bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Automated Method for Extracting Rivers and Lakes from Landsat Imagery
Authors: Jiang Hao , Feng Min , Zhu Yunqiang , Lu Ning , Huang Jianxi , Xiao Tong
Published: May 2014

The water index (WI) is designed to highlight inland water bodies in remotely sensed imagery. The application of WI for water body mapping is mainly based on the thresholding method. However, there are three primary difficulties with this method: (1) inefficient identification of mixed water pixels; (2) confusion of water bodies with background noise; and (3) variation in the threshold values according to the location and time of image acquisitions. Considering that mixed water pixels usually appear in narrow rivers or shallow water at the edge of lakes or wide rivers, an automated method is proposed for extracting rivers and lakes by combining the WI with digital image processing techniques to address the above issues. The data sources are the Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) and ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) images for three representative areas in China. The results were compared with those from existing thresholding methods. The robustness of the new method in combination with different WIs is also assessed. Several metrics, which include the Kappa coefficient, omission and commission errors, edge position accuracy and completeness, were calculated to assess the method’s performance. The new method generally outperformed the thresholding methods, although the degree of improvement varied among WIs. The advantages and limitations of the proposed method are also discussed.
Context Representation and Fusion: Advancements and Opportunities
Authors: Khattak Asad , Akbar Noman , Aazam Mohammad , Ali Taqdir , Khan Adil , Jeon Seokhee , Hwang Myunggwon , Lee Sungyoung
Published: May 2014

The acceptance and usability of context-aware systems have given them the edge of wide use in various domains and has also attracted the attention of researchers in the area of context-aware computing. Making user context information available to such systems is the center of attention. However, there is very little emphasis given to the process of context representation and context fusion which are integral parts of context-aware systems. Context representation and fusion facilitate in recognizing the dependency/relationship of one data source on another to extract a better understanding of user context. The problem is more critical when data is emerging from heterogeneous sources of diverse nature like sensors, user profiles, and social interactions and also at different timestamps. Both the processes of context representation and fusion are followed in one way or another; however, they are not discussed explicitly for the realization of context-aware systems. In other words most of the context-aware systems underestimate the importance context representation and fusion. This research has explicitly focused on the importance of both the processes of context representation and fusion and has streamlined their existence in the overall architecture of context-aware systems’ design and development. Various applications of context representation and fusion in context-aware systems are also highlighted in this research. A detailed review on both the processes is provided in this research with their applications. Future research directions (challenges) are also highlighted which needs proper attention for the purpose of achieving the goal of realizing context-aware systems.
Happy Environments: Bhutan, Interdependence and the West
Authors: Schroeder Randy , Schroeder Kent
Published: May 2014

There is a growing trend to understand economic and environmental policies in terms of multiple dimensions and “interdependence.” Bhutan is increasingly seen as an operational model with its Gross National Happiness (GNH) strategy. GNH, which is rooted in Mahayana Buddhism, is a framework and set of policy tools that conceptualizes sustainability as interdependent ecological, economic, social, cultural and good governance concerns. Bhutan’s practical GNH experience illustrates a significant ability to positively couple economic growth with a healthy environment. Can the “West”—with its legacy of either/or economics—learn anything from Bhutan’s multidimensional policy experiment? At first, it would seem not. It is questionable whether the West can replicate Bhutan’s unorthodox policy tools as we do not have a balancing set of Buddhist values rooted in mainstream culture. We are not equipped to respond to the many unintended consequences of interdependent policy because we do not yet understand what “interdependence” actually entails. There is hope, but much of it exists in the grey literature of ecological economics. This literature is in urgent need of greater exposure if we are to imagine and enact sustainability policy tools that are truly sensitive to interdependence, and thus follow Bhutan on its perilous but necessary journey.
Perspective on Dietary Risk Assessment of Pesticide Residues in Organic Food
Authors: Benbrook Charles , Baker Brian
Published: May 2014

Previous studies have shown that organically produced food has lower risks of pesticide contamination than food that is not organically produced. However, organically produced food is not entirely free of pesticide residues. A large, high-quality U.S. Department of Agriculture database reports pesticide residues in several dozen organic and conventionally grown foods on an annual basis, and supports detailed analyses of the frequency of residues in conventional and organic food, the number of residues found in an average sample of food, residue levels, and potential dietary risk. These data are used to estimate pesticide dietary exposures and relative risk levels, and to assess the impacts of the current pesticide-related provisions of the National Organic Program (NOP) rule. Fraud appears to be rare based on the available data. Most prohibited residues found in organic produce are detected at levels far below the residues typically found in food grown with pesticides. Relatively high-risk residues are more common in imported foods—both organic and conventional—compared to domestically grown food. The authors conclude that incorporating relative dietary risk into the organic standard would be a more precautionary, risk-based approach than targeting enforcement to organic foods found to contain 5% or more of the applicable Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tolerance.
Networks as a Privileged Way to Develop Mesoscopic Level Approaches in Systems Biology
Authors: Giuliani Alessandro
Published: May 2014

