bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Approximation to Real Options Analysis (ROA) in a Colombian Construction Company
Authors: Guerrero-Cabarcas Mauricio , Zuluaga-Muñoz William , Aguilera-Castillo Andrés , Díaz-Sánchez Sandra Ximena , Fajardo-Toro Carlos Hernán
Published: June 2018

This chapter aims to apply a real options analysis to a Colombian mid-size construction company HL Ingenieros presented as a case study looking to expand the variables considered in business valuations so companies can access new sources of funding, improve their capital structure, and become an investment opportunity for inbound foreign direct investment to the country. Most companies are not able to attract these funds due to (1) lack of development in the Colombian capital markets, (2) the lack of information that makes valuation difficult, and (3) the lack of use of alternative methods of valuation that include available strategic options. Several scholars have discussed the use of real options as an alternative method for business valuation that includes the effect of operational flexibility. This case study explores the potential gains in the use of real options for business valuation in companies from emerging countries planning to internationalize their operations.
Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Thang Chien , Van Tran Hoang , Luong Huan Minh
Published: June 2018

Based on Vietnam's enterprise census data this research analyses development of Vietnam's medium enterprises for a period 2007-2015, assessing their economic performance, efficiency, and elaborating their evolution over the period. The research found that there is tendency of shrinking and decreasing efficiency of medium enterprises (MEs), very few could be able to grow to join “large enterprises,” while majority had to exit market or shrink to fall into “small and micro enterprises.” The research also shed light on what factors explain economic performance and evolution of MEs, and found that macroeconomic management, ownership forms, economic sectors, size of MEs, and some other factors matter for their performance and evolution. Some policy implications for the next period drawn from the analysis and put in the new context of development are improving macroeconomic stability, creating level playing field between private, state-owned enterprise (SOE) and foreign direct investment (FDI), rebalance priority toward agriculture, improving implementation of MEs supporting policies.
Social Entrepreneurship in the Global Marketplace
Authors: Na Kwan-Sik
Published: June 2018

The scope of the research will be analysis of the development of the regulatory and institutional framework for social enterprises in Republic of Korea, the macoeconomic, institutional, and microeconomic factors shaping the “ecosystem” for the performance of their operations. The research period will be 2013-2015 in the development of the sector of SEe in Republic of Korea in background terms, in order to establish trends, to outline the challenges and the potential for increasing the effectiveness of the market and institutional mechanisms for boosting the social entrepreneurship and innovation potential of this particular subset of enterprises. The objectives of the research chapter are (1) analysis of the institutional and regulatory framework supporting the activities of SEs in Republic of Korea, including their social responsibility; (2) analyzing the macroeconomic, institutional, and microeconomic driving forces and challenges in SEs development in Republic of Korea; (3) analyzing the framework of social impact measurement mechanisms in Republic of Korea.
Business Environment for Development of Enterprises in the Republic of Moldova
Authors: Crudu Rodica
Published: June 2018

Moldova is a relatively small, landlocked country with few natural resources apart from its agricultural land. In last years, the contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) was a little bit lower than 30% of the national GDP. This modest contribution corroborated the relative weight of SMEs in turnover and employment, which has decreased since 2010. Moldova's business environment remains sensible to the volatile macroeconomic environment, structural challenges in the financial sector, crisis in the banking sector, internal political instability, and regional geopolitical instability. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the business environment in Moldova in terms of the existing regulatory framework, identifying barriers and constraints, and analysis of programs and policies to strengthen it, along with synthesizing and developing recommendations to enable the business environment. Technology business incubators and their role in the Moldova's economy are analyzed in the final section. Analytical findings of the author are illustrated through several interactive figures.
Marketing Substantiation of Efficiency of Product Policy of Medium-Sized Wineries in the Republic of Moldova
Authors: Ghenova Svetlana
Published: June 2018

This chapter is devoted to revealing the importance and definition of the logical relationship of components related to an effective product policy of modern medium-size winery of the Republic of Moldova. The chapter presents a comparative analysis of modern marketing definitions of product policy of an enterprise. The purpose of the author is the research and marketing disclosure of the nature of the product policy as one of the key management tools of a modern winery. A structural model of the marketing product policy components has been developed. The approaches proposed for implementation in the Moldovan wineries would allow the analysis of the product policy effectiveness. The importance of the marketing substantiation of effective product policy in the activities of medium-sized wineries in socio-economic development of Moldova and their underutilized potential, an unfavorable business climate and the need for a substantial improvement in the product policy has determined the relevance of the research topic presented in the chapter.
Marketing Orientation Embedding Internet Capability as Best Practice for Medium-Sized Global Firms
Authors: Tongiani Maria Giovanna , Burchielli Claudia
Published: June 2018

