bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A National Crisis and a Call to Action
Authors: Greene H. Carol , Manner Jane C
Published: June 2016

Well over 16,000,000 children live in poverty in the United States. One of the widest achievement gaps in education today exists between children from lower and upper income families. Our nation's teachers are woefully unprepared to work with children from poverty and the current soaring poverty rate is serving to exacerbate an already bad situation into a major educational crisis. Considerable dispute exists between and among differing approaches related to identifying an optimum way of perceiving and working with children of poverty, but the literature is clear that high quality professional development programs are critical for preparing teachers to work with these students. This chapter describes a program for preparing teachers to work with children of poverty that could be adapted for use in both preservice programs and also as professional development.
Professional Development for Quality Teaching and Learning
Authors: Powell Cathy G. , Bodur Yasar
Published: June 2016

Quality teaching and student achievement have been the focus of much debate and research throughout the American education system. Despite implementation of teacher professional development, concerns remained about its effectiveness regarding quality teaching and student achievement. Thus, a paradigm shift ensued to promote effective, on-going capacity-building teacher professional development, known as job-embedded professional development. Educational milieus experienced reforms ranging from high-stakes testing to the standards movement, and recently, teacher evaluations incorporating value-added measures, all of which underscore professional development significance. The purpose of this chapter is to review, analyze, and synthesize current literature on teacher professional development, the need for job-embedded professional development, implementation challenges, and the relationship between teacher professional development and student learning outcomes. The chapter also examines gaps in the literature, followed by solutions, recommendations, and future research directions.
Micromechanical and Finite Element Modeling for Composites
Authors: Gupta Ankur Kumar , Dey Arjun , Mukhopadhyay Anoop Kumar
Published: June 2016

The major areas of applications of the composite materials today encompass fields as wide as wind energy to marine to construction to aerospace to strategic areas. Apart from such specialized fields the major composite market blooms out of their extensive exploitations in the automotive, sporting goods, pipes, tanks, chemicals, fertilizers and many other industries. As compared to the conventional materials, the composites offer several unique advantages. The list of such advantages may include as a typical example the higher tensile strength, the lighter weight, the greater corrosion resistance, the better surface finish and the easier processability. It is interesting to note that in 2011, the global composite materials market size was $19.6 billion and the same is estimated now to reach approximately $34.1 billion in 2018. This amounts to a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 10.5% percent. This huge market growth of composites will require a thorough knowledge of the mechanics and mechanical properties of a wide variety of composites under a still wider variety of application dependent constraints. That is why, just to make an humble beginning in this direction, the basics of the composite materials and it's varieties, are briefly described in this Chapter. In addition, the analytical methods of continuum micromechanics have been touched upon. Keeping in view the complex microstructure of most of the composites, and the effect that such complexities can have in the resultant properties, the numerical approaches to continuum micromechanics has been highlighted with emphasis on the fundamentals of the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) based methods. Further, the concepts involved in modelling of the “Failure of composites” have been elucidated with some interesting case studies.
Artificial Neural Network and Its Application in Steel Industry
Authors: Mohanty Itishree , Bhattacherjee Dabashish
Published: June 2016

The recent developments in computational intelligence has enhances the applicability of empirical modelling in different areas particularly in the area of machine learning. These new approaches are based on analysing the data about a system, in particular finding connections between the system state variables (input, internal and output variables) without having precise knowledge about the physical behaviour of the system. These data driven methods explain advances on conventional empirical modelling and include contributions from many overlapping fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computational Intelligence (CI), Soft Computing (SC), Machine Learning (ML), Intelligent Data Analysis (IDA), and Data Mining (DM). The most popular computational intelligence techniques used in process modelling of steel industry includes neural networks, fuzzy rule-based systems, genetic algorithms as well as approaches to model integration. This chapter describes mainly the application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in steel industry. ANN has extensively used in improving and controlling different processes of steel industry like steel making, casting and rolling which lead to indirect energy savings through reduced product rejects, improved productivity and reduced down time. The efficiency of artificial neural network tool in handling steel plant processes has been discussed in detail. ANN based models are found to be very potential to handle very complex, dynamic and non-linear problems.
Data-Driven Bi-Objective Genetic Algorithms EvoNN and BioGP and Their Applications in Metallurgical and Materials Domain
Authors: Chakraborti Nirupam
Published: June 2016

Data-driven modeling and optimization are now of utmost importance in computational materials research. This chapter presents the operational details of two recent algorithms EvoNN (Evolutionary Neural net) and BioGP (Bi-objective Genetic Programming) which are particularly suitable for modeling and optimization tasks pertinent to noisy data. In both the approaches a tradeoff between the accuracy and complexity of the candidate models are sought, ultimately leading to some optimum tradeoffs. These novel strategies are tailor-made for constructing models of right complexity, excluding the non-essential inputs. They are constructed to implement the notion of Pareto-optimality using a predator-prey type genetic algorithm, providing the user with a set of optimum models, out of which an appropriate one can be easily picked up by applying some external criteria, if necessary. Several materials related problems have been solved using these algorithms in recent times and a couple of typical examples are briefly presented in this chapter.
Valuing the History, Missions and Traditions of HBCUs
Authors: Bryan Derrick M. , Stewart Felicia
Published: June 2016

