bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrating Spatial Technologies in Urban Environments for Food Security
Authors: Joseph Edwin , O'Dea Elizabeth
Published: October 2016

Food security for the urban poor has been an important topic for both developed and developing countries over the last 15 years. Although South Bend Indiana is a city in a developed country, declining economic circumstances have caused the city to show significant urban decay somewhat similar to some cities in developing countries. In this chapter, we explore South Bend's history and economic development strategies, and review practices aimed at strengthening food security for the urban poor. The chapter documents how numerous disparate organizations have been trying to help alleviate urban poverty and hunger, and reviews previous strategies used to foster sustainable growth and development. The integration of spatial technologies will become a key factor for promoting community social networks, participatory planning, and collaboration. The case is presented for the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and associated technologies to help organizations, community leaders, local organizations, city planners, higher education institutions and the urban poor, work together to alleviate poverty and malnutrition through networking and sustainable urban agriculture.
MEmoIt
Authors: Ranvier Jean-Eudes , Catasta Michele , Gavrilovic Ivan , Christodoulou George , Radu Horia , Signo' Tiziano , Aberer Karl
Published: October 2016

In the recent years, smartphones became part of everyday life for most people. Their computational power and their sensing capabilities unlocked a new universe of possibilities for mobile developers. However, mobile development is still a young field and various pitfalls need to be avoided. In this chapter, the authors present several aspects of mobile development that need to be considered carefully. More specifically, this chapter covers topics like energy efficient sensing, smart computing, trade-off between accuracy and simplicity, data storage and cloud integration. These aspects are illustrated based on the authors' experience building a lifelogging application for the past two years.
Trust Profiling to Enable Adaptive Trust Negotiation in Mobile Devices
Authors: Sanzi Eugene , Demurjian Steven A. , Agresta Thomas P. , Murphy Amanda
Published: October 2016

In order to secure mobile devices, there has been movement to trust negotiation where two entities are able to establish a measure of mutual trust, even if no prior contact between either entity has existed in the past. This chapter explores adaptive trust negotiation in a mobile environment as a means to dynamically adjust security parameters based on the level of trust established during the negotiation process thereby enhancing mobile security. To accomplish this, the chapter proposes a trust profile that contains a proof of history of successful access to sensitive data to facilitate identification and authentication for adaptive trust negotiation. The trust profile consists of a set of X.509 identity and attribute certificates, where a certificate is added whenever a user via a mobile application makes a successful attempt to request data from a server where no relationship between the user and server has previously existed as a result of trust negotiation. Our approach allows the user to collect an ever-growing amount of profile data for future adaptive trust negotiation.
A Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Authors: Hanel Petr , He Jie , Fu Jingyan , Reid Susan , Niosi Jorge E.
Published: October 2016

The cornerstone of China's strategy for developing high-technology activities is construction of scientific parks to create conditions emulating the successful High-technology clusters in the West. This is a comparative case study of biotechnology clusters in Guangdong province and the better documented ones in Beijing and Shanghai and Shenzhen. The experience of the government-controlled and supported ‘construction' and evolution of biotechnology clusters in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province is compared with high-tech clustering in the West. The paper documents the existence and performance of the hitherto largely ignored Guangzhou biopharmaceutical cluster. Despite the rapid development of biopharmaceutical activities in Guangdong province, biotechnology is not yet a significant high-tech/high value-added alternative to Guangdong's specialization the labor-intensive export industries.
Entrepreneurial Approach to Biotechnology Policies and Development in India
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: October 2016

Biotechnology is globally recognized as a rapidly emerging and far-reaching technology. It is aptly called “technology of hope”, as its promising to be powerful enabling technology that can revolutionize agriculture, healthcare, industrial processing and environmental sustainability. The recent advances in life sciences unfold a scenario energized and driven by the new tools of biotechnology. There are number of therapeutic biotech drugs and vaccines that are marketed and many are in clinical development. In addition, there are a large number of agro-biotech and industrial biotech products that have enormously helped mankind. Biotechnology sector in India is gaining global visibility and tracked for emerging investment opportunities. Through in depth analysis based on published reports and secondary data with grounded theory approach the chapter aims not only to trace the development of biotechnology and reviews polices but also to elucidate through cases the entrepreneurial approach adopted for biotechnology development in India.
What Influences the Growth of Canadian Biotechnology Firms?
Authors: Beaudry Catherine , Levasseur Joël
Published: October 2016

