bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Equity on National School Achievement Tests: A Multicultural Perspective in Kenya
Authors: Arap-Maritim Ezra K.
Published: October 2010

The study examined the differences in performance on the national Kiswahili achievement tests administered in 2005, 2006, and 2007 among three cohorts of primary school children from two different linguistic backgrounds in Kenya. The analysis showed the test favored children from Kiswahili-speaking communities; those whose mother tongue had no linguistic relation with Kiswahili scored lower. Results are discussed in terms of language effects on performance and cognition.
Predictors of National Suicide Rates: A Reply to Voracek (2004, 2006, 2009)
Authors: Minkov Michael
Published: October 2010

Voracek (2004, 2006a, 2006b, 2009) reported that cognitive ability predicts national suicide rates, even after plausible controls. Yet, national IQs were not a significant predictor of suicide rates when regressed with indices of national religiousness and perceptions of personal health.
Factor Analysis of a Scale to Assess State Self-Monitoring in Adolescents during Interview: A Pilot Study
Authors: Zhang Baoshan , Bi Yan-Ling , Yu Guoliang
Published: October 2010

Self-monitoring is the extent to which individuals regulate self-presentation for the sake of desired public appearances. Snyder developed a Self-Monitoring Scale to measure individual differences on this construct. Since the measure could be insensitive to situational influences, it is uncertain whether the short-term self-monitoring elicited by certain social interactions could be examined. The present study explored the factor structures of a state self-monitoring scale which was adapted from 10 items of the Self-Monitoring Scale. Participants took part in an individual interview with an unfamiliar authority, and then completed the State Self-Monitoring Scale. Two samples of adolescents ( N = 98 and N = 95) were tested. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis using the two samples indicated that the 9-item State Self-Monitoring Scale had two stable factors. There was a statistically significant difference on State Self-monitoring between adolescents with high and low academic achievement, supporting the validity of the scale.
Further Validating the Two-Factor Structure of the Personal Need for Structure Scale: Comment on Shi, Wang, and Chen (2009)
Authors: Tong Jiajin
Published: October 2010

Shi, Wang, and Chen's 2009 study validated the Personal Need for Structure Scale in Chinese. The two-factor structure can be further validated by examining the different functions of its components, i.e., “Desire for Structure” and “Response to Lack of Structure.” This validation will help researchers and practitioners explore the different attributes, functions, and foundations of the two factors, and also help cultivate the use of the scale in the most appropriate situations.
From Proactive Personality to Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediating Role of Harmony
Authors: Gan Yiqun , Cheung Fanny M.
Published: October 2010

The objective of the present study was to examine the moderating role of interpersonal harmony in the relation of proactive personality with organizational citizenship behavior. 158 employees in Chinese state-owned companies completed the Proactive Personality Scale (Bateman & Crant, 1993), Harmony scale, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire. Proactive personality had insignificant correlation with job dedication. The correlation between interpersonal facilitation and proactive personality was significant but quite low. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when demographic variables were controlled, Harmony had significant moderating effects on the relations of proactive behavior and job dedication/interpersonal facilitation. In the high Harmony group, the correlation between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior was significant; whereas in the low Harmony group, this correlation was not significant.
Changes in the Images of Teaching, Teachers, and Children Expressed by Student Teachers before and after Student Teaching
Authors: Mishima Tomotaka , Horimoto Akihiro , Mori Toshiaki
Published: October 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate how education majors' images of teaching, teachers, and children change before and after student teaching, with special attention to the grade level (Grades 1–2, 3–4, 5–6) taught by the student teachers at primary school in Japan. A total of 126 student teachers from an education faculty (49 men, 77 women) participated in this study using metaphorquestionnaires before and after student teaching. For images of teaching, responses to the factors Dull Event and Live Event changed, suggesting that students started to develop more positive, active, and clear images of teaching. For images of teachers, responses on the factor Performer changed, suggesting that students started to develop more active images of teachers. For images of children, responses on the factors Critic and Pure-minded Person changed, suggesting that student teachers started to develop more realistic images of children. However, grade level taught had no significant effect.
The Final Hours: A Linguistic Analysis of the Final Words of a Suicide
Authors: Lester David
Published: October 2010

A journal, two suicide notes, and two tape recordings from a young man who took his own life were analyzed by applying a computer program to analyze texts. The analysis indicates a calming trend from the journal entries to the suicide notes to the tape recordings, with an additional increase in positive emotions expressed from the first recorded message to the second recording made just an hour or two before his death. The usefulness of this approach for understanding the psychodynamics of suicidal behavior is discussed.
Undergraduates' Intentions to Take a Second Language Proficiency Test: A Comparison of Predictions from the Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Cognitive Theory
Authors: Lin Bih-Jiau , Chiou Wen-Bin
Published: October 2010

