bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Usage d'un système ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) au sein de deux PMI tunisiennes :
Authors: Chaabouni Amel , Triki Abdelfattah
Published: March 2015

Cet article propose d’apporter un éclairage sur le rôle joué par les pratiques de gestion de connaissances dans l’amélioration de l’usage des systèmes ERP. Plus précisément, il s’agit de montrer comment le modèle SECI (Socialisation, Externalisation, Combinaison, Internalisation) de création de connaissances développé par I. Nonaka et N. Konno (1998), a servi de base pour la compréhension du processus d’usage du système de gestion intégré de type ERP. Nous nous sommes engagés dans une expérience d’immersion dans deux PMI Tunisiennes, l’une ayant réussi et l’autre ayant échoué, l’implantation et l’usage d’une même solution intégrée de type ERP. La présente étude exploratoire nous a permis de constater que l’entreprise Avicole a réussi l’usage de la solution intégrée grâce à une meilleure gestion des connaissances. Par contre, l’entreprise Métal a échoué l’usage de la même solution intégrée parce qu’elle n’a pas géré convenablement ses connaissances.
Les déterminants de l'offre des fonds structurés en France
Authors: Brahmi Belghith Nada
Published: March 2015

Les fonds structurés sont une nouvelle génération de placement permettant d’investir dans des valeurs de la bourse tout en protégeant une partie ou l’intégralité du capital investi. L’offre de ces fonds n’a cessé de se développer ces dernières années. L’objectif de cet article est d’étudier les déterminants de l’offre des fonds structurés en France et les déterminants de la nature de la garantie proposée. Les résultats montrent que l’offre des fonds structurés dépend de la variation du niveau des taux d’intérêt. Les résultats montrent également que la nature de la garantie proposée est influencée par les taux d’intérêt sans risque, la volatilité du marché financier et l’éclatement du scandale relatif aux fonds Benefic.
Efficience des marchés et partage de la valeur dans la grande entreprise : enjeux, évolutions, contraintes
Authors: Denglos Grégory
Published: March 2015

En partie du fait des mouvements récents qui se répandent sur les marchés mais aussi et surtout, de crises désormais plus fréquentes, la question de l’efficience des marchés est à nouveau ouverte. Dans un premier temps, nous en vérifions la vraisemblance sur le CAC 40, à partir d’un historique de données allant de 1988 à 2008. Sur la base des résultats de l’analyse empirique, nous discutons ensuite l’origine possible aux variations de forte amplitude observées ces dernières années. Dans une troisième et dernière partie, nous examinons les évolutions des dispositifs législatifs venus renforcer le pouvoir de l’actionnaire dans la grande entreprise. Nous mettons en comparaison les enjeux mais aussi les contraintes d’un juste partage de la valeur entre actionnaires, dirigeants et salariés au regard des pratiques de gouvernance.
Les déterminants des émissions d'Actions à Bons de Souscription d'Actions
Authors: Brinette Souad
Published: March 2015

La majorité des travaux réalisés s’est focalisée sur le choix entre les dettes et les actions. Nous étudions dans cet article les déterminants du choix de financement entre les actions ordinaires et les actions à bons de souscription d’actions (ABSA). Les résultats de notre étude empirique montrent que, dans un contexte d’asymétrie d’information, les entreprises risquées de bonne qualité émettent des ABSA afin de se distinguer des entreprises de mauvaise qualité.
L'imaginaire collectif du bodybuilding : un recours au passé ?
Authors: Vallet Guillaume
Published: March 2015

Cet article vise à montrer en quoi la pratique présente du bodybuilding s’appuie sur un imaginaire collectif dont certains des éléments clés (travail, performance, masculinité hégémonique) sont empruntés au passé ou sont présentés comme tels. Cet ancrage permet de renforcer l’engagement des pratiquants et le sens donné à leurs actions. Nous cherchons à mettre en évidence ce « passé vivant » à partir de données recueillies pendant un an auprès de bodybuilders hétérosexuels masculins dans trois salles de Haute-Savoie, complétées d’une analyse de différents magazines spécialisés de bodybuilding.
Le cirque à l'épreuve de sa scolarisation. Artification, légitimation... normalisation ?
Authors: Sizorn Magali
Published: March 2015