Contemporary competition in the distribution sector is becoming increasingly more cut-throat and consumers have multiple channels to choose from for making their purchases, each with different characteristics and practical methods. The objective of this work is to obtain information and identify the elements that allow for highlighting the ability of the medium-sized retailers who use the web and the social media to expand their own reference markets. The information will be acquired by means of interviews with Italian and international (USA and UK) customers of a medium Italian global fashion retailer. The analyses of the results will provide useful indications concerning the marketing activities for the medium retailer firms operating in the global market. This approach is followed by future research directions and a conclusion.
Finance Strategies for Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Liu Chen
Published: June 2018

This chapter discusses how FinTech—technology-enabled financial solutions and services—can optimize finance strategies of medium-sized enterprises. Using a balance sheet model, the chapter integrates medium-sized companies' financing strategies, working capital management, and investment decisions and discusses FinTech solutions in each area to suggest best practice. Specifically, the chapter first discusses how crowdfunding and its different types could provide alternative financing for medium-sized enterprises. Second, FinTech solutions for online payment and transfer, invoice finance, supply chain finance, and trade finance help medium-sized enterprises optimize their working capital management. Third, blockchain technology and artificial intelligent (AI)-based decisions tools could potentially help medium-sized businesses optimize their decision-making process. This chapter also suggests future work that will allow us to better understand FinTech applications in medium-sized enterprises.
Supply Chain (SC) Network Optimization
Authors: Bilir Canser
Published: June 2018

Supply chain network design and optimization is one of the most important strategic decisions that an organization has to make. SC network design decisions are strategic-level SC decisions because they have long-lasting effect on the firms' supply chain performance and the decisions cannot be changed in a short period. In this chapter, the author aims to introduce the concept of SC network optimization to the managers of medium-sized enterprises. The chapter also explains the importance of the SC network optimization studies, educates readers about how they can benefit from the concept, and tries to show how the implementation of SC network optimization/design will improve the competitiveness of these organizations. The readers are also guided through the four steps of SC network optimization process. Finally, the chapter provides a brief review of the SC network optimization literature and proposes future research directions.
Process Management as a Means to Analyze the Effectiveness of a Company in Global Markets
Authors: Sanchez-Ruiz Lidia , Blanco Beatriz , Perez-Labajos Carlos A. , Porras Alberto
Published: June 2018

Companies need to ensure the effectiveness of all their processes. The case of the shipbuilding sector is exactly the same. From a management perspective, two important points should be highlighted. In order to face the continuous demand fluctuations, many shipyards, especially the smaller ones, have reduced their staff. This fact allows shipyards to be more flexible and to reduce their fixed costs in order to survive in low activity periods. On the other side, when there are peaks of workload, they outsource many activities. In fact, outsourcing has become one of the main and most important processes in shipyards. The level of outsourced activities is so high that shipyards are considered to be synthesis industries. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that the outsourcing process is correctly managed. Thus, the aim of this study is to show how process management can be used as a means to guarantee the effectiveness of a process. Specifically, the case of a small shipyard applying process management in its outsourcing process will be described.
Strategic Groups
Authors: Papazov Emil Krastev , Mihaylova Lyudmila Mihaylova
Published: June 2018

Тhe complexity of the business environment leads to its stratification for research purposes in three levels: the industry as a whole, strategic groups, and individual firms. This chapter concentrates on the middle-ground level, the strategic group. The analysis of strategic groups helps companies find a better position for their business on the market. By now, various techniques have been created to identify companies comprising a strategic group. Presented here are some of the most commonly used tools: the K-mean cluster analysis, the strategic profile of an industry, and the strategic themes matrix. To some degree, the usage of these methods is costly and thus problematic, especially for smaller companies. For this reason, the authors have developed an alternative tool, the “Profitability-Turnover Matrix Model” (PTMM). The technique is based on objective and freely available information. The focus is placed on the possibility of using the PTMM by entrepreneurial mid-sized companies.
Internal Workplace Mediation Benefits of Medium-Sized Enterprises
Authors: Kalan Mateja , Suklan Jana
Published: June 2018

In this chapter, the authors focus on the possibilities that can help improve relations among employees. The aim of the research was to review whether the so-called in-house mediation office has a positive impact on conflict management in the workplace. An online survey was conducted within two medium-sized organizations in the Republic of Slovenia. The main purpose of the research was to examine mediation leadership in business organizations, and its inclusion in particular leadership segments. The second goal of the research was to determine the advantages of mediating communication in an organization. A comprehensive overview of results indicates that employees prefer internal mediation in the case of proactive mediation, which additionally improves good relations, as well as in the case of informal mediation, in which mediation skills are used in the discussion.
DNA Fragment Assembly Using Quantum-Inspired Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Rathee Manisha , Dilip Kumar , Rathee Ritu
Published: June 2018

