bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spitzer Matching Survey of the UltraVISTA Ultra-deep Stripes (SMUVS): Full-mission IRAC Mosaics and Catalogs
Authors: Ashby M. L. N. , Caputi Karina I. , Cowley Will , Deshmukh Smaran , Dunlop James S. , Milvang-Jensen Bo , Fynbo Johan P. U. , Muzzin Adam , McCracken H. J. , Fèvre Olivier Le , Huang Jia-Sheng , Zhang J.
Published: August 2018

This paper describes new deep 3.6 and 4.5 μm imaging of three UltraVISTA near-infrared survey stripes within the COSMOS field. The observations were carried out with Spitzer’s Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) for the Spitzer Matching Survey of the UltraVISTA Deep Stripes (SMUVS). In this work we present our data reduction techniques, and document the resulting mosaics, coverage maps, and catalogs in both IRAC passbands for the three easternmost UltraVISTA survey stripes, covering a combined area of about 0.66 deg2, of which 0.45 deg2 have at least 20 hr of integration time. SMUVS reaches point-source sensitivities of about 25.0 AB mag (0.13 μJy) at both 3.6 and 4.5 μm, with a significance of 4σ, accounting for both survey sensitivity and source confusion. To this limit the SMUVS catalogs contain a total of ∼350,000 sources, each of which is detected significantly in at least one IRAC band. Because of its uniform and high sensitivity, relatively large area coverage, and the wide array of ancillary data available in COSMOS, the SMUVS survey will be useful for a large number of cosmological investigations. We make all images and catalogs described herein publicly available via the Spitzer Science Center.
Courtship behaviour in the genus Nomada – antennal grabbing and possible transfer of male secretions
Authors: Schindler Matthias , Hofmann Michaela M. , Wittmann Dieter , Renner Susanne S.
Published: August 2018

Due to low population densities, copulation in the cuckoo bee genusNomadahas not previously been observed, although a seminal paper by Tengö and Bergström (1977) on the chemomimesis between these parasitic bees and theirAndrenaorMelittahosts postulated that secretions from male glands might be sprayed onto females during copulation. Our observations on the initiation and insertion phase of copulation in three species ofNomadanow indicate antennal grabbing as a mechanism by which chemicals are transferred between the sexes. Histological studies of the antennae ofN.fucataandN.lathburianareveal antennal modifications associated with cell aggregations that represent glandular cells, and SEM studies revealed numerous excretory canals.
Gravid females of Cephalcia chuxiongica (Hymenoptera, Pamphiliidae) are attracted to egg-carrying needles of Pinus yunnanensis
Authors: Yan Zheng-Liang , Ma Hui-Fen , Mao Yun-Ling , Liu Ling
Published: August 2018

CephalciachuxiongicaXiao is one of the most dangerous defoliators ofPinusyunnanensisand other pine species in Yunnan province, resulting in serious losses. Its distinguishing characteristics are the females’ aggregation oviposition and larvae’s aggregation feeding. In order to explore the mechanism of aggregation oviposition in this sawfly, preliminary olfactory bioassay was conducted in laboratory. In in-cage choice tests, on average vast majority gravid females selected the shoots that had been loaded and oviposited by a ‘pioneer’ female. In one-choice tests in laboratory by a Y-tube olfactometer, the gravid females were attracted by the odors of eggs-carrying shoots (PE), shoots with one delivering female and her eggs (PGE), needles’ extract (NE), and fresh eggs’ eluent (EL); the virgin females were attracted by odors of fresh needles (P), PE, PGE, and NE, but repelled by odors of virgin and gravid females. In two-choice tests, the odors were tested in pairs for gravid females. When compared with odors of gravid females (G) or P, gravid females showed significantly more tendency to odors of PE or PGE. When given odors EL vs. NE, gravid females preferred the odors of NE, but they did not make obvious selection between G vs. P, and PE vs. PGE. Based on the results, our conjectures were: (1) Delivery female, as a pioneer, can summon her conspecific gravid females to aggregate in the same pine shoot; (2) Pine needles’ odors were attractive for both the virgin and gravid females; (3) Gravid females could be attracted by odors released by the pioneer gravid females; (4) The olfactory sensation of the females may be changed by mating.
Additions to tribe Chromosereae (Basidiomycota, Hygrophoraceae) from China, including Sinohygrocybe gen. nov. and a first report of Gloioxanthomyces nitidus
Authors: Wang Chao-Qun , Zhang Ming , Li Tai-Hui , Liang Xi-Shen , Shen Ya-Heng
Published: August 2018

