bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fire management and the nesting of Athene cunicularia (Aves, Strigidae) in grasslands in central Cerrado, Brazil
Authors: Tubelis Dárius Pukenis , Delitti Welington Braz Carvalho
Published: September 2010

Fire management is a common practice in several reserves in the Cerrado, but its influences on bird reproduction remain unknown. In addition, the nesting biology of the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) has been studied in numerous environments, but not in tropical grasslands managed by fire. This study examined the effects of fire management on the nesting biology of A. cunicularia in Emas National Park, State of Goias, central Brazilian Cerrado. We compared the number of breeding pairs and their burrows in October and November 2009 at 15 study sites in grasslands managed by fire (firebreaks) and unmanaged grasslands adjacent to and distant from firebreaks. We visited active burrows two-four times and described the burrow entrances and sentinel sites and counted and observed adults and young. A total of 19 burrows were found at firebreaks. One and two burrows were found in grasslands adjacent to and distant from firebreaks, respectively. For all burrows found, one to three young reached the adult size, being able to fly and/or run in early November. The 22 burrows found were in the ground, associated or not with termite and ant nests. Most (86.4%) burrows had only one entrance. Only three burrows had two or three entrances. Structures used as sentinel perches by adults were mounds in front of the burrow entrances, termite nests, shrubs and trees. Most of these sentinel sites were shorter than 2 m high and located less than 10 m from the burrow entrance. At Emas National Park, firebreaks appear to provide more attractive conditions to the nesting of A. cunicularia than unmanaged grasslands, likely because of the short herbaceous stratum due to frequent burning of firebreaks. This study suggests that fire management provides suitable conditions for the successful reproduction of A. cunicularia in firebreaks at Emas National Park.
Répteis em fragmentos de Cerrado e Mata Atlântica no Campo das Vertentes, Estado de Minas Gerais, Sudeste do Brasil
Authors: Sousa Bernadete Maria de , Nascimento Ana Elisa Resgalla do , Gomides Samuel Campos , Rios Celso Henrique Varela , Hudson Alexandre de Assis , Novelli Iara Alves
Published: September 2010

Os dados sobre a fauna reptiliana em Minas Gerais são pontuais e revelam carência de informações sobre esse grupo, principalmente em regiões de transição entre a Mata Atlântica e o Cerrado. A área do estudo está situada no município de Ritápolis (21° 01' 37.07" S e 44° 19' 11.84" O), microrregião Campo das Vertentes, Estado de Minas Gerais, Sudeste do Brasil. Pretendeu-se com a presente pesquisa conhecer a composição da fauna de répteis local. As observações, capturas e coletas foram realizadas quinzenalmente, durante dois dias consecutivos, de agosto de 2005 a julho de 2006. As capturas foram realizadas por meio de armadilhas de interceptação e queda, distribuídas em oito sítios, sendo quatro em área de mata de galeria e quatro em área aberta, perfazendo um esforço amostral de 6.912 horas-balde. Foi também realizada procura ativa e encontros ocasionais com registros fotográficos dos espécimes, e, no caso de serpentes, alguns exemplares foram entregues por terceiros quando encontradas mortos. Registrou-se a presença de 31 espécies de répteis, sendo duas espécies de cágados, nove de lagartos, duas de anfisbenas e 18 de serpentes. Apenas os lagartos Cercosaura ocellata, Enyalius bilineatus e Tupinambis merianae e as serpentes Leptodeira annulata e Apostolepis assimilis foram capturados nas armadilhas de queda. Os lagartos mais comuns foram Ameiva ameiva e Mabuya frenata, e as serpentes mais abundantes foram Oxyrhophus guibei e Sibynomorphus mikanii. Os lagartos estão bem representados na área, com espécies típicas de mata, como Enyalius bilineatus, e de áreas aberta de cerrado, como Ameiva ameiva e Mabuya frenata. A fauna de serpentes possui representantes típicos de áreas abertas do Cerrado, como O. guibei e Micrurus frontalis, e de regiões florestadas, como Liophis poecilogyrus e Philodryas olfersii. A diversidade de espécies de répteis e o registro prévio de Amphisbaena dubia e Hydromedusa tectifera para o Estado de Minas Gerais indicam a grande potencialidade do Campo das Vertentes em revelar a ocorrência de espécies novas ou a ampliação na distribuição de outras.
Anfíbios anuros da RPPN Campo Escoteiro Geraldo Hugo Nunes, Município de Guapimirim, Rio de Janeiro, Sudeste do Brasil
Authors: Silva-Soares Thiago , Hepp Fabio , Costa Paulo Nogueira , Luna-Dias Cyro de , Gomes Márcia dos Reis , Silva Ana Maria Paulino Telles de Carvalho e , Silva Sergio Potsch de Carvalho e
Published: September 2010