DNA fragment assembly (DFA) is one of the most important and challenging problems in computational biology. DFA problem involves reconstruction of target DNA from several hundred (or thousands) of sequenced fragments by identifying the proper orientation and order of fragments. DFA problem is proved to be a NP-Hard combinatorial optimization problem. Metaheuristic techniques have the capability to handle large search spaces and therefore are well suited to deal with such problems. In this chapter, quantum-inspired genetic algorithm-based DNA fragment assembly (QGFA) approach has been proposed to perform the de novo assembly of DNA fragments using overlap-layout-consensus approach. To assess the efficacy of QGFA, it has been compared genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and ant colony optimization-based metaheuristic approaches for solving DFA problem. Experimental results show that QGFA performs comparatively better (in terms of overlap score obtained and number of contigs produced) than other approaches considered herein.
Effective Prevention and Reduction in the Rate of Accidents Using Internet of Things and Data Analytics
Authors: Sowmya B. J.  , Shetty Chetan , Seema S.  , Srinivasa K. G.
Published: June 2018

Hundreds of lives in India are lost each day due to the delayed medical response. In the present scenario, the victims completely rely on the passersby for almost every kind of medical help such as informing the hospital or ambulance. This project aims to automate the process of detecting and reporting accidents using accident detection kits in vehicles. The kit has a system on chip and various sensors which sense various parameters that change drastically during the occurrence of accidents such as the vibration levels, orientation of vehicles with respect to the ground. The accident is said to occur when these values cross the permissible threshold limit. As soon as this happens, the latitude and longitude of the accident spot is tracked using the GPS module present in the kit. The nearest hospital and police station is computed by the GPS module, which uses the latitude and longitude values as the input. The accident notifications are sent to the concerned hospital and police station over the web interface accordingly. The assignment of particular ambulance and the required traffic policemen to the accident cases is done using the web interface. The android application guides the ambulance driver as well as the policemen to the accident spot and also helps in the detailed registration of the accidents. The closest doctor facility and police headquarters is processed by the GPS module, which utilizes the scope and longitude esteems as the information. The accident warnings are sent to the concerned healing facility and police headquarters over the web interface as needs be. The task of specific rescue vehicle and policemen to the accident cases is finished utilizing the web interface. An intelligent analysis of the last five years' rich dataset uncovers the patterns followed by the accidents and gives valuable insights on how to deploy the existing resources such as ambulances and traffic-police efficiently. Various types of analysis are done to identify the cause-effect relationships and deal with this in a better way. Such technical solutions to the frequently occurring problems would result in saving many lives as well as making the cities safer and smarter.
Overview and Optimized Design for Energy Recovery Patents Applied to Hydraulic Systems
Authors: Elhajj Marwa , Younes Rafic , Charles Sebastien
Published: June 2018

Due to their large application quantities with extremely low efficiency, pollutant emissions, high fuel consumption, and oil price, researches on the environment protection and the energy saving of construction machinery, especially hydraulic excavators, become very necessary and urgent. In this chapter, the authors proposed a complete study for the excavators' hydraulic energy recovery systems. This study is divided into two parts. In the first one, an overview for the energy saving principles is discussed and classed based on the type of the energy recovered. In the second part and once the energy recovery system is selected, the authors proposed a new approach to design the energy recovery system under a typical working cycle. This approach, the global optimization method for parameter identification (GOMPI), uses an optimization technique coupled with the simulated model on simulation software. Finally, results concluded that applying GOMPI model was an efficient solution as it proves its accuracy and efficiency to design any energy recovery patent applied to hydraulic systems.
How Game-Based Learning Works and What It Means for Pupils, Teachers, and Classroom Learning
Authors: Jabbar Azita Iliya Abdul , Felicia Patrick
Published: June 2018

This chapter discusses the results of a systematic literature review, a needs analysis through a pupil survey, and a case study of classroom observations in the context of primary education. The results of the overall findings, limitations, underlying issues, and emerging concepts are associated to how game-based learning (GBL) works and what it means for pupils, teachers, and classroom learning. This chapter presents the main contributions to the body of knowledge in GBL study, while offering best practice recommendations for designing engagement in GBL. This in turn outlines a framework of how GBL may work in the classroom. The framework identifies elements, features, and factors that shape how engagement occurs and how learning progresses in gameplay within GBL environments.
Design and Develop a Cybersecurity Education Framework Using Capture the Flag (CTF)
Authors: Khoo Li Jing
Published: June 2018