The methodologies advocated in computational biology are in many cases proper system-level approaches. These methodologies are variously connected to the notion of “mesosystem” and thus on the focus on relational structures that are at the basis of biological regulation. Here, I describe how the formalization of biological systems by means of graph theory constitutes an extremely fruitful approach to biology. I suggest the epistemological relevance of the notion of graph resides in its multilevel character allowing for a natural “middle-out” causation making largely obsolete the traditional opposition between “top-down” and “bottom-up” styles of reasoning, so fulfilling the foundation dream of systems science of a direct link between systems analysis and the underlying physical reality.
Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1-Mediated Toxicity Inhibited by Neutralizing Antibodies Late in the Course of Continual in Vivo and in Vitro Exposure
Authors: Stich Norbert , Model Nina , Samstag Aysen , Gruener Corina , Wolf Hermann , Eibl Martha
Published: May 2014

Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) results from the host’s overwhelming inflammatory response and cytokine storm mainly due to superantigens (SAgs). There is no effective specific therapy. Application of immunoglobulins has been shown to improve the outcome of the disease and to neutralize SAgs both in vivo and in vitro. However, in most experiments that have been performed, antiserum was either pre-incubated with SAg, or both were applied simultaneously. To mirror more closely the clinical situation, we applied a multiple dose (over five days) lethal challenge in a rabbit model. Treatment with toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) neutralizing antibody was fully protective, even when administered late in the course of the challenge. Kinetic studies on the effect of superantigen toxins are scarce. We performed in vitro kinetic studies by neutralizing the toxin with antibodies at well-defined time points. T-cell activation was determined by assessing T-cell proliferation (3H-thymidine incorporation), determination of IL-2 release in the cell supernatant (ELISA), and IL-2 gene activation (real-time PCR (RT-PCR)). Here we show that T-cell activation occurs continuously. The application of TSST-1 neutralizing antiserum reduced IL-2 and TNFα release into the cell supernatant, even if added at later time points. Interference with the prolonged stimulation of proinflammatory cytokines is likely to be in vivo relevant, as postexposure treatment protected rabbits against the multiple dose lethal SAg challenge. Our results shed new light on the treatment of TSS by specific antibodies even at late stages of exposure.
Analysis of the Possible Use of Solar Photovoltaic Energy in Urban Water Supply Systems
Authors: Đurin Bojan , Margeta Jure
Published: May 2014

Because of the importance of water supply for the sustainability of urban areas, and due to the significant consumption of energy with prices increasing every day, an alternative solution for sustainable energy supply should be sought in the field of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). An innovative solution as presented in this paper has until now not been comprehensively analyzed. This work presents the solution with the application of a (Photovoltaic) PV generator. The main technological features, in addition to the designing methodology and case study are presented in this paper. The critical period approach has been used for the first time for system sizing. The application of this sizing method provides a high reliability of the proposed system. The obtained results confirm the assumption that the PV generator is a promising energy sustainable solution for urban water supply systems. The service reservoir, which acts as water and energy storage for the proposed system, provides the basis for a sustainable solution of water and energy supply. In accordance with the proposed, the reliability of such system is high. This concept of energy supply operation does not generate any atmospheric emission of greenhouse gases, which contributes significantly to the reduction of the impacts of climate changes. The proposed solution and designing methodology are widely applicable and in accordance with the characteristics of the water supply system and climate.
Adsorption and oxidation of formaldehyde on a polycrystalline Pt film electrode: An in situ IR spectroscopy search for adsorbed reaction intermediates
Authors: Jusys Zenonas , Behm R Jürgen
Published: May 2014

As part of a mechanistic study of the electrooxidation of C1 molecules we have systematically investigated the dissociative adsorption/oxidation of formaldehyde on a polycrystalline Pt film electrode under experimental conditions optimizing the chance for detecting weakly adsorbed reaction intermediates. Employing in situ IR spectroscopy in an attenuated total reflection configuration (ATR-FTIRS) with p-polarized IR radiation to further improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and using low reaction temperatures (3 °C) and deuterium substitution to slow down the reaction kinetics and to stabilize weakly adsorbed reaction intermediates, we could detect an IR absorption band at 1660 cm−1 characteristic for adsorbed formyl intermediates. This assignment is supported by an isotope shift in wave number. Effects of temperature, potential and deuterium substitution on the formation and disappearance of different adsorbed species (COad, adsorbed formate, adsorbed formyl), are monitored and quantified. Consequences on the mechanism for dissociative adsorption and oxidation of formaldehyde are discussed.
Emile Zuckerkandl: arquitecto de la evolución molecular
Authors: Suárez D. Edna M.ª
Published: May 2014

