bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High Performance Negative Dielectric Anisotropy Liquid Crystals for Display Applications
Authors: Chen Yuan , Peng Fenglin , Yamaguchi Takashi , Song Xiaolong , Wu Shin-Tson
Published: September 2013

We review recent progress in the development of high birefringence (Δn ≥ 0.12) negative dielectric anisotropy (Δε < 0) liquid crystals (LCs) for direct-view and projection displays. For mobile displays, our UCF-N2 (low viscosity, negative Δε, high Δn) based homogeneous alignment fringe-field switching (called n-FFS) mode exhibits superior performance to p-FFS in transmittance, single gamma curve, cell gap insensitivity, and negligible flexoelectric effect. For projection displays using a vertical alignment liquid-crystal-on-silicon (VA LCOS), our high birefringence UCF-N3 mixture enables a submillisecond gray-to-gray response time, which is essential for color sequential displays without noticeable color breakup. Our low viscosity UCF-N2 also enables multi-domain VA displays to use a thinner cell gap for achieving faster response time.
Optimization of Experimental Model Parameter Identification for Energy Storage Systems
Authors: Gallo Daniele , Landi Carmine , Luiso Mario , Morello Rosario
Published: September 2013

The smart grid approach is envisioned to take advantage of all available modern technologies in transforming the current power system to provide benefits to all stakeholders in the fields of efficient energy utilisation and of wide integration of renewable sources. Energy storage systems could help to solve some issues that stem from renewable energy usage in terms of stabilizing the intermittent energy production, power quality and power peak mitigation. With the integration of energy storage systems into the smart grids, their accurate modeling becomes a necessity, in order to gain robust real-time control on the network, in terms of stability and energy supply forecasting. In this framework, this paper proposes a procedure to identify the values of the battery model parameters in order to best fit experimental data and integrate it, along with models of energy sources and electrical loads, in a complete framework which represents a real time smart grid management system. The proposed method is based on a hybrid optimisation technique, which makes combined use of a stochastic and a deterministic algorithm, with low computational burden and can therefore be repeated over time in order to account for parameter variations due to the battery’s age and usage.
Method for Cost-Benefit Analysis of Improved Indoor Climate Conditions and Reduced Energy Consumption in Office Buildings
Authors: Valancius Rokas , Jurelionis Andrius , Dorosevas Viktoras
Published: September 2013

Indoor climate affects health and productivity of the occupants in office buildings, yet in many buildings of this type indoor climate conditions are not well-controlled due to insufficient heating or cooling capacity, high swings of external or internal heat loads, improper control or operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, etc. However, maintenance of good indoor environmental conditions in buildings requires increased investments and possible higher energy consumption. This paper focuses on the relation between investment costs for retrofitting HVAC equipment as well as decreased energy use and improved performance of occupants in office buildings. The cost-benefit analysis implementation algorithm is presented in this paper, including energy survey of the building, estimation of occupants dissatisfied by key indoor climate indicators using questionnaire survey and measurements. Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) analysis is used in the proposed method for data processing. A case study of an office building is presented in order to introduce an application example of the proposed method. Results of the study verify the applicability of the proposed algorithm and TOPSIS analysis as a practical tool for office building surveys in order to maximize productivity by means of cost efficient technical building retrofitting solutions.
Tobacco Use and Environmental Smoke Exposure among Taiwanese Pregnant Smokers and Recent Quitters: Risk Perception, Attitude, and Avoidance Behavior
Authors: Lai Ming-Cheng , Chou Feng-Sha , Yang Yann-Jy , Wang Chih-Chien , Lee Ming-Chang
Published: September 2013

In this study, we conducted an empirical survey of the avoidance behaviors and risk perceptions of active and passive smoking pregnant smokers and recent quitters. We employed an online questionnaire survey by recruiting 166 voluntary participants from an online parenting community in Taiwan. The results of the empirical survey revealed that three-fourths of smokers quit smoking during pregnancy and one-fourth continued smoking. All pregnant women who continued smoking had partners or lived with relatives who smoked. Current smokers and quitters differed significantly in their risk perceptions and attitudes toward smoking during pregnancy. Most pregnant smokers and quitters adopted passive smoking avoidance behaviors at home and in public. Nevertheless, one-fifth of pregnant women chose not to avoid passive smoking. We concluded that most women stop smoking during pregnancy; however, most women continue to be exposed to passive-smoking environments. Perceived fetal health risks and attitudes toward smoking during pregnancy are critical predictors of the anti-smoking behaviors of pregnant women.
Celf1 Is Required for Formation of Endoderm-Derived Organs in Zebrafish
Authors: Tahara Naoyuki , Bessho Yasumasa , Matsui Takaaki
Published: September 2013

