bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Duration of Spermatogenesis and Spermatogenic Efficiency in 2 Large Neotropical Rodent Species: The Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) and Paca (Agouti paca)
Authors: Costa Guilherme M. J. , Leal Marcelo C. , Ferreira Cássia S. , Guimarães Diva A. , França Luiz R.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT: The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) and paca (Agouti paca) are among the largest extant rodent species. Although these species have considerable economic potential, there are few reports in the literature concerning male reproductive biology in sexually mature agoutis and pacas. The objectives of the present study were to perform detailed stereologic and histologic analyses of the testis and estimate spermatogenic cycle length in these 2 Neotropical rodent species as well as to compare the data with those from other well‐studied rodent members of the Hystricomorpha and Myomorpha suborders. Eight adult agoutis and 6 adult pacas were used. The spermatogenic cycle in agoutis and pacas lasted 9.5 ± 0.03 and 11.5 ± 0.16 days, respectively, whereas the total duration of spermatogenesis for these 2 species was 42.8 ± 0.16 and 51.6 ± 0.7 days, respectively. Most of the parameters investigated were similar to those obtained for the other members of the Hystricomorpha suborder. As a result of the combination of high values of seminiferous tubule volume density, number of Sertoli cells per gram of testis, Sertoli cell efficiency, and a relatively short duration of spermatogenesis, the spermatogenic efficiency found in agoutis (52 ± 2 × 106) and pacas (39 ± 2 × 106) was particularly high when compared with that of previously investigated mammalian species. The data presented in this investigation would be useful for studies related to animal production as well as improvement and conservation programs involving these 2 large Neotropical rodent species.
The Complexity of Classification Problems for Models of Arithmetic
Authors: Coskey Samuel , Kossak Roman
Published: October 2010

We observe that the classification problem for countable models of arithmetic is Borel complete. On the other hand, the classification problems for finitely generated models of arithmetic and for recursively saturated models of arithmetic are Borel; we investigate the precise complexity of each of these. Finally, we show that the classification problem for pairs of recursively saturated models and for automorphisms of a fixed recursively saturated model are Borel complete.
Intranetwork Relationships, Creativity, Knowledge Diversification, and Network Position
Authors: Liu Chih-Hsing , Chiu Su-Chin , Chiu Chiung-Lin
Published: October 2010

In this study the process of how knowledge diversification facilitates and constrains individuals' creative work is examined and a description is given of how structural holes moderate the creativity process. A double inverse-U relationship model is set out that captures the relationship
between creativity and the network position. The authors demonstrate that an individual's creativity changes positively in relation to increased knowledge diversification and network position.
Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Coping Strategies of Adolescent Earthquake Survivors in China
Authors: Yang Jun , Yang Yebing , Liu Xufeng , Tian Jianquan , Zhu Xia , Miao Danmin
Published: October 2010

In this study, the relationships among psychological health and self-efficacy, social support, and coping strategies soon after a devastating natural disaster was explored using path analysis, in order to provide guidelines for early psychological intervention. Participants comprised
172 senior middle-school students, in the stricken area of the May 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, China, of whom 167 completed the scales. Three different models were tested consecutively and compared. According to the model that provided the best fit to the data, emotion-focused coping significantly
predicted psychological problems, while subjective social support and problem-focused coping significantly predicted self-efficacy. The results showed that soon after a disaster, the most important mediating factor for people is emotional regulation.
Leadership Justice, Negative Organizational Behaviors, and the Mediating Effect of Affective Commitment
Authors: Duan Jinyun , Lam Wing , Chen Ziguang , Zhong Jian An
Published: October 2010

According to social identity theory, unfair treatment from superiors may arouse negative identification, which in turn leads to employees' negative behaviors in organizations. In this study the relationships between leadership justice and two negative organizational behaviors –
employee silence and organizational retaliatory behavior – were explored in a Chinese context. The study was conducted through a questionnaire-based field investigation, which sampled 361 employees from 17 Chinese state-owned enterprises. The results showed that leadership justice was
negatively related to employee silence and organizational retaliatory behavior, and that affective commitment partially mediated these relationships. The implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions made for future studies.
Decolourization of malachite green using tamarind seed: Optimization, isotherm and kinetic studies
Authors: Rajeshkannan R. , Rajasimman M. , Rajamohan N.
Published: October 2010

