bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La datation du début de la troisième guerre sacrée. Retour sur l’interprétation des comptes de Delphes
Authors: Deltenre François-Dominique
Published: January 2017

La chronologie proposée dans CID II pour la période de la troisième guerre sacrée n’est pas aussi assurée qu’il y paraît de prime abord. Il faut garder à l’esprit que les reconstructions proposées là ne constituent qu’une possibilité parmi d’autres. La numérotation des pylées en est un excellent exemple : J. Bousquet la lie à la perception de l’amende phocidienne pour la période qui suit la paix de Philocrate, mais d’autres systèmes restent possibles, voire préférables. De même, la datation de l’occupation du sanctuaire à la fin de l’archontat d’Herakleios s’appuie sur le témoignage de Pausanias, sur ce point largement sujet à caution, ainsi que sur une lecture très orientée de CID II 10 et CID II 31. Seule l’absence de réunion du collège sous Aristoxénos-automne semble constituer un indice certain de l’occupation phocidienne du sanctuaire.
L'hypsodontie chez les Campagnols et les autres mammifères
Authors: Jeannet Marcel
Published: January 2017

Jusqu'à nos jours, la systématique ordonnait les caractères de classification dans le sens des généralités vers le détail.

Aujourd'hui, l'hyperspécialisation, indispensable au progrès de la Recherche, pousse certains auteurs à projeter des observations ponctuelles sur l'ensemble du Monde Animal.

Par quelques exemples précis, l'auteur de la présente note tente de montrer qu'il est dangereux d'extrapoler et que les cas particuliers, bien que d'un grand intérêt, ne peuvent être généralisés.
Description du mâle de Siettitia avenionensis : Coléoptère Dytiscidae phréatobie trouvé dans la région lyonnaise
Authors: Richoux Philippe
Published: January 2017

Siettitia avenionensis connu par un exemplaire ♀ capturé en Avignon a été retrouvé dans la région lyonnaise. Cette découverte permet de donner une diagnose complète de l'espèce (édéage compris) et quelques compléments morphologiques sur l'œil de cet insecte Coléoptère Dytiscidae
Des Astraeospongiidae dans le Dévonien de la Montagne Noire et du Maroc central et le problème des Spongiaires Heteractinides
Authors: Termier Henri , Termier Geneviève , Vachard Daniel
Published: January 2017

Découverte dans le Dévonien inférieur de la Montagne Noire du Spongiaire Astraeospongium, sous forme d'exemplaires complets ou de spicules isolés. De tels spicules, déjà connus en Europe Moyenne, sont également présents dans le Dévonien inférieur du Maroc Central. L'extension de ce genre hors de l'Amérique du Nord, et dans le Dévonien inférieur, est donc plus grande qu'on ne le croyait.
Etude des Sciomyzidae de France, Diptères destructeurs de mollusques
Authors: Leclercq Marcel , Vala Jean-Claude
Published: January 2017

Nous avons fait le bilan des Sciomyzides actuellement recensées en France : 67 espèces présentées suivant la classification et la taxonomie récentes. Pher-bellia knutsoni, Dichetophora finlandica et Limnia paludicola sont signalées pour la première fois en France.

Les résultats d'une exploration printanière dans le sud de la France sont détaillés : 13 espèces avec leur abondance relative et choix d'un biotope particulier ; Salticella fasciata, espèce assez rare dont la larve se nourrit uniquement de Mollusques terrestres dans la nature.
Notes sur les Hyménoptères Tenthrédoïdes
Authors: Chevin Henri
Published: January 2017

L'auteur signale la capture de quelques Tenthrèdes rares dont trois espèces nouvelles pour la France et indique les caractères permettant de séparer les mâles d'Aneugmenus padi (L.) et coronatus (Kl.).
La Saône à son entrée dans l'agglomération lyonnaise : Etude Physicochimique et biologique
Authors: Régis J. , Gaude Thierry , Pattée Eric , Persat Henri , Zandonella Pierre
Published: January 2017

Cette étude pluridisciplinaire décrit, sur un cycle annuel, l'état des eaux de la rivière dans trois stations principales situées au niveau de l'agglomération de Neuville.

Sont successivement envisagés les principaux paramètres physiques, chimiques et biochimiques de l'eau, le sédiment, les microorganismes, la teneur des eaux en chlorophylle a, le périphyton, les phanérogames aquatiques, les invertébrés benthiaues et les poissons.