Le cirque, longtemps absent des pratiques scolaires, est aujourd’hui largement programmé dans les cours d’éducation physique et sportive. Mais le cirque dont il y est question n’est pas, dans les textes officiels tout du moins, celui de la sciure, des numéros, de la virtuosité technique. L’entrée des pratiques circassiennes dans les programmes scolaires n’est en effet pas étrangère aux transformations institutionnelles et esthétiques du cirque, à son artification : c’est parce que reconnu en tant qu’art que le cirque a pu légitimement pénétrer l’espace scolaire, en occupant désormais une place équivalente dans les programmes à celle d’une danse de création. Il semble même remplir tous les espoirs d’articulation du technique et du sensible, du performant et du poétique. Mais comment s’opère cette mise en école du cirque ? Quelles sont les valeurs et finalités qui lui sont accordées ? Qu’entend-on lorsqu’il est question d’art et de sensible ? Car si le sensible est, comme l’écrit Pierre Sansot, « ce qui nous affecte et retentit en nous », le cirque, et les activités artistiques, n’ont pas le monopole du sensible, ni même parfois la possibilité de concilier discipline scolaire et mises en jeu des sens, notamment dans l’épreuve de la mesure et de la certification.
L'apprentissage par imitation en danse : une « résonance » constructive ?
Authors: Harbonnier-Topin Nicole , Barbier Jean-Marie
Published: March 2015

La recherche dont il est question dans cet article a pour but d’étudier l’interaction entre l’enseignant et les étudiants dans la classe technique de danse contemporaine et d’approfondir ainsi la compréhension du mode pédagogique « démonstration-reproduction » traditionnellement utilisé dans l’enseignement de la danse. Nous avons, pour ce faire, réalisé une étude descriptive et comparative de cinq séquences sélectionnées à partir de l’observation de cinq classes de danse données par cinq professeurs expérimentés différents appartenant à deux institutions de formation préprofessionnelle en danse contemporaine à Montréal. L’entrée épistémologique et méthodologique de l’Analyse d’activité nous a permis de décrire et d’analyser les interactions entre l’enseignant et les étudiants en termes de préférences, d’associations et de couplages d’activités, et d’identifier en fin de compte différents styles d’enseignement. Nous avons alors été en mesure de faire ressortir à quelles conditions ce mode pédagogique pouvait favoriser un apprentissage sensible et constructif chez l’étudiant. L’imitation sera envisagée ici, d’une part, dans une perspective biologique, à partir des recherches neuroscientifiques sur les neurones miroirs, et, d’autre part, dans sa nature intentionnelle, telle que définie dans le courant socio-constructiviste.
The role of transport in European tourism flows
Authors: Tóth Géza , Dávid Lóránt Dénes , Vasa László
Published: March 2015

This study aims at investigating the multiple and complex relationships between transport and tourism by various methods. In this paper, spatial interaction model and the shift-share analysis are used in different approaches. Factors of the relationship between the transport distance and tourism intensity will be detected and the connections between the accessibility of European regions and their tourism will be analysed. One of the major questions of our study is if there is any relationship between transport and tourism at European regional level (NUTS2); and if so, is there any kind of regularity in the relationship, as Bull (1994) states in his study. Finally, we examined whether there are any differences in this relationship at the level of the European regions.
Changes in the Romanian Carpathian tourism after the communism collapse and the domestic tourists' satisfaction
Authors: Matei Elena , Vijulie Iuliana , Manea Gabriela , Tărlă Laura , Stefan Dezsi
Published: March 2015

In the context of Romania's transition to the market economy after the communism collapse, and the accession in EU, the study aims to analyse characteristics of tourism changes in the Carpathian destinations by correlation with the domestic visitors' satisfaction for tourist services and new forms of tourism by empirical field observations, and statistical analysis used to test the level of satisfaction for Carpathian tourism. The results show an increase of tourist demand for the Carpathian destinations in the framework of tourist establishments' structure changes, the spreading of agri-tourism, a need for improvement of accommodation services quality according to the visitors' profile. Tourism development, revealed by visitors' flows, has some similarities with the perception of tourists. The tourists' views can, with several limits, be considered as a barometer in tourism research and a useful instrument in building tourism offers.
Growth rate variation of the stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes (Crustacea: Cirripedia) using calcein as a chemical marker
Authors: Jacinto David , Penteado Nélia , Pereira Diana , Sousa Alina , Cruz Teresa
Published: March 2015

This study describes the use of calcein as a chemical tagging methodology to estimate growth rate variation of the stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes, an ecologically important intertidal species and economic resource, in SW Portugal. Calcein tagging had a high success rate (94%) in marking both juvenile and adult barnacles for a period of 2.5 months, providing a valuable method for obtaining reliable data in growth studies of P. pollicipes. Growth rate decreased with barnacle size and was highly variable amongst individuals, particularly in smaller barnacles. No effect of shore level on barnacle growth was detected. Growth rates were higher in smaller juvenile barnacles, peaking at a 1.1-mm monthly increment in rostro-carinal length (RC) for individuals with RC=5 mm, and decreased with barnacle size (monthly growth rates of 0.5 mm for adult barnacles with RC~12.5 mm). Growth rates observed in adults with commercial interest (RC ≥ 18 mm) was < 0.25 mm per month. The advantages of tagging P. pollicipes with calcein were the possibility of mass marking individual barnacles of different size cohorts within a short period (less than 1 day of manipulation); and reduced time of fieldwork, which is very important because this species inhabits very exposed rocky shores.
Time-Windows
Authors: Kratky Andreas
Published: March 2015