We recently reported that an RNA binding protein called Cugbp Elav-like family member 1 (Celf1) regulates somite symmetry and left-right patterning in zebrafish. In this report, we show additional roles of Celf1 in zebrafish organogenesis. When celf1 is knocked down by using an antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MO), liver buds fail to form, and pancreas buds do not form a cluster, suggesting earlier defects in endoderm organogenesis. As expected, we found failures in endoderm cell growth and migration during gastrulation in embryos injected with celf1-MOs. RNA immunoprecipitation revealed that Celf1 binds to gata5 and cdc42 mRNAs which are known to be involved in cell growth and migration, respectively. Our results therefore suggest that Celf1 regulates proper organogenesis of endoderm-derived tissues by regulating the expression of such targets.
Effect of Honokiol on Cytochrome P450 and UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Enzyme Activities in Human Liver Microsomes
Authors: Jeong Hyeon-Uk , Kong Tae , Kwon Soon , Hong Sung-Woon , Yeon Sung , Choi Jun-Ho , Lee Jae , Cho Yong , Lee Hye
Published: September 2013

Honokiol is a bioactive component isolated from the medicinal herbs Magnolia officinalis and Magnolia grandiflora that has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, and antitumor activities. The inhibitory potentials of honokiol on eight major human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes 1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4, and four UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) 1A1, 1A4, 1A9, and 2B7 in human liver microsomes were investigated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Honokiol strongly inhibited CYP1A2-mediated phenacetin O-deethylation, CYP2C8-mediated amodiaquine N-deethylation, CYP2C9-mediated diclofenac 4-hydroxylation, CYP2C19-mediated [S]-mephenytoin 4-hydroxylation, and UGT1A9-mediated propofol glucuronidation with Ki values of 1.2, 4.9, 0.54, 0.57, and 0.3 μM, respectively. Honokiol also moderately inhibited CYP2B6-mediated bupropion hydroxylation and CYP2D6-mediated bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation with Ki values of 17.5 and 12.0 μM, respectively. These in vitro results indicate that honokiol has the potential to cause pharmacokinetic drug interactions with other co-administered drugs metabolized by CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and UGT1A9.
Cytotoxic Constituents from the Stems of Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels
Authors: Jiang Hai , Wang Cheng , Fan Li , Yang Kai , Feng Jiang , Geng Zhu , Xu Jing , Deng Zhi , Du Shu , Yin Hai
Published: September 2013

Six compounds were isolated from the stems of Clausena lansium (Lour.) Skeels by repeated sillica gel column chromatography. Their chemical structures were elucidated on the basic of physicochemical and spectroscopic data. Among them, 8-geranyloxypsolaren (3) and 2-methoxy-1-(3-methyl-buten-1-yl)-9H-carbazole-3-carbaldehyde (6) were isolated for the first time from this plant. These compounds were screened for cytotoxicity in human cervical cancer (Hela), leukemia (K562), lung cancer (A549), non-small lung carcinoma (H1299) and liver cancer (SMMC-7721). Within the series of cytotoxic tests, compounds 4–6 displayed potent cytotoxic activity against H1299 and SMMC-7721, with the IC50 values of 6.19 to 26.84 μg/mL.
Is Early Enteral Nutrition Better for Postoperative Course in Esophageal Cancer Patients?
Authors: Kobayashi Kazuaki , Koyama Yu , Kosugi Shin-ichi , Ishikawa Takashi , Sakamoto Kaoru , Ichikawa Hiroshi , Wakai Toshifumi
Published: September 2013

We retrospectively examined esophageal cancer patients who received enteral nutrition (EN) to clarify the validity of early EN compared with delayed EN. A total of 103 patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy with three-field lymphadenectomy for esophageal cancer were entered. Patients were divided into two groups; Group E received EN within postoperative day 3, and Group L received EN after postoperative day 3. The clinical factors such as days for first fecal passage, the dose of postoperative albumin infusion, differences of serum albumin value between pre- and postoperation, duration of systematic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), incidence of postoperative infectious complication, and use of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) were compared between the groups. The statistical analyses were performed using Mann-Whitney U test and Chi square test. The statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05. Group E showed fewer days for the first fecal passage (p < 0.01), lesser dose of postoperative albumin infusion (p < 0.01), less use of TPN (p < 0.01), and shorter duration of SIRS (p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in postoperative complications between the two groups. Early EN started within 3 days after esophagectomy. It is safe and valid for reduction of albumin infusion and TPN, for promoting early recovery of intestinal movement, and for early recovery from systemic inflammation.
Multivariate Weibull Distribution for Wind Speed and Wind Power Behavior Assessment
Authors: Villanueva Daniel , Feijóo Andrés , Pazos José
Published: September 2013

