bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Networking and Identity
Authors: Barker Rachel
Published: February 2013

The realisation that social networks in cyberspace create a different virtual setting where a Technoself can be created by the way an individual shape their self (body and identity) to their own as well as society’s liking, elicits a notion that there was once either an ideal era of bliss or a Utopian promise of universal self-realisation. From a communicative perspective, this chapter propagates how social networks and identity are consequences of the accelerating rate of change and the subsequent ‘cyber revolution’.
Digital Convergence and Horizontal Integration Strategies
Authors: Strader Troy J.
Published: February 2013

Digital technology is unique in that it enables convergence of access devices and content as well as convergence of industry participant operations and strategy. This digital convergence creates opportunities, and threats, for developing new business models and unique growth strategies for digital product companies. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss examples where digital product companies have taken advantage of digital convergence through horizontal integration strategies that enable them to create unique mixes of products/services and reach larger markets. Actual horizontal integration strategy examples are discussed for several industries where products are in a digital form. In addition, potential cross-industry integration strategies and online intermediary (cybermediary) strategies are identified along with tactical level strategies for mass customization and use of interactivity tools and social networking. Strategic alternatives for introduction, growth, and maturity lifecycle stages are also discussed. The rationale for these strategies and implications for managers of digital product companies are discussed along with directions for future research.
Web 2.0 for eParticipation
Authors: Tait Elizabeth
Published: February 2013

Recent developments in social media allow people to communicate and share information instantly and have led to speculation about the potential for increased citizen participation in decision making. However, as with other developments in ICT, social media is not used by everyone, and there is a danger of certain groups being excluded. Further, if social media tools are to be used by government institutions, there needs to be new internal processes put in place to ensure that the participation is meaningful. This chapter will critically evaluate and analyse the role of Web 2.0 tools (such as social networking services) for facilitating democratic participation, investigate and evaluate the development of Web 2.0 tools for eParticipation, and determine how they can be used to facilitate meaningful political participation.
Privacy-Aware Organisation-Based Access Control Model (PrivOrBAC)
Authors: Ajam Nabil , Cuppens-Boulahia Nora , Cuppens Fréderic
Published: February 2013

In this chapter, the authors propose the expression and the modelling of the most important principles of privacy. They deduce the relevant privacy requirements that should be integrated in existing security policy models, such as RBAC models. They suggest the application of a unique model for both access control and privacy requirements. Thus, an access control model is to be enriched with new access constraints and parameters, namely the privacy contexts, which should implement the consent and the notification concepts. For this purpose, the authors introduce the Privacy-aware Organisation role Based Access Control (PrivOrBAC) model.
Internet Security Using Biometrics
Authors: Tiwari Shrikant , Singh Aruni , Singh Ravi Shankar , Singh Sanjay K.
Published: February 2013

Internet security is a big challenge for Internet users, and passwords are the primary means of authenticating users. Establishing identity is becoming difficult in this vastly interconnected society. The need for reliable Internet security techniques has increased in the wake of heightened concerns about security and rapid advancements in networking, communication, and mobility. Biometrics is the science of identifying an individual based on his physical (static) or behavioral (dynamic) characteristics, and it is beginning to gain acceptance as a legitimate method for determining an individual’s identity. Biometrics has been used for many years in high security government and military applications, but the technology is now becoming affordable for use as an authentication methods and general security feature. In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of Internet security using Biometrics.
Towards Continuous Authentication Based on Gait Using Wearable Motion Recording Sensors
Authors: Derawi Mohammad Omar , Gafurov Davrondzhon , Bours Patrick
Published: February 2013

In this chapter we present continuous authentication using gait biometric. Gait is a person’s manner of walking and gait recognition refers to the identification and verification of an individual based on gait. This chapter discusses advantages and disadvantages of gait biometrics in the context of continuous authentication. Furthermore, we present a framework for continuous authentication using gait biometrics. The proposed framework extends on traditional static (one-time) user authentication. The framework can also be applied to other biometric modalities with small modifications.
Using a Design Research Approach to Investigate the Knowledge-Building Implications of Online Social Networking and Other Web 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education Contexts
Authors: Richards Cameron
Published: February 2013