Tout en fournissant des points de référence pour un suivi ultérieur, ces éléments donnent l'image d'une rivière aux eaux de qualité médiocre et aux peuplements faible¬ ment diversifiés, victime d'une série de petites agressions, mais n'ayant nullement perdu son pouvoir autoépurateur.
Performance of natural-dye-sensitized solar cells by ZnO nanorod and nanowall enhanced photoelectrodes
Authors: Saadaoui Saif , Ben Youssef Mohamed Aziz , Ben Karoui Moufida , Gharbi Rached , Smecca Emanuele , Strano Vincenzina , Mirabella Salvo , Alberti Alessandra , Puglisi Rosaria A
Published: January 2017

In this work, two natural dyes extracted from henna and mallow plants with a maximum absorbance at 665 nm were studied and used as sensitizers in the fabrication of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the extract revealed the presence of anchoring groups and coloring constituents. Two different structures were prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) using zinc oxide (ZnO) layers to obtain ZnO nanowall (NW) or nanorod (NR) layers employed as a thin film at the photoanode side of the DSSC. The ZnO layers were annealed at different temperatures under various gas sources. Indeed, the forming gas (FG) (N2/H2 95:5) was found to enhance the conductivity by a factor of 103 compared to nitrogen (N2) or oxygen (O2) annealing gas. The NR width varied between 40 and 100 nm and the length from 500 to 1000 nm, depending on the growth time. The obtained NWs had a length of 850 nm. The properties of the developed ZnO NW and NR layers with different thicknesses and their effect on the photovoltaic parameters were studied. An internal coverage of the ZnO NWs was also applied by the deposition of a thin TiO2 layer by reactive sputtering to improve the cell performance. The application of this layer increased the overall short circuit current Jsc by seven times from 2.45 × 10−3 mA/cm2 to 1.70 × 10−2 mA /cm2.
THE FACTORS AND GROUPS THAT PROMOTE RENOVATION PROCESS / VEIKSNIŲ, SKATINANČIŲ IR STABDANČIŲ DAUGIABUČIŲ NAMŲ ATNAUJINIMĄ (MODERNIZAVIMĄ), NUSTATYMAS
Authors: Ropaitė Guoda
Published: January 2017

The article analyzes the apartment building renova-tion pro-cess in Lithuania. The statistical data related to the new Renova-tion program model. The survey carried out in order to find out the factors that encourage and stops the renovation process. Straipsnyje analizuojamas daugiabučių namų atnaujinimo (modernizavimo) procesas Lietuvoje, pateikiami statistiniai duomenys, susiję su naujuoju Daugiabučių namų atnaujinimo (modernizavimo) programos įgyvendinimo modeliu. Atlikta anketinė apklausa siekiant išsiaiškinti veiksnius, kurie skatina ir stabdo atnaujinimo (modernizavimo) procesą.
MODELING OF THE JACKED PILE STATIC LOAD TEST WITH PLAXIS 3D / SPAUSTINIO POLIO BANDYMO STATINE APKROVA MODELIAVIMAS PLAXIS 3D
Authors: Statkus Tautvydas
Published: January 2017

In this article jacked pile installation technology and its current processes, altering the base physical and mechanical characteristics are discussed. For the jacked pile static load test simulation Plax 3D software was selected, the opportunities and developments were described. Model building, materials, models, model geometry, finite elements, boundary conditions and assumptions adopted in addressing problems described in detail. Three different tasks formulated and load-settlement dependence a comparison of the results with the experiment given. Conclusions are formulated according to the modeling results. Šiame straipsnyje aptarta spaustinių polių įrengimo technologija ir ją taikant vykstantys procesai, keičiantys pagrindo fizines ir mechanines charakteristikas. Spaustinio polio bandymui statine apkrova modeliuoti pasirinktas PLAXIS 3D programinis paketas ir aprašytos jo galimybės bei raida. Detaliai nupasakotas modelio kūrimas, medžiagų modeliai, modelio geometrija, baigtiniai elementai, kraštinės sąlygos ir priimamos prielaidos sprendžiant problemą. Suformuluoti trys sprendžiami uždaviniai ir apkrovos bei nuosėdžio priklausomybe pateikiamas rezultatų palyginimas su eksperimentu. Atsižvelgiant į modeliavimo rezultatus suformuluotos išvados.
Stellar Population Synthesis-based Modeling of the Milky Way using Asteroseismology of Dwarfs and Subgiants from
Authors: Sharma Sanjib , Stello Dennis , Huber Daniel , Bland-Hawthorn Joss , Bedding Timothy R.
Published: January 2017

Early attempts to apply asteroseismology to study the Galaxy have already shown unexpected discrepancies for the mass distribution of stars between the Galactic models and the data; a result that is still unexplained. Here, we revisit the analysis of the asteroseismic sample of dwarf and subgiant stars observed by Kepler and investigate in detail the possible causes for the reported discrepancy. We investigate two models of the Milky Way based on stellar population synthesis, Galaxia and TRILEGAL. In agreement with previous results, we find that TRILEGAL predicts more massive stars compared to Galaxia, and that TRILEGAL predicts too many blue stars compared to 2MASS observations. Both models fail to match the distribution of the stellar sample in

space, pointing to inaccuracies in the models and/or the assumed selection function. When corrected for this mismatch in

space, the mass distribution calculated by Galaxia is broader and the mean is shifted toward lower masses compared to that of the observed stars. This behavior is similar to what has been reported for the Kepler red giant sample. The shift between the mass distributions is equivalent to a change of 2% in ν
max, which is within the current uncertainty in the ν
max scaling relation. Applying corrections to the Δν scaling relation predicted by the stellar models makes the observed mass distribution significantly narrower, but there is no change to the mean.
A Transient Transit Signature Associated with the Young Star RIK-210
Authors: David Trevor J. , Petigura Erik A. , Hillenbrand Lynne A. , Cody Ann Marie , Cameron Andrew Collier , Stauffer John R. , Fulton B. J. , Isaacson Howard T. , Howard Andrew W. , Howell Steve B. , Everett Mark E. , Wang Ji , Benneke Björn , Hellier Coel , West Richard G. , Pollacco Don , Anderson David R.
Published: January 2017

