bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die Allokation der Waldbetretung, ein Beispiel für das Problem gesellschaftlicher Kosten (Essay)
Authors: Deegen Peter
Published: January 2012

The allocation of rights of access to forests as an example of the problem of social cost (essay)

This paper analyses the allocation of rights of access to forests in Switzerland. The starting point is the fact that free access to forests, such as is seen in Switzerland, is leading to an increase in the use of forests for recreation and subsequent competition with other rights of forest use. A four-stage analysis is implemented in this paper. In the first stage, the well-known farmer-rancher-approach proposed by Coase is applied in order to explain the conflict of use between the two groups, recreational forest users and forest owners. In the second stage, the number of conflicts of use is multiplied by dividing the recreational forest users into subgroups and adding further user groups, such as hunters or nature conservationists. The observed conflicts of use and the solutions with regard to rights of access to forests are very diverse, specific and subject to spatial variability. Since all solutions incur transaction costs, these are the focus of the third stage of the paper. The cost of political and bureaucratic coordination is given special consideration, since this is where Buchanan says the allocation of transaction costs takes on a special dimension, namely, the gradual loss of individual rights, caused by the growth of bureaucracy and politically motivated interests. Thus, the fourth and final stage suggests stronger use of civil law options in solving conflicts of use involving access to forests, since civil law is based on historic and evolutionary rules of just conduct. These rules, in which private and public property is managed by associations, have evolved over a long period of time and are strongly anchored in the common heritage of Swiss society.
Coase und der Schutz vor Naturgefahren durch den Wald – eine institutionenökonomische Analyse
Authors: Weiss Gerhard , Meier-Glaser Adrian L.
Published: January 2012

Coase and the role of forests in the protection against natural hazards – an institutional-economic analysis

Protection against natural hazards has – like many other forest ecosystem services – public commodity characteristics and is a typical example of the external effects of forest management. However, the legal regulations of its provision differ in Austria and Switzerland. This article thus questions which institutional arrangements for the governance of protective forests exist and which are applied in practice. It describes the problem from an institutional economic perspective according to Coase, analyses in detail the example of Austria, compares it with the Canton of Bern in Switzerland, and draws conclusions and presents recommendations. The results show that the property rights on protection against natural hazards lie with the beneficiaries, but that in both countries the majority of the costs for protective forest management are passed on to the public. Despite the differing legislations, in neither country the costs are borne by the beneficiaries. This is due to the complexity of the ecosystem, the self-interests of the stakeholders, and the specific distribution of power. The “un-bundling” of property rights seems difficult to implement. Alternative institutional arrangements would be such forest management solutions in which most property rights lie in one hand, which would be the case in local joint forest ownership. Leasing, associations, or cooperative solutions would also come close to this ideal.
Media Roles in Suicide Prevention: A Systematic Review
Authors: Sisask Merike , Värnik Airi
Published: January 2012

The aim of the current systematic review was to monitor and provide an overview of the research performed about the roles of media in suicide prevention in order to find out possible effects media reporting on suicidal behaviours might have on actual suicidality (completed suicides, attempted suicides, suicidal ideation). The systematic review was performed following the principles of the PRISMA statement and includes 56 articles. Most of the studies support the idea that media reporting and suicidality are associated. However, there is a risk of reporting bias. More research is available about how irresponsible media reports can provoke suicidal behaviours (the ‘Werther effect’) and less about protective effect media can have (the ‘Papageno effect’). Strong modelling effect of media coverage on suicide is based on age and gender. Media reports are not representative of official suicide data and tend to exaggerate sensational suicides, for example dramatic and highly lethal suicide methods, which are rare in real life. Future studies have to encounter the challenges the global medium Internet will offer in terms of research methods, as it is difficult to define the circulation of news in the Internet either spatially or in time. However, online media can provide valuable innovative qualitative research material.
Removal of Escherichia coli and Faecal Coliforms from Surface Water and Groundwater by Household Water Treatment Devices/Systems: A Sustainable Solution for Improving Water Quality in Rural Communities of the Southern African Development Community Region
Authors: Mwabi Jocelyne K. , Mamba Bhekie B. , Momba Maggy N. B.
Published: January 2012