Online social networking and related Web 2.0 technologies have taken the world of Internet users by storm in recent years. However beyond the use of blogs for reflective learning journals and University alumni pages on Facebook, there has generally been little integrated use of social networking tools in higher education. This chapter will explore how a design research approach may assist in not only recognizing but also developing the knowledge-building implications of a convergence between such tools and technologies on one hand, and also on the other constructivist approaches to related domains of learning, research and professional reflective practice in academic communities and contexts. The process of designing and developing an applied research problem and related central question or inquiry focus is approached in terms of two ‘design research’ proposals. One, it considers the idea that if a critical mass of both basic skills and actual usage could only be achieved by teachers, administrators and researchers then social networking has the potential to significantly and productively transform higher education. Two, it considers the idea that the key to achieving such a ‘critical mass’ in education contexts perhaps lies in designing meaningful contexts or purposes of interaction – that is, in linking the function of social networking to an appropriate design paradigm for using associated Web 2.0 tools. In this way the chapter will explore the requirements for a more effective harnessing of the exemplary possibilities of online social networking in higher education contexts.
Energy-Efficient MAC Protocols in Distributed Sensor Networks
Authors: Hu Yupeng , Li Rui
Published: February 2013

As an enabling network technology, energy efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol plays a vital role in a battery-powered distributed sensor network. MAC protocols control how sensor nodes access a shared radio channel to communicate with each other. This chapter discusses the key elements of MAC design with an emphasis on energy efficiency. Furthermore, it reviews several typical MAC protocols proposed in the literature, comparing their energy conservation mechanism. Particularly, it presents a Collaborative Compression Based MAC (CCP-MAC) protocol, which takes advantage of the overheard data to achieve energy savings. Finally, it compares the performance of CCP-MAC with related MAC protocols, illustrating their advantages and disadvantages.
RSU Deployment for Content Dissemination and Downloading in Intelligent Transportation Systems
Authors: Reineri Massimo , Casetti Claudio , Chiasserini Carla-Fabiana , Fiore Marco , Trullols-Cruces Oscar , Barcelo-Ordinas Jose M.
Published: February 2013

The focus of this chapter is twofold: information dissemination from infrastructure nodes deployed along the roads, the so-called Road-Side Units (RSUs), to passing-by vehicles, and content downloading by vehicular users through nearby RSUs. In particular, in order to ensure good performance for both content dissemination and downloading, the presented study addresses the problem of RSU deployment and reviews previous work that has dealt with such an issue. The RSU deployment problem is then formulated as an optimization problem, where the number of vehicles that come in contact with any RSU is maximized, possibly considering a minimum contact time to be guaranteed. Since such optimization problems turn out to be NP-hard, heuristics are proposed to efficiently approximate the optimal solution. The RSU deployment obtained through such heuristics is then used to investigate the performance of content dissemination and downloading through ns2 simulations. Simulation tests are carried out under various real-world vehicular environments, including a realistic mobility model, and considering that the IEEE 802.11p standard is used at the physical and medium access control layers. The performance obtained in realistic conditions is discussed with respect to the results obtained under the same RSU deployment, but in ideal conditions and protocol message exchange. Based on the obtained results, some useful hints on the network system design are provided.
Securing the External Interfaces of a Federated Infrastructure Cloud
Authors: Massonet Philippe , Michot Arnaud , Naqvi Syed , Villari Massimo , Latanicki Joseph
Published: February 2013

This chapter describes an open source solution for securing the Claudia service manager and the OpenNebula virtual execution environment manager when combined in a federated RESERVOIR architecture. The security services provide confidentiality, authentication, and integrity by securing the external API. The chapter describes how to integrate the security solution in an open source cloud computing system, how to install it, and provides an illustrative case study showing its potential for the community. The aim of the chapter is to help those who want to build their own secure infrastructure clouds. The open source security code provides mutual authentication between clients and the Claudia service manager, and secures the SMI interface with role based access control. The same security services can also secure the VMI with role based access control and X509 certificates. Finally the federation can be secured by combining an LDAP server to manage the federation and XACML security policies, and using policy matching to guarantee the respect of security policies within the federation.
Authorship Detection and Encoding for eBay Images
Authors: Zhou Liping , Chen Wei-Bang , Zhang Chengcui
Published: February 2013

This paper describes a framework to detect authorship of eBay images. It contains three modules: editing style summarization, classification and multi-account linking detection. For editing style summarization, three approaches, namely the edge-based approach, the color-based approach, and the color probability approach, are proposed to encode the common patterns inside a group of images with similar editing styles into common edge or color models. Prior to the summarization step, an edge-based clustering algorithm is developed. Corresponding to the three summarization approaches, three classification methods are developed accordingly to predict the authorship of an unlabeled test image. For multi-account linking detection, to detect the hidden owner behind multiple eBay seller accounts, two methods to measure the similarity between seller accounts based on similar models are presented.
Default Reasoning for Forensic Visual Surveillance Based on Subjective Logic and its Comparison with L-Fuzzy Set Based Approaches
Authors: Han Seunghan , Stechele Walter
Published: February 2013

