bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual Communities of Practice as a Support for Knowledge Sharing in Social Networks
Authors: Linhares de Souza Yóris , Farinelli Fernanda , Jamil George Leal , Lobo de Vasconcelos Maria Celeste Reis , Dias Gutenberg Marques
Published: May 2014

Knowledge as a result of people's interaction is an essential factor for organizations facing actual business complexity. Social networks, whose creation and usage have been facilitated from the development of information and communication technologies, improved the conditions for interactive and collaborative answers at a very fast pace. In this sense, virtual communities of practice appear as an important way to share knowledge among groups of people joined by common interests, such as the search for solutions for problems, development of competences, professional relationship upgrades, growth of productivity, and general working quality. However, some barriers have emerged to the social network members, such as lack of trust, real incentives, and time to dedicate in order to contribute in these communities. In this chapter, aiming to evaluate such scenarios, a multiple case study methodology was conducted, starting from a literature review of main concepts, giving support for a final assessment of cases to provide better understanding and identification of the main benefits and barriers for the participation and collaboration in these new platforms. As a result of the present study, these reflections could lead to a better comprehension of the application of the social networks structured over virtual communities of practice in the business environment.
Competencies 2.0
Authors: Izquierdo-Pereira Jaime , Avilés-Palacios Carmen , García-Alfonso Joaquín , López-Quero Manuel
Published: May 2014

Web 2.0 is changing the rules, reducing costs of access to technology, increasing the volume of cyber social contact through networking, both social and professional, making possible that any information is just a click away. This evolution causes the birth of new requirements, including the adaptation of people and, because organizations are made up of people, changing their map skills. This chapter presents a theoretical model for defining and managing a presence plan on the Web, emphasizing in those individual Competencies 2.0. It is defined from a Delphi method, involving experts in the use and development of Web 2.0. The strengths of this model are two: 1) It is a model that attempts to explain new tasks resulting from magazines not covered in sufficient depth from an academic and scientific perspective, though, they are been studied and discussed in forums 2.0; and 2) It explains the relationship between individual and organizational competencies 2.0, so that the first one can act on to modify the latter. On the other hand, this chapter has certain shortcomings, mainly two: 1) It has not been empirically validated, although research is underway to rectify this deficiency, and 2) There is no academic scientific knowledge enough, probably due to the novelty of this issue.
Virtual Collaborative Learning
Authors: Tawileh Wissam , Bukvova Helena , Schoop Eric
Published: May 2014

New technologies are used increasingly to enhance people's lives in many fields, and education is a very important sector that can benefit from technological development. The idea of using technology to facilitate and enhance learning, known as electronic learning, has led to the development of a wide range of applications and implementations worldwide. Electronic learning can offer new opportunities for developing countries by increasing access to education and improving learning outcomes. This chapter presents Virtual Collaborative Learning (VCL) as a modern technology-enhanced team-learning arrangement based on a constructivist learning paradigm. By utilizing Web 2.0 tools to empower and enhance classical e-Learning methods, VCL reaches far beyond classical Web-Based Training. Opportunities and challenges of VCL for developing countries will be discussed based on a long European teaching and research experience.
Analyzing Critical Functions of Recording Tools for Synchronous Cyber Classroom Instruction
Authors: Wei Chun-Wang , Hung I-Chun , Kinshuk  , Chen Nian-Shing
Published: May 2014

Digital learning content is one of the crucial components for online courses. There are many ways for creating digital learning contents. Among them, recording of live instructional activities is becoming one of the most important methods to produce learning contents. However, the previous studies mainly focused on how to create digital learning content in offline mode, very few literatures addressed how to effectively record live instructional activities for digital learning content. This chapter focuses on how to effectively record live instructional activities conducted in synchronous cyber classrooms. The aims of this chapter are firstly to identify the recording scenarios for different modes of instructions in synchronous cyber classrooms, secondly to explore the functional requirements for different types of instruction modes, and finally to find out the best match between the instruction modes and the essential functions of recording tools.
The Meeting Point of Second Life® and Web 2.0
Authors: Shih Ya-Chun
Published: May 2014