The goal of this paper is to show how to derive the multivariate Weibull probability density function from the multivariate Standard Normal one and to show its applications. Having Weibull distribution parameters and a correlation matrix as input data, the proposal is to obtain a precise multivariate Weibull distribution that can be applied in the analysis and simulation of wind speeds and wind powers at different locations. The main advantage of the distribution obtained, over those generally used, is that it is defined by the classical parameters of the univariate Weibull distributions and the correlation coefficients and all of them can be easily estimated. As a special case, attention has been paid to the bivariate Weibull distribution, where the hypothesis test of the correlation coefficient is defined.
Setting Target Measurement Uncertainty in Water Analysis
Authors: Da Silva Ricardo
Published: September 2013

Water is the most frequently and thoroughly characterised product due to the impact of the chemical composition of water of different sources or destinations on public health and on economy. The adequacy of water characterisation relies on measurement quality, which is a function of measurement traceability and uncertainty. In some analytical fields, target values of measurement performance parameters are set to ensure that the measurements quality is fit for the intended use. Nevertheless, frequently, these performance parameters do not allow the control of the magnitude of relevant components of measurement uncertainty. This work discusses the need for assessing fitness of the measurement for its intended use through the magnitude of uncertainty associated to the measurement value. The way this evaluation should be performed, when no guidelines are available, is also suggested. Target values of relevant performance parameters, results of interlaboratory tests, or the magnitude of trends of the measured quantity, are some types of information useful to define the maximum admissible uncertainty, i.e., target uncertainty. The information and algorithms used to define the target uncertainty are presented from the most suitable to the less likely to produce consensual values. Calculations are illustrated with application examples of different analytical fields. In this work, the way in which variability of uncertainty evaluation is taken into account when comparing estimated with target uncertainty is also discussed.
Flow Giese reaction using cyanoborohydride as a radical mediator
Authors: Fukuyama Takahide , Kawamoto Takuji , Kobayashi Mikako , Ryu Ilhyong
Published: September 2013

Tin-free Giese reactions, employing primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl iodides as radical precursors, ethyl acrylate as a radical trap, and sodium cyanoborohydride as a radical mediator, were examined in a continuous flow system. With the use of an automated flow microreactor, flow reaction conditions for the Giese reaction were quickly optimized, and it was found that a reaction temperature of 70 °C in combination with a residence time of 10–15 minutes gave good yields of the desired addition products.
Shifting a Face-to-Face (F2F) Course to the Blended Environment
Authors: Crews Tena B. , Wilkinson Kelly , Howard Alexandria
Published: September 2013

Many educational experts predict that in the future blended learning will become far more common than traditional Face-to-Face (F2F) or online learning. With this in mind, instructors are being asked or required to move F2F courses to a blended environment. When doing so, there are a variety of issues to consider. Thus, a framework for transference is necessary. This framework includes the seven principles for good practice for undergraduate education. This chapter covers the essential topics to help educators conduct a successful transference and uphold the quality of their courses.
Computer Literacy and Candidate Performance on Computer-Based Tests
Authors: Kpolovie Peter James , Iderima Chris E. , Ololube Nwachukwu Prince
Published: September 2013

This chapter investigates the influence of computer literacy through blended learning methods on the computer-based aptitude test performance of prospective students at the University of Port Harcourt. An ex-post facto research design was used, and simple random sampling was adopted in drawing a sample of 1,720 candidates from a total population of 38,988 who wrote the examinations. A Computer Literacy Scale was developed to ascertain the computer literacy level of participants and a Results Collection Form was developed to gather test results. This study was based around nine research questions, which were answered using descriptive statistics, and nine corresponding hypotheses, which were tested using inferential statistics. Results show that computer literacy through blended leaning methods has a significant effect on performances on the computer-based test while gender has no effect. There was also a significant difference in the performance of candidates on paper and computer examinations.
Blended Learning Methods in Introduction to Teaching and Sociology of Education Courses at a University of Education
Authors: Ololube Nwachukwu Prince
Published: September 2013

