bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct Delivery of Antigens to Dendritic Cells via Antibodies Specific for Endocytic Receptors as a Promising Strategy for Future Therapies
Authors: Lehmann Christian , Heger Lukas , Heidkamp Gordon , Baranska Anna , Lühr Jennifer , Hoffmann Alana , Dudziak Diana
Published: March 2016

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent professional antigen presenting cells and are therefore indispensable for the control of immunity. The technique of antibody mediated antigen targeting to DC subsets has been the basis of intense research for more than a decade. Many murine studies have utilized this approach of antigen delivery to various kinds of endocytic receptors of DCs both in vitro and in vivo. Today, it is widely accepted that different DC subsets are important for the induction of select immune responses. Nevertheless, many questions still remain to be answered, such as the actual influence of the targeted receptor on the initiation of the immune response to the delivered antigen. Further efforts to better understand the induction of antigen-specific immune responses will support the transfer of this knowledge into novel treatment strategies for human diseases. In this review, we will discuss the state-of-the-art aspects of the basic principles of antibody mediated antigen targeting approaches. A table will also provide a broad overview of the latest studies using antigen targeting including addressed DC subset, targeted receptors, outcome, and applied coupling techniques.
Does Habitat Restoration Increase Coexistence of Native Stream Fishes with Introduced Brown Trout: A Case Study on the Middle Provo River, Utah, USA
Authors: Belk Mark , Billman Eric , Ellsworth Craig , McMillan Brock
Published: March 2016

Restoration of altered or degraded habitats is often a key component in the conservation plan of native aquatic species, but introduced species may influence the response of the native community to restoration. Recent habitat restoration of the middle section of the Provo River in central Utah, USA, provided an opportunity to evaluate the effect of habitat restoration on the native fish community in a system with an introduced, dominant predator—brown trout (Salmo trutta). To determine the change in distribution of fish species and community composition, we surveyed 200 m of each of the four study reaches both before restoration (1998) and after restoration (2007 and 2009). Juveniles and adults of six native species increased in distribution after restoration. The variation in fish community structure among reaches was lower post-restoration than pre-restoration. Overall, restoration of complex habitat in the middle Provo River led to increased pattern of coexistence between native fishes and introduced brown trout, but restoration activities did not improve the status of the river’s two rarest native fish species. Habitat restoration may only be completely successful in terms of restoring native communities when the abundance of invasive species can be kept at low levels.
Brain Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Gender Differences in Tinnitus Patients
Authors: Shlamkovich Nathan , Gavriel Haim , Eviatar Ephraim , Lorberboym Mordechay , Aviram Eliad
Published: March 2016

Background:Increased metabolism in the left auditory cortex has been reported in tinnitus patients. However, gender difference has not been addressed.Purpose:To assess the differences in Positron emission tomography‐computed tomography (PET-CT) results between the
genders in tinnitus patients.Research Design:Retrospective cohort.Study Sample:Included were patients referred to our clinic between January 2011 and August 2013 who complained of tinnitus and underwent fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET to assess brain metabolism.Data Analysis:Univariate
and multivariate nominal logistic regressions were used to evaluate the association between upper temporal gyrus (UTG; right and left) and gender.Results:Included were 140 patients (87 males) with an average age of 52.5 yr (median = 53.1). Bilateral tinnitus was found in 85 patients
(60.7%), left sided in 30 (21.4%), and right sided in 21(15%). Increased uptake in the UTG was found in 60% of the patients on either side. Males had a statistically significant increased uptake in the UTG in those with unilateral tinnitus and in the entire population.Conclusions:We
present the largest study reported so far on tinnitus patients who have undergone FDG-PET-CT. We found a statistically significant difference between the genders in FDG uptake by the UTG. Further investigations should be undertaken to reveal the etiologies for these differences and to assess
different therapeutic protocols according to gender.
Research on the influence of LPG/CNG injector outlet nozzle diameter on uneven fuel dosage
Authors: Szpica Dariusz
Published: March 2016

The paper presents an original flow research methodology in LPG/CNG injectors. When adapting alternative LPG systems of the IV generation, very often the injector nozzles are adapted individually to change the flow parameters. Hence, in the paper the author attempted to evaluate the influence of the injector nozzle diameter (min and max) on the uneven fuel dosage. The determined average throughputs were 0.0235–3.3683 mm2. The averaged difference in the unevenness reached 0.0419%, its minimum value is 0.0694 and the maximum is 0.7703, which can influence the correction of the mixture composition made through the oxygen sensor. Additionally, the flow characteristics of the injectors for both diameter variants have been presented, showing the necessity of inspecting the component after nozzle boring.
Analysis of installing ballast water treatment equipment on bulk carriers
Authors: Šateikienė Diana , Janutėnienė Jolanta , Čerka Jonas
Published: March 2016