Researchers and practitioners endeavoring to incorporate Second Life® (SL) and Web 2.0 into language classrooms promise greater practical value from computer-assisted language learning (CALL). This chapter provides an innovative approach to blog writing, exploring SL as an immersive experience that stimulates follow-up description, imagination, and writing creativity. Drawing on experiences in 2009 and 2010 in linking SL and Web 2.0 applications to inspire the writing of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduate students, this chapter describes the characteristics of descriptive writing and presents the process of learning and writing of these students in cooperation with their peers in order to discover within themselves the motivation to be creative writers.
Technological Support for Online Communities Focusing on Music Creation
Authors: Pimenta Marcelo S. , Miletto Evandro M. , Keller Damián , Flores Luciano V. , Testa Guilherme G.
Published: May 2014

People have always found music significant in their lives, whether for enjoyment in listening, performing, or creating. However, music making in modern life tends to be restricted to the domain of the professional artists, instrumentalists, and singers. Since the advent of Web 2.0 and Rich Internet Applications, the authors' research group has been investigating the use of Web-based technology to support novice-oriented computer-based musical activities. The main motivation of their work is the belief that no previous musical knowledge should be required for participating in creative musical activities. Consequently, any ordinary user—non-musician or novice—may enhance his creativity through engagement, entertainment, and self-expression. The goal of this chapter is to propose several concepts that emerged during their research concerning novice-oriented cooperative music creation and musical knowledge sharing (a sophisticated activity distinct from the common and well-known music sharing for listening). The authors also discuss key characteristics of Brazilian culture and the creativity styles that inspired their work. They illustrate their perspective by showing how concepts implemented and derived from cases investigated in Brazil represent a comprehensive context for embracing cooperation, flexibility, cross-cultural diversity and creativity. The resulting communityware has music as its intrinsic motivation.
Using Web 2.0 as a Community Policing Strategy
Authors: Jones Matthew A. , de Guzman Melchor C. , Kumar Korni Swaroop
Published: May 2014

Community policing is intended to empower citizens who are plagued by crime and disorder. Scholars have considered community policing as a proactive measure that addresses issues of disorder to prevent the occurrence of more serious crimes (Goldstein, 1986; Wilson & Kelling, 1982). In a digital age, people are increasingly interacting socially via web platforms. This digital interaction includes governments, which can interact with the citizens in their society to co-produce effective responses to criminal activity. Social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, iPhone applications, and Nixle provide new media for citizens and police interactions. Using a sample of 163 municipal police departments, this chapter examines the level and type of participation among municipal police departments using these resources. It is argued that Web 2.0 social media applications allow for a more fluent and dialogic relationship between citizens and police to work together to reduce crime and increase community livability. Policy and practice recommendations related to participating in and enhancing social media presence for police are also provided.
The Pedagogical Considerations in the Design of Virtual Worlds for Organization Learning
Authors: Chou C. Candace , Hart Rama Kaye
Published: May 2014

An increasing number of organizations have established presences in Second Life or virtual worlds for organizational learning. The types of activities range from staff training, annual meetings, to leadership development and commercial transactions. This chapter reviews relevant literature on how virtual worlds, especially Second Life, are utilized for organizational learning. The discussions include leveraging the affordances of virtual worlds for learning, integrating design principles of 3D immersive learning, and examining examples of actual workplace learning in virtual worlds. Specific emphasis will be placed on the translation of applicable learning theories into the pedagogical design of virtual worlds. Furthermore, the chapter examines student perspectives of an actual course on immersive learning that took place in Second Life. Student perspectives are summarized in six strands: challenging and informative learning, engagement, activity structures, transformation, collaborative and democratic participation, and new opportunities. The six themes are important factors for designers of 3D learning environments to ensure quality immersive learning experiences.
The Community Manager and Social Media Networks
Authors: Bolívar Manuel Pedro Rodríguez , Pérez Carmen Caba , Hernández Antonio Manuel López
Published: May 2014