Se introduce la figura de Zuckerkandl como pionero en los estudios de evolución molecular al tiempo que se hace un repaso histórico de las aportaciones más significativas de su obra.
Simbiosis y parasitismo
Authors: Moya Andrés
Published: May 2014

Por mucho tiempo la teoría clásica de la evolución ha estado ajena a dos fenómenos recurrentes en la evolución biológica: la simbiosis y el parasitismo, fenómenos que han servido para formular teorías sobre la generación de novedades evolutivas importantes, aunque con distinto vigor. Desde la perspectiva del análisis de las teorías científicas las razones de la exclusión son distintas. A saber: la simbiosis no tiene fácil tratamiento desde la perspectiva de la demostración empírica de cómo una entidad simbiótica tiene mayor eficacia biológica que las entidades componentes por separado. El parasitismo, por otro lado, se ha visto como involución o pérdida de propiedades evolutivas ganadas por especies ancestrales no parásiticas, y su contribución a la generación de novedades evolutivas no es relevante. Esta situación de mutua ignorancia puede hacerse sin el recurso explícito a teorías antagónicas. Sólo hay que reformular la noción darwiniana de «conflicto» en términos compatibles con la emergencia de novedades evolutivas por la interacción de unidades componentes. Ahora bien, si la generación de tales unidades fuera por la capacidad de «autoorganización» de las mismas es cuando tendríamos un conflicto teórico, el que se plantea entre explicaciones selectivas y no selectivas de generación de novedades evolutivas. El objetivo del presente trabajo es doble: por un lado, plantear la posibilidad formal de integrar simbiosis y parasitismo en el marco de la teoría clásica de la evolución y, segundo, el planteamiento formal del conflicto cuando la simbiosis, específicamente, pudiera ser el producto de la interacción múltiple de unidades componentes en un ambiente donde la selección natural no opera.
Nueve gatos y un perro (entrevista sin preguntas). La Puerta, de Magda Szabó
Authors: Agustín Teresa
Published: May 2014

Magda Szabó nace en Hungría en 1917 y sus primeras obras ven la luz a finales de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, pero cuando los comunistas llegan al poder ella desaparece de la escena literaria hasta la década de los sesenta, en que publica poesía, novela y ensayo. Probablemente hoy es una de las autoras más destacadas y reconocidas de la literatura húngara y su obra ha sido traducida en más de cuarenta países.

La puerta, única obra publicada en España, es una historia real novelada entre dos mujeres, una escritora célebre y su criada. También es la historia de nueve gatos encerrados en una habitación y un perro, Viola, que se convierte en el catalizador de lo afectos. Es la vida de dos mujeres diferentes, con vidas diferentes, con edades diferentes, que acaban siendo indispensables la una para la otra. Es también un país, Hungría, como telón de fondo, que durante mucho tiempo también vivió encerrado en una habitación.
Anne Waldman (La Elegía)
Authors: Camblor Isabel
Published: May 2014

La noche del cinco de abril de 1997, el poeta Allen Ginsberg muere en brazos de la poeta Anne Waldman. Waldman logra capturar el espíritu beat durante unas horas, las necesarias para velar el cadáver. Su misión consiste en congregar uno por uno a cuantos poetas y demás criaturas líricas, vivas o muertas, sean capaces de producir una elegía beatnik en honor del poeta muerto. Anne Waldman impulsa la velada con su fuerza escénica de poeta y performer, y como anfitriona perfecta, se erige en guardiana del cuerpo de Ginsberg hasta la madrugada.
Margaret Atwood: la sirena de géneros
Authors: Freire Espido
Published: May 2014

En la narrativa de Margaret Atwood la sorpresa, el uso poético del lenguaje y la reconstrucción constante de la identidad de los personajes guían al lector a traves de los distintos textos. Tanto en la reconstrucción de Los diarios de Susanna Moodie como en la traducción de emociones y sentimientos de la reina de Dinamarca en «La respuesta de Getrudis», la figura de las protagonistas femeninas fuertes e imprevisibles reinventan el misterio del eterno femenino. Las criadas y las señoras, desde sus peculiares puntos de vista, definen la sociedad con distancia y escepticismo, sabedoras de que son más de lo que el otro (el lector o los personajes) pueden atisbar. En un acto lúdico constante, la literatura se convierte en un juego eterno, con las palabras como reglas.
Las damas de Shanghai. Doris Lessing visita a Elizabeth Costello
Authors: Izaguirre Marian
Published: May 2014

África. El ancestral país de los zimbabwe. una granja de tres mil acres. Lo primero que existe son las paredes de barro y los techos de paja que se levantan provisionalmente y que luego se convierten en un hogar que hay que rehacer cada año después de las lluvias torrenciales. una niña deambula por las selvas y sabanas, sola con su fusil y un perro. Y luego esa niña se convierte en la joven oficinista de un bufete de abogados de Salisbury. El mundo de los colonos blancos. Vienen después el marxismo y los matrimonios fallidos. Y más tarde la huida a Europa.