Default reasoning can provide a means of deriving plausible semantic conclusion under imprecise and contradictory information in forensic visual surveillance. In such reasoning under uncertainty, proper uncertainty handling formalism is required. A discrete species of Bilattice for multivalued default logic demonstrated default reasoning in visual surveillance. In this article, the authors present an approach to default reasoning using subjective logic that acts in a continuous space. As an uncertainty representation and handling formalism, subjective logic bridges Dempster Shafer belief theory and second order Bayesian, thereby making it attractive tool for artificial reasoning. For the verification of the proposed approach, the authors extend the inference scheme on the bilattice for multivalued default logic to L-fuzzy set based logics that can be modeled with continuous species of bilattice structures. The authors present some illustrative case studies in visual surveillance scenarios to contrast the proposed approach with L-fuzzy set based approaches.
3D Model-Based Semantic Categorization of Still Image 2D Objects
Authors: Petre Raluca-Diana , Zaharia Titus
Published: February 2013

Automatic classification and interpretation of objects present in 2D images is a key issue for various computer vision applications. In particular, when considering image/video, indexing, and retrieval applications, automatically labeling in a semantically pertinent manner/huge multimedia databases still remains a challenge. This paper examines the issue of still image object categorization. The objective is to associate semantic labels to the 2D objects present in natural images. The principle of the proposed approach consists of exploiting categorized 3D model repositories to identify unknown 2D objects, based on 2D/3D matching techniques. The authors use 2D/3D shape indexing methods, where 3D models are described through a set of 2D views. Experimental results, carried out on both MPEG-7 and Princeton 3D models databases, show recognition rates of up to 89.2%.
Client-Side Relevance Feedback Approach for Image Retrieval in Mobile Environment
Authors: Yu Ning , Hua Kien A. , Liu Danzhou
Published: February 2013

During the last decade, high quality (i.e. over 1 megapixel) built-in cameras have become standard features of handheld devices. Users can take high-resolution pictures and share with friends via the internet. At the same time, the demand of multimedia information retrieval using those pictures on mobile devices has become an urgent problem to solve, and therefore attracts attention. A relevance feedback information retrieval process includes several rounds of query refinement, which incurs exchange of images between the mobile device and the server. With limited wireless bandwidth, this process can incur substantial delay, making the system unfriendly to use. This issue is addressed by considering a Client-side Relevance Feedback (CRF) technique. In the CRF system, Relevance Feedback (RF) is done on client side along. Mobile devices’ battery power is saved from exchanging images between server and client and system response is instantaneous, which significantly enhances system usability. Furthermore, because the server is not involved in RF processing, it is able to support more users simultaneously. The experiment indicates that the system outperforms the traditional server-client relevance feedback systems on the aspects of system response time, mobile battery power saving, and retrieval result.
Constructing and Utilizing Video Ontology for Accurate and Fast Retrieval
Authors: Shirahama Kimiaki , Uehara Kuniaki
Published: February 2013

This paper examines video retrieval based on Query-By-Example (QBE) approach, where shots relevant to a query are retrieved from large-scale video data based on their similarity to example shots. This involves two crucial problems: The first is that similarity in features does not necessarily imply similarity in semantic content. The second problem is an expensive computational cost to compute the similarity of a huge number of shots to example shots. The authors have developed a method that can filter a large number of shots irrelevant to a query, based on a video ontology that is knowledge base about concepts displayed in a shot. The method utilizes various concept relationships (e.g., generalization/specialization, sibling, part-of, and co-occurrence) defined in the video ontology. In addition, although the video ontology assumes that shots are accurately annotated with concepts, accurate annotation is difficult due to the diversity of forms and appearances of the concepts. Dempster-Shafer theory is used to account the uncertainty in determining the relevance of a shot based on inaccurate annotation of this shot. Experimental results on TRECVID 2009 video data validate the effectiveness of the method.
E-Government System Design and Port Authorities
Authors: Prentzas Jim , Derekenaris Gregory , Tsakalidis Athanasios
Published: February 2013

Port authorities constitute very active organizations that frequently interact with citizens as well as public and private organizations. The employees and administration of port authorities require effective e-government services in order to implement their tasks. The required services should provide effective information flow and collaboration to improve decision making, governance, and integration of all sectors. In this chapter, the authors briefly outline issues concerning the usefulness of intranets in organizations and corresponding services provided to organization employees. They briefly present key aspects of certain recent approaches concerning e-governance and intranets in ports. The authors also present a case study involving the e-government services implemented for Patras's Port Authority in Greece. The specific port authority has a lot of workload because the corresponding port is the third largest in Greece and a main gate to countries abroad. The case study combined Internet-based technologies with e-learning technologies. E-learning services assist employees in acquainting themselves with newly introduced e-government services. Therefore, e-learning may contribute in the successful realization of e-government projects.
An Evaluation Framework to Assess E-government Systems
Authors: Alalwan Jaffar , Thomas Manoj A.
Published: February 2013

