bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The homeodomain complement of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi suggests that Ctenophora and Porifera diverged prior to the ParaHoxozoa
Authors: Ryan Joseph F , Pang Kevin ,   NISC Comparative Sequencing Program, Mullikin James C , Martindale Mark Q , Baxevanis Andreas D
Published: October 2010

Background

The much-debated phylogenetic relationships of the five early branching metazoan lineages (Bilateria, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Placozoa and Porifera) are of fundamental importance in piecing together events that occurred early in animal evolution. Comparisons of gene content between organismal lineages have been identified as a potentially useful methodology for phylogenetic reconstruction. However, these comparisons require complete genomes that, until now, did not exist for the ctenophore lineage. The homeobox superfamily of genes is particularly suited for these kinds of gene content comparisons, since it is large, diverse, and features a highly conserved domain.

Results

We have used a next-generation sequencing approach to generate a high-quality rough draft of the genome of the ctenophoreMnemiopsis leidyiand subsequently identified a set of 76 homeobox-containing genes from this draft. We phylogenetically categorized this set into established gene families and classes and then compared this set to the homeodomain repertoire of species from the other four early branching metazoan lineages. We have identified several important classes and subclasses of homeodomains that appear to be absent fromMnemiopsisand from the poriferanAmphimedon queenslandica. We have also determined that, based on lineage-specific paralog retention and average branch lengths, it is unlikely that these missing classes and subclasses are due to extensive gene loss or unusually high rates of evolution inMnemiopsis.

Conclusions

This paper provides a first glimpse of the first sequenced ctenophore genome. We have characterized the full complement ofMnemiopsishomeodomains from this species and have compared them to species from other early branching lineages. Our results suggest that Porifera and Ctenophora were the first two extant lineages to diverge from the rest of animals. Based on this analysis, we also propose a new name - ParaHoxozoa - for the remaining group that includes Placozoa, Cnidaria and Bilateria.
Association of TNFAIP3 interacting protein 1, TNIP1 with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Japanese population: a case-control association study
Authors: Kawasaki Aya , Ito Satoshi , Furukawa Hiroshi , Hayashi Taichi , Goto Daisuke , Matsumoto Isao , Kusaoi Makio , Ohashi Jun , Graham Robert R , Matsuta Kunio , Behrens Timothy W , Tohma Shigeto , Takasaki Yoshinari , Hashimoto Hiroshi , Sumida Takayuki , Tsuchiya Naoyuki
Published: October 2010

Introduction

TNFAIP3 interacting protein 1, TNIP1 (ABIN-1) is involved in inhibition of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation by interacting with TNF alpha-induced protein 3, A20 (TNFAIP3), an established susceptibility gene to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent genome-wide association studies revealed association of TNIP1 with SLE in the Caucasian and Chinese populations. In this study, we investigated whether the association of TNIP1 with SLE was replicated in a Japanese population. In addition, association of TNIP1 with RA was also examined.

Methods

A case-control association study was conducted on the TNIP1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7708392 in 364 Japanese SLE patients, 553 RA patients and 513 healthy controls.

Results

Association of TNIP1 rs7708392C was replicated in Japanese SLE (allele frequency in SLE: 76.5%, control: 69.9%, P = 0.0022, odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-1.74). Notably, the risk allele frequency in the healthy controls was considerably greater in Japanese (69.9%) than in Caucasians (24.3%). A tendency of stronger association was observed in the SLE patients with renal disorder (P = 0.00065, OR 1.60 [95%CI 1.22-2.10]) than in all SLE patients (P = 0.0022, OR 1.40 [95%CI 1.13-1.74]). Significant association with RA was not observed, regardless of the carriage of human leukocyte antigen DR β1 (HLA-DRB1) shared epitope. Significant gene-gene interaction between TNIP1 and TNFAIP3 was detected neither in SLE nor RA.

Conclusions

Association of TNIP1 with SLE was confirmed in a Japanese population. TNIP1 is a shared SLE susceptibility gene in the Caucasian and Asian populations, but the genetic contribution appeared to be greater in the Japanese and Chinese populations because of the higher risk allele frequency. Taken together with the association of TNFAIP3, these observations underscore the crucial role of NF-κB regulation in the pathogenesis of SLE.
An ELISA-based high throughput protein truncation test for inherited breast cancer
Authors: Lim Mark J , Foster Gabriel J , Gite Sadanand , Ostendorff Heather P , Narod Steven , Rothschild Kenneth J
Published: October 2010

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed and second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. female population. An estimated 5 to 10 percent of all breast cancers are inherited, caused by mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility genes (BRCA1/2). As many as 90% of all mutations are nonsense mutations, causing a truncated polypeptide product. A popular and low cost method of mutation detection has been the protein truncation test (PTT), where target regions of BRCA1/2 are PCR amplified, transcribed/translated in a cell-free protein synthesis system and analyzed for truncated polypeptides by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and autoradiography. We previously reported a novel High Throughput Solid-Phase PTT (HTS-PTT) based on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format that eliminates the need for radioactivity, SDS-PAGE and subjective interpretation of the results. Here, we report the next generation HTS-PTT using triple-epitope-tagged proteins and demonstrate, for the first time, its efficacy on clinical genomic DNA samples for BRCA1/2 analysis.