Inglaterra. Dos baúles, un hijo y 150 libras. El feminismo y la lucha política. La vida es como esa granja de Zimbabwe que hay que reconstruir cada año. La mujer de accidentada vida que nació en Persia y vivió en África se convierte en una escritora reconocida. Viaja. Asiste a congresos. Lucha para erradicar las desigualdades, es enérgica, vehemente, incansable. Ahora es una mujer de ochenta y ocho años que cuida de su hijo Peter y que combate (todavía) en diferentes lizas: la ecología, la defensa de los animales, la lucha contra las guerras, las invasiones… Y se enfrenta a todo (incluso al terrible esfuerzo que trae consigo la concesión del Premio nobel) con una vehemencia lúcida, la que produce haber entrado y salido con pasión y coherencia de los grandes ismos del siglo xx.
A. S. Byatt: una narradora total
Authors: Izquierdo Paula
Published: May 2014

Antonia S. Byatt nació en 1936, en Sheffield, Yorkshire. Es una de las novelistas mas complejas e intensas en lengua inglesa del momento. Inició su andadura en la literatura como profesora y crítica, y esta doble faceta le fue muy útil a la hora de pergeñar qué y cómo escribir. Si algo caracteriza la literatura moderna es que los narradores no suelen juzgar, sino que ofrecen los distintos puntos de vista para que sea el lector quien saque conclusiones. Si algo caracteriza su prosa es el virtuosismo con que da voz y verosimilitud a los personajes que habitan sus novelas. Algunos críticos la han tildado de victoriana postmoderna, debido a sus gustos refinados y, qué duda cabe, a que sus textos ponen de manifiesto su formación: su estilo es literario; los personajes pertenecen al que fue su ámbito académico; las referencias cultas y las disquisiciones intrincadas son ella misma. una gran propuesta.
Amélie Nothomb: la vida en el cor de l’obra
Authors: Monsó Imma
Published: May 2014

Breve repaso de la obra de Amélie nothomb (autora belga nacida en Kobe, Japón en 1967), que pone de relieve la importancia de la biografía personal en las novelas de esta popular autora.
Engineering Justice
Authors: Grimes Joe , Grimes Mark
Published: May 2014

This chapter addresses how the field of engineering has the potential of being a major force for social justice and how that may be accomplished. With their placement in a wide-range of occupations and job sites and with engineering professionals from many diverse countries, engineers are strategically located for societal impact. Engineers are naturally suited for problem solving and this propensity can be awakened to issues broader than those advanced by an employer or client. Educators can help engineers to think critically about how to think in socially just ways and how solutions will affect people. This chapter demonstrates how educational and training programs may be built around the understanding of the engineering profession and of the use of innovative instructional strategies that inspire and excite an engineer during the learning process. This chapter includes examples of instructional modules that may be used to accomplish these goals.
Contextual Intelligence
Authors: Kutz Matthew R. , Bamford-Wade Anita
Published: May 2014

Context and intelligence are two concepts that when combined create unique insight relative to leadership in complex and ambiguous settings. Contextual intelligence is described as the ability to recognize patterns of interrelated artifacts inherent in events or circumstances, which result in intentional behaviors that facilitate influence. This chapter is divided into sections that introduce the concept of contextual intelligence as a framework rooted in three core concepts. Those concepts include understanding non-Newtonian thinking, synchronicity, and tacit knowledge. Following a discussion of these core concepts, the model is expanded to include three-dimensional (3D) thinking, which requires the practical application of hindsight, insight, and foresight through the lenses of the three core concepts. The chapter concludes with a diagram of the contextual intelligence circumplex and a breakdown and description of 12 meta-competencies (behaviors) associated with contextual intelligence.
Global Diversity and Organizational Culture's Impact on Adaptation, Performance, and Innovation
Authors: Cross Doris E.
Published: May 2014

Diversity and change are key concepts facing our world. As we enter into the 21st century, organizational leaders recognize the importance of diverse perspectives and adaptation to changes as competitive advantages. Doris E. Cross is an educator and researcher on diversity issues influence on organizational cultures. This chapter identifies factors, such as changing demographics, tumultuous economies, and workforce dynamics, effects on individual perceptions of organizational cultures and performances. Cross considers embracing diversity as a competitive advantage that adds significance to companies' market values globally. To effectively manage market changes, organizational leaders are encouraged to examine the inclusion of diverse perspectives to capture both employees and consumers' loyalty. She contends diverse perceptions in organizational cultures encourage new ideas and innovative approaches to meeting the needs of diverse customers. Changes within organizations are most effective when its adaptation, change, and performance are intricately linked with its advancement.
The Role and Value of Diversity to Learning Organizations and Innovation
Authors: Lopuch Viviane S. , Davis Daniel Cochece
Published: May 2014