In order to protect the world from the invasive species of organisms the cleaning ballast water is required, in other words, discharged water must meet requirements posted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The paper provides a comparative analysis of ballast water treatment equipment and its technical parameters. The research has been performed to analyse and assess the effect of the introduced equipment on ship stability, including the effect of its weight, dimensions, performance, price and the efficacy of choice.
MEASURING THE PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE OF URBAN CONGESTION-PRICING: A SURVEY IN MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA)
Authors: Liu Zhiyuan , Shiwakoti Nirajan , Bie Yiming
Published: March 2016

The practical implementations of congestion-pricing are largely restricted, due to the low public acceptance level. Based on a field survey, this study reveals the public acceptance level in Melbourne, Australia. It was found that the level of acceptance for a new congestion-pricing scheme is 42%, which still needs to be improved if a congestion-pricing scheme is to be implemented. Some strategies are proposed and discussed to increase the acceptance level towards congestion charge in urban cities, including an information campaign, public transport improvements and a trial.
A new approach to estimate pedestrian delay at signalized intersections
Authors: Marisamynathan Sankaran , Vedagiri Perumal
Published: March 2016

Enhancing pedestrian safety and improving the design standards of pedestrian facilities at signalized intersection requires a clear understanding of pedestrian delay model and pedestrian crossing behaviours under mixed traffic condition. The existing delay models do not consider the behavioural constrains of pedestrians. This research has been undertaken with the aim of developing a suitable pedestrian delay model for signalized intersection crosswalks, based on considering actual pedestrian crossing behaviours. The required model parameters were extracted from the video-graphic survey conducted for the selected four signalized intersections in Mumbai (India). Crossing behaviours of pedestrians were examined through field data in terms of pedestrian arrival pattern, crossing speed, compliance behaviour and pedestrian–vehicular interactions. Based on pedestrian crossing behaviour analysis results, two new pedestrian delay estimation models were developed and the models were validated by comparing with field and existing model values. The performance level of the proposed models is showing more precise and reliable solutions. The first pedestrian delay model is developed on the basis of compliance behaviour, has two components, such as waiting time delay and crossing time delay. This model can be used to evaluate pedestrian Level Of Service (LOS) and signal timing optimization. The second developed pedestrian delay model is based on noncompliance behaviour, has three components, such as waiting time delay, crossing time delay, and pedestrian–vehicular interaction delay. This model can also be used to evaluate the quality of pedestrian flow, estimating accurate pedestrian delay and LOS for local conditions, which is representative of the prevailing pedestrian condition.
SEARCHING FOR NEW YELLOW SYMBIOTIC STARS: POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF StHα63*
Authors: Baella N. O. , Pereira C. B. , Miranda L. F. , Alvarez-Candal A.
Published: March 2016

Yellow symbiotic stars are useful targets for probing whether mass transfer has happened in their binary systems. However, the number of known yellow symbiotic stars is very scarce. We report spectroscopic observations of five candidate yellow symbiotic stars that were selected by their positions in the 2MASS (J − H) versus (H − K

s
) diagram and which were included in some emission-line catalogs. Among the five candidates, only StHα63 is identified as a new yellow symbiotic star because of its spectrum and its position in the [TiO]1–[TiO]2 diagram, which indicates a K4–K6 spectral type. In addition, the derived electron density (∼108.4 cm−3) and several emission-line intensity ratios provide further support for that classification. The other four candidates are rejected as symbiotic stars because three of them actually do not show emission lines and the fourth one only Balmer emission lines. We also found that the WISE W3–W4 index clearly separates normal K-giants from yellow symbiotic stars and therefore can be used as an additional tool for selecting candidate yellow symbiotic stars.
LONG-TERM OPTICAL STUDIES OF THE BE/X-RAY BINARY RX J0440.9+4431/LS V+44 17
Authors: Yan Jingzhi , Zhang Peng , Liu Wei , Liu Qingzhong
Published: March 2016