We find transient transit-like dimming events within the K2 time series photometry of the young star RIK-210 in the Upper Scorpius OB association. These dimming events are variable in depth, duration, and morphology. High spatial resolution imaging revealed that the star is single and radial velocity monitoring indicated that the dimming events cannot be due to an eclipsing stellar or brown dwarf companion. Archival and follow-up photometry suggest the dimming events are transient in nature. The variable morphology of the dimming events suggests they are not due to a single spherical body. The ingress of each dimming event is always shallower than egress, as one would expect for an orbiting body with a leading tail. The dimming events are periodic and synchronous with the stellar rotation. However, we argue it is unlikely the dimming events could be attributed to anything on the stellar surface based on the observed depths and durations. Variable obscuration by a protoplanetary disk is unlikely on the basis that the star is not actively accreting and lacks the infrared excess associated with an inner disk. Rather, we explore the possibilities that the dimming events are due to magnetospheric clouds, a transiting protoplanet surrounded by circumplanetary dust and debris, eccentric orbiting bodies undergoing periodic tidal disruption, or an extended field of dust or debris near the corotation radius.
Clinical and virological characteristics of hantavirus infections in a 2014 Croatian outbreak
Authors: Vilibic-Cavlek Tatjana , Furic Alena , Barbic Ljubo , Tabain Irena , Stevanovic Vladimir , Mlinaric-Galinovic Gordana
Published: January 2017

Introduction: Croatia is endemic for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), with both Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava virus (DOBV) documented. Several large outbreaks were recorded in 1995, 2002, and 2012. We analyzed demographic, clinical, laboratory, and virological characteristics of HFRS cases detected in three geographically close natural foci (Ogulin, Slunj, and the Plitvice Lakes surroundings) during the 2014 outbreak. Methodology: From January to December 2014, 122 patients with suspected HFRS were tested for hantavirus IgM/IgG antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Cross-reactive samples were further tested using a western blot (WB). For hospitalized patients from Ogulin area, clinical and laboratory data were analyzed. Results: Acute infection was documented in 57 (46.7%) patients, of whom 75.4% were hospitalized. Ten (8.2%) patients were found to be IgG seropositive. Patients were 15–69 years of age and predominantly male (74.5%). The outbreak started in winter months, with most cases recorded from May to July (80.7%). The most frequently reported symptoms were fever (96.3%), chills/shivering (62.9%), and lumbar pain (48.1%). Mild clinical form was found in 66.7% patients, moderate in 18.5%, and severe in 14.8% patients (all but one infected with PUUV). One patient died. Using IFA, 48.8% patients showed monotypic antibody response, while in 51.2%, cross-reactive antibodies were found. PUUV was confirmed in 94.7% and DOBV in 5.3% HFRS cases by WB. Conclusions: Central mountainous Croatian regions are still highly endemic areas for HFRS. A higher percentage of severe PUUV infections could be at least partly associated with a patient’s immune status.
Leishmaniasis recidivans in Ethiopia: cutaneous and mucocutaneous features
Authors: Dassoni Federica , Daba Frehiwot , Naafs Bernard , Morrone Aldo
Published: January 2017

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in Ethiopia. An unusual clinical form of this disease is leishmaniasis recidivans (LR), a prolonged, relapsing form of cutaneous leishmaniasis resembling tuberculosis of the skin that may persist for many years with a chronic and relapsing course. This rare variant has been shown to be caused by Leishmania tropica species in the Old World and by Leishmania braziliensis, Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania panamensis, and Leishmania guyanensis in the New World, as reported in various studies. To our knowledge, there are no reports from Ethiopia, and mucocutaneous involvement of LR has not been described to date. This was a retrospective analysis of the patients seen at the Italian Dermatological Center in Mekelle on the Tigrean highlands over a three-year period (2008–2011). Seven patients with typical clinical features of LR were seen. Two of them presented with signs of mucosal involvement. To date, Leishmania aethiopica is shown to be the only species causing CL that is endemic in the Ethiopian highlands. Therefore, it had to be assumed that the lesions in these patients were caused by this species. The aims of this communication are to report, for the first time, the presence of LR, most likely due to Leishmania aethiopica, in Ethiopia, and to report mucosal involvement in this rare clinical form of CL.
Famille et narration : une poétique de la relation ?
Authors: Pierron Jean-Philippe
Published: January 2017