A large percentage of computing tasks in our contemporary environment are spatial problems carried out on mobile or spatially distributed computing devices. In this chapter, the authors evaluate if and how the commonly established metaphor of a windowed user interface may be adapted in order to suit contemporary usability needs. The study observes user behavior and interactions with a set of large-format touch screens in order to assess user's ability to integrate their interpretation and operation with the displayed information across multiple, spatially distributed screens.
Microblogging as an Assisted Learning Tool in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Bahrain
Authors: Paliktzoglou Vasileios , Suhonen Jarkko
Published: March 2015

This chapter is part of a series of studies related to the use of social media tools in higher education. In particular, the authors investigate the students' level of familiarity, engagement, and frequency of use of social media technologies. They analyze the experiences of using the Edmodo tool to support PBL, and they relate participants' opinions regarding the use of the tool. The data was collected using two questionnaires and a focus group interview at the end of the course. The main findings of this study are comparable and somehow familiar to their previous study (Paliktzoglou & Suhonen, 2014). Moreover, with regards to the adoption of Edmodo as a learning tool to support PBL, although literature argues that cultural differences play an important role in the acceptance of learning tools (i.e., Cheung, Chiu, & Lee, 2011), the results indicate that Edmodo has a positive reception as learning tool in blended learning to support PBL.
Model for Effective Collaborative Learning in Virtual Worlds with Intelligent Agents
Authors: Ugaz Max , Alva Augusto Bernuy
Published: March 2015

The predecessors of virtual worlds are the multiplayer online role playing games; they appeared in the mid-nineties and have been studied since then. Virtual worlds are part of the shared spaces technologies and are applied to strengthen the weaknesses of teamwork, allowing identifying a direct relationship with the intellectual capital. Theoretical models have attributes that differentiate them from other digital media and allow getting more effective team collaboration. A feature of virtual worlds that allows such collaboration is that unlike 3D games, virtual world's user actions lie on their interests, which vary from meeting people to manage business. Based on the information about virtual worlds, intellectual capital, collaborative knowledge management, intelligent agents, and MPLM3D platform, this work proposes a model through which to demonstrate how the interaction with intelligent agents allow to achieve an effective collaborative learning into a controlled distributed computer environment using the platform Second Life.
An Integrative Method for the Evaluation of Network Attack Effectiveness Based on Grey System Theory
Authors: Wang Pengfei , Zhao Wentao , Zhang Fan , Peng Zimei
Published: March 2015

On the basis of the grey system theory, which is proposed to tackle the problems of uncertainty and missing information, an integrative method for the effectiveness evaluation of network attacks is proposed, which combines the merits of three different kinds of evaluation methods based on Grey-Clustering Analysis (GCA). Particularly, the proposed method provides a solution to the problem of accuracy drop seen in prevailing grey evaluation methods when the clustering coefficients exhibit no significant difference. With low time complexity, the proposed method performs well in the effectiveness evaluation of network attacks. Simulation results on suitable DDoS scenarios demonstrate the feasibility and power of the method.
Type-One Fuzzy Logic for Quantitatively Defining Imprecise Linguistic Terms in Politics and Public Policy
Authors: Solo Ashu M. G. , Gupta Madan M. , Homma Noriyasu , Hou Zeng-Guang
Published: March 2015

During a presidential forum in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, the moderator, Pastor Rick Warren, wanted Senator John McCain and then-Senator Barack Obama to define “rich” with a specific number. Warren wanted to know at what specific income level a person goes from being not rich to rich. The problem with this question is that there is no specific income at which a person makes the leap from being not rich to being rich. This is because “rich” is a fuzzy set, not a crisp set, with different incomes having different degrees of membership in the “rich” fuzzy set. Similarly, “middle class” and “poor” are fuzzy sets. Fuzzy logic is needed to properly ask and answer Warren's question about quantitatively defining “rich.” Similarly, fuzzy logic is needed to properly ask and answer queries about quantitatively defining imprecise linguistic terms in politics and public policy like “middle class,” “poor,” “low inflation,” “medium inflation,” and “high inflation.” Imprecise terms like these in natural languages should be considered to have “qualitative definitions,” “quantitative definitions,” “crisp quantitative definitions,” and “fuzzy quantitative definitions.” This chapter provides much more information on the preceding.
Multi-Method Analysis
Authors: Tomczyk Przemyslaw
Published: March 2015

Multi-Method Analysis (MMA) can be understood as an interdisciplinary approach to the triangulation of research results or deepening of knowledge gained as a result of classical hypotheses testing by means of statistical analysis. In this case, the synergy effect obtained by using MMA as a combination of the quantitative (survey research) and qualitative (In-Depth Interviews – IDI) analysis is presented. To achieve the empirical bases of the study, a theoretical model is used as a marketing management example. The model refers to firm performance as a result of customer lifetime value management. The essence of the case study is to present the whole research to illustrate the researcher's way of thinking from conceptual model development through quantitative hypothesis testing and qualitative explanation. The research was conducted from 2012 – 2013 in the insurance industry in Poland.
Nonlinear Structural Control Using Magnetorheological Damper
Authors: Ali Shaikh Faruque , Ramaswamy Ananth
Published: March 2015