Methods

Segments of exons 11 of BRCA1/2 open reading frames were PCR amplified from either blood derived genomic DNA or cell line mRNA. PCR primers incorporate elements for cell-free transcription/translation and epitope tagging. Cell-free expressed nascent proteins are then antibody-captured onto the wells of a microtiter plate and the relative amount of truncated polypeptide measured using antibodies against the N- and C-terminal epitope tags in an ELISA format.

Results

100% diagnostic sensitivity and 96% specificity for truncating mutations in exons 11 of BRCA1/2 were achieved on one hundred blood-derived clinical genomic DNA samples which were previously assayed using the conventional gel based PTT. Feasibility of full gene coverage for BRCA1/2 using mRNA source material is also demonstrated.

Conclusions

Overall, the HTS-PTT provides a simple, quantitative, objective, low cost and high throughput method for analysis of truncating mutations as an alternative to gel based PTT for BRCA analysis. The technology is readily accessible to virtually any laboratory, with the only major instrumentation required being a PCR thermocycler and a basic micro-well plate reader. When compared to conventional gel based PTT, the HTS-PTT provides excellent concordance.
Making Music and Masculinity in Vagrancy’s Shadow: Race, Wealth, and Malandragem in Post-Abolition Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Hertzman Marc A.
Published: October 2010

This article discusses strategies which Afro-Brazilian men used to distance themselves from demeaning assumptions and stereotypes attached to slavery and vagrancy in Rio de Janeiro. The piece focuses on the first 50 years after abolition (1888) but also shows how the ideologia da vadiagem—a set of ideas and stereotypes which defined black, poor, and mixed-race men and women as lazy and inferior—cast a long shadow deep into the twentieth century. The primary lens is the music market, which, beginning around the turn of the century, provided one of the earliest and most public venues in which black men were judged as members of a free society. Some musicians played samba and a number used malandragem, the lifestyle and ethos of flashy, masculine, malandro hustler figures, to cater to audience desires and also to distinguish themselves from caricatures of sickly, weak vadios (vagrants or idlers). Other artists rejected malandragem or only embraced it selectively, instead preferring a more toned-down “professional” look and demeanor meant to secure dignity and respect for themselves, their music, and the communities for which they served as figureheads. Eduardo das Neves, Moreno, Donga, Pixinguinha, Brancura, and Ismael Silva are among the musicians discussed here. By interpreting malandragem as a response to the ideologia da vadiagem, and as one of many identities and strategies employed by black entertainers, the article provides unique insights about the relationship between race, class, gender, and sexuality and a new way to understand the long-term effects of slavery and related assumptions about race and masculinity in Brazil.
Three Component Reaction of Arynes with Cyclic Ethers and Active Methines: Synthesis of ω-Trichloroalkyl Phenyl Ethers
Authors: Okuma Kentaro , Fukuzaki Yuta , Nojima Akiko , Sou Ayumi , Hino Haruna , Matsunaga Nahoko , Nagahora Noriyoshi , Shioji Kosei , Yokomori Yoshinobu
Published: October 2010

Synthesis of ω-chlorinated alkyl phenyl ethers by tandem reaction of arynes with cyclic ethers and active methines was achieved. Reaction of benzenediazonium 2-carboxylate with tetrahydropyran or tetrahydrofuran in refluxing chloroform afforded 6,6,6-trichlorohexyl phenyl ether or 5,5,5-trichloropentyl phenyl ether in 40% and 61% yields, respectively. When dichloroacetonitrile was used as a reactant, 5,5-dichloro-5-cyanopentyl phenyl ether was obtained in 61% yield. While benzenediazonium carboxylate did not react with epoxides, reaction of benzyne derived from 2-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl triflate with epoxides afforded 3,3,3-trichloropropyl phenyl ethers in good yields as isomeric mixtures. The reaction of oxetanes with benzyne was also reported.
Synthesis of Bis(phenazasiline) Compounds and Their Application for TFT as a Model of Phenazasiline-Containing Polymers
Authors: Hayashi Hideki , Murase Makoto , Koizumi Take-aki , Ohara Koya , Miyabayashi Takeshi , Kojima Masahiko
Published: October 2010