L’auteur cherche à mettre en valeur les récits familiaux les plus spontanés, proches du vécu « des existants », en quête d’une reconnaissance de leur être par eux-mêmes et par les autres. Sans tout à fait se reconnaître dans les concepts de résilience et de roman familial, l’auteur montre une volonté de rester au plus près des dynamiques les plus constantes dans les familles et des obstacles qu’elles rencontrent, en portant une attention aux narrations. Sans attribuer à la narration une vertu magique, il recense et propose une typologie de récits visant à permettre une continuité et à favoriser une intégration individuante dans le cadre d’une poétique de la relation.
Travail et assignations de genre en sortie de guerre
Authors: Erbs Laurent
Published: January 2017

En 1945, lors de son rattachement à la France, la Moselle connaissait de graves difficultés. Il fallait redémarrer son économie et appliquer les réformes sociales favorables aux salariés. L’historiographie a révélé l’ambiguïté de cette période, notamment en ce qui concerne l’emploi des femmes. Aussi l’objectif de cet article est-il de comprendre la construction sociale du travail féminin dans ce contexte local. Des archives de la puissance publique et de la presse ont été mobilisées à cet effet. Le croisement des sources montre le maintien d’une frontière du genre visible à travers l’emploi. Les traditionnels rôles sociaux ont été maintenus. Ils sont explicites avec les inégalités de situations et de traitements qui restent défavorables aux femmes.
Les années Front populaire des étudiants de Paris
Authors: Monchablon Alain
Published: January 2017

Au milieu des années 1930, l’extrême droite continue de dominer le Quartier latin. Jouant de la xénophobie, elle y mène des actions spectaculaires qui pèsent efficacement sur la législation ou obèrent le fonctionnement de l’Université de Paris. L’interdiction des ligues et la victoire nationale du Front populaire amènent certes la fin des troubles majeurs et une recomposition du paysage politique chez les étudiants, mais l’élan général de 1936 ne se retrouve guère au Quartier latin. Au contraire, les mouvements de gauche, à leur grande surprise, se trouvent rapidement affaiblis, tandis que semble émerger une nouvelle force, celle des étudiants partisans du colonel de La Rocque.
Des élus godillots ?
Authors: Fulla Mathieu
Published: January 2017

La présidentialisation des démocraties occidentales constitue une tendance lourde de l’histoire politique de l’après-guerre, notamment en France. Mais ce renforcement de l’exécutif, s’il comprime les marges de jeu du pouvoir législatif, ne les fait pas disparaître. En étudiant la genèse de la loi de nationalisation de 1981-1982, cet article nuance l’image d’« élus godillots » soumis à la « présidence impériale » de François Mitterrand. Leur défaite idéologique balaie toutefois l’illusion d’une pratique institutionnelle propre à la gauche sous la Cinquième République. Elle annonce également, en matière économique, la marginalisation du volontarisme étatique, dont la plupart des élites socialistes, au nom du « Changer la vie », se faisaient les apôtres dans la décennie précédente.
Functional Outcomes Following Surgical Management of Femoral Neck Stress Fractures
Authors: Kusnezov Nicholas A. , Eisenstein Emmanuel D. , Dunn John C. , Waterman Brian R.
Published: January 2017

The Military Health System Management Analysis and Reporting Tool was queried to identify all active duty US military service members who underwent operative fixation of femoral neck stress fractures from 2011 to 2012. A total of 13 patients with 17 femoral neck stress fractures met the inclusion criteria. Average patient age was 23.8±5.1 years, and 62% were women. At a mean 26-month follow-up, approximately one-half (46%) of the young military recruits were able to return to their preoperative activity level. Two (11%) required reoperation. Increased time to diagnosis and to subsequent fixation was associated with a greater risk of poor outcomes resulting in medical separation. [
Orthopedics.
2017; 40(3):e395–e399.]
Patient Satisfaction Reporting After Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kahlenberg Cynthia A. , Nwachukwu Benedict U. , Schairer William W. , Steinhaus Michael E. , Cross Michael B.
Published: January 2017

This review evaluated the quality of patient satisfaction reporting after total hip arthroplasty. The initial search of the MEDLINE database yielded 755 studies. Twenty-four met the inclusion criteria. Most studies provided level III or IV evidence (n=15, 62.5%). The most common method used to assess satisfaction was the 10-point visual analog scale (7 studies, 29.2%), followed by an ordinal satisfaction scale (6 studies, 25.0%). The quality of evidence was poor, and the methods used to assess satisfaction were not standardized. Further research is needed to define the factors that affect patient satisfaction after total hip arthroplasty and how satisfaction is best measured. [
Orthopedics.
2017; 40(3):e400–e404.]
Improving Quality Outcomes in Veteran-Centric Care
Authors: Tave Tristan T. , Wyers Daniel R. , Schreiber-Jones Catherine , Fogger Susanne A. , McGuinness Teena M.
Published: January 2017