Evaluating e-government systems is a difficult task involving multi-faceted perspectives. Although a review of the literature discovers several e-government evaluation frameworks, numerous shortcomings still exist. The objective of this chapter is to propose a formative and holistic framework to remedy the current research gaps. The formative position of the evaluation framework ensures the evaluation objective achievement, and the holistic approach ensures completeness and continuity of the evaluation process. The framework can be used as a template for researchers and practitioners to assess e-government projects. The authors demonstrate the applicability and practicability of the framework by applying it to the Korean Government-for-Citizen (G4C) project.
Measuring Effectiveness of an E-Governance System
Authors: Mangaraj Bijaya Krushna , Aparajita Upali
Published: February 2013

In the era of economic liberalisation, institutions of higher education in the government sector, particularly universities, are facing tremendous challenges in terms of academic, general, and financial administration, which need effective governance. Recently, some of the universities are trying to adopt e-governance as a platform for such a purpose. However, the design of such a system is very much important, as it has to cater to the needs of various stakeholders in the public system. In this context, the effectiveness measurement of such an e-governance system is really necessary either to improve its performance level by re-aligning its organisational culture or by providing inputs for re-designing the system in order to make it more effective. Hence, the performance of such a system can be known if a human-centric approach with multiple criteria of evaluation is considered in the governance environment. This chapter attempts to determine those criteria by multiple factor analyses carried out for the purpose of considering multiple stakeholders. Analytic hierarchical processes as well as fuzzy analytic hierarchical processes have been then employed to measure the effectiveness of e-governance systems along those criteria, taking an Indian university as a case study.
Designing Online Information Systems for Volunteer-Based Court Appointed Special Advocate Organizations
Authors: Hinnant Charles C. , Lee Jisue , Mon Lorri
Published: February 2013

For public organizations, the ability to harness web-based Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to make information and services directly available to the public has become an important goal. Simultaneously, the use of volunteers by public organizations has become a crucial component of service delivery within the US. Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs rely heavily upon volunteers to advocate for neglected children. While there is no doubt variation exists across specific CASA programs, their generally ubiquitous reliance on volunteers indicates a need for recruitment, training, and coordination to successfully achieve program goals. While the discussion of User-Centered Design (UCD) factors illustrates issues for consideration, the case study of Florida's Guardian ad Litem (GAL) program more concretely illustrates how a state-level CASA can begin to harness online ICT to achieve programmatic goals. This chapter discusses key information design characteristics needed for online systems to effectively deliver required information to both volunteers and staff.
Social Media and Citizen Engagement
Authors: Cabotaje Charlie E. , Alampay Erwin A.
Published: February 2013

Increased access and the convenience of participation to and through the internet encourage connectivity among citizens. These new and enhanced connections are no longer dependent on real-life, face-to-face interactions, and are less restricted by the boundaries of time and space (Frissen, 2005). In this chapter, two cases from the Philippines are documented and assessed in order to look at online citizen engagement. The first case looks at how people participate in promoting tourism in the Philippines through social media. The second case involves their use of social media for disaster response. Previous studies on ICTs and participation in the Philippines have looked at the role of intermediaries (see Alampay, 2002). Since then, the role of social media, in particular that of Facebook and Twitter, has grown dramatically and at times completely circumvents traditional notions of intermediation. The role of Facebook, in particular, will be highlighted in this chapter, and the authors will analyze its effectiveness, vis-à-vis traditional government channels for communication and delivery of similar services. By looking at these two cases and assessing the abovementioned aspects, it is hoped that the use of social media can be seen as an integral part of e-governance especially in engaging citizens to participate in local and national governance.
E-Government and Public Service Delivery
Authors: Abdelsalam Hisham M. , Reddick Christopher G. , ElKadi Hatem A. , Gamal Sara
Published: February 2013

This chapter aims to better understand what citizens think regarding the currently available e-government public services in Egypt. This is done through an analysis of a public opinion survey of Egyptian citizens, examining citizens' use and associated issues with usage of e-government portals. This chapter is different from existing research in that most of the studies that examine e-government and citizens focus on developed countries. This study focuses on a developing country, Egypt, as an emerging democracy, which has very unique and important challenges in the delivery of public services to its citizens. The results revealed that only gender, daily use of the internet, and the desire to convert all of the services to electronic ones were important factors that affected the use of the Egyptian e-government portal. On the other hand, age, education, trust in information confidentiality on the internet, and believing in e-government did not play any role in using e-government.
Managing Expectations
Authors: Coldwell-Neilson Jo
Published: February 2013