This chapter provides an introduction to semi active control of base isolated buildings using magnetorheological (MR) dampers. Recently developed nonlinear control algorithms are discussed. First a fuzzy logic control (FLC) is designed to decide how much voltage is required to be supplied to the MR damper for a desired structural response. The FLC is optimized using micro genetic algorithm. A novel geometric approach is developed to optimize the FLC rule base. Experiments are undertaken to access the efficacy of the optimal FLC. Secondly the chapter develops two model based control algorithms based on dynamic inversion and integrator backstepping approaches. A three storey base isolated building is used for experimental and numerical studies. A numerical comparison is shown with clipped optimal control.
Fuzzy Logic-Based Security Evaluation of Stream Cipher
Authors: Sadkhan Al Maliky Sattar B. , Jawad Sabiha F.
Published: March 2015

The main aim of this chapter is to provide a security evaluation method based on fuzzy logic “for a pseudo-random sequences used (mainly) in stream cipher systems. The designed Fuzzy rules consider two main parameters, which are the length of the maximum period of the key sequence obtained from Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) and the entropy of the result in sequences obtained from different lengths of the shift registers. The security (complexity) evaluation method is applied to the summation generator (a type of non-linear feedback shift register) in this chapter. First it is applied to its original well-known form (with one bit memory); then the evaluation method is applied to the developed summation generator (by varying the number of the delayed bits by two and by three bits). The acceptability of the results of developed evaluation method indicates a goodness of such developed approach in the security evaluation.
Comprehensive Survey of the Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithms
Authors: Mashwani Wali Khan
Published: March 2015

Multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D) and an improved non-dominating sorting multiobjective genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) are two well known multiobjective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) in the field of evolutionary computation. This paper mainly reviews their hybrid versions and some other algorithms which are developed for solving multiobjective optimization problems (MOPs. The mathematical formulation of a MOP and some basic definitions for tackling MOPs, including Pareto optimality, Pareto optimal set (PS), Pareto front (PF) are provided in Section 1. Section 2 presents a brief introduction to hybrid MOEAs. The authors present literature review in subsections. Subsection 2.1 provides memetic multiobjective evolutionary algorithms. Subsection 2.2 presents the hybrid versions of well-known Pareto dominance based MOEAs. Subsection 2.4 summarizes some enhanced Versions of MOEA/D paradigm. Subsection 2.5 reviews some multimethod search approaches dealing optimization problems.
An IT Project Management Framework for Assessing the Dynamism of Culture under Globalization
Authors: Takavarasha Jr. Sam , Hapanyengwi Gilford , Chimanikire Donald , Kabanda Gabriel
Published: March 2015

Culture has been analysed in information systems (IS) projects as one of the soft issues that cause project failure. Increased outsourcing and collaboration call for an understanding of the dynamism of cultures in the wake of global influences as a first step towards managing cross cultural Information Technology (IT) projects. In this study, the authors propose a way of assessing cultural dynamics in the context of trans-national collaboration in IT projects. Using a mixed methods approach consisting of survey and semi-structured interviews for collecting evidence in Zimbabwe, a framework for assessing the current state of communalist culture is proposed. The study showed that in spite of the inroads of Westernization and Commercialization, a culture of sharing prevails although it is affected by sensitivity to cost burden and inroads of individualism.
Load Frequency Control in Power System via Improving PID Controller Based on Particle Swarm Optimization and ANFIS Techniques
Authors: Bahgaat Naglaa K. , El-Sayed M. I. , Hassan M. A. Moustafa , Bendary F. A.
Published: March 2015

The main objective of Load Frequency Control (LFC) is to regulate the power output of the electric generator within an area in response to changes in system frequency and tie-line loading. Thus the LFC helps in maintaining the scheduled system frequency and tie-line power interchange with the other areas within the prescribed limits. Most LFCs are primarily composed of an integral controller. The integrator gain is set to a level that compromises between fast transient recovery and low overshoot in the dynamic response of the overall system. This type of controller is slow and does not allow the controller designer to take into account possible changes in operating conditions and non-linearities in the generator unit. Moreover, it lacks robustness. This paper studies LFC in two areas power system using PID controller. In this paper, PID parameters are tuned using different tuning techniques. The overshoots and settling times with the proposed controllers are better than the outputs of the conventional PID controllers. This paper uses MATLAB/SIMULINK software. Simulations are done by using the same PID parameters for the two different areas because it gives a better performance for the system frequency response than the case of using two different sets of PID parameters for the two areas. The used methods in this paper are: a) Particle Swarm Optimization, b) Adaptive Weight Particle Swarm Optimization, c) Adaptive Acceleration Coefficients based PSO (AACPSO) and d) Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The comparison has been carried out for these different controllers for two areas power system. Therefore, the article presents advanced techniques for Load Frequency Control. These proposed techniques are based on Artificial Intelligence. It gives promising results.
Data Mining Models as a Tool for Churn Reduction and Custom Product Development in Telecommunication Industries
Authors: Klepac Goran
Published: March 2015