Sinohygrocybegen. nov., typified by S.tomentosipessp. nov., is described upon morphological and molecular evidence. The new genus is characterised by its sinuate to subdecurrent or short deccurent, usually furcate and interveined and relatively distant lamellae, dry and whitish tomentose stipe, thin-walled ellipsoid to oviod, non-constricted basidiospores and particularly elongated basidia and a ratio of basidiospore to basidium length of >5 to 8; it is close to genera Chromosera and Gloioxanthomyces of the tribe Chromosereae, but morphologically differs from Chromosera in less umbilicate basidiomata, tomentose stipe and usually longer basidia and differs from Gloioxanthomyces in more robust basidioma and less glutinous pileus and/or stipe surface. Phylogenetic analyses, with ITS-LSU-RPB2 data, also indicate that Sinohygrocybe forms a very distinct and independent clade at the generic level. In addition, a Chinese new record G.nitidus is described here.
Morphological changes of gonad and gene expression patterns during desexualization in Dugesia japonica (Platyhelminthes: Dugesiidae)
Authors: Dong Zimei , Shi Changying , Chu Gengbo , Dong Yanping , Chen Guangwen , Liu Dezeng
Published: August 2018

Planarians, the representatives of an ancient bilaterian group with complex reproductive system and high regenerative capabilities, are model system suitable for studying the basic molecular requirements for the development of the reproductive system. To further explore the morphological changes of the gonads during desexualization and the molecular events of the genes controlling the reproductive system development in planarians, we have investigated the histological changes of ovary and testis by paraffin section and the expression patterns of reproductive-related genes by the quantitative real-time PCR in Dugesiajaponica Ichikawa & Kawakatsu, 1964, upon starvation. The four genes, Djprps, DjvlgA, DjvlgB and Djnos, have been selected. The research results show that the degradation of ovary changes from outside layer to inside, and the testis changes are opposite; the reproductive capacity of the planarians starts to be damaged from the 17th to 25th days and to disappear completely from the 26th to 37th days during starvation. The expression patterns of the four genes exhibit the obvious dynamic variations during their desexualization, which indicates that these genes might be involved in gonad development.
“The World is Gone, I Must Carry You”
Authors: Heimans Stephen
Published: August 2018

At the end of the Anthropocene the world will be gone. Or at least it will be gone from a human habitation point of view. What does this mean? Clearly ‘the world' will no longer exist- because there will be no one on it to know about its existence. This brings up a very important question that needs to be faced: If the world's existence depends on human knowledge of it, is the bifurcation that most Western modern capitalo-science rests on- between the ‘human' and ‘nature'- correct? This chapter explores some of the implications of this question for doing post-critical educational research.
Mixing Methodologies
Authors: Denton Jo
Published: August 2018

Should research in a particular field follow the traditional or favoured methodologies associated with that field, or, if it is desirable for the empirical methods of research to be mixed, can the same not be said for the theoretical standpoint of the research design? Does mixing methodologies imply that methodologies can be placed on a sliding scale to create a new methodology from combining elements of the old; or does it imply an iterative or cyclical process, using a suitable methodology for the stage in the research? This chapter explores what combining qualitative and quantitative methods actually means in terms of social and educational research and how this can assist in developing a mixed methodological approach suitable for addressing wicked problems faced in education in the rapidly evolving Anthropocene epoch. To address these issues, the chapter proposes a new term for combining methodologies: ‘omniduction,' which encompasses induction, deduction and abduction and utilises each as the research, rather than the researcher, dictates.
Using Narrative Inquiry to Explore “Wicked Problems” in Educational Leadership in the Anthropocene
Authors: Mayakestan Nandakumar , Sarvanathan Gopinathan
Published: August 2018

A highly contested issue in educational leadership research is the place of narrative inquiry to study school leadership practice. While the study of narratives has had long epistemological roots in the works of Dewey, Bruner, Clandinin, and Connelly, its potential for revealing the human condition and providing deeper insights into critical issues like power, inequity, social justice, and oppression is often underestimated. Moreover, the method has also drawn much debate for its limitations ranging from its highly reflexive nature to issues of validity and reliability of “storied” experiences. This chapter outlines some arguments for the use of narrative inquiry and suggests a nuanced and expanded understanding of the method as a viable approach to study “wicked” problems in the age of Anthropocene. The chapter also aims to inspire further discussions of how narrative inquiry could be further re-conceptualized to study educational leadership in the anthropogenic era.
Educators' Attitude and Barriers Toward Educational Research
Authors: Navidad Florence
Published: August 2018