Expectations of, and by, students and staff in the classroom have been well researched. Yet, still there is a gap between the expectations of students and what they experience in their studies. The classroom itself is changing with the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies into the mix. Further changes are being driven by the changing profile of a tertiary student in the twenty first century. Education will not fulfill its goal if the gap in expectations is not addressed. The discrepancy in expectations is explored from the perspective of students and staff and strategies for bridging the gap and enhancing eLearning in the Web 2.0 environment are offered. The chapter begins with a scenario that demonstrates the issues and concludes with suggestions to avoid them in the future. In doing so, the key drivers of change in the learning landscape in Australia are identified and the impact these may have on staff and student expectations is explored.
Development of the Assessment Design and Delivery of Collaborative Problem Solving in the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills Project
Authors: Griffin Patrick , Care Esther , Bui Myvan , Zoanetti Nathan
Published: February 2013

This chapter describes an approach to assessment task design and delivery from the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills project (ATC21S). ATC21S is an example of an innovative, international, multi-stakeholder partnership involving industry, academics, governments, and educators that is aimed at shifting the direction of assessment and teaching towards a model more suited to the development of skills that students need in the 21st century. Within ATC21S, assessment design and delivery is just one component of a holistic framework in which assessment, teaching, resourcing, and policy work in unison to improve student outcomes. This chapter outlines this developmental framework and the impetus for ATC21S and partnerships which drive and support the project, and sets the scene for dealing with performance measurement issues – how can we tell that people have learned anything? The focus of the chapter is on the technology-based design and delivery of assessments of one of the key skill areas of interest in the project - collaborative problem solving.
Bringing Web 2.0 into the Learning Environment
Authors: Monfared Saman Shahryari , Ajabi-Naeini Peyman , Parker Drew
Published: February 2013

Social Networking, or the so-called Web 2.0 phenomenon, is changing the way we use the Internet. In turn, the way we use the Internet is changing the way we work, learn, communicate, and research. This chapter outlines a series of issues, tools, techniques, and pedagogy that may lie behind the process to bring social media into a learning environment. It then concludes with a four-year experience bringing these concepts into a senior undergraduate seminar, and offers observations and conclusions about the efficacy of our approach. Social networking has brought the Web into a conversation. Similarly, the chasm between synchronous and asynchronous learning is closing as the classroom becomes one part of a larger, continuous learning experience.
Creating Effective Customer Solutions
Authors: Burianek Ferdinand , Bonnemeier Sebastian , Reichwald Ralf
Published: February 2013

Global competition and declining margins have made enterprises in diverse industries increasingly aware that assuring low cost as well as high product performance and quality is no longer sufficient for long-term success. Integrating products and services into customized solutions can help firms to gain competitive advantage. Based on 11 in-depth interviews with managers from solution providers and an exploratory survey with 45 solution providers, this paper derives a value creation process as well as a set of critical activities and pitfalls within each step. Selling solutions requires relational processes between customer and supplier comprising analysis/consulting, design/configuration, implementation/delivery, and support/operation. To better understand the relational process, this perspective was adopted on creating solutions in order to identify crucial routines and activities. Two main capabilities within this process can be identified: customer interaction and project management. Both capabilities are required in order to deliver more effective as well as efficient solutions.
DNA Model of IT Service Assets
Authors: Galup Stuart D. , Dattero Ronald , Groll Jayne
Published: February 2013

In this paper, the service assets (resources and capabilities) associated with Information Technology (IT) services are investigated through a DNA (Dynamic Network Analysis) model. An illustrative example for IT services is analyzed using the model. Specifically discussed are the relationships among Agents, the Knowledge and Resources that Agents require to perform their job Role, and the Tasks that the Agents perform during the execution of their job Role. Selected resulting metrics are detailed and the managerial implications are presented for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of organizational process.
Identification of Attributes of TQM in an Educational Institute
Authors: Sindwani Rajiv , Singh Vikram , Grover Sandeep
Published: February 2013