In this work, removal of malachite green (MG) from aqueous solution using a
low cost adsorbent, tamarind seed, was investigated. The adsorbent was
characterized using SEM, BET surface area analyzer, and FT-IR.
Decolorization of malachite green was studied as a function of different
adsorption parameters such as temperature, adsorbent dose, contact time,
adsorbent size and agitation speed. These parameters were optimized using
response surface methodology (RSM). The significance of different adsorption
parameters along with their combined effect on the adsorption process has
been established through a full 50 factorial design. Langmuir, Freundlich,
Redlich Petersen, Dubnin Redushkevich and Tempkin adsorption isotherm
equations were used in the equilibrium modeling. Experimental data follows
Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption process follows pseudo first
order and intra-particle diffusion is found to be the rate-controlling step.
Are Investors Confused by Restatements after Sarbanes-Oxley?
Authors: Burks Jeffrey J.
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT: Regulators have expressed concern that investors are confused by the large number and questionable materiality of accounting restatements since passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). This study looks for evidence of investor confusion by examining stock returns and trading volume. I find that the initial price reaction to restatement announcements becomes significantly less negative after SOX, even after controlling for the less egregious nature of post-SOX restatements. To assess whether the less negative reaction represents under-reaction, I test whether stock prices drift negatively over the months and years after the initial reaction. I find no evidence of statistically negative drifts unique to the post-SOX period. In fact, I find that post-SOX drifts are statistically less negative than pre-SOX drifts, suggesting that price efficiency actually improves after SOX. Finally, I find no evidence that post-SOX restatements have higher trading volume after controlling for contemporaneous returns, suggesting no increase in disagreement among investors about the restatements. Thus, the findings provide little evidence that investors are confused by post-SOX restatements.
Warranty Reserve: Contingent Liability, Information Signal, or Earnings Management Tool?
Authors: Cohen Daniel , Darrough Masako N. , Huang Rong , Zach Tzachi
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT: We examine the information role of accounting disclosures on warranties, utilizing a database that became available due to the requirements of FIN 45. First, because firms use warranty policies as a business strategy to promote their products, a warranty reserve can serve two roles: an information signal regarding product quality, as well as a contingent liability. Consistent with this view, we find that the stock market recognizes that: (1) the warranty reserve contains information about firms’ future performance, and (2) the reserve is a liability. Second, because warranty accruals require estimation of future claims, they can be used as a tool of earnings management. Our evidence indicates that managers use warranty accruals to manage earnings opportunistically to meet earnings targets. Finally, we find that the stock market recognizes the understatement of warranty liabilities of firms that managed earnings.
Exercise-Induced Changes in Metabolic Intermediates, Hormones, and Inflammatory Markers Associated With Improvements in Insulin Sensitivity
Authors: Huffman Kim M. , Slentz Cris A. , Bateman Lori A. , Thompson Dana , Muehlbauer Michael J. , Bain James R. , Stevens Robert D. , Wenner Brett R. , Kraus Virginia Byers , Newgard Christopher B. , Kraus William E.
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVE

To understand relationships between exercise training-mediated improvements in insulin sensitivity (SI) and changes in circulating concentrations of metabolic intermediates, hormones, and inflammatory mediators.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Targeted mass spectrometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to quantify metabolic intermediates, hormones, and inflammatory markers at baseline, after 6 months of exercise training, and 2 weeks after exercise training cessation (n = 53). A principal components analysis (PCA) strategy was used to relate changes in these intermediates to changes in SI.

RESULTS

PCA reduced the number of intermediates from 90 to 24 factors composed of biologically related components. With exercise training, improvements in SI were associated with reductions in by-products of fatty acid oxidation and increases in glycine and proline (P < 0.05, R2 = 0.59); these relationships were retained 15 days after cessation of exercise training (P < 0.05, R2 = 0.34).

CONCLUSIONS

These observations support prior observations in animal models that exercise training promotes more efficient mitochondrial β-oxidation and challenges current hypotheses regarding exercise training and glycine metabolism.
Sex Differences in Self-Reported Risk-Taking Propensity on the Evaluation of Risks Scale
Authors: Killgore William D. S. , Grugle Nancy L. , Killgore Desiree B. , Balkin Thomas J.
Published: October 2010

The Evaluation of Risks scale was recently developed as a self-report inventory for assessing risk-taking propensity, but further validation is necessary because most studies have predominantly included male subjects. Because males commonly exhibit greater risk-taking propensity than females, evidence of such a sex difference on the scale would further support its construct validity. 29 men and 25 women equated for age (range: 18 to 36 years) completed the scale. Internal consistency of the scale was generally modest, particularly among women. Men scored significantly higher than women on four of nine indices of risk-taking propensity, including Danger Seeking, Energy, Invincibility, and Total Risk-Propensity. Factors measuring thrill seeking and danger seeking correlated positively with a concurrent measure of sensation seeking. Although the higher scores exhibited by men are consistent with prior research on other measures of risk-taking, further research on this scale with samples including women is warranted.
The Behavior and Social Communication of Honey Bees (APIS Mellifera CarnicaPoll.) under the Influence of Alcohol
Authors: Mixson T. Andrew , Abramson Charles I. , Božič Janko
Published: October 2010