There is significant evidence that household water treatment devices/systems (HWTS) are capable of dramatically improving microbially contaminated water quality. The purpose of this study was to examine five filters [(biosand filter-standard (BSF-S); biosand filter-zeolite (BSF-Z); bucket filter (BF); ceramic candle filter (CCF); and silver-impregnated porous pot (SIPP)] and evaluate their ability to improve the quality of drinking water at the household level. These HWTS were manufactured in the workshop of the Tshwane University of Technology and evaluated for efficiency to remove turbidity, faecal coliforms and Escherichia coli from multiple water source samples, using standard methods. The flow rates ranged from 0.05 L/h to 2.49 L/h for SIPP, 1 L/h to 4 L/h for CCF, 0.81 L/h to 6.84 L/h for BSF-S, 1.74 L/h to 19.2 L/h and 106.5 L/h to 160.5 L/h for BF The turbidity of the raw water samples ranged between 2.17 and 40.4 NTU. The average turbidity obtained after filtration ranged from 0.6 to 8 NTU (BSF-S), 1 to 4 NTU (BSF-Z), 2 to 11 NTU (BF), and from 0.6 to 7 NTU (CCF) and 0.7 to 1 NTU for SIPP. The BSF-S, BSF-Z and CCF removed 2 to 4 log10 (99% to 100%) of coliform bacteria, while the BF removed 1 to 3 log (90% to 99.9%) of these bacteria. The performance of the SIPP in removing turbidity and indicator bacteria (>5 log10, 100%) was significantly higher compared to that of the other HWTS (p < 0.05). The findings of this study indicate that the SIPP can be an effective and sustainable HWTS for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) rural communities, as it removed the total concentration of bacteria from test water, can be manufactured using locally available materials, and is easy to operate and to maintain.
Acetic and Acrylic Acid Molecular Imprinted Model Silicone Hydrogel Materials for Ciprofloxacin-HCl Delivery
Authors: Hui Alex , Sheardown Heather , Jones Lyndon
Published: January 2012

Contact lenses, as an alternative drug delivery vehicle for the eye compared to eye drops, are desirable due to potential advantages in dosing regimen, bioavailability and patient tolerance/compliance. The challenge has been to engineer and develop these materials to sustain drug delivery to the eye for a long period of time. In this study, model silicone hydrogel materials were created using a molecular imprinting strategy to deliver the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Acetic and acrylic acid were used as the functional monomers, to interact with the ciprofloxacin template to efficiently create recognition cavities within the final polymerized material. Synthesized materials were loaded with 9.06 mM, 0.10 mM and 0.025 mM solutions of ciprofloxacin, and the release of ciprofloxacin into an artificial tear solution was monitored over time. The materials were shown to release for periods varying from 3 to 14 days, dependent on the loading solution, functional monomer concentration and functional monomer:template ratio, with materials with greater monomer:template ratio (8:1 and 16:1 imprinted) tending to release for longer periods of time. Materials with a lower monomer:template ratio (4:1 imprinted) tended to release comparatively greater amounts of ciprofloxacin into solution, but the release was somewhat shorter. The total amount of drug released from the imprinted materials was sufficient to reach levels relevant to inhibit the growth of common ocular isolates of bacteria. This work is one of the first to demonstrate the feasibility of molecular imprinting in model silicone hydrogel-type materials.
Measurement of Surface Displacement and Deformation of Mass Movements Using Least Squares Matching of Repeat High Resolution Satellite and Aerial Images
Authors: Debella-Gilo Misganu , Kääb Andreas
Published: January 2012

Displacement and deformation are fundamental measures of Earth surface mass movements such as glacier flow, rockglacier creep and rockslides. Ground-based methods of monitoring such mass movements can be costly, time consuming and limited in spatial and temporal coverage. Remote sensing techniques, here matching of repeat optical images, are increasingly used to obtain displacement and deformation fields. Strain rates are usually computed in a post-processing step based on the gradients of the measured velocity field. This study explores the potential of automatically and directly computing velocity, rotation and strain rates on Earth surface mass movements simultaneously from the matching positions and the parameters of the geometric transformation models using the least squares matching (LSM) approach. The procedures are exemplified using bi-temporal high resolution satellite and aerial images of glacier flow, rockglacier creep and land sliding. The results show that LSM matches the images and computes longitudinal strain rates, transverse strain rates and shear strain rates reliably with mean absolute deviations in the order of 10−4 (one level of significance below the measured values) as evaluated on stable grounds. The LSM also improves the accuracy of displacement estimation of the pixel-precision normalized cross-correlation by over 90% under ideal (simulated) circumstances and by about 25% for real multi-temporal images of mass movements.
Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide Targeting Transforming Growth Factor β1 Ameliorates Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis
Authors: Serie Kazuo , Fukuda Noboru , Nakai Shigeki , Matsuda Hiroyuki , Maruyama Takashi , Murayama Yoshinobu , Omata Sadao
Published: January 2012

Objective

Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is a devastating fibrotic complication in patients treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD). Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a pivotal factor in the induction of EPS.

Methods

To develop pyrrole-imidazole (PI) polyamide, a novel gene silencer, targeted to the TGF-β1 promoter (Polyamide) for EPS, we examined the effects of Polyamide on messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of TGF-β 1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and extracellular matrix (ECM) in mesothelial cells in vitro, and on the thickness of injured peritoneum evaluated by histology and high- resolution regional elasticity mapping in rats in vivo.