This chapter examines the influence of firm characteristics on the growth of all Canadian biotechnology firms. Data collected by Statistics Canada from four Biotechnology Uses and Development Surveys (1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005) characterise the size, origin, contracts, IP, collaboration, financing, product development stage, tax credits of Canadian biotechnology firms, while employment data from the Business Register of the organisation provides the size of firms beyond 2005. Results show the importance of collaboration for exploration (knowledge) purposes, the importance of alliances for exploitation (commercialization) purposes for firms with rapid growth. Furthermore, a good product development process that brings products through regulation towards commercialization has a positive impact on firm growth and so does R&D expenses.
Collaboration, Innovation, and Funding as Survival Factors for Canadian Biotechnology SMEs
Authors: Beaudry Catherine , Levasseur Joël
Published: October 2016

This chapter aims to determine the factors, such as collaboration, research and development, intellectual property, product management and financing, that influence the survival of biotechnology firms in Canada. The research uses data from four biannual surveys on the use and development of biotechnology collected by Statistics Canada between 1999 and 2005, and follows these firms in the official business register of the organisation up to 2009, to build a Cox proportional hazard model of firm survival. The research finds that firms that collaborate for exploration purposes have better chances of survival than others. Results also suggest that a larger number of patents decreases the probability of survival. Investigation of the product development process shows that because of the vast resources necessary for clinical research, firms enter the production and commercialisation stage in a weak position, which may then result in firm exit.
An Overview to Thermal Solar Systems for Low Temperature
Authors: González-Prida Vicente , Raman Anthony
Published: October 2016

This chapter deals with those prefabricated systems with a steady state of operation (state in which the temporal variation of the thermodynamic properties is null), describing, in a brief manner, a methodology for testing the characterization of the thermal performance in accordance with the European normative. All of the previously mentioned form the justification for a foundation or base from which a testing installation is proposed in a later chapter that, at the same time, is compared to a real installation. Lastly, this chapter attempts to outline a simple mathematical methodology to analyze the future behavior of the reliability of a system (solar in this case), when it is still in an extremely early stage of its life cycle, such as the design phase.
Cold Thermal Energy Storage
Authors: Kosi Franc Franc , Zivkovic Branislav , Komatina Mirko S. , Antonijevic Dragi , Galil Mohamed Abdul , Milovancevic Uros Milorad
Published: October 2016

The chapter gives an overview of cold thermal energy storage (CTES) technologies. Benefits as well as classification and operating strategies of CTES are discussed. Design consideration and sizing strategies based on calculated load profile for design day is presented. Some recommendation concerning designing of CTES equipment are given. Special attention was paid to the analysis of specific features of heat transfer phenomena in ice storage tank including the assessment of the duration and the rate of ice formation and melting. The methodology of sizing components of the ice thermal storage system included in an air conditioning system for an office building situated in hot wet and dry climate are presented. Based on hourly cooling load calculation that was carried out using Carrier's Hourly Analysis Program, sizing of ice thermal storage system for different operating strategies included full, chiller priority and ice priority storage operation for the design day are presented. Finally, an analysis of some operational characteristics of the system are analyzed.
Design and Implementation of a Fuzzy Inference Model for Mapping the Sustainability of Energy Crops
Authors: Cavallaro Fausto , Ciraolo Luigi
Published: October 2016

Energy crops are positioned as the most promising renewable energy sources. Over recent years, the use of biomass has been growing significantly, especially in countries that have made a strong commitment to renewable sources in their energy policies. One of the aspects of the use of biomass for energy is that it is still controversial with regard to full environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, the existing environmental evaluation tools in many cases are unable to manage uncertain input data. Fuzzy-set-based methods, instead, have proved to be able to deal with uncertainty in environmental topics. The idea of this chapter is to reproduce a solution by decoding it from the domain of knowledge with the calculus of fuzzy “if-then” rules. A methodology based on Fuzzy Inference Systems (FIS) is proposed to assess the environmental sustainability of biomass.
Decreasing Wear of Large Vertical Axis Wind Turbines by Employing a Multi-Level Turbine Concept
Authors: Wiśniewski Jan H.
Published: October 2016

The chapter focuses on describing the author's own multi-level vertical axis wind turbine concept, putting emphasis on its specific features, the scope of conducted analyses, as well as general knowledge important to wind industry specialists, other people with an interest in wind energy, and engineers aspiring to achieve innovative results without needlessly complicating their design. Current results show a reduction of the maximum bending moment during a rotation at the bottom of a two level turbine of up to 19.7% after optimisation; at the same time an optimised turbine can achieve a reduction of maximum moment jump during a rotation at the bottom of a turbine of up to 73.4%. Further studies are currently being conducted, as both the study presented in this chapter and its continuations might have a definitive influence on the future development of the wind-energy sector.
Energy Efficient Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN)
Authors: Maiti Prasenjit , Addya Sourav Kanti , Sahoo Bibhudatta , Turuk Ashok Kumar
Published: October 2016