In recent years, the use of the Blended Learning (BL) methods has experienced worldwide uptake and is responsible for enormous changes, not only in developed country education, but in developing country education, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Given the role that blended learning can play in educational development, educational institutions, students, employers, and governments are increasingly urged to examine the economic, demographic, and technological environments of the present so as to ensure comprehensive preparedness for the future. This study employs a questionnaire for data gathering and results are analysed quantitatively. The findings reveal a significant improvement in the use of blended learning methods to achieve effective academic performance in students. The impact of blended learning in the educational sector is thus evidenced in the changing instructional pedagogies that lead to more interactive learning processes.
Blended Learning Implementation in Accounting Discipline
Authors: Ghani Erlane K. , Muhammad Kamaruzzaman , Salleh Salina
Published: September 2013

This chapter examines the successful implementation of blended learning in an intermediate financial reporting course in a public university. The results of this study show that there is a significant difference between students completing the course through conventional learning and those completing the course via blended learning, with the later showing unfavourable results. The results in this study provide indication that for the students to perform well there is the need for them to be independent learners when studying using blended learning. However, the students believe that they could complete the course successfully regardless of whether they study the course through conventional learning or blended learning. Finally, the results show that academics are of the opinion that students should change their attitude to succeed. The academics further opined that the course and facilities need to be reviewed and upgraded to assist students in completing the course. The findings in this study provide some understanding of the implementation of blended learning in an intermediate financial reporting course.
21st Century Distance Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Kumi-Yeboah Alex , Young William H. , Boadu Kankam
Published: September 2013

Distance education in Ghana is rapidly gaining recognition as a result of the increasing demand for higher education by qualified applicants, most of whom are denied admission due to the limited space and resources. Distance education promotes cross-national, multi-disciplinary perspectives in educational practice and equips students, faculty, and administrators with resources to compete in the academic world of the 21st century. Universities in Ghana have opted for distance learning as an alternative measure to reduce congestion and help remedy student admissions to the few universities available (Dzisah, 2006). However, little is known about the trend of distance and blended learning education in Ghana. This chapter addresses the trend of distance learning and university education; distance and blended learning in Ghana; information on African Virtual University and distance education, benefits, challenges, recommended strategies of distance and blended learning programs in Ghana; and a conclusion.
Globalisation, Blended Learning, and Mathematics Education
Authors: Tella Adedeji
Published: September 2013

The issue about globalisation is now commonplace. However, there has not been enough literature concerning its link with ICT and mathematics education and how the three put together have impacted tertiary education pedagogy. In light of this, this chapter involves a local context of tertiary institutions operating in an environment exposed to the processes of globalisation. The chapter explores the meaning of globalisation, information communication technology, and mathematics education. It discusses how ICT and globalisation in relation to blended learning have influenced mathematics education, considers the relation between globalisation and mathematics education, and finally, draws the implications of globalisation and ICT on pedagogy in tertiary education.
Blended Learning and Technological Development in Teaching and Learning
Authors: Umunadi Kennedy E. , Ololube Nwachukwu Prince
Published: September 2013

This chapter examines blended learning and technological development in teaching and learning. This study is based around the suggestion that technological development can emerge in Nigeria when an enabling environment and other necessary facilities for blended learning are made available in different institutions for teaching and learning. This chapter addresses the following topics: net generation and use of technology outside of schools, the digital environment, computer use and blended learning in schools, well-constructed digital environments, teaching and blended learning, the shift from teaching to learning, student-centered methods, theories supporting the new view of the learning process, play way method, group instructional methods, Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, Skinner’s theory of learning, Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, problem-based learning, anchored instruction, distributed cognition, cognition flexibility theory, cognitive apprenticeship, situated learning, self-regulated learning, and entry behaviour/residual knowledge.
From Basic Participation to Transformation
Authors: Ayling Diana , Owen Hazel , Flagg Edward
Published: September 2013

In a time of great change and challenge in education, teachers have an “urgency” with regard to their professional development. Many educators are choosing to move away from traditional modes to participation in online communities of practice. The aim of this research was to verify that online communities of practice can support transformative learning and positive professional development experiences for members. Two community platforms were observed and examined in terms of online activity. In addition to the formal research methods, the researchers monitored the activity of a selection of community members, tracking their engagement and participation in the communities. The research demonstrates that rich and transformative learning and professional development can occur in online communities of practice. The authors highlight some of the values and skills required by both the community and active members. They conclude that well designed and deftly supported online communities have a bright future for professional learning and development.
Adapting Informal and Formal Learning Skills for Success in the Virtual Learning Environment
Authors: Barrett, Jr. Bob G.
Published: September 2013

