bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ENHANCING CONSTRUCTION INTERFACE MANAGEMENT USING MULTILEVEL INTERFACE MATRIX APPROACH / RYŠIŲ VADYBOS STATYBOJE GERINIMAS TAIKANT ĮVAIRIALYGIŲ RYŠIŲ MATRICOS METODĄ
Authors: Siao Fu-Cih , Lin Yu-Cheng
Published: February 2012

Many interfaces typically exist in the construction phase of a project. Since project participants usually fail to share interface information, most interfaces are difficult to solve effectively during that phase. Furthermore, future activities might not be implemented based on changes made by predecessors. In practice, failure to manage interfaces may result in additional work or in low project performance. In order to manage construction interfaces effectively, this study proposes the novel Multilevel Interface (MI) Matrix approach to enhance interface management during the construction phase of construction projects. By using the MI matrix approach, construction interface issues will be tracked and man-aged easily and effectively. Furthermore, this study develops a construction web matrix-based interface management (WMIM) system integrated with the proposed MI Matrix approach. The MI matrix approach and WMIM system are applied to a pilot test to illustrate how to support interface management during the construction project. As results of the pilot test indicate, the MI matrix approach and WMIM system provide an effective interface management tool for the construction phase. Santrauka Statybos projekto statybos darbų etapui būdinga tai, kad su įvairiais subjektais palaikoma gausybė ryšių. Daugumą jų šiame etape veiksmingai palaikyti dažniausiai ne itin lengva, nes projekto dalyviai paprastai informacija apie juos nesidalija. Be to, perimantys darbą gali ir nesiremti savo pirmtakų padarytais pakeitimais. Praktine prasme nesugebant valdyti ryšių, gali tekti darbus perdaryti arba projekto efektyvumas gali sumažėti. Efektyviam su statyba susijusių ryšių valdymui šiame darbe siūlomas novatoriškas įvairialygių ryšių (ĮR) matricos metodas, leidžiantis pagerinti ryšių valdymą statybos projekto statybos darbų etape. Taikant ĮR matricos metodą lengva veiksmingai sekti ir valdyti statybų ryšių klausimus. Be to, atliekant tyrimą sukuriama projekto dalyviams skirta internetinė matricinė statybų ryšių valdymo (WMIM) sistema, į kurią įtrauktas siūlomas ĮR matricos metodas. Taip pat, taikant ĮR matricos metodą ir WMIM sistemą, atliekamas bandymas, rodantis, kaip jie padeda valdyti statybos projekto ryšius. Bandymo rezultatai rodo, kad ĮR matricos metodas ir WMIM sistema – tai efektyvi ryšių valdymo priemonė statybos darbų etape.
THE MODEL OF BRITTLE MATRIX COMPOSITES FOR DISTRIBUTION OF STEEL FIBRES / PLIENINIŲ FIBRŲ PASISKIRSTYMO KOMPOZITUOSE SU TRAPIOMIS MATRICOMIS MODELIS
Authors: Głodkowska Wiesława , Kobaka Janusz
Published: February 2012

The paper deals with the distribution of steel fibres in the mineral composite of fine aggregate. The authors have proposed the distribution of steel fibres in a composite space model based on statistical grounds. The model provides for the randomness of fibre distribution in composite space in accordance with the adopted probability distribution. The developed model has been experimentally verified. The results concerning the distribution of steel fibres in mineral com- posite have been obtained from the statistical model and compared with those of the model frequently applied by other au- thors on the basis of geometric grounds. Good compatibility of steel fibre distribution for a description of both models has been ascertained. As the amount of fibres influences the strength of composite tensile, the relationship between the above introduced feature and the quantity of fibres in the cross-section located nearby tensile failure surface has been developed with reference to the experimental tests.

Santrauka

Straipsnyje analizuojamas plieninių fibrų pasiskirstymas kompozite su mineraliniais užpildais. Autoriai pasiūlė plieninių fibrų pasiskirstymo kompozite modelį, grįstą statistine analize. Fibrų pasiskirstymas matricoje nagrinėjamas kaip atsitiktinis dydis, pasiskirstęs pagal tikimybinį skirstinį. Modelis yra eksperimentiškai patikrintas: plieninių fibrų pasiskirstymas kompozito matricoje pagal siūlomą statistinį modelį buvo palygintas su kitų autorių tyrimų rezultatais, taikant modelius, grįstus geometriniais pagrindais. Gauti rezultatai sutampa gerai. Kadangi plieninių fibrų kiekis turi įtakos kompozito tempiamajam stipriui, pateikta eksperimentiniais tyrimais pagrįsta priklausomybė tarp fibrų kiekio ir kompozito tempiamojo stiprio.
Les rapports sur la dépendance
Authors: Cassaigne Bertrand
Published: February 2012