Local governments are increasingly embracing Web 2.0 technologies to encourage the use of means of bidirectional communication to change how they interact with stakeholders, thus providing the greater accountability demanded. Nonetheless, to make Web 2.0 tools efficient, there must be qualified people to operate and supervise the Web 2.0 and social network technologies implemented by local governments. These people, called “Community Managers,” play a key role in the implementation of social networks in local government, successfully or otherwise. In this chapter, the authors analyse whether the training and education of community managers in Spanish local governments is associated with the successful use of social networks by these local governments in their interaction with the public. Their empirical study of local government in Spain shows that the position of community manager is mostly held by men who are aged 25-45 years and have a university degree in journalism, performing in addition, tasks such as updating the municipal website or running the press office.
Model-Based Evaluation of the Impact of Attacks to the Telecommunication Service of the Electrical Grid
Authors: Beccuti M. , Chiaradonna S. , Di Giandomenico F. , Donatelli S. , Dondossola Giovanna , Franceschinis G.
Published: May 2014

This chapter is devoted to the study of the consequences of cyber-attacks to the telecommunication service of the electrical grid, which is an essential service for the grid control system. It is up to the control system to ensure that even very large power systems are kept in equilibrium even in presence of power contingencies. This chapter considers cyber-attacks of the Denial of Service (DoS) type, occurring while the electrical grid is already facing an electrical failure that requires a load shedding strategy. Using a model-based approach that uses the rich and flexible formalism provided by the tool Möbius, it is possible to investigate the interplay between an attack to the telecommunication service and the state of the grid in a number of different situations and for different characterizations of the DoS behaviour and severity. The formalism used allows to associate a (stochastic) duration and/or a probability to the events happening in the system, so as to take into account the variability in attacks' behaviour, leading to a quantitative characterization of the impact of a DoS attack to the electrical grid.
The Use and Abuse of Digital Democracy
Authors: Baarda Rachel , Luppicini Rocci
Published: May 2014

The field of technoethics explores the ethical challenges that technology poses to the different spheres of society. Recently, scholars have begun to explore the ethical implications of new digital technologies and social media, particularly in the realms of society and politics. A qualitative case study was conducted on Barack Obama's campaign social networking site, mybarackobama.com, in order to investigate the ways in which the website uses or misuses digital technology to create a healthy participatory democracy. For an analysis of ethical and non-ethical ways to promote participatory democracy online, the study included theoretical perspectives such as the role of the public sphere in a participatory democracy and the effects of political marketing on the public sphere. The case study included a content analysis of the website and interviews with members of groups on the site. The study's results can be found further in the article.
An Examination of the Factors Influencing Consumers' Visit of C2C Websites
Authors: Zoghlami Amira Trabelsi , Touzani Mourad
Published: May 2014

Few research studies have tackled the topic of commercial C2C (Consumer-to-consumer) Websites while online C2C exchange are having huge success and attract ever-increasing Internet users. Organisations need to understand the critical success factors for attracting the Internet user's attention. This article sheds the light on the usage background of Tunisian C2C websites. The main outcome of this work results from a netnographic study followed by twenty three semi-structured interviews with C2C websites' users. Contrary to the results of other researches which connect the use of C2C Websites to electronic factors, this research provides a framework to add “offline” determinants related to perceptions that are acquired prior to or following the C2C websites' visit. The factors influencing consumers' visit of C2C Websites were classified into three major categories: before, while and after visiting the C2C Website. Each category includes factors that were discussed to make managerial recommendations. The authors also expose the major personal and situation factors that may characterize C2C Websites' users.
Virtual Communities in Marketing Processes
Authors: D'Andrea Alessia , Ferri Fernando , Grifoni Patrizia
Published: May 2014