Learning in itself is not done in a vacuum. In today’s competitive worlds of academia and business, students and current workers struggle daily to compete and remain competitive in a vastly changing world, market, and technological evaluation. What one prepared for prior to joining the job market has probably changed greatly in only a matter of a few years, and technology is still evolving. However, two items have remained constant over the past several centuries, the use of formal and informal learning. While not all people have the luxury attending college and university, informal learning has served as a tool in which a variety of stakeholders have helped others to learn and grow from each other. The key emphasis of this chapter is to focus on these two types of learning, but with a concentration on their relevance in the virtual learning environment. The topics of time management, group interaction, communication skills, and social media are examined in terms of how these skill sets can be useful to the virtual learner.
First Steps in the Development of a Model for Integrating Formal and Informal Learning in Virtual Environments
Authors: Marín Victoria I. , Salinas Jesús
Published: September 2013

Educational technologists are currently researching how to enhance education through integrating the different aspects of individuals’ learning. People learn by different means and contexts, so formal learning is only a part of the whole process of their learning. In this chapter, the authors present current progress in developing a methodological strategy model that aims to integrate formal and informal learning at university. For this purpose, they start with the foundations of this study and a description of its design and initial rollout in an undergraduate course, “Primary Teacher Training,” at the University of the Balearic Islands in Spain. Although the study is currently still being carried out, it is worth highlighting some insights and reflections of the on-going implementation and future research directions of the study.
Moving from Theory to Practice
Authors: Johnson Melissa L.
Published: September 2013

While higher education grapples with new and emerging technologies that are changing the way courses and degree programs are delivered, as well as how students and faculty communicate with each other, the field of student affairs has been relatively slow to adapt to this changing landscape. The purpose of this case study is to describe the integration of technological skills and competencies into a graduate-level education course for future student affairs professionals, a relatively new phenomenon for graduate preparation courses. A brief overview of the field student affairs and student development theory is followed by an in-depth description of the adapted course, course assignments using technology, and the results of those activities. Recommendations for graduate preparation programs are provided at the conclusion of the case.
Explanatory Business Analytics in OLAP
Authors: Caron Emiel , Daniels Hennie
Published: September 2013

In this paper the authors describe a method to integrate explanatory business analytics in OLAP information systems. This method supports the discovery of exceptional values in OLAP data and the explanation of such values by giving their underlying causes. OLAP applications offer a support tool for business analysts and accountants in analyzing financial data because of the availability of different views and managerial reporting facilities. The purpose of the methods and algorithms presented here, is to extend OLAP applications with more powerful analysis and reporting functions. The authors describe how exceptional values at any level in the data, can be automatically detected by statistical models. Secondly, a generic model for diagnosis of atypical values is realized in the OLAP context. By applying it, a full explanation tree of causes at successive levels can be generated. If the tree is too large, the analyst can use appropriate filtering measures to prune the tree to a manageable size. This methodology has a wide range of applications such as interfirm comparison, analysis of sales data and the analysis of any other data that possess a multi-dimensional hierarchical structure. The method is demonstrated in a case study on financial data.
Students’ Expectations About Their Grades Versus Course Expectations From Them
Authors: Sundar Sethy Satya
Published: September 2013

The paper presents a research study on the reasons for mismatch between students’ grade expectations and the actual grades they were awarded in the “Ethics” course at an engineering education institution in India. The paper also outlines how this event created the social and political stigmas among the authorities to opt for the re-evaluation of students’ answer sheets. After receiving the re-evaluated grade sheet from the re-evaluator, some meager and minor discrepancies were noticed which were liable to question, suspicion, and hence not impeccable. But by overlooking the reasons for trifling discrepancies authorities considered the re-evaluated grade sheet as the final one. In this context, the study examined the reliability and viability of criteria-based grading against norm-based grading model with the plausible impacts of authoritarian intervention in distorting the course instructor’s grade sheet, and its implications on quality retention in higher education.
A Study on Adaptability of Total Quality Management in Engineering Education Sector
Authors: Patro Chandra Sekhar
Published: September 2013

Quality management is an approach to management which requires establishing quality policies, procedures and practices on regular basis. Engineering education is a process of developing techno human resources, which are to be used later as input to industry which in turn produces goods and services for the societal use. Having considered the current situation of the engineering educational system and the quality of all its individual components it can be noticed that the awareness of the importance of education as a foundation for the growth and development of the country, such as India, is not strong enough. Engineering graduates passing out from educational institutions have to fulfill modern and high standard requirements that are needed by industry. Therefore, there is a greater need to instill quality in engineering education to produce technically skilled and creative man-power in India. The continuous assessment of quality is of paramount importance for educational institution. Education efficiency and success does not depend just on quantity but as well on quality. This paper has discussed key points for the improvement in the quality of engineering education with a case study undertaken at various engineering colleges in India. The study was conducted in two phase; first phase is the critical investigation of the literature and the second phase is a study on the quality of engineering education provided by the educational institutions in Visakhapatnam city. A simple random sampling technique was adopted for the study. A research study described in this paper identifies and analyses the quality of engineering education at the educational institutions which adopt the total quality management system to increase the quality and meet the industrial requirements and then suggests some ingredients to improve the quality.
Evaluating Sustainability and Greening Methods
Authors: Jarmoszko A.T. , D’Onofrio Marianne , Lee-Partridge Joo Eng , Petkova Olga
Published: September 2013

