have adopted the technique of recruitment by simulation where the candidates are judged on their ability to respond to working scenarios. To facilitate the school-to-work transition, we sought to increase the learners’ exposure to professional tasks and to challenge their communication skills in real situations. This chapter specifically relates to the design, implementation and assessment of a phone conversation simulation introduced in the evaluation scheme within the French for Tourism and Hospitality course. The 22 participants were Malaysian learners majoring in French. The analysis of examination results, phone conversation recordings as well as surveys on the learners’ perceptions of the new evaluation format provided a complete feedback on the experience. This chapter aims to present practitioners with a reference guide with step by step explanations and solutions easily transferable to any course with a communication component.
Internationalization of Business in Emerging Countries and National Culture
Authors: Foganhole dos Santos Fabrício Fernando , Miura Irene Kazumi
Published: December 2013

This chapter provides a framework for understanding the business challenges facing Brazilian companies. Based on the symbolic school of interpretive anthropology, two lines of ethnographic research were conducted on a Brazilian banking institution to identify, connect, and analyze the characteristic traits of Brazilian culture and their impact on organizational culture and administrative practices. The characteristic traits of the national culture are present in the ideals of an organization located in a country, and these traits influence management models and practices. This view rejects the hypothesis of universal management principles. In other words, management should be coherent with the country’s cultural expression, and international businesses should pay attention to the institutional and cultural realities of the countries in which they are located. The identity of an organization is linked to the local cultural context, and this aspect is important in business performance, the management of companies, and the internationalization of organizations in a globalized world.
Multiple Dimensions of Media Communication Skills
Authors: Singh Michael , Cui Guihua
Published: December 2013

This chapter develops a conceptually informed and empirically grounded account of professionals navigating and negotiating media communication skills and carving out spaces for transnational, trans-cultural knowledge production and exchange (Singh, 2009). This chapter is intended to help engineering and IT professionals better understand the ways in which different approaches to media communication skills can shape transnational, trans-cultural knowledge flows by illustrating different ways to create East/West or South/North exchanges. This chapter focuses on building grassroots professional partnerships locating media communication skills in bottom-up dispositions to periphery/centre exchanges of knowledge. This chapter concludes with methodological reflections on media communication skills in the life history of a professional in this field to provide an indication of ways of envisioning and designing grassroots or bottom-up approaches to transnational, trans-cultural knowledge exchange.
ICT in Arab Education
Authors: Fatma Saba
Published: December 2013

Developing countries are facing many challenges today, such as globalization and the information and communication technologies revolution, as governments and societies are coping with change. Technology adoption in the classroom setting, as well as in other formats of education across the world in the past several years, has resulted in the realization that the benefits accrued from these technologies are not mainly related to getting access to new technology, but to integrating technology in the holistic framework of curriculum, teacher competencies, institutional readiness, and long term financing. Arab governments have rapidly established a great number of schools and universities in recent years. Most programs focus largely on the technology itself, placing very little emphasis on the practical implications of the use of ICTs to meet broad educational objectives. Also, amidst the emerging digital divide, it is important to note the prevailing gaps between countries within the Arab world. There are marked variances between countries in their efforts to adopt ICT tools and grow their networked economies. The chapter focuses on knowledge society and education and ICT challenges faced by Arab countries.
Work-Groups Conflict at PetroTech-Italy, S.R.L.
Authors: Camillo Angelo A. , Di Pietro Loredana , Di Virgilio Francesca , Franco Massimo
Published: December 2013