Os anfíbios anuros da RPPN Campo Escoteiro Geraldo Hugo Nunes, localizado no Município de Guapimirim, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, foram inventariados e estudados. A região é um remanescente de Mata Atlântica de Baixada que ocupa 45,2 ha e está situada sobre um solo hidromórfico que favorece a ocorrência de áreas alagadas permanentes e temporárias. Para o inventário, realizamos excursões para coleta e registro de anfíbios desde a década de 80, estando este material tombado na coleção zoológica do Instituto de Biologia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Um total de 40 espécies de anfíbios da ordem Anura foi encontrado na região, distribuídas em 10 famílias: Hylidae (N = 23), Bufonidae (4), Leptodactylidae (4), Cycloramphidae (2), Microhylidae (2), Brachycephalidae, Craugastoridae, Hemiphractidae, Leiuperidae e Strabomantidae com uma espécie cada.
Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera e Trichoptera assemblages in Miranda River basin, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil
Authors: Righi-Cavallaro Karina Ocampo , Spies Marcia Regina , Siegloch Ana Emilia
Published: September 2010

The knowledge on the Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) assemblages in running waters of Mato Grosso do Sul State is still deficient. As a contribution to improve this situation, this study presents an inventory of immature EPT assemblages in Miranda River basin. The samples were collected between January and September 2006 from 4th to 7th orders river reaches. A total of 3069 larvae were collected, belonging to 49 genera and 17 families. The caddisflies presented the greatest abundance while the mayflies presented the greatest richness. Of the larvae collected, 22 genera of Ephemeroptera and 20 of Trichoptera are new occurrences for the State. The high genera richness observed in this study, with sites subjected to moderate to high human impacts, as well as the high genera richness indicated by non-parametric estimators and by the genera accumulation curve, indicate that the EPT richness of Miranda River basin is high. This result seems to be related to the environmental heterogeneity of the basin catchment (Cerrado and Pantanal biomes; carbonate, sedimentary and basaltic rocks). Additionally, these results should incentive future ecological and environmental integrity studies in the region, which are urgent in a landscape under fast anthropogenic impacts.
Comparative water use of native and invasive plants at multiple scales: a global meta‐analysis
Authors: Cavaleri Molly A. , Sack Lawren
Published: September 2010

Ecohydrology and invasive ecology have become increasingly important in the context of global climate change. This study presents the first in‐depth analysis of the water use of invasive and native plants of the same growth form at multiple scales: leaf, plant, and ecosystem. We reanalyzed data for several hundred native and invasive species from over 40 published studies worldwide to glean global trends and to highlight how patterns vary depending on both scale and climate. We analyzed all pairwise combinations of co‐occurring native and invasive species for higher comparative resolution of the likelihood of an invasive species using more water than a native species and tested for significance using bootstrap methods. At each scale, we found several‐fold differences in water use between specific paired invasive and native species. At the leaf scale, we found a strong tendency for invasive species to have greater stomatal conductance than native species. At the plant scale, however, natives and invasives were equally likely to have the higher sap flow rates. Available data were much fewer for the ecosystem scale; nevertheless, we found that invasive‐dominated ecosystems were more likely to have higher sap flow rates per unit ground area than native‐dominated ecosystems. Ecosystem‐scale evapotranspiration, on the other hand, was equally likely to be greater for systems dominated by invasive and native species of the same growth form. The inherent disconnects in the determination of water use when changing scales from leaf to plant to ecosystem reveal hypotheses for future studies and a critical need for more ecosystem‐scale water use measurements in invasive‐ vs. native‐dominated systems. The differences in water use of native and invasive species also depended strongly on climate, with the greater water use of invasives enhanced in hotter, wetter climates at the coarser scales.
Bulimic and Depressive Symptoms: Self-Discrepancies and Acceptance
Authors: Deming Amanda , Lynn Steven Jay
Published: September 2010

We tested 342 female undergraduate students to test predictions derived from self-discrepancy theory with the goal of distinguishing self-perceptions associated with commonly comorbid bulimic and depressive symptoms. Consistent with our predictions and previous research, symptoms of eating pathology no longer remained correlated significantly when we statistically controlled for generic actual-ideal self-discrepancy scores associated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the correlation between bulimic symptoms and specific self-discrepancies (i.e., physical attractiveness, perfectionism, self-control, acceptance by others, self-acceptance, and social competence) was larger than correlations related to generic self-discrepancies. Two self-discrepancies—self-control and physical attractiveness — accounted for the most variance in bulimic symptoms above and beyond depression. Scores on an acceptance scale were negatively correlated with scores on measures of bulimic symptoms, depression, anxiety, and social desirability, as well as with self-discrepancies related to openness to new experiences, acceptance by self, and acceptance by others ( p < .01). Our results highlight the value of self-discrepancy theory in distinguishing individuals with depressive and eating disordered symptoms. Treatment and theoretical implications are discussed.
Retention of Cadmium and Zinc from Aqueous Solutions by Poly(acrylic Acid)-Assisted Ultrafiltration
Authors: Dorra Ennigrou Jellouli , Mourad Ben Sikali , Mahmoud Dhahbi
Published: September 2010