New bis(phenazasiline) compounds were prepared and a thin film transistor (TFT) device containing bis(phenazasiline) derivatives was fabricated. The bis(phenazasiline)s, prepared from 2-bromo-8-methylphenazasiline, were effective materials for TFT. Obtained bis(phenazasiline) derivatives were considered to be model compounds of phenazasiline-containing polymers in the prediction of TFT properties.
Binding Properties of Calixarene-based Cofacial Bisporphyrins
Authors: Tsuge Akihiko , Kunimune Toshiyuki , Ikeda Yutaka , Moriguchi Tetsuji , Araki Koji
Published: October 2010

Calixarene-based porphyrins in which the calixarene scaffold is connected with porphyrin units by an alkyl chain as a spacer have been prepared. Porphyrin with ethano bridge exhibits extremely high affinity (109 M−1) for diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO).
Toothpick perforation of a colon diverticulum: an adjunct autopsy finding
Authors: Wilcher Glenn W
Published: October 2010

This case report details the accidental death of an elderly gentleman who was a passenger in a motor vehicle accident, the cause and mechanism of death being determined as cardiac tamponade due to a traumatic laceration of the ventricle. The forensic autopsy revealed as an adjunct finding a mechanical trauma to the descending colon, being a perforation of a colon diverticulum due to an ingested toothpick. The historical aspects of toothpicks, risk factors associated with the accidental ingestion of toothpicks and different clinical presentations associated with ingestion and peristaltic migration of toothpicks as a foreign body are discussed.
Death after liposuction: case report and review of the literature
Authors: Terranova Claudio , Sartore Daniela , Snenghi Rossella
Published: October 2010

We report the case of a 41-year-old woman who died after surgical intervention for liposuction. The case was studied by a methodological approach including examination of clinical records and documentation, analysis of anatomo-histopathological findings and evaluation of physicians' behaviour. Autopsy excluded the lethal complications most frequently associated with liposuction (pulmonary embolism, sepsis, necrotizing fasciitis, perforation of abdominal organs) and identified the cause of death as ‘massive necrosis of brain-stem and cerebellum, due to spontaneous thrombosis of the basilar and cerebellar district’. Analysis of the physicians' behaviour, together with a review of the literature, excluded medical errors or malpractice. The Court of Law ruled the death as a fatal unforeseeable complication of the operation. The medico-legal interest of the case lies in the singular anatomo-pathological cause of death, discussed in relation to the hypothesis of professional responsibility after surgical intervention for liposuction.
Caring, Employment, and Quality of Life: Comparison of Employed and Nonemployed Mothers of Adults With Intellectual Disability
Authors: Chou Yueh-Ching , Pu Cheng-Yun , Kröger Teppo , Fu Li-yeh
Published: October 2010

The effects of caregiving on mothers of adults with intellectual disability was examined by determining whether there are differences in quality of life and related factors between mothers with different employment status. Study participants were 302 working-age mothers who had adult children with intellectual disability based on the 2008 census survey on intellectual disability carried out in Hsinchu, City, Taiwan. Results revealed that nonemployed mothers are more likely to have a lower level of health status, including the WHOQOL Physical Health domain, than are mothers employed fulltime. Multiple regression analysis showed that mothers' quality of life was significantly determined by the availability of a person with whom they could share care work, family income, social support, and employment status.
Simulation von regionalen Erdgasverteilnetzen mit unvollständiger Messinfrastruktur
Authors: Hager Torsten , Beck Hans-Peter , Wehrmann Ernst-August
Published: October 2010

Die Simulation von Erdgasnetzen ist mit den aktuell am Markt verfügbaren Werkzeugen nur dann möglich, wenn alle zu- und abfließenden Gasmengen gemessen sind. Bei regionalen Erdgasverteilnetzen ist diese Prämisse in vielen Fällen nicht erfüllt. Konkret heißt dies, dass nicht alle abfließenden Gasmengen gemessen sind und man daher nicht mit herkömmlichen Simulationssystemen arbeiten kann. Aus diesem Grund wurde an der TU Clausthal eine Methode entwickelt, um die nicht gemessenen Abflussmengen mittels eines sogenannten Knotenlastbeobachters nachzubilden und somit die Netzsimulation zu ermöglichen. In einem aktuellen Projekt wird dieses System für vermaschte Erdgasverteilnetze mit einer größeren Anzahl an Ausspeisungen angepasst.
Sensorunabhängiges Fusionssystem und echtzeitfähige Approximationen auf Basis von probabilistischen Verfahren
Authors: Munz Michael , Mählisch Mirko , Dietmayer Klaus
Published: October 2010

In diesem Beitrag wird eine generische Sensorfusionsarchitektur vorgestellt, welche ein sensorunabhängiges Fusionsmodul realisiert. Dies wird mit Hilfe einer durchgängigen probabilistischen Modellierung von Objektzustand und Objektexistenz erreicht. Für die Realisierung des Systems ist es wichtig, harte Echtzeitbedingungen einhalten zu können. Zwei hierfür entwickelte echtzeitfähige Approximationen des Verfahrens werden vorgestellt. Die Realisierbarkeit und Echtzeitfähigkeit des Verfahrens wird mit einer Auswertung anhand von Realdaten eines ausgewählten Sensor-Setups in Verkehrs-Szenarien gezeigt.
An Observational Study of an Employer Intervention for Children's Healthy Weight Behaviors
Authors: Sepúlveda Martín-J. , Lu Chifung , Sill Stewart , Young Joyce M. , Edington Dee W.
Published: October 2010

OBJECTIVE:

This observational study was undertaken to assess whether changes in healthy weight behaviors could be advanced in a short-term intervention involving parents and children at IBM.