Learning organizations are environments promoting individual and team learning capabilities. Learning organization concepts, embraced by a growing number of organizations throughout the world, are strategies for competing in dynamic economic environments. Globally, leaders across varying industries continue to strive to build learning organizations that improve effectiveness and possess an ability to continuously evolve. Learning organizations depend on effective communication, a chief component of leadership influence. They also require thinking from as many perspectives as possible, in order to change and grow in response to anticipated and existing external pressures. These perspectives emerge from the variety of experiences coming from diverse individuals, and leaders must recognize these as critical resources in organizations' ability to learn, manage change, and facilitate innovation. This chapter explores learning organization variables, arguing that diversity and leadership communication are important co-factors in successfully implementing learning organization principles leading to innovation.
Access within the Classroom through Universal Design for Learning and Key Learning Elements
Authors: Grimes Joe , Grimes Mark
Published: May 2014

Much has been done to assure that social justice is achieved by providing equal opportunity for access to education, but less has been done to provide equal opportunity for learning success. This chapter addresses how an organizational trainer/faculty (instructor) may become an Equal Opportunity Instructor for Learning Success (EOILS). In particular, it provides guidance for how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Elements of Learning may be combined in an innovative manner to design and implement classes that will provide equal opportunity for learning success. This is accomplished by presenting the UDL Principles and Elements of Learning while showing how course improvements may be made. There are three examples resulting in the final implementation that incorporates significant use of UDL Principles and Elements of Learning. Faculty and organizational trainers (training and development) around the world would likely benefit from the use of UDL.
Fostering Innovation in the Midst of Organizational Change
Authors: Cook Susan L.
Published: May 2014

This chapter examines the definitional links between innovation, organizational change, organizational culture, organizational climate, and dialogic communication. In the 21st century context of nano-second change across organizations, understanding these concepts, their nexus for practical purposes, and the value of dialogic narratives help frame the “stories” of innovative processes that construct change. Current change cases such as Saturday Mail, Should We Make Cents, due process removal for Colorado public service providers, and Colorado Open Space “Nature Play” constructions are examined to apply a theoretical framework for this complex process of innovation through dialogue. An organizational tool modeled after Bingo is demonstrated as an aid in constructing and shaping the organizational change narrative while incorporating diverse dialogues in the communication process.
Globalizing Migration Dialogue
Authors: Talamante Laura , Mackenzie Caroline
Published: May 2014

In this chapter, the authors examine how working with diverse international communities to explore migration history and experiences using oral history and community-service learning pedagogy as well as research practices creates a model for transformational dialogue and understanding regarding difference and diversity. The Empowerment and Migration project focused on two activities: a two-city exhibition on “Citizenship and Migration,” involving migrants from Los Angeles and Marseilles, and the E&M Website, which offers migrants, educators, researchers, associations, and NGOs a global forum for education, dialogue, and research regarding immigrant experiences. The project included student work from California State University Dominguez Hill in Los Angeles and from the Lycée Jean-Baptiste Brochier in Marseilles and immigrant contributions from the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. The authors qualitatively examine the project's goals of reducing defensiveness by promoting reflective practice, collaborative multicultural skill mastery, and practices for building and sustaining positive cross-cultural rapport.
Statistical Features-Based Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease using MRI
Authors: Aggarwal Namita , Rana Bharti , Agrawal R.K.
Published: May 2014

Early detection of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), a neurological disorder, may help in development of appropriate treatment to slow down the disease's progression. In this chapter, a method is proposed that may assist in diagnosis of AD using T1 weighted MRI brain images. In the proposed method, first-and-second-order-statistical features were extracted from multiple trans-axial brain slices covering hippocampus and amygdala regions, which play a significant role in AD diagnosis. Performance of the proposed approach is compared with the state-of-the-art feature extraction techniques in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. The experiment was carried out on two datasets built from publicly available OASIS data, with four well-known classifiers. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms all the other existing feature extraction techniques irrespective of the choice of classifier and dataset. In addition, the statistical test demonstrates that the proposed method is significantly better in comparison to the existing methods. The authors believe that this study will assist clinicians/researchers in classification of AD patients from controls based on T1-weighted MRI.
Magnitude and Phase of Discriminative Orthogonal Radial Moments for Face Recognition
Authors: Mittal Neerja , Walia Ekta , Singh Chandan
Published: May 2014

