bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyse d'un ensemble de terre sigillée
Authors: De Clerc Wim , Deschieter Johan , Dickinson Brenda , Bird Joanna
Published: January 2018

Wim de Clerc and Johan Deschieter, Prospections in Steene-Pitgam : analysis of a set of sigiliated earthenware.

Over the past few years, the amateur archaelogist Ph. Ducrocq systematically prospected the surroundings of the communes of Steen-Pitgam. The eleven « dumping grounds » of archaeological artefacts that he located belong to an extensive Roman salt extraction site. Among the pottery material, sigiliated earthenware occupies a significant position. The typological, stylistic and quantitative analysis of this pottery brings chronological precisions regarding the Gallo-Roman occupation in Steene-Pitgam, and testifies of a development of the site in the Ilnd century. The set of terra sigillata remains stretches from the Nero period to the middle of the Illrd century. From the economic point of view one can assert that this site was supplied by the workshops of the south, the centre and the east of Gaul. The analysis of the Steene-Pitgam terra sigillata earthenware allows to add new elements to the study of this pottery in northern France and to tackle at the same time some general issues. Nevertheless, it remains obvious that results gathered from surface material must be confronted with well confined contexts from the site and with other regional sites.
Répertoire céramique ménapien et données nouvelles sur la fabrication du sel
Authors: Hannois Philippe
Published: January 2018

Philippe Hannois, Prospectie in Steene-Pitgam : reper- torium van menapische keramiek en nieuwe gegevens over de zoutwinning.

De grondprospectie in de gemeenten Steene en Pitgam liet toe een aantal archeologisch intéressante zones te localiseren. Die komen overeen met een dichte bewoning en zijn een argument voor het bestaan van die bewoning van de kuststreek tijdens de eerste en tweede Duinkerkse transgressies.

De overvloedige vondsten wijzen op de economische functie van die sites, landbouw, veeteelt en zoutwinning. Men treft stukken metselwerk aan en keramiek die typisch is voor het westelijk deel van het land van de Menapiers, met tot in de tweede eeuw veel gechamot- terde keukenkeramiek.
Les amphores
Authors: Marlière Élise
Published: January 2018

Elise Marliere, Prospections in Steene-Pitgam : amphoras.

The prospections carried out on the Steene-Pitgam site by P. Ducrocq delivered a set of amphora material that seems to reveal a lot on the commercial currents of the southern part of the city of the Menapians. The fragments are indeed sparse and only the Gaul 4 and Dressel 20 are ascertained.
Les monnaies
Authors: Delmaire Roland
Published: January 2018

Roland Delmaire, Prospections in Steene-Pitgam : the coins.

Inventory of 322 antique coins (among which two Celtic and seven Republican) discovered during prospection and study of the coin circulation. Only seven items are dated past 235 and the terminus dates to about 260 A.D.
Le petit mobilier gallo-romain
Authors: Bodart Hélène
Published: January 2018

Suite aux prospections pédestres menées sur les communes de Steene et de Pitgam, un abondant mobilier métallique a été mis au jour. Plusieurs catégories sont représentées : les fibules et bijoux, le harnachement (boucles, appliques, passe-brides et passe-lanières, pha- 1ères, douille), les éléments d'ameublement, des dés à coudre, des pesons et poids, des manches et pointes, et des varia tels que des dès à jouer, des fragments de vaisselle métallique et une pointe de couteau.
Habitats et salines
Authors: Loridant Frédéric
Published: January 2018

Frédéric Loridant, Prospectie in Steene-Pitgam : bewo- ning en zou twinning.

Tijdens de prospectie, sedert 1993, op het grondge- bied van Steene en Pitgam (Nord), werden een aantal sites aangetroffen die grotendeels verbonden zijn met de zoutwinning. Deze twee gemeenten bevinden zich aan het eindpunt van een romeinse weg naar Cassel. Uit de vondsten kan men twee types van nederzetting afleiden. Het eerste type is een grote ambachtelijke zone, waar zout geproduceerd werd via verwarming van pekel in ovens. Vandaar de talrijke vondsten van metselwerk (ovenwanden of pijlers). Het tweede type bestaat vooral uit woongebieden, waar soms een nogal rijk materiaal werd aangetroffen (muntstukken, glaswerk, soms buiten de limes zeldzame stukken in brons, terra sigillata). Misschien bevond zich daar de residentie van een gewichtig man, actief in de zoutwinning Die vondsten staan in contrast met wat men tijdens de bouw van de gaslijn in het zuidelijk gedeelte van Pitgam aantrof in een gebied waar in dezelfde période aan veeteelt werd gedaan en waar men haast niets aantrof, op wat keramiek en schaarse terra sigillata na.