Recently much has been written about sustainability and greening and the issue is likely to continue to resurface on the agendas of decision makers. This paper addresses one aspect of the topic: that of sustainability and greening through information technology management. The authors review existing research and publications on the topic and conclude that while much research is available on methods of enhancing sustainability and greening, less exists on guidelines to help gauge success or failure of these methods. To help alleviate this shortcoming, the authors propose a model – called the Greening through Information Technology Model (GITM) – based on the framework of Capability Maturity Model.
How to Evaluate Capital Projects that Offer Environmental/Carbon Reduction Benefits
Authors: Lefley Frank , Sarkis Joseph
Published: September 2013

In many cases, projects that have strong environmental / carbon reduction benefits may be neglected due to biases associated with traditional project appraisal approaches. To reduce the level of rejections for such projects, the authors apply an innovative methodology, the financial appraisal profile (FAP) model. FAP is a normative model that seeks to address some of the issues and limitations posed by standard appraisal and evaluation approaches. By making the right decision in the first place and involving senior managers in the appraisal process, the organisation is better placed to achieve project success. The adoption of a management team approach to investment appraisals will not only enhance the information base but will also result in greater managerial commitment to a project. By adopting the FAP model with the inclusion of an environmental assessment in the form the ‘environmental score index’, will help focus top management on an increasingly important corporate strategy issue. An illustrative case study is used to outline the important aspects of this new approach. The paper concludes that this approach fills a gap in the environmental / carbon reduction investment literature, where there is a paucity of comprehensive, structured, and transparent methodologies that can prove acceptable to management decision-makers from a variety of functions and viewpoints. Keywords: Carbon Reduction, Environmental Score Index, Environmental Sustainability, Financial Appraisal Profile (FAP) Model, Investment Appraisal
CRM Scale Development and Validation in Indian Telecom Sector
Authors: Agariya Arun Kumar , Singh Deepali
Published: September 2013

This paper develops a reliable and valid CRM (Customer relationship management) scale regarding the Indian telecom sector. A review of literature on CRM was followed by depth interview and questionnaire survey. The exploratory factor analysis is performed with the first half of the data to identify the major CRM dimensions based on which authors have proposed a construct, which is confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis and validated through Structural equation modelling by using the other half of the data. The covariance model shows CRM in Indian telecom sector as a multidimensional construct comprising of factors namely competitiveness and reliability, support feature, relationship quality, transmission quality, technological edge and reputation. The structural model validates the previously extracted factors along with their indicators. The findings of this study validate the belief that CRM is a multidimensional construct and serves as a critical success factor for business performance. The proposed scale helps to identify issues that contribute to CRM in Indian telecom sector and formulating strategies accordingly, resulting in efficient (in terms of cost) and effective (outcomes) CRM practices.
An Investigation of Mediating and Moderating Variables in Service Quality – Customer Loyalty Relationship
Authors: Srivastava Medha , Rai Alok Kumar
Published: September 2013

With the increasing focus on customer relationships and profound impact that customer’s evaluative judgements exercise on customer loyalty, it is important to uncover the directional as well as moderating influences on customer loyalty formation. A complete understanding of type and strength of the relationship and their influencers would contribute in developing a comprehensive model that may not just clearly define the form and structure of relationship for future researches but also help industries in building loyalty and rationalize marketing expenditure. The present study aims to delineate the concept and significance of customer loyalty and offers a conceptual framework involving service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. A comprehensive survey of literature explored that customer satisfaction provides a directional influence to the relationship of service quality and customer loyalty and a mediation model integrating the relationships among service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is proposed for investigation. Furthermore, moderating effects on the service quality and customer loyalty link have been examined and four moderating variables namely, customer knowledge and expertise, price perceptions, service convenience and switching costs have been extracted from the literature. These variables need to be investigated to assess their role and strength in moderating the relationship between the two constructs.
Modernism to Postmodernism
Authors: Shams S. M. Riad
Published: September 2013