It is well known that the careful selection of a set of features, with higher discrimination competence, may increase recognition performance. In general, the magnitude coefficients of some selected orders of ZMs and PZMs have been used as invariant image features. The authors have used a statistical method to estimate the discrimination strength of all the coefficients of ZMs and PZMs. For classification, only the coefficients with estimated higher discrimination strength are selected and are used in the feature vector. The performance of these selected Discriminative ZMs (DZMs) and Discriminative PZMs (DPZMs) features are compared to that of their corresponding conventional approaches on YALE, ORL, and FERET databases against illumination, expression, scale, and pose variations. In this chapter, an extension to these DZMs and DPZMs is presented by exploring the use of phase information along with the magnitude coefficients of these approaches. As the phase coefficients are computed in parallel to the magnitude, no additional time is spent on their computation. Further, DZMs and DPZMs are also combined with PCA and FLD. It is observed from the exhaustive experimentation that with the inclusion of phase features the recognition rate is improved by 2-8%, at reduced dimensions and with less computational complexity, than that of using the successive ZMs and PZMs features.
Computer Vision-Based Non-Magnetic Object Detection on Moving Conveyors in Steel Industry through Differential Techniques and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Manjunatha K. C. , Mohana H. S. , Vijaya P. A.
Published: May 2014

Intelligent process control technology in various manufacturing industries is important. Vision-based non-magnetic object detection on moving conveyor in the steel industry will play a vital role for intelligent processes and raw material handling. This chapter presents an approach for a vision-based system that performs the detection of non-magnetic objects on raw material moving conveyor in a secondary steel-making industry. At single camera level, a vision-based differential algorithm is applied to recognize an object. Image pixels-based differential techniques, optical flow, and motion-based segmentations are used for traffic parameters extraction; the proposed approach extends those futures into industrial applications. The authors implement a smart control system, since they can save the energy and control unnecessary breakdowns in a robust manner. The technique developed for non-magnetic object detection has a single static background. Establishing background and background subtraction from continuous video input frames forms the basis. Detection of non-magnetic materials, which are moving with raw materials, and taking immediate action at the same stage as the material handling system will avoid the breakdowns or power wastage. The authors achieve accuracy up to 95% with the computational time of not more than 1.5 seconds for complete system execution.
On Parallel Online Learning for Adaptive Embedded Systems
Authors: Pahikkala Tapio , Airola Antti , Xu Thomas Canhao , Liljeberg Pasi , Tenhunen Hannu , Salakoski Tapio
Published: May 2014

This chapter considers parallel implementation of the online multi-label regularized least-squares machine-learning algorithm for embedded hardware platforms. The authors focus on the following properties required in real-time adaptive systems: learning in online fashion, that is, the model improves with new data but does not require storing it; the method can fully utilize the computational abilities of modern embedded multi-core computer architectures; and the system efficiently learns to predict several labels simultaneously. They demonstrate on a hand-written digit recognition task that the online algorithm converges faster, with respect to the amount of training data processed, to an accurate solution than a stochastic gradient descent based baseline. Further, the authors show that our parallelization of the method scales well on a quad-core platform. Moreover, since Network-on-Chip (NoC) has been proposed as a promising candidate for future multi-core architectures, they implement a NoC system consisting of 16 cores. The proposed machine learning algorithm is evaluated in the NoC platform. Experimental results show that, by optimizing the cache behaviour of the program, cache/memory efficiency can improve significantly. Results from the chapter provide a guideline for designing future embedded multi-core machine learning devices.
Hierarchical Agent-Based Monitoring Systems for Dynamic Reconfiguration in NoC Platforms
Authors: Ostroumov Sergey , Tsiopoulos Leonidas , Waldén Marina , Plosila Juha
Published: May 2014

A Network-On-Chip is a paradigm that tackles limitations of traditional bus-based interconnects. It allows complex applications that demand many resources to be deployed on many-core platforms effectively. To satisfy requirements on dependability, however, a NoC platform requires dynamic monitoring and reconfiguration mechanisms. In this chapter, the authors propose an agent-based management system that monitors the state of the platform and applies various reconfiguration techniques. These techniques aim at enabling uninterruptable execution of applications satisfying dependability requirements. The authors develop the proposed system within Event-B that provides a means for stepwise and correct-by-construction specification supported by mathematical proofs. Furthermore, the authors show the mechanism of decomposition of Event-B specifications such that a well-structured and hierarchical agent-based management system is derived.
System-Level Analysis of MPSoCs with a Hardware Scheduler
Authors: Zhang Diandian , Castrillon Jeronimo , Schürmans Stefan , Ascheid Gerd , Leupers Rainer , Vanthournout Bart
Published: May 2014