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) serve the educational needs of students of African descent while providing an atmosphere of nurture and guidance enriched in cultural norms. In considering how HBCUs can remain competitive, this chapter recommends that one of the first steps is to return to the basics, reviewing the historical significance, missions and traditions of HBCUs. In doing so, this work investigates the role HBCUs play in student identity and character development by looking at the history, mission and traditions of Morehouse College and Howard University. The authors, who both are alumni of these institutions, respectively, will examine relevant documents and statements from the schools as well as provide auto-ethnographic narratives explicating the impact those institutions had on their academic, social and professional successes.
HBCUs
Authors: Sharpe Rhonda Vonshay
Published: June 2016

Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) and the NSF Awards Database, this study generates productivity per dollar invested (PDI) by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the creation of scientific research and undergraduate science and engineering scholars. The PDI is comprised of three components 1) faculty development; 2) undergraduate development; and 3) organizational development. The PDI is a metric for how efficient HBCUs and non-HBCUs are at using grant dollars to produce undergraduate science and engineering degrees. There is no statistical difference between the PDI for HBCUs and non-HBCUs. However given the difference in average grant funding, HBCUs produce more undergraduate scientists more efficiently.
Strengthening HBCU Colleges of Education for the Current Climate
Authors: Jupiter Kimberly Lenease King , Hampton Alethea Fletcher , Webb Thurman E , Greer Darreon
Published: June 2016

Central to any institution of higher education is its ability to successfully recruit and graduate students. The low graduation rates at many HBCUs is perplexing given their historical legacy. To address this woe, these authors suggest that HBCUs now face the conundrum of making themselves relevant for this generation of collegiate students. Adopting a participatory action research design (Marshall & Rossman, 2006), the authors detail their experiences to suggest strategies that will strengthen the overall college. In this chapter, the authors discuss 1) improving faculty productivity; 2) creating an environment that supports faculty success; 3) leveraging national and state accreditation expectations to improve overall program quality; and, 4) moving from an advising to mentoring model. These topics are discussed from the theoretical perspective of a change model.
Speaking in the Free Marketplace of Ideas
Authors: Idowu-Faith Bimbola
Published: June 2016

This chapter applies the mechanisms of conversational humour to interactional processes in blogs. With blogs giving room for uninhibited personal and interactional publishing which create virtual communities through written contributions that can best be regarded as conversations or “blogversations,” blogs are veritable sites for the investigation of conversational humour. Drawing its data from Linda Ikeji's Blog, the chapter investigates how the blog author creates humorous keys to induce humorous turns from her readers and how the readers respond to and sustain the humour. The chapter also examines how readers undermine the seriousness of posts lacking keyed humour by generating humour against author's expectation. As humour occurs from both author's and readers' ends, it is established that conversational humour is a collaborative effort that strengthens social bonds and acts as a tool for sustaining entertainment and for motivating blog users to visit, to speak, to hear, and to be heard again.
A Rhetoric of Visual Humor on Facebook
Authors: Coker Wincharles , Dadugblor Stephen Kwame
Published: June 2016

A decade ago, Susan C. Herring (2004) urged scholars to study discoursal patterns of computer-mediated communications and not simply their microlinguistic features. This chapter contributes to the literature by examining the rhetoric of visual humor on Facebook. The purpose of the study is two-fold: (a) to develop a conceptual framework for understanding uses of humor on Facebook, and (b) to show that humorous texts on this social networking site are argumentative in focus. Using ideas from Aristotelian rhetoric, Barthian semiotics, and Saidian discourse analysis, the work contends that Facebook visual humor tends to perform four main functions. They can be gubernatorial, institutional, cultural, or grotesque, and often ridicule societal problems in either overt or covert ways. The findings are useful for developing a conceptual framework for studying the complexities of human culture in digital spaces.
A Linguistic Analysis of Klint Da Drunk's “Alcoholic” Talk Show
Authors: Oladunjoye Faleye James
Published: June 2016