English competency has become essential for obtaining a better job or succeeding in higher education in Taiwan. Thus, passing the General English Proficiency Test is important for college students in Taiwan. The current study applied Ajzen's theory of planned behavior and the notions of outcome expectancy and self-efficacy from Bandura's social cognitive theory to investigate college students' intentions to take the General English Proficiency Test. The formal sample consisted of 425 undergraduates (217 women, 208 men; M age = 19.5 yr., SD = 1.3). The theory of planned behavior showed greater predictive ability ( R2 = 33%) of intention than the social cognitive theory ( R2 = 7%) in regression analysis and made a unique contribution to prediction of actual test-taking behavior one year later in logistic regression. Within-model analyses indicated that subjective norm in theory of planned behavior and outcome expectancy in social cognitive theory are crucial factors in predicting intention. Implications for enhancing undergraduates' intentions to take the English proficiency test are discussed.
Predicting Long-Term Citation Impact of Articles in Social and Personality Psychology
Authors: Haslam Nick , Koval Peter
Published: October 2010

The citation impact of a comprehensive sample of articles published in social and personality psychology journals in 1998 was evaluated. Potential predictors of the 10-yr. citation impact of 1,580 articles from 37 journals were investigated, including number of authors, number of references, journal impact factor, author nationality, and article length, using linear regression. The impact factor of the journal in which articles appeared was the primary predictor of the citations that they accrued, accounting for 30% of the total variance. Articles with greater length, more references, and more authors were cited relatively often, although the citation advantage of longer articles was not proportionate to their length. A citation advantage was also enjoyed by authors from the United States of America, Canada, and the United Kingdom. 37% of the variance in the total number of citations was accounted for by the study variables.
The Structure of Thalbourne's Brief Manic-Depressive Scale
Authors: Rogers James R. , Lester David
Published: October 2010

Data from 1,376 respondents on a 1994 scale to measure depressive and manic experiences devised by Thalbourne, Delin, and Basset (1994) were analyzed. Internal consistency reliability estimates for the Total scale (.66), the Depressive subscale (.63), and the Manic subscale (.45) were poor to marginal, and a confirmatory factor analysis did not support the two-subscale structure of the scale. These results, considered in conjunction with those of previous psychometric analyses of the Manic-Depressive Scale, cast doubt on its usefulness for research and clinical use.
Smoking Cessation: Case Study of a Client with Probable Borderline Personality Disorder
Authors: del Río Elena Fernández , López Ana , Becoñta Elisardo
Published: October 2010

This report concerns the case of a female client with a probable borderline personality disorder who requested psychological treatment for the cessation of smoking. After six sessions, this client gave up smoking and remained abstinent at follow-up after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The presence of a probable borderline personality disorder did not interfere in the cessation of tobacco use or in the maintenance of abstinence.
Problem-Solving Style and Multicultural Personality Dispositions: A Study of Construct Validity
Authors: Houtz John C. , Ponterotto Joseph G. , Burger Claudia , Marino Cherylynn
Published: October 2010

This exploratory study examined the relationship between problem-solving styles and multicultural personality dispositions among 91 graduate students enrolled in an urban university located in the northeast United States. Problem-solving style was assessed with the three dimensions of the VIEW: an Assessment of Problem Solving Style. Multicultural personality was assessed with the five-factor Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ); its factors of Cultural Empathy, Open-mindedness, Social Initiative, and Flexibility correlated significantly with Explorer and External problem-solving styles, as predicted. The Emotional Stability subscale also correlated significantly with scores on Explorer style, suggesting that individuals who prefer “thinking in new directions” in problem solving are more likely to report remaining calm under stressful situations. Collectively, study results provided additional evidence of construct validity for the VIEW.
The Four-Point Scoring System for the Clock Drawing Test Does Not Differentiate between Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia
Authors: Wiechmann April R. , Hall James R. , O'bryant Sid
Published: October 2010

The purpose of this study was to explore the sensitivity and specificity of the Clock Drawing Test by using a widely employed four-point scoring system to discriminate between patients with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the Clock Drawing Test was able to distinguish between normal elders and those with a dementia diagnosis. The cutoff score for differentiating patients with Alzheimer's disease from normal participants was = 3. The cutoff score for differentiating those with vascular disease from normal participants was = 3. Overall, the four-point scoring system demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity for identifying cognitive dysfunction associated with dementia; however, the current findings do not support the utility of the four-point scoring system in discriminating Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.
Stochastic tumor growth system with two different kinds of time delay
Authors: Dou Chun-Sheng , Li Di , Wang Can-Jun
Published: October 2010