Results

Polyamide significantly lowered mRNA expression of TGF-β 1 and ECM in vitro. Polyamide labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate was taken up into the injured peritoneum and was strongly localized in the nuclei of most cells. Polyamide 1 mg was injected intraperitoneally 1 or 3 times in rats receiving a daily intraperitoneal injection of chlorhexidine gluconate and ethanol (CHX) for 14 days. Polyamide significantly suppressed peritoneal thickening and the abundance of TGF-β 1 and fibronectin mRNA, but did not affect expression of VEGF mRNA in the injured peritoneum. Elasticity distribution mapping showed that average elasticity was significantly lower in Polyamide-treated rats than in rats treated solely with CHX.

Conclusions

Polyamide suppressed the stiffness, ECM formation, and thickening of the injured peritoneum that occurs during EPS pathogenesis. These data suggest that PI polyamide targeted to the TGF-β 1 promoter will be a specific and feasible therapeutic strategy for patients with EPS.
(How) does 1,3,5-triethylbenzene scaffolding work? Analyzing the abilities of 1,3,5-triethylbenzene- and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene-based scaffolds to preorganize the binding elements of supramolecular hosts and to improve binding of targets
Authors: Wang Xing , Hof Fraser
Published: January 2012

1,3,5-triethylbenzenes have been widely used as supramolecular templates to organize molecular-recognition elements. It is believed that the steric-gearing effect of the 1,3,5-triethylbenzene template directs the binding elements toward the same face of the central ring, hence increasing the binding affinity. At the same time the 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene scaffold, without steric-gearing effects, has also been found to improve the binding affinities of hosts compared to the unsubstituted analogues. By studying experimental data from the literature and the Cambridge Structural Database, as well as by conducting computational studies of representative structures, we concluded that the steric gearing offered by the ethyl groups confers some energetic advantage over the methyl groups, but the size of this advantage can be small and is dependent on the groups involved.
DELIVERY PROCESS ATTRIBUTES, COMMON TO INDIA AND THE U.S., FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
Authors: Palanisamy Prashanth , Klotz Leidy
Published: January 2012

India is a rapidly developing nation, so its adoption of sustainable building would have considerable social, environmental, and economic benefits. However, process attributes that contribute to successful delivery (planning, design, construction and operation) of sustainable buildings in India are largely undefined. Other projects in India would benefit from a rigorous identification of these process attributes, which is the purpose of this research. This research applies process mapping to study the delivery of Soundarya Decorator's factory building in Chennai, India; a project which achieved advanced sustainability performance with no first cost increase. From these process maps, process attributes are identified and compared to those identified in a previously published study of Toyota's South Campus facility in Torrance, California. Process attributes common to both projects include: demonstrating an early commitment to sustainability by key stakeholders; setting goals related to sustainability, not certification; continuously educating project stakeholders on sustainability; aligning sustainable features with business objectives; encouraging project team “buy-in” to sustainability goals; and investing design time to consider alternative sustainable solutions.
BANCO DE BILBAO HEADQUARTERS: FIRST LOW-ENERGY BUILDING IN SPAIN?
Authors: Gómez César Martín
Published: January 2012

Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oíza was perhaps the greatest architect of the twentieth century in Spain, and his masterpiece was the Banco de Bilbao Headquarters, located in the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid (Spain).

Sáenz de Oíza was a university professor in the Installations and Energy Areas at the University of Madrid. For him, concepts such as indoor comfort, lighting, heat production, cooling, and solar houses were an indispensable part of the student's learning and, of course, he included them in his building design. He applied these concepts in the Banco de Bilbao Headquarters.

Therefore, the purpose of this paper will be to examine the Banco de Bilbao technical knowledge in depth—including its passive architectonical design—and to present the main good decisions (and mistakes) of this first low-energy Spanish building after almost 30 years of intensive use, to extend its lessons for future buildings.
COUNTERACTING HIGH WINDS WITH LOW PRESSURE: DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A NEW ROOF VENT SYSTEM
Authors: Grant Elizabeth , Jones James
Published: January 2012

Roof system failures are common during high wind events. In locations subject to high wind conditions, membrane roofing systems must typically be either physically attached or fully adhered to the substrate or ballast may be added to weigh down the membrane. An alternative to these installation approaches could be to use aerodynamics principles such as the Bernoulli and Venturi effects to create a low-pressure region beneath the membrane roof that is lower than the ambient pressure and thus counteracts the uplifting force. A new omnidirectional vent has been designed and tested that takes advantage of these aerodynamics principles to induce low pressure under the membrane layer. This new vent operates with no moving parts and was tested in the high-speed stability wind tunnel at Virginia Tech to wind speeds up to 233 km/h. The results demonstrate that this new vent generates pressures lower than the ambient when subjected to high wind conditions. This paper presents the design principles and performance test results for this new roof vent system and other applications for roof vent technologies.
Dispositifs de formation en anglais à l'Espace Multimédia (Montpellier-III). Description et approche critique
Authors: Vincent-Durroux Laurence , Poussard Cécile
Published: January 2012