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing and the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (BVAMC) created a Psychiatric–Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Residency Continuity Clinic tasked with providing Veteran-centric mental health outpatient treatment informed by measurement-based care (MBC) to provide quality outcomes. Approved by the BVAMC, the UAB Institutional Review Board also approved and exempted the project as quality improvement. PMHNP residents administered the Patient Stress Questionnaire (PSQ)—an MBC tool that incorporates validated tools for assessing depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, alcohol use, and pain—to each Veteran from March to August 2016. Patient outcomes focused on depression and anxiety. PSQ scores were reviewed retrospectively via descriptive statistics, paired
t
tests, and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. Analysis showed improvement in depression and anxiety that approached significance, and in several national Veterans Affairs mental health performance measures, reinforcing the importance of using MBC in psychiatric assessment. [
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55
(1), 37–44.]
The Meaning of System
Authors: Leleur Steen
Published: January 2017

This article reviews the generic meaning of ‘system' and complements more conventional system notions with a system perception based on recent complexity theory. With system as the core concept of systems theory, its actual meaning is not just of theoretical interest but is highly relevant also for systems practice. It is argued that complexity theory and thinking with reference to Luhmann a.o. ought to be recognised and paid attention to by the systems community. Overall, it is found that a complexity orientation may contribute to extend and enrich the explanatory power of current systems theory when used to complex real-world problems. As regards systems practice it is found that selective use and combination of five presented research approaches (functionalist, interpretive, emancipatory, postmodern and complexity) which function as different but complementing ‘epistemic lenses' in a process described as constructive circularity, may strengthen the exploration and learning efforts in systems-based intervention.
Technology-Driven Online Marketing Performance Measurement
Authors: Bowie David , Paraskevas Alexandros , Mariussen Anastasia
Published: January 2017

Although the measurement of offline and online marketing is extensively researched, the literature on online performance measurement still has a number of limitations such as slow theory advancement and predominance of technology- and practitioner-driven measurement approaches. By focusing on the widely employed but under-researched affiliate marketing channel, this study addresses these limitations and evaluates the effectiveness of practitioner-led online performance assessment. The paper offers a comprehensive review of extant performance measurement research across traditional, online and affiliate marketing and, employing grounded theory, presents a qualitative in-depth analysis of 72 online forum discussions and 37 semi-structured interviews with the major affiliate marketing stakeholders. As a result, the research identifies a growing need for change in the technology-pushed measurement approaches in affiliate marketing, and proposes actionable improvement recommendations for affiliate and online marketing managers.
Development of Key Performance Measures for Sustainable Manufacturing in Global SMEs
Authors: Singh Sujit , Olugu Ezutah Udoncy , Musa Siti Nurmaya
Published: January 2017

Sustainable manufacturing strives to produces the goods by minimizing negative environmental impact and reducing the resource consumptions. It also strives for safety of employee and community while maintaining an affordable cost. This study focuses on the development of a set of measures and metrics for assessing sustainability performance of manufacturing SMEs. In this study, various literatures on sustainable manufacturing performance measurement, green manufacturing, traditional manufacturing performance measurement and performance measurements in manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are reviewed. Triple Bottom Line (TBL) is considered as framework in order to establish the relevant measures in an effective and comprehensive manner. The measures for performance measurements are classified in the three aspects of TBL known as economic, environmental and social. Therefore, 6 measures with 26 indicators, 8 measures with 31 indicators and 3 measures with 23 indicators were identified for economic, environmental and social aspects respectively. To establish the importance and applicability of developed measures, a survey will be conducted among the experts from academics and industries. Using survey results, a sustainability performance measurement model will be developed and presented.
Radicalization and Recruitment
Authors: Masys Anthony J.
Published: January 2017

Recent events such as the terrorist attack in Algeria (January 2013), the Boston Marathon Bombing (April 2013), the apprehension of two suspected al-Qaeda linked terrorists in Toronto, (April 2013), highlight the requirement for greater understanding regarding the radicalization and recruitment of terrorists. As detailed in the US Department of State Report (2011), over 10,000 terrorist attacks occurred in 2011, affecting nearly 45,000 victims in 70 countries and resulting in over 12,500 deaths. With a focus on the outcomes and results of terrorist activities, terrorism itself often becomes a ‘blackbox' concept that does not capture the essence of the radicalization process nor the mechanisms of recruitment. This conceptual paper introduces Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a systems lens to open the ‘blackbox' of terrorism. This systems lens ‘…is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots' (Senge, 1990:68). The systems view facilitated by ANT is supported and informed by methods of network analysis and conceptual modelling that highlight how dynamic networked actors shape the radicalization process through the actor network process of translation.
Integrating Sustainable Design and Systems Thinking throughout an Engineering Curriculum
Authors: Nagel Robert L. , Gipson Kyle G. , Ogundipe Adebayo
Published: January 2017

The Madison Engineering Department was founded on the recognition that engineers are no longer constrained to disciplinary boundaries, and instead, must work across disciplines as members of global communities and multidisciplinary teams. The program offers a single undergraduate engineering degree that focuses on sustainable design and systems thinking. Since the inaugural class started in 2008, the faculty has been striving to integrate environmental, social, economic, and technical contexts of sustainable design and systems thinking as common curricular threads. This chapter discusses courses taken by students freshman through senior year to illustrate how content integration, developmental instruction, and a problem-based learning framework are used in Madison Engineering Department to purposefully transition students through Bloom's levels from knowing and thinking to simulating and doing to quantifying and applying with the goal of training students able to understand systems holistically, describe and analyze tradeoffs, understand resultant perturbations, and design effective, sustainable solutions.
Determinants for the Goodness of Performance Measurement Systems
Authors: Pidun Tim
Published: January 2017