This paper examines and proposes a list of attributes of Total Quality Management (TQM) in an educational institute, and develops a model for the benefit of researchers and academicians. Even though there have been a large number of papers published related to TQM, none of the papers focused on documenting the attributes of TQM in educational institutes using statistical methods. The paper investigates and lists 42 attributes of TQM in educational institutions. A quantitative study, involving the administration of a survey was conducted. The survey instrument consisted of 42 items and was prepared on the basis of attributes of TQM found during Literature Review. The application of Factor Analysis technique is illustrated for grouping the various attributes into Factors. The results of this study will help in a smoother penetration of TQM programs in educational institutes. The period of study is from 1995-2006. Considering the gamut of publications, TQM implementation has seen a steady growth and appears to be heading towards its maturity level.
Value-Adding to Public Services Through the Adoption of Lean Thinking
Authors: Jaaron Ayham A. M. , Backhouse Chris J.
Published: February 2013

This paper describes an investigation into alternative management models applied to public call centres operations with the aim of delivering significant added value to the overall public firm. Call centres offer significant potential for value creation. However, in practice they are often created as mechanistic organisations and managed in such a way is to inhibit value creation. An investigation in a UK city council was carried out through the means of a case study using both qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from directors, middle-managers and employees to evaluate the development of a lean thinking type of call centre. The results indicate that by implementing the lean thinking approach to the design of call centre service operations significant, but often counter-intuitive, benefits can be created. Lean thinking was found to yield improvements in service performance, value work productivity, and employees’ affective commitment. Evidence on lean value-added to the public call centres is very limited, this paper addresses this shortcoming.
A Modeling Framework for Analyzing the Viability of Service Systems
Authors: Golnam Arash , Regev Gil , Wegmann Alain
Published: February 2013

Recent research has explored the principles of service system viability based on systems inquiry invoking perspectives from Systems Theory and Cybernetics in particular Stafford Beer’s viable systems model (VSM). However based on Banathy and Jenlink (2004), Systems inquiry encompasses more than just Systems Theory and includes domains such as Systems Methodology and Systems Philosophy. Building on the extant literature, this work has the following particularities: 1) it is based on an explicit systems philosophy in which the authors explicitly define what they view as viability and, 2) it involves a systems methodological approach to either analyze the viability of a service system or to design a viable service system. This is achieved by means of applying a systems modeling technique called SEAM (Systemic Enterprise Architecture Method). SEAM rests upon systemic principles and embodies conceptualizations from VSM. The authors apply SEAM to concretely model a utility company in Geneva, Switzerland in order to gain an understanding of how a service system maintains its identity and remains viable in its environment.
Service Oriented Innovation Management
Authors: Thieme Michael
Published: February 2013

In this paper, the author introduces the idea of service oriented innovation management into the scientific discussion and gives an outlook on possible application. In this paper, the SOA-principles are adopted and applied in the field of innovation management with several stakeholders involved in the innovation process. Furthermore, a use case is presented in form of a management concept for an innovation center in the creative industries.
Customer Integration in Innovation Processes via Operating Information Systems
Authors: Strehl Benjamin
Published: February 2013

The positive effects of customer integration in corporate innovation activities are undisputed. Further, several concepts for an improved cooperation with customers have already been developed and even implemented in many cases. Most of these methods target a special group of customers, the so-called lead-users. Besides being proven as beneficial, this selected integration neglects the majority of a company’s human client interactions which occur in the often centralized service centers, for example call centers. Many studies confirm the innovation potential of these existing, regular customer interactions. This paper presents detailed requirements as well as an overall solution system for the integration of these customer contacts via service centers. Therefore, existing research was combined with quality function deployment and service system modeling.
Stakeholders’ Expectations on Health Services
Authors: Gomes Ricardo Corrêa , Gomes Luciana de Oliveira Miranda
Published: February 2013

Performance assessment in profit and not-for-profit organizations has been on the agenda for scholars and practitioners for the last thirty years or so. Despite this effort, a comprehensive model of organizational performance for all kinds of organizations does not exist. This paper aims to contribute to this field by presenting findings from a constructive and interpretative investigation carried out in public organizations at the local level. This research aims to identify the dimensions of performance that addresses stakeholder interests in public organizational performance. To this end, data was collected by semi structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. The theoretical framework is based on resource dependence, institutional theory, agency theory, and social network theory. Evidence from the investigation indicates that stakeholders assess public service performance on criteria of efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. This paper provides practical and theoretical contributions by suggesting ways of assessing performance in public organizations, which can contribute to strategic planning by setting milestones related to stakeholder expectations and by defining the dimensions of stakeholders’ assessments of the performance of public service organizations.
Changing Health Care from Inside Out
Authors: Kokkinen Lauri , Lehto Juhani
Published: February 2013