This chapter is undertaken in a Philippine research context that has been described as mired in wicked problems. In the age of the Anthropocene and faced with increasing pressure to become research productive, this chapter contends that the state of research in a Philippine context is highly-complex. Using a cross sectional design, a questionnaire on educators' attitudes toward educational research was used to determine its underlying dimensions and correlate them with educators' demographic characteristics. A total of 286 volunteered respondents from selected universities/colleges in selected regions in the Philippines participated in the study. T-test, Anova, Pearson correlation, Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Model was used for data analysis. Findings of the study determined that research training is very important to improve educators' research skill and have better understanding of research output. Prioritizing it requires time, effort and resources to learn and make use of research. It is also important to consider that the school administrators' moral support and mentoring have a great factor in educators' motivation to conduct quality research. Decreasing or eliminating the barriers to research requires strengthening their positive attitude towards research.
Regional Integration Through Locality
Authors: Tataroğlu Nihal
Published: August 2018

Multi-level governance suggests that there should be no hierarchical dependency relationship between policy actors of different policy levels. In fact, the model hinges on the independent interaction of local and regional governments at national and supra-national levels without the mediating role and status of national governments. This development in fact parallels the acceptance of cities and local governments as policy actors. MLG is not a magic cure to heal every illness, but it is a method and an action plan for tackling problems. It is being used in various areas by the EU to realize European cohesion. The first and foremost among these areas is urban policies and urban regeneration practices. The EU has adopted the integrated urban regeneration approach to decrease the problems associated with social exclusions and the regeneration of problematic urban areas. Together with the enlargement process, cohesion efforts have increased, and urban programs subsidized by the EU have been implemented intensively in central, eastern, and southern European states.
The Importance of the Participatory Democracy and the Multilevel Governance in the Solution of the Problems of Representative Democracy
Authors: Gündoğdu Hakan Gökhan
Published: August 2018

Ideas aiming at overcoming the crisis of legitimacy are available on the solution to the problem of representative democracy. Particularly, multi-level governance structures which were created by the impact of model of participatory democracy and localization and regionalization processes have a significant place among these. Moreover, finding solutions to the crisis of representative democracy, participatory democracy, and multi-level governance approach are discussed in this study. In this context, as well as stating the method of the study within a theoretical framework, deficiencies of participatory democracy and multi-level governance are also mentioned. Finally, it is also examined that a model of participatory democracy and of the multi-level governance may be a solution to the problem of representative democracy.
Trust Responsibility Arising From Within the Companies Community
Authors: Dündar Efe
Published: August 2018

Within the scope of Turkish Commercial Code, Turkey is the first state to regulate the responsibility of corporate groups adopted with the Wibru/Swissair verdict of Switzerland Supreme Court (BGE 120 II 331) arising out of trust in society or consumers in its national legislation. The main subject of the study is the provision regulated in article 209.
Economics of Resource Sharing via Library Consortia
Authors: Mwanzu Arnold
Published: August 2018

The chapter seeks to discuss the role played by library consortia in resource sharing among libraries, media organizations, and archives. It will outline the existing models that are functioning effectively especially in the developing countries and discuss the best practices. The target audience being libraries, archives, and media. While unravelling the economics of resources sharing among the information players, the chapter will address the challenges and opportunities in supporting research, teaching, and learning. The value of the book chapter is that it will give an insight into the development of library consortia and their significance as opportunities to provide equal access to research in libraries, archives, and media. The chapter will also provide a comprehensive comparison between library consortia in developing countries and developed countries highlighting how resource sharing in developing countries has helped to bridge the gap of information access, thereby showing progressive development.
Status of Electronic Thesis and Dissertations (ETDs) in India
Authors: Chakravarty Rupak
Published: August 2018

INFLIBNET (information library network) has gradually emerged as the backbone of the higher education sector of India. The remarkable initiatives taken by the INFLIBNET strive for strengthening and supporting information needs of the students, scholars, teachers, scientists, and peers. Scholars all around the world would be thankful to the INFLIBNET for their marvelous and ambitious project in the direction of bringing millions of theses and dissertation under the umbrella of OA. With 166,675 full-text ETD items and growing, it qualifies to be called a massive digital library (MDL). This chapter discusses the salient features, significance, and implications of the Shodhganga. It also discusses Shodhgangotri, a database consisting of approved research proposal submitted by the research scholars. The chapter concludes with discussion on the evaluation report of the Shodhganga website with the web-analyzer software Nibbler.
Governance of Liquid Communications in the Botswana Public Sector
Authors: Mosweu Tshepho , Ngoepe Mpho
Published: August 2018

Botswana government uses ICT to deliver services and communicate with the public to increase access and usage of services. One of the platforms for such communications is social media which generates liquid communication. Liquid communication is defined as a type of communication that can easily go back and forth between participants involved which is neither restricted by time nor space. This can be shared and re-tweeted many times beyond the control of the creating agency, resulting in challenges regarding its management. The question that arises is, How do government agencies ensure governance of such records? Using literature review, this chapter explores governance of liquid communications by Botswana government. The study established that there are no guidelines for managing liquid communications. The chapter recommends that Botswana government should design a governance framework to guide ministries in the management of liquid communication. Failure to regulate this environment would result in trouble for the country such as loss of memory.
Media as a Threat and Subordinate of Cultural Heritage in Zimbabwe
Authors: Sauti Lazarus
Published: August 2018