The supply of adequate information is one of the main functions of Performance Measurement Systems (PMS), but also one of its drawbacks and reason for failure. Not only the collection of indicators is crucial, but also the stakeholders' understanding of their meaning, purpose, and contextual embedding. Today, companies seek a PMS without a way to express the goodness of a solution, indicating its ability to deliver appropriate information and to address these demands. The goal of this chapter is to explore the mechanisms that drive information and knowledge supply in PMS in order to model a way to express this goodness. Using a grounded theory approach, a theory of visibility of performance is developed, featuring a catalog of determinants for the goodness of PMS. Companies can conveniently use them to assess their PMS and to improve the visibility of their performance.
Advancing Performance Measurement of Smart City
Authors: Zhang Jian-Chuan , Chen Yu-Che
Published: January 2017

Smart city initiatives are thriving around the world. However, measuring the performance of a smart city becomes a critical challenge partially due to the lack of agreement on the concept and on the components that define a city as being “smart.” The primary purpose of this study is to propose a scheme of performance measurement on smart city, based on the understanding of smart city as an ICT-enabled complex governance system in the urban context. The measurement scheme is composed of five factors: institution, actors, interactions among the actors, ICT enactment, and outcomes. Each factor is further developed into a series of indicators. As a tentative effort, this study further utilizes the proposed scheme to make a brief comparison between two existing performance measurement frameworks in the United States and China. The comparison demonstrates the power of the set of measures in gauging and guiding the practice. Meanwhile, the authors recognize that the scheme should be understood as heuristics instead of a road map, as smart city is still an emergent phenomenon.
Performance Evaluation in Higher Education by Return on Investments Approach
Authors: Thuse Aniruddha
Published: January 2017

The Middle East and North African or MENA countries are very keen about restructuring in the field of education. The countries otherwise are not known for the overall industrial development and growth. The huge populations of youth and high unemployment in the MENA countries have made it essential to go for overall industrial development. However, considering the fact that the industry and education of any economy should go hand in hand, it has become unavoidable to stress the higher educational development in the MENA countries. The educational institutions that provide business education (popularly known as B-Schools) in the country will have to work with high productivity, inputs wise. This will enable the economy to bridge the industry-academic gap. However, for this, the realistic approach should be the priority to evaluate the B-Schools' productivity. The investments made in B-Schools are always high (infrastructural and financial), so Return on Investments becomes significant, not only financially but also approach wise. The same approach is discussed in this chapter with proper analysis.
Approaches towards Measuring Success in Public Elementary Schools
Authors: Brzozowski Maciej , Keydar Eyal Jacob
Published: January 2017

This chapter examines new directions in theory and practice of measuring schools' success. Relevant literature is synthesized to provide a holistic picture of current knowledge of the topic, highlighting meanings, principles and consequences. The chapter discusses the nature of success in schools. The major aim of the research is to analyze the most popular approaches towards measuring the success of schools, including effectiveness, efficiency, performance, and accountability. This chapter suggests measuring the success in public elementary school, based on extended set of measures and indicators. The expanded set of measurements could increase the validity of inferences about schools' effectiveness as well as efficiency and offer relevant information to principals and teachers about how to improve the school's performance.
Applications of Web Usage Mining across Industries
Authors: Kumar A. V. Senthil , Umagandhi R.
Published: January 2017

Web Usage Mining (WUM) is the process of discovery and analysis of useful information from the World Wide Web (WWW) by applying data mining techniques. The main research area in Web mining is focused on learning about Web users and their interactions with Web sites by analysing the log entries from the user log file. The motive of mining is to find users' access models automatically and quickly from the vast Web log data, such as similar queries imposed by the various users, frequent queries applied by the user, frequent web sites visited by the users, clustering of users with similar intent etc. This chapter deals with Web mining, Categories of Web mining, Web usage mining and its process, Applications of Web usage mining across the industries and its related works. This Chapter offers a general knowledge about Web usage mining and its applications for the benefits of researchers those performing research activities in WUM.
Effect of Necessary Factors for Deploying E-Business Models on Business Performance and Supply Chain Performance in Auto Industry
Authors: Nikabadi Mohsen Shafiei , Jafarian Ahmad
Published: January 2017

The main goal of this article is to survey effects of necessary factors for deploying e-business models on business performance and supply chain performance in automotive industry. Recognition of different aspects in the field of study is based on confirmatory factor analysis and then type of each determined aspects with business and supply chain performance is surveyed using correlation analysis. Findings of this study shows positive relationship between necessary aspects of implementing e-business on both aspects of operational and general indexes of business performance evaluation. Also, we will study the relation of every identified aspect with the performance of the supply chain in the auto industry. Also, Findings show that the necessary factors for implementing the e-business shall have the highest degree of correlation with the operational aspects of supply chain performance evaluation criteria.
Systems Thinking about Severe Storms in Social Studies Education
Authors: Chandler Thomas , Crocco Margaret , Marri Anand R.
Published: January 2017

