bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biodiversity Monitoring in Changing Tropical Forests: A Review of Approaches and New Opportunities
Authors: Mulatu Kalkidan , Mora Brice , Kooistra Lammert , Herold Martin
Published: October 2017

Tropical forests host at least two-thirds of the world’s flora and fauna diversity and store 25% of the terrestrial above and belowground carbon. However, biodiversity decline due to deforestation and forest degradation of tropical forest is increasing at an alarming rate. Biodiversity dynamics due to natural and anthropogenic disturbances are mainly monitored using established field survey approaches. However, such approaches appear to fall short at addressing complex disturbance factors and responses. We argue that the integration of state-of-the-art monitoring approaches can improve the detection of subtle biodiversity disturbances and responses in changing tropical forests, which are often data-poor. We assess the state-of-the-art technologies used to monitor biodiversity dynamics of changing tropical forests, and how their potential integration can increase the detail and accuracy of biodiversity monitoring. Moreover, the relevance of these biodiversity monitoring techniques in support of the UNCBD Aichi targets was explored using the Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) as a framework. Our review indicates that although established field surveys were generally the dominant monitoring systems employed, the temporal trend of monitoring approaches indicates the increasing application of remote sensing and in -situ sensors in detecting disturbances related to agricultural activities, logging, hunting and infrastructure. The relevance of new technologies (i.e., remote sensing, in situ sensors, and DNA barcoding) in operationalising EBVs (especially towards the ecosystem structure, ecosystem function, and species population classes) and the Aichi targets has been assessed. Remote sensing application is limited for EBV classes such as genetic composition and species traits but was found most suitable for ecosystem structure class. The complementarity of remote sensing and emerging technologies were shown in relation to EBV candidates such as species distribution, net primary productivity, and habitat structure. We also developed a framework based on the primary biodiversity attributes, which indicated the potential of integration between monitoring approaches. In situ sensors are suitable to help measure biodiversity composition, while approaches based on remote sensing are powerful for addressing structural and functional biodiversity attributes. We conclude that, synergy between the recent biodiversity monitoring approaches is important and possible. However, testing the suitability of monitoring methods across scales, integrating heterogeneous monitoring technologies, setting up metadata standards, and making interpolation and/or extrapolation from observation at different scales is still required to design a robust biodiversity monitoring system that can contribute to effective conservation measures.
Vibration Noise Modeling for Measurement While Drilling System Based on FOGs
Authors: Zhang Chunxi , Wang Lu , Gao Shuang , Lin Tie , Li Xianmu
Published: October 2017

Aiming to improve survey accuracy of Measurement While Drilling (MWD) based on Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) in the long period, the external aiding sources are fused into the inertial navigation by the Kalman filter (KF) method. The KF method needs to model the inertial sensors’ noise as the system noise model. The system noise is modeled as white Gaussian noise conventionally. However, because of the vibration while drilling, the noise in gyros isn’t white Gaussian noise any more. Moreover, an incorrect noise model will degrade the accuracy of KF. This paper developed a new approach for noise modeling on the basis of dynamic Allan variance (DAVAR). In contrast to conventional white noise models, the new noise model contains both the white noise and the color noise. With this new noise model, the KF for the MWD was designed. Finally, two vibration experiments have been performed. Experimental results showed that the proposed vibration noise modeling approach significantly improved the estimated accuracies of the inertial sensor drifts. Compared the navigation results based on different noise model, with the DAVAR noise model, the position error and the toolface angle error are reduced more than 90%. The velocity error is reduced more than 65%. The azimuth error is reduced more than 50%.
Review and Analysis of Peak Tracking Techniques for Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors
Authors: Tosi Daniele
Published: October 2017

Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors are among the most popular elements for fiber optic sensor networks used for the direct measurement of temperature and strain. Modern FBG interrogation setups measure the FBG spectrum in real-time, and determine the shift of the Bragg wavelength of the FBG in order to estimate the physical parameters. The problem of determining the peak wavelength of the FBG from a spectral measurement limited in resolution and noise, is referred as the peak-tracking problem. In this work, the several peak-tracking approaches are reviewed and classified, outlining their algorithmic implementations: the methods based on direct estimation, interpolation, correlation, resampling, transforms, and optimization are discussed in all their proposed implementations. Then, a simulation based on coupled-mode theory compares the performance of the main peak-tracking methods, in terms of accuracy and signal to noise ratio resilience.
Influence of Time-Pickoff Circuit Parameters on LiDAR Range Precision
Authors: Li Xiaolu , Wang Hongming , Yang Bingwei , Huyan Jiayue , Xu Lijun
Published: October 2017

A pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) measurement-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system is more effective for medium-long range distances. As a key ranging unit, a time-pickoff circuit based on automatic gain control (AGC) and constant fraction discriminator (CFD) is designed to reduce the walk error and the timing jitter for obtaining the accurate time interval. Compared with Cramer–Rao lower bound (CRLB) and the estimation of the timing jitter, four parameters-based Monte Carlo simulations are established to show how the range precision is influenced by the parameters, including pulse amplitude, pulse width, attenuation fraction and delay time of the CFD. Experiments were carried out to verify the relationship between the range precision and three of the parameters, exclusing pulse width. It can be concluded that two parameters of the ranging circuit (attenuation fraction and delay time) were selected according to the ranging performance of the minimum pulse amplitude. The attenuation fraction should be selected in the range from 0.2 to 0.6 to achieve high range precision. The selection criterion of the time-pickoff circuit parameters is helpful for the ranging circuit design of TOF LiDAR system.
Design of a Wireless Sensor System with the Algorithms of Heart Rate and Agility Index for Athlete Evaluation
Authors: Li Meina , Kim Youn
Published: October 2017

Athlete evaluation systems can effectively monitor daily training and boost performance to reduce injuries. Conventional heart-rate measurement systems can be easily affected by artifact movement, especially in the case of athletes. Significant noise can be generated owing to high-intensity activities. To improve the comfort for athletes and the accuracy of monitoring, we have proposed to combine robust heart rate and agility index monitoring algorithms into a small, light, and single node. A band-pass-filter-based R-wave detection algorithm was developed. The agility index was calculated by preprocessing with band-pass filtering and employing the zero-crossing detection method. The evaluation was conducted under both laboratory and field environments to verify the accuracy and reliability of the algorithm. The heart rate and agility index measurements can be wirelessly transmitted to a personal computer in real time by the ZigBee telecommunication system. The results show that the error rate of measurement of the heart rate is within 2%, which is comparable with that of the traditional wired measurement method. The sensitivity of the agility index, which could be distinguished as the activity speed, changed slightly. Thus, we confirmed that the developed algorithm could be used in an effective and safe exercise-evaluation system for athletes.
Disease-Related Detection with Electrochemical Biosensors: A Review
Authors: Huang Ying , Xu Jin , Liu Junjie , Wang Xiangyang , Chen Bin
Published: October 2017

Rapid diagnosis of diseases at their initial stage is critical for effective clinical outcomes and promotes general public health. Classical in vitro diagnostics require centralized laboratories, tedious work and large, expensive devices. In recent years, numerous electrochemical biosensors have been developed and proposed for detection of various diseases based on specific biomarkers taking advantage of their features, including sensitivity, selectivity, low cost and rapid response. This article reviews research trends in disease-related detection with electrochemical biosensors. Focus has been placed on the immobilization mechanism of electrochemical biosensors, and the techniques and materials used for the fabrication of biosensors are introduced in details. Various biomolecules used for different diseases have been listed. Besides, the advances and challenges of using electrochemical biosensors for disease-related applications are discussed.
Exposure to Inorganic Nanoparticles: Routes of Entry, Immune Response, Biodistribution and In Vitro/In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation
Authors: De Matteis Valeria
Published: October 2017

The development of different kinds of nanoparticles, showing different physico-chemical properties, has fostered their large use in many fields, including medicine. As a consequence, inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., metals or semiconductors), have raised issues about their potential toxicity. The scientific community is investigating the toxicity mechanisms of these materials, in vitro and in vivo, in order to provide accurate references concerning their use. This review will give the readers a thorough exploration on the entry mechanisms of inorganic nanoparticles in the human body, such as titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs), silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2NPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and quantum dots (QDsNPs). In addition, biodistribution, the current trends and novelties of in vitro and in vivo toxicology studies will be discussed, with a particular focus on immune response.
Preclinical Testing of an Oncolytic Parvovirus: Standard Protoparvovirus H-1PV Efficiently Induces Osteosarcoma Cell Lysis In Vitro
Authors: Geiss Carsten , Kis Zoltán , Leuchs Barbara , Frank-Stöhr Monika , Schlehofer Jörg , Rommelaere Jean , Dinsart Christiane , Lacroix Jeannine
Published: October 2017

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent malignant disease of the bone. On the basis of early clinical experience in the 1960s with H-1 protoparvovirus (H-1PV) in osteosarcoma patients, this effective oncolytic virus was selected for systematic preclinical testing on various osteosarcoma cell cultures. A panel of five human osteosarcoma cell lines (CAL 72, H-OS, MG-63, SaOS-2, U-2OS) was tested. Virus oncoselectivity was confirmed by infecting non-malignant human neonatal fibroblasts and osteoblasts used as culture models of non-transformed mesenchymal cells. H-1PV was found to enter osteosarcoma cells and to induce viral DNA replication, transcription of viral genes, and translation to viral proteins. After H-1PV infection, release of infectious viral particles from osteosarcoma cells into the supernatant indicated successful viral assembly and egress. Crystal violet staining revealed progressive cytomorphological changes in all osteosarcoma cell lines. Infection of osteosarcoma cell lines with the standard H-1PV caused an arrest of the cell cycle in the G2 phase, and these lines had a limited capacity for standard H-1PV virus replication. The cytotoxicity of wild-type H-1PV virus towards osteosarcoma cells was compared in vitro with that of two variants, Del H-1PV and DM H-1PV, previously described as fitness variants displaying higher infectivity and spreading in human transformed cell lines of different origins. Surprisingly, wild-type H-1PV displayed the strongest cytostatic and cytotoxic effects in this analysis and thus seems the most promising for the next preclinical validation steps in vivo.
Electrophysiological Studies on The Dynamics of Luminance Adaptation in the Mouse Retina
Authors: Joachimsthaler Anneka , Tsai Tina , Kremers Jan
Published: October 2017