Cadmium and zinc removal from aqueous solution by polyelectrolyte enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) process was investigated using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) with an average molecular weight of 100 kDa. The ultrafiltration studies were carried out using a tangential cell system equipped with 10.000 MWCO regenerated cellulose. Several parameters, such as transmembrane pressure, PAA concentration, pH and ionic strength, have been optimized to improve the retention of the metal ions. The removal of Cd2+ and Zn2+ is more than 96% and 94%, respectively, when each ion was studied separately. The study of pH effect on the cadmium and zinc recovery reveals retentions almost around 85% and 78% respectively at pH 5. Selectivity was studied using a solution containing the two metal ions. It was found that zinc retention decreases compared to single metal solutions, which is more significant in the case of cadmium ions.
Factors Affecting Reading Speed Measurements of Coloured Web Pages
Authors: Gradišar Mirko , Turk Tomaž , Humar Iztok
Published: September 2010

Factors Affecting Reading Speed Measurements of Coloured Web Pages

Most of web-based systems use a fashion-driven graphical user interface design which does not necessarily provide the readers with high reading performance of colour variations of text and background. Many studies addressed this problem but none of them succeeded in offering complete and conclusive results in form of reading performance table which could be used in practice. The aim of this paper is to find reasons for these incomplete results. In our research, we firstly analyzed different experiment designs described in the literature and proposals for further research. Consequently, we tried to find an improved design and carried out an experiment involving 270 students who tested 30 web-safe colour combinations. However, our experiment also did not reveal statistically significant differences in reading speed. Therefore the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method was performed to show that the speed of reading cannot be described as a one-dimensional problem.
Knowledge Management in the Hotel Industry Before and After the Entry in the EU: The Case of Slovenia
Authors: Rudež Helena
Published: September 2010

Knowledge Management in the Hotel Industry Before and After the Entry in the EU: The Case of Slovenia

The paper deals with the impact of the EU entry on knowledge management in the hotel industry in Slovenia. For this purpose, the empirical research on knowledge management was carried out among hotel managers. It explored the changes in knowledge management between 2003 and 2006; that is before and after Slovenia entered the EU. The research revealed a progress in this period of time in knowledge management goals definition, transformation of not-owned into owned knowledge, inclusion of knowledge management in business reports, identification and elimination of the gaps between planned and actual knowledge. On the other hand, there was no further progress in the field of strategies and policy of knowledge management, perception of the importance of knowledge management's measurement, development of measures of knowledge management and diminishment of barriers to knowledge development. Further, several recommendations are suggested for hotel managers.
Dynamic Nature of the Placebo Response
Authors: George Steven Z. , Robinson Michael E.
Published: September 2010

Traditionally, placebo has been associated with using an inert substance, in part so the subsequent response could be attributed to the target treatment, controlling for the confound of a “placebo effect.” Placebo's link with inert substances is so strong that “sham treatment” is a common synonym, and widespread placebo use is discouraged—even when there is supporting evidence for its effectiveness. Recent research has helped to redefine placebo, and this editorial will highlight key information supporting a contemporary view of placebo.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2010;40(8):452–454. doi:10.2519/jospt.2010.0107
Properties and applications of Zeolites
Authors: Rhodes Christopher J.
Published: September 2010

Zeolites are aluminosilicate solids bearing a negatively charged honeycomb framework of micropores into which molecules may be adsorbed for environmental decontamination, and to catalyse chemical reactions. They are central to green-chemistry since the necessity for organic solvents is minimised. Proton-exchanged (H) zeolites are extensively employed in the petrochemical industry for cracking crude oil fractions into fuels and chemical feedstocks for other industrial processes. Due to their ability to perform cation-exchange, in which the cations that are originally present to counterbalance the framework negative charge may be exchanged out of the zeolite by cations present in aqueous solution, zeolites are useful as industrial water-softeners, in the removal of radioactive Cs+and Sr2+cations from liquid nuclear waste and in the removal of toxic heavy metal cations from groundwaters and run-off waters. Surfactant-modified zeolites (SMZ) find particular application in the co-removal of both toxic anions and organic pollutants. Toxic anions such as arsenite, arsenate, chromate, cyanide and radioactive iodide can also be removed by adsorption into zeolites that have been previously loaded with co-precipitating metal cations such as Ag+and Pb2+which form practically insoluble complexes that are contained within the zeolite matrix.
Synthesis and Structures of 8-Benzyl[2.2]Metaparacyclophanes
Authors: Sharma Bigyan , Shinoda Naoki , Miyamoto Shinpei , Yamato Takehiko
Published: September 2010