Field experts take numerous approaches to modeling how culture influences groups in dealing with interpersonal conflict and its dynamics. Researchers investigate cultural traits that may predict a range of cultural conflict behaviors. In addition, anecdotal evidence shows that researchers continue to take up a constructivist approach of identifying the centrality of cultural influence that causes work related conflicts. This study attempts to determine the different types and levels of conflicts within a multicultural workforce by considering various factors such as ethnicity and geographic and lingual diversities within the global context. The scope is to find possible solutions to reduce and/or eliminate group related and, to a certain extent, individual conflicts within the work place, which have become a matter of concern for any international organization. The findings reveal systematic conflicts between and within work-groups and suggest that regardless of type, relationship, and process, conflicts are detrimental to the operation and total outcome. Those conflicts have a negative impact on performance in the production, especially when they escalate. Displays of interpersonal hostility (yelling, name-calling, throwing things at people and making derogatory inferences about others’ own cultures) prevent productive work in all groups, which are inefficient and do not seem motivated to complete their tasks. Increased bickering and hostile behaviour inhibits talking about and working on the immediate task. To a certain extent, the situation could be described as a “toxic working environment.” A key finding reveals through interviews and participative and non-intrusive observations demonstrated that members of these work-groups are psychologically distressed when there are frequent arguments about interpersonal issues. Consequently, the intrinsic problems which escalate over a five year period, together with extrinsic economic problems due to the global economic downturn, cause the company to have high cost of labor and material. With less than expected sales and, operational destruction due to distress about going concern, PTI is put to challenge. Hence, PTI faces a serious test in solving the existing group conflicts. Failure to improve the working relationships could jeopardize the strategic going concern of the company.
Making Agile Development and Offshoring Practice Successful on Global Software Development Project
Authors: Chen Edward T.
Published: December 2013

Two significant trends have been gaining momentum in software development: the utilization of Agile development methodologies, and the continuing trend of companies to outsource development work offshore. These two trends have changed the way companies develop software and business applications. This chapter seeks to evaluate how a company can successfully manage both trends in conjunction with each other on global business. The primary question addressed is whether the benefits derived from Agile development methodologies and the savings from outsourced software development efforts cancel each other out when applied together, or whether they create a synergy greater than the sum of the parts. In order to answer this question, this chapter intends to examine several relevant business practices and industry experiences. From lessons learned, we identify factors which seem to influence a successful combination of Agile methodology and offshoring in global software development projects.
The Term “Global” in Cross-Cultural Studies
Authors: Della Piana Bice , Monteleone Mario
Published: December 2013

Globalization in its broadest sense is part of the strongest external environmental forces that affect organisations today (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2011). Despite the “slogan” that globalization is likely to produce homogeneity in various cultures, different civilizations of the world will reassert themselves to preserve their cultural heritages. This means it is necessary to consider the dynamics of the continued interplay between various trends in world cultures and the process of globalization. Moving from these considerations, cross-cultural management research seems to be the natural framework for using the term globalization. Cross-cultural research has received considerable attention by management scholars. The purpose of this study is to understand the connotation of the term “global” used in the context of cross-cultural studies and the enrichment of his meaning in the last four decades. To achieve it, the authors use a computational linguistic tool, namely an automatic textual analysis software, by means of which they locate and extract specific linguistic expressions. This allows retrieval and location of a series of concepts that denote and connote the term “global” over the last four decades.
Emerging Technology Trends and Implications for Diversity Management
Authors: Guest Mike A. , Culhane Elizabeth , McDonald Daniel P.
Published: December 2013

The rapid pace of globalization around the world is associated with profound changes to how individuals and organizations communicate. Emerging technologies and applications in recent years, such as social networks and virtual workspace tools, are dramatically opening communication, collaboration, and learning opportunities. Such technologies provide a platform for efficient communication among individuals around the world. In parallel, evolution of simulation technologies (e.g., Virtual Environments [VE] and online gaming) over the last decade has resulted in cost-effective, widely-accessible interactive environments that provide rich user experiences (e.g., 3-dimensional). These technology developments represent significant changes in the way that individuals interact with one another, and bring new challenges and opportunities for diversity management. This chapter discusses the current state of emerging technologies and implications for diversity management.
Coevolving through Disrupted Discussions on Critical Thinking, Human Rights and Empathy
Authors: Costello Susie
Published: December 2013