Résumé L’avis du Conseil économique, social et environnemental s’inscrit dans une longue liste de débats sur la solidarité, visant à assurer à tous les anciens des conditions de vie dignes et une place dans la vie sociale. Pour les uns, la perte d’autonomie est affaire de responsabilité individuelle et familiale; chacun doit s’y préparer par l’épargne, l’assurance et la solidarité intergénérationnelle. Pour les autres, elle est un risque à couvrir par la solidarité nationale.
Non à la privatisation de la dépendance
Authors: Vérollet Yves , Weber Monique , Cassaigne Bertrand
Published: February 2012

Résumé Entretien – Pour les rapporteurs du Conseil économique, social et environnemental en charge de la question de la dépendance des personnes âgées, le problème n’est pas tant la somme allouée que sa gestion. Ils prônent une meilleure coordination entre professionnels et davantage de prévention.
Le Maghreb dans les relations internationales
Authors: Urfer Sylvain
Published: February 2012

Résumé Khadija Mohsen-Finan (dir.), Le Maghreb dans les relations internationales, CNRS Éditions, 2011, 336 p., 25 €
Le temps des riches
Authors: Merckaert Jean
Published: February 2012

Résumé Thierry Pech, Le temps des riches , Seuil, 2011, 180 p., 15 €
Un indicateur de développement humain soutenable pour les petits espaces insulaires en développement
Authors: Garabedian Sabine , Hoarau Jean-François
Published: February 2012

L’objectif de cet article est de construire un indicateur synthétique de la mesure du développement durable pour les petites économies insulaires. Nous proposons une méthodologie permettant d’adapter un outil largement accepté en économie du développement, en l’occurrence l’Indicateur de Développement Humain, au cadre très particulier des économies insulaires. Ceci nous amène d’abord à mettre en avant les notions de vulnérabilité économique et de soutenabilité environnementale dans le cadre d’un développement humain durable. Ensuite, l’évaluation et l’introduction de ces dernières dans le calcul de l’Indicateur de Développement Humain classique nous permettent de construire un Indicateur de Développement Humain Soutenable pour un ensemble de pays en voie de développement dont une vingtaine de petites économies insulaires. Nous montrons finalement que, du point de vue du développement humain, ces économies doivent faire l’objet d’un traitement spécifique en termes de politique économique.
Conflits armés, inégalités et pauvreté : quelles interactions dans la région nord du Niger ?
Authors: Hamadou Daouda Youssoufou
Published: February 2012

Les conflits armés du nord du Niger trouvent une motivation dans certaines revendications identitaires et politiques. Les facteurs socioéconomiques sont peu mobilisés dans l’explication de ce phénomène. Cependant, la littérature admet désormais l’importance des variables socio-économiques dans la survenue des conflits armés. Ce papier effectue un rapprochement entre les causes des conflits au nord du pays et la précarité des conditions de vie des populations concernées. D’une part, à partir des informations qualitatives de l’enquête QUIBB 2005, les résultats de l’analyse de décomposition montrent que la région d’Agadez est la plus démunie en termes d’accès aux services sociaux de base. D’autre part, une investigation économétrique montre que le sentiment de dégradation du niveau de vie est plus fort dans cette région, comparativement aux autres régions du pays. Cela pourrait ainsi expliquer une montée des frustrations sociales et économiques à l’origine de la récurrence des conflits dans cette localité.
Pourquoi le coût de l'éducation est-il plus élevé en zone rurale ? Le cas de la région Midi-Pyrénées
Authors: Bonnal Liliane , Favard Pascal , Laurent Thibault , Ruiz-Gazen Anne
Published: February 2012

Des statistiques descriptives montrent que le coût salarial moyen par élève d’un collège situé en zone rurale est plus élevé que le coût salarial moyen par élève d’un collège situé en zone urbaine. L’objectif de ce travail est d’expliquer ce surcoût et en particulier de tester s’il est spécifiquement lié à l’implantation géographique de l’établissement scolaire. L’estimation d’un modèle de régression met en évidence que la zone de localisation n’est pas l’explication directe des variations de coûts salariaux observées dans les collèges. La décomposition d’Oaxaca montre que cette différence de coût est essentiellement expliquée par les types de formations suivies par les élèves ainsi que par les spécificités des établissements (en particulier taux de remplissage et nombre d’élèves par classe). Ces spécificités tiennent compte en particulier de la réalité du contexte local.
Autorité versus liberté?
Authors: Biancu Stefano
Published: February 2012

Résumé Stefano Biancu traite la question de la place de la foi dans l’espace public à partir de la légitimité de la présence de la théologie à l’université. Des querelles « politiques » récentes nous invitent à le faire à nouveaux frais. La théologie n’est pas, selon lui, une exception dans l’université des savoirs mais peut mettre à la disposition de chacun son expérience propre. Jacques Derrida, puis Karl Barth, jalonnent cet itinéraire, ainsi que le théologien français Christian Duquoc pour son analyse de la modernité, ou encore le juriste allemand Böckenförde pour son analyse de la raison face à la foi. Plusieurs autres théologiens ou philosophes comme G. Vico, P. Ricœur ou J.-M. Ferry sont commentés pour nous aider à comprendre comment la théologie peut être une science à la fois liée et libre.
Les lectures nouvelles du Coran et leurs implications théologiques
Authors: Pisani Emmanuel
Published: February 2012