A convenient preparation of 8-benzyl[2.2]metaparacyclophanes using TiCl4 catalysed Friedel–Crafts benzylation of arenes with 8-bromomethyl[2.2]metaparacyclophane is described. The structures of these novel 8-benzyl[2.2]meta-paracyclophanes in solution are also discussed.
Gustave Cotteau's posthumous 1897 monograph on Miocene Spatangus (Echinoidea) of France, the missing plate 13, and the death of Paléontologie française
Authors: Stokes Robert B.
Published: September 2010

The first issue of Cotteau's monograph on the post-Eocene echinoids of France, destined to be his final contribution to Paléontologie française, had reached proof stage when he died in 1894. A limited number of copies of this first part, which included twelve plates, was printed for private circulation. Subsequently the section of the genus Spatangus was published in Isère as a posthumous journal article with the same twelve plates. Plate 13, of Spatangus heinzi Gauthier, whilst called for in the text, was not included. This paper presents the missing plate 13 which was prepared separately in the Yonne and never previously published; it identifies errors which were not corrected in the published version, and differences between Cotteau's original proof version and that which was published. It also briefly summarises the history of the publication of the echinoid volumes of Paléontologie française and the reluctance of the publisher, George Masson, to continue its production.
La voie de la fratrie pour affronter le surmoi
Authors: Rosenberg Anne
Published: September 2010

Résumé L’élaboration d’un mouvement contre transférentiel mobilise le surmoi institutionnel et souligne le transfert fraternel. La fratrie apparaît comme une scène où s’incarnent les instances psychiques. Le jeu avec les objets internes rend supportable la désidéalisation et permet d’affronter le surmoi. La lecture du Trouble de mémoire sur l’Acropole de Freud illustre l’appui sur la fratrie pour renforcer la différenciation moi?surmoi.
Helene Deutsch, pionnière du féminin
Authors: Parat Hélène
Published: September 2010

Résumé Helene Deutsch a été une pionnière dans l’élaboration théorique au sujet du « continent noir » de la sexualité féminine, mais elle a longtemps été cantonnée à n’être qu’un épigone de Freud, au mépris de ses contributions originales. Or, elle s’en démarque très clairement, quoique de façon diplomatique, sur des points essentiels, et ce, dès sa première contribution sur la question, Psychanalyse des fonctions sexuelles de la femme (1925), ouvrage contemporain des textes de Freud sur la différence sexuelle et la disparition du complexe d’Œdipe, mais antérieur à ses deux articles sur la féminité des années 1930. En particulier, elle fut la première à affirmer l’importance de l’oralité dans la genèse de la réceptivité et passivité féminine, elle a insisté sur les spécificités de l’ angoisse de castration chez la petite fille et travaillé en profondeur la question du masochisme féminin, à travers l’approche des grandes étapes de la vie féminine. Ses suggestions dans cet ouvrage princeps rencontrent des réflexions que d’autres, comme Melanie Klein par exemple, développeront ou que les théorisations d’aujourd’hui soulignent à loisir tel le lien entre féminité et passivité/réceptivité.
L'impuissance de Dieu (Présentation)
Authors: Aubry Gwenaëlle
Published: September 2010

Résumé Les études ici réunies visent à explorer la résurgence, dans la philosophie et la théologie contemporaines, du motif de l’impuissance de Dieu. La question n’est plus seulement celle, comme dans la pensée médiévale, de la limitation de la toute‑puissance divine, mais bien de son complet abandon. Elle est étroitement liée à l’interrogation sur ce que peut être une théologie d’après la Shoah, et elle préside aussi, chez des penseurs comme Hans Jonas, Gianni Vattimo, ou Giorgio Agamben, au redéploiement des problèmes du mal et de la création, des concepts théologiques de kénose et d’incarnation, ou encore des catégories aristotéliciennes de la puissance.
L'impuissance de Dieu
Authors: De Smet Daniel
Published: September 2010

Résumé Nombreux sont les versets coraniques qui insistent sur la toute‑puissance de Dieu : en maître absolu du Bien et du Mal, il fait ce que bon lui semble, égarant et sauvant qui Il veut. Pris au pied de la lettre, ces versets ont inspiré une vision déterministe et fataliste de l’homme et du monde qui exclut toute possibilité de fonder une éthique rationnelle : le bien et le mal sont entièrement déterminés par la seule volonté de Dieu et l’islam se résume alors à une soumission aveugle aux décrets divins. Tenue pour responsable de l’ankylose de la pensée musulmane, voire des dérives obscurantistes de l’islamisme radical, cette position, qui résulte du triomphe de l’as’arisme dans le sunnisme postclassique, est de nos jours sévèrement critiquée par des théologiens soucieux de promouvoir un islam éclairé. Ceux‑ci renouent souvent avec des doctrines mu’tazilites visant à atténuer, d’une façon ou d’une autre, la puissance divine et à reconnaître en Dieu une certaine « impuissance », afin de créer un espace pour l’homme. L’article retrace l’historique de ce débat, qui remonte aux origines mêmes de la théologie musulmane.
L'impuissance de Dieu – une solution théologique ?
Authors: Askani Hans-Christoph
Published: September 2010