To date, most studies involving in vivo electroretinography in mice are performed on steady state adapted animals. In this study, we focused on the dynamics of adaptation to high and low light levels in the mouse retina. Two flash electroretinogram (ERG) protocols and one flicker ERG protocol were employed. In the two flash ERG protocols, the animals were adapted to either 25 or 40 cd/m2 white light and ERGs were recorded for up to 15 min of adaptation. Afterwards, flash ERGs were recorded for up to 45 min of dark adaptation. Amplitudes of the flash ERG increased during light adaptation, while implicit times of the different wave components decreased. During subsequent dark adaptation, the amplitudes further increased. The increase in a-to-b-wave ratio indicated adaptational processes at the photoreceptor synapse. In the flicker ERG protocol, the responses to 12 Hz sinusoidal luminance modulation during the adaptation to 25 cd/m2 and a 1 cd/m2 mean luminances were recorded. The amplitudes of the first harmonic components in the flicker protocol decreased during light adaptation but increased during dark adaptation. This is at odds with the changes in the flash ERG, indicating that adaptation may be different in different retinal pathways.
Interpolation in Time Series: An Introductive Overview of Existing Methods, Their Performance Criteria and Uncertainty Assessment
Authors: Lepot Mathieu , Aubin Jean-Baptiste , Clemens François
Published: October 2017

A thorough review has been performed on interpolation methods to fill gaps in time-series, efficiency criteria, and uncertainty quantifications. On one hand, there are numerous available methods: interpolation, regression, autoregressive, machine learning methods, etc. On the other hand, there are many methods and criteria to estimate efficiencies of these methods, but uncertainties on the interpolated values are rarely calculated. Furthermore, while they are estimated according to standard methods, the prediction uncertainty is not taken into account: a discussion is thus presented on the uncertainty estimation of interpolated/extrapolated data. Finally, some suggestions for further research and a new method are proposed.
Micrometer-sized Water Ice Particles for Planetary Science Experiments: Influence of Surface Structure on Collisional Properties
Authors: Gärtner S. , Gundlach B. , Headen T. F. , Ratte J. , J. Oesert  , Gorb S. N. , Youngs T. G. A. , Bowron D. T. , Blum J. , Fraser H. J.
Published: October 2017

Models and observations suggest that ice-particle aggregation at and beyond the snowline dominates the earliest stages of planet formation, which therefore is subject to many laboratory studies. However, the pressure–temperature gradients in protoplanetary disks mean that the ices are constantly processed, undergoing phase changes between different solid phases and the gas phase. Open questions remain as to whether the properties of the icy particles themselves dictate collision outcomes and therefore how effectively collision experiments reproduce conditions in protoplanetary environments. Previous experiments often yielded apparently contradictory results on collision outcomes, only agreeing in a temperature dependence setting in above ≈210 K. By exploiting the unique capabilities of the NIMROD neutron scattering instrument, we characterized the bulk and surface structure of icy particles used in collision experiments, and studied how these structures alter as a function of temperature at a constant pressure of around 30 mbar. Our icy grains, formed under liquid nitrogen, undergo changes in the crystalline ice-phase, sublimation, sintering and surface pre-melting as they are heated from 103 to 247 K. An increase in the thickness of the diffuse surface layer from ≈10 to ≈30 Å (≈2.5 to 12 bilayers) proves increased molecular mobility at temperatures above ≈210 K. Because none of the other changes tie-in with the temperature trends in collisional outcomes, we conclude that the surface pre-melting phenomenon plays a key role in collision experiments at these temperatures. Consequently, the pressure–temperature environment, may have a larger influence on collision outcomes than previously thought.
Out-of-transit Refracted Light in the Atmospheres of Transiting and Non-transiting Exoplanets
Authors: Dalba Paul A.
Published: October 2017

Before an exoplanet transit, atmospheric refraction bends light into the line of sight of an observer. The refracted light forms a stellar mirage—a distorted secondary image of the host star. I model this phenomenon and the resultant out-of-transit flux increase across a comprehensive exoplanetary parameter space. At visible wavelengths, Rayleigh scattering limits the detectability of stellar mirages in most exoplanetary systems with semimajor axes