This chapter considers how teaching and learning cross culturally inevitably disrupts, or interrupts and disturbs teachers’ and students’ assumptions. Such educational confrontation can produce mind-opening opportunities or mind-numbing fear that can preclude learning. The teacher’s challenge is to find a balance between harnessing disruption as an impetus for learning and creating a safe environment for constructive learning exchanges. Six stories illustrate some of the frustration, confusion, and insight that can arise from mis-interpretation, acontextual teaching, and pedagogical assumptions. The author discusses personal and pedagogical discoveries that emerged during an international social work education program with refugee teachers, health, and community workers from Burma living in exile on the Thailand Burma border (the border). Tensions between East and Western philosophies and methods of teaching called for processes to indigenize the Australian model of social work to the local cultures. The resulting exchanges of knowledge laid the ground for knowledge and cultural exchanges in interactive, unexpected educational processes.
Culture and Websites Interaction
Authors: Nacar Ramazan , Burnaz Sebnem , Uray Nimet
Published: December 2013

With the increasing globalization of the business world, websites have become ever more important tools in international business. After the invention of websites, researchers have begun to analyze the websites as they have for traditional communication channels. Websites, as the communication medium of global firms, are not culturally neutral mediums. Website components should be analyzed very carefully in terms of their interaction with cultural issues to come up with culturally adapted websites. In this chapter, 114 studies on culture and websites are critically reviewed, and selected papers among them from a variety of areas such as marketing, communications, management, information technologies, and others, are analyzed in detail to consolidate the existing knowledge and approaches. This chapter aims to analyze how scholarly research on the interaction of culture and websites has developed. The studies are categorized according to the framework developed and selected. Forty of them are discussed in detail under some subcategories. A number of conceptual and methodological issues that deserve more attention are discussed to fulfill the high potential of websites. A state-of-the-art review of several innovative advances in culture and websites is provided to stimulate new streams for future research, and future research recommendations are proposed at the end of the chapter.
A Traditional African Perspective of Blended Learning
Authors: Avoseh Mejai B. M. , Fayomi Olugbenga Abimbola , Simeon-Fayomi Bolanle Clara
Published: December 2013

Paradigm shifts in education have, in most cases, been linked to changes in the context and content of education. Most nouveau ideas in education in the 21st century have been linked directly or indirectly to globalization. One of such shifts is the re-invention and importance of lifelong learning. The dialogue on lifelong learning and its content-dependent characteristics have imposed the need for a diversity of perspectives beyond the traditional Western perspective. The purpose of this chapter is to present the theoretical framework for blended learning from the perspective of the holistic indigenous African education, which was in its entirety blended and lifelong. The chapter uses reference to the interconnectedness of lifelong education to all facets of life in traditional Africa. It analyzes the connection between formal, non-formal, and informal, the use of observation, initiation, and apprenticeship, the environment, and a host of other blending variables, to build and develop the arguments.
Towards a Participative Platform for Cultural Texts Translators
Authors: Bénel Aurélien , Lacour Philippe
Published: December 2013

Although machine translation and translation memories are frequently used in business, they are inadequate to translate a text from a culture to another one. When faced with philosophy, literature or ancient texts, professional translators have to cope with the fact that the most important things to ‘translate’ are often in the style, in details, or even unwritten. We advocate for changing the user interfaces and use patterns of a few computer-assisted translation techniques so that they could fit the interpretative tradition of cultural sciences. In particular, we will focus on what could foster intertextuality and enable the confrontation of different points of view on the same opus (several translators in several languages). Provided as a participative Web platform, our software is designed as a collaboration and debate place for scholars around the world working on the same opus, author, time or genre. At the end of the chapter, this design is confronted with the observation of a face-to-face working session.
Spectrum of Public and Private Spheres in East Asia
Authors: Merviö Mika Markus
Published: December 2013

This chapter discusses the significance of cultural traditions for social development in East Asian societies, in particular Japan and Korea. The chapter treats culture and society in a broad sense in order to find out what makes the East Asian case specific. Moreover, the chapter provides a reinterpretation of Japanese social realities and social models in 2013 when Japanese politics and society are going through the transformation known as Abenomics.
Meeting the Care Needs of Older People
Authors: Chen Henglien Lisa
Published: December 2013