Résumé On ne peut confondre les disciplines coraniques traditionnelles dites du tafsir ou du ta’wil , commentaires du Coran ou interprétations ésotériques du Livre sacré de l’islam, avec l’exégèse moderne. Toutefois, sous la plume de chercheurs occidentaux et musulmans, le Coran est depuis quelques décennies approché par des méthodes critiques à la fois synchroniques et diachroniques, ce qui contribue à une connaissance scientifique affinée de l’histoire rédactionnelle ou du moins de son assemblage. Après avoir souligné les enjeux de ces recherches et leur caractère novateur dans la tradition islamique, notre article se propose d’apprécier quelques-uns de ces travaux.
À la recherche de modèles formels de la genèse et de la dynamique des comportements sociaux
Authors: Le Cardinal Gilles
Published: February 2012

Résumé Cet article voudrait approfondir, à partir des travaux de J.-P. Dupuy et de R. Girard, la compréhension des crises rencontrées aussi bien dans les relations interpersonnelles que dans le fonctionnement des sociétés. L’hypothèse de R. Girard sur l’origine mimétique des désirs, à la source de toute violence, explique la désignation d’un bouc émissaire à sacrifier, comme solution universelle pour rétablir, pour un temps, l’harmonie brisée. Telle serait l’origine de tout « sacré violent ». J.-P. Dupuy cherche d’abord dans l’économie libérale la solution à une vie sociétale pacifiée. Puis, comme le libéralisme en soi ne peut tenir compte du long terme ni de la finitude du monde et de ses ressources, la dynamique qu’elle engendre nous mène droit à la catastrophe. J.-P. Dupuy propose, pour inciter le monde à un changement indispensable, « un catastrophisme éclairé » qui consiste à jouer avec finesse et intelligence sur la peur par une annonce simultanée du drame à venir et des moyens de l’éviter. En guise de synthèse de ces deux postures, cet article propose d’introduire un triplet indissociable qui apparaît avec toute interaction : peur- attrait- tentation. Ainsi, la motivation aux changements indispensables devrait se faire, d’abord en motivant par les attraits, tout en rassurant par un management des risques que signalent les peurs, et en mettant en garde contre la tentation que constitue la désignation d’un bouc émissaire.
Discours moral et pensée economique
Authors: Fouquet Étienne
Published: February 2012

Résumé L’auteur étudie la remise en cause, faite par J. Rawls et Amartya Sen, de la domination de la pensée utilitariste sur le terrain économique. En toile de fond, il propose une large présentation des travaux de M. Weber et, de manière plus approfondie, de ceux d’Adam Smith. Dans ce système utilitariste où est absente toute référence métaphysique, le grand principe régulateur de l’action humaine est l’intérêt de soi. Le but de la morale est alors de donner un sens aux actions de l’individu dans ses relations aux autres, sur la base de la sympathie. Dans sa tentative de dépassement, Rawls fait appel à la théorie du choix rationnel et rejette tout recours au raisonnement métaphysique ou « transcendantal ». Il ouvre ainsi une voie nouvelle dans la pensée économique. Chez A. Sen, il s’agit de procéder à des comparaisons interpersonnelles du bien-être, impossibles dans le monde utilitariste. Sen transgresse plusieurs tabous du moment. Plaçant la liberté au cœur de sa réflexion, il étudie l’économie sur le plan des biens publics. La question de l’égalité prend alors sa pleine dimension éthique car l’être humain n’est plus perçu comme un « idiot rationnel ». Sen décrit deux voies vers la justice : l’institutionnalisme transcendantal et les réalisations (ou accomplissements concrets). Il est un vrai penseur de la complexité humaine.
Virtual Learning Environment
Authors: Mladenovic Saša , Kuvac Haidi , Štula Maja
Published: February 2012

This paper describes a mathematical model of virtual learning environment considering both technology and users. Recognized interested users are teachers, parents and students. Interaction between interested parties in elementary and high school education process is presented by using complexity science. The idea is to model and create educational virtual environment that would attract engagement of all parties. Initial engagement would be motivated with the e-grade book. After initial involvement of seeing grades, the users would be motivated for further involvement using forums, blogs, and chats to interact with each other in one place. This would lead to creating groups of students or parents with similar problems and interests. For example, why is mathematics so hard to some students, and for other not? The created virtual environment will enable teachers to additionally inform parents of existing e-learning materials. Virtual environment is modelled as multilevel, multidimensional educational environment, considering communication of all participants, and every aspect of technology that could improve that communication.
An Overview of Learning Management Systems
Authors: Piña Anthony A.
Published: February 2012

In this chapter, the reader is taken through a macro level view of learning management systems, with a particular emphasis on systems offered by commercial vendors. Included is a consideration of the growth of learning management systems during the past decade, the common features and tools contained within these systems, and a look at the advantages and disadvantages that learning management systems provide to institutions. In addition, the reader is presented with specific resources and options for evaluating, selecting and deploying learning management systems. A section highlighting the possible advantages and disadvantages of selecting a commercial versus an open source system is followed by a series of brief profiles of the leading vendors of commercial and open source learning management systems.
Virtual Learning Environments
Authors: Trahan Mitzi P. , Adams Nan B. , Dupre Susan
Published: February 2012