≲
6

au

. A notable exception is almost any planet orbiting a late M or ultra-cool dwarf star at

≳
0.5

au

, where the maximum relative flux increase is >50 parts per million. Based partly on previous work, I propose that the importance of refraction in an exoplanet system is governed by two angles: the orbital distance divided by the stellar radius and the total deflection achieved by a ray in the optically thin portion of the atmosphere. Atmospheric lensing events caused by non-transiting exoplanets, which allow for exoplanet detection and atmospheric characterization, are also investigated. I derive the basic formalism to determine the total signal-to-noise ratio of an atmospheric lensing event, with application to Kepler data. It is unlikely that out-of-transit refracted light signals are clearly present in Kepler data due to Rayleigh scattering and the bias toward short-period exoplanets. However, observations at long wavelengths (e.g., the near-infrared) are significantly more likely to detect stellar mirages. Lastly, I discuss the potential for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite to detect refracted light and consider novel science cases enabled by refracted light spectra from the James Webb Space Telescope.
Politiques économiques défendues par Donald Trump et le Congrès républicain : quelles conséquences éventuelles sur le secteur de l'assurance aux États-Unis ?
Authors: Weisbart Steven
Published: October 2017

L’élection de Donald Trump est susceptible de modifier sensiblement l’environnement économique dans lequel évoluent les compagnies d’assurance. Cet article se propose de décrire les changements proposés par le président et le Congrès républicain dans différents domaines – l’assurance santé, la réglementation, la fiscalité des sociétés et des personnes, le commerce international et les droits de douane, les services de conseil financier pour la retraite, etc. – et d’en déduire les conséquences probables pour l’industrie de l’assurance américaine dans cinq domaines. Toutefois l’ampleur de ces réformes et leur mise en oeuvre effective dépendront des rapports de force existant à l’intérieur des partis politiques. Classification JEL : E60, G22, G38, I13.
Les défis du modèle de l'assurance vie dans un environnement de taux bas, voire négatifs
Authors: Lissowski Antoine , Nessi Jean-Baptiste
Published: October 2017

L’assurance vie, principale composante de l’assurance française, doit son succès à sa capacité à répondre tant aux préoccupations de gestion à long terme du patrimoine que de protection contre les aléas de la vie des ménages français. Elle leur offre une liquidité totale, une rentabilité prévisible et un régime fiscal favorable. Or ce succès est aujourd’hui menacé par la baisse sans précédent des taux d’intérêt intervenue depuis la crise financière. Cette baisse grève la rentabilité des nouvelles souscriptions et met à mal le modèle économique des compagnies. Pour autant, seules les techniques assurantielles paraissent en mesure de relever les défis de long terme engendrés par le besoin de protection de la population, notamment ceux liés au vieillissement. Le métier d’assurance vie doit donc nécessairement se renouveler pour s’adapter à cet environnement économique. Cela passe par une réduction des coûts et des frais de commercialisation supportés par les compagnies, par une évolution du cadre réglementaire et fiscal et enfin par l’émergence d’un modèle de services. Classification JEL : E43, G22.
Le marketing dans l'assurance : le tournant du digital
Authors: de Malleray Pierre-Alain
Published: October 2017

L’industrie de l’assurance se caractérisait jusqu’ici par un marketing offensif, de masse, tourné quasi exclusivement vers la construction d’une image de marque. Cette image était destinée à inspirer confiance dans la marque et les produits, et à alimenter des réseaux de distribution traditionnels (agences ou réseaux salariés). Ce modèle est aujourd’hui remis en cause par la digitalisation croissante des canaux de distribution des assureurs. Cette dernière rend plus difficile la différenciation des offres, donc la construction de l’image de marque. Par ailleurs, elle ouvre un champ des possibles extrêmement vaste concernant le ciblage commercial, rendant obsolète le marketing de masse. Au total, elle constitue une opportunité majeure pour les acteurs qui sauront comprendre les codes du digital, tant dans la distribution des offres que dans le service rendu au client. Elle constitue tout autant une menace pour les autres. Classification JEL : G22, L84, O33.
La couverture du cyber-risque
Authors: Héon Sébastien , Parsoire Didier
Published: October 2017

La numérisation de l’économie, si elle est facteur de progrès, emmène son lot de nouveaux risques, cybercriminalité et autres formes d’attaques, qui viennent en éroder les bénéfices. Alors que l’arsenal d’outils et de services de sécurité informatique se développe pour contrer les attaques, les entreprises sont à la peine pour en quantifier les impacts. Dans un contexte économique et géopolitique favorable aux attaquants, les États prennent conscience des risques et se dotent de réglementations de plus en plus globales. Le marché de la cyber-assurance est en construction et ses produits en phase d’ajustement. Alors qu’il jouit d’une croissance soutenue, il se heurte cependant à la méconnaissance d’un risque récent et évolutif et au potentiel de cyber-catastrophes qui freinent l’offre de réassurance. Gestion du risque par les assurés, environnement réglementaire adapté et développement de l’expertise chez les assureurs et les réassureurs sont les conditions pour que ce marché parvienne à maturité. Au-delà de sa seule couverture, le péril cyber est révélateur des transformations à venir dans le paysage des risques pour le marché de l’assurance et de la réassurance. Classification JEL : G22, G28, O33, O38.
La responsabilité civile est-elle encore assurable ?
Authors: Kullmann Jérôme
Published: October 2017