To address the risks to families of the availability of care for their older family members, this chapter explores the impact of different care systems on the way that relevant care actors contribute to the long-term care of older people. It focuses on how front-line professionals and formal/informal carers meet the needs of older people who are frail and disabled, since caring for older people has become one of the potential family risks in East Asia and many industrial countries in the West for a number of reasons. On the one hand, the rise in life expectancy and multiple disabilities means the number of older people requiring long-term care has increased. On the other hand, the decreased younger population with increased female employment calls into question the continued availability of family carers and requires support from public and formal carers to help them to care for their older family members for as long as possible.
The Emergence of Politicized Collective Identity in Online News Commentaries as a Form of Social Capital
Authors: Nadeem Nahla
Published: December 2013

This chapter explores how online news commentaries as a platform for social interaction can be considered a form of social capital that later led to the Arab Spring Revolutions. In the study, social capital is conceptualized as consisting of two linguistically measurable variables: a) the emergence of the posters’ politicized collective identity (Simon & Klandermans, 2001; Simon, 2004) that emerges in the data through the foregrounding of certain shared aspects of the posters’ identity, mainly their Arab nationality; and b) the collaborative performance of face attacks and solidarity acts in the posting content. The data used are responses written to an article posted on the Al Jazeera Website describing the aftermath of the tragic suicide of the Tunisian Bouazizi. Drawing on contemporary theories of sociolinguistics, pragmatics, and social identity, the study provides empirical evidence that such online communication should be considered a social and political capital that can foster social and political activism.
Going Digital
Authors: Hodges Elizabeth
Published: December 2013

The author reflects on an exploration into the genre of multimodal writing, examining issues of the genre’s accessibility for herself and her students and its relevance to writing pedagogy. She examines, too, the need to establish a broadly accessible digital community in sites that seek to foster rich and purposeful multimodal abilities.
Knowledge Economy in the Arab World
Authors: Driouchi Ahmed
Published: December 2013

This chapter introduces the content of the overall book and its relations to similar publications on the knowledge economy in Arab countries. It is composed of two major parts, where the first one is a synthesis of the publications realized up to 2013 with emphasis on the major economic and development issues facing the economies of the Arab world. The second part introduces the rationale of the book, the new areas investigated besides the methods used and the expected policy outcomes. This book places a major emphasis on the need to accelerate the implementation of new economic and social policies that are likely to be enhancing the contributions of the knowledge economy to a more inclusive economic growth and development.
The Oil and Gas Sectors, Renewable Energy, and Environmental Performance in the Arab World
Authors: El Alouani Hajar , Driouchi Ahmed
Published: December 2013

As most Arab countries produce and export a large share of oil and gas to world markets, it is important to focus in this chapter on these sectors to find out about the economic effects on these economies. In addition, with the development of non-renewable energies and with the major debates and actions undertaken to promote greener economies, this chapter aims to characterize the main trends affecting both renewable and non-renewable energy in Arab countries. The question related to the promotion of greener activities in this part of the world is tackled through the use of Environmental Performance Index in relation to the use of energy. Promising results are attained based on descriptive statistics, trends, and regression analyses. They show that Arab countries need to further account for the knowledge economy to diversify their use of energy and promote better environmental performance.
Unemployment Persistence, Risks of Skill Obsolescence, and Impacts on the Knowledge Economy in Arab Countries
Authors: Acheboune Amale , Driouchi Ahmed
Published: December 2013

This chapter looks at the unemployment problem in Arab economies. It shows how unemployment has been persisting during the last years with the implied risks of knowledge obsolescence and other economic and social implications. Under the absence of policy actions that are likely to reduce the effects of knowledge obsolescence, Arab economies with high unemployment rates lose in terms of competitiveness and efficiency but also in the development of knowledge economy. Special training programs, besides more business oriented educational sessions, are likely to minimize the impacts of knowledge obsolescence. Descriptive statistics as well as regressions analyzes are used to show most of the dimensions of the unemployment problem in Arab economies.
Knowledge Governance and Economic Growth in Arab Countries
Authors: Andrès Antonio Rodriguez
Published: December 2013