The growing experimentation with multi-user virtual environments for educational purposes demands rigorous examination of all aspects of these digital worlds. While their use appears to enhance and expand traditional distance learning, educators acknowledge that barriers to access remain, including a steep learning curve for orienting users to MUVE navigation and functionality. The application of Adams’s Knowledge Development Model for Virtual Learning Environments provides a framework for the design of in-world learning opportunities and activities, many of which tend to mirror pedagogical best-practices in Real Life (RL).
Designing for Social Interaction and Social Competence in a 3D-VLE
Authors: Laffey James , Schmidt Matthew , Stichter Janine , Schmidt Carla , Oprean Danielle , Herzog Melissa , Babiuch Ryan
Published: February 2012

The purpose of the iSocial project is to support the development and practice of social competence for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) through a social-skills curriculum and online social interaction delivered via a 3D virtual learning environment (3D-VLE). This chapter describes the background and rationale for developing iSocial, gives an overview of the system, and reports some of the results from a field test of a partial system implementation. The field test provides lessons about the initial system design and recognition of challenges to be faced. The key challenges include (1) finding best approaches for adapting effective teaching approaches to a 3D-VLE, (2) supporting online social interaction for a target population challenged to be social, and (3) amplifying the engagement of youth in support of achieving desired learning outcomes.
Design and Implementation of Multiplatform Mobile-Learning Environment as an Extension of SCORM 2004 Specifications
Authors: Nakabayashi Kiyoshi
Published: February 2012

A learner-adaptive self-learning environment has been developed in which both mobile phones and personal computers can be used as client terminals. The learner-adaptive function has been implemented using SCORM 2004 specifications. The specifications were extended to enable offline learning using mobile phones. Because the application-programming environment of mobile phones varies from carrier to carrier, a common content format was specified for the learning content and content-execution mechanisms were developed for each carrier’s environment to maximize content-platform interoperability. The latest learning results achieved by using mobile phones were synchronized with the latest ones on the server-side sequencing engine so that the learner-adaptive function was available from personal computers as well. The system can provide adaptive courses such that the results of a pre-test taken on mobile phones can modify the lecture content on personal computers, fitting them to each learner’s level of knowledge and understanding. The functionality and usability of the system was evaluated through two trial experiments, the first of which involved adult learners and the second with small children and their parents.
The Recursive Knowledge Development Model for Virtual Environments
Authors: Adams Nan B. , DeVaney Thomas A.
Published: February 2012

The concept of leveraging strategic control of the knowledge from teachers to students in virtual learning environments serves as the basis for determining how to move students through stages of knowledge acquisition to knowledge application and ultimately to knowledge generation in online settings. Instructional strategies for fostering student engagement in a virtual learning environment are identified as critical, and a number of relevant theories focusing on student learning, affect, needs and adult concerns are presented to provide a basis for transfer of knowledge from teacher to learner. A model is presented that combines the dimensions of knowledge approach, knowledge authority and teaching approach to demonstrate the recursive and scaffold design for the creation of virtual learning environments.
Objective-Oriented Assessment in Desire2Learn for Quality Matters
Authors: Wang Haomin , Shao Mingming
Published: February 2012

This chapter is a report on using a course management system Desire2Learn® to facilitate the implementation of the quality assurance standards recommended by Quality Matters. After a brief introduction to the Quality Matters standards, the chapter describes how the Desire2Learn learning environment can be structured to build an interconnected framework to promote objective-oriented, criterion-referenced, dynamic assessment. A pilot study was conducted to explore how learning activities can be assessed in alignment with measurable learning objectives, with reference to criterion-based rubrics. The chapter discusses issues found through the study and lessons learned in using the competency structure of Desire2Learn to enforce objective-oriented assessment.
Using a Process-Aware Information System to Support Collaboration in Mobile Learning Management Systems
Authors: Perez-Rodriguez Roberto , Caeiro-Rodriguez Manuel , Anido-Rifon Luis
Published: February 2012

This chapter deals with the support of collaboration in mobile Learning Management Systems. The authors propose a collaborative game, to be taken place in an enhanced reality environment, as an example of collaboration. Several alternatives to support this scenario are analyzed, and the proposed architecture to integrate process-based collaboration in mobile Learning Management Systems is discussed in detail. Finally, an implementation of this scenario using open-source technologies is detailed.
Social Orthotics for Youth with ASD to Learn in a Collaborative 3D VLE
Authors: Laffey James M. , Stichter Janine , Schmidt Matthew
Published: February 2012