Les compagnies d’assurance sont confrontées à une augmentation de l’assurabilité du risque de responsabilité et donc à des sinistres non envisagés au moment de la conclusion des contrats. Pour illustrer cet état de fait, l’article s’appuie sur l’évolution de la nature des préjudices déclarés par la Cour de cassation. L’assureur est donc confronté à une grande incertitude avec une méconnaissance du risque au moment de la conclusion du contrat et la modification potentielle et rétroactive de ce risque par le juge. Dans un second temps, l’article analyse la technique de la globalisation des sinistres utilisée par les assureurs pour limiter le montant de leurs engagements. Au final, si la liste des risques effectivement garantis s’accroît sans cesse, les assureurs mettent en oeuvre des techniques et des moyens juridiques qui permettent de couvrir effectivement ces risques tout en maintenant leur solvabilité. Classification JEL : G22, K30, K36, L11, L14.
Jusqu'où les compagnies d'assurance peuvent-elles investir dans le financement des dettes des PME/ETI ?
Authors: Décamps Jean-Paul , Villeneuve Stéphane
Published: October 2017

Sous les effets conjoints d’une baisse des taux et d’une volonté politique de soutenir le financement de l’économie dans un environnement réglementaire contraignant pour les banques, la législation autorise depuis 2012 les compagnies d’assurance à allouer, sous certaines conditions, jusqu’à 5 %de l’épargne de leurs assurés dans le marché de la dette privée et à contribuer ainsi au financement des petites et moyennes entreprises. Après une description des caractéristiques du mécanisme de financement par dette privée non bancaire, l’objectif de cet article est de s’appuyer sur la théorie économique pour proposer une réflexion sur les avantages et les inconvénients d’un tel mécanisme. Classification JEL : G11, G14, G22, G28, L25.
Le danger du trilemme pour le système monétaire international
Authors: Artus Patrick , Peicuti Cristina
Published: October 2017

On connaît le célèbre triangle d’incompatibilité (le trilemme) : parmi la fixité des taux de change, l’absence de contrôle des capitaux, la possibilité d’avoir une politique monétaire indépendante, il n’est possible de réaliser que deux de ces trois objectifs. Les banques centrales ont donc elles-mêmes rendu insupportable le choix dans le triangle d’incompatibilité en raison de l’instabilité induite des taux de change. Mais le retour aux taux de change fixes est aussi impossible, car ils seraient aussi déstabilisés par les flux de capitaux spéculatifs de grande taille. Quelle alternative pourrait être envisagée ? Classification JEL : E58, F02, F32, F62.
Ultrafast supercontinuum generation in bulk condensed media
Authors: Dubietis Audrius , Tamošauskas Gintaras , Šuminas Rosvaldas , Jukna Vytautas , Couairon Arnaud
Published: October 2017

Nonlinear propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses in bulk transparent media leads to a specific propagation regime, termed femtosecond filamentation, which in turn produces dramatic spectral broadening, or superbroadening, termed supercontinuum generation. Femtosecond supercontinuum generation in transparent solids represents a compact, efficient and alignment-insensitive technique for generation of coherent broadband radiation at various parts of the optical spectrum, which finds numerous applications in diverse fields of modern ultrafast science. During recent years, this research field has reached a high level of maturity, both in understanding of the underlying physics and in achievement of exciting practical results. In this paper we overview the state-of-the-art femtosecond supercontinuum generation in various transparent solid-state media, ranging from wide-bandgap dielectrics to semiconductor materials and in various parts of the optical spectrum, from the ultraviolet to the mid-infrared spectral range. A particular emphasis is given to the most recent experimental developments: multioctave supercontinuum generation with pumping in the mid-infrared spectral range, spectral control, power and energy scaling of broadband radiation and the development of simple, flexible and robust pulse compression techniques, which deliver few optical cycle pulses and which could be readily implemented in a variety of modern ultrafast laser systems.
An Argument-Based Approach to Test Fairness
Authors: Jin Yan , Wu Eric
Published: October 2017