We present the spectroscopic and photometric observations on the Be/X-ray binary RX J0440.9+4431 from 2001 to 2014. The short-term and long-term variability of the Hα line profile indicates that one-armed global oscillations existed in the circumstellar disk. Several positive and negative correlations between the V-band brightness and the Hα intensity were found from the long-term photometric and spectroscopic observations. We suggest that the monotonic increase of the V-band brightness and the Hα brightness between our 2005 and 2007 observations might be the result of a continuous mass ejection from the central Be star, while the negative correlation in 2007–2010 should be caused by the cessation of mass loss from the Be star just before the decline in V-band brightness began (around our 2007 observations). With the extension of the ejection material, the largest circumstellar disk during the last two decades has been observed in our 2010 observations with an equivalent width of approximately −12.88 Å, which corresponds to a circumstellar disk with a size of 12.9 times the radius of the central Be star. Three consecutive X-ray outbursts peaking around MJD 55293, 55444, and 55591 might be connected with the largest circumstellar disk around the Be star. We also use the orbital motion of the neutron star as a probe to constrain the structure of the circumstellar disk and estimate the eccentricity of the binary system to be ≥0.4. After three years of the Hα intensity decline after the X-ray outbursts, a new circumstellar disk was being formed around the Be star after our 2013 observations.
A TRANSITING JUPITER ANALOG
Authors: Kipping D. M. , Torres G. , Henze C. , Teachey A. , Isaacson H. , Petigura E. , Marcy G. W. , Buchhave L. A. , Chen J. , Bryson S. T. , Sandford E.
Published: March 2016

Decadal-long radial velocity surveys have recently started to discover analogs to the most influential planet of our solar system, Jupiter. Detecting and characterizing these worlds is expected to shape our understanding of our uniqueness in the cosmos. Despite the great successes of recent transit surveys, Jupiter analogs represent a terra incognita, owing to the strong intrinsic bias of this method against long orbital periods. We here report on the first validated transiting Jupiter analog, Kepler-167e (KOI-490.02), discovered using Kepler archival photometry orbiting the K4-dwarf KIC-3239945. With a radius of

, a low orbital eccentricity (

), and an equilibrium temperature of

K, Kepler-167e bears many of the basic hallmarks of Jupiter. Kepler-167e is accompanied by three Super-Earths on compact orbits, which we also validate, leaving a large cavity of transiting worlds around the habitable-zone. With two transits and continuous photometric coverage, we are able to uniquely and precisely measure the orbital period of this post snow-line planet (1071.2323 ± 0.0006d), paving the way for follow-up of this K = 11.8 mag target.
THE Fe II EMISSION IN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI: EXCITATION MECHANISMS AND LOCATION OF THE EMITTING REGION
Authors: Marinello M. , Rodríguez-Ardila A. , Garcia-Rissmann A. , Sigut T. A. A. , Pradhan A. K.
Published: March 2016

We present a study of Fe ii emission in the near-infrared region (NIR) for 25 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) to obtain information about the excitation mechanisms that power it and the location where it is formed. We employ an NIR Fe ii template derived in the literature and find that it successfully reproduces the observed Fe ii spectrum. The Fe ii bump at 9200 Å detected in all objects studied confirms that Lyα fluorescence is always present in AGNs. The correlation found between the flux of the 9200 Å bump, the 1 μm lines, and the optical Fe ii implies that Lyα fluorescence plays an important role in Fe ii production. We determined that at least 18% of the optical Fe ii is due to this process, while collisional excitation dominates the production of the observed Fe ii. The line profiles of Fe ii
λ10502, O i
λ11287, Ca ii
λ8664, and Paβ were compared to gather information about the most likely location where they are emitted. We found that Fe ii, O i and Ca ii have similar widths and are, on average, 30% narrower than Paβ. Assuming that the clouds emitting the lines are virialized, we show that the Fe ii is emitted in a region twice as far from the central source than Paβ. The distance, though, strongly varies: from 8.5 light-days for NGC 4051 to 198.2 light-days for Mrk 509. Our results reinforce the importance of the Fe ii in the NIR to constrain critical parameters that drive its physics and the underlying AGN kinematics, as well as more accurate models aimed at reproducing this complex emission.
EXTREME AO OBSERVATIONS OF TWO TRIPLE ASTEROID SYSTEMS WITH SPHERE
Authors: Yang B. , Wahhaj Z. , Beauvalet L. , Marchis F. , Dumas C. , Marsset M. , Nielsen E. L. , Vachier F.
Published: March 2016

We present the discovery of a new satellite of asteroid (130) Elektra—S/2014 (130) 1—in differential imaging and in integral field spectroscopy data over multiple epochs obtained with Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research/Very Large Telescope. This new (second) moonlet of Elektra is about 2 km across, on an eccentric orbit, and about 500 km away from the primary. For a comparative study, we also observed another triple asteroid system, (93) Minerva. For both systems, component-resolved reflectance spectra of the satellites and primary were obtained simultaneously. No significant spectral difference was observed between the satellites and the primary for either triple system. We find that the moonlets in both systems are more likely to have been created by sub-disruptive impacts as opposed to having been captured.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Authors: Drigas Athanasios , Vlachou Jenny A.
Published: March 2016