Online systems, especially 3D virtual environments, hold great potential to enrich and expand learning opportunities for those who are challenged by traditional modes of instruction and interaction. In the process of developing a 3D Virtual Learning Environment to support the development and practice of social competence for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the iSocial project explored and advanced ideas for social orthotics in virtual environments. By social orthotics the authors mean structures in the environment that overcome barriers to facilitate social interaction and social learning. The vision of social orthotics in a 3D world is to be both assistive and adaptive for appropriate social behavior when the student, peers and guide are represented by avatars in a 3D virtual world designed to support learning and development. This chapter describes the formulation of social orthotics for avatar orientation and conversational turn-taking and describes experiences and lessons from early tests of prototype orthotics.
Effects of Feedback on Learning Strategies in Learning Journals
Authors: Roelle Julian , Berthold Kirsten , Fries Stefan
Published: February 2012

Feedback on learning strategies is a promising instructional support measure. However, research on the expertise reversal effect suggests that if instructional support measures are provided to expert learners, these learners would have to integrate and cross-reference redundant instructional guidance with available knowledge structures, resulting in less available resources for effective learning processes. Thus, feedback might be detrimental for learners who possess high-quality learning strategies. Against this background, the authors used an online learning management system to employ a feedback procedure that included highly elaborated feedback on learning strategies in a learning journal. The effects of this feedback procedure were tested in a field study using a within-subject design with the factor feedback (no vs. yes). Participants were 246 university students who wrote journal entries over an entire term. The results show that providing feedback to low expertise learners is effective, whereas the effectiveness of feedback is reversed regarding high expertise learners.
Implementing and Promoting Blended Learning in Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Wang Lixun
Published: February 2012

With the rapid development of the Internet, blended learning (online learning plus face-to-face learning) has become a model that more and more higher education institutions are intending to adopt. This chapter first compares various forms and expressions of blended learning adopted by different institutions around the world, and then reports on how blended learning has been implemented and promoted in the English Department at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) using a variety of approaches. Here, a number of projects have been carried out over the past seven years, focusing on the conversion of traditional face-to-face modules into partly face-to-face, partly online modules. In addressing these developments, the Blackboard online learning management system, which has been adopted as the main platform for the delivery of blended learning at HKIEd, is first examined. Then the design of a series of subject-specific Web sites to supplement the Blackboard system and facilitate blended learning is introduced. Finally, the implementation of innovative Wikibook projects is illustrated and discussed. Such Wikibook projects, where students are required to work in groups to write an academic textbook collaboratively online, are highly effective in promoting not only autonomous yet collaborative online academic reading and writing, but also online peer editing. This adds a new dimension to blended learning. Feedback from students shows that they greatly enjoyed the experience of collaborative academic writing through the Wikibook projects, and found that the wiki technology made peer editing much more efficient and effective. All the evidence suggests that blended learning has great potential as a vehicle for teaching and learning and is a notable current trend in higher education.
Collaborative Knowledge Construction in Virtual Learning Environments
Authors: Helling Kathrin , Petter Christian
Published: February 2012

In this chapter, a practical example of designing and implementing a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) building on aspects of collaborative knowledge construction is presented. Based on a theoretical section on collaborative knowledge construction in VLEs, the potential of the VLE Moodle with regards to its collaboration tools is introduced. The subsequent central section of the chapter has a focus on the actual design and implementation of an online course in Moodle, following principles of constructivist course design. The final two sections reflect on the evaluation of the course by course participants, and possible conclusions to be drawn from designing and implementing the online course.
Building and Maintaining Human Capital with Learning Management Systems
Authors: Butler Tom , Grace Audrey
Published: February 2012

In this chapter, the authors examine how building, integrating and maintaining human capital with Learning Management Systems acts as an enabler for the management if intellectual capital within multinational organizations. They draw upon learning theory and training practices to demonstrate that human capital is best viewed through a competence lens; that is, accounting for human capital should focus on matters of individual and organizational competence, and that the development of human capital is, in essence, an exercise in competence development, which involves training and learning. This, then, is this chapter’s point of departure in understanding how IT-based systems can enable training and foster learning, thereby building an organization’s human capital.
Incorporating “World View” into the LMS or CMS is Best
Authors: Watson Katherine
Published: February 2012

“Linguistic relativism” leads people of different cultures to define, explain, and even see reality in images framed by their diverse languages. The most readily available and commonly used online educational materials are often scaffolded in unyielding structures shrouded in American standards and expectations. These Americano-centric course management and learning management systems render subject matter design and delivery, as well as assignment formulation, scheduling, and grading, difficult for educators who understand the importance of imbuing their materials with atypical alternative views of reality expressed in the worldviews of languages and cultures beyond the borders of the United States.
Integrating the LMS in Service Oriented eLearning Systems
Authors: Leal José Paulo , Queirós Ricardo
Published: February 2012

Learning management systems are routinely used for presenting, solving and grading exercises with large classes. However, teachers are constrained to use questions with pre-defined answers, such as multiple-choice, to automatically correct the exercises of their students. Complex exercises cannot be evaluated automatically by the LMS and require the coordination of a set of heterogeneous systems. For instance, programming exercises require a specialized exercise resolution environment and automatic evaluation features, each provided by a different type of system. In this paper, the authors discuss an approach for the coordination of a network of eLearning systems supporting the resolution of exercises. The proposed approach is based on a pivot component embedded in the LMS and has two main roles: 1) provide an exercise resolution environment, and 2) coordinate communication between the LMS and other systems, exposing their functions as web services. The integration of the pivot component in the LMS relies on Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI). This paper presents an architecture to coordinate a network of eLearning systems and validate the proposed approach by creating such a network integrated with LMS from two different vendors.
But Do They Want Us in “Their” World?
Authors: Brown Tim , Groff Amanda
Published: February 2012