METHODS:

IBM's Children's Health Rebate offered a cash incentive for parents to complete a 12-week program of self-selected activities in family food planning and meals, family physical activity, and sedentary time related to electronic entertainment (“screen time”). A preprogram/postprogram comparison of self-reported activities was used to assess behavior change.

RESULTS:

A total of 22 265 (52.3%) employees elected to participate, 11 631 (52.2%) of whom completed all program requirements and earned a $150 cash rebate. Families completing the program reported significant changes in levels of physical activity, amount of entertainment screen time, and proportion of healthy meals. For example, family physical activity >3 times per week increased by 17.1 percentage points (from 23.2% to 40.3%), eating healthy dinners ≥5 days/week increased by 11.8 percentage points (from 74.9% to 86.7%), and entertainment screen time <1 hour/day increased by 8.3 percentage points for children (from 22.4% to 30.7%) and by 6.1 percentage points for adults (from 18.1% to 24.2%).

CONCLUSIONS:

The results of this short-term observational study suggest that healthy weight behaviors in children, adolescents, and parents can be improved by using a Web-based intervention linked with a cash incentive. The results also show that employers can activate parents and support a role for employers in community-based strategies for obesity prevention in children. Experimental designs with biometric data would strengthen the suggestion of positive impact.
Protective Effects of Ascorbate and Catalase on Human Spermatozoa During Cryopreservation
Authors: Li Zhiling , Lin Qionglin , Liu Rongju , Xiao Wanfen , Liu Wanmin
Published: October 2010

ABSTRACT: Human semen cryopreservation in the clinical management of male infertility is complicated by cryodamage to spermatozoa. We aimed to clarify the full pattern of cryodamage and evaluate the protective effects of ascorbate and catalase on cryopreserved spermatozoa. Semen samples were collected from 30 fertile males. Each sample was divided into 6 groups: fresh semen, cryopreserved semen without treatment, and samples cryopreserved with ascorbate (300 or 600 μM) or catalase (200 or 400 IU/mL). Spermatozoa were examined for their viability, motility, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptosis (positive for annexin V and negative for propidium iodide [ie, Ann+/PI−]), and DNA damage (Olive tail moment[OTM]) in the presence or absence of ascorbate or catalase during cryopreservation. In comparison with the fresh spermatozoa, there was a significant decrease in the viability, motility, and MMP but increase in Ann+/PI− and OTM in the cryopreserved spermatozoa (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively). Concurrently, ROS levels in the postthaw spermatozoa also increased significantly, and this elevation was well correlated with the quality variations of postthaw spermatozoa (P < .01 for all). Ascorbate (300 μM) and catalase (200 and 400 IU/mL) reduced the ROS levels in postthaw spermatozoa significantly, compared with those in the control (P < .05). Furthermore, these antioxidants also prevented those characteristics from being adversely affected (P < .05). This study demonstrated that cryopreservation results in cryodamage to human spermatozoa, possibly through the mechanism of ROS. Appropriate ascorbate or catalase supplementation of cryoprotective medium restrains ROS levels and the resultant cryodamage.
Changes in Democratic Attitudes of Trainee Teachers Over Time
Authors: Kiliç Durmuş
Published: October 2010

The purpose in this study was to investigate the democratic attitudes of prospective teachers in line with certain variables. The study was carried out with 233 randomly selected teacher trainees during the 2005-2006 academic year. A democratic attitude scale was applied to student
teachers while they were freshmen in 2002 and seniors in 2005. Results showed that democratic attitudes of the student teachers did not change over time.
Social Attitudes of Turkish Students Towards Participation in Physical Education and Sport
Authors: Goral Mehmet
Published: October 2010

The aim of the study was to determine the factors that are effective in encouraging Turkish high school students to try sports and to identify ways to increase the number of students taking part in sport. The importance of sport in acquiring appropriate social attitudes, making good
use of free time, and acquiring self-discipline and positive attitudes by learning patience, anger management, tolerance, courage, affection, and competition has been noted. In the study it was found that factors that are effective for encouraging potential participants vary according to gender
and family economic situation. It was found that families give more encouragement to males compared to females for participating in sports. Wealthier families were also found to provide more support compared to less well-off families.
High-Performance Image Reconstruction (HPIR) in Three Dimensions
Authors: Bockenbach Olivier , Knaup Michael , Steckmann Sven , Kachelrieß Marc
Published: October 2010