Finnish ophthalmology services have been criticized for being suboptimal and in this regard, the authors analyze a development project set up to reform these services. The project descended into crisis 18 months after its launch, when its actors mapped out two different ways in which they perceived the problems related to ophthalmology and came up with different solutions to these problems. This paper pays special attention to the events following the crisis, when an external policy entrepreneur was recruited to lead the project. This policy entrepreneur did not adhere to either of the realities mapped out in the earlier stages of the project, but created interpretation of the problems at hand and their solutions. This paper focuses on the process in which the policy entrepreneur strove to convince other actors of the validity perceived interpretations. According to the analyse, the implementation of the new policy alternative consisted not only of a technically and politically feasible solution, but it also involved skillful policy making and right timing.
The Politics of Health Finance Reform in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan Raymond K. H.
Published: February 2013

Since the late 1950s, Hong Kong’s public health services have increased. They are mainly funded by taxes, supplemented by minimal user fees. In the late 1980s, the government recognized the limitations of this financing model and subsequently proposed alternative methods of funding. Their proposals have been rejected by various stakeholders, who represented different, and even conflicting, values and interests. This paper describes the development of health services and the debates that have surrounded health financing since the late 1980s. It shows that the health finance debate in Hong Kong is not a simple issue that can be tackled by rational planning; instead, it is a complex consequence of welfare politics in an increasingly mobilized society.
Outsourced Health Care Services
Authors: Tiilikka Tiina
Published: February 2013

This paper provides answers to the question of how medical doctors and nurses at health centres narrate their experiences of outsourced health care services and make sense of their position in the new organization. The article contributes to the debate on the recent change in the marketization and transformation of health care organizations. The research material consists of seven group interviews with medical doctors and nurses. The method makes use of viewpoints from the narrative approach. The results of the analysis indicate that the workers interviewed are primarily rational professional actors. They do not actively take an emotional position. The short contracts between public or private actors mean that work processes in the outsourced health care organizations are intermittent. It may be necessary for the workers to adopt a strong professional identity without strong mental ties to the employer.
Employees’ Perceptions on Organisational Justice, Job Control and Job Demands
Authors: Tynkkynen Liina-Kaisa , Sinervo Timo , Elovainio Marko , Lehto Juhani , Koivisto Anna-Maija , Noro Anja , Finne-Soveri Harriet
Published: February 2013

The issue to be addressed in this study is whether ownership and HRM practices are associated with employees’ perceptions of organisational justice, job control and job demands. The study focuses on care personnel working in sheltered housing facilities for elderly people. Multi-level linear regression is applied to analyse the data. The results support the argument that an increased similarity between public, not-for-profit and for-profit organisations is emerging in HRM issues. HRM practices were found to associate with positive outcomes in organisational justice and job control. However, to be successful in the implementation of HRM, it is crucial that employees understand the justification for each procedure as well as find it a useful resource in terms of their own job.
Risk Society and the Hybris of Modern Japanese State/Society
Authors: Merviö Mika Markus
Published: February 2013

This article analyses the risk society discourse in the context of Japanese society and the triple shock of the earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima nuclear plants catastrophe. Social risk discourse has found its way to Japan but the reception has been rather selective. The policy examples in this article illustrate the obstacles that exist to promote greater social participation and social reforms in Japan.
Sialoadhesin Ligand Expression Identifies a Subset of CD4+Foxp3− T Cells with a Distinct Activation and Glycosylation Profile
Authors: Kidder Dana , Richards Hannah E. , Ziltener Hermann J. , Garden Oliver A. , Crocker Paul R.
Published: February 2013

Sialoadhesin (Sn) is a sialic acid–binding Ig-like lectin expressed selectively on macrophage subsets. In a model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Sn interacted with sialylated ligands expressed selectively on CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and inhibited their proliferation. In this study, we examined the induction of Sn ligands (SnL) on all splenic CD4+ T cells following in vitro activation. Most CD4+ Tregs strongly upregulated SnL, whereas only a small subset of ∼20% CD4+Foxp3− T cells (effector T cells [Teffs]) upregulated SnL. SnL+ Teffs displayed higher levels of activation markers CD25 and CD69, exhibited increased proliferation, and produced higher amounts of IL-2 and IFN-γ than corresponding SnL− Teffs. Coculture of activated Teffs with Sn+ macrophages or Sn+ Chinese hamster ovary cells resulted in increased cell death, suggesting a regulatory role for Sn–SnL interactions. The key importance of α2,3-sialylation in SnL expression was demonstrated by increased binding of α2,3-linkage–specific Maackia amurensis lectin, increased expression of α2,3-sialyltransferase ST3GalVI, and loss of SnL following treatment with an α2,3-linkage–specific sialidase. The induction of SnL on activated CD4+ T cells was dependent on N-glycan rather than O-glycan biosynthesis and independent of the mucin-like molecules CD43 and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1, previously implicated in Sn interactions. Induction of ligands on CD4+Foxp3− Teffs was also observed in vivo using the New Zealand Black × New Zealand White F1 murine model of spontaneous lupus and SnL levels on Teffs correlated strongly with the degree of proteinuria. Collectively, these data indicate that SnL is a novel marker of activated CD4+ Teffs that are implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.
Human Neonatal Naive CD4+ T Cells Have Enhanced Activation-Dependent Signaling Regulated by the MicroRNA miR-181a
Authors: Palin Amy C. , Ramachandran Vasavi , Acharya Swati , Lewis David B.
Published: February 2013