The dynamical properties of a noise-driven tumor cell growth system are investigated when there exist two different kinds of time delays, in the deterministic and fluctuating forces, respectively. Using the approximation probability density approach, the delayed Fokker-Planck equation is obtained. The effects of two different time delays on the stationary probability distribution (SPD), the mean value and the mean passage time (MFPT) are discussed. It is found that the time delay τ1 in the deterministic force can enhance tumor cell number, while the time delay τ2 in the fluctuating force can induce a decrease in tumor cell numbers. On the other hand, while τ1 can hold back the extinction of tumor cells, τ2 can speed up their extinction.
Pattern selection processes and noise induced pattern-forming transitions in periodic systems with transient dynamics
Authors: Kharchenko Dmytro , Kharchenko Vasyl , Lysenko Iryna
Published: October 2010

We apply the phase field crystal method for nonequilibrium patterning to stochastic systems with an external source in which transient dynamics is essential. Considering a prototype model for a one-component periodic system subjected to external influence kind of irradiation we study properties of pattern selection processes and external noise induced pattern-forming transitions. These processes are examined by means of the structure function dynamics analysis. Nonequilibrium pattern-forming transitions are analyzed numerically.
Twist deformations of the supersymmetric quantum mechanics
Authors: Castro Paulo , Chakraborty Biswajit , Kuznetsova Zhanna , Toppan Francesco
Published: October 2010

The $$
\mathcal{N}
$$-extended Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics is deformed via an abelian twist which preserves the super-Hopf algebra structure of its Universal Enveloping Superalgebra. Two constructions are possible. For even $$
\mathcal{N}
$$ one can identify the 1D
$$
\mathcal{N}
$$-extended superalgebra with the fermionic Heisenberg algebra. Alternatively, supersymmetry generators can be realized as operators belonging to the Universal Enveloping Superalgebra of one bosonic and several fermionic oscillators. The deformed system is described in terms of twisted operators satisfying twist-deformed (anti)commutators. The main differences between an abelian twist defined in terms of fermionic operators and an abelian twist defined in terms of bosonic operators are discussed.
Ein Modell zur Bilanzierung des holzerntebedingten Nährstoffentzugs auf Schweizer Waldböden
Authors: Lemm Renato , Thees Oliver , Hensler Urs , Hässig Jörg , Bürgi Anton , Zimmermann Stephan
Published: October 2010

A model named NBM was developed to judge quantitatively the risks of soil nutrient extraction due to timber harvesting in Switzerland. The model can be used for forest enterprises as well as for larger regions. It assesses nutrient extraction at the level of the single stand as part of a scenario analysis. The extraction of nine nutrients as a result of harvesting is quantified under conditions with different silvicultural and bucking methods. The results are then compared to the soil potentials and changes in these potentials. The simulation results are assessed with respect to sustainability. Two criteria are used to evaluate the long-term risk of nutrient deficiency. The validity of the model in a practical context is limited as more soil informations would be needed. The paper describes structure and functions of the model, its computational implementation, and the results obtained from its first application in the forest enterprise of Bremgarten, Wohlen, Waltenschwil. It ends with a critical analysis of this first implementation of the model.
Adiabatic rearrangement of hollow PV Towers
Authors: Hendricks Eric A. , Schubert Wayne H.
Published: October 2010

Diabatic heating from deep moist convection in the hurricane eyewall produces a towering annular structure of elevated potential vorticity (PV). This structure has been referred to as a hollow PV tower. The sign reversal of the radial gradient of PV satisfies the Charney‐Stern necessary condition for combined barotropic‐baroclinic instability. For thin enough annular structures, small perturbations grow exponentially, extract energy from the mean flow, and lead to hollow tower breakdown, with significant vortex structural and intensity change. The three‐dimensional adiabatic rearrangements of two prototypical hurricane‐like hollow PV towers (one thick and one thin) are examined in an idealized framework. For both hollow towers, dynamic instability causes air parcels with high PV to be mixed into the eye preferentially at lower levels, where unstable PV wave growth rates are the largest. Little or no mixing is found to occur at upper levels. The mixing at lower and middle levels is most rapid for the breakdown of the thin hollow tower, consistent with previous barotropic results. For both hollow towers, this advective rearrangement of PV affects the tropical cyclone structure and intensity in a number of ways. First, the minimum central pressure and maximum azimuthal mean velocity simultaneously decrease, consistent with previous barotropic results. Secondly, isosurfaces of absolute angular momentum preferentially shift inward at low levels, implying an adiabatic mechanism by which hurricane eyewall tilt can form. Thirdly, a PV bridge, similar to that previously found in full‐physics hurricane simulations, develops as a result of mixing at the isentropic levels where unstable PV waves grow most rapidly. Finally, the balanced mass field resulting from the PV rearrangement is warmer in the eye between 900 and 700 hPa. The location of this warming is consistent with observed warm anomalies in the eye, indicating that in certain instances the hurricane eye inversion is enhanced through PV mixing on isentropic surfaces and is thus partially dynamically controlled.
Modeling and Simulation of Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Heida T. , Moroney R. , Marani E.
Published: October 2010