In this study, the effects of ethanol on honey bee social communication and behavior within the hive were studied to further investigate the usefulness of honey bees as an ethanol-abuse model. Control (1.5 M sucrose) and experimental (1.5 M sucrose, 2.5% w/v ethanol) solutions were directly administered to individual forager bees via proboscis contact with glass capillary tubes. The duration, frequency, and proportion of time spent performing social and nonsocial behaviors were the dependent variables of interest. No differences in the relative frequency or proportion of time spent performing the target behaviors were observed. However, ethanol consumption significantly decreased bouts of walking, resting, and the duration of trophallactic (i.e., food-exchange) encounters. The results of this study suggest that a low dose of ethanol is sufficient to disrupt both social and nonsocial behaviors in honey bees. In view of these results, future behavioral-genetic investigations of honey bee social behavior are encouraged.
Influence of Brand Personality-Marker Attributes on Purchasing Intention: The Role of Emotionality
Authors: Guido Gianluigi , Peluso Alessandro M. , Provenzano Mariarosaria
Published: October 2010

Marketing researchers employ the Five-Factor Model to describe branded products using attributes of human personality. “Marker attributes” used to elicit these brand personality attributes may be related to consumers' intention to purchase. Two connected studies, carried out on two samples of 91 and 557 participants, respectively, indicated that brand personality-marker attributes predict intention to purchase, but only to the extent that such attributes are “vivid” and, in particular, when they elicit emotional responses (i.e., when they are emotionally interesting). These findings have several implications for people involved in developing strategies for advertising.
Nearly Lethal Resuscitated Suicide Attempters Have No Low Serum Levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Authors: Pompili Maurizio , Lester David , Innamorati Marco , Girardi Paolo , Tatarelli Roberto
Published: October 2010

To verify the hypothesis that suicide attempts are associated with lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels of patients with mood disorders, 26 patients with mood disorders (bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder) were admitted after a medically serious suicide attempt to the emergency department and then hospitalized in the psychiatric unit of the Sant'Andrea Hospital (Rome, Italy). Controls were 87 patients who had not made a recent suicide attempt. Attempters and nonattempters did not differ in the levels of serum cholesterol or triglycerides. Indeed, attempters had nonsignificantly higher serum levels of cholesterol and lower serum levels of triglycerides. The use of biologic indicators such as levels of serum cholesterol and triglycerides in the prediction of suicide risk in mood disorders was not fully supported from this small sample.
Emotion and the Humors: Scoring and Classifying Major Characters from Shakespeare's Comedies on the Basis of Their Language
Authors: Whissell Cynthia
Published: October 2010

The theory of humors, which was the prevalent theory of affect in Shakespeare's day, was used to explain both states (moods, emotions) and traits (personalities). This article reports humoral scores appropriate to the major characters of Shakespeare's comedies. The Dictionary of Affect in Language was used to score all words ( N = 180,243) spoken by 105 major characters in 13 comedies in terms of their emotional undertones. These were translated into humoral scores. Translation was possible because emotional undertones, humor, and personality (e.g., Eysenck's model) are defined by various axes in the same two-dimensional space. Humoral scores differed for different types of characters, e.g., Shakespeare's lovers used more Sanguine language and his clowns more Melancholy language than other characters. A study of Kate and Petruchio from The Taming of the Shrew demonstrated state-like changes in humor for characters as the play unfolded.
Are Empathic Abilities Impaired in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?
Authors: Nietlisbach Gabriela , Maercker Andreas , Rösler Wulf , Haker Helene
Published: October 2010

Trauma survivors with PTSD show social interaction and relationship impairments. It is hypothesized that traumatic experiences lead to known PTSD symptoms, empathic ability impairment, and difficulties in sharing affective, emotional, or cognitive states. A PTSD group ( N = 16) and a nontraumatized Control group ( N = 16) were compared on empathic abilities, namely the Empathic Resonance Test, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, and Faux Pas Test. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index as a self-report measure of empathy and measures of nonsocial cognitive functions, namely the Verbal Fluency Test, the Five-Point Test, and the Stroop Test, were also administered. The PTSD group showed lower empathic resonance. No clear indications of other impairments in social cognitive functions were found. The PTSD group had significantly higher personal distress. Empathic resonance impairments did not correlate with subjective severity of PTSD symptomatology. This article discusses whether impaired empathic resonance in PTSD trauma survivors is a consequence of trauma itself or a protective coping strategy.
Reactions to Waiting Online by Men and Women
Authors: Chebat Jean-Charles , Salem Narjes Haj , Poirier Jean-Françlois , Gélinas-Chebat Claire
Published: October 2010