The aim of this report is to provide systematic analysis of studies investigating ICT tools for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. They are categorized into ICT assessment tools and ICT intervention tools. The review outlines the origin of each tool, its functionality by describing certain technological features and how it attributes to this scientific field. On the one hand, there are many ICT tools that contribute in the diagnosis of ASD. On the other hand, ICT intervention tools play also an important role, trying to enhance both cognitive and social abilities of the ASD child. Through the review of these articles, we try to investigate how far they have come in meeting these targets.
Energy Efficient Congestion Control in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ahmad Awais , Paul Anand , Jabbar Sohail , Rho Seungmin
Published: March 2016

Avoiding from congestion and provision of reliable communication characterising the low energy consumption and high data rate is one of the momentous challenges at Media Access Control (MAC) layer. This become more difficult to achieve when there is energy constraint mixed with mobility of nodes. Same issue is addressed in this underlying paper. Here we have proposed a Time-Sharing Energy Efficient Congestion Control (TSEEC) technique for Mobile Wireless Sensor Networks. Time Division Multiple Access Protocol (TDMA) and Statistical Time Division Multiple Access Protocol (STDMA) are major constituents of this technique. These helps in conserving the energy by controlling the sleeping, waking up and listening states of sensor nodes. Load Based Allocation and Time Allocation Leister techniques further helps in conserving the network energy minimizing the network congestion. First mentioned technique is designed on the basis of STDMA Protocol and uses the sensor node information to dynamically assign the time slots while later said technique is does the job of mobility management of sensor node. This Time Allocation Leister techniques further comprises of Extricated Time Allocation (ETA), Shift Back Time Allocation (SBTA), and eScaped Time Allocation (STA) sub techniques for managing the joing and leaving of nodes to cluster and redundant\absence of data for communication respectively. To control the movement of mobile sensor nodes, we have also introduced mobility pattern as part of TSEEC that helps in making the protocol adaptive to traffic environment and to mobility as well. A comparitive analysis of proposed mechanism with SMAC is performed in NS2 along with mathematical anslysis by considering energy consumption, and packet deliver ratio as performance evaluation parameters. The results for the former outperforms to that of later. Moreover, comparative analysis of the proposed TSEEC with other MAC protocols is also presented.
Novel Energy Aware Algorithm to Design Multilayer Architecture for Dense Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Chilamkurti Naveen , Jabbar Sohail , Minhas Abid Ali
Published: March 2016

Network layer functionalists are of core importance in the communication process and so the routing with energy aware trait is indispensable for improved network performance and increased network lifetime. Designing of protocol at this under discussion layer must consider the aforementioned factors especially for energy aware routing process. In wireless sensor networks there may be hundreds or thousands of sensor nodes communicating with each other and with the base station, which consumes more energy in exchanging data and information with the additive issues of unbalanced load and intolerable faults. Two main types of network architectures for sensed data dissemination from source to destination exist in the literature; Flat network architecture, clustered network architecture. In flat architecture based networks, uniformity can be seen since all the network nodes work in a same mode and generally do not have any distinguished role.
802.11p-Based VANET Applications Improving Road Safety and Traffic Management
Authors: Sarakis Lambros , Orphanoudakis Theofanis , Chatzimisios Periklis , Papantonis Aristotelis , Karkazis Panagiotis , Leligou Helen C. , Zahariadis Theodore
Published: March 2016

In the last few years Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) based on wireless vehicular networks have been attracting interest, since they can contribute towards improving road transport safety and efficiency and ameliorate environmental conditions and life quality. In order to widely spread these technologies, standardization at each layer of the networking protocol stacks has to be done. Therefore, a suite of protocols along with the architecture for the wireless environments with vehicles has been developed and standardized. Both in the US as well as in Europe the selected wireless communication protocol has been the 802.11p protocol developed by the IEEE. In this chapter, we discuss the potential impact of ITS towards achieving the above targets of improving road safety and traffic control. We review the overall architecture and the protocol functionality and present in detail a number of applications that have been developed demonstrating selected use-cases on an 802.11p compliant system prototype. Specifically, we discuss the implementation of selected applications on the NEC's Linkbird-MX platform, which supports IEEE 802.11p based communications, showing how its functionality can be exploited to build efficient road safety and traffic management applications, and evaluate the performance of the system using an experimental testbed.
A Scheduling Scheme for Throughput Optimization in Mobile Peer-to-Peer Networks
Authors: Shiakallis Odysseas , Mavromoustakis Constandinos X. , Mastorakis George , Bourdena Athina , Pallis Evangelos , Markakis Evangelos , Dobre Ciprian
Published: March 2016

Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) paradigm includes all the emerging technological advances, mechanisms and schemes for the efficient resource offloading and the energy-efficient provision of services to mobile users. In addition, the mobile nodes will act as flexible networking points in emerging mobile networking architectures, where several challenges have to be addressed, like the high energy consumption and the data packets transmission failure, under a Mobile Peer-to-Peer (MP2P) approach. Towards addressing such challenges, several factors that contribute to the increased consumption of the energy, have to be investigated, as well as issues related with the loss of data during the provision of services. In this framework, a Traffic-based S-MAC scheme is proposed in this chapter, towards increasing the data exchange and minimize the energy consumption, between mobile nodes operating under an Ad-Hoc approach. The performance of the proposed scheduling scheme was thoroughly evaluated, through a number of simulation experiments.
Social Media
Authors: Reeves Matthew
Published: March 2016

This chapter investigates the positive role social media can play in education. It looks at the various formats in which the tool can be used and how it can enhance the learning experience of all students. The chapter analyses the ability for social media to act as a communication channel as well as an educational interface where every student can learn through their peers and through their educator. It also discusses the need for further research as to how this increasingly popular tool can be successfully integrated into educational environments.
Increasing Value of a Tangible Product through Intangible Attributes
Authors: Johns Raechel
Published: March 2016

As researchers seek to understand value co-creation in more detail, it is essential to explore both tangible and intangible products in more depth. This case study provides an understanding of the intangible value created with a tangible product. The Thermomix is a high-end multi-purpose cooking device and through social media, communities of users have increased the value of the device. This article argues that value can be created through the intangible offerings, even when a physical product exists.
Clash of Cultures
Authors: Loy Jennifer , Canning Samuel
Published: March 2016

In 2012, a Belgian company called Materialise hosted a fashion show featuring designs from a worldwide millinery competition. The featured pieces were paraded down a catwalk by professional models, and an overall winner chosen. What made this fashion show unusual was that the attendees were predominantly clinical and industrial engineers, and the host was a specialist engineering and software development company that emerged in 1990 from a research facility based at Leuven University. Engineers and product designers rather than fashion designers created the millinery and the works were all realized through additive manufacturing technology. This chapter provides an example of how fashion design has become a creative stimulus for the development of the technology. It illustrates how disruptive creativity has the potential to advance scientific research, with the two worlds of engineering and fashion coming together through a collaboration with industrial design. The chapter highlights the challenges and possible implications for preparing trans-disciplinary research teams.
The Essence of Smart Homes
Authors: Ghaffarianhoseini Amirhosein , Ghaffarianhoseini Ali , Tookey John , Omrany Hossein , Fleury Anthony , Naismith Nicola , Ghaffarianhoseini Mahdiar
Published: March 2016

Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environments. These are residential units substantially integrated with a communicating network of sensors and intelligent systems based on the application of new design initiatives and creative technologies. This study provides a holistic overview on the essence of smart homes besides demonstrating their current status, benefits and future directions. The study reveals that smart homes embrace significant potentials towards achieving comfort, security, independent lifestyle and enhanced quality of life. Findings urge the necessity to focus on further exploration of the social and environmental benefits derived from the application of creative technologies in smart homes. The study concludes that smart homes play a fundamental role in shaping the future cities. Finally, the study identifies a research gap indicating that there has been less consideration towards linking the fundamental potentials of smart homes to the overall performance and key indicators of smart cities.
Competences and Learning Profiles of Digital Age's Students
Authors: Loureiro Ana , Messias Inês
Published: March 2016

In the connected world we live in today, people no longer look for information only in formal places. Internet has become a place of choice to gather information. Social networks have grown from places for socialization to platforms where knowledge is created and shared, where connectivity and collaboration are natural. Many people look at the web as a place for learning, using it to create a network which allows them to gather, select, share, reshape ideas and create knowledge to then replicate on social networks. Students' learning profile is becoming more proactive in the search for information and constructing valid knowledge. The demands of the information age raise the necessity of students to acquire different skills and competences – 21st century skills. This chapter aims to present the different students' learning profiles and the type of learning environments available online.
Advances in Anatomical and Medical Visualisation
Authors: Rea Paul Michael
Published: March 2016

Advances in digital technologies are rapidly progressing, and as such, those involved in education at all levels have to adapt our educational methodologies to ensure effective and validated pedagogical methods in our teaching practice. One such area rapidly progressing is that of anatomical and medical visualisation. With such a rich and prestigious history, the subject of anatomy is at the forefront of these advances. This chapter highlights the history of anatomy in medical education, and clearly illustrates the key changes that are paramount to our digital natives learning today. With the advent of a new MSc in Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy which bridges the gap between traditional and modern techniques in anatomical education, this chapter clearly illustrates how to amalgamate traditional teaching methodologies with those of the digital age. It will also highlight key areas to enhance employability of students entering employment in an ever-changing market.
Web-Based Course Design Models
Authors: Çınar Murat , Tüzün Hakan
Published: March 2016