This article aims to demonstrate how innovative testing practices can effectively prevent high-tech mass cheating and improve fairness in language assessment. The article first introduces Xi's (2010) view of validity and fairness and her proposal of an argument-based approach to empirically examining test fairness. The article then describes the threat to fair testing posed by high-tech cheating on the College English Test (CET). A study of multiple-form equating was conducted and reported in the article, which was aimed at achieving alternate form reliability when multiple versions and multiple forms were used in the CET. The article then concludes with a discussion on the usefulness of an argument-based approach to empirically examining test fairness.
Consumer Attitude and Loyalty in Online Shopping Environments
Authors: Patro Chandra Sekhar
Published: October 2017

In the online shopping environment, loyal customers are considered extremely valuable. Loyalty is generally attributed to satisfaction with the quality of service offered by the e-marketers' to their customers. The application of technology-based service has grown rapidly in the recent years, but the current understanding of customer retention and attitude in such contexts remains limited. The present article empirically investigates the roles of e-store facets, consumer attitude and loyalty in online shopping environments. The results posit that the e-store facets such as ease of use, credibility, price benefit, security and service quality positively influence online consumer loyalty via online consumer purchase attitude, whereas functionality and innovativeness do not have much influence on consumer attitude and loyalty. The findings afford not only practical implications for e-marketers but also directions for future research on online customer attitude and loyalty.
Use of Social Media in Citizen-Centric Electronic Government Services
Authors: Alryalat Mohammad Abdallah Ali , Rana Nripendra P. , Sahu Ganesh P. , Dwivedi Yogesh K. , Tajvidi Mina
Published: October 2017

This article undertakes a literature review on such articles on social media and citizen-centric e-government services. This research uses 139 articles to perform the intended literature review. The keywords analysis of these articles indicates that Web 2.0, participation and open government/open data were some of the frequently used keywords in addition to the two major themes of e-government and social media on which all the articles were searched for. The analysis of research methods indicated that majority of the studies were analytical, conceptual, descriptive, or theoretical in nature. The theoretical analysis however indicated that there is a lack of theory-based research in this area. The review of literature indicated that research themes such as electronic participation, engagement, transparency, communication/interaction, trust, security and collaboration are some of the most frequently used categories under this area of research. A research framework has also been proposed from the key themes emerging from the review.
Lessons for Effective Government IT Outsourcing
Authors: Winnard Scott
Published: October 2017

Information technology (IT) tends to be viewed as ancillary to core government functions. Consequently, IT is often outsourced to the private sector. Unfortunately, there is a long line of failed outsourced projects. This article uses two New Zealand case studies, the particularly public failure of the recent school payroll system and the successful introduction of electronic immigration processing, to examine how the design and governance of outsourced government IT projects could be improved. It concludes that an awareness of historic trends is important for project success, that governments need to be more active in combating market based transaction costs and that contract management becomes a core government competency when projects are outsourced. It also argues that better change management and cognisance of design-reality gaps would positively impact the outcomes of future projects.
Students' Use of Mobile Technologies
Authors: Baytiyeh Hoda
Published: October 2017

Mobile technologies are all-pervasive in the current digital generation, and college students rely on their mobile phones to communicate on a daily basis. In the midst of the myriad of applications available to download on the mobile, some tools have become more well-known and more often adopted than others. An example of such a tool is WhatsApp, which gains an increasing, widespread number of users on a daily basis, particularly in the Middle East region. The present study investigated college students' use of WhatsApp as a communication tool, and used Lebanon as a case study. A qualitative research design was implemented to understand the perceptions of college students vis-à-vis WhatsApp, and to investigate the motivational factors behind the popularity of this communication tool. The results revealed four themes: simplicity for discussion and coordination, cost-effectiveness, immediacy and sense of belonging.
A Hybrid Concept of Cryptography and Dual Watermarking (LSB_DCT) for Data Security
Authors: Singh Ranjeet Kumar , Shaw Dilip Kumar
Published: October 2017

Now a days, in communication technology safety of digital data in the form of text, image, and video, audio is a biggest problem. With the rapid development of the network multimedia systems, security is the biggest issue. Digital watermarking is one of the solutions to these problems. It hides some secret data into the original image and this information is use for image authentication and security. This paper Focus an application using Hybrid approach of Cryptography technique and dual watermarking for the purpose of Providing highly security and authentication of digital data. This paper use cryptography and QR Code in combined approach of LSB and DCT Digital image water marking technique. The Experimental results are given in the form of table and graph. This algorithm provides more security and data authentication compare to other image data security approach.
CIAS
Authors: Malik Arun , Pandey Babita
Published: October 2017

Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) is considered as an essential component of Intelligent Transport system. VANET has gained an ample amount of attention from the researchers and automobile industry. Security and privacy are the primary requirements in the successful deployment of vehicular communication in VANET. Lack of security and confidentiality in VANETs is the primary barricade in the successful deployment of VANET. To establish trust within the entities participating in VANET operations is the primary aim of VANET security and play a vital role in prevention of attack in VANET. This paper describes a comprehensive identity authentication scheme (CIAS) based on asymmetric encryption that facilitates the authentication for Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) and inter RSUs. The proposed scheme is validated by extensive simulations and compared with the related works on the basis of communication overhead (CO), Latency and packet delivery ratio (PDR). The result of simulations shows that proposed authentication scheme outperforms.
Authentication Through Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) Technique in WMN
Authors: Rathee Geetanjali , Saini Hemraj
Published: October 2017