Cet article présente l’Espace Multimédia de l’Université Paul-Valéry (Montpellier-III) ; après une description du lieu, du public et des langues proposées, les auteurs proposent une description, assortie d’une évaluation critique des dispositifs mis en œuvre pour la formation en anglais des étudiants non-spécialistes. Pour le premier cycle, il s’agit d’un dispositif mixte, faisant alterner le travail autonome et les séances de groupe. Pour le second cycle, il s’agit d’un dispositif d’autoformation guidée, incluant des séances de tutorat, de travail autonome et de pratique orale.
Français, autoformation et ELAO à l'université : didactique du texte et pratique de l'hypertexte
Authors: Achard-Bayle Guy , Redon-Dilax Michèle
Published: January 2012

L´autoformation en français à Paris VI vise essentiellement les étudiants scientifiques et techniques des nouvelles formations professionnelles. L´objectif linguistique de cette formation étant le traitement de l´écrit, nous concevons des outils d´aide à la lecture et la rédaction. Au plan scientifique nous puisons à divers modèles (théories de l´énonciation, sémantique et pragmatique du discours, linguistique textuelle). Au plan didactique nous cherchons à développer la maîtrise des procédures de reprise et de progression des informations dans et vers un tout cohérent. Du point de vue de l´ingénierie de formation nous nous situons dans la perspective d´un dispositif multimédia qui permet l´individualisation et favorise l´autonomie. Dans ce cadre, nos choix théoriques et méthodologiques nous ont amenés jusqu´à présent à réaliser des logiciels relevant plutôt des " EAO classiques ". À l´heure de l´Internet et de la généralisation de l´approche hypermédia nous sommes amenés à nous interroger sur la manière de faire évoluer nos productions de type " classique " en y introduisant un mode de lecture hypertextuel. Nous nous appuyons sur un exemple tiré de nos productions antérieures pour mettre en évidence, au plan de l´écriture, un certain nombre de difficultés nées du souci de concilier linéarité du discours didactique et liberté de circulation.
Éditorial
Authors: Pothier Maguy , Chanier Thierry
Published: January 2012

Éditorial du numéro 1, volume 3 de la revue Alsic, numéro spécial suite à la conférence EUROCALL'99, qui s'est déroulée à Besançon, en septembre 1999. Ce numéro a été initialement publié sous un autre format, voir document attaché.
Un environnement multimédia privilégiant l'expression en langage naturel, pour des activités éducatives de type piagétien
Authors: Godbert Élisabeth
Published: January 2012

Nous nous intéressons dans cet article au développement de logiciels éducatifs proposant, dans un environnement multimédia, multimodal et réactif privilégiant l'expression en langage naturel, des exercices de type piagétien pour l'aide à l'apprentissage du langage. Dans ce type de système, chaque exercice met en jeu un micro-monde d'objets graphiques sur lesquels l'enfant utilisateur peut agir (modification, déplacement, suppression d'objets, etc.), en formulant des requêtes en langage naturel auxquelles le système répond. Nous présentons un logiciel éducatif de cette famille, que nous avons conçu et développé ces dernières années. Nous décrivons en premier lieu les objectifs pédagogiques et les fonctionnalités de notre logiciel, puis le système que nous y utilisons pour le traitement automatique du langage. Nous décrivons ensuite l'ensemble des composants qui structure les connaissances qu'il a été nécessaire de modéliser, articuler et gérer pour la réalisation de ce système.
Une réalisation de l'apprentissage partagé dans un environnement multimédia
Authors: Mrowa-Hopkins Colette
Published: January 2012

Dans la mesure où l'utilisation des technologies nouvelles est adaptée aux besoins d'un apprentissage individualisé, les enseignants de langues sont contraints de réévaluer leur propre savoir-faire pédagogique. Il convient de se demander dans quelle mesure la dynamique sociale qui caractérise les échanges dans un climat de travail en collaboration autour de l'ordinateur peut être plus enrichissante pour l'apprentissage des langues. Plus particulièrement, en ce qui nous concerne, dans quelle mesure cette dynamique peut favoriser la performance orale par rapport à un travail de groupe dans une classe traditionnelle. Le présent article offre une perspective nouvelle sur le potentiel d'apprentissage que peut apporter l'utilisation des technologies de l'information et de la communication.
Éditorial
Authors: Foucher Anne-Laure
Published: January 2012

Éditorial du numéro 2, volume 3 de la revue Alsic. Ce numéro a été initialement publié sous un autre format, voir document attaché.
Phonologie et morphosyntaxe de l'anglais dans un produit SIC : le premier module de MACAO
Authors: Poussard Cécile , Vincent-Durroux Laurence
Published: January 2012