Commonly used in medical imaging for diagnostic purposes, in luggage scanning, as well as in industrial non-destructive testing applications, Computed Tomography (CT) is an imaging technique that provides cross sections of an object from measurements taken from different angular positions around the object. CT, also referred to as Image Reconstruction (IR), is known to be a very compute-intensive problem. In its simplest form, the computational load is a function of O(M × N3), where M represents the number of measurements taken around the object and N is the dimension of the object. Furthermore, research institutes report that the increase in processing power required by CT is consistently above Moore‘s Law. On the other hand, the changing work flow in hospital requires obtaining CT images faster with better quality from lower dose. In some cases, real time is needed. High Performance Image Reconstruction (HPIR) has to be used to match the performance requirements involved by the use of modern CT reconstruction algorithms in hospitals. Traditionally, this problem had been solved by the design of specific hardware. Nowadays, the evolution of technology makes it possible to use Components of the Shelf (COTS). Typical HPIR platforms can be built around multicore processors such as the Cell Broadband Engine (CBE), General-Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). These platforms exhibit different level in the parallelism required to implement CT reconstruction algorithms. They also have different properties in the way the computation can be carried out, potentially requiring drastic changes in the way an algorithm can be implemented. Furthermore, because of their COTS nature, it is not always easy to take the best advantages of a given platform and compromises have to be made. Finally, a fully fleshed reconstruction platform also includes the data acquisition interface as well as the vizualisation of the reconstructed slices. These parts are the area of excellence of FPGAs and GPGPUs. However, more often then not, the processing power available in those units exceeds the requirement of a given pipeline and the remaining real estate and processing power can be used for the core of the reconstruction pipeline. Indeed, several design options can be considered for a given algorithm with yet another set of compromises.
Analysis of Doppler Embolic Signals
Authors: Leiria Ana , Moura M. M. M.
Published: October 2010

A broad view on the analysis of Doppler embolic signals is presented, uniting physics, engineering and computing, and clinical aspects. The overview of the field discusses the physiological significance of emboli and Doppler ultrasound with particular attention given to Transcranial Doppler; an outline of high-performance computing is presented, disambiguating the terminology and concepts used thereafter. The presentation of the major diagnostic approaches to Doppler embolic signals focuses on the most significant methods and techniques used to detect and classify embolic events including the clinical relevancy. Coverage of estimators such as time-frequency, time-scale, and displacement-frequency is included. The discussion of current approaches targets areas of identified need for improvement. A brief historical perspective of high-performance computing of Doppler blood flow signals and particularly Doppler embolic signals is accompanied by the reasoning behind the technological trends and approaches. The final remarks include, as a conclusion, a summary of the contribution and as future trends, some pathways hinting to where new developments might be expected.
Universities as Knowledge-Intensive Learning Organizations
Authors: Bratianu Constantin
Published: October 2010

The purpose of this chapter is to critically analyze the universities as knowledge intensive learning organizations. It is axiomatic that universities are knowledge organizations since by their own nature universities create, acquire, and transfer knowledge in complex ways. They are knowledge intensive organizations since the density of knowledge field and the dynamics of knowledge processing are much greater than many other organizations. Since learning is one of the major processes within any university, people may consider universities as being by definition learning organizations. This idea induced by a semantic halo effect may lead to a major error. Although a university is an organization based on learning processes, it is not necessary a learning organization. This paper performs a functional analysis of the specific knowledge processes in order to identify the necessary conditions for a generic university to become a learning organization.
Deploying Knowledge Management in R&D Workspaces
Authors: Chang Won-Chen , Li Sheng-Tung
Published: October 2010

The active and effective management of valuable knowledge is widely believed to be a core competency for solidifying the competitive advantage of an organization. Whether knowledge management (KM) is a new idea or just a recycled concept per se both managerial and academic campuses have sought a vast array of KM strategies, solutions, frameworks, processes, barriers and enablers, IT tools and measurements over the past decade. Although there are many KM studies for both public and private sectors, most of them focus on the practice of international companies and western experiences, relatively few cases are reported on KM deployment and implementation in the Chinese community, especially for knowledge intensive research and development (R&D) institutes whose missions are to serve traditional industries. To reveal some of the accomplishments gained in the Asia-Pacific region, this chapter presents and discusses the lessons learned from a particular case study in fostering the KM initiative and system in a research-oriented institute serving the metal industry.
The Use of ‘Web 2.0’ and Social Software in Support of Professional Learning Communities
Authors: Eardley Alan , Uden Lorna
Published: October 2010