Efficient runtime resource management in heterogeneous Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoCs) for achieving high performance and energy efficiency is one key challenge for system designers. In the past years, several IP blocks have been proposed that implement system-wide runtime task and resource management. As the processor count continues to increase, it is important to analyze the scalability of runtime managers at the system-level for different communication architectures. In this chapter, the authors analyze the scalability of an Application-Specific Instruction-Set Processor (ASIP) for runtime management called OSIP on two platform paradigms: shared and distributed memory. For the former, a generic bus is used as interconnect. For distributed memory, a Network-on-Chip (NoC) is used. The effects of OSIP and the communication architecture are jointly investigated from the system point of view, based on a broad case study with real applications (an H.264 video decoder and a digital receiver for wireless communications) and a synthetic benchmark application.
Efficiency Analysis of Approaches for Temperature Management and Task Mapping in Networks-on-Chip
Authors: Wegner Tim , Gag Martin , Timmermann Dirk
Published: May 2014

With the progress of deep submicron technology, power consumption and temperature-related issues have become dominant factors for chip design. Therefore, very large-scale integrated systems like Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) are exposed to an increasing thermal stress. On the one hand, this necessitates effective mechanisms for thermal management and task mapping. On the other hand, application of according thermal-aware approaches is accompanied by disturbance of system integrity and degradation of system performance. In this chapter, a method to predict and proactively manage the on-chip temperature distribution of systems based on Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) is proposed. Thereby, traditional reactive approaches for thermal management and task mapping can be replaced. This results in shorter response times for the application of management measures and therefore in a reduction of temperature and thermal imbalances and causes less impairment of system performance. The systematic analysis of simulations conducted for NoC sizes up to 4x4 proves that under certain conditions the proactive approach is able to mitigate the negative impact of thermal management on system performance while still improving the on-chip temperature profile. Similar effects can be observed for proactive thermal-aware task mapping at system runtime allowing for the consideration of prospective thermal conditions during the mapping process.
The Pit Head Baths are Now an Internet Café
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: May 2014

The coal fields communities in Wales were once one of the most prosperous places to live in the British Isles. Many people flocked to Wales in search of a new life and opportunities for their family. Coal became known as “Black Gold” and the industrialized coal fields became centres of productivity. Media use in Welsh households has generally been controlled by dominating men who saw and in many cases still see themselves as the “heads of the household.” Such control over the media consumption of women was not out of place in the UK as a whole, where men have assumed a place as a de facto media institution who force choices of what to watch on their households. This chapter presents a longitudinal study of three women in Wales conducted between 2000 and 2013 that shows how the media consumption and audience styles have changed over time so that power structures from both men and traditional media institutions have all but eroded.
Can Digital Technologies Threaten Democracy by Creating Information Cocoons?
Authors: Gossart Cédric
Published: May 2014

This chapter examines the extent to which digital technologies can threaten democracy by creating “information cocoons,” within which information is filtered and tailored to our tastes and prevailing opinions. Digital technologies allow us to filter information and contacts in a very efficient way, thereby creating a risk that we end up exchanging information only with like-minded people. Since humans' bounded rationality cannot cope with the amount of information available on the Internet, we are confronted with problems of cognitive dissonance that we attempt to solve by ignoring opinions and arguments that differ too much from our own. Recent political events in the Arab world suggest that digital technologies support democratisation. But there is also a risk that these technologies might impoverish democratic debates and reduce exchanges amongst the stakeholders of a given political arena while radicalising their points of views. This threat is serious and needs to be investigated. To do so, this chapter suggests a methodology to evaluate that risk, as well as ways to mitigate it. Various methods have been used to analyse the polarisation of opinions in human societies, such as the ones analysing the traces left by Internet users in blogs or hypertext links. The authors provide a review of these methods after having explained the main factor conducive to the creation of information closure.
Trolling for the Lulz?
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: May 2014

Internet trolling as a term has changed in meaning since it first entered mainstream use on the Internet in the 1990s. In the 2010s, it has come to refer to the posting of provocative or offensive messages on the Internet to harm others. This change in usage of the term opens up new challenges for understanding the phenomenon, especially as some are still resistant to taking it beyond its original meaning. This chapter tries to distinguish the 1990s kind from the 2010s kind by referring to the former as classical trolling and the latter as anonymous trolling. Taking part in the former is considered to be “trolling for the Lolz” (i.e. positive) and the second to mean “trolling for the Lulz” (i.e. negative). Through using document and genre analysis, this chapter finds that there are common ways in which anonymous trolling manifests differently on different platforms. The chapter concludes by presenting a model for understanding which genres of online community are at risk for particular types of trolling.
Internet Voting
Authors: Enguehard Chantal
Published: May 2014