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is effective in the Parkinsonian state, while it seems to produce rather non-selective stimulation over an unknown volume of tissue. Despite a huge amount of anatomical and physiological data regarding the structure of the basal ganglia (BG) and their connections, the computational processes performed by the basal ganglia in health and disease still remain unclear. Its hypothesized roles are discussed in this chapter as well as the changes that are observed under pathophysiological conditions. Several hypotheses exist in explaining the mechanism by which DBS provides its beneficial effects. Computational models of the BG span a range of structural levels, from low-level membrane conductance-based models of single neurons to high level system models of the complete BG circuit. A selection of models is presented in this chapter. This chapter aims at explaining how models of neurons and connected brain nuclei contribute to the understanding of DBS.
Massive Data Classification of Neural Responses
Authors: Tomás Pedro , Lisbon IST TU , Ilic Aleksandar , Sousa Leonel
Published: October 2010

When analyzing the neuronal code, neuroscientists usually perform extra-cellular recordings of neuronal responses (spikes). Since the size of the microelectrodes used to perform these recordings is much larger than the size of the cells, responses from multiple neurons are recorded by each micro-electrode. Thus, the obtained response must be classified and evaluated, in order to identify how many neurons were recorded, and to assess which neuron generated each spike. A platform for the mass-classification of neuronal responses is proposed in this chapter, employing data-parallelism for speeding up the classification of neuronal responses. The platform is built in a modular way, supporting multiple web-interfaces, different back-end environments for parallel computing or different algorithms for spike classification. Experimental results on the proposed platform show that even for an unbalanced data set of neuronal responses the execution time was reduced of about 45%. For balanced data sets, the platform may achieve a reduction in execution time equal to the inverse of the number of back-end computational elements.
Key Characteristics Relevant for Selecting Knowledge Management Software Tools
Authors: Smuts Hanlie , van der Merwe Alta , Loock Marianne
Published: October 2010

The shift to innovation and knowledge as the primary source of value results in the new economy being led by those who manage knowledge effectively. Today’s organizations are creating and leveraging knowledge, data, and information at an unprecedented pace—a phenomenon that makes the use of technology not an option, but a necessity. Software tools in knowledge management (KM) are a collection of technologies and are not necessarily acquired as a single software solution. Furthermore, these KM software tools have the advantage of using the organization’s existing information technology infrastructure. Organizations and business decision makers spend a great deal of resources and make significant investments in the latest technology, systems, and infrastructure to support KM. It is imperative that these investments are validated properly, made wisely, and that the most appropriate technologies and software tools are selected or combined to facilitate KM, knowledge creation, and continuous innovation. In this chapter, a set of characteristics are proposed that should support decision makers in the selection of software tools for knowledge creation. These characteristics were derived from both in-depth interviews and existing theory in publications.
Knowledge Sharing in the Learning Proces
Authors: Uden Lorna , Eardley Alan
Published: October 2010

Knowledge is the most important resource of an organisation. The exchange of knowledge and knowledge management enhance organisational learning that in turn leads to innovation. Central to knowledge management is the concept of knowledge sharing. The future of knowledge sharing is not technical, but social. Knowledge sharing is fundamental to learning among students. This paper begins with a brief review of knowledge sharing, followed by the importance of knowledge sharing for learning, especially in problem-based learning. The authors then describe how successful knowledge sharing can be achieved for students to share knowledge in problem-based learning. The paper concludes with implications for effective knowledge sharing for student learning.
Multiphase Continuum Formulation for Gas-Solids Reacting Flows
Authors: Syamlal Madhava , Pannala Sreekanth
Published: October 2010