The rise of cyber threats is projecting the growth of cybersecurity education. Malaysian students who are interested in studying computing and information technologies suffer from knowledge and skill gaps because the earliest exposure of formal computer knowledge happens only at tertiary level education. In addition, the ever-evolving cyber landscape complicated the gaps and exposure. This chapter reveals the learner's motivation factor through an exploratory study in a national level cybersecurity competition. By simulating a real-world cyber landscape, a customized cybersecurity game, Capture the Flag was designed, developed, and validated as an experiment to study the relationship between learners' motivation and achievement level.
A Framework of Childhood Obesity Prevention Through Game-Based Learning
Authors: Wang Yanzhen , Yatim Maizatul Hayati Mohamad
Published: June 2018

Childhood obesity is a global health issue that should be resolved in order to prevent obesity prolonged into adulthood. This chapter presents a framework of childhood obesity prevention through game-based learning among preschool children. A provisional framework was developed by adopting to the obesity treatment algorithm set by the National Institutes of Health. A mobile game titled Fight Obesity 2.0 was created to examine the validity of this provisional framework. The technical validity of the framework was checked through the International Age Rating Coalition, while the ecological validity was endorsed through interview conducted with pediatricians. The framework was revised based on the input of the validation processes. A set of guiding principles was prepared for medical professionals, game designers, preschool teachers, and parents who intend to use the revised framework of game-based childhood obesity prevention.
The Pictorial Testimony During the Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem in 1961-1962
Authors: Brutin Batya
Published: June 2018

Drawings by four painters were presented at the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem in 1961-1962, in three different testimonies. The paintings, made during and after the Holocaust, included depictions of Holocaust events from the Theresienstadt ghetto and Auschwitz concentration camp and were an inseparable part of constructing the comprehensive story of the Holocaust in the trial. Presenting the paintings as forensic evidence calls for an inquiry about their importance and their unique contribution to the process of the trial as complementary evidence to a witness investigation. This chapter shows how the paintings allowed witnesses to expand the information that they could lend the court, and that in practice the testimonies were held in two combined languages: pictorial and verbal.
Musical Analyses of Mordechai Gebirtig's Chosen Pieces
Authors: Kaniowska Małgorzata
Published: June 2018

Restoring the memory of the irretrievably lost word of a Jewish community is important for many reasons. To start with, familiarization with the unknown helps with better understanding of the everyday life of Polish Jews, often perceived as a hermetic society, rousing anxiety particularly among those who are totally unfamiliar with Jewish culture and traditions. Secondly, for the young, currently developing Jewish community, it is the way of building their identity by recalling their own historical roots. Gebirtig's creativity is portrayed in this chapter in two inextricably connected aspects: (1) the historical background of musical culture at the turn of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries in Cracow; (2) the perspective of analysis of the musical layers of his pieces. The study emphasizes how the universal language of music is of a crucial importance for building a dialogue based on education, cultivation of memory, and restoration of identity.
Educational Functions of Cultural Heritage in Tourism
Authors: Markiewicz-Patkowska Julita , Widawski Krzysztof , Oleśniewicz Piotr
Published: June 2018

The cultural heritage of the city of Wrocław provides a perfect opportunity to practice educational tourism. It can serve to shape the desirable attitudes of acceptance and tolerance based on closer cognition of diverse cultures. The aim of this chapter is to indicate the tourist potential inherent in the Jewish cultural heritage of Wrocław. The culturally complex history of the city is analyzed, and then the most essential elements of the cultural output of Wrocław are presented in order to better recognize the background of the Jewish heritage. The following step is to locate the presented assets within the operating tourist products fulfilling educational function assumed to be within the city's tourist strategy. The products arise the interest of receivers of any age: from kindergarten children to seniors. Also, in this chapter, the authors observe good practices of the Four Denominations District (depicting a close coexistence of the Jewish heritage and the Christian world – Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox) or the City Museum of Wrocław, with the Old Jewish Cemetery as its division. The pedagogical, training, and cultural educational functions fulfilled with the implementation of the cultural product are emphasized.
A Swastika in the Temple
Authors: Lewin Eyal
Published: June 2018