The present chapter deals with three interdependent components related to knowledge governance. The first one examines the effect of knowledge governance on medium term growth. Using the software industry as benchmark, the authors’ findings suggest that poor knowledge governance reduces economic growth over the medium term, but the relationship is non-linear. The second one analyzes the impact of formal institutions on economic knowledge and its related variables. In particular, the role of various governance indicators is examined. The results show that institutional quality plays an important role in the relative performance of MENA and African countries in building up the knowledge economy. The last aspect analyzed in this chapter is to establish the status of Arab economies in terms of their transformation to knowledge economies and empirically examine the impact of knowledge and its related variables on economic performance. Policy implications are also discussed.
Human Movement Analysis Using Heterogeneous Data Sources
Authors: Peixoto João , Moreira Adriano
Published: December 2013

The analysis of urban mobility has been attracting the interest of the research community recently. The research challenges in this domain are diverse and include data acquisition and representation, human movement modeling and the visualization of dynamic geo-referenced data. Some of the direct applications for these studies are urban planning, security, intelligent transportation systems and wireless networks optimization. One of the drivers for recent work in this area is the availability of large datasets representing many aspects of the urban dynamics. Quite often, the proposed approaches are highly dependent on the data type. However, the analysis of urban dynamics could benefit from the combined and simultaneous use of multiple sources of spatio-temporal data. This paper describes the definition of a set of basic concepts for the representation and processing of spatio-temporal data, sufficiently flexible to deal with various types of mobility data and to support multiple forms of processing and visualization of the urban mobility. For this purpose the authors define a set of concepts and describe how real data from heterogeneous sources is mapped into the proposed framework. Available results obtained by the integration of geometric and symbolic data reveal the adequacy of the proposed concepts, and uncover new possibilities for the fusion of heterogeneous datasets.
Interests as a Component of Adult Course Preferences
Authors: Athanasou James A.
Published: December 2013

The purpose of this paper is to examine the subliminal role of interest in preferences for 50 courses available at a community college. This is an idiographic study of educational decisions. It employed a sample of situations and a representative design. Four adults participated in an educational-vocational assessment and in the process of providing vocational guidance their course selection was examined using a logistic regression. The intra-rater consistency of choices ranged from 88%-100% for repeated course profiles. Choices varied from 2-11 courses. Results supported a minor role for vocational interest in these course choices. The overall R-squared values were around .281-.764. It was concluded that (a) adult choices did not rely exclusively upon interests; (b) adults used complex decision-making policies; and (c) the policies adopted were idiosyncratic.
Combining the Information of Unconstrained Electrocardiography and Ballistography in the Detection of Night-Time Heart Rate and Respiration Rate
Authors: Vehkaoja Antti , Peltokangas Mikko , Verho Jarmo , Lekkala Jukka
Published: December 2013

An unobtrusive bed integrated system for monitoring physiological parameters during sleep is presented and evaluated. The system uses textile electrodes attached to a bed sheet for measuring multiple channels of electrocardiogram. The channels are also combined in order to form several additional ECG leads. One lead at a time is selected for beat-to-beat-interval detection. The system also includes force sensors located under a bed post for detecting respiration and movements. The movement information is also used to assist in heart rate detection and combining the ECG derived respiration information with respiration information derived from force sensors, is investigated. The authors tested the system with ten subjects in one hour recordings and achieved an average of 95.9% detection coverage and 99 percentile absolute error of 3.47 ms for the BB-interval signal. The relative mean absolute error of the detected respiration cycle lengths was 2.1%.
Developments of Environmental Certified Reference Material from the Brazilian Metrology Institute to Support National Traceability
Authors: Fioravante A.L. , Guimarães E.F. , Gonzaga F.B. , Ribeiro C.M. , Sobral S.P. , Lopes J.C. , Fraga I.C.S. , Augusto C.R. , Elias E.C.S. , Ribeiro C.C. , Teixeira D.C.G.S. , Rego E.C.P. , Oliveira L.M. , Santana E.B. , Neves L.A. , Almeida R.R.R. , Figueroa-Villar J.D. , Sena R.C. , Dominguez M.A. , Rodrigues J.M. , Cunha V.S.
Published: December 2013