Underlying the 4Ps marketing principle, and with the transdisciplinary input, Relationship Marketing (RM) has evolved as a fundamental concept to respond to the postmodern marketing management issues. A literature review has been conducted to recognize the rationality of the evolvement of RM and how RM responds to the postmodern marketing management issues to meet and exceed contemporary market needs. The findings reveal that RM utilizes the transdisciplinary mode-2 knowledge production (value proposition) approach, based on the value perception of the postmodern market to cope up with the contemporary and latent market trends, which should be substantiated by market competitiveness, cost effectiveness and social (including all associated stakeholders) acceptability. Such a transdisciplinary mode-2 value proposition of RM and its contribution to the postmodern marketing management appears as coherent across markets and industries.
A Survey Instrument for Identification of the Critical Success Factors for the Successful ERP Implementation at Indian SMEs
Authors: Ganesh L. , Mehta Arpita
Published: September 2013

Many quantitative and qualitative studies have been conducted on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation in Large Enterprise (LEs) and Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) to capture the full benefits of ERP systems, but a survey instrument for identification of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) that contribute in the success of ERP implementation at Indian SMEs still does not exist. This paper develops an ERP implementation success survey instrument (questionnaire) by identifying thirty CSFs for the success of ERP implementation at Indian SMEs. This paper proposes a framework in terms of one scenario to explore the 30 CSFs that determine the success of ERP implementation at Indian SMEs. A quantitative survey based method was used to collect the data from the Indian ERP consultants (respondents). The data collected were analyzed using statistical techniques. Respondents are required to respond to each item (statement) on a Likert five point scale of agreement and disagreement. Whole questionnaire is divided in to five parts Cover Letter, General Proforma, Conceptual Framework, Survey Items and One open ended question supported by thank you letter. Findings are discussed for the future work to bridge the current literature gap and provide practical advice for both ERP academics and practitioners.
Adaptive E-Learning Environments
Authors: Di Bitonto Pierpaolo , Roselli Teresa , Rossano Veronica , Sinatra Maria
Published: September 2013

One of the most closely investigated topics in e-learning research has always been the effectiveness of adaptive learning environments. The technological evolutions that have dramatically changed the educational world in the last six decades have allowed ever more advanced and smarter solutions to be proposed. The focus of this paper is to depict the three main dimensions that have driven research in the e-learning field and the evolution of the technological approaches adopted for the purposes of building advanced educational environments for distance learning. Then, the three different approaches adopted by the authors are discussed; these consist of a multi-agent system, an adaptive SCORM compliant package and an e-learning recommender system.
ICT-Enabled Learning Settings
Authors: Colazzo Luigi , Molinari Andrea , Vill Nicola
Published: September 2013

The paper presents a discussion on the different approaches that the authors have found in learning settings respect to ICT platforms that support the educational activities. The authors discuss three different approaches in pursuing learning activities in real educational contexts. The considered approaches are different in the sense of the metaphor used. The approaches related to LMSs follow the metaphor of “course”, while in the approaches related with web 2.0 technologies (like Facebook™, Twitter™, Flickr™ etc), the founding metaphor is the individual with its social networks. Finally, the third approach has its building blocks in the idea of (virtual) community and virtual communities systems, where the core paradigm of the platform is the (virtual) community that offers specialized services for the purpose of the community to the enrolled members, and where the subject is just a participant that adheres to the rules of the community, with duties, rights, tasks to do and objectives to achieve. The authors will discuss all these three approaches, the different levels of applicability in learning settings, and specifically the potential of the virtual communities-based system that they adopted in the experimentations conducted in the last ten years.
A Study of Composition/Correction System with Corpus Retrieval Function
Authors: Liu Song , Liu Peng , Urano Yoshiyori
Published: September 2013

Practice and research in the composition education that is using computer and network have been more and more active. Through online composition system, a large amount of written texts produced by students and teachers can be collected. This kind of information is called a learner corpus, which is important in second language education because the specific learning situations of learners can be analyzed. However, there is still little effective application on how to utilize the collected learner corpus in pedagogy. In this research, a web based composition/correction system has been constructed. It can not only support online composition submission and correction, but also supply a retrieval function for learner corpus. This function has been combined with another CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) drill system to create more effective exercises according to learners’ misuses. This research has proposed a unique mechanism to integrate both construction and application of learner corpus.
Natural Interaction Based Online Military Boxing Learning System
Authors: Yang Chenglei , Wang Lu , Sun Bing , Yin Xu , Wang Xiaoting , Liu Li , Lu Lin
Published: September 2013