Holocaust inversion is the demonization of Jews, who were the major victims of the criminality of Nazi Germany. It is the claim that Israel behaves toward the Palestinians as Nazi Germany behaved toward the Jews. After reviewing the phenomenon and understanding its psychological, political, and historical origins, this chapter focuses on its strange occurrence in the West, most strangely among the Jewish people, and oddly enough within Israeli society. This study shows how Israeli Holocaust inversion is manifested among intellectuals, political leaders, and most disturbingly among the rank and file of the IDF, even within this institute's educational system.
Mermaid
Authors: Conte F. S. , Ahmadi A.
Published: June 2018

Mermaid is a new decision support tool for managing shellfish growing areas. It is written in Visual Basic for Application (VBA) language and uses Microsoft Excel for input, calculation, and output modules. The program automatically imports the regulatory agency's data and generates scattergrams that can be used as decision support tools to help decide which shellfish growing areas should be closed and which ones should be open for harvest. The Mermaid program uses the equations developed by the Pearl model that provide more sensitive and accurate measures of sanitation safety for consumption of shellfish, and are more accurate than the U.S. National Standards.
An Efficient Data Replication Algorithm for Distributed Systems
Authors: Panda Sanjaya Kumar , Naik Saswati
Published: June 2018

This article describes how data replication plays an important role in distributed systems. It primarily focuses on the redundancy of data at two or more nodes, to achieve both fault tolerance and improved performance. Therefore, many researchers have proposed various data replication algorithms to manage the redundancy of data. However, they have not considered the faults that are associated with the nodes, such as permanent, transient and intermittent. Moreover, they have not incorporated any recovery approach to rejoin the failed nodes. Therefore, the authors propose a data replication algorithm, called dynamic vote-based data replication (DVDR). The main contribution of DVDR is to consider all types of faults and rejoin the failed nodes. DVDR is based on dynamic vote assignment among the connected nodes, and referred as passive and non-hierarchical one. The authors perform rigorous analysis of DVDR and compare with an existing dynamic vote assignment algorithm. The result shows the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Value Chain of the Industry of Tourist Accomodation Case Golfo of Morrosquillo, Colombia
Authors: Sierra Hassir Lastre , Chavez Placido Roberto Cruz , Seoane Francisco J. Ferreiro , Martínez-Azúa Beatriz Corchuelo
Published: June 2018

Value chains propose an organizational internal analysis which divides business social objects and makes it possible to understand the role of each activity in the value creation. This article aims to analyze the value chain of tourism accommodation industry at Golfo of Morrosquillo. Through description and exploration, it was possible to deeply study the value chain of each establishment of the industry. As per the results, 61.29% of establishments do not have a business plan and 58.06% of them do not offer any tourist product from the process of design and development of products. Regarding the conclusions, even though the industry value chain has some variations regarding whole establishments, it is necessary to organize the stakeholders involved in the chain so that it can create value to tourists in terms of satisfaction and quality.
How the Balanced Scorecard Helps Improve Business Performance and Gain Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Authors: Gomes Jorge , Romão Mário
Published: June 2018

When a firm sustains profits that exceed the average for its industry, the firm is said to possess a competitive advantage over its rivals. So, why do some companies outperform others? This question has been intensely debated by strategic management researchers over the last decades. Several authors point out three broad explanations: (1) the mistakes made by some firms create advantages to others; (2) firms that exploit market power gain advantages over others; (3) firms with special capabilities gain advantages over others. Competitive advantage is recognised as being the major cause for explaining top organizational performance and is a fundamental goal of academic strategic management studies. More recently, the research focus goes to an expanded view of the concept, the sustainable competitive advantage (SCA), highlighting the idea that some forms of competitive advantage are very difficult to imitate and can therefore lead to persistent superior economic performance. This article aims to show how a Balanced Scorecard (BSC) can contribute to achieve SCA. It also collects a set of useful information related to several areas that have used this framework as a support to improve the performance of their organizations. Researchers, managers and practitioners recognize the virtues and potentialities of the BSC concept, although some critiques are also referenced.
Dependability Levels on Autonomous Systems
Authors: Zacharaki Angeliki , Kostavelis Ioannis
Published: June 2018

Professional robots should be endorsed with great autonomy capabilities when designed for release into the market. The need for autonomy is further reinforced when robots are meant to be used for crisis management situations, where close collaboration with humans and trustworthy operation in hazardous environments is necessary. To this end, this article quantifies the system's autonomy by measuring its dependability. This is achieved by defining a qualitative metric system regarding the different levels of dependability that autonomous systems should retain in order to operate in various crisis situations. It provides a detailed analysis of each level of dependability and proposes the minimum requirements that should be fulfilled in each level, thus realizing a ranking system that outlines the overall system's ability to operate autonomously. The proposed analysis is applied on a real robotic prototype developed for crisis situations and evaluates the system's autonomy capabilities by qualitative assessing the levels of dependability it retains.
Metrics for Ensuring Security and Privacy of Information Sharing Platforms for Improved City Resilience
Authors: Radianti Jaziar , Gjøsæter Terje
Published: June 2018