Healthcare expenses are a growing concern in most countries. This has forced medical researchers to look for trusted and ambulatory health monitoring of patient's vital signs. The objective is to reduce patient visits and the use of medical and support staff for frequent examinations. Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) consist of implanted, or worn, tiny health monitoring sensor nodes so that the vital body parameters and the movements of the patient can be recorded and communicated to the medical facilities for processing, diagnosis and prescription. WBAN is required to have small form and low power consumption. Reducing energy consumption of the sensor and communication equipment is one of the key research areas. It is also important for WBAN be secure, protected and reliable. Failure to acquire authentic and correct medical data may prevent a patient from being treated effectively, or even lead to wrong treatments. As patient identity can be obtained by correlating physiological information, privacy concerns must be addressed for wide acceptance of the technology. While security is paramount, the cost of implementing security techniques in WBAN may be prohibitive. It, therefore, becomes necessary to find cryptographic solutions that consume less energy. Research efforts are being made to reduce the cost of cryptography used in WBAN. In this paper authors discuss the current and future security solutions for low energy WBAN.
Wind-Thermal Integrated Power System Scheduling Problem Using Cuckoo Search Algorithm
Authors: Chandrasekaran K. , Simon Sishaj P.
Published: October 2016

A new nature inspired metaheuristic algorithm known as the cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) is presented in this paper, to solve the unit commitment problem (UCP) for hybrid power system. The utilization of wind energy sources is increasing throughout the world. It is therefore important to develop the protocol for the integration of wind generation system with conventional thermal unit generation system. High wind penetration can lead to high-risk level in power system reliability. In order to maintain the system reliability, wind power dispatch is usually restricted and energy storage is considered for smoothing out the fluctuations. On solving UCP, the proposed binary coded CSA finds the ON/OFF status of the generating units while the economic dispatch problem (EDP) is solved using the real coded CSA. The proposed methodology is tested and validated on 3, 4, 9, 12 38 and 100 unit systems for 24 hour scheduling horizon. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is demonstrated by comparing its performance with the other methods reported in the literature.
Implementing a Fuzzy Logic Based Algorithm to Predict Solar and Wind Energies in a Hybrid Renewable Energy System
Authors: Faquir Sanaa , Yahyaouy Ali , Tairi Hamid , Sabor Jalal
Published: October 2016

The use of multi sources systems of energy progressed significantly in different industrial sectors. Between all the existing sources of energy, batteries and renewable sources, such as photovoltaic and wind, contain the highest specified energy. However, solar and wind energies are not available all the time, their performance is affected by unpredictable weather changes and therefore, it is difficult to control as it is not always feasible to obtain an accurate mathematical model of the controlled system. Also, uncertainty of the wind power can affect system stability. This paper presents a computer algorithm based on fuzzy logic control (FLC) to estimate the wind and solar energies in a hybrid renewable energy system from natural factors. The wind power was estimated using the wind speed as an input parameter and the solar power was estimated using the temperature and the lighting as input parameters.
Assessing the Profitability of Changing a Turbine for a Hydroelectric Power Plant Based on Long-Period Water Gauge Readings
Authors: Wiśniewski Jan H. , Olszański Bartosz M.
Published: October 2016

The chapter focuses on explaining the construction of author's own engineering-level model which calculates energy production based on historical water level and flow rate readings as well as economic factors such as net present value of the proposed investment on the example of a HPP on the Wkra River. The model methodology assumes the identification of location's hydrological features and translates them into a set of contingency scenarios. Various internal costs, such as maintenance or labor costs, related to normal HPP activity and taxation are discussed and incorporated into the economic part of the model. Test case results indicate that for a series of good years in terms of water flow and electricity production, full repayment of initial investment costs is possible after less than three years. Results for the chosen modernization parameters indicate that within 10 years of installing a new turbine, even the most pessimistic case would bring added value to the real estate valuation.
Using Fuzzy Control Methods for Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Buildings
Authors: Mpelogianni Vassiliki , Groumpos Peter
Published: October 2016

The energy sector worldwide faces significant challenges that everyday become even more acute. Innovative technologies and energy efficiency measures are nowadays well known and widely spread, and the main issue is to identify the more effective and reliable in the long term. In order to do so the decision maker has to compensate many factors. This article investigates the feasibility of the application of new intelligent control methods in modeling and controlling the performance of a building. For the first time a performance comparison of Fuzzy Logic vs Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) theories is performed and interesting results are presented. Multi-level intelligent controllers to manage the various parts of a building's automation and increase its energy efficiency are presented. For the first time the Building Energy Management System has been modeled using FCMs. Simulation studies with real environmental data have been performed and useful results have been obtained and discussed. Challenging future research topics are provided.
The Topicality and the Peculiarities of the Renewable Energy Sources Integration into the Ukrainian Power Grids and the Heating System
Authors: Shendryk Vira , Shulyma Olha , Parfenenko Yuliia
Published: October 2016