The goal of the present study was to identify factors which may affect the difference between the actual time participants expected to wait for downloading a web page and the perceived waiting time, i.e., the online waiting-time gap. The findings from an experiment in which the music tempo (fast vs slow) and waiting-duration information (presence vs absence) were manipulated showed that sex moderated the relation between the manipulated variables and waiting-time gap; emotional response was more important between the manipulated variables and waiting-time gap than was cognitive response. The type of emotional response with an effect on waiting-time gap varied by sex: pleasure for women and arousal for men. For women, pleasure was affected by their cognitive response, while cognitive response played no significant role for men. For both sexes, information on waiting duration increased the perceived waiting time. This study leads to reconsidering the role of emotional response and sex in evaluating waiting time.
Subjective Ratings of Prospective Memory Deficits in Chronic Alcohol Users
Authors: Ling Jonathan , Heffernan Thomas M. , Luczakiewicz Kathryn , Stephens Richard
Published: October 2010

Previous research showing everyday memory is impaired by heavy alcohol use may have underestimated the cognitive impairment of heavy users because drinkers consuming over the recommended limits for safe drinking have often been treated as a homogeneous group, often with a low threshold for inclusion. The current study investigated whether the reported linear relationship applies to participants consuming alcohol significantly above recommended limits. The everyday memory of 80 participants (43 men; modal age, 31–35 years) was investigated using the Prospective Memory Questionnaire. Participants also detailed their average weekly intake of alcohol and other substances. Current heavy users of alcohol (who consumed on average over 25 units per week) reported more memory problems than low (1–9 units per week) or medium users (10–25 units per week). Participants undergoing counselling for alcohol use reported more deficits than low or medium drinkers, but fewer than current heavy drinkers. Possible reasons for this were discussed. Strengths and limitations of subjective approaches to memory assessment were discussed as well as suggestions for future research.
Economic and Cultural Correlates of Subjective Well-Being in Countries Using Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
Authors: Gaygisiz Esma
Published: October 2010

The correlations among indicators of objective well-being, cultural dimensions, and subjective well-being were investigated using Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data from 35 countries. The subjective well-being measures included life satisfaction as well as six positive and six negative indexes of experience. Positive and negative experience scores were subjected to principal component analysis, and two positive experience components (labeled as “positive experiences” and “time management”) and two negative experience components (labeled as “pain, worry, and sadness” and “anger and boredom”) were extracted. Objective well-being included economic indicators, education, and health. The cultural variables included Hofstede's and Schwartz's cultural dimensions, national Big Five personality scores, and national IQs. High life satisfaction was positively related to Gross Domestic Product, life expectancy, education, individualism, affective and intellectual autonomy, egalitarianism, and conscientiousness, whereas low life satisfaction was related to unemployment, unequal income distribution, power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, embeddedness, hierarchy, and neuroticism.
Integrability of coupled KdV equations
Authors: Wazwaz Abdul-Majid
Published: October 2010

The integrability of coupled KdV equations is examined. The simplified form of Hirota’s bilinear method is used to achieve this goal. Multiple-soliton solutions and multiple singular soliton solutions are formally derived for each coupled KdV equation. The resonance phenomenon of each model will be examined.
The Effects of Differentiated Instruction and Enrichment Pedagogy on Reading Achievement in Five Elementary Schools
Authors: Reis Sally M. , McCoach D. Betsy , Little Catherine A. , Muller Lisa M. , Kaniskan R. Burcu
Published: October 2010

This experimental study examined the effect of a differentiated, enriched reading program on students’ oral reading fluency and comprehension using the schoolwide enrichment model–reading (SEM-R). Treatment and control conditions were randomly assigned to 63 teachers and 1,192 second through fifth grade students across five elementary schools. Using multilevel modeling, significant differences favoring the SEM-R were found in reading fluency in two schools (Cohen’s d effect sizes of .33 and .10) and in reading comprehension in the high-poverty urban school (Cohen’s d = .27), with no achievement differences in the remaining schools. These results demonstrate that an enrichment reading approach, with differentiated instruction and less whole group instruction, was as effective as or more effective than a traditional whole group basal approach.
Promoting Participation in a Diverse Democracy
Authors: Bowman Nicholas A.
Published: October 2010