City resilience is a pressing issue worldwide since the majority of the population resides in urban areas. When disaster strikes, the consequences will be more severe in the cities. To achieve resilience, different organizations, agencies and the public should share information during a disaster. ICT-based community engagement is used for strengthening resilience. The authors propose a set of metrics for assessing the security and privacy of information sharing tools for resilience. They then apply the selected metrics to a selection of information sharing tools. The authors' main finding is that most of them are reasonably well-protected, but with less than private default settings. They discuss the importance of security and privacy for different important categories of users of such systems, to better understand how these aspects affect the willingness to share information. Security and privacy is of particular importance for whistle-blowers that may carry urgent information, while volunteers and active helpers are less affected by the level of security and privacy.
Serious Game Design for Flooding Triggered by Extreme Weather
Authors: Radianti Jaziar , Tronslien Mattias N. , Thomassen Kristoffer Kalvik , Moland Max Emil Odd , Kulmus Christian Anker
Published: June 2018

Managing crises with limited resources through a serious game is deemed as one of the ways of training and can be regarded as an alternative to a table-top exercise. This article presents the so-called “Operasjon Tyrsdal” serious game, inspired by a real case of extreme weather that hit the west coast of Norway. This reference case is used to add realism to the game. The game is designed for a single player, while the mechanics are framed in such a way that the player will have limited resources, and elevated event pressure over time. Beside applying an iterative Scrum method with seven Sprint cycles, we combined the development work with desk research and used the involvement of testers, including crisis responders. The resulting game has expected features and behaviors, is game(ful), but allow the player to learn through an “After Action” report that logs all player's decisions, which is intended to trigger discussions.
A Framework to Improve the Disaster Response Through a Knowledge-Based Multi-Agent System
Authors: Prudhomme Claire , Cruz Christophe , Roxin Ana , Boochs Frank
Published: June 2018

The disaster response still faces problems of collaboration due to lack of policies concerning the information exchange during the response. Moreover, plans are prepared to respond to a disaster, but drills to apply them are limited and do not allow to determine their efficiency and conflicts with other organizations. This paper presents a framework allowing for different organizations involving in the disaster response to assess their collaboration through its simulation using an explicit representation of their knowledge. This framework is based on a multi-agent system composed of three generic agent models to represent the organizational structure of disaster response. The decision-making about response actions is done through task decomposition and repartition. It is based reasoning on ontologies which provides an explicit trace of the response plans design and their execution. Such framework aims at identifying cooperation problems and testing strategies of information exchange to support the preparation of disaster response.
A Multiple Phases Approach for Design Patterns Recovery Based on Structural and Method Signature Features
Authors: Al-Obeidallah Mohammed Ghazi , Petridis Miltos , Kapetanakis Stelios
Published: June 2018

Design patterns describe both structure, behavior of classes and their relationships. They can improve software documentation, speed up the development process and enable large-scale reuse of software architectures. This article presents a multiple levels detection approach (MLDA) to recover design pattern instances from Java source code. MLDA is able to recover design pattern instances based on a generated class level representation of a subject system. Specifically, MLDA presents what is the so-called Structural Search Model (SSM) which incrementally builds the structure of each design pattern based on the generated source code model. Moreover, MLDA uses a rule-based approach to match the method signatures of the candidate design instances to that of the subject system. As the experiment results illustrate, MLDA is able to recover 23 design patterns with reasonable detection accuracy.
Unfolding Models for Asymmetric Dissimilarity Data With External Information Based on Path Structures
Authors: Tanioka Kensuke , Yadohisa Hiroshi
Published: June 2018

This article contains asymmetric dissimilarity data which is observed in various situations. In asymmetric dissimilarity data, dissimilarity from subject i to j and from subject j to i are not the same necessarily. Asymmetric multidimensional scaling (AMDS) is a visualization method for describing the asymmetric relations between subjects, given asymmetric dissimilarity data for subjects. It is sure that AMDS is a useful tool for interpreting the asymmetric relation, however, existing AMDS cannot be considered for the external information, even if the external information of the same subjects for the asymmetric dissimilarity data is given. If the estimated coordinates can be interpreted from the loading matrix for the external information like principal component analysis (PCA), the AMDS become more useful. This is because we can interpret the relation between the estimated asymmetries and the factors of the external information on the low dimensions. In this article, we proposed new AMDS with external information. In addition to that, the proposed method can consider the path structure for variables like SEM.
Jamming-Resilient Wideband Cognitive Radios with Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Aref Mohamed A. , Jayaweera Sudharman K.
Published: June 2018