The chapter proposes to approach the problem in the following ways: assess the problems in the existing power system, analyze the current state of the RES using, and determine the existing ways of computer modeling of the grid. The chapter also discusses the topicality of renewable energy use in the construction of distribution grids and the ability to model their work. It explores issues including current research attempts to identify the existing methods, which can be applied in the Decision Support System (DSS) for calculation and evaluation RES. The problem of making decisions for energy saving in district heating requires such measures as energy audit and planning. These activities require monitoring the current energy consumption in real time.
Optimization of Small Wind Turbines Using Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Hamdan Mohammad , Abderrazzaq Mohammad Hassan
Published: October 2016

This paper presents a detailed optimization analysis of tower height and rotor diameter for a wide range of small wind turbines using Genetic Algorithm (GA). In comparison with classical, calculus-based optimization techniques, the GA approach is known by its reasonable flexibilities and capability to solve complex optimization problems. Here, the values of rotor diameter and tower height are considered the main parts of the Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS), which are necessary to maximize the output power. To give the current study a practical sense, a set of manufacturer's data was used for small wind turbines with different design alternatives. The specific cost and geometry of tower and rotor are selected to be the constraints in this optimization process. The results are presented for two classes of small wind turbines, namely 1.5kW and 10kW turbines. The results are analyzed for different roughness classes and for two height-wind speed relationships given by power and logarithmic laws. Finally, the results and their practical implementation are discussed.
Quantum Dots Searching for Bondots
Authors: Putz Mihai V. , Tudoran Marina A. , Mirica Marius C.
Published: October 2016

The relatively new technique of quantum-dots sensitizing the solar cells for optimum cost-efficiency of photovoltaics is reviewed while launching new concept of bonding-quantum dots – the so called bondots (abbreviated as D), founded on the Dirac quantum theory of coupling spinors, while the associated analytics and basic illustration on paradigmatic chemical bonds are revealed, so paving the way for experimentally searching of at least doubling the photo-electric conversion in sustainable bondotic sensitized solar cells.
Current and Future Trends of Refrigerants Development
Authors: Duarte M. V. , Pires L. C. , Silva P. D. , Gaspar P. D.
Published: October 2016

In this chapter is addressed the thematic of refrigerants: its historical evolution; properties; legislation applied in the area and future trends. The first refrigerant being marketed on a large scale was ethyl ether (R610), in 1834. Since then, the evolution of the utilized refrigerants was stimulated, initially due to constructive issues in the refrigeration system and later to environmental issues. This evolution may be divided into four generations: 1st use of any fluid that worked; 2nd safety and durability of the equipment; 3rd ozone layer protection and 4th increase of global warming concerns. During the process of evolution many refrigerants were tested to understanding of their properties. Currently, environmental concerns are taken as guide in the search for new refrigerants. The most promising refrigerants to be used in future are the HFEs, HFOs and HFCs with low-GWP, natural refrigerants and blends between (HCs/HFCs and HFCs/HFOs) refrigerants.
Smart Homes and Sustainable Energy in Nigeria
Authors: Oni Oluwasola
Published: October 2016

In many developing countries, there is limited access to electricity with the populace typically resorting to purchasing personal electricity generating units. This research explores the factors affecting the possibility of introducing smart homes that would conserve electricity, reduce a need for reliance on the national grid and lower energy costs. Advantages and disadvantages, as well as the impact on society and development in general are examined in addition to future perspectives on smart homes and sustainable energy.
E-Health
Authors: Usher Wayne
Published: October 2016

This chapter will identify how Australian university students access and use various forms of technology (Web 1.0 – Internet, Web 2.0 – social media - SM) to retrieve personal health information. This chapter will move beyond Web 1.0, to present a theoretical basis of claim, concerning the extent to which other forms of technology (e.g. Web 2.0 and wireless monitoring devices) have impacted on youth. What is more, attention will be directed towards outlining to what degree this has shaped their patterns of health information retrieval. Importantly, this chapter aligns with contemporary literature that suggests a need for further studies into the area of human - technology interactions, which promotes sustainable action plans and strategies that will create and encourage reform throughout e-health programs and interactive communication platforms. Given that Australian university students are prolific users of modern forms of communication technology and that youth, in general, characteristically undertake relatively high levels of risky health behaviours and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such a chapter would seem warranted.
Ob/Gyn EMR Software
Authors: Bougoulias Konstantinos , Kouris Ioannis , Prasinos Marios , Giokas Kostas , Koutsouris Dimitris
Published: October 2016