This chapter examines the ‘happy convergence’ of two emerging social and technological trends. The first is the evolution of educational processes and methods from a traditional didactic approach towards a paradigm that seeks to empower the learner and enable a more involving learning experience to take place. This paradigm includes such approaches as student-centred learning, collaborative learning and problem-based learning. The second is the development of IT-based systems that enable the democratic involvement of end-users in their development and use and that encourage computer-mediated collaboration between individuals and groups having a common interest in a domain. Initially, at least, the main purpose of such software was for social networking and leisure purposes, but the chapter identifies a number of instances of its use in practice for professional education purposes. The chapter then highlights some examples of professional learning communities in practice in UK educational institutions. It concludes by speculating on and discussing some possible future trends in the use of social software for professional learning and by summarising the phenomenon and identifying the factors that distinguish it from other approaches to learning.
Exploiting KM in Support of Innovation and Change
Authors: Smith Peter , Coakes Elayne
Published: October 2010

This chapter emphasizes the importance of formally promoting close social interaction and open knowledge sharing to achieve superior innovation capability. It does so by discussing the advantages of developing Communities of Innovation and citing a case study that exemplifies these concepts. This chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses in today’s complex and often unpredictable business environments. For success, an organization must be able to combine and recombine their resources in novel ways, eliminating or reconfiguring resources that are no longer relevant, and acquiring new resources. An organization’s capability to change by manipulating resources continuously and rapidly—to innovate—is a competitive advantage that is not readily imitated by competitors. Innovation is critical to an organization’s viability since it enables the development and introduction of new products and services and thus enables an organization to maintain, or improve, its current business position. The chapter reviews the numerous theories of change and change management in the literature based on practice and precept. However, research shows that competitive advantage is increasingly located by authorities in an organization’s intellectual resources including the skill base, business systems and intellectual property of its employees: its Human Capital. Organizational innovation depends on the individual and collective know-how of employees, and innovation is characterised by an iterative process of people working together, sharing insights, and building on the creative ideas of one another. The chapter emphasizes that an organization’s intellectual resources have significant potential to realize innovation and change capabilities, but that the impact of these capabilities largely depends on the means of an organization to foster close community social interaction and open knowledge sharing, and to leverage its informal leadership as a precursor to and part of any related Knowledge Management (KM) initiative.
Recognizing Innovation through Social Network Analysis
Authors: Francesca Grippa , Gianluca Elia
Published: October 2010

Advances in communication technologies have enabled organizations to develop and operate decentralized organizational structures by supporting coordination among workers in different locations. Such developments have lessened formality in control structures and replaced formal channels of communication with less formal social networks. The chapter describes the development and application of a ‘Social Network Scorecard’ (SNS) managerial tool to monitor social interchanges and relationships within and across organizations in order to assess the effectiveness of knowledge networks. In this chapter, a project team made up of individuals from academia and industry collaboratively implemented an integrated technological platform for KM, e-Learning, e-Business, and project management disciplines in a higher education environment. This VeBMS platform, consisting of a collaborative working environment within the University of Salento, Italy, was used as a ‘test bed’ to evaluate the validity of the scorecard in practice. The chapter describes how the SNS tool can help in monitoring the evolution of an organizational community, recognizing creative roles and initiatives, and tracing the connections between such initiatives and innovative outcomes. Looking at trends at individual, team, inter-organizational, and organizational levels, researchers identified the most innovative phases within the team’s life cycle using network indicators like density and degree centrality. The SNS provided feedback on the effectiveness of the team and helped discover the phases in which the team acted in a manner conducive to innovation. The Virtual eBMS project team followed the typical structure of an innovative knowledge network where learning networks and innovation networks co-exist with a more sparse interest network.
Complexity and Clarity
Authors: Sharp Peter , Eardley Alan , Shah Hanifa
Published: October 2010

Organisations face a great problem. How can they create a knowledge management (KM) strategy that takes account of the complexity of knowledge issues in their organisation and be able to clearly communicate it? This issue, called here the Knowledge Strategy Dilemma, is the main theme of this chapter and is vital for KM success in practice. The authors argue that literature reveals that the Dilemma is one that can be tackled. They also argue that whilst the literature reveals approaches that help address different parts of the Dilemma, the best approach to address it in a coherent way is a KM method called MaKE. MaKE is presented and two of its principles—Traceability and Transparency— are explained. Also visual tools that help implement these principles in practice are critically discussed along with feedback from industry. The principles, when applied, are helpful in tackling the Dilemma with some success. Also, the authors argue that different forms of communication (including face-to-face meetings with visual aids) should be used to address the Dilemma. The question that remains is: are organisations willing to devote the time to do these things in practice?
Knowledge Management and Innovation
Authors: Uden Lorna , Naaranoja Marja
Published: October 2010

In today’s society, innovation and knowledge management are no longer luxury items. Instead, they are necessities and a means of economic development and competitiveness. Knowledge and innovation are inseparable. Knowledge management competencies and capacities are essential to any organisation that aspires to be innovative. Innovation and knowledge management are closely related. This paper discusses the importance of knowledge management in innovation for organisations. It describes how innovations can be achieved through the role of knowledge management using a case study involving the renovation and building of a school project in Finland. The case study shows how knowledge creation and sharing were used to help innovation using vision building.
Paradigm Shift Required for ICT4D
Authors: Steyn Jacques
Published: October 2010