La préoccupation fréquente, chez les étudiants spécialistes d'autres disciplines que l'anglais, d'améliorer leur compréhension de l'anglais oral a motivé notre démarche de création d'un produit SIC (Systèmes d'Information et de Communication) : MACAO (Modules d'Aide à la Compréhension de l'Anglais Oral). Le premier module, "S'entraîner à la reconnaissance", est réalisé et l'outil informatique s'est révélé particulièrement utile pour notre projet. Dans cet article, nous faisons état des difficultés récurrentes en compréhension de l'anglais oral : elles peuvent être dues à des attentes erronées fondées sur la dissymétrie entre la langue écrite et la langue orale, mais aussi à une reconnaissance difficile de certains morphèmes par l'existence de variantes phonologiques en fonction du contexte et par la proximité phonologique de certains morphèmes. Nous présentons également comment le contenu du premier module tente d'apporter des solutions à ces difficultés : en amenant les apprenants à prendre conscience du phénomène de réduction vocalique et d'inaccentuation qui touche certaines syllabes des mots aussi bien que certains éléments monosyllabiques de l'énoncé et en proposant un entraînement à la reconnaissance de ces éléments. Le module est en cours de validation avec une phase d'évaluation.
MANO, un environnement d'apprentissage du français écrit pour les enfants sourds
Authors: Teutsch Philippe , Cruaud Nathalie , Tchounikine Pierre
Published: January 2012

L'apprentissage d'une langue écrite correspond à une véritable découverte d'une langue étrangère pour des personnes sourdes. La culture liée à la langue écrite trouve en effet ses origines dans la langue orale et dans le vécu auditif. L'apprentissage de la langue écrite impose alors aux sourds d'assimiler des notions qui leur sont étrangères avant de pouvoir comprendre et manipuler le lexique et la syntaxe qui y sont associés. Les sourds étant très sensibles au visuel et au gestuel, il semble intéressant d'exploiter la dimension figurative des systèmes informatiques et d'imaginer des logiciels éducatifs dédiés à la découverte et à l'apprentissage de la langue écrite par des enfants sourds. Ce texte aborde successivement la problématique de l'enseignement d'une langue écrite aux sourds et l'intérêt que représentent les systèmes interactifs pour les enseignants et leurs élèves avant de présenter un prototype de scénario de découverte de la notion de temps pour des enfants sourds.
Accès aux ressources documentaires en situation d'autonomie : pratiques et représentations
Authors: Develotte Christine
Published: January 2012

L'intégration de la Toile dans les pratiques socio-culturelles des étudiants de certains pays est telle que leurs recherches documentaires à l'université s'effectuent, dans certains domaines, autant par le biais de données en ligne que des livres. La classe de langue a, elle aussi, la possibilité de jouer sur la diversité des supports accessibles en toute autonomie par les apprenants. Cependant les pratiques de recherche et de construction du savoir s'avèrent différentes en fonction du support à partir duquel elles s'exercent. Les représentations qui y sont associées varient également. Nous chercherons ici à préciser la nature des opérations que recouvrent ces différentes démarches de recherche à partir d'un dispositif méthodologique élaboré dans le but de rendre compte des pratiques d'apprenants de français de niveau avancé. À partir de ce protocole méthodologique, nous donnerons les résultats d'une étude menée en 2001, en Australie, auprès d'étudiants de l'université de Sydney.
Diagnostic d'erreurs dans le projet FreeText
Authors: L'haire Sébastien , Vandeventer-Faltin Anne
Published: January 2012

Cet article présente une recherche, menée dans le cadre du projet FreeText, qui avait pour but de développer un système de diagnostic automatique d'erreurs pour apprenants du FLE. Après un bref résumé des caractéristiques principales du projet ainsi que du corpus d'apprenants récolté et exploité dans ce cadre, l'article traite du système de diagnostic d'erreurs, en particulier de deux de ses composantes, (1) un vérificateur syntaxique qui utilise deux techniques différentes pour détecter les erreurs de nature purement grammaticale et (2) un outil de comparaison de phrases qui compare la réponse de l'apprenant avec celle correcte stockée dans le système, dans le but de détecter des différences sémantiques possibles, comme les référents ou l'usage d'un mot. Puis nous comparons les résultats obtenus par notre système avec ceux d'un système commercial. Enfin nous discutons des avantages d'un système automatique de ce type et des pistes pour une recherche future.
Conversational elements of online chatting: speaking practice for distance language learners?
Authors: Tudini Vincenza
Published: January 2012

A critical issue in the delivery of language courses at a distance is to provide adequate scaffolding and monitoring of learners to assist them in the development of their interlanguage. As well as being one of the main reasons students enroll in language courses, oral interaction is considered beneficial to interlanguage development since it provides opportunities for negotiation of meaning. In the case of campus-based students, learners' progress in speaking the target language is supported and monitored mainly in the classroom. If non-campus-based or online students do not attend face-to-face classes, how do they find opportunities for oral interaction? Using a Conversational Analysis and Second Language Acquisition perspective, the author considers elements which are common to both face-to-face oral interactions and chatting via a computer, with a view to assessing the potential of synchronous text-based communication tools to support the development of the speaking skills and interlanguage of distance language learners. This is done by reviewing findings of previous studies on synchronous text-based communication tools and identifying selected characteristics of oral interaction which are present in the chat sessions of two groups of campus-based intermediate level learners of Italian. In particular, the study focuses on repairs and incorporation of target forms, variety of speech acts, particularly questions and clarification requests, and the presence of discourse markers.
Semantic Web-Enhanced Context-Aware Computing in Mobile Systems
Authors: Zander Stefan , Schandl Bernhard
Published: January 2012