In recent years, American colleges and universities have seen greater diversity among their undergraduate students and greater civic interest and action among these students. In fact, many have argued that meaningful engagement with diversity constitutes an important means of preparing college graduates to participate and flourish in a globalized and rapidly changing society. The current study explores this assertion by conducting a meta-analysis of the relationship between college diversity experiences and civic engagement. The results show that diversity experiences are associated with increases in civic attitudes, behavioral intentions, and behaviors, and the magnitude of this effect is greater for interpersonal interactions with racial diversity than for curricular and cocurricular diversity experiences. The strength of the relationship between diversity and civic engagement also depends on the type of civic outcome and whether changes in that outcome are assessed through self-reported gains versus longitudinal methods.
Assessing the Effects of High School Exit Examinations
Authors: Holme Jennifer Jellison , Richards Meredith P. , Jimerson Jo Beth , Cohen Rebecca W.
Published: October 2010

High school exit exams are affecting a growing majority of high school students. Although exit testing polices were enacted with the goal of improving student achievement as well as postsecondary outcomes, they also have the potential for negative effects. To better understand the effects of exit testing policies, in this article the authors systematically review 46 unique studies that pertain to four domains of expected influence: student achievement, graduation, postsecondary outcomes, and school response. The evidence reviewed indicates that exit tests have produced few of the expected benefits and have been associated with costs for the most disadvantaged students. This review suggests policy modifications that may attenuate some of the negative effects.
The Roles of Phytochemicals in Bronchial Asthma
Authors: Park Hee Sun , Kim So Ri , Kim Ju Ock , Lee Yong Chul
Published: October 2010

Despite gaps in our knowledge of how phytochemicals interfere with cellular functions, several natural plant products are utilized to prevent or treat a wide range of diseases. Identification of an agent with therapeutic potential requires multiple steps involving in vitro studies, efficacy and toxicity studies in animal models, and then human clinical trials. This review provides a brief introduction on natural products that may help to treat and/or prevent bronchial asthma and describes our current understanding of their molecular mechanisms based on various in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies. We focus on the anti-inflammatory and anti-vascular actions of the plant products and other roles beyond the anti-oxidative effects.
Techniques for Medical Image Segmentation
Authors: Lenkiewicz Przemyslaw , Pereira Manuela , Freire Mário M. , Fernandes José
Published: October 2010

This chapter contains a survey of the most popular techniques for medical image segmentation that have been gaining attention of the researchers and medical practitioners since the early 1980s until present time. Those methods are presented in chronological order along with their most important features, examples of the results that they can bring and examples of application. They are also grouped into three generations, each of them representing a significant evolution in terms of algorithms’ novelty and obtainable results compared to the previous one. This survey helps to understand what have been the main ideas standing behind respective segmentation methods and how were they limited by the available technology. In the following part of this chapter several of promising, recent methods are evaluated and compared based on a selection of important features. Together with the survey from the first section this serves to show which are the directions currently taken by researchers and which of them have the potential to be successful.
Medical Image Segmentation and Tracking Through the Maximisation or the Minimisation of Divergence Between PDFs
Authors: Jehan-Besson S. , Fadili J. , Née G. , Aubert G.
Published: October 2010

In this chapter, we focus on statistical region-based active contour models where the region descriptor is chosen as the probability density function of an image feature (e.g. intensity) inside the region. Image features are then considered as random variables whose distribution may be either parametric, and then belongs to the exponential family, or non parametric and is then estimated through a Parzen window. In the proposed framework, we consider the optimization of divergences between such PDFs as a general tool for segmentation or tracking in medical images. The optimization is performed using a shape gradient descent through the evolution of an active region. Using shape derivative tools, our work is directed towards the construction of a general expression for the derivative of the energy (with respect to a domain), and the differentiation of the corresponding evolution speed for both parametric and non parametric PDFs. Experimental results on medical images (brain MRI, contrast echocardiography, perfusion MRI) confirm the availability of this general setting for medical structures segmentation or tracking in 2D or 3D.
Knowledge-Based Diffusion in Practice
Authors: Berger Hilary , Beynon-Davies Paul
Published: October 2010