Om de chronologie van deze zoutwinners vast te leg- gen zijn meer opgravingen nodig. Men kan de terra sigil- lae situeren tussen de jaren 70 tot het midden van de derde eeuw, wat ook schijnt te gelden voor de andere vondsten. Men kan een hoogtepunt in het derde kwart van de tweede eeuw plaatsen, de (langzame ?) neergang is voelbaar op het einde van de tweede of het begin van de derde eeuw.
Un objet sonore méconnu : le sistre de Vermand (Aisne) et les « sistres tiges » gallo-romains
Authors: Vendries Christophe
Published: January 2018

Christophe Vendries, Een miskend geluidsinstrument : het sistrum van Vermand (Aisne) en de galloromeinse « schachtsistra ».

In de provincies Belgisch Gallie en Germanie werden sedert de negentiende eeuw fragmenten van bronzen cimbaaltjes ontdekt naast stukjes hout in graven uit het late rijk. Men is er nooit in geslaagd die op een overtui- gende manier samen, te stellen. Uit vergelijking van archeologische informatie blijkt dat het niet om cimbaaltjes gaat die gelijken op tamboerijnen of egyptise- rende sistra. Het gaat om schachtsistra (volgens de moderne organologische terminologie), die paarsgewijze gemonteerd zijn. Men weet nog niets over hun juiste muzikale functie omdat zij niet voorkomen in teksten of iconografie.
Une zone funéraire gallo-romaine aux Rues-des-Vignes (Nord)
Authors: Gaillard Denis , Roger Daniel
Published: January 2018

Denis Gaillard en Daniel Roger, Een galloromeins grafveld in Rues-des- Vignes (Nord).

Het dorp Rues-des-Vignes (Nord) heeft een galloro- meinse bewoning gekend, waarvan men de geografie en chronologie niet kent. De ontdekking van een tweede grafveld, naast dat van het sportcentrum (1976), is een nieuw geografisch element voor de galloromeinse bewoning. Men heeft zes verassingsgraven blootgelegd en drie andere. De overblijfselen bevinden zich in de origi- nele stratigrafie, waarin graf- en bezettingslagen afwis- selen. De site werd waarschijnlijk bezet tussen het einde van de eerste en het einde van de derde eeuw.
Adaptation of Line Operations Safety Audit (LOSA) to Dispatch Operations (DOSA)
Authors: Khoshkhoo Roohollah
Published: January 2018

Purpose: Dispatch Operations Safety Audit (DOSA) is a proactive and predictive method in safety management system that detects the capabilities and pitfalls of dispatcher performance. In this study, Dispatch-Line Operations Safety Audit is carried out in an airline and results are analyzed and discussed.Design/methodology/approach: The method of DOSA implementation for flight operations officers is similar to LOSA for flight crew.Findings: Results show that DOSA has an important effect on Threat and Error Management (TEM) in the Operations Control Center (OCC).Originality/value: Potential applications of this research include the better threat and error management in OCC with the implementation of DOSA as well as identification of threats and errors types for FOOs in OCC. Also distribution of threats and errors in different phases of dispatch shift is discussed, therefore syllabuses of training courses can be provided with respect to threat and error types for flight operations officers.
From the Editors: Seven years on the editorial team of the Journal of Airline and Airport Management (JAIRM)
Authors: Simo Pep
Published: January 2018

The goal of this editorial is to provide a short review of the seven years in which I have formed part of the editorial team of the JAIRM as editor-in-chief, and to suggest the challenges that, from my point of view, are key to the development of the journal and this area of research.
Development and Implementation of Interoperable Secure SDI Model Using Open Source GIS
Authors: Barik Rabindra K.
Published: January 2018

It is observed that none of the academic institutes in India contributes for the development of SDI model at national level. Some of the developed models are not highly encouraging with respect to technical, organisational and institutional aspects. Non-availability of a standard functional SDI model based on SOA, Lack of technical interoperability and security aspects have also been a prime concern in SDI models using Open Source GIS (OSGIS). This article discusses appropriate application areas, i.e. the Education Sector, Geographical Indication and Mineral Resources Information Infrastructures to develop and implement the SDI model by a suitable adoption of OSS. The architecture of SOA-based interoperable and secure SDI models, which links the metadata server to database server, 3-tier interoperability and security framework with the help of OSGIS is developed and implemented.
Failed Hopes of Education
Authors: McElreath David H. , Doss Daniel Adrian , Jensen Carl , Mallory Stephen , Wigginton Michael , Lyons Terry , Williamson Lorri C. , McElreath Leisa S.
Published: January 2018

This article describes how, generally, the majority of inmates will recidivate again within five years of being released from incarceration. Recidivism represents cyclical criminality that affects all American communities. Despite substantial expenditures toward the warehousing of inmates within the corrections system, less emphasis is directed toward leveraging vocational and career educational programs as resources through which recidivism rates may be reduced societally. However, in 2015, the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program was announced as an experimental program whereby prisoners may access Pell funding for educational purposes. Given the advent of this experimental program, this article reviews some historical literature and recommends future directions regarding education among corrections settings.
Guidelines for Lifelong Education Management to Mobilize Learning Community
Authors: Charungkaittikul Suwithida
Published: January 2018