This article presents a design of a wideband autonomous cognitive radio (WACR) for anti-jamming and interference-avoidance. The proposed system model allows multiple WACRs to simultaneously operate over the same spectrum range producing a multi-agent environment. The objective of each radio is to predict and evade a dynamic jammer signal as well as avoiding transmissions of other WACRs. The proposed cognitive framework is made of two operations: sensing and transmission. Each operation is helped by its own learning algorithm based on Q-learning, but both will be experiencing the same RF environment. The simulation results indicate that the proposed cognitive anti-jamming technique has low computational complexity and significantly outperforms non-cognitive sub-band selection policy while being sufficiently robust against the impact of sensing errors.
Dynamic Monitoring of Forest Volumes by a Feature Extraction Method
Authors: Jie Xu , Qi Dawei
Published: June 2018

In this article, in order to improve tree volume calculation method, a measurement method based on tree information point feature extraction is proposed, the method based on image processing and binocular vision, according to the measurement result of information point change and tree growth model, achieve through the distance change of information point to study the tree volume change. The visual measurement method is compared with the traditional method, the feasibility and accuracy of the method are proven. From the results, tree volume changes through the information point feature extraction and the traditional breast diameter measurement is very similar, the maximal percentage increase is 2.570% and 2.546%, the minimum percentage increase is 0.092% and 0.068%, which shows that volume change is consistent with the results, confirmed the tree volume change scheme of visual measurement is feasible and the result is reliable, which can reduce the impact of environmental change in the manual measurement.
Canada's groundwater resources
Authors: Rivera A
Published: June 2018

The first comprehensive synthesis of knowledge of groundwater in Canada to appear in 47 years. It provides a science-based overview and a collective understanding of the groundwater resources in Canada to support their sustainable use and
protection.
La personificación en la publicidad radiofónica. Análisis de la presencia y uso de la figura del portavoz
Authors: Perelló Oliver Salvador , Muela Molina Clara , Campos Zabala Mª Victoria
Published: June 2018

Como una forma de personificación de la marca, el presente trabajo analiza la presencia de la figura del portavoz en sus distintas modalidades y el uso que se hace de ellos en la publicidad radiofónica. Metodología: Se ha utilizado una técnica cuantitativa de análisis de contenido para analizar las cuñas emitidas en las doce emisoras comerciales de ámbito nacional de mayor audiencia (tres generalistas y nueve temáticas). El corpus de las cuñas publicitarias objeto del análisis protagonizadas por portavoces quedó configurado por 3.890 cuñas. El tipo de portavoz se ha cruzado con otras variables como tipo de anunciante, categoría de producto, tipo de mensaje y pronombre del sujeto. Resultados y conclusiones: El medio radio es más proclive a hacer uso de voces que representan personalidades de bajo perfil popular en detrimento de las celebridades que protagonizan la publicidad en otros medios.
Carotid Taenia solium Oncosphere Infection: A Novel Porcine Neurocysticercosis Model
Authors: Alroy Karen A. , Arroyo Gianfranco , Gilman Robert H. , Gonzales-Gustavson Eloy , Gallegos Linda , Gavidia Cesar M. , Verastegui Manuela , Rodriguez Silvia , Lopez Teresa , Gomez-Puerta Luis A. , Alroy Joseph , Garcia Hector H. , Gonzalez Armando E. , _ _
Published: June 2018

Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the infection of the human central nervous system (CNS) with larval cysts of Taenia solium causes widespread neurological morbidity. Animal models are crucial for studying the pathophysiology and treatment of NCC. Some drawbacks of current NCC models include differences in the pathogenesis of the model and wild-type parasite, low rates of infection efficiency and lack of reproducibility. We describe a novel porcine model that recreates infection in the CNS with high efficiency. Activated oncospheres, either in a high (45,000–50,000) or low (10,000) dose were inoculated in the common carotid artery of 12 pigs by ultrasound-guided catheterization. Following oncosphere injection, either a high (30 mL) or low (1–3 mL) volume of saline flush was also administered. Cyst burden in the CNS was evaluated independently according to oncosphere dose and flush volume. Neurocysticercosis was achieved in 8/12 (66.7%) pigs. Cyst burden in the CNS of pigs was higher in the high versus the low oncosphere dose category (median: 4.5; interquartile ranges [IQR]: 1–8 and median: 1; IQR: 0–4, respectively) and in the high versus the low flush volume category (median 5.5; IQR: 1–8 and median: 1; IQR: 0–2, respectively), although not statistically different. All cysts in the CNS were viable, whereas both viable and degenerated cysts were found in the musculature. Carotid injection of activated oncospheres in pigs is effective in reproducing NCC. Oncosphere entry into the CNS by way of vasculature mimics wild-type infection, and provides a useful alternative for future investigations on the pathogenesis and antiparasitic treatment of NCC.
De rol van nationaal beleid, schoolbeleid en leraren in de implementatie van 21e eeuwse vaardigheden
Authors: Van De Oudeweetering Karmijn , Voogt Joke
Published: June 2018