This chapter uses a case study to consider how development methods shape information systems practice and how organizations adapt, deploy, and use such knowledge in situ. The authors explore how an information system development method (ISDM) acting as a de-contextualized “knowledge bundle” is diffused and infused within an organization through the process of contextualization. The case study looks at a regional government project responsible for the distribution of European Community (EC) monies through agricultural grants and subsidies. A new IT/IS system was designed and developed to improve the administration and management of the EC’s agricultural policy across the region. A longitudinal research project was conducted over three years and was situated within the project environment. It involved a sustained period of fieldwork (nine months of intensive observations), and data was collected through 126 semi-structured interviews, shadowing of key participants, and informal discussions and conversations. Secondary data involved an in-depth and systematic analysis of published literature, project documentation, and artifacts. The authors consider how the structure and culture of organizations affect implementation and processes of diffusion and infusion.
A Survey of Epistemology and its Implications on an Organisational Information and Knowledge Management Model
Authors: Kor Ah-Lian , Orange Graham
Published: October 2010

This is a theoretical chapter which aims to integrate various epistemologies from the philosophical, knowledge management, cognitive science, and educational perspectives. From a survey of knowledge-related literature, this chapter collates diverse views of knowledge. This is followed by categorising as well as ascribing attributes (effability, codifiability, perceptual/conceptual, social/personal) to the different types of knowledge. The authors develop a novel Organisational Information and Knowledge Management Model which seeks to clarify the distinctions between information and knowledge by introducing novel information and knowledge conversions (information-nothing, information-information, information-knowledge, knowledge-information, knowledge-knowledge) and providing mechanisms for individual knowledge creation and information sharing (between individual-individual, individual-group, group-group) as well as Communities of Practice within an organisation.
Kinetic Theory for Granular Materials
Authors: Hrenya Christine M.
Published: October 2010

Kinetic-theory-based models of rapid, polydisperse, solids flows are essential for the prediction of a wide range of practical flows found in both nature and industry. In this work, existing models for granular flows are critically compared by considering the techniques used for their derivation and the expected implications of those techniques. The driving forces for species segregation, as predicted by kinetic theory models, are then reviewed. Although the rigor associated with the development of such models has improved considerably in the recent past, a systematic assessment of model validity and computational efficiency is still needed. Finally, a rigorous extension of such models to gas-solid flows is discussed.
The Multiphase Particle-in-Cell (MP-PIC) Method for Dense Particle Flow
Authors: Snider Dale M. , O’Rourke Peter J.
Published: October 2010

This chapter is a review of the multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) numerical method for predicting dense gas-solids flow. The MP-PIC method is a hybrid method such as IBM method described in the previous chapter, where the gas-phase is treated as a continuum in the Eulerian reference frame and the solids are modeled in the Lagrangian reference frame by tracking computational particles. The MP-PIC is a derivative of the Particle-in-Cell (PIC) method for multiphase flows and the method employs a fixed Eulerian grid, and Lagrangian parcels are used to transport mass, momentum, and energy through this grid in a way that preserves the identities of the different materials associated with the particles. The main distinction with traditional Eulerian-Lagrangian methods is that the interactions between the particles are calculated on the Eulerian grid. One of the main advantages of PIC methods is the accuracy of the convection algorithms (Lagrangian advection is non-diffusive) and this can be important aspect of gas-solids flows where the overall dynamics is dictated by the instabilities in the system due to sharp interfaces between the phases. Additional details about this method along with examples are provided in this chapter. In the following chapter, the application of this method to Circulating Fluidized Beds (CFBs) is described.
Delineating the Meaning and Value of Development Informatics
Authors: Johanson Graeme
Published: October 2010

This chapter describes the field of Development Informatics as it has emerged in the past two decades, and highlights some of the strengths of its research and practices. It draws on the current literature and the expertise of the other authors of this book to help to define a set of basic terms. Any new intellectual domain is tied to some degree to the vagaries of its institutional alliances, to the perceived international status of its public forums, and to the criticism that on its own it lacks unique methodological rigour. These points are discussed candidly. Multidisciplinarity is the backbone of Development Informatics. The main virtues of Development Informatics are that it offers a platform for an evaluative critique to counterbalance the effects of relentless globalisation, that it comprises strong multidisciplinary teams, that it maintains an intellectual space to build on international momentum that has developed among theorists and practitioners, and that it opens up future imaginative possibilities for collaborative projects which involve communities in developing areas of participatory research and ongoing project evaluation in order to encourage self-sustaining entities.
Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of ICTs for Development
Authors: Ramírez Ricardo
Published: October 2010