The goal of this chapter is to provide detailed insights into the field of Semantic Web-based context-aware computing for mobile systems. Readers will learn why context awareness will be a central aspect of future mobile information systems, and about the role semantic technologies can play in creating a context-aware infrastructure and the benefits they offer. The chapter introduces requirements, enabling technologies, and future directions of such systems. It presents a Semantic Web-based context-sensitive infrastructure that resembles concepts from graph theory and distributed transaction management. This infrastructure allows for an efficient acquisition, representation, management, and processing of contextual information while taking into account the peculiarities and operating environments of mobile information systems. Authors demonstrate how context-relevant data acquired from local and remote sensors can be represented using Semantic Web technologies, with the goal to replicate data related to the user’s current and future information needs to a mobile device in a proactive and transparent manner. In consequence, the user is equipped with contextually relevant information anytime and anywhere.
Design and Implementation of Mobile-Based Technology in Strengthening Health Information System
Authors: Purkayastha Saptarshi
Published: January 2012

In the context of developing countries, there is a mounting interest in the field of mHealth. This surge in interest can be traced to the evolution of several interrelated trends (VW Consulting, 2009). However, with numerous attempts to create mobile-based technology for health, too many experiments and projects have not been able to scale or sustain. How is it possible to design and implement scalable and sustainable mHealth applications in low resource settings and emerging markets?. This chapter provides lessons from case studies of two successful and large scale implementations of mHealth solutions and the choices that were made in the design and implementation of those solutions. The chapter uses Information Infrastructure Theory as a theoretical lens to discuss reasons why these projects have been able to successfully scale.
Security Framework for Mobile Agents-Based Applications
Authors: Al-Jaljouli Raja , Abawajy Jemal H.
Published: January 2012

Mobile agents have been proposed for key applications such as forensics analysis, intrusion detection, e-commerce, and resource management. Yet, they are vulnerable to various security threats by malicious hosts or intruders. Conversely, genuine platforms may run malicious agents. It is essential to establish a truly secure framework for mobile agents to gain trust of clients in the system. Failure to accomplish a trustworthy secured framework for Mobile Agent System (MAS) will limit their deployment into the key applications. This chapter presents a comprehensive taxonomy of various security threats to Mobile Agent System and the existing implemented security mechanisms. Different mechanisms are discussed, and the related security deficiencies are highlighted. The various security properties of the agent and the agent platform are described. The chapter also introduces the properties, advantages, and roles of agents in various applications. It describes the infrastructure of the system and discusses several mobile agent frameworks and the accomplished security level.
Mobile Agents Security Protocols
Authors: Al-Jaljouli Raja , Abawajy Jemal H.
Published: January 2012

Mobile agents are expected to run in partially unknown and untrustworthy environments. They transport from one host to another host through insecure channels and may execute on non-trusted hosts. Thus, they are vulnerable to direct security attacks of intruders and non-trusted hosts. The security of information the agents collect is a fundamental requirement for a trusted implementation of electronic business applications and trade negotiations. This chapter discusses the security protocols presented in the literature that aim to secure the data mobile agents gather while searching the Internet, and identifies the security flaws revealed in the protocols. The protocols are analyzed with respect to the security properties, and the security flaws are identified. Two recent promising protocols that fulfill the various security properties are described. The chapter also introduces common notations used in describing security protocols and describes the security properties of the data that mobile agents gather.
Fuzzy Soft Social Network Modeling and Marketing
Authors: Yager Ronald R. , Yager Rachel L.
Published: January 2012

Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, and other social networks have become a very important environment in which people interact, exchange information about products, services, movies and music, and so forth. New trends and hot items rapidly move through these networks. Clearly, modern marketing has to focus on the possibilities of taking advantage of these networks. The determination of people who are leaders and trendsetters within a social network would be a great benefit for marketing. In recent papers, the authors have developed a model of social networks based on the use of fuzzy set theory and other soft granular computing technologies. This is called the Framework for Intelligent Social Network Analysis (FISNA). Using granular computing, the authors express concepts associated with social networks in a human-focused manner. Since human beings predominantly use linguistic terms in order to communicate, reason, and understand, they are able to build bridges between human conceptualization and the formal mathematical representation of the social networks. Consider, for example, a concept such as “leader.” An analyst may be able to express, in linguistic terms, using a network relevant vocabulary, the properties of a leader. The authors’ framework enables translation of this linguistic description into a mathematical formalism that allows for determination of how true it is that a particular person, a node in the network, is a leader. The authors use fuzzy set methodologies, and more generally granular computing, to provide the necessary bridge between the human analyst and the formal model of the network. In this chapter, the authors investigate and describe the use of the FISNA technology to help in the modeling of market related concepts in social networks.
Using a Fuzzy-Based Cluster Algorithm for Recommending Candidates in E-Elections
Authors: Terán Luis , Ladner Andreas , Fivaz Jan , Gerber Stefani
Published: January 2012