The growth of social media and mobile communication provides educators with an opportunity to transmit course-related information to students in new ways. But are students willing to accept course information through those channels, typically seen as “fun” and “social?” The study in this chapter examines the reasons that students use different types of personal media and how appropriate certain types of communication channels are for academic information. Results show that students prefer to get their academic information through “official” channels, such as email and course management systems. However, they are willing to accept certain types of information through social channels (mobile devices, social networking), as long as they do not have to share personal information.
Collaboration and the Use of Three Dimensional Interface within a Virtual Learning Environment
Authors: Burton Brian G. , Martin Barbara , Thomas Doug
Published: February 2012

This chapter’s goal is to examine the experiences and perceptions of undergraduate students using a 3D Virtual Learning Environment. After creating a 3D didactic constructivist virtual environment, student conversations were observed for collaborative elements. Findings revealed that five forms of collaboration amplified the learning process and indeed occured within the virtual learning environments. Results further suggested that the 3D VLE project, though limited in time and scope, successfully created a community of learners.
The Centralisation Dilemma in Educational IT
Authors: Weller Martin
Published: February 2012

The trend with organisational adoption of virtual learning environments (VLE) seems to be cyclical. Initially, a decentralised approach was adopted, wherein each department implemented different learning environments or mixtures of technology, often developed in-house. The last five years have seen an increased centralisation of learning environment implementation, with most universities adopting a single VLE. However, in more recent times the proliferation of free, easy-to-use third party tools that fulfil a range of functions has seen a desire amongst some educators to return to a more decentralised model of technology provision, by supporting Personal Learning Environments (PLE). This paper examines the issues surrounding both a centralised and decentralised model. These include pedagogic, support, financial, reliability, data and technical issues. The conclusion is that although the fully individualised PLE may not be possible or desirable in higher education, maintaining separate, often inferior versions of commonly available software is not a sustainable position.
Homo Virtualis
Authors: Jarmon Leslie
Published: February 2012

This article previews the emergence of homo virtualis. Drawing on data from seven research studies, peer-reviewed published research articles, and selected excerpts of 30 months of field notes taken in Second Life, the article examines virtual learning environments and embodiment through the lens of interactions of avatars with other avatars, virtual objects, landscapes, sounds, and spatial constructs. Analysis is grounded in the polyvocal evidence provided by select participants who experienced a sense of embodied co-presence and connection with others across geo-physical distances. The discourse ranges from that of high school girls, professional retirees, toxicology and design undergraduates, interdisciplinary graduate students, to educators and researchers from K-12 through university full professors collaborating in SL. In an ecology of virtual contexts, learners inhabit a broader landscape of their own and others’ making that allows them to be teachers, designers, researchers, communicators, and collaborators.
A Comparative Study on LMS Interoperability
Authors: Leal José Paulo , Queirós Ricardo
Published: February 2012

A Learning Management System (LMS) plays an important role in any eLearning environment. Still, the LMS cannot afford to be isolated from other systems in an educational institution. Thus, the potential for interoperability is an important, although frequently overlooked, aspect of an LMS system. In this chapter we make a comparative study of the interoperability features of the most relevant LMS in use nowadays. We start by defining a comparison framework, with systems that are representative of the LMS universe, and interoperability facets that are representative of the type integration with other broad classes of eLearning systems. For each interoperability facet we categorize and identify the most representative remote systems, we present a comprehensive survey of existing standards and we illustrate with concrete integration scenarios. Finally, we draw some conclusions on the status of interoperability in LMS based on our study.
Improving the Tracking of Student Participation and Effort in Online Learning
Authors: Douglas Ian
Published: February 2012

Much research into educational technology is focused on tools for supporting teaching and learning. In contrast to this work, relatively little research is conducted into technology that tracks student participation and effort. No matter how good the educational technology, learning is dependent on a sufficient input of effort from the student. Most Learning Management Systems have some tools for tracking students, but they are currently difficult to use and underused by instructors. This chapter examines the importance of tracking in student management, reviews attempts to improve the quality of tracking tools, and suggests paths for future research based on the deficiencies in current tools.
Screencasting for Mathematics Online Learning
Authors: Loch Birgit
Published: February 2012

Keywords: Distance education, Mathematics, Screencasting, Tablet technology, Technology enhanced learning
Techniques to Preserve Keratinized Peri-Implant Mucosa in CT-Guided Oral Implant Surgery
Authors: Pommer Bernhard
Published: February 2012