The major focus of this chapter is to discover how the media can be a subordinate of cultural heritage and at the same time pose a threat to cultural heritage. It explores the link between media and cultural heritage. Attention is also on the use of the internet in the promotion of cultural heritage in Zimbabwe. Media use of internet permit cultural heritage of different groups to be uploaded, downloaded, and accessed by other people around the world, presenting opportunities for cultural exchange.
Media Information Literacy
Authors: Musemburi Darlington , Nhendo Collen
Published: August 2018

Media and information literacy skills are critical contemporary skills to enable the 21st century citizen to effectively and efficaciously function in the information glut economy. This chapter explores what MIL is, outlining the relationship between media literacy and information literacy. The chapter builds a case for adoption of MIL by organizations, educators, and information practitioners. Significance of MIL against the backdrop of media convergence is interrogated. Various ways in which MIL can be integrated into the curriculum and necessary competencies required to deliver MIL by teachers and librarians are explored and a section on MIL into curriculum was developed from the UNESCO MIL curriculum for teachers. MIL evaluation was also tackled focusing on the capacity of teachers and students to evaluate sources and access information. The chapter concludes with MIL learning environment and resources.
A Comparison Study of Oral History Programs at National Archives of Botswana and Zimbabwe
Authors: Bhebhe Sindiso , Mosweu Tshepho
Published: August 2018

The influence of the postmodernist school of thought has touched archival science. This chapter looks into how one of the notions of postmodernism in archival science which advocates for the challenging of the dominant narrative discourse by equally including into the archives the voices of the minority, the marginalized, the ordinary, and the underrepresented people is faring both at National Archives of Zimbabwe and Botswana National Archives and Records Service.
Wireless Power Transfer to Implantable Medical Devices With Multi-Layer Planar Spiral Coils
Authors: Artan N. Sertac , Amineh Reza K.
Published: August 2018

Implantable medical devices such as pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, deep brain stimulators, retinal and cochlear implants are gaining significant attraction and growth due to their capability to monitor the health condition in real time, diagnose a particular disease, or provide treatment for a particular disease. In order to charge these devices, wireless power transfer technology is considered as a powerful means. This eliminates the need for extra surgery to replace the battery. In this chapter, some of the major implanted medical devices are reviewed. Then, various wireless power transfer configurations are reviewed briefly for charging such devices. The chapter continues with reviewing wireless power transfer configurations based on the multi-layer printed or non-printed planar spiral coils. At the end, some of the recent works related to using multi-layer planar spiral coils for safe and efficient powering of IMDs will be discussed.
Non-Conventional Technologies Selection
Authors: Peças Paulo , Pereira Pedro Dias , Ribeiro Inês Inês , Henriques Elsa
Published: August 2018

Micro-engineering is nowadays a key industrial area with applications is a wide range of products and sectors. The need for a multiplicity of products fostered the development of several processes and combinations of processes in the world of micro-engineering. There are different feasible alternatives to produce the same kind of product. The manufacturing cost is usually the decision factor to select the best alternative among them. But cost is affected by dozens of factors and if not properly modelled causes controversy in so complex decisions. In this chapter, the application of process-based cost modelling is proposed as the engine to identify the best performance spaces for each alternative, using its potential for sensitive analysis of uncertain and/or critical parameters. To illustrate the approach, a case study is developed analyzing four alternatives for the production of a light diffuser with micro-features imbibed, involving micro-injection molding, hot-embossing, micromachining, and powder-injection molding.
Modeling and Optimization of Ultrasonic Machining Process Using a Novel Evolutionary Algorithm
Authors: Satpathy Mantra Prasad , Routara Bharat Chandra
Published: August 2018

Ultrasonic machining (USM) is one of the non-conventional techniques for machining of hard and brittle materials like glass, ceramics, and ceramic matrix composites. The objective of the study includes the investigation of material removal rate (MRR), hole oversize (HOS), and circularity of holes (COH) during USM of soda lime glass and finding out the optimal parametric condition by an evolutionary algorithm. Taguchi philosophy was employed to carry out experiments using the process parameters such as power rating, abrasive slurry concentration, and static load. A novel optimization algorithm called imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) was used to obtain maximum MRR and minimum HOS and COH. This algorithm is inspired by the imperialistic competition and has several advantages over other evolutionary algorithms like its simplicity, less computational time, and accuracy in predicting the results. The Technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) is utilized to convert these multiple performance characteristics to a single response. Moreover, the prediction outcomes of this TOPSIS integrated ICA methodology demonstrates excellent conformity with the experimental values and can be applied to solve complex problems.
Performance and Surface Evaluation Characteristics on Cryogenic-Assisted Abrasive Water Jet Machining of AISI D2 Steel
Authors: Yuvaraj N.  , Pradeep Kumar M.
Published: August 2018