Résumé Pendant presque deux millénaires, la toute‑puissance a été un attribut inséparable de Dieu et de la foi en Dieu. Depuis un certain temps, et en particulier au xx e  siècle, cette toute‑puissance est contestée aussi bien depuis l’extérieur que depuis l’intérieur de la théologie. À l’intérieur de la théologie, on lui substitue volontiers une impuissance que Dieu assumerait délibérément. La question est de savoir si l’affirmation et la négation de cet attribut ne relèvent pas du même type de discours ; d’un discours qui se prétend capable de savoir, d’affirmer, de contester, de dominer, de régler... Quel est ici le statut de l’homme et du langage humain ? Face à la « problématique » de la toute‑puissance de Dieu, l’homme dispose‑t‑il encore de ses points de repère, de ses mots, de ses certitudes ?
Biopolitique, état d'exception, puissance : notes sur une politique à venir (Autour de Giorgio Agamben)
Authors: Ansaldi Saverio
Published: September 2010

Résumé À partir du thème élaboré par Hobbes de la nécessité d’un passage de la multitude au peuple pour fonder l’État absolu, Giorgio Agamben se demande si l’on peut penser la puissance humaine à partir de la seule « gloire » de Dieu, c’est‑à‑dire de l’affirmation absolue de son impuissance. L’originalité d’Agamben est de faire de cette notion théologique un paradigme politique dérivé des notions juridiques d’ Homo sacer et de sacratio .
Overview and Challenges of Multi-Interface and Multi-Channel Multi-Hop Wireless Networks
Authors: Toham Carine , Jan François
Published: September 2010

The throughput improvement problem in wireless networks is considered. The main causes of that issue is the shared wireless medium and node spatial problems which either prevent some nodes from transmitting or jam their transmissions. We consider the use of both nodes equipped with multiple network cards and multiple channels as means to improve the throughput in wireless networks. That approach implies to handle some challenges namely channel distribution between the node interfaces and routing in such channel-diverse networks. This chapter analyzes some solutions proposed to deal with these challenges so that the throughput is improved. Some possible orientations are also discussed based on the advantages and drawbacks observed in existing works.
The Four Facets of Multimedia Streaming
Authors: Agboma Florence , Liotta Antonio
Published: September 2010

Recent advances in media coding techniques and network access technologies have made multimedia streaming practicable and affordable in both fixed and mobile environments. Multimedia streaming services from anywhere and at anytime is fast becoming a reality. This chapter provides a snapshot of the facets involved in delivering multimedia streaming contents to the end user’s terminal. The facets discussed in the chapter extend from the streaming paradigms, media coding techniques, the network support for multimedia streaming services to the techniques used to evaluate the user’s quality of experience for multimedia streaming applications. Each facet is also discussed for both fixed and mobile environments.
Smartphones to Access Hybrid Information Spaces
Authors: Veronikis Spyros , Zoutsou Kyriaki , Tsakonas Giannis , Papatheodorou Christos
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents how mobile phones nowadays can be used as a handy and always around medium to interact with information collections of both physical and electronic form. It presents their evolution into powerful computing devices capable of communicating with other computing infrastructures, like the World Wide Web, and assisting them in finding the information of interest in the most convenient form, right when the need arises. It also provides a description of the current interaction modes between users, devices and information objects as well as some examples of first and second-generation mobile services. Furthermore, the authors hope that understanding the potential introduced by mobile phones in the modern information landscape can bring some insight to new information seeking strategies, that enhance exploration and not just querying. This understanding can be used to create new, innovative and novel services to enhance the seeking experience while interacting with hybrid information spaces.
Service Discovery in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks
Authors: Safa Haidar , Koteiche Zeina
Published: September 2010

Service discovery plays a relevant role in mobile ad hoc environments. Indeed, upon joining a self-organizing network, mobile nodes should be able to explore the environment to learn about, locate, and share the available services. As a result, many researches were performed in this area. Recently, research is being directed towards integrating the service discovery into the routing protocols. This chapter presents the basic concepts of service discovery and their related issues. It also describes the service discovery challenges that arise due to the properties of mobile ad hoc networks. The chapter is concluded by presenting some observations and discussing the current challenges to provide guidelines for possible improvements.
Bounded Rationality and Market Micro-Behaviors
Authors: Chen Shu-Heng , Zeng Ren-Jie , Yu Tina , Wang Shu G.
Published: September 2010