This chapter represents the business case in the telecommunication company called Veza, in domain of churn prediction and churn mitigation. The churn project was divided into few stages. Due to limited budget and cost optimization, stage one was concentrated on prospective customer value calculation model based on fuzzy expert system. This helps Veza company to find most valuable telecom subscribers. It also helped company to better understand subscriber portfolio structure. Developed fuzzy expert system also helped Veza Company in detection of soft churn. Stage two is profiling and customer segmentation based on time series analysis which provided potential predictors for predictive churn model. The central stage was concentrated on developing traditional predictive churn model based on logistic regression. This calculated probability that subscribers will make churn in next few months. The final stage was dedicated to SNA (Social Network Analysis) model development which found out the most valuable customers from the perspective of existing subscriber network. This model gave the answer that subscribers have the greatest influence on other subscribers in a way what is dangerous if they leave Veza Company because they will motivate other subscribers to do the same thing. All three stages made complete churn detection/mitigation solution which take into consideration past behaviour of subscribers, their prospective value, and their strength of influence on other subscribers. This project helped Veza Company to decrease churn rate and it gave directions for better understanding customer needs and behaviour which were the base for new product development.
Intelligent Questioning System Based on Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Deperlioglu Omer , Sonugur Guray , Suzme Kadir
Published: March 2015

One of the most important functions of distance learning systems is determining the student knowledge level and performance clearly. In traditional education systems, students can be assessed in single-stage via tests and homework studies, which consist of multiple-choice questions. However, this method cannot provide accurate results since it is not able to evaluate student knowledge level and question difficulty level. In this chapter, a system and software structure that can determine student knowledge levels, topic difficulty level, and question difficulty levels according to instant student answers for the exam is introduced. In forming student knowledge levels, content monitoring and test data taken from distance education vocational school were used. In this way, more accurate results have been obtained. The fuzzy logic technique has been used to determine (classify) student knowledge levels and topic difficulty levels clearly. In order to determine next questions adaptively, the stored questions have been classified with division clustering methods, and the most suitable questions for the related student knowledge level have been found by using the nearest neighbor algorithm.
An Integrated Infrastructure Using Process Mining Techniques for Software Process Verification
Authors: Gürgen Tuğba , Tarhan Ayça , Karagöz N. Alpay
Published: March 2015

The verification of process implementations according to specifications is a critical step of process management. This verification must be practiced according to objective criteria and evidence. This study explains an integrated infrastructure that utilizes process mining for software process verification and case studies carried out by using this infrastructure. Specific software providing the utilization of process mining algorithms for software process verification is developed as a plugin to an open-source EPF Composer tool that supports the management of software and system engineering processes. With three case studies, bug management, task management, and defect management processes are verified against defined and established process models (modeled by using EPF Composer) by using this plugin over real process data. Among these, the results of the case study performed in a large, leading IT solutions company in Turkey are remarkable in demonstrating the opportunities for process improvement.
Surveys as Tools to Measure Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Authors: Boeren Ellen
Published: March 2015

This chapter critically explores the tendency of research methods books to discuss survey research under the header of quantitative research approaches. It starts by providing a brief history on survey research, sets out core definitions, and situates survey research in the current methodological literature. The chapter then explores the nature of specific survey questions and the differences in format based on whether one is gathering qualitative versus quantitative data. Finally, the chapter explores the impact of survey methodologies and provides insight into the format of questions to be used during telephone, face-to-face, and self-completing surveys.
Research Intentions are nothing without Technology
Authors: Ganassali Stéphane , Rodriguez-Santos Carmen
Published: March 2015