Guided implant dentistry using computed tomographic (CT) scans, virtual planning software and mucosa-supported surgical templates is an upcoming technology with the potential for more predictable and less invasive implant placement. While generally associated with a flapless approach, soft tissue punching and removal may not be indicated if available width of keratinized mucosa is limited prior to implant surgery. Two techniques to preserve keratinized peri-implant mucosa (Punch Reposition Technique and Topical Flap Technique) are presented and indications outlined. Appreciation of soft tissue conditions as well as functional and esthetic consequences of mucosal deficiencies (mucosal-driven approach) is recommended to supplement bone- and prosthetic-driven considerations in guided oral implant placement (Trinity Approach).
Hyperbolic alternating virtual link groups
Authors: Harlander Jens
Published: February 2012

We study the topology and geometry of virtual link complements and groups. We show that the groups defined by the Wirtinger presentation of certain prime dense alternating virtual links are CAT(0) and hyperbolic.
The fully residually $F$ quotients of $F *\langle x,y \rangle$
Authors: Touikan Nicholas W. M.
Published: February 2012

We describe the fully residually

F

groups, or limit groups relative to

F

, that are quotients of

F *\langle x,y \rangle

. We use the structure theory of finitely generated fully residually free groups to produce a finite list of possible types of cyclic JSJ decompositions modulo

F

that can arise. We also give bounds on uniform hierarchical depth.
La Banca y la propiedad de los medios: el caso de Ecuador
Authors: Checa Godoy Antonio
Published: February 2012

Con la consulta popular convocada por el presidente Rafael Correa en 2011, concluye una compleja etapa en la historia de Ecuador, al quedar el poder financiero al margen de la propiedad de los medios por ley, con ratificación además en las urnas. Por medio, doce años de intensos enfrentamientos desde que en 1999 la crisis bancaria pusiera de manifiesto su decisiva presencia en el panorama mediático del país, y dos claras etapas: 1999–2006, periodo en el que la Banca, pese a su crisis interna –o por ella misma, pues utiliza prensa, radio y televisión para mejorar su imagen–, amplía su presencia en los grandes medios, y otra, desde 2007, de alto interés y muy novedosa, en la que el poder político actúa de forma rotunda para eliminar esa presencia.
Reduction in Clinical Variance Using Targeted Design Changes in Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) Order Sets
Authors: Hart K. W. , Rucker D. W. , Jacobs B. R.
Published: February 2012

Objectives: Unwarranted variance in healthcare has been associated with prolonged length of stay, diminished health and increased cost. Practice variance in the management of asthma can be significant and few investigators have evaluated strategies to reduce this variance. We hypothesized that selective redesign of order sets using different ways to frame the order and physician decision-making in a computerized provider order entry system could increase adherence to evidence-based care and reduce population-specific variance.

Patients and Methods: The study focused on the use of an evidence-based asthma exacerbation order set in the electronic health record (EHR) before and after order set redesign. In the Baseline period, the EHR was queried for frequency of use of an asthma exacerbation order set and its individual orders. Important individual orders with suboptimal use were targeted for redesign. Data from a Post-Intervention period were then analyzed.

Results: In the Baseline period there were 245 patient visits in which the acute asthma exacerbation order set was selected. The utilization frequency of most orders in the order set during this period exceeded 90%. Three care items were targeted for intervention due to suboptimal utilization: admission weight, activity center use and peak flow measurements. In the Post-Intervention period there were 213 patient visits. Order set redesign using different default order content resulted in significant improvement in the utilization of orders for all 3 items: admission weight (79.2% to 94.8% utilization, p<0.001), activity center (84.1% to 95.3% utilization, p<0.001) and peak flow (18.8% to 55.9% utilization, p<0.001). Utilization of peak flow orders for children ≥8 years of age increased from 42.7% to 94.1% (p<0.001).