This article is a study of the guidelines for lifelong education management to mobilize learning communities in the social-cultural context of Thailand is intended to 1) analyze and synthesize the management of lifelong learning to mobilize learning community in the social-cultural context of Thailand; and 2) propose guidelines for lifelong education management to mobilize learning community in the social-cultural context of Thailand. This article applies qualitative research methods, using various documents, interviews and focus groups. The results found that these guidelines are the learning processes which affect learning throughout one's life. The guidelines for lifelong education management to mobilize learning communities in the social-cultural context of Thailand consists of these key components; lifelong education management guidelines; and the final products. Finally, lifelong education management guidelines could be used to promote and develop lifelong learning for learning community mobilization based on the social-cultural context in Thailand. It is anticipated that the findings will add meaningful information and practical guidelines for enhancing understanding of guidelines for lifelong education management to mobilize learning community in Thailand, and serve as a basic and comparative outcome for further research.
Student Performance in Mathematics: Should we be Concerned?
Authors: Enderson Mary C. , Mann Manveer
Published: January 2018

This article describes how for many college students the transition to college-level mathematics courses presents new challenges beyond those that were part of the high school experience. In this interdisciplinary study forty-four non-mathematics and non-science majors, enrolled in a retail-buying course, were studied to examine student confidence in performing applied mathematical tasks, mathematics achievement in college, and the relationship between predictors of college success (mathematics studied in high school, SAT/ACT scores, and mathematics courses taken in college). Measurements used for the study included a subset of items from the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES) on a 5-point Likert-type scale, course grades, number of years studying mathematics in high school and number of mathematics courses in college. Findings indicate that mathematics courses taken in college increased confidence in working mathematical tasks and were significant predictors of achievement in the retail course. In addition, SAT/ACT scores also were critical to the overall mathematics achievement.
Online Intercultural Exchanges Through Digital Storytelling
Authors: Sevilla-Pavón Ana , Nicolaou Anna
Published: January 2018

This article focuses on the affordances of a digital storytelling project in developing students' language, digital and other skills: learning and innovation, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, team working, and life and career skills. The project was undertaken by university English for Specific Purposes students and was conducted within an Online Intercultural Exchange between the Cyprus University of Technology and the University of Valencia. Its design was based on a Project-Based Learning (PBL) methodology. It incorporated active learning and multimodal resources and capabilities. The need for transforming language teaching pedagogies was borne in mind, as it is necessary for responding to an era of changes which requires students to be active producers of content, innovative, motivated and engaged in their own learning. The qualitative and quantitative findings were drawn from data gathered by means of an evaluation questionnaire administered to students upon completion of the project.
Pedagogical Insights into Hyper-Immersive Virtual World Language Learning Environments
Authors: Lawrence Geoff , Ahmed Farhana
Published: January 2018

This article shares pedagogical insights from a qualitative study examining the use of immersive social virtual worlds (SVWs) in language teaching and learning. Recognizing the language learning affordances of immersive virtual environments, this research examines the beliefs and practices of ‘Karelia Kondor,' an avatar-learner and teacher of languages with a decade of diverse experiences in Second Life (SL), one of the first widely used SVWs. Findings highlight the relevance of a hyper-immersive and emotionally engaging conceptual model informing language teaching approaches within these rapidly evolving environments. When supported pedagogically, the activities illustrated demonstrate the potential of these immersive approaches to create communities of practice and affinity spaces by fostering investment and autonomy in the language learning process through shared target language experiences. The article will conclude with a summary of pedagogical insights leveraging the affordances of these environments.
Domestication of Smartphones Among Adolescents in Brunei Darussalam
Authors: Ahad Annie Dayani , Anshari Muhammad , Razzaq Abdur
Published: January 2018

This article describes how smartphones have converged into multifunctional personal devices. Smartphones are equipped with features such as Internet access, cameras (pictures and videos) and MP3 players. While a majority of previous research investigated the use and effects of mobile phones and young people, these studies focused on the Western context. A qualitative research method was used to investigate the research questions. Specifically, focus groups and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Nevertheless, while a growing number of studies has investigated mobile phone use by teenagers in non-western countries, there is little research on smartphone uses and their implications to teenagers in an Islamic context. This article examines the uses of smartphones by, and their implications to, Bruneian teenagers. The research seeks to map and understand the complex forces that influence and challenge the socio-cultural values and religious beliefs of teenagers in a non-Western, Malay, Islamic society such as Brunei.
E-Commerce Security Research in Big Data Environment
Authors: Zhang Mei , Liu Huan , Wen Jinghua
Published: January 2018