The chapter provides a marketing framework to analyse the uses of virtual communities on marketing processes. The framework involves: actors (companies and companies), goals, marketing strategies, and influence process. Each of these elements is described in detail. Moreover, in the chapter the framework is applied to EBay in order to understand how the functionalities provided by this virtual community allow companies and consumers to achieve their marketing goals.
Networked Knowledge Workers on the Web
Authors: Ferro Toni , Zachry Mark
Published: May 2014

With the growing popularity of online services that allow individuals to consume and contribute Web content with social groups of self-selected affiliates, the socio-technical geography of the Web has become increasingly complex. To map some of this space in a productive way for organizations and online researchers, we focus our attention on a particular segment of Web 2.0 services, publicly available online services (PAOSs) used for work purposes. After defining this segment and its relationship to other kinds of online services, we report the results of an annual survey that looks at who is using such PAOSs for work as well as the nature of that work. As our survey results indicate, how often PAOSs are used for work differs depending on the company size and office location of individuals. To frame our findings, we differentiate among the multiple PAOSs that respondents report using by classifying them as different genres of services, which we find provides a productive typology for understanding such services and their roles in organizations.
Viewing Cybercommunities through the Lens of Modernity
Authors: Wang Victoria , Tucker John V. , Haines Kevin
Published: May 2014

The growth of cybercommunities is a notable social phenomenon. Empirical studies of cybercommunities have described new forms of social behaviour that call for deeper conceptual analysis. Drawing on evidence from our research in the cybercommunity Second Life, the authors examine the sociology of cybercommunities through the lens of Giddens' abstract theories of modernity. In particular, the authors suggest that an individual's participation in cybercommunities may be gauged using a spectrum of individual responses to particular abstract conditions of modernity. These abstract conditions have interpretations ranging from seeking refuge from the vicissitudes of the real world to pursuing the playful heights of modernity.
Virtual Communities as Subaltern Public Spheres
Authors: Zhang Weiyu
Published: May 2014

The purpose of this work is to develop a theoretical framework to examine virtual community participation using the concept of subaltern public spheres. The theory of subaltern public spheres directs attention to the internal dynamics and external interaction of virtual communities. Internal dynamics first refers to the inclusiveness of participation by looking at the access to virtual communities and the profiles of their participants. The nature of participation, as another aspect of internal dynamics, is estimated through examining the styles of the discourses and the types of participatory acts. The external interaction becomes another major focus of this theoretical framework and urges researchers to study how virtual communities interact with government apparatuses, commercial entities, the dominant public sphere, and other subaltern public spheres through discursive engagement and other means. The theoretical framework is applied to analyze a case of Chinese online public spheres to illustrate the framework's utility.
Child Security in Cyberspace through Moral Cognition
Authors: Prakash Satya , Vaish Abhishek , Coul Natalie , Saravana G. Kumar , Srinidhi T. N. , Botsa Jayaprasad
Published: May 2014

The increasing number of threats in cyberspace has meant that every internet user is at a greater risk than ever before. Children are no exception to this exploitation, incurring psychological and financial stress. Technology is on a persistent pursuit of offering exquisite solution to address the problems associated with children on the cyberspace. With every new product for parental control to secure children, comes a new technique to trespass the same. Consequently it summons an approach to look beyond technology; this paper aims to explore the relevance of moral cognition to decision making capability of children on the internet & the possibility of minimizing related risks using the observation. The authors establish a correlation between cognitive moral development and the cyber vulnerability level of children of age between 12 and 16 years, based on an empirical research using a comprehensive set of questionnaires and standard tests. The findings also paves path for future researchers to further analyze and implant features in the parental control software that would stimulate moral cognition, thereby redefining parental control software as parental care software.
The “Right to be Forgotten” in the Era of Social Media and Cloud Computing
Authors: Giannakaki Maria
Published: May 2014