In the Internet age, the increasing prevalence of online voting regularly sparks controversy regarding security. This chapter addresses the topic of Internet voting by describing the characteristics of a democratic election and placing this new mode of voting within the context of the entire family of electronic voting systems. The link between transparency of the electoral system, voter confidence, and legitimacy is then reiterated, and the components of reliability and safety requirements of security are detailed. This analysis and the overview of several real implementations of Internet voting systems in this chapter show that transparency vanishes due to the combination of anonymity and virtualization of the votes while absolute security seems out of reach. Finally, it appears that the search for procedures for verifying the proper operation of the procedures should be accompanied by a strong evolution of the electorate legal rules.
What Does E- add to Democracy?
Authors: Mindus Patricia
Published: May 2014

Technologies carry politics since they embed values. It is therefore surprising that mainstream political and legal theory have taken the issue so lightly. Compared to what has been going on over the past few decades in the other branches of practical thought, namely ethics, economics, and the law, political theory lags behind. Yet the current emphasis on Internet politics that polarizes the apologists holding the Web to overcome the one-to-many architecture of opinion building in traditional representative democracy, and the critics who warn that cyber-optimism entails authoritarian technocracy has acted as a wake up call. This chapter sets the problem, “What is it about ICTs, as opposed to previous technical devices, that impact on politics and determine uncertainty about democratic matters?,” into the broad context of practical philosophy by offering a conceptual map of clusters of micro-problems and concrete examples relating to “e-democracy.” The point is to highlight when and why the hyphen of e-democracy has a conjunctive or a disjunctive function in respect to stocktaking from past experiences and settled democratic theories. The chapter's claim is that there is considerable scope to analyse how and why online politics fail or succeed. The field needs both further empirical and theoretical work.
Methodology for Environmental Sustainability Evaluation Of Airport Development Alternatives
Authors: Fann Jean-Christophe , Rakas Jasenka
Published: May 2014

This study develops a new approach for the evaluation of greener airport systems. The proposed concepts demonstrate how to implement greener practices from the early stages of an airport infrastructure project in an economically rational and stakeholder-focused manner. Objectives of the proposed methodology are two-fold: (1) to promote greener design practices among airport planners, designers, and managers, and (2) to institute active communication among all airport stakeholders. The study contributes to the state of the knowledge in airport environmental management by proposing the combination of five distinct considerations: (1) the evaluation of environmental sustainability with a focus on the planning and design stages of airport facilities, (2) a procedure for screening and ranking alternatives, (3) examples of applicable performance criteria, objectives and indicators with sample scoring procedures, (4) a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach combined with cost and utility functions, and (5) a flexible implementation strategy to enable end-users to adjust the complexity of the evaluation. This study is intended to open a discussion for the development of a methodological tool that fulfills aims of promoting greener airport design, while at the same time satisfactorily addressing stakeholder concerns.
The Impact of Traffic Type and Node Mobility on an 802.16 Mobile WiMAX for Varying Network Sizes
Authors: Byeon James K. , Sarkar Nurul I. , Gutiérrez Jairo A.
Published: May 2014

While WiMAX handoff characteristics and quality of service (QoS) provisioning have been explored by many network researchers, the effect of traffic type, node mobility and network size on WiMAX has not been fully explored yet. This paper therefore reports on a study of the impact of traffic type and node mobility on the performance of a typical mobile 802.16 WiMAX for varying network sizes. The authors consider small, medium and large network scenarios under four different traffic types (FTP, HTTP, VoIP and Videoconferencing) with node speeds of up to 90 km/hour. The authors developed an extensive simulation model using OPNET Modeler to measure network throughputs, FTP response times, HTTP object and page response times, VoIP jitter, and Video conferencing end-to-end delays. Results obtained show that packet delays of less than one second are maintained regardless of increased node speeds. Packet loss ratios for VoIP and video conferencing are irregularly high and increase with network traffic. Another observation is that the average throughput of video conferencing and m-VoIP is decreased and packet loss ratio is irregularly increased causing loss of connection. As expected, both FTP and HTTP traffic are transmitted well over WiMAX because they can tolerate a certain amount of delays. However, the transmission of both m-VoIP and video conferencing packets suffered high packet losses. The results reported in this paper provide some insights into the performance of 802.16 WiMAX with respect to the traffic type, network size and node mobility on system performance.
Enterprise Applications Led Resource Capabilities in Public Sector and Government in India
Authors: Prakash Niraj , Saini A. K. , Jaiswal Mahadeo
Published: May 2014

Resource Based View (RBV) forms an important theoretical base for several IS researches. RBV theory and related IS researches provide several categories and types (typology) of resource capabilities that create and enhance the sustained competitive advantage (SCA) of firms. While the resource capabilities that are enabled by enterprise applications (EA) will closely mirror the ones provided by IS researches on this topic, a specific study of such capabilities in the context of enterprise applications in public sector and government is attempted in this study. This will improve the understanding of EA-enabled resource capabilities in general and public sector in particular. The understanding and insights can be widely applied to ICT for Development. Literature survey provides the capabilities' matrix and the resulting framework is corroborated with a study of 55 public sector and government organizations in India.