In this chapter, the collection and the analysis for the development of an Ob/Gyn EMR software for small Obstetrics and Gynecology organizations is analyzed. The necessary gynecological information was gathered via research concerning the needs of the practice and was organized and categorized according to its importance to the clinicians. The user interface of the developed software provides access to obstetrics, gynecological, surgical, sterilization and PAP test data, along with video and image file storage capabilities. An integrated appointment scheduling module, as well as an expected labor day prediction module, are also part of the application. The developed software is self-contained so that it can be installed on the clinician's computer or accessed within the clinic.
Two Unique Protected Sites with a Modern Heritage in Historical Peninsula in Istanbul
Authors: Benli Gülhan , Güner Aysun Ferrah
Published: October 2016

Suleymaniye and Zeyrek areas in the Historical Peninsula containing a combination of the architectural works of different religions, different cultures and communities are two districts which were entitled to be included in UNESCO world heritage list from Istanbul in 1985. Traditional architectural texture in Zeyrek and Suleymaniye among some unique districts of Istanbul, which brings neighborhood-centered lifestyle of Ottoman period in the past to the present, basically consists of wooden houses. Diverging process has affected on these two unique residential areas having their own hierarchical and political characteristics by planned development activities in time and it was forced to sacrifice many works belonging to Ottoman period within the borders. Another modern building obtained as a result of the competition in the Republican Period practically undertakes the task of combining these two estranged areas. Characteristics of the said two protected areas, diverging process and modern heritage acting as a buffer shall be examined in this study.
City of Beats
Authors: Torsi Silvia
Published: October 2016

The flâneur is the urban vagabond in search of experiences and inspirations from serendipitously exploring a city environment. This construct is put beside post-modern stances about the suburban areas built and populated after the Second World War industrialization, along with considerations about ecological psychology, cultural materialism, and sound theory. The main concept is to provide those places with a communication level that would be pleasant to discover while wandering without a destination. Therefore, it is desirable to conceive a meta-design tool able to incorporate creativity, ownership, and conviviality.
The Fundamentals of Social Capital
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: October 2016

This chapter explains the overview of social capital (SC); the dimensions of SC; SC, culture, and architecture; SC and economic growth; SC and knowledge management (KM); SC and social networking sites (SNSs); SC and health perspectives; and the significance of SC in the digital age. SC refers to the institutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society's social interactions. SC involves establishing trust, norm, and network. SC is a quality derived from the structure of an individual's network relationships in the community, and relates to architectural design, culture, belief, economic growth, and business success. SC provides the relationships through which an entrepreneur receives opportunities to utilize human capital and financial capital in global business. The chapter argues that promoting SC has the potential to improve business performance and gain sustainable competitive advantage in global business.
Geography's Second Twilight
Authors: Dobson Jerome E. “Jerry”
Published: October 2016

Jerome E. Dobson, professor emeritus, University of Kansas; president of the American Geographical Society; and recipient of the 2014 James R. Anderson Medal of Honor in Applied Geography, discusses his career in the context of America's academic purge of geography. Highlights include his time as a Jefferson Science Fellow with the National Academies and U. S. Department of State. Dobson has been recognized with two lifetime achievement awards for his pioneering work in geographic information systems (GIS) and as Alumnus of 2013 at Reinhardt University. His contributions include the paradigm of automated geography, his instrumental role in originating the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, and his leadership of the LandScan Global Population Database, the de facto world standard for estimating populations at risk. His recent research includes testing a new system for mapping minefields; designing and promulgating the current world standard for cartographic representation of landmines, minefields, and mine actions; and leading six AGS Bowman Expeditions.
Application of AHP-GIS Technology to Assess Congestion Vulnerability, a Case Study of Ranchi City, India
Authors: Mukherjee Alok Bhushan , Krishna Akhouri Pramod , Patel Nilanchal
Published: October 2016

Urban traffic congestion is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and therefore, is sensitive to certain influencing factors behaving in a random manner. Consequently, the possibility of a route characterized by smooth flow of traffic becoming congested cannot be ruled out. The present research investigation attempts to categorize different routes of the study area in terms of their degree of congestion vulnerability. Average Speed (AS), Delay Ratio of Average Speed (DRAS), Stopped Time (ST), Stopped Time Gradient (STG), and Absolute Deviation in Congestion Index Value (ADCIV) were identified as the potential influencing factors. The AHP was employed to rank the importance of the aforementioned influencing factors in triggering congestion that can sometimes lead to traffic deadlock. On the other hand, the GIS Weighted Sum Overlay technique was employed to determine the integrated impact of the influencing factors on the behavior of traffic flow. The results showed close agreement with the real scenario of the traffic congestion observed in the field.
Spatial Variability Analysis of Cu Content
Authors: Hoang Huy A. , Vu Tuyen D. , Nguyen Thanh T.
Published: October 2016