Conclusions: Details of order set design greatly influence clinician prescribing behavior. Queries of the EHR reveal variance associated with ordering frequencies. Targeting and changing order set design elements in a CPOE system results in improved selection of evidence-based care.
Exploring the atmospheric chemistry of nitrous acid (HONO) at a rural site in Southern China
Authors: Li X. , Brauers T. , Häseler R. , Bohn B. , Fuchs H. , Hofzumahaus A. , Holland F. , Lou S. , Lu K. D. , Rohrer F. , Hu M. , Zeng L. M. , Zhang Y. H. , Garland R. M. , Su H. , Nowak A. , Wiedensohler A. , Takegawa N. , Shao M. , Wahner A.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. We performed measurements of nitrous acid (HONO) during the PRIDE-PRD2006 campaign in the Pearl River Delta region 60 km north of Guangzhou, China, for 4 weeks in June 2006. HONO was measured by a LOPAP in-situ instrument which was setup in one of the campaign supersites along with a variety of instruments measuring hydroxyl radicals, trace gases, aerosols, and meteorological parameters. Maximum diurnal HONO mixing ratios of 1–5 ppb were observed during the nights. We found that the nighttime build-up of HONO can be attributed to the heterogeneous NO2 to HONO conversion on ground surfaces and the OH + NO reaction. In addition to elevated nighttime mixing ratios, measured noontime values of ≈200 ppt indicate the existence of a daytime source higher than the OH + NO→HONO reaction. Using the simultaneously recorded OH, NO, and HONO photolysis frequency, a daytime additional source strength of HONO (PM) was calculated to be 0.77 ppb h−1 on average. This value compares well to previous measurements in other environments. Our analysis of PM provides evidence that the photolysis of HNO3 adsorbed on ground surfaces contributes to the HONO formation.
Bridging the gap between bromocarbon oceanic emissions and upper air concentrations
Authors: Tegtmeier S. , Krüger K. , Quack B. , Pisso I. , Stohl A. , Yang X.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. Oceanic emissions of halogenated very short-lived substances (VSLS) are expected to contribute significantly to the stratospheric halogen loading and therefore to ozone depletion. Estimates of the amount of VSLS transported into the stratosphere are highly uncertain and based on sporadic observations around the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and on modeling studies which use prescribed emission scenarios to reproduce observed atmospheric concentrations. Actual measurements of VSLS emissions at the ocean surface have not been linked to the stratospheric halogen loading until now. Here we use observations of oceanic VSLS emissions in the western Pacific and an atmospheric Lagrangian transport model to estimate the direct contribution of bromoform (CHBr3), and dibromomethane (CH2Br2) to the stratospheric bromine loading. Our emission-based estimates of VSLS profiles provide the first link between observed oceanic emissions and in situ TTL measurements. The emission-based and observed profiles of CHBr3 show good agreement, confirming the importance of the western Pacific as a source region. However, CH2Br2 emission-based estimates are considerable smaller than current upper air observations as a result of relatively low western Pacific emissions. We estimate the relative importance of the highly variable emission rates and the surface to stratosphere transport for the contribution of the two bromocarbons to the stratospheric bromine budget. Our results show that stratospheric entrainment of bromine in form of VSLS or their degradation products is highly variable and that this variability is primarily linked to the variability of the observed sea-to-air flux. Together, both bromocarbons contribute to the stratospheric bromine budget with 0.4 pptv on average and 2.3 pptv for cases of maximum emissions.
Gas phase formation of extremely oxidized pinene reaction products in chamber and ambient air
Authors: Ehn M. , Kleist E. , Junninen H. , Petäjä T. , Lönn G. , Schobesberger S. , Dal Maso M. , Trimborn A. , Kulmala M. , Worsnop D. R. , Wahner A. , Wildt J. , Mentel Th. F.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. High molecular weight (300–650 Da) naturally charged negative ions have previously been observed at a boreal forest site in Hyytiälä, Finland. The long-term measurements conducted in this work showed that these ions are observed practically every night during spring and summer in Hyytiälä. The ambient mass spectral patterns could be reproduced in striking detail during additional measurements of α-pinene (C10H16) oxidation at low-OH conditions in the Jülich Plant Atmosphere Chamber (JPAC). The ions were identified as clusters of the nitrate ion (NO3−) and α-pinene oxidation products reaching oxygen to carbon ratios of 0.7–1.3, while retaining most of the initial ten carbon atoms. Attributing the ions to clusters instead of single molecules was based on additional observations of the same extremely oxidized organics in clusters with HSO4− (Hyytiälä) and C3F5O2− (JPAC). The most abundant products in the ion spectra were identified as C105H14O7, C10H14O9, C10H16O9, and C10H14O11. The mechanism responsible for forming these molecules is still not clear, but the initial reaction is most likely ozone attack at the double bond, as the ions are mainly observed under dark conditions. β-pinene also formed highly oxidized products under the same conditions, but less efficiently, and mainly C9 compounds which were not observed in Hyytiälä, where β-pinene on average is 4–5 times less abundant than α-pinene. Further, to explain the high O/C together with the relatively high H/C, we propose that geminal diols and/or hydroperoxide groups may be important. We estimate that the night-time concentration of the sum of the neutral extremely oxidized products is on the order of 0.1–1 ppt (~106–107 molec cm−3). This is in a similar range as the amount of gaseous H2SO4 in Hyytiälä during day-time. As these highly oxidized organics are roughly 3 times heavier, likely with extremely low vapor pressures, their role in the initial steps of new aerosol particle formation and growth may be important and needs to be explored in more detail in the future.
Enhanced cold-season warming in semi-arid regions
Authors: Huang J. , Guan X. , Ji F.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. This study examined surface air temperature trends over global land from 1901–2009. It is found that the warming trend was particularly enhanced, in the boreal cold season (November to March) over semi-arid regions (with precipitation of 200–600 mm yr−1), showing a temperature increase of 1.53 °C as compared to the global annual mean temperature increase of 1.13 °C over land. In mid-latitude semi-arid areas of Europe, Asia, and North America, temperatures in the cold season increased by 1.41, 2.42, and 1.5 °C, respectively. The semi-arid regions contribute 44.46% to global annual-mean land-surface temperature trend. The mid-latitude semi-arid regions in the Northern Hemisphere accounting contribute by 27.0% of the total, with the mid-latitude semi-arid areas in Europe, Asia, and North America accounting for 6.29%, 13.81%, and 6.85%, respectively. Such enhanced semi-arid warming (ESAW) may cause these regions to become drier and warmer.