Humour is culturally constructed depending on different experiences of a people. It thrives well in an atmosphere of freedom, which makes it possible for people to unleash their creative potential in cracking jokes on certain socio-economic and political realities. The Nigerian democratic space makes it possible for the emergence of ‘stand-up comedians' who often entertain their enthusiastic audience via the English language or Nigerian Pidgin English. This creative venture reflects the innovative, entrepreneurial and imaginative usage of the English language in the entertainment industry. The ‘Alcoholic Talk Show' (ATS) of Klint da Drunk typifies this linguistic discourse. Earlier studies on effects of alcohol on utterances have been limited to those produced by the intoxicated talker. This chapter examines the language performance of a stand-up comedian whose routines are based on drunkenness with a view to identifying the linguistic characteristics of simulated alcoholic utterances. Also, it discusses the exaggerated elements and the social issues in the alcoholic jokes. The data for the study was sourced from selected YouTube recordings of Klint da Drunk and it was subjected to perceptual analysis. The transcript of the video recordings was analysed to identify lingual distortions and social issues raised by the persona, using insights from Bergson's Theory of Comedy. The analysis revealed that ATS manifests lingual distortions and speech dysfluencies that are characteristics of utterances rendered in a state of stupor. The study concluded that thespians do not only dramatise actions but also mime speech styles.
Socio-Semiotics of Humour in Ebola Awareness Discourse on Facebook
Authors: Chimuanya Lily , Ajiboye Esther
Published: June 2016

Humour has often functioned as a tool for the relief of depression, anxiety and stress. People have continually turned to humour, in serious life threatening situations in order to find relief. Facebook users eagerly expressed their thoughts and opinions on the Ebola epidemic that raged across some parts of West Africa in 2014 through humorous graphics, texts and memes posted online. An awareness of the peculiar patterns and use of such humour creating strategies is crucial to the understanding and interpretation of socio-semiotic realities of such online interactions. This study identifies and analyses specific semiotic patterns in Ebola-related graphic posts in Nigerian online social discourse, particularly on Facebook, and argues, that such posts are not merely a bunch of humour. Instead, they are informal awareness campaigns that are even more apt than explicit verbal or written messages. The study applies Kress and Leeuween's approach to multimodal discourse analysis.
Contextual Beliefs and Pragmatic Strategies in Online Humour
Authors: Adeoti Oluwatomi , Filani Ibukun
Published: June 2016

The social media in Nigeria provides an avenue where cultural practices are produced and consumed. One of such practices is joking. Specifically, a genre of jokes found in Nigeria social media space is Akpos jokes. The goal of this chapter is to explore the contextual beliefs in Akpos jokes and the pragmatic strategies employed by the writers of Akpos jokes. Akpos jokes are narratives about an imaginary character named Akpos. The study benefited from contextual belief theory (Odebunmi, 2006) while the data comprised jokes randomly picked from a blog and Facebook pages where Akpos jokes are published. The study revealed that the writer(s) of the Akpos jokes manipulate contextual beliefs like shared knowledge of language and shared knowledge of situations and events in Nigeria in order to generate humour. The writers also employ Implicature and stereotyping of the character of Akpos for humorous effects.
Natural Fibers for the Production of Green Composites
Authors: Zhang Xiaolei , Li Jun , Jain Siddharth , Verma Deepak
Published: June 2016

Development of green composite from natural fibers has gained increasing interests due to the environmental and sustainable benefits when compared with petroleum based non-degradable materials. However, a big challenge of green composites is the diversity of fiber sources, because of the large variation in the properties and characteristics of the lignocellulosic renewable resource. The lignocellulosic fibers/natural fibers used to reinforce green composites are reviewed in this chapter. A classification of fiber types and sources, the properties of various natural fibers, including structure, composition, physical and chemical properties are focused; followed by the impacts of natural fibers on composite properties, with identification of the main pathways from the natural fibers to the green composite. Furthermore, the main challenges and future trend of natural fibers are highlighted.
Green Composites and Their Properties
Authors: Verma Deepak , Gope Prakash Chandra , Zhang Xiaolei , Jain Siddharth , Dabral Rajneesh
Published: June 2016

Green composites are important class of biocomposites widely explored due to their enhanced properties. The biodegradable polymeric material is reinforced with natural fibers to form a composite that is eco-friendly and environment sustainable. The green composites have potential to attract the traditional petroleum-based composites which are toxic and nonbiodegradable. The green composites eliminate the traditional materials such as steel and wood with biodegradable polymer composites. The degradable and environment-friendly green composites were prepared by various fabrication techniques. The various properties of different fiber composite were studied as reinforcement for fully biodegradable and environmental-friendly green composites.
Coir Fiber-Reinforced Composites
Authors: Sanal Irem
Published: June 2016

Nowadays, fiber-reinforced polymer composites have played a significant role in many different fields of applications, regarding their high specific strength and high modulus. The fiber which serves as reinforcement mechanism in polymer composites may be either synthetic or natural. Natural fibers are not only strong and lightweight but also very economical and environmental friendly. Natural fibers as reinforcement are stated to be a major step taken in promoting environmental protection and sustainability. There are many types of natural cellulose fibers but the thickest and most resistant of all commercial natural fibers, coir/coconut fiber is a coarse, short fiber extracted from the outer shell of coconuts. Coir/coconut fibers have the highest concentrations of lignin, making it most suitable for applications where slow biodegradability is required. This chapter has been written with an aim to explore the potential of the coconut/coir fiber reinforced polymer composites in terms of their performance, surface treatments/modifications and areas of application.
The Consequential Relationship between Doctoral Course Design and Capstone Design
Authors: Storey Valerie A. , Fulton John
Published: June 2016