The chapter reports on the investigation of cryogenic-assisted abrasive water jet (CAAWJ) machining of AISI D2 steel with varying the jet impact angles and abrasive mesh sizes. The performance measurement is considered in this study such as depth of penetration and taper ratio. Also, the surface integrity characteristics are considered in the present study such as abrasive contamination, surface topography, XRD peaks, residual stress, and micro hardness. The CAAWJ machining process improves the performance measurement such as higher depth of penetration and lower taper ratio for the machining of D2 steel. Also, the CAAWJ cut surface consists of better surface integrity features over the AWJ cut surface. The phase transformation effect of target material under cryogenic cooling helps to turn the mode of the material removal mechanism from ductile to brittle erosion process and yield a better performance. The results also indicate that the oblique jet impact angles have been produced better performance characteristics than the jet impact angle of 90o at room temperature.
A Study on Segmentation of Leukocyte Image With Shannon's Entropy
Authors: Raja N. Sri Madhava , Arunmozhi S. , Lin Hong , Dey Nilanjan , Rajinikanth V.
Published: August 2018

In recent years, a considerable number of approaches have been proposed by the researchers to evaluate infectious diseases by examining the digital images of peripheral blood cell (PBC) recorded using microscopes. In this chapter, a semi-automated approach is proposed by integrating the Shannon's entropy (SE) thresholding and DRLS-based segmentation procedure to extract the stained blood cell from digital PBC pictures. This work implements a two-step practice with cuckoo search (CS) and SE-based pre-processing and DRLS-based post-processing procedure to examine the PBC pictures. During the experimentation, the PBC pictures are adopted from the database leukocyte images for segmentation and classification (LISC). The proposed approach is implemented by considering the RGB scale and gray scale version of the PBC pictures, and the performance of the proposed approach is confirmed by computing the picture similarity and statistical measures computed with the extracted stained blood cell with the ground truth image.
Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques for Histopathological Image Classification
Authors: Revathi T.  , Saroja S.  , Haseena S.  , Blessa Binolin Pepsi M.
Published: August 2018

This chapter presents an overview of methods that have been proposed for analysis of histopathological images. Diagnosing and detecting abnormalities in medical images helps the pathologist in making better decisions. Different machine learning algorithms such as k-nearest neighbor, random forest, support vector machine, ensemble learning, multilayer perceptron, and convolutional neural network are incorporated for carrying out the analysis process. Further, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods such as SAW, WPM, and TOPSIS are used to improve the efficiency of the decision-making process.
A Novel Approach of K-SVD-Based Algorithm for Image Denoising
Authors: Golla Madhu , Rudra Sudipta
Published: August 2018

In recent years, denoising has played an important role in medical image analysis. Image denoising is still accepted as a challenge for researchers and image application developers in medical image applications. The idea is to denoise a microscopic image through over-complete dictionary learning using a k-means algorithm and singular value decomposition (K-SVD) based on pursuit methods. This approach is good in performance on the quality improvement of the medical images, but it has low computational speed with high computational complexity. In view of the above limitations, this chapter proposes a novel strategy for denoising insight phenomena of the K-SVD algorithm. In addition, the authors utilize the technology of improved dictionary learning of the image patches using heap sort mechanism followed by dictionary updating process. The experimental results validate that the proposed approach successfully reduced noise levels on various test image datasets. This has been found to be more accurate than the best in class denoising approaches.
Analysis of Color Image Encryption Using Multidimensional Bogdanov Map
Authors: Parida R. N. Ramakant , Singh Swapnil , Pradhan Chittaranjan
Published: August 2018

Image encryption is a main concern in digital transmission of data over communication network. As encryption and decryption of image has got considerable attention in the past decades, its effectiveness and compatibility need to be taken care of. The work reported in this chapter is mainly concerned with enhancement of dimension in image encryption technique. The work mainly deals with pixels shuffling of an image using Bogdanov chaotic map for both gray and color image, where encryption and decryption process are associated with the key. In color image, the image is divided into all three planes (RGB) individually. Scrambling is done with all three planes individually. All the three planes are summed up into a single plane which gives us the final result. In Bogdanov map, old pixel position is replaced with new pixel position. Further, the authors analyzed security of image encryption techniques with two parameters called NPCR and UACI. The efficacy of the encryption process can be seen in experimental results.
Adaptive Prediction Methods for Medical Image/Video compression for Telemedicine Application
Authors: Pathak Ketki C. , Sarvaiya Jignesh N. , Darji Anand D.
Published: August 2018