In this chapter I argue for a shift of paradigm in the field of ICT4D. Since the inception of aid for development in the late 1940s with the introduction of the Marshall Plan, development has been dominated by emphasis on economic development, while development of other human characteristics have been neglected. The standard argument in contemporary ICT4D literature, based on the so-called Washington Concensus, is that economic “upliftment will result in social “upliftment”. It is assumed that economics is the primary cause for social change. I challenge this assumption, and propose that it is instead individual “upliftment” that influences social change that might (or might not) lead to economic change. The more recent Post-Washington Consensus introduced a shift toward socio-economics, by addressing poverty, but is still based on a particular ideological brand of economics. There is a need to move away from such an economically biased approach to development, and from measuring success with economic metrics such as GDP. ICT4D projects are typically deployed within this economic paradigm. The alternative approach suggested here is to deploy ITC4D projects against a social and cognitive paradigm in which social networking and psychological enrichment would take priority over economic development. Within such a paradigm, the principle of least effort would be used for measuring success. This proposed new paradigm is a techno-utilitarian approach. In this regard Development Informatics could pave the way for designing new kinds of ICT systems that are socially relevant to remote communities (whether geographically or socially remote) by making life easier for individuals. It is envisaged that economic development would follow individual and social development. The focus on developing an individual by exposing such an individual to scientific knowledge, will enable that individual to make better choices, which will lead to changing that individual and his or her environment. As the individual changes, the surrounding society changes (which is not the same as progressivism). Social change may lead to a change in the components of society, one of which is economics. ICT is regarded to be a tool to make life easier, and focuses on the enlightenment of an individual within the social context in which such an individual lives, by facilitating the possible development of cognitive and psychological abilities.
Role of Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery in Managing Telecommunication Systems
Authors: El Emary Ibrahiem Mahmoud Mohamed
Published: October 2010

This chapter is interested in discussing how to use data mining techniques to assist in achieving an acceptable level of quality of service of telecommunication systems. The quality of service is defined as the metrics which are predicated by using the data mining techniques, decision tree, association rules and neural networks. Routing algorithms can use this metric for optimal path selection which in turn will affect positively on the system performance. Also, in this chapter management axis using data mining techniques were handled, i.e., check the status of the telecommunication networks, role of data mining in obtaining optimal configuration, how to use data mining technique to assure high level of security for the telecommunication. The popularity of data mining in the telecommunications industry can be viewed as an extension of the use of expert systems in the telecommunications industry. These systems were developed to address the complexity associated with maintaining a huge network infrastructure and the need to maximize network reliability while minimizing labor costs (Liebowitz, J. 1988). The problem with these expert systems is that they are expensive to develop because it is both difficult and time consuming to elicit the requisite domain knowledge from experts.
Wireless Solutions for Elderly People Assistance
Authors: D’Andrea Alessia , D’Ulizia Arianna , Ferri Fernando , Grifoni Patrizia
Published: October 2010

Wireless technologies are increasingly acquiring a considerable relevance in the field of Ambient Assisted Living. This contributes to independent living and quality of life for many elderly people by reducing the need of caretakers and personal nursing. In this chapter we provide a classification of existing wireless technologies for Ambient Assisted Living based on the role they can have in the assistance to elderly people. Then, we provide an overview of several intelligent wireless systems applied in the Ambient Assisted Living on considering the different wireless technologies used in each of them.
Healthcare Oriented Smart House for Elderly and/or Disabled People
Authors: Samaras Nicholas S. , Chaikalis Costas , Siafakas Giorgios
Published: October 2010

Smart houses represent a modern technology which can secure and facilitate our life. The objective of this chapter is to adapt medical sensors to home automated systems, which collect medical data such as blood pressure, heart rate and electrical heart activity for elderly and/or disabled persons. Firstly, the collected data is transferred to a home server and to an external manager for further analysis. Subsequently, data is stored at a database where monitoring is available only for authorized users via a simple web interface. The IEEE 802.15.4 wireless standard has been chosen as the preferred solution for communication in the smart house. Finally, two implementation scenarios of the smart house for an elderly and/or disabled person are simulated using the Custodian software tool. This case study shows that simulating the automation system of a smart house before the implementation is advantageous.
Security in Smart Home Environment
Authors: Mantas Georgios , Lymberopoulos Dimitrios , Komninos Nikos
Published: October 2010