Compared with older children and adults, human neonates have reduced and delayed CD4+ T cell immunity to certain pathogens, but the mechanisms for these developmental differences in immune function remain poorly understood. We investigated the hypothesis that impaired human neonatal CD4+ T cell immunity was due to reduced signaling by naive CD4+ T cells following engagement of the αβ-TCR/CD3 complex and CD28. Surprisingly, calcium flux following engagement of CD3 was significantly higher in neonatal naive CD4+ T cells from umbilical cord blood (CB) compared with naive CD4+ T cells from adult peripheral blood. Enhanced calcium flux was also observed in adult CD4+ recent thymic emigrants. Neonatal naive CD4+ T cells also had higher activation-induced Erk phosphorylation. The microRNA miR-181a, which enhances activation-induced calcium flux in murine thymocytes, was expressed at significantly higher levels in CB naive CD4+ T cells compared with adult cells. Overexpression of miR-181a in adult naive CD4+ T cells increased activation-induced calcium flux, implying that the increased miR-181a levels of CB naive CD4+ T cells contributed to their enhanced signaling. In contrast, AP-1–dependent transcription, which is downstream of Erk and required for full T cell activation, was decreased in CB naive CD4+ T cells compared with adult cells. Thus, CB naive CD4+ T cells have enhanced activation-dependent calcium flux, indicative of the retention of a thymocyte-like phenotype. Enhanced calcium signaling and Erk phosphorylation are decoupled from downstream AP-1–dependent transcription, which is reduced and likely contributes to limitations of human fetal and neonatal CD4+ T cell immunity.
Breast examination as a cost-effective screening tool in a clinical practice setting in Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Ogunbode Adetola M. , Fatiregun Akinola A. , Ogunbode Olayinka O. , Adebusoye Lawrence A.
Published: February 2013

Background: Breast cancer is a disease of public health importance. It results in high morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. The high morbidity and mortality from breast cancer can be decreased by measures targeted at early detection such as screening. Breast examination as a screening tool for breast cancer in developing countries is advocated in view of its costeffectiveness.Method: The article selection method was obtained from primary and secondary literature sources which included original research articles, case control studies, review articles, proceedings, transactions and textbooks. The authors cited a clinical audit and articles published between 1988 and 2011. The search strategy included the use of internet search engines. This review was part of a larger research and the study protocol was approved by the University of Ibadan/University College Hospital, Ibadan Institutional Review Board (UI/UCH IRB). Clinical trial registration number-NHREC/05/01/2008a.Results: Breast self-examination (BSE) and clinical breast examination (CBE) as screening tools for breast cancer were analysed in detail.Conclusion: Breast examination is a screening tool that is cost-effective and reliable and should be encouraged in resource-constrained countries. Given the high cost and expertise required for mammography, current efforts at screening for breast cancer in developing countries should rely more on a combination of BSE and CBE.
Uma tradução coletiva das “Metamorfoses” 10.1-297 com versos hexamétricos de Carlos Alberto Nunes
Authors: Gonçalves Rodrigo Tadeu , Cardoso Leandro Dorval , Fujihara Álvaro Kasuaki , Rachwal Gabriel Dória , Coelho Livy Maria Real , De Conto Luana , Legroski Marina Chiara
Published: February 2013

http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-4237.2011n10p110A presente proposta de tradução do livro X d’As Metamorfoses de Ovídio visa a pôr em prática uma possibilidade teórica: trata-se de aplicar um modo de traduzir o verso hexamétrico greco-latino por um verso vernáculo que, embora baseado na intensidade, isto é, na tonicidade e na atonicidade das sílabas, espelhasse a estrutura do hexâmetro, que era baseado na quantidade, isto é, na longura e na brevidade das sílabas. Trata-se de proposta peculiar sob vários aspectos, a começar pelo fato de ter sido levada a cabo não por um, nem mesmo dois tradutores, mas por um grupo cujo tamanho variou ao longo do tempo e hoje conta com nada menos do que dez pessoas, entre colaboradores e tradutores2