This paper aims to present the developments performed by the Brazilian Metrology Institute (NMI) – Inmetro, considering the environmental demand. Inmetro addresses great part of its activities to the study of the traceability transference based on production and dissemination of certified reference material (CRM) of different areas in chemistry. It will be presented results from certification of the following reference materials developed: BTEX and PAH in solution, besides automotive emission gas mixtures and bioethanol. So, the achievements made are the growth in developing CRM, in order to support the needs of the national industry and to disseminate traceability among the society.
Opinion Bias Detection with Social Preference Learning in Social Data
Authors: Kwon A-Rong , Lee Kyung-Soon
Published: December 2013

In this paper, the authors propose a novel bias detection method based on social preference learning for targets on competing topics such as “GalaxyTab vs. iPad” in Twitter. People tend to evaluate a topic by expressing their opinions towards the associated targets such as price and quality. To exploit characteristics of social data, targets are extracted by a modified HITS algorithm on a tripartite graph. The main contribution is that social preferences are learned with explicit sentiment, latent sentiment as social semantics, and lexical sentiment as contextual semantics on targets of the topic, and that the individual preference is considered together with social preferences for the bias detection of a tweet. Experimental results on Twitter collection show significant improvements over all baseline methods. The results indicate that the method deals with not only the lack of a sentiment lexicon but also social and contextual semantics on targets of social users.
Premature Terminal Differentiation Protects from Deregulated Lymphocyte Activation by ITK-Syk
Authors: Bach Martina P. , Hug Eva , Werner Markus , Holch Julian , Sprissler Clara , Pechloff Konstanze , Zirlik Katja , Zeiser Robert , Dierks Christine , Ruland Jürgen , Jumaa Hassan
Published: December 2013

The development of hematopoietic neoplasms is often associated with mutations, altered gene expression or chromosomal translocations. Recently, the t(5, 9)(q33;q22) translocation was found in a subset of peripheral T cell lymphomas and was shown to result in an IL-2–inducible kinase–spleen tyrosine kinase (ITK-Syk) fusion transcript. In this study, we show that T cell–specific expression of the ITK-Syk oncogene in mice leads to an early onset and aggressive polyclonal T cell lymphoproliferation with concomitant B cell expansion and systemic inflammation by 7–9 wk of age. Because this phenotype is strikingly different from previous work showing that ITK-Syk expression causes clonal T cell lymphoma by 20–27 wk of age, we investigated the underlying molecular mechanism in more detail. We show that the reason for the severe phenotype is the lack of B-lymphocyte–induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1) induction by low ITK-Syk expression. In contrast, high ITK-Syk oncogene expression induces terminal T cell differentiation in the thymus by activating Blimp-1, thereby leading to elimination of oncogene-expressing cells early in development. Our data suggest that terminal differentiation is an important mechanism to prevent oncogene-expressing cells from malignant transformation, as high ITK-Syk oncogene activity induces cell elimination. Accordingly, for transformation, a specific amount of oncogene is required, or alternatively, the induction of terminal differentiation is defective.
Myeloid Cells Limit Production of Antibody-Secreting Cells after Immunization in the Lymph Node
Authors: Fooksman David R. , Nussenzweig Michel C. , Dustin Michael L.
Published: December 2013