This chapter presents the concept of Smart Home, describes the Smart Home networking technologies and discusses the main issues for ensuring security in a Smart Home environment. Nowadays, the integration of current communication and information technologies within the dwelling has led to the emergence of Smart Homes. These technologies facilitate the building of Smart Home environments in which devices and systems can communicate with each other and can be controlled automatically in order to interact with the household members and improve the quality of their life. However, the nature of Smart Home environment, the fact that it is always connected to the outside world via Internet and the open security back doors derived from the household members raise many security concerns. Finally, by reviewing the existing literature regarding Smart Homes and security issues that exist in Smart Home environments, the authors envisage to provide a base to broaden the research in Smart Home security.
An Ontological Structure for Semantic Retrieval Based on Description Logics
Authors: Wang Hongwei , Liu James N. K. , Wang Wei
Published: October 2010

Current information retrieval either relies on encoding process to describe given item or perform a full-text analysis to search for user-specified words. However, these syntax-based methods only reflect part of the content, so they can hardly ensure content matching. Ontology is an explicit specification of conceptualizations, which can explicitly and formally express the semantic of the concepts and their relationships. Therefore the domain ontology is better for information retrieval at semantic level. The ontological structure is determined by its specific applications. Although there are already several views on ontological structures in different contexts, the word association derived from reasoning the semantic relations between terms, the key point for semantic retrieval, has not been solved properly yet. This chapter proposes a six-element based ontological structure for semantic retrieval, and use description logic to semantically describe the atomic term, complex terms, instances, instances description, attribute assignment and axioms. Then, the new structure is evaluated by the Gruber’s criteria including explicitness and objectivity, consistency, extensibility, minimal encoding bias and minimal ontological commitment. Based on the new structure, we propose two reasoning mechanisms, i.e., terms-oriented and instances-oriented, for semantic retrieval application. Meanwhile, conversion mechanisms and determining algorithms are also proposed, which enable the reasoning for various relations in a specific area according to the rules made by domain experts. Finally, we put forward four kinds of rules for information retrieval, and analyze the applications of the new structure in semantic retrieval.
A Framework on Data Mining on Uncertain Data with Related Research Issues in Service Industry
Authors: Hung Edward
Published: October 2010

There has been a large amount of research work done on mining on relational databases that store data in exact values. However, in many real-life applications such as those commonly used in service industry, the raw data are usually uncertain when they are collected or produced. Sources of uncertain data include readings from sensors (such as RFID tagged in products in retail stores), classification results (e.g., identities of products or customers) of image processing using statistical classifiers, results from predictive programs used for stock market or targeted marketing as well as predictive churn model in customer relationship management. However, since traditional databases only store exact values, uncertain data are usually transformed into exact data by, for example, taking the mean value (for quantitative attributes) or by taking the value with the highest frequency or possibility. The shortcomings are obvious: (1) by approximating the uncertain source data values, the results from the mining tasks will also be approximate and may be wrong; (2) useful probabilistic information may be omitted from the results. Research on probabilistic databases began in 1980s. While there has been a great deal of work on supporting uncertainty in databases, there is increasing work on mining on such uncertain data. By classifying uncertain data into different categories, a framework is proposed to develop different probabilistic data mining techniques that can be applied directly on uncertain data in order to produce results that preserve the accuracy. In this chapter, we introduce the framework with a scheme to categorize uncertain data with different properties. We also propose a variety of definitions and approaches for different mining tasks on uncertain data with different properties. The advances in data mining application in this aspect are expected to improve the quality of services provided in various service industries.
Business Transformation Workbench
Authors: Lee Juhnyoung , Akkiraju Rama , Tian Chun Hua , Jiang Shun , Cao Rong Zeng , Danturthy Siva , Sundhararajan Ponn , Mohan Rakesh , Ding Wei , Nordman Carl
Published: October 2010

Business transformation is a key management initiative that attempts to align people, process and technology of an enterprise more closely with its business strategy and vision (Lee, 2005). Business transformation is an essential part of the competitive business cycle. Existing consulting methods and tools do not address issues such as scalability of methodology, data and knowledge management, method enforcement, asset reuse and governance, consolidated views of upstream and downstream analyses well, to name a few. This paper presents Business Transformation Workbench which is a practitioner’s tool for business transformation addressing these problems. It implements a methodical approach that was devised to analyze business transformation opportunities and make business cases for transformation initiatives and thereby provides decision-support to the consultants. The Business Transformation Workbench builds on a component-based model of a business and offers a consolidated view into clients’ operations, organization, staffing, processes and IT. It provides an intuitive way to evaluate and understand various opportunities in staff and IT consolidation and process standardization. It embodies structured analytical models, both qualitative and quantitative, to enhance the consultants’ practices. The Business Transformation Workbench has been instantiated with data from finance management domain and applied to address a client situation as a case study. An alpha testing of the tool was conducted with about dozen practitioners. The feedback has been encouraging. 90% of the consultants who tested the BT Workbench tool felt that the tool would help them do a better job during a client engagement. The tool is currently being piloted with customer engagements in a large IT consulting organization.