Due to rapid development of multimedia communication and advancement of image acquisition process, there is a crucial requirement of high storage and compression techniques to mitigate high data rate with limited bandwidth scenario for telemedicine application. Lossless compression is one of the challenging tasks in applications like medical, space, and aerial imaging field. Apart from achieving high compression ratio, in these mentioned applications there is a need to maintain the original imaging quality along with fast and adequate processing. Predictive coding was introduced to remove spatial redundancy. The accuracy of predictive coding is based on the choice of effective and adaptive predictor which is responsible for removing spatial redundancy. Medical images like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) consume huge storage and utilize maximum available bandwidth. To overcome these inherent challenges, the authors have reviewed various adaptive predictors and it has been compared with existing JPEG and JPEG LS-based linear prediction technique for medical images.
Enhancement of Hybrid Multimodal Medical Image Fusion Techniques for Clinical Disease Analysis
Authors: Rajalingam B.  , Priya R.
Published: August 2018

Multimodal medical image fusion is one the most significant and useful disease analytic techniques. This research article proposes the hybrid multimodality medical image fusion methods and discusses the most essential advantages and disadvantages of these methods. The hybrid multimodal medical image fusion algorithms are used to improve the quality of fused multimodality medical image. Magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and single photon emission computed tomography are the input multimodal therapeutic images used for fusion process. An experimental result of proposed hybrid fusion techniques provides the fused multimodal medical images of highest quality, shortest processing time, and best visualization. Both traditional and hybrid multimodal medical image fusion algorithms are evaluated using several quality metrics. Compared with existing techniques the proposed result gives the better processing performance in both qualitative and quantitative evaluation criteria. This is favorable, especially for helping in accurate clinical disease analysis.
Image Matting Based Multi-Focus Image Fusion With Optimal Cluster Size
Authors: Dharmaraj Rajesh , Dharmaraj Christopher Durairaj Daniel
Published: August 2018

Image fusion is used to intensify the quality of images by combining two images of same scene obtained from different techniques. The present work deals with the effective extraction of pixel information from the source images that hold the key to multi focus image fusion. A solely vicinity-based image matting algorithm that relies on the close pixel clusters in the input images and their trimap, is presented in this article. The pixel cluster size, N plays a significant role in deciding the identity of the unknown pixel. The distance between each unknown pixel from foreground and background pixel clusters has been computed based on minimum quasi Euclidean distance. The minimum distance ratio gives the alpha value of each unknown pixel in the image. Finally, the focus regions are blend together to obtain the resultant fused image. On perceiving the results visually and objectively, it is concluded that proposed method works better in extracting the focused pixels and improving fusion quality, compared with other existing fusion methods.
Two-Dimensional Canonical Correlation Analysis of the Logically Concatenated Cross Binary Pattern for Cross Pose Face Recognition
Authors: Arora Kumud , Garg Poonam
Published: August 2018

Face pose recognition is one of the challenging areas in computer vision. Cross-pose change causes the change in the information of face appearance. The maximization of intrasubject correlation helps to widen the intersubject differences which helps further in achieving pose invariance. In this paper, for cross pose recognition, the authors propose to maximize the cross pose correlation by using the logically concatenated cross binary pattern (LC-CBP) descriptor and two dimensional canonical correlation analysis (2DCCA). The LC-CBP descriptor extracts the local texture details of face images with low computation complexity and the 2DCCA explicitly searches for the maximization of the correlated features to retain most informative content. Joint feature consideration via 2DCCA helps in setting up a better correspondence between a discrete set of nonfrontal pose and the frontal pose of the same subject. Experimental results demonstrate the two dimensional canonical correlation LC-CBP descriptor along with intensity values improve the correlation.
Psychological Empowerment and Employee Engagement
Authors: Sharma Naman , Singh Vinod Kumar
Published: August 2018

There is an increasing interest in investigating antecedents of employee engagement at workplace. The present article examines the role of psychological empowerment as an antecedent of employee engagement in organizations and simultaneously explored the mediating role of constructive deviance. Data was collected from 233 Indian IT sector employees. A mediation effect was documented through multiple regression analysis suggested by Barron and Kenny. Findings suggest that both psychological empowerment and constructive deviance positively affect employee engagement while constructive deviance acts as significant mediator between them. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
A New Approach for Assessing Learners in an Online Problem Based Learning Environment
Authors: Tadjer Houda , Lafifi Yacine , Seridi-Bouchelaghem Hassina
Published: August 2018