This chapter considers how doctoral programs are designed; the different types of courses available; and the relationship between program design and capstone in the U.K. and U.S.A. We will explore the variety of ways in which professional doctorate programs prepare candidates for their research study in the U.K. and the U.S.A. by drawing on quantitative data obtained from a survey of 150 higher education institutions in the two identified countries. We examine the diversity of program design; courses taken by doctoral candidates; and capstone artefact i.e. thesis/dissertation model. The global research community thrives by recognising diversity. It is therefore necessary to emphasise and promote the various doctoral models currently being designed while at the same time increase our understanding between the program design and delivery, the nature of the research produced, and methods for disseminating this new knowledge.
Practice as Research
Authors: Lester Stan
Published: June 2016

This chapter highlights the potential for live pieces of work, rather than specifically designed research projects, to be used as the basis for the outputs of professionally-oriented doctorates. Drawing on some examples from a transdisciplinary ‘practitioner' doctorate in an English university, it discusses how work that is designed to result in change or development can, if approached with sufficient methodological consideration, provide an intellectually robust basis for developing new knowledge that not only has application in practice but can also be worthy of academic dissemination. A case is made for what is here termed ‘practice as research' being regarded as an archetypal model for the practitioner or ‘Type 3' doctorate.
Conducting a Design-Based Research EdD Dissertation
Authors: Pogrow Stanley
Published: June 2016

Design-Based Research (DBR) provides a different and expanded view of the role of science and knowledge generation in educational improvement as compared to the traditional model that currently dominates educational research. This expanded view of science provides the potential to (a) produce more effective interventions and practices, (b) produce more authentic knowledge about how to improve education, (c) more actively involve leaders in the production of new practices and knowledge, and (d) provide EdD students with an applied option for conducting EdD dissertations. This chapter (a) defines DBR, (b) describes the background of the emergence of DBR, (c) provides several examples of dramatically effective interventions and describes how they were designed, and (d) describes some of the characteristics of an EdD DBR dissertation.
Educational Leaders and the Program Evaluation Dissertation with Logic Model
Authors: Stewart Tricia J.
Published: June 2016

This chapter explains what educational evaluation is, why it makes sense to teach about evaluation (program, policy, and curricular) in educational leadership programs, information about two programs (the University of Rochester and Alabama State University) that have successfully incorporated evaluation dissertations, the components of an evaluation based dissertation that include a logic model, and other items to consider for those who are interested in implementing this type of dissertation into a professional practice doctorate program. Incorporating evaluation into doctoral coursework yields many benefits to students. Initially, it provides a real world based approach for teaching the rigorous research skills required for the eventual completion of a dissertation.
The Scholarly Practitioner as Steward of the Practice
Authors: Perry Jill Alexa
Published: June 2016

This chapter reports on the results of a study that analyzed 83 student interviews and 225 student responses to open-ended questionnaire from across 21 schools of education to better understand how these students have become scholarly practitioners as a result of their education doctoral (Ed.D.) program. Applying the theoretical frames of the education profession and the Steward of the Practice, the chapter utilizes a qualitative approach to learn how students and graduates of CPED-influenced Ed.D. programs describe becoming Scholarly Practitioners and learning to apply theory to their own practice as a means to change local context.
Outward Foreign Direct Investments
Authors: Kuna-Marszałek Anetta , Kłysik-Uryszek Agnieszka
Published: June 2016

Dynamic changes that have taken place on Polish, European and global markets for the last two decades shifted significantly the conditions in which companies operate. Globalization, liberalization of capital flows, participation in the European Union not only increased competition on Polish market, but radically boosted the competitive potential of Polish firms. This, in turn resulted in growing interest in expanding the activity on international scale in the form of Outward Foreign Direct Investments (OFDI). Therefore, the aim of the chapter is to discuss the most important stimuli, which impact competitive potential of Polish companies and increase their interest in foreign activity. Moreover, theoretical background of company's internationalisation are presented, as well as the scale and structure of Polish OFDI and incentives provided by Polish institutions.
Economic Transformation of Austrian Agriculture since EU Accession
Authors: Quendler Erika , Mayer Christina , Ortner Karl Michael
Published: June 2016