The role of national policy, school policy and teachers in the implementation of 21st century skills: Teachers’ perspectives

Despite the emphasis on 21st century skills in empirical studies and Dutch policy recommendations, it has been shown that these skills are not systematically implemented in primary and secondary schools in the Netherlands. To understand the gap between policy and practice, concerns in both fields need to be considered. However, research has taken little notice of teachers’ conceptualizations and motivations with regards to 21st century skills and their perspectives towards national policy, school policies and their daily practice. This study aimed to identify factors on the micro- meso- and macro level that may, according to teachers, play a role in the implementation of 21st century skills. Nine teachers in primary and secondary education with experience with the implementation of 21st century skills were interviewed. Qualitative analyses were adopted to examine the prevalence of existing and new ideas about influential factors. Results indicated that the rationale for and conceptualization of 21st century skills partly explained the educational innovation. Factors in national policy, including clear guidelines, adjusted regulations and larger budgets for school resources, could support school policies. In turn, school policy factors like curricula, assessments, professionalization programs, infrastructure and leadership could help to prepare teachers to achieve the relevant knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy and collaboration practices. Hence, the synergy between factors on the national- school- and teacher-level seemed crucial for the implementation of 21st century skills.
Inzetten op empowerment van ouders in de gedwongen jeugdzorg
Authors: Smulders Nienke , Hooghiemstra Erna , van Nieuwenhuizen Chijs
Published: June 2018

Encouraging parental empowerment in child protection services

In youth care, parental empowerment is increasingly being seen as an efficient way to improve family functioning. In child protection services, parents may perceive the power differences and strains between them and youth professionals as an obstacle to work effectively on their empowerment. In this article, we conducted a literature review to explore what is known about strengthening parental empowerment in child protection services. Between March 2015 and February 2016, (inter)national scientific literature was searched concerning factors influencing parental empowerment in child protection services. The relevance of studies was established by using in- and exclusion criteria. Factors influencing parental empowerment can be found on the level of the client (for instance, family functioning and the social network) and on the level of the professional (relational components and participation components). This literature review is a first step towards knowledge about what can be done to strengthen empowerment of parents in child protection services. Since few studies have focused on parents in child protection services, more research concerning parental empowerment in this specific context has to be done.
Luisterende sociologen
Authors: Lucardie Paul
Published: June 2018

Boekbespreking van Thierry Kochuyt en Koen Abts (2017) Ongehoord populisme
An Adapted Word-Sentence Association Paradigm for Generalized Anxiety and Worry: Assessing Interpretation Bias
Authors: Ogniewicz Avital S. , Dugas Michel J. , Langlois Frédéric , Gosselin Patrick , Koerner Naomi
Published: June 2018

Individuals with pathological worry, a common symptom of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), make threatening interpretations of ambiguous information related to various life domains (e.g., finances, relationships). A word-sentence association paradigm (WSAP) computer task, originally designed for social anxiety, was adapted to assess two threat-related interpretation biases common among individuals with generalized anxiety and pathological worry. The two biases, which have yet to be investigated simultaneously, include: accepting threatening interpretations and rejecting benign interpretations of ambiguous information (for the original WSAP, see Beard & Amir, 2009). It was hypothesized that endorsing threat interpretations on the WSAP would be associated with greater bias for threat on a validated self-report measure of bias, and would predict GAD symptoms and worry after trait anxiety and depression were statistically controlled. Results from a non-clinical sample (N = 148) provided support for the convergent validity of the WSAP. After controlling for trait anxiety and depression, a bias to accept threat interpretations predicted a unique and significant proportion of variance in measures of GAD symptoms and worry. A bias away from non-threat (i.e., rejecting benign interpretations) was unrelated. The WSAP shows evidence of sensitivity and specificity to GAD symptoms and worry, and appears to be a unique and specific measure of two types of threat bias making it theoretically informative and clinically useful.