Ab-secreting cell (ASC) expansion and survival are important processes in optimizing vaccines and controlling autoimmunity. The microenvironment of the medullary cords is positioned to control these key processes. Previously, we imaged and characterized ASC differentiation and migration by intravital microscopy in the lymph node (LN) by transferring and activating B cells expressing yellow fluorescent protein only in the ASC compartment. In this study, we observed that yellow fluorescent protein+ ASCs in the medullary cords migrated along myelomonocytic cells and arrested in contact with them. Acute ablation of myeloid cells using the human diphtheria receptor system (diphtheria toxin receptor [DTR]) expressed in Lysmd1-cre–positive cells increased ASC and Ab production by 2-fold. Increases in ASC numbers were associated with cell proliferation based on Ki-67 staining, rather than reduced apoptosis, or changes in egress from the LN. Using DTR-mediated ablation targeted to Ccr2-expressing myeloid cells also generated increases in ASCs. In contrast, neither the depletion of Gr-1–positive cells with an Ab nor the ablation of cells using a cd11c-DTR resulted in any change in ASCs. IL-6 cytokine signaling can enhance ASC production and has been implicated in dampening ASCs in lupus mouse models through myeloid cells. Using mixed bone marrow chimeras, we observed that IL-6 enhances ASC production, but IL-6 production was not required by myeloid cells to dampen ASCs in the LN. Inhibition of ASCs by these myeloid cells in the LN provides a new regulatory mechanism with implications for tuning Ab responses.
Integrating B Cell Lineage Information into Statistical Tests for Detecting Selection in Ig Sequences
Authors: Uduman Mohamed , Shlomchik Mark J. , Vigneault Francois , Church George M. , Kleinstein Steven H.
Published: December 2013

Detecting selection in B cell Ig sequences is critical to understanding affinity maturation and can provide insights into Ag-driven selection in normal and pathologic immune responses. The most common sequence-based methods for detecting selection analyze the ratio of replacement and silent mutations using a binomial statistical analysis. However, these approaches have been criticized for low sensitivity. An alternative method is based on the analysis of lineage trees constructed from sets of clonally related Ig sequences. Several tree shape measures have been proposed as indicators of selection that can be statistically compared across cohorts. However, we show that tree shape analysis is confounded by underlying experimental factors that are difficult to control for in practice, including the sequencing depth and number of generations in each clone. Thus, although lineage tree shapes may reflect selection, their analysis alone is an unreliable measure of in vivo selection. To usefully capture the information provided by lineage trees, we propose a new method that applies the binomial statistical framework to mutations identified based on lineage tree structure. This hybrid method is able to detect selection with increased sensitivity in both simulated and experimental data sets. We anticipate that this approach will be especially useful in the analysis of large-scale Ig sequencing data sets generated by high-throughput sequencing technologies.
Follicular B Cells in Thyroids of Mice with Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Contribute to Disease Pathogenesis and Are Targets of Anti-CD20 Antibody Therapy
Authors: Hong So-Hee , Braley-Mullen Helen
Published: December 2013

B cells are required for development of spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT) in NOD.H-2h4 mice where they function as important APCs for activation of CD4+ T cells. Depletion of B cells using anti-CD20 effectively inhibits SAT development. The goals of this study were to characterize the B cells that migrate to thyroids in SAT, and to determine whether anti-CD20 effectively targets those B cells in mice with established SAT. The results showed that most thyroid-infiltrating B cells in mice with SAT are follicular (FO) B cells. Expression of CD80, CD86, and CD40 was significantly increased on FO, but not marginal zone, splenic B cells after SAT development. Thyroid-infiltrating and peripheral blood B cells had lower expresion of CD20 and CD24 compared with splenic and lymph node FO B cells. Despite reduced CD20 expression, anti-CD20 depleted most B cells in thyroids of mice with established SAT within 3 d. B cell depletion in thyroids of mice given anti-CD20 was more complete and longer lasting than in spleen and lymph nodes and was comparable to that in blood. Circulation of B cells was required for effective and rapid removal of B cells in thyroids because preventing lymphocyte egress by administration of FTY720 abrogated the effects of anti-CD20 on thyroid B cells. Therefore, the FO subset of B cells preferentially contributes to SAT development and persistence, and anti-CD20 targeting of FO B cells effectively eliminates B cells in the target organ even though thyroid B cells have decreased CD20 expression.