The globalization and ubiquitous character of information in the era of social media and cloud computing has led to a loss of control over individuals' own data, who face significant difficulties to understand and measure the consequences of the disclosure of their personal information on the Internet, as well as the means and the context in which they are or will be processed. Under the reviewing process of the EU Data Protection Directive, the “right to be forgotten” appears to be the means by which individuals will be able to regain control over their data. However, implementing the new right in the ICT environment and striking the proper balance between conflicting rights, such as the freedom of expression, will not be easy. The purpose of the chapter is to identify the challenges that Web 2.0, Web 3.0, and cloud computing technologies raise, focusing on how these challenges are addressed under the new “right to be forgotten” and providing an insight of the alternative “quasi legal” measures that emerge.
Key Enablers for Knowledge Management for Australian Not-for-Profit Organizations
Authors: Hume Craig , Hume Margee
Published: May 2014

Not-for-Profit (NFPs) organizations operate in an increasingly competitive marketplace for funding, staff and volunteers, and donations. Further, NFPs, both in Australia and internationally, are growing rapidly in number in response to increasing needs for humanitarian services and environmental sustainability that local and national governments and established international aid organizations cannot or struggle to provide effectively. Many NFPs are being driven to adopt more commercial practices in order to improve their donor appeal, government grant applications, staff/volunteer retention, and service delivery. Knowledge Management (KM) is one such “corporate” practice being explored to address the increasingly competitive environment. Although the concept of knowledge management may be basically understood in NFPs, researchers and NFP managers are yet to explore and fully understand the complex inter-relationships of organizational culture, ICT, internal marketing, employee engagement, and performance management as collective enablers on the capture, coordination, diffusion, and renewal of knowledge in a NFP environment. This chapter presents research into the relationship of KM with those enabling elements and presents an implementation model to assist NFPs to better understand how to plan and sustain KM activity from integrated organisational and knowledge worker perspectives. The model emphasises an enduring integrated approach to KM to drive and sustain the knowledge capture and renewal continuum. The model provides an important contribution on “how to” do KM.
Exploring Identity of Non-Native Teachers of English through Narratives of their Experience
Authors: Rostron Magdalena
Published: May 2014

The teaching profession, particularly in the field of TESOL, seems to be in the midst of transition, with teachers facing questions in regard to content, methods, audience, underlying principles, and goals of their teaching and, perhaps most importantly, their own professional identity in and out of the classroom. This chapter explores the issue of teacher identity and position in the fast-changing setting of the Qatari educational system, based on the author's own story as a non-native English-speaking teacher of English in Qatar and incorporating other NNES teachers' narratives. Using interviews and focused analysis of teachers' stories, the author investigates commonalities and contrasts in the way we formulate and practise teaching philosophies, examining how we are/can be teachers, native and non-native alike, in the TESOL landscape of Qatar.
Teaching English Literature to a Heterogeneous Class
Authors: Dutta Sutapa
Published: May 2014

Teaching English Literature to an increasingly heterogeneous class is proving to be a major challenge in recent years, especially with the emphasis on inclusive higher education in India. The differences in educational experiences and socio-cultural background mean that both the learners and the teachers bring to the classroom certain ideas and expectations. A lack of awareness of the socio-cultural relevance of what is being taught, to whom, and how might lead to miscommunication and frustration among the teachers and the learners. The communication gap that exists between producers and receivers of a text can be attributed primarily to linguistic differences and cultural gaps. This chapter addresses some critical questions related to pedagogical interpretations and actions in the classroom: How to teach diverse learners in a complex culturally diverse setting? What challenges do teachers face in importing a foreign literature and how can they make this more relevant and meaningful in a different cultural context? How can classrooms be more interactive and communicative given the fact that students are expressing themselves in a language that for the majority of them is not their first language? This chapter is based on secondary rather than primary research, but it draws on the author's extensive experience of teaching English Literature to college and university students. It highlights the necessity to question the traditional paradigms within which we teach and learn English and also suggests some ways to tackle this problem and to further understand the broader socio-cultural context wherein meaning is contextually determined and constructed.
Sport Events as a Tool for City Marketing
Authors: Barajas Angel , Sánchez-Fernández Patricio
Published: May 2014