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an approach that improves students' skills in problem solving. The application of PBL as an approach of teaching in a class requires students' presence; such constraint cannot be fulfilled by all students. Therefore, it is important to avoid this problem by implementing an online PBL environment where students are grouped remotely and work together to solve a problem proposed by the teacher. This will guide the learning process of the learners and can evaluate their solution. In reality, we can find members who do not really contribute to solve a problem. From this point of view, the teacher's evaluation will not be adequate to estimate the contribution of the learner in the solution of a given problem. Therefore, it is important to think of another way for assessing learners' solution. So, the challenge is to implement an online PBL environment and to propose a new method for assessing students. In this paper, the authors present their system called Problearn. The developed system allows students to solve problems remotely in small groups. Furthermore, the system evaluates each student based on his behavioral profiles during the problem-solving process. To do so, the system must keep track of different actions carried out by the students. This system has been tested by students of a computer science department where they achieved very good results.
Application of the Cognitive Walkthrough Method to Evaluate the Usability of PhET Simulations Package to Teach Physics
Authors: Almeida Gustavo de Oliveira , Bastos Cesar Augusto Rangel
Published: August 2018

The use of simulators and customized applications for educational use opens new possibilities in the teaching and learning process of the most varied disciplines through computer-mediated interactions. In this context, teachers are developing digital material considering this powerful tool. And the use of educational apps and simulators has increased significantly with the spread of the internet in schools. However, the evaluation of the effectiveness of these applications is complex and incipient. This article presents a proposed interface usability assessment for the use of simulators with elementary school students using a customized version of the PSSUQ, along with an evaluation by the cognitive walkthrough method. The interface chosen was the simple pendulum simulator used as part of the PhET simulations package. The results indicated satisfactory usability of the application, although some limitations and usability difficulties were found.
Computer Assisted Evaluation Using Rubrics for Reduction of Errors and Inter and Intra Examiner Heterogeneity
Authors: Dessai Kissan G. Gauns , Kamat Venkatesh V.
Published: August 2018

Educational institutions worldwide conduct summative examinations to evaluate academic performance of students. Such summative examinations are normally subjective in nature in higher education institutions and needs manual evaluation. However, the manual evaluation of subjective answer-scripts often suffers from evaluation anomalies and the impact of ‘Examiner variability' or ‘Examiner subjectivity'. Examiner variability mainly occurs due to differences in perception and expectation of each examiner coupled with lapses/errors in evaluation. Most of the currently employed methods partly address the problem of evaluation errors/lapses and examiner subjectivity with the aid of extra checks such as re-checking, re-verification, re-evaluation, etc. We need a pragmatic and unified approach to ensure uniformity and error-free evaluation. In this article, the authors present a method of computer aided evaluation of subjective answer-scripts using rubrics. The proposed approach focuses on improving the evaluation by reducing/eliminating the errors and examiner variability.
Knowledge Creation in the Hypertext Organizations
Authors: Rusko Rauno
Published: August 2018

Hypertext organization perspective (Nonaka, 1994) is focused on knowledge creation and transfer between the main organization and project organization. However, initial hypertext organization perspectives did not take into the account the role of multi-membership in the project work. This article studies hypertext organization in the context of the multi-project case basing the analysis on the viewpoints of project-as-practice and auto-ethnography with the context of University. Auto-ethnography reveals the features of knowledge transfer in the multi-membership. Knowledge transfer of projects is not only based on the linkages between the separate education unit, the research unit and the unit of project activities, but also based on individual attitudes, features and capabilities on the multi-membership level. This study shows, instead of the externalization of knowledge, that plenty of knowledge creation activities - associated with hypertext organization - remain behind the individual actors in the form of tacit knowledge.
Critical IT Project Management Competencies
Authors: Uzoka Faith-Michael , Keavey Kalen , Miller Janet , Khemka Namrata , Connolly Randy
Published: August 2018

Academic computing curricula generally focus on teaching the specific technological skills expected of new graduates in their disciplines. Yet when it comes to hiring these graduates, behavioral skills (also called soft skills) such as communication and personal integrity are almost always rated as being more important than the technological skills. This mixed-method research project adds to the understanding of skill expectations required for new hires by providing information from a global sample of project management professionals. Both the quantitative and qualitative results are in accord with the vast majority of the extant literature in that behavioral skills were seen as more critical than technical skills. Implications and recommendations for educators, curriculum developers, and prospective graduates are discussed.
Modeling Software Development Process Complexity
Authors: Damasiotis Vyron , Fitsilis Panos , O'Kane James F.
Published: August 2018

Modern software systems are growing increasingly complex, requiring increased complexity of software and software development process (SDP). Most software complexity measurement approaches focus on software features such as code size, code defects, number of control paths, etc. However, software complexity measurement should not only focus on code features but on features that cover several aspects of SDP in order to have a more complete approach to software complexity. To implement this approach, an extensive literature review for identifying factors that contribute to the complexity of SDP was performed and seventeen complexity factors were identified. As there were indications that the identified factors were not independent from each other but there were interrelations between them, statistical methods for identifying the underlined relations and refining them were applied, resulting to the final set of measures used in the proposed model. Finally, the proposed model has been tested in five software projects and the results were evaluated.
Sharing Knowledge When it Cannot be Made Explicit
Authors: Arduin Pierre-Emmanuel , Le Duigou Julien , Abel Marie-Hélène , Eynard Benoît
Published: August 2018