The use of the Internet now has a specific purpose: to find information. Unfortunately, the amount of data available on the Internet is growing exponentially, creating what can be considered a nearly infinite and ever-evolving network with no discernable structure. This rapid growth has raised the question of how to find the most relevant information. Many different techniques have been introduced to address the information overload, including search engines, Semantic Web, and recommender systems, among others. Recommender systems are computer-based techniques that are used to reduce information overload and recommend products likely to interest a user when given some information about the user’s profile. This technique is mainly used in e-Commerce to suggest items that fit a customer’s purchasing tendencies. The use of recommender systems for e-Government is a research topic that is intended to improve the interaction among public administrations, citizens, and the private sector through reducing information overload on e-Government services. More specifically, e-Democracy aims to increase citizens’ participation in democratic processes through the use of information and communication technologies. In this chapter, an architecture of a recommender system that uses fuzzy clustering methods for e-Elections is introduced. In addition, a comparison with the smartvote system, a Web-based Voting Assistance Application (VAA) used to aid voters in finding the party or candidate that is most in line with their preferences, is presented.
A Hybrid Fuzzy Multiple Objective Approach to Lotsizing, Pricing, and Marketing Planning Model
Authors: Ghasemy Yaghin R. , Fatemi Ghomi S.M.T.
Published: January 2012

Given high variability of demands, a manufacturer has to decide about the products’ prices and lotsizing from a supplier. Due to imprecise and fuzzy nature of parameters such as unit costs and marketing function, a hybrid fuzzy multi-objective programming model including both quantitative and qualitative objectives is proposed to determine the optimal price, marketing expenditure, and lotsize. Considering pricing, marketing, and lotsizing decisions simultaneously, the model maximizes the profit, return on inventory investment (ROII) (as a financial performance criterion), and total customer satisfaction under general demand function with a time-varying pattern in fuzzy environment. After applying appropriate strategies to defuzzify the original model, the equivalent multi-objective crisp model is then transformed by a fuzzy goal programming method. A soft computing, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is applied to solve the final crisp problem. An industrial case study is provided to show the applicability and usefulness of the proposed model and solution method. Finally, concluding remarks are reported.
Exploring Meaning
Authors: Coakes Elayne , Coakes Jim
Published: January 2012

In this paper, the authors explore the hyphenated spelling variant on papers taken from the Business Source Complete (BSC) repository. This paper finds that the hyphenated spelling variant is popular with more recent authors and that in total, socio-technical article publishing has recently recovered from the relative decline of the 1980s and 1990s. Within the socio-technical area, the topics of Work and Technology are receiving increased attention and studies of Behaviour, Change and major Stakeholder Groups are waning. The authors have critiqued the articles that indicated in their BSC Subject terms that their contents are related to Methodology but have found that few actually consider the socio-technical methodologies. Systems and socio-technical theory papers are critiqued, including papers by Enid Mumford and her work. Also discussed are lessons learned when using online repositories, such as the need to save search results to manage the surprising level of volatility of such academic databases. Finally, opportunities for future analysis are discussed, including trends; changes of emphasis within topics; researching into other academic search engines; and US based analysis.
Leveraging Communities for Sustainable Innovation
Authors: Coakes Elayne , Smith Peter , Alwis Dee
Published: January 2012

The concept of using future innovation to achieve “right to market” (R2M) (Koudal & Coleman, 2005) is the focus of this paper. This paper discusses the relationship between entrepreneurship and innovation and posits that they form a system where innovation is optimised when these capabilities are closely linked. The authors contend that innovation activities are best ‘managed’ by an organization’s entrepreneur(s) and that part of this role is to identify Innovation Champions and facilitate their innovation-related activities. The authors also explore the social and community interaction necessary for innovation to flourish and explain the role of entrepreneurs in forming Communities of Innovation (CoInv) based on innovation champions and their networks. This paper argues that CoInv are essential to ensure that each separate innovation has commercial potential and is operationally accepted with support diffused throughout the organisation. The authors demonstrate these assertions through a case discussion and conclude with some final comments on the future of this research.
L'agenda d'une rédaction de presse écrite
Authors: Spano William
Published: January 2012