This study presents the results obtained from a literature review on Web-based instructional design models in order to form a basis for Web-based course design practices. The pioneering studies in literature mainly focused on the components of Web-based instruction and how to direct learning processes in an interactive environment. The studies that proposed design models for Web-based courses were generally based on literature, so they did not sufficiently reflect how the components of a model would be implemented in design practices. In the relevant literature, studies based on authentic design cases are limited. These studies, in which design efforts and processes are described in narrative form, did not go beyond specific contexts and could not be regarded as models. Consequently, there is a need for more studies that provide guidance on how design instructions should be implemented so as to address and resolve the problems that may be encountered in this process.
Towards a Model of a Didactics of eLearning
Authors: Amador Filomena , Nobre Ana , Barros Daniela
Published: March 2016

In this paper our aim is to analyze and discuss some of the problems that Higher Education Institutions are facing with the change in the profile of students who reach this level of education. In this context issues related to the implementation of several professional knowledge areas (conceptual, pedagogical and technological) acquire a new dimension due to the need of transpose them into online learning environments. This starting point is a deep understanding from the analysis of three theoretical perspectives: digital natives and social and cultural settings, models of didactic transposition, and education for sustainable development. The last one was selected as a model to exemplify. Thus, it is our goal in this article to discuss a first draft of a didactic transposition model adapted to eLearning that answers the needs of this specific public.
Technodiversity
Authors: Nettleton Kimberely Fletcher , Lennex Lesia C.
Published: March 2016

What happens when technology, culture, and education intersect? How does culture of place impact technology communication? How does this affect baccalaureate education? While examining cultural awareness and diversity in three separate projects, the researchers discovered key elements to understanding technodiversity and its impact on the exchange of ideas. Morehead State University in eastern Kentucky, Western New Mexico University, and University of Guangxi in China participated in joint projects about privilege and digital communication. Issues impacting technodiversity were discovered. Understanding and harnessing the principles of technodiversity will impact distance education, online communities, and the use of technology as a conduit for communication. The diversity exchanges formed future ideas about curriculum providing baccalaureate candidates not only with a remarkable background in developing goals and assessments of achievement but also with technology and diversity tools to enable teaching in diverse circumstances.
Higher Education and Current E-Learning Potential in the MENA Region
Authors: Alphin Jr. Henry C. , Lavine Jennie , Croome Richard J. , Hocker Adam J.
Published: March 2016

Project management theory provides an organized, cost-effective approach to providing an accessible e-learning environment. Such a collaborative project has the opportunity to bring together such professionals as instructional designers, disability services staff, and institutional researchers. Accessibility as an afterthought is a costly approach, and disabled students are a large enough minority to seek equality of opportunity. E-learning accessibility empowers the individual by providing educational content in formats that not only encourage collaboration and learning, but also reduce frustration and develop a sense of inclusiveness. A project manager who understands the importance of e-learning accessibility will be able to grow the project from the ground up in a manner that empowers the disabled, while benefiting all learners. In the MENA region, urban and rural, poor and rich, all contribute to the possibilities of being able to access education and technological factors inhibit or allow access to online or e-learning.
Racial Spectacle and Campus Climate
Authors: Roth Kenneth Robert , Ritter Zachary S.
Published: March 2016

Media spectacle has become an important way countries, culture, and commerce is expressed in the global marketplace. Media spectacle is a combination of power and capital and in its final form produces ideology. The U.S. is the global leader in the production and distribution of media, accounting for one-third of more than $90 billion annually in worldwide film distribution alone. U.S. media representations can be distinctive due to their racial dialogue and International college students with little exposure to the U.S. outside of media depictions arrive in America with perceptions that may be detrimental to campus climate. Supported by two independent qualitative studies, this chapter interrogates implications media representations may have for cross-cultural interactions. We identify ways U.S. colleges and universities are addressing campus climate issues, and how these efforts may not be enough. We call for increased diversity training across curricula to promote greater tolerance.
Channeling Race
Authors: Roth Kenneth Robert , Ritter Zachary S.
Published: March 2016

The late Stuart Hall argued depictions of race in media most appropriately should be examined as ideology, since a main sphere of media operation is the production and transformation of ideologies. These ideologies are not isolated concepts but articulations of a variety of cultural signifiers into a chain of meanings that are often presented as statements of nature. Such meanings can produce troubling outcomes on U.S. college campuses when arriving international students' first and often only exposure to race in America is the nation's continued struggle with equality as portrayed in exported film and news spectacles portraying blackness as a social threat. This chapter examines how media representations can flavor cross-cultural interactions, and the implications these interactions may have for campus climate, diversity initiatives, and the increasingly multicultural and globalized work place.
Which Matters More?
Authors: Trinh Mai P.
Published: March 2016