We investigate the dynamics of trader behaviors using an agent-based genetic programming system to simulate double-auction markets. The objective of this study is two-fold. First, we seek to evaluate how, if any, the difference in trader rationality/intelligence influences trading behavior. Second, besides rationality, we also analyze how, if any, the co-evolution between two learnable traders impacts their trading behaviors. We have found that traders with different degrees of rationality may exhibit different behavior depending on the type of market they are in. When the market has a profit zone to explore, the more intelligent trader demonstrates more intelligent behaviors. Also, when the market has two learnable buyers, their co-evolution produced more profitable transactions than when there was only one learnable buyer in the market. We have analyzed the trading strategies and found the learning behaviors are very similar to humans in decision-making. We plan to conduct human subject experiments to validate these results in the near future.
Application of RFID Technology in Banking Sector
Authors: Dehkordi Lotfollah Forozandeh , Ghorbani Ali , Aliahmadi Ali Reza
Published: September 2010

Nowadays, the banks are using new technologies to provide better services to customers. One of these new technologies is RFID. In this chapter first a brief introduction presented about RFID technology and its components. Then, some applications of RFID in banking sector such as RFID applications in the cheques between banks, reducing the manual operation, customer relationship management, tracking and tracing, money transferring system, countering counterfeiting, contactless smart cards, people identification, phone banking, establishing security, checking purpose and so on are explained. Finally some of the barriers to technology acceptance by the customers and some methods to data protection and increasing security in RFID systems are described.
Voice-Based e-Learning Approach for e-Government
Authors: Azeta A. A. , Ayo Charles K. , Atayero Aderemi Aaron Anthony , Ikhu-Omoregbe Nicholas
Published: September 2010

Government establishments are most times highly involved in different reorganization programs. The processes in e-Government are diversified and complex, hence the need for an appropriate training and learning strategy for governmental employees. Changing business processes and organizational structures always mean that the personnel have to be familiar with the changed procedures. Consequently, the employees need to be trained to develop capacity for new responsibilities. Existing methods of learning and training do not make provision for certain category of employees such as the visually impaired. They do not provide an alternative learning platform for government of employees that are not physically challenged. Many studies have demonstrated the value of several learning platforms, including mobile learning (m-Learning) but with the problems of access barriers and streamlined participation of most learners. The purpose of this chapter is to propose a voice-based e-Learning system, also known as voice-learning (v-Learning) as a variant of the m-Learning with particular relevance for the visually and mobility impaired learners. V-Learning makes possible ubiquitous learning in e-Government and provides additional capacity and speed of response to help facilitate change. Cost reduction is also achieved and there is no shortage of teachers.
E-Government Projects Risk Management
Authors: Bouaziz Fatma
Published: September 2010

Stakeholders are proactive in the development of e-government initiatives; public organizations should be proactive in identifying all relevant collaborators, working with them and undertaking measures to systematically engage their stakeholders. Building coalitions with both internal and external stakeholders (Pardo & Scholl, 2002) of an e-government project may help in recognizing the critical stakeholders that deserve project managers’ attention. Henceforth, e-government has to rely on a broad consensus, commitment and ownership at all levels among government officials as well as the citizens. The diversity of stakeholder interests poses a considerable challenge to project managers. Stakeholder analysis may be applied to e-government projects to assist managers in identifying potential conflicts between project stakeholders at early project stages. Insights on potential stakeholder conflicts can then be used for devising and implementing communication strategies to prevent contradictory stakeholder interests and to avoid conflicts. Empirical evidence is needed in order to validate the suggested approach. Government to government and inter agency cooperation projects may be especially well suited, as complexity rises and multiple public sector organizations seeks to align their objectives to reach common goals.
Mapping and Data Base Modeling for Public Sector Strategic Enterprise Resource Planning
Authors: Thomson J.D.
Published: September 2010

This Enterprise Resource Planning database model provides a systematic, logical and regular basis for the collection, collation, dissemination and mapping of strategic Enterprise Resource Planning data. Selective access to this accurate and timely data will improve public sector strategic Enterprise Resource Planning performance, accountability and administration. It will assist the public sector to be more effective and efficient in resource allocation and investment outcomes measurement, is transparent, and will encourage the development of trust, networks and social capital amongst public sector employees and their suppliers. The model has been successfully demonstrated through the establishment and analysis of an Enterprise Resource Planning data base with the Australian Department of Defence (ADoD). The Australian ADoD is a Federal Government Department with a FY 2008/9 spend of AU$9.3bn on products (goods and services), their support and maintenance, from almost every industry sector, on a global basis. While the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning is usually viewed as a means of reducing transaction costs, in practice such implementation often increases transaction costs. Public sector bureaucratic hierarchies and their governance systems contribute to transaction costs. This research provides an Enterprise Resource Planning database model so that the public sector can achieve improved field mapping and strategic Enterprise Resource Planning using existing data and resources at lowest transaction cost.
Computer Interventions for Children with Disabilities
Authors: Tennyson Robert D.
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents an argument for the employment of computers in education and the possible improvements especially for students with disabilities. Early in the chapter questions concerning technological change are discussed in reference to research and practice. The view in disability education is moving towards lifelong learning and the need to apply advances in both technology and research to accomplish this goal. Employment of cognitive theories coupled with emerging technologies is hypothesized to improve the paradigm shift in education from classroom centered instruction to distributed learning environments. Proposed is that research in cognitive psychology, especially with findings for constructive theories can be successfully applied to disability education.
Public Information Services for People with Disabilities
Authors: García-Crespo Ángel , Paniagua-Martín Fernando , López-Cuadrado José Luis , Carrasco Israel González , Colomo-Palacios Ricardo , Gómez-Berbís Juan Miguel
Published: September 2010