In this chapter I call for participatory monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D). I describe the ontology of ICT4D as complex and unpredictable. I favour an epistemology that is based on systems thinking and adaptive management as a foundation for participatory approaches. The M&E of ICTs faces a number of challenges including the lack of a unifying theoretical framework, the need to define users and purposes for each evaluation, the importance of agreeing on the type of causality that is expected, and the reality of short- term project durations. In response to these challenges I review established and emerging approaches such as Utilization Focused Evaluation, Outcome Mapping and Most Significant Change that embrace participation. Participation is a term open to many interpretations; to clarify its meaning I offer several ladders of participation. I conclude with a reflection on the conditions necessary for participatory approaches to gain acceptance in this field. A major lesson in participatory M&E is to understand the methods and to go beyond and be vigilant of the conditions that enable their application.
The Mirror Meta-Principle
Authors: Knowles Chase Laurelle
Published: October 2010

Since the conclusion of World War II, efforts to develop the so-called Third World have taken a variety of paths. In light of the multiplicity of competing theoretical lenses – modernization, post-structuralism, and dependency, to name just a few theories – the field of development is in a state of confusion. Consequently, it has been difficult for development informatics specialists to understand how best to harness the power of Information Communications Technology (ICT), as there is no clear goal in sight which ICT is supposed to be supporting. The following chapter provides a brief historical overview of the field of development, with a special interest in the role technology has been understood to play in this context. A discussion of relevant scholarship points to the dual notions that the next wave of development informatics work will prize attention to cultural particularities, and as such, will necessitate a degree of participative technology design. By extension, a dynamic relationship between power and knowledge is affirmed, in line with scholars such as Schech (2002). Various strands of thought are ultimately synthesized into what is termed the mirror meta-principle, which stresses that culturally sustainable development informatics requires ICT to be participatively designed so as to support developing societies’ economic and socio-cultural well-being and congruently “mirror” the economic and socio-cultural exigencies and traditions of developing societies. In this paradigm, the economic and socio-cultural patterns embedded into ICT need not be in line, or need to be moved into line, with the traditional Western ideology of modernization. With Heeks (1999), it is asserted that development informatics specialists’ approach to the participatory process must remain grounded in real conditions.
What Does it Mean to Bridge the Divide?
Authors: Fragoso Suely , Cogo Denise , Brignol Liliane Dutra
Published: October 2010

This chapter discusses the success and failure of initiatives which provide access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a means of promoting social inclusion. We believe that there is often a disparity between the supposed and the true needs and desires of the minority groups at the receiving end of digital divide initiatives. Observation of practices towards ICTs which are spontaneously developed by a minority group indicate that important achievements are being overlooked by formal evaluations of digital divide projects and policies. The observed practices are organized into six categories and a change of paradigm is proposed for further actions.
An Analysis of the Research and Impact of ICT in Education in Developing Country Contexts
Authors: Tolani-Brown Nitika , McCormac Meredith , Zimmermann Roy
Published: October 2010

Rigorous evaluations on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on learning outcomes in developing countries is sparse and often lacks the methodological quality necessary to guide policymakers towards sound, evidence-based practices. This desk study reviews research undertaken to date on the impact of ICTs on learning outcomes in developing countries. First, a series of in-depth, structured interviews with a range of stakeholders, including policymakers and academicians, researchers, users and developers of ICTs, was conducted, followed by a global literature review of published and unpublished evaluations on the educational impacts of ICTs. This study found that while qualitative studies often highlight the benefits of ICTs for learners and other stakeholders, there is little rigorous research to support a causal linkage between student learning outcomes and ICTs in the developing world. This study concludes that decision makers in developing countries are guided not by evidence or data but by intuition and other influences when choosing to invest in technology in an effort to upgrade the quality of instruction in their schools. Finally, recommendations for future evaluations are offered while considering important lessons learned from extant research.
Readiness for Knowledge Management, Methods and Environments for Innovation
Authors: Hamburg Ileana , Hall Timothy
Published: October 2010

Nowadays many European small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are not ready for significant required international social and economic changes. Some of them have focused on approaches of knowledge management (KM) as an enabler for their innovation capability, but these have failed. One of the most critical but important aspect to be considered when developing Knowledge Management Strategies in companies to support Process, Organizational and/or Marketing Innovation is an evaluation of KM readiness. The next step after conducting KM readiness assessment is to use the results of the KM readiness for the development of KM approaches supporting the innovation. In this chapter we put forward a method of determining the readiness of SMEs for KM, discuss how to improve links between KM practices and innovation and give examples of methods like the Innovation Biographies (IB). Finally we present knowledge intensive Communities of Practice (CoPs) supported through Web 2.0 as suitable environments to foster innovation within SMEs.
Product Innovation as a Result of Knowledge Development Processes in Organisations
Authors: Camisón-Zornoza César , Boronat-Navarro Montserrat
Published: October 2010