Rapid development of e-commerce and mobile communication opens a new era of big data. In this article, the authors put big data and e-commerce security together. They construct electronic commerce security system from these aspects: the creation of database, the security of information storage, the mining of information based on big data environment thoroughly. The second-generation product distributed platform- Apache Hadoop which is more popular and instant has been brought in. what's more, this article expounds the structure and working process. On the base of this platform, this article analyses the certainty and security of e-commerce transactions data developed on the condition of big data. It puts forward a construction view that people should guide and monitor the behavior of e-commerce, and improve the security system of electronic commerce on the base of data.
A Model of Factors Explaining the Adoption and Use of Electronic Performance Support Systems in Portuguese Organizations
Authors: Carvalho Piedade
Published: January 2018

This article describes how the huge investments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the increasing impact of Information Systems (IS) on the functioning and competitive capacities of organizations justify and stress the need to identify factors influencing the adoption and use of EPSS (Electronic Performance Support System). Following the models and theories of IT adoption by the available theories of Acceptance as well as studies conducted in the field of EPSS, which indicate the existence of several factors influencing the use and success, a study was conducted to assess possible changes in these factors considering the idea of some authors assume that there are differences by type of IT. In this sense, it was felt that it would be advisable to know the circumstances that arise from the adoption and use of three types of EPSS - extrinsic, intrinsic, and external, arguing that such knowledge can be obtained by identifying a set of enabling factors to characterize those circumstances. The performance of three-case studies and reflection made that it derived a set of factors that influence the strategy of adopting and using EPSS, which were grouped and organized in a model of adoption of EPSS. This model brings together all the key factors considered and classifies them, according to their origin in four different categories, designated by the organizational environment, individual performance characteristics of the tool and task requirements.
Preliminary Energy Assessment of Glass Production in Nigeria
Authors: Samuel Olusegun David , Boye ThankGod Enatimi , Ojelade Aanuoluwapo Ezekiel
Published: January 2018

This article describes how the high energy consumption associated with glass factories has been responsible for high cost of manufacturing of glass. However, there is a need for a systematic approach to assess energy consumption in the factory in order to avoid wastage. Previous methods of assessment could not take into cognizance of assessing the entire unit. Additionally, the methods are mostly complex and not straight forward"To overcome these constraints, an approach for audit energy consumption was developed. Energy study was conducted in a glass production plant in Ughelli, Nigeria to determine the energy requirements for the production of glass. The energy consumption patterns of the units operations were evaluated for production of 200 tonnes of glass bottles. The analysis revealed that there were ten defined units in a glass production. The electrical, thermal and manual energy required for the productions were 84.31, 15.59 and 0.10% of the total energy, respectively. The average energy intensity was estimated to be 818.53 MJ/tonne. The most energy intensive operation was identified as the melting process of the furnace with an energy intensity of 395.94 MJ/tonne, which accounts for 48.37% of the total energy required for glass production. Improvement on the design of the melting furnace is suggested to make the system more energy efficient.
Transient 3D
Authors: Karkoodi Sadaf , Aslani Alireza , Talebi Maryam , Roumi Soheil , Abbassi Abbas
Published: January 2018

This article describes the limitations and the environmental effects of fossil fuels have provided the drive to create replacement strategies, such as the utilization of renewable energy resources. Solar energy and related technologies are also among fast-growing renewable resources and technologies. Despite different research on solar technologies, an extensive research on the effects of different parts of the collector, such as an absorber, glass cover, and the air gap has not conducted in the warm climate in the Middle East. This article focuses on an unsteady and three-dimensional simulation of a flat plate solar collector considering Discrete Transfer Radiation Model (DTRM). The parameters effecting on efficiency of collector such as the absorber material, tilt angle of the collector and effect of double glazing are analyzed. The result of the numerical analysis shows parameters effecting on collector efficiency, and double-glazed glass.
Novel Taxonomy to Select Fog Products and Challenges Faced in Fog Environments
Authors: Bhardwaj Akashdeep
Published: January 2018

This article describes how the rise of fog computing to improve cloud computing performance and the acceptance of smart devices is slowly but surely changing our future and shaping the computing environment around us. IoT integrated with advances in low cost computing, storage and power, along with high speed networks and big data, supports distributed computing. However, much like cloud computing, which are under constant security attacks and issues, distributed computing also faces similar challenges and security threats. This can be mitigated to a great extent using fog computing, which extends the limits of Cloud services to the last mile edge near to the nodes and networks, thereby increasing the performance and security levels. Fog computing also helps increase the reach and comes across as a viable solution for distributed computing. This article presents a review of the academic literature research work on the Fog Computing. The authors discuss the challenges in Fog environment and propose a new taxonomy.
An Athletic Training Analysis System Research Based on Physiological Computation
Authors: Xiong Ding , Yan Lu , Qiong Peng
Published: January 2018