The current chapter introduces an accessible multimedia platform applied to the diffusion of the digital signature. The project presented in this chapter is a multimedia initiative to promote the use of information technology (IT), specifically, the digital signature. Through the modeling of typical daily situations, the platform provides simple responses to any uncertainties or concerns a user may hold about the digital signature, and the advantages which its use entails. The multimedia system has been designed to support subtitling and audio description facilities, with the objective of enabling access to the diffusion of E-government to persons with an auditory or visual disability. The results of the evaluation of the platform by test users of the system are positive, and have initiated the continuation of developments which encourage E-inclusion.
Theory of Mind in Autistic Children
Authors: Khan Tariq M.
Published: September 2010

The authors discuss how multimedia learning systems and analogical reasoning could be used to help autistic children cope with the demands of reasoning abstractly and to develop their Theory of Mind. Learners with autism have problems reasoning about other’s mental states and beliefs, which has been coined Theory of Mind. The specially developed systems proved beneficial for the autistic children, which highlights the potential benefits that a multimedia system can have as a learning tool for Theory of Mind. However, there is some doubt over the usefulness of interactivity for learning beyond its enhancement of enjoyment and sense of participation. It is intended that the results will stimulate a reassessment of current multimedia theories as they relate to non-typically developing learners, and provide new directions for research in the area of support for children with ASD.
Applying Virtual Reality (VR) to the Detection and Treatment of Clinical Problems in Educational Settings
Authors: Carmona José A. , Cangas Adolfo J. , Iribarne Luis , Espínola Moisés
Published: September 2010

In recent years, thanks in part to advances in computer technology, there has been a renewed interest in using Virtual Reality (VR) to improve the traditional intervention procedures used in educational and clinical settings. A growing number of researcher teams, and three-dimensional (3D) simulations, are oriented toward the detection and treatment of school-related problems such as violence in the classroom, hyperactivity, eating disorders, and drug abuse. In this chapter, the authors highlight the major advantages of using VR in clinical assessment and intervention programs. They also discuss some of the virtual tools that have been developed, as well as the results obtained with these tools.
Automating MFIs
Authors: Khan Saleh
Published: September 2010

Over the last few decades Microfinance has emerged from being an experiment in poverty reduction to a proven mechanism for providing access to sustainable financing to those who have none. With increasing attention given to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) by global thought leaders and policy makers alike, the entire sector stands under increasing scrutiny and demands for transparency. This increasing attention coupled with the intrinsic need for MFIs to be efficient in their operations, leads to more and more MFIs adopting Information Technology (IT) tools to automate and streamline their operations. Whilst automating their operations, MFIs need to be careful in keeping some of the basic tenets of sustainable microfinance operations intact – including human contact that is important in ensuring timely repayments. This chapter examines some basic business processes followed by MFIs in their lending operations and evaluates the possible impacts and implications of automating these processes. The chapter also discusses the extent to which automation is feasible for a MFI and its implications on the sustainability of the organization.
EDA CapitalConnect
Authors: Brett Daniel , Stefanakis Nikias
Published: September 2010

Since its inception in July 2008, EDA CapitalConnect (EDACC) has sought to address inefficiencies in the market for funding to social enterprises worldwide. To tackle these challenges, the company has developed an online platform that allows social enterprises and institutional funders to communicate with one another, initiate financial transactions, and analyze market trends. The platform seeks to increase deal flow and transparency in the social enterprise space by facilitating information dissemination and the exchange of funding offers between capital providers and seekers of all sizes. As the platform develops, the challenges of achieving financial sustainability and scale will require EDACC to continue to fine-tune its services to meet the evolving needs of the social enterprise community. EDACC’s experience in its nascency suggests that technology providers to microfinance institutions and social enterprises – particularly start up organizations – must pay close attention to the behavior of their target users, and modify their services based upon trends in usage and market perceptions.
Data Breach Disclosure
Authors: Dark Melissa
Published: September 2010

As information technology has become more ubiquitous and pervasive, assurance and security concerns have escalated; in response, we have seen noticeable growth in public policy aimed at bolstering cybertrust. With this growth in public policy, questions regarding the effectiveness of these policies arise. This chapter focuses on policy analysis of the state data breach disclosure laws recently enacted in the United States. The state data breach disclosure laws were chosen for policy analysis for three reasons: the rapid policy growth (the United States have enacted 45 state laws in 6 years); this is the first instantiation of informational regulation for information security; and the importance of these laws to identity theft and privacy. The chapter begins with a brief history in order to provide context. Then, this chapter examines the way in which historical, political and institutional factors have shaped our current data breach disclosure policies, focusing on discovering how patterns of interaction influenced the legislative outcomes we see today. Finally, this chapter considers: action that may result from these policies; the action type(s) being targeted; alternatives that are being considered, and; potential outcomes of the existing and proposed alternative policies.
Virtual Worlds
Authors: Kuznik Lea
Published: September 2010