The chapter is aimed at showing the Wall of Pictures Web protocol for conducting mixed research in social sciences. There is a rising interest in some alternative research protocols integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. However, what is missing are concrete illustrations and some methodological guidelines. Thanks to recent Internet survey technologies, we are able to “bridge the quantitative-qualitative divide” and benefit from the blending combination of spontaneous unstructured data, which is later recoded and processed on a large number of cases. Implemented within the Coberen European consumers' survey, and utilising a combination of multimedia and interactive technological devices, the wall of pictures outcomes has shown some promising perspectives, which are presented and discussed in the chapter.
Leveraging Two Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software Packages to Support Discourse Analysis
Authors: Lester Jessica Nina
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) packages, such as ATLAS.ti or Transana, can be used to support the transcription and data analysis process of large interactional data sets – specifically data analyzed from a discourse analysis perspective. Drawing from a larger ethnographic study, in this chapter the author illustrates how carrying out the transcription and analysis process within a CAQDAS package (in this case, Transana and ATLAS.ti) allows for an increase in transparency within the transcription and data analysis process, while also meeting the particular needs of the discourse analyst. By using one particular case/research study, the author demonstrates how CAQDAS packages might function to support a researcher in generating a more systematic and transparent analytical process, specifically during the early stages of the analysis process. The author gives particular attention to interactional data (i.e., 300 hours of video and audio recordings of therapy sessions) collected in a larger study and demonstrates the potential benefits of working across two CAQDAS packages, specifically Transana and ATLAS.ti, to support both the nuanced transcription process and the larger data analysis process.
Online Focus Groups
Authors: Parylo Oksana
Published: March 2015

The overall aim of this chapter is to provide a better understanding of how a specific technique of online research methodology, online focus groups, has been theoretically conceptualized and practically utilized in order to examine its advantages and disadvantages to improve future applications of this technique in qualitative and mixed methods research. The chapter offers an overview of qualitative and mixed methods empirical research using online focus groups in different disciplines and outlines the strengths and weaknesses of this data collection technique. In addition, based on the review of empirical and theoretical research, the current and emerging practices in and characteristics of using online focus groups for data collection are outlined and used to suggest future trends in using this data collection technique in qualitative and mixed methods research.
Online Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Based Full Car Suspension Control Strategy
Authors: Khan Laiq , Qamar Shahid
Published: March 2015

Suspension system of a vehicle is used to minimize the effect of different road disturbances for ride comfort and improvement of vehicle control. A passive suspension system responds only to the deflection of the strut. The main objective of this work is to design an efficient active suspension control for a full car model with 8-Degrees Of Freedom (DOF) using adaptive soft-computing technique. So, in this study, an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy based Sliding Mode Control (ANFSMC) strategy is used for full car active suspension control to improve the ride comfort and vehicle stability. The detailed mathematical model of ANFSMC has been developed and successfully applied to a full car model. The robustness of the presented ANFSMC has been proved on the basis of different performance indices. The analysis of MATLAB/SMULINK based simulation results reveals that the proposed ANFSMC has better ride comfort and vehicle handling as compared to Adaptive PID (APID), Adaptive Mamdani Fuzzy Logic (AMFL), passive, and semi-active suspension systems. The performance of the active suspension has been optimized in terms of displacement of seat, heave, pitch, and roll.
Soft Methods for Automatic Drug Infusion in Medical Care Environment
Authors: Quinaz Filipe , Fazendeiro Paulo , Castelo-Branco Miguel , Araújo Pedro
Published: March 2015

The automatic drug infusion in medical care environment remains an elusive goal due to the inherent specificities of the biological systems under control and to subtle shortcomings of the current models. The central aim of this chapter is to present an overview of soft computing techniques and systems that can be used to ameliorate those problems. The applications of control systems in modern medicine are discussed along with several enabling methodologies. The advantages and limitations of automatic drug infusion systems are analyzed. In order to comprehend the evolution of these systems and identify recent advances and research trends, a survey on the hypertension control problem is provided. For illustration, a state-of-the-art automatic drug infusion controller of Sodium Nitroprusside for the mean arterial pressure is described in detail. The chapter ends with final remarks on future research directions towards a fully automated drug infusion system.
Archetypal Personalized Recommender System for Mobile Phone Users
Authors: Ojokoh B. A. , Omisore M. O. , Samuel O. W. , Eno U. I.
Published: March 2015

The process of mobile phone selection, for several reasons, depends on a number of common individual features possessed by the manufacturers. The recent advance in these products' functionalities is identified as a key factor for the growing number of brands and models that compete in its fierce market and thus leads to the problem of product selection. Product comparisons, as a result, are becoming more difficult thus favoring the use of computer-based decision systems to assist consumers in scouting for information on mobile products that can best satisfy their needs. This study proposes an archetypal personalized recommender system that can intelligently mine information about the features of mobile phones and provides professional services to potential buyers. Consumer preferences and product features are technically expressed with the aid of Triangular Fuzzy Numbers while Fuzzy Near Compactness is employed to measure the feature-need similarities in order to recommend optimal products that best satisfy the needs. Finally, an experimental study is performed to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system.
An Advanced Fuzzy Logic Based Traffic Controller
Authors: Khan Bilal Ahmed , Lai Nai Shyan
Published: March 2015