This chapter reviews what we know about the effects of surface-level diversity (age, sex, and ethnicity) and deep-level diversity (personality characteristics such as conscientiousness, openness to experience, extraversion, emotional stability, and agreeableness) in organizational teams. It also outlines challenges to today's diversity management and Human Resource (HR) practices, such as the lack of definite conclusions from research results, the mismatch between team diversity research designs and organizations' needs, and the lack of research examining simultaneously different aspects of diversity. Drawing from analysis results of team data from 55 teams of volunteers from Shanghai, the author recommends that HR training and selection take specific team contexts into account and increase attention on functions that support important team processes such as communication and mutual support among team members.
Promoting Diversity Leadership
Authors: Sterling Ra Shaunda V.
Published: March 2016

This chapter focuses on the difference between the diversity of community college students and community college administrators. While many community college students are poor, minority, and female, the vast majority of community college administrators, particularly chief executive officers, are affluent, White, and male. This inequity may have an impact on how administrators relate to students and the policies these administrators enact, resulting in concerns about equity and access to educational opportunities. The history of U.S. community colleges is discussed. A profile of the typical community college student is also presented. Definitions of leadership are provided, and diversity leadership research is examined. A strategy for increasing diversity at the administrative level in the community college setting is shared. Kotter's (1996) eight-stage model of change management is presented as a means of altering a college's culture to promote greater diversity leadership. The role of technology in increasing diversity is discussed, and directions for further research are shared.
Workforce Diversity in Volunteerism and the Peace Corps
Authors: Joshua-Gojer Ashwini Esther , Allen Jeff M. , Huang Tai-Yi
Published: March 2016

This chapter will discuss the subject of workforce diversity as it directly relates to volunteerism, using the Peace Corps as an example. The aim of the chapter is to illustrate how nonprofit institutions can draw upon the value of workforce diversity in order to obtain competitive advantages. The Peace Corps' three-fold mission includes helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served and helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans (Peace Corps, 2011a). This chapter will specifically discuss how the Peace Corps incorporate diversity in their volunteer program. “The agency has always reflected the diversity of America and is actively recruiting the next generation of Peace Corps Volunteers” (Peace Corps, 2011b). In addition, it will make a case for diversity in nonprofits and will provide guidance on how to build diversity.
A Review on Bio-Inspired Migration Optimization Techniques
Authors: Verma Jyotsna , Kesswani Nishtha
Published: March 2016

Nature inspired computing techniques has become a very popular topic in recent years. Number of applications in computer networks, robotics, biology, combinatorial optimization, etc. can be seen in literatures which are based on the bio-inspired techniques. Nature inspired techniques are proven to solve complex optimization problems irrespective of their problem size. This review summarizes various nature inspired migration algorithms and comparison between them, based on the automated tools, evolutionary techniques and applications.
Implementing a Cloud-Based Decision Support System in a Private Cloud
Authors: Benatia Imene , Laouar Mohamed Ridda , Bendjenna Hakim , Eom Sean B.
Published: March 2016

This paper introduces the architecture and the deployment of a Cloud based decision support system (DSS). The DSS the authors proposed is deployed on a platform Cloud (CloudBees) and managed by the OpenStack infrastructure. The DSS is built on the Cloud Computing architecture with three layers and includes the multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) method PROMETHEE II as well as the procedure of negotiation Hare in order to help the decision makers to select the best urban project. The Cloud based DSS reduces the deployment and processing time, ameliorates the communication and the cooperation between the decision makers, facilitates the accessibility and decrease the cost. The Cloud based multiple criteria DSS the authors designed and implemented has significant advantages. It reduces the deployment and processing time, ameliorates the communication and the cooperation between the decision makers, facilitates the accessibility, and decrease the cost.
Students' Perception of the Integration of Mobile Devices as Learning Tools in Pre-Primary and Primary Teacher Training Degrees
Authors: Riaza Blanca García , Rodríguez Ana Iglesias
Published: March 2016

University education is nowadays facing the need to rethink teaching processes carried out, to accommodate them to new understandings about how the human beings learn, also transcending the use, access and appropriation of a methodology adapted to changing times where, no doubt, mobile devices have a leading role. Besides their obvious communicative and playful function, teachers and learners must be aware of the pedagogical potential of these devices that can become allies in educational processes. This study analyzes the perception of university students, enrolled in the Pre-Primary and Primary Teacher Training Degrees at the University of Salamanca (Spain), about the use of mobile devices as tools to assist the learning process and as gadgets to practice and boost the learning process carried out in the classroom. Relevant outcomes have been extracted from the inspection of the data obtained through a survey to students, what has enabled us to draw interesting conclusions about the opinion of students about the inclusion of mobile devices as learning resources at tertiary level, that unravel the good disposition of the students polled towards the incorporation of these devices, both to university classes as well as to their future professional development.
Hybrid Learning
Authors: Abdelrahman Nahed , Irby Beverly J.
Published: March 2016