Conventional variogram has been widely applied to study spatial variability of geochemical data. In case of data is not normally distributed, the conventional estimator is biased. In this study, Cressie variogram and Moran correlogram were used to identify the degree of spatial variabilty of Cu content using 1341 stream sediment samples in Jiurui copper mining area. Cressie variogram was applied to reduce the influences of high values in identifying spatial variability in different directions. Moran correlogram was employed to study spatial correlation at different distances and the influences of data distribution on the results in quantitative ways. It was found that Cressie variogram yields stable robust estimates of the variogram with the maximum spatial variability of 12km for all directions; Moran correlogram provided more information, directly viewed and stable than variogram. Moran correlogram identified a strong positive spatial correlation at distances below 6km for the raw data and a strong positive spatial correlation at distances below 11km for Box-Cox transformed data.
Emotional Mapping in Local Neighbourhood Planning
Authors: Pánek Jiří , Pászto Vít
Published: October 2016

City planning, decision-making and participation in local administration can be sometimes elitist, closed to the public and non-participatory processes. Citizens are frequently a neglected part of these activities and are usually only involved and considered prior to elections. Yet citizens have a relevant role in the processes of town planning and administration. This paper describes the implementation of a web-based crowdsourcing tool for the collection and visualisation of emotion-based and subjective information on maps. The tool was used in a case study of neighbourhood development consultation in the city of Príbram, the Czech Republic. Visual, textual and statistical analyses showed a similar spatial distribution of some topics within the Križáky neighbourhood and provide results, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in the process of e-participation in urban e-planning. The results presented in this paper allow replication of the research methodology in other areas as well as its implementation.
A Dataflow-Oriented Modeling Approach to Business Processes
Authors: Bruno Giorgio
Published: October 2016

This paper presents a dataflow-oriented modeling approach (called DMA) targeted at business processes that operate on the entities forming an information system. The approach promotes the integration between business processes and information systems in that process models result from the interconnection of tasks and dataflow nodes. The latter denote flows of business entities of the same type and state. The entity types along with their relationships and attributes are shown in a companion information model. DMA leverages the dataflow to represent human decisions, which may concern the selection of the input entities when a task needs more than one, and the selection of the task with which to handle the input entities when two or more tasks are admissible. An example related to an order handling process illustrates the representation of human choices. DMA process models build on the artifact-oriented approach in that they combine the life cycles of the business entities involved. The life cycles can be separated and this facilitates the comparison with reference models. A major contribution of the paper is the presentation of the extraction algorithm which provides the separated life cycles.
Leveraging Patent Information to Improve ICT Innovations in Tanzania
Authors: Bashary Rahma , Lupiana Dennis M.
Published: October 2016

Patent information is an essential ingredient for fostering innovations. Although most of developed countries have been using patent information as a source of technological information to assist R&D companies and organizations, Tanzania is lagging behind. Recognizing the critical role of patent information in nurturing innovations, Tanzania has recently engaged in conducting awareness training on patent information to researchers and innovators. Despite the effort, ICT Innovators in Tanzania are not keen in using patent information. The authors' preliminary study indicated that 47% of respondents had knowledge of patent databases and 61% of them believe that the information can improve their innovative ideas. In contrary, 77% of the respondents had never access the databases. These revelations led us to conduct a study to determine factors that hinder ICT Innovators in Tanzania from using patent information to improve their innovative ideas. The study was conducted at BUNI Innovation Hub and DTBi Incubator in Dar es Salaam where 70 ICT Innovators and 3 Innovation Managers were involved. The study employed self-administered questionnaires and interview for collecting data. The study revealed that lack of patent search skills, language used in patent documents, subscription fees, unreliable electricity supply and limited access to the Internet are among the factors.
A Mobility Model for Crowd Sensing Simulation
Authors: Auza Jose Mauricio Nava , de Marca Jose Roberto B.
Published: October 2016