Traffic light plays an important role in the urban traffic management. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the traffic controller for effective traffic management and better traffic flow leading to greener environment. In this paper, an advanced and intelligent traffic light controller is proposed, utilising the fuzzy logic technology and image processing technique. A fuzzy logic control has been implemented to provide the attribute of intelligence to the system. For real-time image acquisition, the process is further linked to the fuzzy logic controller which generates a unique output for each input pattern. Here image processing and fuzzy logic tool boxes of MATLAB are used where the final output is sent to Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) microcontroller to drive the traffic signals in the desired manner. The results obtained show an improvement of 44% in the overall outcome of traffic management as compared to the conventional traffic controller, marking great feasibility and practicality of the current model.
A Measure to Detect Sleep Onset Using Statistical Analysis of Spike Rhythmicity
Authors: Purnima B.R. , Sriraam N. , Krishnaswamy U. , Radhika K.
Published: March 2015

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals derived from polysomnography recordings play an important role in assessing the physiological and behavioral changes during onset of sleep. This paper suggests a spike rhythmicity based feature for discriminating the wake and sleep state. The polysomnography recordings are segmented into 1 second EEG patterns to ensure stationarity of the signal and four windowing scheme overlaps (0%, 50%, 60% and 75%) of EEG pattern are introduced to study the influence of the pre-processing procedure. The application of spike rhythmicity feature helps to estimate the number of spikes from the given pattern with a threshold of 25%.Then non parametric statistical analysis using Wilcoxon signed rank test is introduced to evaluate the impact of statistical measures such as mean, standard deviation, p-value and box-plot analysis under various conditions .The statistical test shows significant difference between wake and sleep with p<0.005 for the applied feature, thus demonstrating the efficiency of simple thresholding in distinguishing sleep and wake stage .
Integration between Mathematical Programming and Fuzzy Logic to Optimize Consumers Behavior
Authors: Fazlollahtabar Hamed , Tehranchian Amir Mansoor
Published: March 2015

The concept of utility is used as a decision tool for consumers to choose a commodity. Analyzing consumer behavior is complicated due to the qualitative nature of the utility. Hence, this paper investigates a quantitative method to evaluate the utility of consumers. The methodology is based on linguistic expressions of fuzzy logic. Initially, the authors identify different parameters being effective on utility of a consumer. Then, using fuzzy linguistic expressions the quantitative value of utility are determined. Also some statistical analyses are set to investigate the effective parameters on the utility. Consequently, the optimization is done applying mathematical nonlinear programming. Some analysis is performed as sensitivity study. A case study is conducted to verify the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Fuzzy System Dynamics
Authors: Mutingi Michael , Mbohwa Charles
Published: March 2015

In the presence of fuzzy or linguistic and dynamic variables, dynamic modeling of real-world systems is a challenge to many decision makers. In such environments with fuzzy time-dependent variables, the right decisions and the impacts of possible actions are not precisely known. The presence of linguistic variables in a dynamic environment is a serious cause for concern to most practicing decision makers. For instance, in a demand-driven supply chain, demand information is inherently imprecise, leading to unwanted fluctuations throughout the supply chain. This chapter integrates, from a systems perspective, fuzzy logic and system dynamics paradigms to model a typical supply chain in a fuzzy environment. Based on a set of performance indices defined to evaluate supply chain behavior, results from comparative simulation experiments show the utility of the fuzzy system dynamics paradigm: (1) the approach provides a real-world picture of a fuzzy dynamic supply chain, (2) expert opinion can be captured into a dynamic simulation model with ease, (3) the fuzzy dynamic policies yield better supply chain performance, and (4) “what-if analysis” show the robustness of the fuzzy dynamic policies even in turbulent demand situations. Managerial insights and practical evaluations are provided.
Fuzzy System Dynamics of Manpower Systems
Authors: Mutingi Michael , Mbohwa Charles
Published: March 2015

Manpower recruitment and training in uncertain and turbulent environments is a challenge to decision makers in large organizations. In the absence of numerical precision on market growth and the ensuing manpower demand, designing manpower planning policies is vital. Often times, companies incur losses due to overstaffing and/or understaffing. For instance, organizations lose business when critical human resources leave. As a result, it is essential to develop robust effective dynamic recruitment and training policies, especially in a fuzzy and dynamic environment. In this chapter, a fuzzy systems dynamics modeling approach is developed to simulate and evaluate alternative dynamic policies relating skills recruitment, skills training, and available skills from a systems thinking perspective. Fuzzy system dynamics is implemented based on fuzzy logic and system dynamics concepts in order to arrive at robust strategies for manpower decision makers. It is anticipated that fuzzy system dynamics can help organizations to design effective manpower recruitment strategies in a dynamic and uncertain environment.
QoE Prediction for Multimedia Services
Authors: Kushik Natalia , Pokhrel Jeevan , Yevtushenko Nina , Cavalli Ana , Mallouli Wissam
Published: March 2015

This paper is devoted to the problem of evaluating the quality of experience (QoE) for a given multimedia service based on the values of service parameters such as QoS indicators. This paper proposes to compare two self learning approaches for predicting the QoE index, namely the approach based on logic circuit learning and the approach based on fuzzy logic expert systems. Experimental results for comparing these two approaches with respect to the prediction ability and the performance are provided.
Comparison of Linguistic Summaries and Fuzzy Functional Dependencies Related to Data Mining
Authors: Hudec Miroslav , Vučetić Miljan , Vujošević Mirko
Published: March 2015