This chapter describes the formulation of multiphase continuum models for gas-solids flows with chemical reactions. A typical formulation of the equations is presented here, following the equations in the open-source software MFIX (http://mfix.netl.doe.gov) so that interested users may look up details of the numerical implementation, study the solutions, or experiment with the numerical implementation of alternative formulations. The authors will first provide a brief overview of the significance of gas-solids reacting flows and the challenges in modeling these systems along with various efforts undertaken by different groups over the last 2–3 decades. They will then summarize the methods used to derive multiphase continuum models and to formulate constitutive equations. They will later provide information on the formulation for mass, momentum, granular energy, energy, and species balance equations for gas and multiple solids phases. They will discuss the constitutive equations required in each of the balance equations; a detailed discussion of certain constitutive equations, such as the gas-solids drag and granular stresses (derived from kinetic theory), will be presented by other authors in later chapters. The authors will point out the differences between different approaches and direct the reader to references that discuss those approaches in detail. They will end the chapter with the example problem of the simulation of a bubbling fluidized bed to illustrate some of the modeling options — physical models, numerical discretization schemes, and grid resolution – that need to be considered to accurately simulate gas-solids systems.
Hydrodynamic Equations from Kinetic Theory
Authors: Dufty James W. , Baskaran Aparna
Published: October 2010

In this chapter, a theoretical description is provided for the solid (granular) phase of the gas-solid flows that are the focus of this book. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental concepts involved in deriving a macroscopic hydrodynamic description for the granular material in terms of the hydrodynamic fields (species densities, flow velocity, and the granular temperature) from a prescribed “microscopic” interaction among the grains. To this end, the role of the interstitial gas phase, body forces such as gravity, and other coupling to the environment are suppressed and retained only via a possible non-conservative external force and implicit boundary conditions. The general notion of a kinetic equation is introduced to obtain macroscopic balance equations for the fields. Constitutive equations for the fluxes in these balance equations are obtained from special “normal” solutions to the kinetic equation, resulting in a closed set of hydrodynamic equations. This general constructive procedure is illustrated for the Boltzmann-Enskog kinetic equation describing a system of smooth, inelastic hard spheres. For weakly inhomogeneous fluid states the granular Navier-Stokes hydrodynamic equations are obtained, including exact integral equations for the transport coefficients. A method to obtain practical solutions to these integral equations is described. Finally, a brief discussion is given for hydrodynamics beyond the Navier-Stokes limitations.
Interfacial Interactions
Authors: Ge Wei , Yang Ning , Wang Wei , Li Jinghai
Published: October 2010

The drag interaction between gas and solids not only acts as a driving force for solids in gas-solids flows but also plays as a major role in the dissipation of the energy due to drag losses. This leads to enormous complexities as these drag terms are highly non-linear and multiscale in nature because of the variations in solids spatio-temporal distribution. This chapter provides an overview of this important aspect of the hydrodynamic interactions between the gas and solids and the role of spatio-temporal heterogeneities on the quantification of this drag force. In particular, a model is presented which introduces a mesoscale description into two-fluid models for gas-solids flows. This description is formulated in terms of the stability of gas-solids suspension. The stability condition is, in turn, posed as a minimization problem where the competing factors are the energy consumption required to suspend and transport the solids and their gravitational potential energy. However, the lack of scale-separation leads to many uncertainties in quantifying mesoscale structures. The authors have incorporated this model into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations which have shown improvements over traditional drag models. Fully resolved simulations, such as those mentioned in this chapter and the subject of a later chapter on Immersed Boundary Methods, can be used to obtain additional information about these mesoscale structures. This can be used to formulate better constitutive equations for continuum models.
Quadrature-Based Moment Methods for Polydisperse Gas-Solids Flows
Authors: Passalacqua Alberto , Vedula Prakash , Fox Rodney O.
Published: October 2010

Classical Euler-Euler two-fluid models based on the kinetic theory of granular flows assume the particle phase to be dominated by collisions, even when the particle volume fraction is low and hence collisions are negligible. This leads to erroneous predictions of the particle-phase flow patterns and to the inability of such models to capture phenomena like particle trajectory crossing for finite Stokes numbers. To correctly predict the behavior of dilute gas-particle flows a more fundamental approach based on solving the Boltzmann kinetic equation is necessary to treat non-zero Knudsen-number and finite Stokes-number conditions. In this chapter an Eulerian quadrature-based moment method for the direct solution of the Boltzmann equation is adopted to describe the particle phase, and it is fully coupled with an Eulerian fluid solver to account for the two-way coupling between the phases. The solution algorithm for the moment transport equations derived in the quadrature-based moment method and the coupling procedure with a fluid solver are illustrated. The predictive capabilities of the method are shown considering a lid-driven cavity flow with particles at finite Stokes and Knudsen numbers, and comparing the results with both Euler-Euler two-fluid model predictions and with Euler-Lagrange simulations.
CFD Modeling of Bubbling Fluidized Beds of Geldart A Powders
Authors: Pugsley T. , Karimipour S. , Wang Z.
Published: October 2010