Mobile Crowd Sensing (MCS) is a class of sensor networks that uses mobile devices for large scale sensing. These networks have some very specific characteristics because of human (smartphone owners) involvement in its operations. Hence, it is important to have a model that takes into account the unique characteristics and opportunities of human mobility. In this paper, the authors present a Mobility Model for the ns-3 platform that considers human activities in a specific scenario and a simulation example to validate their model.
Using Simulations and Computational Analyses to Study a Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave Radar
Authors: Luttamaguzi Jamiiru , Eslami Akbar , Brooks Dwayne M. , Sheybani Ehsan , Javidi Giti , Gabriel Philip M.
Published: October 2016

This paper describes a method for simulating Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar. The developments presented target classroom lectures and can form the basis of student projects. Computational analysis and simulation are critical elements of science and engineering education in which students need to acquire these competencies. FMCW radar system simulations are an example of a real-world application, invested in rich mathematical/physical content that exercise these competencies. Unlike conventional radars that operate in the time domain, FMCW radars operate in the frequency domain. Spectral and phase analyses are required to infer range and the range resolved velocity of meteorological targets such as rain or drizzle. Hence to proceed with simulations, students are first introduced to signals processing topics such as discretization and sampling of signals, Fourier Transforms, Z-transforms, and filters. Computations and the display of results are subsequently performed using Elanix System Vue and Matlab software. To aid the interpretation of the results, a brief description of FMCW physical principles of operation is provided. The computational technique is general and efficient, allowing the range-resolved radial velocity component of precipitation to be computed in real-time. Simulations of range are in excellent agreement with field test measurements of experimental, operational X-band radar currently being evaluated at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center while computations of the range-resolved velocity component of precipitation agree with the setup conditions of the simulations.
Getting the Best out of People in Small Software Companies
Authors: Sanchez-Gordon Mary-Luz
Published: October 2016

Managers of software small companies struggle to manage their software process. Therefore, for them realizing and understanding the impact of human factors on software process is even more challenging. Although human factors have been proved to have impact on software process, unfortunately they have been overlooked altogether. This paper proposes a holistic view of human factors on software process in VSE, focusing on the concerns and perceived shortcomings present. In order to identify and compare the human factors, the author carried out a systematic comparison of human factors. As a result, this study identifies the connection between software process defined in ISO/IEC 29110 and human factors given in ISO 10018 and its pertinence. In light of that, the author outlines first steps towards enhanced implementation of ISO/IEC 29110 standard based on ISO 10018.
An Objective Compliance Analysis of Project Management Process in Main Agile Methodologies with the ISO/IEC 29110 Entry Profile
Authors: Galvan-Cruz Sergio , Mora Manuel , O'Connor Rory V. , Acosta Francisco , Álvarez Francisco
Published: October 2016

Software Process Improvement efforts (SPI) are pursued by organizations for improving the overall quality of their software development processes. However, very small entities (VSEs) avoid them by the lack of required financial and other organizational resources. In contrast, VSEs use agile software development methodologies (ASDMs), but these ASDMs do not foster adherence to best scholastic practices promoted by SPI. Furthermore, while a new ISO/IEC standard (29110) has been recently released for VSEs, it was not designed taking account the ASDM approaches. Thus, we investigate the extent of adherence of main ASDMs (two industrial and one academic type) with this new standard. Initial results provide evidence on the strong need to enhance the two industrial ASDMs (XP and SCRUM). In contrast, the academic ASDM (UPEDU) fits the standard very well but it is scarcely used by VSEs. Hence, it is concluded that there is a knowledge gap between the praxis with ASDMs and the recommended scholastic software processes like the ISO/IEC 29110 standard for VSEs.
Defining an Iterative ISO/IEC 29110 Deployment Package for Game Developers
Authors: Kasurinen Jussi , Smolander Kari
Published: October 2016

Software development in a small development team is a challenge, as people have to fulfill several roles, which in larger groups would have dedicated people. To help in this aspect, the ISO/IEC 29110 Lifecycle profiles for Very Small Entities has been developed to help organization and manage the workflow. However, the model presented in the ISO/IEC 29110 is rather abstract, and prominently follows the waterfall approach, even though the documents do amend agile practices as one acceptable approach. In game development this loosely defined approach is problematic, since games industry heavily relies in the agile practices with short cycles of iterations. In this article, the authors present their study of game development organizations, and describe the ISO/IEC 29110 deployment package “Highly Iterative Software Processes” which combines the Entry level model with the industry-specific requirements. In general, the definition of support for the iterative development makes the model feasible for the industry.
SCOR Implementation in Oil and Gas Company from an Emerging Market
Authors: Hafeez Jibran , Khalid Rameez , Mir Shahid
Published: October 2016