This article is about how physiological status data is more important for athlete support training and competition. The Physiological Plan system is designed and implemented in this article, and the system is divided into the hardware layer, the data processing layer, the algorithm layer and the interface layer. The hardware layer adopts the Berkeley Tricorder platform. The data processing layer integrates the data of each sensor on the adapter mode. The algorithm layer includes a filtering algorithm, a peak detection algorithm and an Outlier detection algorithm. At the interface level, the coach interacts with the athlete, and the results are presented to the coach. In the system, the ECG, EMG and 3D acceleration of the athletes can be collected and analyzed at the same time, and the resultant data analysis are fed back to the coaches, these can solve problems in the athletes' physical data which cannot be collected and analyzed in real time. The experimental results show that the system can effectively assist the coaches in monitoring and analyzing the state of the athletes during training and competition.
Beyond Deterministic Thinking Embodiment of Ethics in Process Design and Execution
Authors: Sanzogni Louis
Published: January 2018

This article maintains that a strong sense of ethics and ethical awareness is essential to help promote and cultivate adequate and appropriate (human sensitive) approaches during the development, implementation and execution of business processes. Businesses and their corresponding processes, and science in general have leaned on tenets of deterministic philosophies which gave rise to mechanistic thinking. As such technologically-based proposals and/or enactments—like modern business processes to a point—do not have within themselves the means to be ethically self-aware. It is in a technologically driven culture where mechanistic/deterministic approaches may trivialise the dignity of humans, ethics are able to mediate technology by helping to reflect on its purpose and usefulness. The authors propose a model that is a more holistic approach—including an ethical review phase—during the design, implementation, and execution of computer-based business processes so as to avoid an overtly mechanistic approach that devalues humans.
The Importance of Business Communication in an Organization
Authors: Nădrag Lavinia , Buzarna-Tihenea Alina
Published: January 2018

The contemporary world bears the mark of a great development process that triggers new challenges and opportunities. In order to evolve, organizations and their members must constantly adapt to this ever-changing environment and, in this regard, communication and feedback play a major role. This article is focused on a study analyzing the answers to a questionnaire administered to the employees of an insurance company, in order to assess its internal communication and to find correlations between the satisfaction degrees resulted from the communication process and the way of viewing the organization's efficiency.
Big Data Handling Over Cloud for Internet of Things
Authors: Goyal Tarun , Rathi Rakesh , Jain Vinesh Kumar , Pilli Emmanuel Shubhakar , Mazumdar Arka Prokash
Published: January 2018

In this article, the authors have discussed about the connection between Internet of Things and growth of big data. They have also discussed short reference on the evolution, features, lifecycle, and implementation of Big Data from IoT over the cloud. Internet of Things represents a platform or environment that consists of enormous number of sensors and mediators interconnecting heterogeneous physical devices over the internet. IoT applications are available in many real-world areas such as smart city, smart workplace, smart home, smart transportation and various other ubiquitous computing areas. Using IoT applications generates tremendous amount of data for storage and management in the internet. With the time and research evolution integration of the IoT platforms and cloud comes in the market and IoT platforms data storage and management started shifting to the cloud from the internet connected physical systems for many real-world application areas. Meanwhile when this data becomes huge termed as Big Data. Handling of Big Data over the cloud develops many new areas of research and attention.
Web-Scale Discovery Service in Academic Library Environment
Authors: Sahu Mahendra Kumar
Published: January 2018

Web-Scale Discovery service is the new buzzword of library service in the current environment. It refers to a group of products that index a wide number of resources in various formats and allows users to search for content in the physical collection, print and electronic journals collections, and other resources from a single search box. It has the capacity to connect the researchers more easily with the vast information repository of the library including both locally and hosted content i.e. physical holdings, digital collection, and local institutional repositories. This article defines the concept of Web-Scale Discovery Service and its features. The author tries to illustrate the evaluation process for implementing Web-Scale Discovery Service. He also outlines some of important steps involved while execution.
An Enhanced Mobile Device-Based Navigation Model
Authors: Olajubu Emmanuel Ajayi , Efiong John E. , Adesola Aderounmu G.
Published: January 2018

This article formulated, simulated and evaluated an enhanced model for a non-linear/non-Gaussian integrated Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) mobile-based device navigation system using the Particle Filter (PF). This was with a view to enhancing the accuracy and minimize the delay experienced in the existing system which relies on linear data. An android driven Infinix X5 mobile device with GPS and INS-based sensors was used to implement the model formulated, standard Bayesian estimators were used to generate non-linear datasets with Gaussian/non-Gaussian white noises for mobile device based INS/GPS sensors. A mathematical model was formulated using Sampling Importance-weight Resampling (SIR) algorithm of the PF. The conceptual model was developed using Simulink and the design specification was done using Unified Modeling Language (UML). The model was simulated with MATLAB and the simulation results obtained were evaluated using standard metrics, and benchmarked with existing model. The overall results showed that the proposed model performed better than existing ones in term of accuracy. However, the model did not impact on delay reduction.
Performance Measurement Study on Two Video Service Providers in China
Authors: You Jiali , Xue Hanxing , Zhuo Yu , Zhang Guoqiang , Wang Jinlin , Qi Weining
Published: January 2018