Fluidized beds have applications in a range of industrial sectors from oil refining and coal combustion to pharmaceutical manufacture and ore roasting. In spite of more than 80 years of industrial experience and a tremendous amount of academic attention, the fundamental understanding of fluidized bed hydrodynamics is still far from complete. Advanced modeling using computational fluid dynamics is one tool for improving this understanding. In the current chapter the focus is on the application of CFD to a particularly challenging yet industrially relevant area of fluidization: fluidized beds containing Geldart A powders where interparticle forces influence the bed behavior. A critical step in modeling these systems is proper representation of the interfacial drag closure relations. This is because the interparticle cohesive forces lead to the formation of clusters that reduce the drag below that for non-cohesive particles. The influence on the predictions of the macroscale fluidized behavior due to mesoscale phenomena such as clustering is discussed. At present in the literature, approaches to representing the reduced drag arising from mesoscale phenomena is ad hoc. There is a pressing need for an improved understanding of cluster formation and for robust models describing it that can be incorporated into coarse grid models of industrial scale fluidized beds.
Validation Approaches to Volcanic Explosive Phenomenology
Authors: Dartevelle Sébastien
Published: October 2010

Large-scale volcanic eruptions are inherently hazardous events, hence cannot be described by detailed and accurate in situ measurements. As a result, volcanic explosive phenomenology is poorly understood in terms of its physics and inadequately constrained in terms of initial, boundary, and inflow conditions. Consequently, little to no real-time data exist to validate computer codes developed to model these geophysical events as a whole. However, code validation remains a necessary step, particularly when volcanologists use numerical data for assessment and mitigation of volcanic hazards as more often performed nowadays. We suggest performing the validation task in volcanology in two steps as followed. First, numerical geo-modelers should perform the validation task against simple and well-constrained analog (small-scale) experiments targeting the key physics controlling volcanic cloud phenomenology. This first step would be a validation analysis as classically performed in engineering and in CFD sciences. In this case, geo-modelers emphasize on validating against analog experiments that unambiguously represent the key-driving physics. The second “geo-validation” step is to compare numerical results against geophysical-geological (large-scale) events which are described ?as thoroughly as possible? in terms of boundary, initial, or flow conditions. Although this last step can only be a qualitative comparison against a non-fully closed system event —hence it is not per se a validation analysis—, it nevertheless attempts to rationally use numerical geo-models for large-scale volcanic phenomenology. This last step, named “field validation or geo-validation”, is as important in order to convince policy maker of the adequacy of numerical tools for modeling large-scale explosive volcanism phenomenology.
‘Digital Inclusion’
Authors: Mori Cristina Kiomi
Published: October 2010

In the past twenty years, there has been increasing involvement of governments, societies and communities in initiatives for bridging the digital gap, aiming economic and social development. These efforts are generally called ‘digital inclusion’ policies and projects. The expression ‘digital inclusion’ combines defining terms such as ‘digital divide’ and ‘social inclusion’, together with the assumptions, ideologies and value systems they carry. However, the comprehension of this expression varies among different agents involved. Identifying defining terms and analyzing their corresponding views is essential for improving scientific approach to any theme. This chapter scrutinizes definitions of ‘digital inclusion’, ‘social exclusion’ and related topics from specialized and academic bibliography, as well as from the field, in order to contribute qualifying academic and policy making debates. It proposes that the approaches to ‘digital inclusion’ are connected to concept views about society and social dynamics, State, market, civil society relationships and public policies. The notion of ‘Information Society’ and the purposes of disseminating digital information and communication technologies (ICT) are also present, thus framing ‘digital inclusion’ in different ways. The text concludes that scientific approaches must consider these aspects for addressing ‘digital inclusion’ as an object of analysis in a more consistent basis.
A New Development Opportunity Confronts Old Paradigms
Authors: Kyem Peter A. Kwaku
Published: October 2010