Military boxing, a kind of Chinese martial arts, is widespread and health beneficial. In this paper, the authors introduce a military boxing learning system realized by 3D motion capture, Web3D and 3D interactive technologies. The interactions with the system are natural and intuitive. Users can observe and learn the details of each action of the military boxing under different views and scales by translating, rotating and zooming the 3D human body models. Smartphones also can be used as the input/output device in the system, which provides natural interactive operations by voice and sensor technologies. The evaluation test has shown that the learning effect of the system is better than via traditional video. The system can be extended to Tai-Chi, gymnastic exercises and other routines.
An Instructional and Collaborative Learning System with Content Recommendation
Authors: Zheng Xiang-wei , Ma Hong-wei , Li Yan
Published: September 2013

With the rapid development of Internet, e-learning has become a new teaching and learning mode. However, lots of e-learning systems deployed on Internet are just electronic learning materials with very limited interactivity and diagnostic capability. This paper presents an integrated e-learning environment named iCLSR. Firstly, iCLSR provides an online environment for instruction and collaborative learning, which gets rid of the constraints of time and space. Second, online teaching and learning evaluation data from instructors and learners can be collected by iCLSR and can be analyzed with an improved PSK-means clustering algorithm. Third, the learning object lists can be recommended for learners based on online evaluation results and their learning history. The application of iCLSR demonstrates that it can recommend appropriate learning materials for learners, inspire communication between learners and instructors, save time for users and therefore improve the instructional effects and learning performance.
Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Information Technology
Authors: Gokhale Anu A. , Brauchle Paul E. , Machina Kenton F.
Published: September 2013

The current post-secondary graduation rates in computing disciplines suggest American universities are only training enough students to fill one third of the projected 1.4 million technology and computing jobs available (National Center for Women and Information Technology, 2011). Pursuit of information technology (IT) majors depends, to a great extent, on students’ attitudes toward these majors. This study developed an Attitude toward IT Scale with a gender subtext to measure college students' attitudes toward IT. The norm group consisted of mostly freshmen enrolled in summer and fall 2011 (N = 363), at a large four-year public university in Illinois. Reliability and validity of the 30-item Scale were examined by using Cronbach’s alpha and a principal components factor analysis with orthogonal rotation using varimax with Kaiser normalization; the rotation converged in seven iterations. Results of data analyses showed that overall reliability is high (0.85), and factor analyses revealed five orthogonal factors with high coefficient alphas. This Scale may be used by educators at the senior high school and college levels to evaluate the effectiveness of different teaching/learning strategies in promoting positive student attitudes toward IT, and in improving learning among students. The Scale is unique in that it includes attitudes toward gender equality of opportunity in IT.
Using the Item Response Theory (IRT) for Educational Evaluation Through Games
Authors: Batista Marcelo Henrique Euzébio , Barbosa Jorge Luis Victória , Tavares João Elison da Rosa , Hackenhaar Jonathan Luís
Published: September 2013

This article shows the application of Item Response Theory (IRT) for educational evaluation using games. The article proposes a computational model to create user profiles, called Psychometric Profile Generator (PPG). PPG uses the IRT mathematical model for exploring the levels of skills and behaviors in the form of items and/or stimuli. The model was integrated with an educational game. The game was created considering a test applied by the Brazilian Government to evaluate students in national level, called Brazil Exam. The integration was used to evaluate the model in an educational scenario involving one hundred and thirteen students with an average age of 11 years old of a school in the south of Brazil. The results show PPG conducts an accurate evaluation because it considers not only the number of questions correctly answered but the proportional difficulty of each question in the evaluated group.
Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants
Authors: Ololube Nwachukwu Prince , Kpolovie Peter James , Amaele Samuel , Amanchukwu Rose N. , Briggs Teinye
Published: September 2013

It is presumed that Nigerian students and teachers have been unable to find effective ways to use technology in the classroom and other aspects of their teaching and learning. Yet, considerable debate remains over the most efficient techniques and procedures to measure students and faculties information technology and information systems (IT/IS) use. In most developing countries, the challenges associated with carrying out IT/IS measurements are different from those in developed countries, as are the methods for selecting appropriate IT/IS content. This study gathered data using a five item demographic variable and a fifty item questionnaire to measure student and faculty academic IT/IS use in one private and one public university in Nigeria. This study is based on the 191 responses received to the questionnaire. The results reveal significant differences between the academic use of IT/IS by students and faculty. This groundbreaking study recommends that universities become valuable and proactive actors in the provision of technology based learning, teaching and research for students and academic staff to foster an effective academic environment aimed at meeting millennium development goals (MDG) for education. This scholarly discourse has implication for researchers, education practitioners, planners, policy makers and government.