Information systems often strengthen a preference for working alone: interoperability as much as interpretation variance restrain the ability of people and systems to interact and to work together within an extended enterprise. In this article, the authors propose to extend product lifecycle management (PLM) systems in order to share not only (1) knowledge that has been made explicit and which is strongly contextualized so that there is no interpretation variance, but also (2) knowledge that cannot be made explicit and which remains tacit knowledge, needing social interaction and shared understanding to be actually shared. The use of a collaborative platform is proposed in this article in order to allow stakeholders to produce a shared understanding of what a concept means through the use of ontologies. The conditions as well as the limits of the proposition are discussed at the end of this article.
The Effects of Shared Leadership on Team Dynamics in Six Sigma Teams
Authors: Galli Brian J.
Published: August 2018

This study investigates the relationships and impacts that shared leadership development has on two team dynamic conditions during a Six Sigma project, including internal team environment (cohesion) and external coaching style. The study seeks to understand mitigating factors that affect the relationships and presence of variables. It concludes that shared leadership has unique relationships with the two-team dynamic variables. Shared leadership also has a statistically significant relationship with the internal team environment at all phases of DMAIC, but only in the measure, analyze, and improve phases when examined with external coaching. Several mitigating factors impact these relationships and variables' presence, including: task complexities and deliverables, decision-making, a coach's traits, presence of the three team cohesion dimensions, etc. A direct relationship exists between shared leadership and decision-making. This relationship impacts all the other relationships. Finally, the degree and style of external coaching has a critical role in relationship development.
An Exploratory Study on the Use of Machine Learning to Predict Student Academic Performance
Authors: Kenekayoro Patrick
Published: August 2018

Optimal student performance is integral for successful higher education institutions. The consensus is that big data analytics can be used to identify ways for achieving better student academic performance. This article used support vector machines to predict future student performance in computing and mathematics disciplines based on past scores in computing, mathematics and statistics subjects. Past subjects passed by students were ranked with state of art feature selection techniques in an attempt to identify any connection between good performance in a particular discipline and past subject knowledge. Up to 80% classification accuracy was achieved with support vector machines, demonstrating that this method can be developed to produce recommender or guidance systems for students, however the classification model will still benefit from more training examples. The results from this research reemphasizes the possibility and benefits of using machine learning techniques to improve teaching and learning in higher education institutions.
Risk Based Thinking and Contingency Modeling in Leadership and Administration for Quality Management in Higher Education
Authors: Jasmine K.S.
Published: August 2018

Risk based thinking is the core aspect to avoid or reduce the undesired effects and promote continual improvement for any organization, especially in the field of higher education. Preventive action becomes an automatic process when a management system is risk-based. The contingency approach to management will make fruitful results once it is considered as more explicit and builds it into strategic plan of the management system with upfront planning with the help of business models. In the strategic plan of any organization, leadership and administration plays an important role. By identifying the context related risks, leaders can analyze the opportunities in terms of impact and feasibility and plan towards prioritizing the risks to act on. In this direction, the need for a business model which focuses on efficient process-based approach towards risk prioritization, thereby prevention and avoidance is proposed, which demonstrates management their leadership, and commitment to the quality management of higher education.
Cytosolic Processing Governs TAP-Independent Presentation of a Critical Melanoma Antigen
Authors: Vigneron Nathalie , Ferrari Violette , Van den Eynde Benoît J. , Cresswell Peter , Leonhardt Ralf M.
Published: August 2018

Cancer immunotherapy has been flourishing in recent years with remarkable clinical success. But as more patients are treated, a shadow is emerging that has haunted other cancer therapies: tumors develop resistance. Resistance is often caused by defects in the MHC class I Ag presentation pathway critical for CD8 T cell–mediated tumor clearance. TAP and tapasin, both key players in the pathway, are frequently downregulated in human cancers, correlating with poor patient survival. Reduced dependence on these factors may promote vaccine efficiency by limiting immune evasion. In this study, we demonstrate that PMEL209–217, a promising phase 3 trial–tested antimelanoma vaccine candidate, is robustly presented by various TAP- and/or tapasin-deficient cell lines. This striking characteristic may underlie its potency as a vaccine. Surprisingly, cytosolic proteasomes generate the peptide even for TAP-independent presentation, whereas tripeptidyl peptidase 2 (TPP2) efficiently degrades the epitope. Consequently, inhibiting TPP2 substantially boosts PMEL209–217 presentation, suggesting a possible strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of the vaccine.