This article describes how understanding the potential characteristics of video services is very important, as it can help users or third-party applications to predict performance or to identify service strategies. For this purpose, a measurement system deployed in 11 provinces and cities in China and monitoring two popular Web sites—Youku and Tudou—was designed. Through analyzing the measured records, it is obvious that the performance trend of the two service providers follows diurnal patterns, and it is consistent with users' accessing behavior. These two service providers share the underlying content delivery network to some extent, especially for the same content. The playing quality can also be guaranteed, typically for low-resolution content. Meanwhile, the user terminal's ISP is an important impact factor of service quality. In addition, how to predict the service performance online is also discussed, which is useful in some applications (e.g., video source recommendation systems).
Innovative Genetic Algorithmic Approach to Select Potential Patches Enclosing Real and Complex Zeros of Nonlinear Equation
Authors: Nadimpalli Vijaya Lakshmi V. , Wankar Rajeev , Chillarige Raghavendra Rao
Published: January 2018

In this article, an innovative Genetic Algorithm is proposed to find potential patches enclosing roots of real valued function f:R→R. As roots of f can be real as well as complex, the function is reframed on to complex plane by writing it as f(z). Thus, the problem now is transformed to finding potential patches (rectangles in C) enclosing z such that f(z)=0, which is resolved into two components as real and imaginary parts. The proposed GA generates two random populations of real numbers for the real and imaginary parts in the given regions of interest and no other initial guesses are needed. This is the prominent advantage of the method in contrast to various other methods. Additionally, the proposed ‘Refinement technique' aids in the exhaustive coverage of potential patches enclosing roots and reinforces the selected potential rectangles to be narrow, resulting in significant search space reduction. The method works efficiently even when the roots are closely packed. A set of benchmark functions are presented and the results show the effectiveness and robustness of the new method.
E-Marketing Practices from Jordanian Tourism Agencies Perspectives
Authors: Al-Weshah Ghazi
Published: January 2018

The article aims at providing a deep understanding of electronic marketing practices and investigating the current status of e-marketing (benefits, tools, and barriers) in Jordanian tourism agencies. Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative design to achieve its objectives. In-depth interviews are employed to generate data. The purposive sample is used to choose the target interviewees. Eight executives from different tourism agencies have been selected to conduct the interviews. The qualitative data of each interview have been analyzed using the thematic and textual analysis. Based on a holistic view of the study, the interviews themes have been extracted. The article concludes that cost minimization and time saving are the most important advantages for e-marketing. Moreover, promotional offers information is the most important type of information provided by e-marketing system. Social media and e-mail marketing are the common tools for e-marketing in tourism agencies. However, privacy issues barrier is the major challenge which is encountered by e-marketing practices.
How Do UK B2C High-Tech Start-ups Utilise Innovation Through Social Media to Improve Business Performance and Outcomes?
Authors: Alsharief Raja Yahya
Published: January 2018

This article describes how social media in the business world today has been one of the major trends that highly affects business transactions worldwide. Existing literature focused on how businesses can leverage social media to better interact with their customers, and how to use of social media by companies to drive innovation. However, not mush had been done to examine how B2C high-tech start-ups utilise innovation through social media to improve business performance. As such, this article attempts to fill a research gap that examines the extent of social media usage by B2C high-tech start-ups in London to drive innovation and hence improve their performance and business outcomes. Due to the complexity of innovation as a concept, qualitative research was chosen as an appropriate method to understand the view of high-tech start-ups on the matter using semi-structured interviews.
An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing Shoppers' Online Buying Behavior
Authors: Juyal Som Aditya
Published: January 2018

This article describes how abstract buying on the Internet is one of the most rapidly growing modes of shopping demonstrating a double-digit annual increase in sales in recent years. Reasons for such growth seem to arise from its advantages such as convenience, the ability to be seen as a leisure activity, savings of time and effort, and its 24 hours a day and 7 days a week access. Although Internet buying has shown rapid growth, it also has been hampered by the real or perceived perceptions of consumers that it lacks privacy and security while also suffering from issues in product delivery and returns and tactility. The primary purpose of the article is to explore the profile of Internet buyers and compare them to the non-buyers in terms of demographic characteristics, technology experiences, and his or her attitudes towards consumer and marketing issues. Such information will help e-tailers as they work to develop more effective and efficient online retail outlets.
An Empirical Evaluation of Adoption and Diffusion of New ICTs for Knowledge Sharing in IT Organizations
Authors: Vaidyanathan Srinivasan , Kidambi Sudarsanam S.
Published: January 2018