There is a considerable debate about how the technological gap between rich and poor countries of the world can be bridged or eliminated. Technological optimists argue that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can bring accelerated development to poor countries. Others question the viability of relying on ICT for development in low income countries. The ensuing debate has masked the digital divide problem and prevented a true discussion of how ICT can be deployed for the benefit of low income countries. On the otherhand, confronted with the persistent failures of one-size-fits-all economic development models, low income countries can no longer treat modernization as the pivot towards which all ICT-related development efforts must gravitate. There is a need to drop the singular vision of development which is premised on the experiences of Western developed nations and rather restore local actors and their cultures into the actual roles they play in development processes that occur within localities. Accordingly, this chapter reviews the perspectives that currently shape the ICT for development discourse and offers the multiplicity theory to bridge the gap in development theory and promote a development strategy which incorporates activities of both local and global actors in the development of localities.
Management and Challenges Facing Wireless Sensor Networks in Telemedicine Applications
Authors: El Emary Ibrahiem Mahmoud Mohamed
Published: October 2010

This chapter focuses on the management process of the wireless sensor networks in telemedicine applications. The main management tasks that are reported and addressed covers: topology management, privacy and security issues in WSN management, topology management algorithms, and route management schemes. Also, failure detection in WSN and fault management application using MANNA was presented and discussed. The major challenges and design issues facing WSN management was touched in a separate section. Typical telemedicine interactions involve both store-and-forward and live interaction. Both the traditional live and store-and-forward telemedicine systems provide an extension of healthcare services using fixed telecommunications networks (i.e. non-mobile). Various telemedicine solutions have been proposed and implemented since its initial use some 30 years ago in the fixed network environment using wired telecommunications networks (e.g. digital subscriber line). Technological advancements in wireless communications systems, namely wireless personal area networks (WPANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), WiMAX broadband access, and cellular systems (2.5G, 3G and beyond 3G) now have the potential to significantly enhance telemedicine services by creating a flexible and heterogeneous network within an end-to-end telemedicine framework. In the future, integrating wireless solutions into healthcare delivery may well come to be a requirement, not just a differentiator, for accurate and efficient healthcare delivery. However, this raises some very significant challenges in terms of interoperability, performance and the security of such systems.
A Strategic Approach to e-health Interoperability Using e-government Frameworks
Authors: Papadopoulos Thanos , Angelopoulos Spyros , Kitsios Fotis
Published: October 2010

E-government projects have a breadth of impact that extends far beyond their respective context. However, current e-Government methodologies and models used are only tailored to specific requirements. Despite the use of interoperability in e-government, there has been a paucity of literature on adapting e-government frameworks in the healthcare context and in e-health in particular. Aiming to fill this gap, this chapter justifies why interoperability frameworks currently used in e-government may be useful in e-health. Therefore, this study attempts to address the issues faced by surveying the models consisting of effective practices in e-Government IT integration management, as well as IT support. The overall aim of this chapter is to conduct a critical analysis of well-established e-Government models and frameworks. Understanding e-Government integration project management will ultimately help in the development of an effective practice model, which will improve e-Government implementation.
Modeling and Describing an Ontological Knowledge Framework for Integrated Public Service Delivery
Authors: Overbeek Sietse , Janssen Marijn , van Bommel Patrick
Published: October 2010

Public organizations are moving away from their practice to supply common, non-electronic services by becoming more demand-driven and orientating on e-service delivery. The services that can be offered by such organizations are fragmented due to constitutional, legal, and jurisdictional limitations. Integrated service delivery can facilitate the process to let public organizations offer a collective bundle of electronic services to meet complex client demands. The main concepts for integrated service delivery are studied in this chapter and relationships, relational constraints, and interdependencies between the main concepts for integrated service delivery have been determined. This has been done by developing an ontology for integrated service delivery that is based on studying public domain knowledge from different viewpoints. The ontology can enable support for organizations that wish to participate in integrated service delivery processes and monitor the execution of services.
Car Navigation System using Genetic Algorithm Processor
Authors: Yoshikawa Masaya
Published: October 2010

Recently, car navigation systems that support safe and comfortable driving have been used widely. This chapter proposes a new car navigation system which enables the provision of the following three services: (1) the route search service including unspecified stopover points, (2) the route search service for traveling through sightseeing spots and considering sightseeing time, and (3) the quick response using dedicated hardware. Moreover, the proposed car navigation system is implemented on a field programmable gate array, and its validity is verified by several evaluative experiments using actual map information.
Process-Oriented Information Modeling and Exchange Paradigm for the Support of Complex after Sales Services with Mobile Technologies
Authors: Blinn Nadine , Nüttgens Markus , Dollmann Thorsten , Thomas Oliver , Loos Peter , Schlicker Michael
Published: October 2010