The main purpose of this chapter is to conduct a theoretical analysis of how product innovation is influenced by the process of knowledge management, and to show that it is necessary to complete the entire process in order to develop incremental as well as radical innovations. Other studies have associated different knowledge development processes with different types of product innovation by specifically linking radical innovation with exploration processes, and incremental innovation with exploitation processes. We differ from this point of view, since we consider both processes as being necessary to the development of the two kinds of innovations.
Re-Thinking Methodology through the E-Bario Project
Authors: Bala Poline
Published: October 2010

This chapter highlights the value and limitations of participative development employed in the implementation of an ICT-based research and development project in the Kelabit Highlands of Central Borneo. The first section describes the reasons for e-Bario project and why participative development, with a strong emphasis on the anthropological methods of immersion and Participatory Action Research (PAR), has been adopted as development approach in Bario. In the second section I interrogate participatory development as practiced in the e-Bario by bringing to light a number of problematic aspects of the participative technique, in which conflicts have arisen over the development process, and the interpretation of participation itself has been vigorously questioned. Later, I propose a relational view of the participative process, which suggests a shift of focus from technology to people and social relations. My argument is that a relational perspective of participative process can open up a social space for local people and developers to identify, cultivate and establish social relationships both within and beyond a project’s framework. It is these bonds of trust and obligation, developed and sustained over the longer term, that have allowed the Kelabit and the researchers to work out their social relationships to one another in matters concerning e-Bario.
Does IT Help or Not?
Authors: Andrade Antonio Díaz
Published: October 2010

The number of initiatives aiming at improving people’s living conditions through the provision of information and communication technology (ICT) has been increasing around the globe during the last decade. However, the mere provision of ICT tools is not enough to achieve such goals as this chapter illustrates through the examination of the existent conditions in Huanico, a remote village in the northern Peruvian Andes. Using an interpretive case study design, the author analyzes and explains why under circumstances of severe scarcity and geographical isolation computers can do little in helping local people. The findings challenge the sometimes over-optimistic stances on ICT benefits adopted by international development agencies and governments. Conversely, it confirms the need to provide basic infrastructure and stresses the importance of establishing priorities correctly before launching any ICT for development initiative.
Digital Doorways
Authors: Gush Kim , de Villiers Ruth , Smith Ronel , Cambridge Grant
Published: October 2010

The Digital Doorway is a joint initiative between the Meraka Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and South Africa‘s Department of Science and Technology (DST), with a vision of making a fundamental difference to computer literacy and associated skills in the South African population. Underpinning the project is the idea of people’s inherent cognitive ability to teach themselves computer skills with minimal external intervention. For this to happen, computers must be easily accessible to potential learners in an environment conducive to experimentation. Given the low percentage of communities in disadvantaged areas in South Africa with access to computer infrastructure, Digital Doorways are installed in communities where the need is greatest. The systems are extremely robust and employ open source content. The project team has moved from an action research to a design-based research paradigm, simultaneously deploying and improving the systems over the past six years. The novel method of instruction (unassisted learning) and the challenging operating environment call for both innovation and careful engineering of all aspects of the system. User interaction at the sites has been carefully observed. Numerous challenges, complexities and controversies, both social and technological, have surfaced and continue to surface as the project progresses. Valuable learning has been acquired around community engagement, ownership and site acquisition and numerous ‘soft’ issues that ultimately determine a project’s success or failure. Both qualitative and quantitative research have been conducted. Feedback from users has been mostly positive and there is a demand both from government and private sector companies for many more Digital Doorways to be deployed throughout South Africa and worldwide. Sustainability, community ownership and maintenance remain the greatest challenges to the long-term success of the project. Despite the challenges, unassisted learning can be effectively used to provide basic computer literacy training in rural and impoverished communities in South Africa.
Localisation of Indigenous Content
Authors: Gibson Jason , Lloyd Brian , Richmond Cate
Published: October 2010

The Northern Territory Library‘s (NTL) Libraries and Knowledge Centres (LKC) program is one of a number of programs across Australia designed to bring ICTs and Indigenous people together within an appropriate technology / community-networking framework. A center-piece is the use of the Our Story database to hold and display both repatriated and contemporary, including born-digital, cultural material relevant to local communities. The LKC model is distinctive in that it is fully implemented, uses proven technology, has a consistent framework of program delivery, and a clear business case. However there continue to be fundamental questions on striking a balance between technical innovation and sustainability; the capacity of the program to expand while maintaining support in geographically remote areas; and the challenge of maintaining a relationship of trust with local communities. Reviewing the challenges of the Our Story / LKC program sheds light on key reasons why ICT-based community-networking projects succeed or fail.