This article describes how knowledge is one of the most important assets in organizations which should be carefully managed and is continuously generated throughout an organization. Knowledge sharing is a process through which, one person is affected by the experiences of another. This involves more than simply acquiring or transmitting knowledge from one party to another, but is a process of exchanging and processing knowledge in a way that knowledge of one person can be integrated and used in by another person. Plenty of studies on knowledge sharing have been examined by numerous companies. However, not many empirical studies have been conducted in accordance with the framed model of ICT as a determinant and sharing of knowledge through social media within IT companies. This empirical study is aimed at identifying the critical ICT factors for enriching the knowledge sharing among employees through social media in IT organizations. The expected outcome of this study will be analyzing and establishing the causal relationships between the ICT influencing factors and knowledge sharing through social media.
Educational Data Mining and Recommender Systems Survey
Authors: Premalatha M. , Viswanathan V. , Suganya G. , Kaviya M. , Vijaya Aparna
Published: January 2018

Data mining techniques are widely used for various educational researches. This article depicts the survey of various data mining techniques and tools which are used to guide students, course instructors, course developers, course administrators and organizations in respective fields based on future scope. This article also highlights how recommender systems rule the educational field though it's filtering mechanisms in recommending courses for students. It also illustrates future scope of data mining in educational needs.
Genetic components of birth weight of texel sheep reared in extensive system
Authors: Amarilho-Silveira Fernando , Dionello Nelson José Laurino , Mendonça Gilson De , Motta Jaqueline Freitas , Fernandes Tiago Albandes , Silva Nicholas Da Silveira
Published: January 2018

This study aimed to estimate the components of (co)variance, genetic and phenotypic parameters and trends for birth weight. We used 783 birth weight records, between 2012 to 2016, of Texel sheep reared in extensive system. The components of (co)variance and the genetic parameters were estimated using six different animal models, using the restricted maximum likelihood method (REML). The model that best fit the data was Model 3, with estimates of direct additive genetic variance of 0.004, maternal permanent environment variance of 0.164, heritability coefficient of 0.011 and phenotypic variation attributed to the maternal permanent environment of 0.394. For the genetic trend, we observed a genetic gain of 0.413% and for the phenotypic trend, a phenotypic gain of 0.159 kg, between 2012 and 2016 were found. Estimates of direct heritability and proportion of the phenotypic variance explained by the maternal permanent environment presented lower and higher values, respectively, in comparison to other studies. For trends, both genetic and phenotypic, there were gains in birth weight between 2012 and 2016.
Estimation of genetic and phenotypic trends for dairy traits of Gyr and Guzerá breeds
Authors: Rangel Adriano Henrique do Nascimento , Araújo Thalita Polyana Monteiro , Lima Guilherme Ferreira da Costa , Borba Luiz Henrique Fernandes , Peixoto Maria Gabriela Campolina Diniz , Lima Júnior Dorgival Morais de
Published: January 2018

Milk production has high economic importance in dairy cattle production systems, which justifies its inclusion in genetic breeding programs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic and phenotypic trends of dairy traits in Gyr (167 lactations) and Guzerá (148 lactations) breeds in the State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN). Milk, fat and protein production obtained from monthly dairy controls were the traits evaluated. The expected differences in progeny (DEPs) for these traits were estimated using an animal model. From the means of phenotypic values and DEPs, we estimated the genetic and phenotypic trends in linear regressions as a function of the year of calving of the animal. Positive genetic and phenotypic trends were observed for Gyr (26.8 and 88.7 kg year-1) and Guzerá (8.44 and 37.68 kg year-1). Gyr breed presented positive genetic trends for fat (1.08 kg year-1) and protein (0.45 kg year-1) production and the Guzerá breed showed positive genetic trends for fat (0.36 kg year-1) and protein (0.25 kg year-1) production. The selection applied in the evaluated herds has produced satisfactory genetic and phenotypic progress for milk, fat and protein production.
Sensory perception in the replacement of NaCl by MSG in fish burgers
Authors: Mitterer-Daltoé Marina Leite , Nogueira Barbara Arruda , Rodrigues Deyse Pegorini , Breda Leandra Schuastz
Published: January 2018

In meat products, sodium chloride (NaCl) simultaneously promotes different functionalities, such as modifying the osmotic pressure and the consequent reduction of microbial growth, solubilization of proteins and the improvement of sensory attributes. Although the recognized technological importance, there is increasing pressure to reduce sodium in food. Accordingly, strategies have emerged aiming at replacing part of the NaCl in food formulations, including the replacement of NaCl with monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is one of the compounds responsible for the fifth basic taste, also known as umami. The present study aimed to evaluate the sensory perception in the replacement of NaCl with MSG in different formulations of fish burgers through a ranking test and word association. The results indicated that it is possible to replace up to 50% NaCl with MSG without compromising the sensory quality of the fish product and that the cognitive word association technique proved to be an important tool in the perception of fish burgers formulated with different concentrations of NaCl and MSG.
Unilateral pulmonary hypoplasia in an adult patient
Authors: Papadopoulos Dimitrios , Misthos Panagiotis , Chorti Maria , Skopas Vlasios , Nakou Alexandra , Karagianidis Napoleon , Lioulias Achilleas , Filaditaki Vasiliki
Published: January 2018