After joining the European Union (EU) in 1995 Austria adopted the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This chapter reviews the changes in agricultural production and the economic situation of agriculture since the accession to the EU. The analysis is primarily based on macro-economic data from the Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA) over the period between 1995 and 2014. Select examples identify the developments applicable for Austria – also in comparison to other EU countries and groups of countries as well as to Switzerland. Expectations and forecasts regarding the consequences of integration, e.g. changes in the price levels, have been more or less fulfilled but there is a need for further research on the development of regions and on special issues such as the resilience of Austrian agriculture.
Sustainable Tourism Development of Rural Areas in Serbia as a Precondition to Competitiveness
Authors: Vuković Predrag , Subic Jonel
Published: June 2016

Rural tourism has been developing in Serbia since the 1970s. However, from the beginning of the 1990s, the development stopped. The development trend was only continued in the second half of the 1990s, and fast-paced development began in 2006. Rural tourism presents in various forms in Serbia. They are conditioned by natural geographic terrain characteristics, social and cultural elements, and strategic plans for tourism development. What appears as a problem in the development of rural tourism is the question of its sustainable development. The development of rural tourism should under no circumstances jeopardise the natural and social environment in the rural areas, as these aspects are the very basic tourist attraction and the “push and pull” force that animates the tourist demand. The goal of this chapter is to investigate the resources available in Serbia and show the possible directions in the rural tourism development, mainly based on the principle of sustainable development, as a precondition for the country's competitiveness on the tourism market.
Educators and Mobile
Authors: Harvey Kenneth E. , Auter Philip J. , Stevens Samantha
Published: June 2016

More practical and experiential education was the demand of executives recently surveyed about how universities could better meet employers' needs (Harvey & Manweller, 2015). As an alternative, with enhanced Web and mobile technologies, executives are seeing the opportunity to provide employees access to essential education in the workplace. Global e-learning is expected to top $107 billion in 2015 (Pappas, 2015), and U.S. corporations each year are now spending $1,169 per employee on training (Bersin, 2014b). Bersin says organizations are facing not a lack of employees but a lack of key skills among employees, and that is driving the trend (Bersin, 2014b). Harvard's Clayton Christensen, famous for his theories on disruptive technologies, suggests that even Harvard could be in jeopardy if it does not respond to these trends (Christensen, 2012). This chapter explores different strategies and technologies that can help meet these demands, and includes a case study of a university plan that makes distance learning more faculty-friendly, student-accessible, and cost-effective.
Learners-Mobile Interaction
Authors: Kelebeng Kushatha , Mlalazi Rebaone , Gosekwang Keorapetse , Phalaagae Pendukeni , Mangwa Tebogo , Kebonang Tebogo , Morapedi Thotobolo
Published: June 2016

The increasing demand for education in African continent has motivated more research in mobile learning to describe, explain and predict changes and chances in leveraging mobile technology to learn anytime and anywhere. Mobile technologies provide learning beyond the classroom walls where learners can have access to resources according to their needs without involving teachers. In developing countries like Africa, mobile learning is still gaining its ground and remains under-studied. With technological advancements and high usage of mobile phones in Africa, the educational horizon has broadened. Mobile learning plays a major role in delivering education in Africa. The rapid use of mobile devices in mobile learning projects in Africa confirm that mobile learning is transforming the traditional way of learning, teaching and delivery of education by integrating social media and advanced mobile technologies in education. After a critical look at the current status as well as the latest development in mobile learning, this chapter presents a road map of m-learning to guide future action and thinking of learners, teachers and institutions in Africa. It also tracks trends and their impact, key theories and key findings of mobile learning. The current chapter ends with a critical analysis of technologies and key theories that can contribute to the sustenance of mobile learning in the African continent.
Government and Mobile
Authors: Li Wendy
Published: June 2016

This chapter presents a comprehensive review of what has been examined in the past and what needs to be explored in the future concerning mobile government (m-government). As an emerging branch of mobile services, m-government intends to help governments to better serve for the public, the business and non-government organizations with the assistance of mobile technologies. Although m-government originated from electronic government (e-government), it is not just a simple extension in respect to technological developments but a transformation from e-government to m-government. What matters most and is worthy of being further enhanced in this revolutionary process is the improvement of government's mobility instead of up-to-date technologies. That is to say, the shift from e-government to m-government is a game change instead of a gear change.
Intermediality and Video Games
Authors: Zourgani Mehdi Debbabi , Lalu Julien , Weisser Matthieu
Published: June 2016

This chapter proposes to study intermediality in video games in order to highlight media interactions. The purpose is to analyze some intermedia processes to illustrate how intermediality can create signification. The chapter is focused on the survival horror game Silent Hill 2 (Konami, 2001). More specifically, it is about, but not only, two protagonists: James Sunderland and Eddie Dombrowski. Analyses follow three different intermediality levels that can be applied in video games to get a better comprehension of it. The co-presence shows what is played between the media included in the game. The transfer has an interest to the links between video games and other objects in order to find how its language is created. Silent Hill 2, as a Japanese production, includes many Japanese symbols. The emergence reveals what creates the specific identity of the video game as a medium by observing the interactions between the different media composing it.
Weaving Nature Mage
Authors: Franco Claudio Pires
Published: June 2016