Hybrid learning has been utilized as a transitional learning method to make advantage of both face-to-face and online learning platforms. In this article, the authors explored how faculty members perceive using simultaneously multiple platforms in higher education such as face-to-face, online, and hybrid platforms in teaching. In this study, the authors examined how faculty members defined hybrid learning. They also explored how the participants perceive both hybrid and online learning as vehicles for higher education advancement as well as strategies to attract more students to higher education. The purpose of this research was to develop an analytical overview of one of the learning approaches such as hybrid and its impact on higher education. The authors have interviewed ten faculty members in order to achieve this objective. The results illustrated that faculty members do not have one single definition of hybrid learning but rather they have multiple definitions. Faculty members also demonstrated that they support online learning because it achieves more accessibility to higher education, yet, they believe the face-to-face learning achieve more quality of education.
Use of Data Reduction Process to Bankruptcy Prediction
Authors: Sardasht Morteza Shafiee , Saheb Saeed
Published: March 2016

Predicting corporate bankruptcy has been an important challenging problem in research topic in accounting and finance. In bankruptcy prediction, researchers often confront a range of observations and variables which are often vast amount of financial ratios. By reducing variables and select relevant data from a given dataset, data reduction process can optimize bankruptcy prediction. This study addresses four well-known data reduction methods including t-test, correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and factor analysis (FA) and evaluated them in bankruptcy prediction in the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). To this end, considering 35 financial ratios, the results of data reduction methods were separately used to train Support Vector Machine (SVM) as the powerful prediction model. Regarding the empirical results, among the aforementioned methods, the t-test lead to the most prediction rate with 97.1% of predictability and PCA by 95.1% provides the next position.
Student Interest in the IS Specialization as Predictor of the Success Potential of New Information Systems Programmes within the Schools of Business in Kenyan Public Universities
Authors: Ndede-Amadi Atieno A.
Published: March 2016

The focus of this study was to evaluate the success potential of new information systems programmes within the schools of business in Kenyan public universities using student interest in the information systems specialization as predictor. The study argued that student interest in the specialization should inform whether or not new programmes would succeed if launched. Using the survey research method, the study gathered and analyzed data on student interest in the information systems specialization both before and after taking an introductory IS course and was able to establish that enhanced interest, enabled by the course, increased their likelihood of choosing the IS specialization, thereby pointing to the success potential of new information systems programmes within the schools of business in Kenyan public universities.
Evolutionary Search for Cellular Automata with Self-Organizing Properties toward Controlling Decentralized Pervasive Systems and Its Applications
Authors: Iwase Yusuke , Suzuki Reiji , Arita Takaya
Published: March 2016

Cellular Automata (CAs) have been investigated extensively as abstract models of the decentralized systems composed of autonomous entities characterized by local interactions. However, it is poorly understood how CAs can interact with their external environment, which would be useful for implementing pervasive systems that consist of billions of components (nodes, sensors, etc.). This paper focuses on the emergent properties of CAs induced by external perturbations toward controlling pervasive systems. The authors assumed a minimum task in which a CA has to change its global state drastically after every occurrence of a perturbation period. By conducting evolutionary searches for rules of CAs, they obtained interesting behaviors of CAs in which their global state cyclically transited among different stable states in either ascending or descending order. They analyze the emergent behavior in detail and also introduce applications of the evolved CA for controlling pervasive robots and an interactive art.
Valuing Standard Essential Patents in the Knowledge Economy
Authors: Heiden Bowman
Published: March 2016

This paper comparatively examined the valuation methodologies put forward and accepted in four recent FRAND cases adjudicated in the US in 2013-14 and found a link to the business models (i.e. value logics) employed by the actors and the type of standards involved. This indicates that the value of standard essential patents (SEPs) may be dependent on the market structure under which standards are developed. Additionally, valuation models based on prior license agreements seem to currently produce higher valuations of SEPs, everything else equal. However, a lack of agreement by the different courts regarding similar valuation methods indicates the value of SEPs still lacks consensus on both legal and economic grounds, especially in relation to new knowledge-based business models and norms. This suggests that policy makers (both within SSOs and government) should take pause in further defining IPR policies and adopting new patent regulations without a deeper understanding of the potential impact to both dynamic and static economic efficiency in respect to an emerging new division of innovation labor and knowledge-based business models. This is particularly relevant as the studied cases confirm that lack of empirical evidence that perceived problems such as patent holdup and royalty stacking are more than a merely contractual/transactional phenomenon that can't well be addressed on a case-by-case basis by the courts.