Pulmonary hypoplasia (PH) is a developmental anomaly of the lung parenchyma, characterized by a decrease in the number and size of airways, alveoli and vessels. We present a case of a 31-year-old patient with a history of chronic productive cough and frequent respiratory infections, who was referred for investigation of abnormal chest x-ray. The combination of chest computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy set the diagnosis of left pulmonary hypoplasia and the patient was treated surgically with a left pneumonectomy. PH is usually diagnosed immediately after birth, causing severe respiratory failure with high mortality. The less severe, unilateral forms can possibly survive by causing compensatory hyperinflation of the other lung and remain undiagnosed until adulthood, presenting either asymptomatic or with symptoms of chronic bronchitis and recurrent respiratory infections. Chest CT is considered the imaging technique of choice for the diagnosis and for the differential diagnosis from other congenital or acquired conditions. The treatment is usually conservative, although surgical resection is indicated in cases of severe cystic changes and intense symptomatology.
Groen postkolonialisme in Etosha (Piet van Rooyen)
Authors: Meyer Susan
Published: January 2018

Green postcolonialism in Etosha (Piet van Rooyen). In Etosha (2010) the impact and aftereffect of the colonial system on the Etosha Nasional Park in Namibia, and on the people who lived there, is portrayed. This study explores the situations of various characters and groups who formerly resided there, focusing on aspects of their relationship with one another, as well as on the realities of colonial exploitation and the use or destruction of the natural environment. The question raised is how green postcolonialism takes form in this novel as a result of the convergence of conservation oriented and postcolonial perspectives. The study focuses on the ways Etosha challenges the reader to realise the full complexity of the question, ‘Who is actually right, what is justifiable in the battle for survival?’, specifically in our local context; and on how the reader is confronted with the task to find place-specific answers for questions aimed at our situation in Africa. It is found that the situations of various role players and their different viewpoints are depicted in a nuanced and convincing manner, contributing to the realistic portrayal of the complex issue of conservation versus exploitation in the postcolonial context. Etosha is a meaningful novel when evaluated within the context of the development of ecocriticism in South Africa.
A social constructionist approach to resilience for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and/or questioning academics and students in South African universities
Authors: Rothmann Jacques
Published: January 2018

This article provides a theoretical contemplation on how reciprocation of an assimilationist, liberationist and/or transgressive approach by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer and/or questioning (LGBTIQ+) individuals on university campuses may encourage transformation initiatives in South African universities. The author ascribe to the contributions of previous research studies on a social constructionist approach to resilience to debate how individuals potentially navigate the disparity between sexual structure and agency within their ideological and physical construction and enactment of their academic and student persona. A theoretical basis is provided for the influence of social resilience to emphasise the localised, intersectional and plural experiences of LGBTIQ+ individuals as opposed to a monolithic and universal ‘either/or’ account of their being solely docile victims or free agents in a heteronormative context.
Epidemiology of mental disability using Indian Disability Evaluation Assessment Scale among general population in an urban area of Puducherry, India
Authors: Kumar SG , Premarajan KC , Kattimani S , Kar SS
Published: January 2018

Background:

There is paucity of information on epidemiology of mental disability in India.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to assess mental disability, and to study the association between sociodemographic and comorbid chronic conditions with mental disability.

Materials and Methods:

This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among ≥5 years age group in an urban area attached to a Tertiary Care Medical Institute in Puducherry, India. Mental disability was assessed using Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale. Chronic morbid conditions and other associated factors were collected using pretested questionnaire.

Statistical Analysis:

Univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results:

About 2537 subjects were covered with a response rate of 94.1%. Overall, the prevalence of mental disability was found to be 7.1% (181/2537). Among them, majority had mild mental disability (151, 83.4%), followed by moderate (21, 11.6%), severe (8, 4.4%), and profound (1, 0.6%) mental disability. Univariate analysis showed that age group status, marital status, education level, occupation, family type, religion, hypertension, joint pain, backache, current smoking, current alcohol use, and conflicts were associated with mental disability (P < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that male gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =2.064), widowed status (AOR = 27.022), separated/divorced status (AOR = 16.674), currently married status (AOR = 18.487), being illiterate (AOR = 4.352), having 1st–10th standard education (AOR = 2.531), being in an unskilled (AOR = 0.287) or semiskilled/skilled occupation (AOR = 0.025), belonging to a nuclear family (AOR = 1.816), and absence of family conflicts (AOR = 0.259) were significantly associated with mental disability compared to their counterparts.

Conclusion:

Mental disability is more common in this area. Males, lesser education level, skilled or unskilled occupation, nuclear family, and conflicts were associated with mental disability after adjusting other variables. Multicentric cross-sectional analytical studies will explore the mental disability burden and its associated factors at regional or country level.