This chapter is based on the analysis of previous cross-media game adaptations, on empirical research, and on reflection on practice with the design of a game concept for a fantasy book. Book-to-game adaptations are particularly interesting examples of cross-media adaptation. They not only weave the literary source text with intertexts from the game medium, but also require a modal transposition from the realm of words to a visual, interactive, multimodal medium where narrative and ludic logics intersect. This study proposes to look at different layers of cross-media intertextuality in the process of adaptation - at the level of specific texts, at the level of medium conventions, and at the level of genre conventions. It draws on crowd-sourcing research with readers to demonstrate that collaboration operates through multi-layered processes of collective intertextuality through which the intertextual repertoires of individuals meet to weave a final text.
Interprocedurality
Authors: Simão de Vasconcellos Marcelo , Garcia de Carvalho Flávia , Soares de Araujo Inesita
Published: June 2016

Intertextuality is present in most digital games since their beginnings. However, despite its importance for understanding games, research about the theme tends to be disproportionally rare and limited to representational aspects (text, images, audio, etc.), leaving out games' most distinctive characteristics, namely, their rules and mechanics. Since the classic concept of intertextuality does not account for this dimension, the authors propose a concept that is to games what intertextuality is for texts, combining principles of intertextuality with the theory of procedural rhetoric, which deals with the construction of meaning in digital games. This concept, interprocedurality, describes the explicit or implicit inclusion of other games' rules and mechanics in a given game. As a way to exemplify its presence in a specific game, this chapter presents a brief analysis of the interprocedurality occurring in the digital game Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the findings it generated.
Architextuality and Video Games
Authors: Katsaridou Maria , Thibault Mattia
Published: June 2016

Even though literary genres are instrumental for the study and analysis of video games, we should also take into consideration that, nowadays, the boundaries of literature have been crossed and we have to deal with a broader transmedia reality. Approaching it can be quite challenging and, in addition to the already existing genre theory, it requires the implementation of appropriate analytic tools, both adaptable to different languages and media and able to reconstruct and motivate the isotopies woven into the net. In the authors' opinion, semiotics is particularly suitable for this task, for many reasons. The aim of this chapter, then, is to propose a semiotic methodology, oriented toward the analysis of the architextual aspects of video games. Two case studies will be taken into consideration, in order to shed some light on the inner working of architexts featuring video games, as one of their most relevant components: the horror genre and the high fantasy genre.
Paratext
Authors: Dunne Daniel J.
Published: June 2016

This chapter examines paratext as an active element within video games. Paratext, as taken from Gérard Genette's works has often been cited within the context of video games, but not examined in detail. Current scholarship focuses on epitext, but not peritext, which is Genette's primary focus. Mia Consalvo and Peter Lunenfeld's work discuss the epitextual importance of paratext within video games, with only a hint towards the importance of peritext. Through a brief exploration of paratext's history in both literature and games, this chapter will reveal a need for deeper analysis within video game studies. Focusing on in-game, in-system and in-world types of paratexts this paper will attempt to formalise the unaddressed issue of paratext in video games.
A Study of Clinical Patterns and Causative Agents of Adverse Cutaneous Drug Reactions
Authors: Mahatme Nilesh , Narasimharao R
Published: June 2016

Background:

Cutaneous eruptions are the most frequently reported adverse reactions to drugs. The pattern of cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) and the causative drugs keeps changing every year.

Objective:

The study was designed to ascertain the different clinical patterns of CADRs and to determine the causative agents.

Materials and Methods:

A prospective observational nonrandomized hospital-based study was carried out over a period of 6 months. The CADRs as observed in the outpatient and inpatient Departments of Dermatology were recorded. Naranjo's algorithm was used to determine the causality assessment. Clinical pattern of these adverse drug cutaneous reactions was studied. Causality assessment was done with the help of Naranjo's algorithm.

Results:

A total of fifty patients diagnosed to have CADRs were included in the study. The most common type of CADRs was urticaria (30%) followed by fixed drug eruption (FDE) (24%) and maculopapular eruption (12%). Antimicrobial agents (AMAs) (48%) were responsible for majority of the detected reactions, followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24%), antihypertensives (8%), and antiepileptics (4%). A total of 41 reactions (82%) showed probable causal association, 4 reactions had possible association (8%), and 5 cases of cutaneous drug reaction (10%) showed definite causal association with the drug.