Recently, Wireless Mesh Network is deliberated as a significant technology due to its self-healing and self-organizing characteristics. In WMN, data is forwarded through multiple hops to the destination node. One of the factors that impact the network performance is the secure communication delay. An authentication technique having significant delay may enhance the possibility of several security threats. A number of authentication protocols have been proposed in the literature but if existing practices are deliberated then to optimize one of the constraint other parameters are affected radically. In this manuscript, a Diffie-Hellman elliptic curve technique is used over WMN which reduces latency and computational overhead issues. Further to prove the integrity of proposed work, the performance is measured theoretically and analyzed experimentally over ns2 simulator.
Adapting the TPACK Framework for Online Teaching Within Higher Education
Authors: Ouyang Fan , Scharber Cassandra
Published: October 2017

There are ongoing obstacles in accurately assessing and effectively applying TPACK within online higher education contexts. In this study, we adapt the original TPACK constructs for application within online higher education, and share the results of a case study using this adapted analytical framework. This qualitative case study investigates and describes one experienced instructor's practice within a graduate-level online course. The instructor enacted a high-level of TPACK proficiency through combining content, pedagogy, and technology as well as masterfully using these knowledges within her online teaching practices. This research demonstrates one way the TPACK framework can be used as an analytical tool by researchers to investigate instructors' online teaching practices. In addition, the modified TPACK descriptions and evaluation criteria can be used to better assess TPACK and further support higher education faculty's online pedagogy development.
A Pathway Towards Implementation of Blended Learning in a Medium Sized Canadian University
Authors: Taylor Maurice , Ghani Shehzad , Atas Sait , Fairbrother Michael
Published: October 2017

As blended learning increases in higher education, there still remains a dearth of empirical evidence that focuses on how institutions actually adopt such initiatives. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to explore the key factors that led to the adoption and implementation of a blended learning initiative in one medium sized Canadian university. Three research questions guided the study that was nested in the Community of Inquiry framework. Data sources included a total of 83 semi-structured interviews with students, professors, and administrators; 32 student and instructor artefacts and documents and three sets of researcher field notes. Findings indicate that a university-wide initiative needs to integrate both the lived experiences of undergraduate and graduate students in blended learning which are very different. Adoption also recognizes that as professors come to understand the meaning of blended learning, their knowledge needs and teaching practices change. These changes need to be reflected in as training is developed. In addition, widespread implementation involves several critical factors that happen at both the institutional and individual faculty level. The discussion focuses on several key markers that need to be considered along a university-wide pathway towards blended learning.
Probability Based Most Informative Gene Selection From Microarray Data
Authors: Das Sunanda , Das Asit Kumar
Published: October 2017

Microarray datasets have a wide application in bioinformatics research. Analysis to measure the expression level of thousands of genes of this kind of high-throughput data can help for finding the cause and subsequent treatment of any disease. There are many techniques in gene analysis to extract biologically relevant information from inconsistent and ambiguous data. In this paper, the concepts of functional dependency and closure of an attribute of database technology are used for finding the most important set of genes for cancer detection. Firstly, the method computes similarity factor between each pair of genes. Based on the similarity factors a set of gene dependency is formed from which closure set is obtained. Subsequently, conditional probability based interestingness measurements are used to determine the most informative gene for disease classification. The proposed method is applied on some publicly available cancerous gene expression dataset. The result shows the effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm.
Detecting Communities in Dynamic Social Networks using Modularity Ensembles SOM
Authors: Enugala Raju , Rajamani Lakshmi , Kurapati Sravanthi , Kadampur Mohammad Ali , Devi Y. Rama
Published: October 2017

Social network analysis has gained much importance these days. Social network analysis is the process of recording various patterns of interactions between a set of social entities. An important phenomenon that draws the attention of analysis is the emergence of communities in these networks. The understanding and detection of communities in these networks is a challenging research problem. However, approaches to detect communities have largely focused on identifying communities in static social networks. But real-world social networks are not always static. In fact, many social networks in reality (such as Facebook, Bebo and Twitter) are dynamic networks that frequently change over time. In this paper, a framework is proposed for community detection in dynamic social networks, which explores self-organizing maps (SOM) for cluster selection and modularity measure for community strength identification. Experimental results on synthetic network datasets show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Covering Based Pessimistic Multigranular Approximate Rough Equalities and Their Properties
Authors: Tripathy Balakrushna , Mohanty Radha Raman
Published: October 2017