Systems thinking provides a powerful cognitive and pedagogical tool for considering problems related to sustainability. This chapter pays particular attention to critical conceptual aspects of systems thinking as manifest in the use of a curriculum guide addressing Hurricane Katrina called Teaching the Levees: A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement. The three educators in this study used the Teaching the Levees curriculum guide in order to focus on a specific disciplinary aspect of social studies education. The educators also integrated a variety of social, ecological, economic, and political issues in their lessons. The inclusion of these disciplines supports the perspective that the educators were engaged in systems thinking, particularly in how they conceived of the patterns in which events emerged, the interconnectedness of discrete elements, and the impact of feedback loops within the system. The chapter also addresses ramifications of systems thinking within social studies education.
A New Approach to Supply Chain Performance Measurement
Authors: Marwah Amit Kumar , Thakar Girish , Gupta R. C.
Published: January 2017

Existing research work has established that many of today's manufacturing organizations have failed to develop a comprehensive supply chain performance measures. In this chapter, the authors intend to empirically assess the effects of supplier buyer relations and human metrics on supply chain performance in the context of Indian manufacturing organizations. After rigorous literature review, total 18 variables have been identified which are later on reduced in number by factor analysis. As a pilot study, primary data is collected from 100 manufacturing organizations by means of a questionnaire and a scale is developed. On a sample size of 100, the proposed hypotheses are tested by applying two-tailed tests. t-test and factor analysis resulted in 5 factors, 2 related to supplier-buyer relations and 3 related to human metrics. The overall reliability of the scale comes out to be 0.697. The research work provides a new approach to the manufacturing organizations to understand the factors affecting supply chain performance. The present study is limited to Indian manufacturing organizations.
Email Overload
Authors: Terra Ana Lúcia
Published: January 2017

In this chapter email overload is presented as a component of information overload and some of its causes and consequences are identified. Furthermore, an analysis on the skills required to deal with information overload is made. Then, a critical literature review about the concept of email overload is realized, stressing aspects such as the amount of messages, personal characteristics and skills or technological issues. Solutions for this organizational problem are presented based on relevant case studies from the literature review. Key components to consider in email overload management are also identified, including information management techniques and technological options, training, time management and information behavior (individual and organizational).
Advanced Nanomaterials for the Removal of Chemical Substances and Microbes From Contaminated and Waste Water
Authors: Shrivas Kamlesh , Ghosale Archana , Maji Pathik
Published: January 2017

The development of cost-effective, efficient and stable materials helps to provide the affordable solutions to get safe and fresh water to increasing population with health guidelines of emerging contaminants. Nanomaterials (NMs)-based techniques involve the design, synthesis, manipulation, characterization and exploitation of materials for adsorption and separation of target species from the contaminated and waste water. NMs show better adsorption capacity and catalytic for number chemical species and microbes because of their small size and large surface area that favors the purification and treatment of waste or contaminated environmental water. Here, we present the chemical properties, adsorption/removal mechanism and applications of advanced NMs such as magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene and graphene oxide (GO), titanium oxide (TiO2), silica (SiO2), silver (Ag), gold (Au) NPs and zeolites in effective and efficient removal of toxic metal ions, organic and inorganic chemical substances and disease-causing microbes from contaminated and wastewater.
Polymer Consumption, Environmental Concerns, Possible Disposal Options, and Recycling for Water Treatment
Authors: Saleh Tawfik A. A. , Danmaliki Gaddafi I.
Published: January 2017

The increasing awareness of the environment has raised so much concerns in the way we live and the manner to which we dispose our waste. The rapid growth in polymer production has resulted in increasing concerns about the consumption of nonrenewable resources and the environmental impacts associated with its production and disposal. Polymer waste is one of the major components in municipal solid waste and is increasingly becoming a huge burden in industrialized nations. The rise in the use of plastic, coupled with increasing concerns about its disposal, has led to a renewed interest in its recycling and recovery. The technologies involved in the recovery and recycling of polymers are rapidly growing, however, there is no specific pattern of treating polymer waste. The technology depends on the type of material used in the production and consumption pattern. This chapter, therefore, discusses the patterns of polymer consumption, the environmental concerns, and different modes of recycling polymer waste.
Preparing the Organization for Portfolio Management
Authors: Parth Frank R.
Published: January 2017

This chapter will discuss how to more effectively implement the enterprise portfolio management system (EPMS). In order to be successful in delivering an EPMS that will benefit the organization, the implementation team must understand that they going to make a significant change to how the organization operates, and that any significant change such as this can expect to encounter resistance. Effective implementation requires an understanding of the organization's current problems and priorities, the creation and implementation of the system that will resolve those problems, and preparations to overcome resistance through effective Organizational Change Management (OCM). The implementers must truly be convinced that this effort is going to make a difference to the larger organization and that their dedication and change leadership will make it successful. This chapter will help the implementing team see the benefits of enterprise portfolio management, help them convince others of those benefits, and become the leader in implementing the EPMS.
Application of Quality Management in Promoting Patient Safety and Preventing Medical Errors
Authors: Mosadeghrad Ali Mohammad , Woldemichael Abraha
Published: January 2017