As technical products become more complex, the related technical customer services also do. The required information to accomplish technical customer services are dynamic, complex and at the same time business critical for the success of the services. This chapter deals with the process-oriented integration of product development and service documentation for the support of technical customer services (TCS) in machine and plant construction, illustrated on the example of the heating, air conditioning and sanitary engineering (HAS) branch. Both using mobile application systems and creating a product service system can increase the efficiency of procedures in service provision. The development and provision of the product service system calls for an interdisciplinary perspective. The problem, as well as the solution on the basis of hybrid added value, the structure of the product service system, the IT-concept and the implementation of the service process modeling will be discussed in detail in this article. In conclusion, the concept presented here will be explained in a practical use case.
Social Network Analysis as a Tool for Knowledge Management for Innovation
Authors: Gubbins Claire , Dooley Lawrence
Published: October 2010

In today’s changing environment, the competitiveness and sustainability of a modern organisation, be they global large scale enterprises (LSE’s) or local small to medium scale enterprises (SME’s), depends on its ability to innovate. Innovation can be viewed as the combined activity of generating creative ideas and the subsequent successful exploitation of these concepts for benefit. Access to relevant and up to date information provides a critical competitive edge for organisations innovation efforts. Given that social relationships are key to enhancing the ability to gather knowledge and that creation of knowledge is primarily a social process among individuals, organisations’ need to optimise the supporting mechanisms by which its people and processes accumulate, structure, and transfer knowledge effectively. Mechanisms such as social networks promote both organisational and collective learning and participation in these social networks are a significant source of knowledge, which subsequently leads to innovation. Consequently, this chapter will outline the innovation process with its knowledge management phases and extrapolate the role of social networks in this process. It will then outline the steps of the social network analysis tool and illustrate how it can be used to enhance knowledge management for innovation efforts.
New Product Development Based on Knowledge Creation and Technology Education
Authors: Papoutsakis Haris
Published: October 2010

The aim of this chapter is to investigate if and to what extend the process of New Product Development, today, is based on Knowledge Creation and Technology Education. The value chain and the way it allows the company to achieve and sustain competitive advantage is used, in this chapter, in a way that facilitates the exploration of the relationship between technology and competitive advantage. This is done under the competence-based perspective of the organization, where knowledge is the point of departure and the individual – in this case the industrial employee– the relevant unit of analysis. With knowledge and knowledge creation being the reference point, their influence on new products and on the product life cycle has been investigated. The significance of the technology education background of each individual has also been examined in an effort to determine whether there is a need to strengthen Technology Education in existing national curricula. Surveys collected from 486 employees, of 51 industrial companies in Spain, were analyzed in order to test our hypothesis. The results of this study support our main hypothesis and allow us to draw conclusions on the significance of the relationship under investigation.
Knowledge Management in SMEs
Authors: Habhab-Rave Saïda
Published: October 2010

Global economy is transforming the sources of the competitive advantages of firms, especially for firms embedded in local manufacturing systems. Based on the theoretical contributions to knowledge management and industrial districts, this paper describes alternatives firm’s strategies and upgrading options by exploring the relationships among innovation, marketing and network technologies. Starting from the analysis of the global competitiveness report and the European Innovation Scoreboard, this paper focuses on the case of firms specializing in “furniture and textile” industries (fashion, mode, home products) to outline a framework explaining the new competitive opportunities for SMEs. Through a qualitative analysis, this paper presents two case studies of French firms that promote successful strategies based on a coherent mix of R&D based innovation, experienced marketing and design, by leveraging on ICT.
The Siyakhula Living Lab
Authors: Khane Caroline Pade , Siebörger Ingrid , Thinyane Hannah , Dalvit Lorenzo
Published: October 2010

Rural development and poverty alleviation are a priority for development in South Africa. Information and knowledge are key strategic resources for social and economic development, as they empower rural communities with the ability to expand their choices through knowing what works best in their communities. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) act as tools which enable existing rural development activities. The Siyakhula living lab (SLL) aims to develop and field-test a distributed, multifunctional community communication platform, using localization through innovation, to deploy in marginalized communities in South Africa. The project exists as research collaboration between the Telkom Centres of Excellence at the University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University. Its current pilot operates in the Mbashe municipal area, which is a deep rural area located along the wild coast of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The Dwesa-Cweba Nature Reserve acts as a chief asset in the community, which contributes to tourism development. However, the community is currently not actively involved in tourism development; but potential exists in local arts, crafts, and authentic heritage tourism. Therefore, the SLL aspires to empower the community with appropriate communication technology skills to actively support tourism development and other complementary development activities, such as, education. The lessons learned and applied in the project’s current pilot stage identify techniques and approaches that aim to promote the effectiveness and sustainability of the ICT project in a rural context. These approaches and techniques are viewed and described from social-cultural, institutional, economic, and technological perspectives.