Conclusion:

A wide clinical spectrum of CADRs ranging from FDE to mild maculopapular rash to serious Stevens–Johnson syndrome was observed. Most of these drug eruptions were caused by AMAs. The occurrence of CADRs in the present study was in concurrence to various studies conducted in India.
Successful Use of Cyclosporine in the Treatment of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis
Authors: Saoji Vikrant , Hazare Shilpa , Choudhary Sanjiv
Published: June 2016

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is an acute life-threatening disease associated with a high mortality. Systemic corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and intravenous gamma globulins have been used in the treatment with variable results. We report five cases of TEN treated successfully with cyclosporine monotherapy. All the patients presented with severe disease. All the patients received cyclosporine 3–5 mg/kg/day for an average duration of 5–10 days depending on the clinical response. All the patients recovered without any sequel. No significant side effects were noted in all the five patients except for one patient who developed acute nephrotoxicity. All the five patients were discharged from the hospital by the end of 2 weeks, thus decreasing the hospital stay due to a favorable outcome and early recovery. Cyclosporine in TEN patients is not only a lifesaving drug, but also it is cost-effective. This case series demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the short course of cyclosporine monotherapy in the treatment of TEN.
Disulfiram-Induced Toxic Pustuloderma (Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis)
Authors: Jadhav Prashant B.
Published: June 2016

Disulfiram, given for alcohol de-addiction, can induce multiple skin reactions and systemic adverse reactions, which can be fatal at times. Here, we report a case of toxic pustuloderma due to disulfiram in a 47-year-old Indian male.
Photosensitive Lichenoid Drug Eruption Due to Zonisamide
Authors: Vasani Resham , Verma Shyam
Published: June 2016

Zonisamide is a sulfonamide anticonvulsant now being increasingly used in the management of seizure disorders. We report possibly, the first case of a photosensitive lichenoid drug eruption due to zonisamide in a middle-aged male.
Tuberculin Purified Protein Derivative Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Viral Warts
Authors: Nimbalkar Ajay , Pande Sushil , Sharma Ramesh , Borkar Milind
Published: June 2016

Introduction:

Viral warts are caused by human papillomavirus. Although various treatment modalities are available, many of them result in the partial clearance of warts or recurrence. Immunotherapy has been tried in the recent times with variable success rates. We undertook a study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy using tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) for the treatment of viral warts.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 45 patients were included in the study. Each patient was injected with 10 TU of tuberculin PPD (0.1 ml) intralesionally in the largest wart at 2 weekly interval. A total of maximum six treatment sessions were conducted. Resolution of viral warts was considered as the clinical end point of the study. The clinical assessment was done by photographic measurements at baseline, before each treatment session, and 3 weeks after the completion of treatment.

Results:

A total of 62.2% patients (28 out of 45) showed complete clearance at injected and distant warts, eight patients (17.8%) showed partial clearance, and nine patients (20%) showed no improvement. No significant side effects were observed except for localized hair loss around injected viral wart over the scalp.

Conclusion:

Tuberculin PPD immunotherapy was found to be a safe and effective treatment modality for the treatment of viral warts.
Модель неавтономной динамики, управляемой повторяющимся гармоническим взаимодействием
Authors: Zagrebnov Valentin Anatol'evich , Tamura Hiroshi
Published: June 2016

Рассмотрена точно решаемая модель неавтономной $W^*$-динамики, управляющейся повторяющимся гармоническим взаимодействием. Динамика является гамильтоновой и квазисвободной. Вследствие неупругого взаимодействия в пределе больших времен происходит релаксация начальных состояний к стационарным состояниям. Выведена в явном виде скорость производства энтропии, сопровождающего эту релаксацию. Также изучается эволюция различных подсистем для прояснения корреляции событий и сходимости к равновесным состояниям. Доказано, что в пределе малого времени взаимодействия $W^*$-динамика проявляет универсальное стационарное поведение.
Явление буферности в кольцевых генных сетях
Authors: Glyzin Sergey Dmitrievich , Kolesov Andrei Yurevich , Rozov Nikolai Khristovich
Published: June 2016

Рассматриваются кольцевые цепочки однонаправленно связанных дифференциально-разностных уравнений с запаздыванием, являющиеся математическими моделями искусственных осцилляторных генных сетей. Устанавливается, что при подходящем выборе параметров в этих системах реализуется феномен буферности: сосуществует любое наперед заданное конечное число устойчивых периодических движений специального вида - так называемых бегущих волн.
Фундаментальные константы в теории двумерных покрывающих деревьев
Authors: Pogosyan Vahagn S , Priezzhev Vyacheslav Borisovich
Published: June 2016

Три характеристики двумерных покрывающих деревьев связаны между собой нетривиальными соотношениями: средняя высота в модели "песочной горки",
петлевая константа квадратной решетки и вероятность возврата случайного блуждания со стертыми петлями. Кратко прослежена долгая история
вывода их неожиданных рациональных значений.
Коммутаторные тождества на ассоциативных алгебрах, разностное неабелево уравнение Хироты и его редукции
Authors: Pogrebkov Andrei Konstantinovich
Published: June 2016