The combination of healthcare professionals, processes and technologies bring significant benefits for patients. However, it also involves an inevitable risk of adverse events. Patients receiving health care in health institutions have the potential to experience some forms of medical errors. The word medical error commonly encompasses terms such as mistakes, near misses, active and latent errors. This signifies the complexity and multidimensional nature of the error. The consequences can be costly to the patients, the health professionals, the health care institutions, and the entire health care system. The costs may involve human, economic, and social aspects. Thus, ensuring quality health care can contribute to patients' safety by reducing potential medical errors in practice. This chapter aims to introduce a quality management framework for improving the quality and effectiveness of services, reducing medical errors and making the healthcare system safer for patients.
A Thorough Insight into Theoretical and Practical Developments in MultiAgent Systems
Authors: Juneja Dimple , Singh Aarti , Singh Rashmi , Mukherjee Saurabh
Published: January 2017

Multiagent systems have been a fascination for research community and are often seen as an intelligent solution to many complex real world problems. Researchers have been active in the domain since last three decades and many developments pertaining to theoretical design and practical developments of multiagent systems are worth appreciating. The growth in MAS is multidirectional ranging from conceptual ideas to practical implementations and from the wide range of applications; it appears that multiagent systems are proving to be universal. The paper presents a concise survey of developments in MAS highlighting the important contributions in the field and also questions the universal applicability of agents.
Efficient Image Denoising for Effective Digitization using Image Processing Techniques and Neural Networks
Authors: Srinivasa K.G. , Sowmya B.J. , Kumar D. Pradeep , Shetty Chetan
Published: January 2017

Vast reserves of information are found in ancient texts, scripts, stone tablets etc. However due to difficulty in creating new physical copies of such texts, knowledge to be obtained from them is limited to those few who have access to such resources. With the advent of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) efforts have been made to digitize such information. This increases their availability by making it easier to share, search and edit. Many documents are held back due to being damaged. This gives rise to an interesting problem of removing the noise from such documents so it becomes easier to apply OCR on them. Here the authors aim to develop a model that helps denoise images of such documents retaining on the text. The primary goal of their project is to help ease document digitization. They intend to study the effects of combining image processing techniques and neural networks. Image processing techniques like thresholding, filtering, edge detection, morphological operations, etc. will be applied to pre-process images to yield higher accuracy of neural network models.
The Research and Simulation of Blind Source Separation Algorithm
Authors: Gao Tao , Li Jincan
Published: January 2017

When the original source signals and input channel are unknown, blind source separation (BSS) tries decomposing the mixed signals observed to obtain the original source signals, as seems mysterious. BSS has found many applications in biomedicine science, image processing, wireless communication and speech enhancement. In this paper the basic theory of blind source separation is described, which consists of the mathematical model, knowledge, performance evaluation index, and so on. And a further research on blind source separation algorithm has done when the number of source signals is more than (equal) the number of the signals observed, including the traditional ways of BSS—fast independent component analysis (FastICA) algorithm and equivariant adaptive separation via independence (EASI) algorithm, as well as the SOBI algorithm which is based on the joint diagonalization of matrices.
VaTIS
Authors: Dingli Alexiei , Attard Maria
Published: January 2017

This paper highlights the concepts behind the Valletta Travel Information Service (VaTIS) Project, an intelligent information system capable of harvesting data from a road pricing system using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology and low cost sensors installed throughout the city of Valletta, Malta. In this paper, we describe the different elements of VaTIS and report on the first phase of the system, which has already been implemented using data from the camera system in place in Valletta and secondary data on travel behaviour to the city. Both authors act as observers, having been involved in the design and subsequent operational procedures of the road pricing system. The initial evaluation of phase 1 shows the potential benefits of smart applications and sensors for the management of travel demand and effective use of limited infrastructure and provides opportunity for further development of such applications to include user engagement and potential behaviour change.
Providing an Attractive Environment for People to Engage in Health Activities
Authors: Hsu Hung-Pin
Published: January 2017

Parks and green spaces have been allocated for city residents to offer them healthier natural environments. However, people living in cities may have less opportunity to engage with the natural environment since parks seem to be passive locations of activity. We investigated how to proactively enhance the attraction of green space to improve people's health. First, we surveyed how 683 city residents were engaged in physical activities. From them, 30 people were recruited for depth interviews. Results showed that the park environment and the health activities that feature ‘inner-attraction' could enhance the frequency and persistence of the city residents to engage in healthy activities. We also evaluated the service experience and attraction of 40 users in a 3-month program in the Daan Forest Park of Taipei City in Taiwan. Using the culture probes method, we found that the experience cycle and the use of social media enhanced the park's inner and inter attraction, and that the role of the park was transformed from a passive green space provider to an active service operator.