Résumé La connaissance du journalisme se fait souvent par l’intermédiaire de l’activité visible des professionnels des médias. Pourtant, le quotidien du journalisme est fait de modalités de travail apparemment insignifiantes, qui structurent la production de l’information et qui prennent la forme d’un ensemble de textes toujours dissimulés aux usagers des médias (note de service, planning…). Grâce à une immersion dans l’activité d’une agence locale d’un quotidien régional, cet article propose une étude du travail ordinaire du journalisme à travers l’analyse de l’agenda professionnel des membres de cette agence.
Indépendances éditoriales, dépendance territoriale
Authors: Habrand Tanguy
Published: January 2012

Résumé En prenant appui sur des éléments de comparaison entre édition belge et édition française, tant dans leurs histoires respectives que dans leurs modes d’industrialisation et de concentration, cet article examine trois occurrences de l’indépendance considérée comme paradigme politique, comme paradigme culturel et comme paradigme juridico-administratif. Il souligne les limites posées par une pratique professionnelle longtemps marquée par une conception artisanale peu susceptible de doter l’édition belge du pouvoir de consécration dont dispose son homologue française.
Efficacious blinding of ginger for randomized controlled trials
Authors: Van Tilburg Miranda A.L.
Published: January 2012

Ginger Zingiber Officinale Roscoe)has a distinct aroma that is difficult to blind in randomized controlled trails. We tested whether packaging encapsulated ginger in blister packs leads to effective blinding. We recruited 32 healthy volunteers age 18 and up through advertisement in the University of North Carolina and the community. They were asked to examine either 1 clear gelatin capsule of 250 mg of ginger powder or 1 similar looking clear gelatin capsule of placebo (brown sugar) in a blister pack before and after opening the pack; after which they were asked to swallow the capsule. Sixty percent correctly identified capsules filled with placebo versus 23.4% correctly identified capsules filled with ginger. x2 tests revealed no differences between the two treatment arms in content (the majority thought they were taking a placebo), look, smell and taste of the capsules. Prior familiarity with ginger did not increase prediction rates. Our results demonstrate that ginger can be effectively blinded by packing individual capsules in blister packs.
Atopic dermatitis in adolescence
Authors: Ricci Giampaolo , Bellini Federica , Dondi Arianna , Patrizi Annalisa , Pession Andrea
Published: January 2012

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that typically occurs during childhood especially in the first year of life, with a variable frequency from 10% to 30%. Recent studies have shown that in Europe among 10-20% of children with AD suffer from this disorder also in adolescence. AD is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a typical onset in the first years of life and with a 10- 30% prevalence among young children. AD prevalence in adolescence has been estimated around 5-15% in European countries. AD persists from childhood through adolescence in around 40% of cases and some risk factors have been identified: female sex, sensitization to inhalant and food allergens, allergic asthma and/or rhinoconjunctivitis, the practice of certain jobs. During adolescence, AD mainly appears on the face and neck, often associated with overinfection by Malassezia, and on the palms and soles. AD persistence during adolescence is correlated with psychological diseases such as anxiety; moreover, adolescents affected by AD might have problems in the relationship with their peers. Stress and the psychological problems represent a serious burden for adolescents with AD and cause a significant worsening of the patients’ quality of life (QoL). The pharmacological treatment is similar to other age groups. Educational and psychological approaches should be considered in the most severe cases.
Chemical characterisation of atmospheric aerosols during a 2007 summer field campaign at Brasschaat, Belgium: sources and source processes of biogenic secondary organic aerosol
Authors: Gómez-González Y. , Wang W. , Vermeylen R. , Chi X. , Neirynck J. , Janssens I. A. , Maenhaut W. , Claeys M.
Published: January 2012

Abstract. Measurements of organic marker compounds and inorganic species were performed on PM2.5 aerosols from a Belgian forest site that is severely impacted by urban pollution ("De Inslag", Brasschaat, Belgium) during a 2007 summer period within the framework of the "Formation mechanisms, marker compounds, and source apportionment for biogenic atmospheric aerosols (BIOSOL)" project. The measured organic species included (i) low-molecular weight (MW) dicarboxylic acids (LMW DCAs), (ii) methanesulfonate (MSA), (iii) terpenoic acids originating from the oxidation of α-pinene, β-pinene, d-limonene and Δ3-carene, and (iv) organosulfates related to secondary organic aerosol from the oxidation of isoprene and α-pinene. The organic tracers explained, on average, 5.3 % of the organic carbon (OC), of which 0.7 % was due to MSA, 3.4 % to LMW DCAs, 0.6 % to organosulfates, and 0.6 % to terpenoic acids. The highest atmospheric concentrations of most species were observed during the first five days of the campaign, which were characterised by maximum day-time temperatures >22 °C. Most of the terpenoic acids and the organosulfates peaked during day-time, consistent with their local photochemical origin. High concentrations of 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid (MBTCA) and low concentrations of cis-pinonic acid were noted during the first five days of the campaign, indicative of an aged biogenic aerosol. Several correlations between organic species were very high (r>0.85), high (0.7