Virtual worlds for adults (e.g. Second Life), youth (e.g. Habbo) and children (e.g. Whyville) have a great potential for learning and teaching practices for enriching wider public and engendering collective experience and collaboration. Informal learning environments such as educational virtual worlds offer children and adults various intellectual and sensory activities or »crystallized« experiences with reinforcing multiple intelligences, according to Gardner. Virtual worlds promote social interaction and offer visitors an opportunity for various interactive activities which can sometimes not be realized in real life education. Children and adults can explore and learn in a different way and from a different perspective, e.g. with educational games and simulations. Virtual worlds represent a new medium that allows people to connect in new virtual ways and offer new challenges in the educational field.
Myth, Magic & Method
Authors: Vallack Jocene
Published: September 2010

Researchers from all disciplines are increasingly inclined to acknowledge intuition and reflective practice as a valid ways of knowing. But in technology and areas other than the arts, this thinking is still new, and few strategic frameworks are available to assist researchers to approach intuitive research with rigor. In this chapter, Subphenomenology is laid out as a methodology for analysing weblog writing, as data for research. As a template for other first-person research, the framework showcases the author’s own experiences as a novice Web 2.0 user. Starting with the research question, “Why do I resist learning with technology?” I show how candid blogs are analysed to reveal an archetypal image of Echo and Narcissus in response to the research question. This chapter formulates how Subphenomenology uses intuition to access unconscious knowing, and reveal an archetypal image of the research in question. The case studied, like all case studies, may not be applicable to every learner who, in the described sample, shies away from technology. But it may provide profound insight to those who self-identify with the given universal myth. Subphenomenology is a formula, which can be applied to any weblog data, or indeed any creative work, to enable researchers to understand more about the universal implications of their most subjective reflections.
Global Warming
Authors: Pappis Costas P.
Published: September 2010

As noted in the previous chapter, climate change has emerged in recent years as one of the most critical topics at almost all levels of decision making, both private and public. This constitutes a radical change compared to the common perception only a few years ago. Climate change, a result of global warming, is a reality of universal acceptance, affecting in many ways the life of human societies as well as the environment. Continuing research over the last decades has established concrete knowledge of the basic facts about the results of interactive processes in the Earth system,which determine climate and climate change. It has particularly shown the anthropogenic influences on these processes. There is no doubt that human activities are the critical cause of the changes in the climate that Earth is experiencing since the Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, i.e. since the time that a period of rapid industrial growth with far reaching social and economic consequences begun in Britain and spread to Europe and other countries all over the world. The industrial revolution marked the beginning of a dramatic increase in the use of fossil fuels, which is the main cause of climate change.
Climate Change Mitigation Policies
Authors: Pappis Costas P.
Published: September 2010

In the previous chapter the focus has been on issues concerning adaptation to climate change. Key adaptation concepts and policies were introduced and potential adaptation responses in the case of developed and developing parts of the world were summarized. Also, several incentives encouraging or barriers preventing adaptation were identified and the economic framework for adaptation was outlined.
Digital Intelligence
Authors: Adams Nan B.
Published: September 2010

The multiple intelligences theoretical framework developed by Gardner (1983) is employed to argue for the recognition of the emergence of a new, digital intelligence. Each of the dimensions of a discrete intelligence as described by this framework is satisfied along with a discussion of the nature of knowledge, ways of knowing and the nature of how society describes intelligence. These discussions are then used as further evidence that considerations for the ways digital communication technologies are changing the way we think and learn are imperative to effective educational practice. The desired outcome is recognition of this emerging intellectual preference in the design of responsive educational programs and practices.
Designing Web-Based Educational Virtual Reality Environments
Authors: Dimitropoulos Kosmas , Manitsaris Athanasios
Published: September 2010

This chapter aims to study the benefits that arise from the use of virtual reality technology and World Wide Web in the field of distance education, as well as to further explore the role of instructors and learners in such a network-centric mode of education. Within this framework, special emphasis is given on the design and development of web-based virtual learning environments so as to successfully fulfil their educational objectives. In particular, the chapter includes research on distance education on the Web and the role of virtual reality, as well as study on basic pedagogical methods focusing mainly on the efficient preparation, approach and presentation of the learning content. Moreover, specific designing rules are presented considering the hypermedia, virtual and educational nature of this kind of applications. Finally, an innovative virtual reality environment for distance education in medicine, which reproduces conditions of the real learning process and enhances learning through a real-time interactive simulator, is demonstrated.