Data mining methods based on fuzzy logic have been developed recently and have become an increasingly important research area. In this chapter, the authors examine possibilities for discovering potentially useful knowledge from relational database by integrating fuzzy functional dependencies and linguistic summaries. Both methods use fuzzy logic tools for data analysis, acquiring, and representation of expert knowledge. Fuzzy functional dependencies could detect whether dependency between two examined attributes in the whole database exists. If dependency exists only between parts of examined attributes' domains, fuzzy functional dependencies cannot detect its characters. Linguistic summaries are a convenient method for revealing this kind of dependency. Using fuzzy functional dependencies and linguistic summaries in a complementary way could mine valuable information from relational databases. Mining intensities of dependencies between database attributes could support decision making, reduce the number of attributes in databases, and estimate missing values. The proposed approach is evaluated with case studies using real data from the official statistics. Strengths and weaknesses of the described methods are discussed. At the end of the chapter, topics for further research activities are outlined.
Intelligent Bandwidth Allocation of IPTV Streams with Bitstream Complexity Measures
Authors: Moiron Sandro , Razavi Rouzbeh , Fleury Martin , Ghanbari Mohammed
Published: March 2015

IPTV video services are increasingly being considered for delivery to mobile devices over broadband wireless access networks. The IPTV streams or channels are multiplexed together for transport across an IP core network prior to distribution across the access network. According to the type of access network, prior bandwidth constraints exist that restrict the multiplex data-rate. This paper presents a bandwidth allocation scheme based on content complexity to equalize the overall video quality of the IPTV sub-streams, in effect a form of statistical multiplexing. Bandwidth adaptation is achieved through a bank of bit-rate transcoders. Complexity metrics serve to estimate the appropriate bandwidth share for each stream, prior to distribution over a wireless or ADSL access network. These metrics are derived after entropy decoding of the input compressed bit-streams, without the delay resulting from a full decode. Fuzzy-logic control serves to adjust the balance between spatial and temporal coding complexity. The paper examines constant and varying bandwidth scenarios. Experimental results show a significant overall gain in video quality in comparison to a fixed bandwidth allocation.
New Trends in Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Şen Zekâi
Published: March 2015

Fuzzy methodologies show progress day by day towards better explanation of various natural, social, engineering and information problem solutions in the best, economic, fast and effective manner. This chapter provides cluster analyses from probabilistic, statistical and especially fuzzy methodology points of view by consideration of various classical and innovative cluster modeling and inference systems. After the conceptual assessment explanation of fuzzy logic thinking fundamentals various clustering methodologies are presented with brief revisions but innovative trend analyses as k-mean-standard deviation, cluster regression, relative clustering for depiction of trend components that fall within different clusters. The application of fuzzy clustering methodology is presented for lake time series and earthquake modeling for rapid hazard assessment of existing buildings.
The “ETA” Indices in QSAR/QSPR/QSTR Research
Authors: Roy Kunal , Das Rudra Narayan
Published: March 2015

Descriptors are one of the most essential components of predictive Quantitative Structure-Activity/Property/Toxicity Relationship (QSAR/QSPR/QSTR) modeling analysis, as they encode chemical information of molecules in the form of quantitative numbers, which are used to develop mathematical correlation models. The quality of a predictive model not only depends on good modeling statistics, but also on the extraction of chemical features. A significant amount of research since the beginning of QSAR analysis paradigm has led to the introduction of a large number of predictor variables or descriptors. The Extended Topochemical Atom (ETA) indices, developed by the authors' group, successfully address the aspects of molecular topology, electronic information, and different types of bonded interactions, and have been extensively employed for the modeling of different types of activity/property and toxicity endpoints. This chapter provides explicit information regarding the basis, algorithm, and applicability of the ETA indices for a predictive modeling paradigm.
Computational Techniques Application in Environmental Exposure Assessment
Authors: Jagiello Karolina , Puzyn Tomasz
Published: March 2015

In this chapter, the application of computational techniques in environmental exposure assessment was described. The most important groups of these techniques are Multimedia Mass-balance (MM) modelling and Quantitative Structure-Activity/Structure-Property Relationships (QSAR/QSPR) modelling. Multimedia Mass-balance models have been widely utilized for studying Long-Range Transport Potential (LRTP) and overall persistence (POV) of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), regulated by many national and international acts, including the Stockholm Convention on POPs. Recently, a novel modelling methodology that links QSPR and MM has been implemented. According to this approach, the physical/chemical properties required as the input variables for multimedia modelling can be calculated directly from appropriate QSPR models. QSPR models must be previously developed based on the relationships between the chemical structure and the modelled properties (QSPR).