Rough set model introduced by Pawlak in 1982 was dependent upon equivalence relations (equivalently on partitions), which had restricted its application due to its stringent requirements. The notion of covering is an extension of that of a partition and is generated by relations much less restricted than equivalence relations. Several covering based rough sets are found in literature. As the notion of rough sets, basic or otherwise are unigranular from the granular computing point of view, in order to handle more than one granular structures on a universe simultaneously, optimistic and pessimistic multigranular computing were introduced by Qian et al in 2006 and 2010 respectively. Combining the two concepts of covering and multigranulation, covering based multigranular models were introduced by Liu et al in 2012. The notion of mathematical equality of concepts is too stringent and less applicable in real life situations. In order to incorporate human knowledge into it, four types of approximate equalities basing upon rough sets were introduced by Novotny and Pawlak in 1985 and by Tripathy in 2011. In this paper, we study the covering based pessimistic multigranular approximate rough equalities and establish several of their properties and provide suitable examples for illustration and in constructing counter examples in the proofs. This is an attempt to generalize the notion of approximate equalities by one more level in order to extend their applicability.
Model of Relationship Marketing Partnerships Between Batik SMEs and Batik Distributors in Central Java, Indonesia
Authors: Naili Farida , Naryoso Agus , Ardyan Elia
Published: October 2017

This article develops and tests the model for the determinants of satisfaction and loyalty. The aim of this study is to analyze: (1) the effect of confident on relationship quality, (2) the effect of confidence on mutual benefit, (3) the effect of mutual benefit on relationship quality, (4) the effect of relationship quality on satisfaction, (5) the effect of mutual benefit on satisfaction, (6) the effect of mutual benefit on loyalty, and (7) the effect of satisfaction on loyalty. This model was tested using data obtained from 131 batik dealers in Semarang, Indonesia. The hypotheses are tested using Partial Least Square (PLS), all supported by the results of the confirmation of confidence, mutual benefit, which are found to be the key drivers of relationship quality, satisfaction and loyalty. This study emphasizes the role of relationship quality and mutual benefit as mediation for the variables of confidence and loyalty. The implications of the findings in this research towards the application of relationship marketing are: First, effort should be made to increase the confidence between suppliers and dealers who help market the product. Second, to ensure a long-term partnership between the enterprising parties, the quality of relationship between suppliers and craftsmen or Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should be enhanced, so that the satisfaction of craftsmen or SMEs will be the better. Third, Craftsmen or SMEs should be more transparent in determining the mutual benefit with suppliers to improve satisfaction so as to create a profitable partnership for both enterprising parties. Fourth, satisfaction of dealers with craftsmen or SMEs should be increased so that the craftsman or SMEs can provide and meet the required product requested by the dealers in a timely manner.
Numerical Simulation of Precast Pile Caps Reinforced Concrete
Authors: Barros Rodrigo , Maciel Daniel Nelson , Braz Daniel Higor Leite
Published: October 2017

This paper investigates the structural behavior of pile caps designed in precast concrete. Firstly, it is performed an introduction to the subject, indicating the advantages and disadvantages of using this element as structural solution. Secondly, some aspects related to its application in Brazil and abroad are discussed as well and finally, considerations are presented regarding the research in this area, followed by numerical analysis of two pile caps studied by Chan & Poh [3], using finite element method by Diana V 9.2 software. A load versus displacement response of a specimen is presented as the cracking panorama and nodal stress in the pile and the column. Comparison of ultimate load between experimental and numerical simulation shows that numerical model is able to represent the structural behavior.
Synthesis of MoS2/Graphene Hybrid for Electrochemical Detection and Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol
Authors: Chen Ying , Peng Wen Chao
Published: October 2017

Large amounts of nitroaromatic compounds are discharged into the natural environment, leading to environmental pollution. The detection and removal of nitroaromatic compounds are therefore important environmental issues. In this study, the hybrid of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphene (GR) was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method. Sodium molybdate was selected as the precursors for MoS2. While thiourea was used as reductant and sulfur sources at the same time. Samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman microscope. Compared to pure MoS2, the obtained MoS2/GR hybrid showed improved activity for electrochemical detection and chemical reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The activity enhancement should be due to the addition of GR, which could improve the conductivity as well as provide more active sites. The MoS2/GR hybrid could therefore provide new multi-function catalyst for environment protection.
Fabrication of Sulfonated Bamboo Charcoal-Chitosan (sBC-CS) Hybrid and its Applications for Reinforcement of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber
Authors: Li Xiang Xu , Cho Ur Ryong
Published: October 2017

Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) composites incorporated with different fillers with similar filling ratio, were fabricated by latex compounding method. The particle size, tensile strength, abrasion resistance of the vulcanized rubber composites were investigated. The sulfonated bamboo charcoal-chitosan hybrid (sBC-CS) showed great dispersion rate and smaller particle size compared with those of other fillers. In addition, this composite exhibited the best mechanical reinforcing performance among the four fillers.