Measuring supply chain performance is an important business success factor in today's competitive environment and continuous improvement culture. Several models have been developed for this purpose, however, such models lack standardized language and are not well known in the developing countries. Supply Chain Council (SCC) developed Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. This paper presents a case-based action-research for a step-by-step implementation of SCOR model. The case company belongs to oil and gas sector in a developing country. As-Is model was developed and analyzed for gaps. Reasons were identified using company documents and semi-structured interviews. To-Be model was then developed along with recommendations keeping into account the challenges faced by companies operating in emerging markets. The step-by-step SCOR implementation was found to be effective. It is further found that adapting the SCOR model for developing countries is a time-intensive effort and adapting the best practices can be a better option.
Long-term Macroeconomic Dynamics of Competition in the Russian Economy using Agent- based Modelling
Authors: Eftonova Tatyana , Kiran Mariam , Stannett Mike
Published: October 2016

Agent-based economic modelling techniques are increasingly being used to complement standard economic simulations. This paper re-models a standard equation-based simulation model of the Russian macroeconomy in an agent-based setup, and uses it to investigate the effect that antimonopoly legislation can be expected to have upon long-term dynamic behaviour. The results reveal various potential outcomes which would have not been visible using traditional equation-based modelling techniques. While the number of economic agents has been kept deliberately small in the work presented here, the modelling approach is scalable to systems incorporating many millions of agents.
Efficient Data Reporting in a Multi-Object Tracking Using WSNs
Authors: Elfouly Fatma H. , Ramadan Rabie A. , Mahmoud Mohamed I. , Dessouky Moawad I.
Published: October 2016

Object tracking is one of the most important applications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Many recent articles have been dedicated to localization of objects; however, few of these articles were concentrated on the reliability of network data reporting along with objects localization. In this work, the authors propose an efficient data reporting method for object tracking in WSNs. This paper aims to achieve both minimum energy consumption in reporting operation and balanced energy consumption among sensor nodes for WSN lifetime extension. Furthermore, data reliability is considered in the authors' model where the sensed data can reach the sink node in a more reliable way. This work first formulates the problem as 0/1 Integer Linear Programming (ILP) problem, and then proposes a SWARM intelligence for solving the optimization problem. Through simulation, the performance of proposed method to report information about the detected objects to the sink is compared with the previous works related to the authors' topic, such as LR-based object tracking algorithm, SEB, EPWSN, and ACO.
OpenMP-Based Approach for High Level C Loops Synthesis
Authors: Kallel Emna , Aoudni Yassine , Abid Mohamed
Published: October 2016

The complexity of embedded systems design is continuously augmented, due to the increasing quantity of components and distinct functionalities incorporated into a single system. To deal with this situation, abstraction level of projects is incessantly raised. In addition, techniques to accelerate the code production process have appeared. In this context, the automatic code generation is an interesting technique for the embedded systems project. This work presents an automatic VHDL code generation method based on the OpenMP parallel programming specification. In order to synthesize C code for loops into hardware, the authors applied the directives of OpenMP, which specifies portable implementations of shared memory parallel programs. A case study focused on the use of embedded systems for the DCT algorithm is presented in this paper to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.
How to Systematically Embed Cycles in Balanced Hypercubes
Authors: Chang Hsuan-Han , Chen Kuan-Ting , Lai Pao-Lien
Published: October 2016

The balanced hypercube is a variant of the hypercube structure and has desirable properties like connectivity, regularity, and symmetry. The cycle is a popular interconnection topology and has been widely used in distributed-memory parallel computers. Moreover, parallel algorithms of cycles have been extensively developed and used. The problem of how to embed cycles into a host graph has attracted a great attention in recent years. However, there is no systematic method proposed to generate the desired cycles in balanced hypercubes. In this paper, the authors develop systematic linear time algorithm to construct cycles and Hamiltonian cycles for the balanced hypercube.
Optimized Image Retrieval System in Oracle DBMS
Authors: Zekri Kaouther , Touzi Amel Grissa , Ellouze Noureddine
Published: October 2016

In this work, the authors are moving towards the creation of an effective image retrieval system in Oracle DBMS. Several DBMSs have been extensively used to manage the textual information stored with images and CBIR tasks usually rely on specific applications. The separation between the DBMSs and CBIR prevents the optimization of integrated search process based on the connection between the textual and visual content description of image. Moreover, the relevance of image retrieval depends directly on the choice of similarity criteria (color, texture, shape) that can give inaccurate results in case of non-trivial selection of these parameters. The purpose of the authors' approach is to build a CBIR system using advanced and integrated retrieval techniques defined in Oracle DBMS. This approach provides an assistance tool that can guide the user to the appropriate choice of search criteria. The authors present an experimental part that measures the performance of their system, which can help the user to correctly model his query by giving the appropriate retrieval criteria for a database with 800 images.