Показано, что неабелево разностное уравнение Хироты непосредственно связано с коммутаторным тождеством на ассоциативной алгебре. Уравнения эволюции, порождаемые преобразованиями подобия элементов этой алгебры, приводят к линейному разностному уравнению. Построена специальная процедура одевания, дающая интегрируемое неабелево разностное уравнение Хироты. Предложены две регулярные процедуры редукции, приводящие к некоторым известным уравнениям, абелевым и неабелевым, равно как и к некоторым новым интегрируемым уравнениям.
Quantification of Uncertainties in OCO-2 Measurements of XCO2: Simulations and Linear Error Analysis
Authors: Connor Brian , Boesch Hartmut , McDuffie James , Taylor Tommy , Fu Dejian , Frankenberg Christian , O'Dell Chris , Payne Vivienne , Gunson Michael , Pollock Randy , Hobbs Jonathan , Oyafuso Fabiano , Jiang Yibo
Published: June 2016

Abstract. We present an analysis of uncertainties in global measurements of the column averaged dry-air mole fraction of CO2 ('XCO2') by the NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, ('OCO-2'). The analysis is based on our best estimates for uncertainties in the OCO-2 operational algorithm and its inputs, and uses simulated spectra calculated for the actual flight and sounding geometry, with measured atmospheric analyses. The simulations are calculated for land nadir and ocean glint observations. We include errors in measurement, smoothing, interference, and forward model parameters. All types of error are combined to estimate the uncertainty in XCO2 from single soundings, before any attempt at bias correction has been made. From these results we also estimate the 'variable error' which differs between soundings, to infer the error in the difference of XCO2 between any two soundings. The most important error sources are aerosol interference, spectroscopy, and instrument calibration. Aerosol is the largest source of variable error. Variable errors are usually
Tropospheric delay parameters from numerical weather models for multi-GNSS precise positioning
Authors: Lu Cuixian , Zus Florian , Ge Maorong , Heinkelmann Robert , Dick Galina , Wickert Jens , Schuh Harald
Published: June 2016

Abstract. The recent dramatic development of multi-GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) constellations brings great opportunities and potential for more enhanced precise positioning, navigation, timing, and other applications. Significant improvement on positioning accuracy, reliability, as well as convergence time with the multi-GNSS fusion can be observed in comparison with the single-system processing like GPS (Global Positioning System). In this study, we develop a numerical weather model (NWM)-constrained PPP processing system to improve the multi-GNSS precise positioning. Tropospheric delay parameters which are derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) analysis are applied to the multi-GNSS PPP, a combination of four systems: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. Observations from stations of the IGS (International GNSS Service) Multi-GNSS Experiments (MGEX) network are processed, with both the standard multi-GNSS PPP and the developed NWM-constrained multi-GNSS PPP processing. The high quality and accuracy of the tropospheric delay parameters derived from ECMWF are demonstrated through comparison and validation with the IGS final tropospheric delay products. Compared to the standard PPP solution, the convergence time is shortened by 32.0 %, 37.5 %, and 25.0 % for the north, east, and vertical components, respectively, with the NWM-constrained PPP solution. The positioning accuracy also benefits from the NWM-constrained PPP solution, which gets improved by 2.5 %, 12.1 %, and 18.7 % for the north, east, and vertical components, respectively.
Investigation of a potential HCHO measurement artifact from ISOPOOH
Authors: St. Clair Jason M. , Rivera-Rios Jean C. , Crounse John D. , Praske Eric , Kim Michelle J. , Wolfe Glenn M. , Keutsch Frank N. , Wennberg Paul O. , Hanisco Thomas F.
Published: June 2016

Abstract. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that a first generation isoprene oxidation product, ISOPOOH, can decompose to methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) on instrument surfaces, leading to overestimates of MVK and MACR concentrations. Formaldehyde (HCHO) was suggested as a decomposition co-product, raising concern that in situ HCHO measurements may also be affected by an ISOPOOH interference. The HCHO measurement artifact from ISOPOOH for the NASA In Situ Airborne Formaldehyde instrument (ISAF) was investigated for the two major ISOPOOH isomers, (1,2)-ISOPOOH and (4,3)-ISOPOOH, under dry and humid conditions. The dry conversion of ISOPOOH to HCHO was 3 ± 2 % and 6 ± 4 % for (1,2)-ISOPOOH and (4,3)-ISOPOOH, respectively. Under humid (RH = 40–60 %) conditions, conversion to HCHO was 6 ± 4 % for (1,2)-ISOPOOH and 10 ± 5 % for (4,3)-ISOPOOH. The measurement artifact caused by conversion of ISOPOOH to HCHO in the ISAF instrument was estimated for data obtained on the 2013 September 6 flight of the Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) campaign. Prompt ISOPOOH conversion to HCHO was the source for