Sport events are characterized by their economic potential. Therefore, they have become a key element in revitalizing tourism and a valuable instrument for city marketing managers. This is true not only for mega events but also for medium and small-size events. This chapter focuses on a sport event as an example of how it can be used for these purposes. The authors have chosen the Spanish Swimming Master Championship celebrated in the city of Pontevedra in 2011. The choice of the city is justified by its concern about celebration of sporting events during the last decade as a means of promoting the city and increasing tourism.
The Marketing of the F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix
Authors: Leng H. K.
Published: May 2014

In 2008, the inaugural Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix was held as the first night-time race in the history of Formula One Grand Prix. Through the years, the event had been marketed using various marketing activities. The purpose of this chapter is to provide readers with a better understanding of how F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix markets itself. The chapter begins by examining the history behind motor sports racing events in Singapore. This is followed by a review of the marketing activities of the F1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The last section describes an analysis of spectators' blogs and attempts to shed light on the relative success of the marketing strategies employed. The analysis suggests that the marketing of the event had been successful as there was a high level of awareness of the event and that some spectators indicated the experience was positive and that they would attend the event again. However, the analysis also indicated that there were spectators who were more interested in the concerts held in conjunction with the race rather than the event itself. This remains to be examined in further research.
Sports Tourism Marketing
Authors: Hallmann Kirstin , Dallmeyer Sören , Breuer Christoph
Published: May 2014

Research dealing with the motives of sports tourists from a marketer's perspective remains underdeveloped. This chapter describes the phenomenon of sports tourism and aspires to examine with an empirical study the motives of winter and summer sports tourists. The first sample (n=339) was comprised of active as well as passive summer sports tourists. The second sample (n=477) only focused on active participants being winter sports tourists. Both samples were sharing a particular profile of consumers: The respondents were predominantly male, medium-aged, well-educated, and affluent. Cluster analysis based on the items of involvement and strengths of motivation revealed the clusters Casual and Committed. The Committed cluster showed a higher level of involvement, whereas sport motivation differed between the two clusters. Implications for marketing are presented.
The Role of Sports Marketing in the Global Marketplace
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: May 2014

This chapter introduces the role of sports marketing in the global marketplace, thus explaining the understanding of the concept of sports marketing, internalization of sports, entrepreneurship in sports, branding in sports, sponsorship and sports, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sports, tourism and sports, regional development and sports, marketing and sports, and action sports. Practitioners in the sports management area need to take advantage of the international marketplace for both their business activities and marketing strategies. This chapter focuses on the various different practical and research avenues for international sports marketing. As the world continues to globalize, it is vital that more practical and research inquiry is focused on how to combine both the sport marketing and international business literature in order to establish a research agenda for future international researchers from around the world to focus on international sporting developments. Understanding the role of sports marketing in the global marketplace will significantly enhance the organizational performance and achieve business goals.
Be Stronger Together
Authors: Linder Christian , Seidenstricker Sven
Published: May 2014

Innovations in sports goods are often the results of new materials. Since sport equipment manufacturers have, in many cases, no specialized capabilities in material engineering, they rely on partners who are experts in inventing or further enhancing components. Today there are many business models known that reach from simply buying the component, to licensing, to joint innovation management and beyond. One of these strategies is component branding or co-branding as a way of benefitting from the image or perception of a partner. According to this strategy, a sports equipment producer may signal their partnership with an innovative chemical company to consumers in order to gain spillover, such as increased trust in the innovation, which affects for their final product. In order to conceptualize this strategic approach, this chapter presents a real case and the theoretical background to analyze what companies may gain from co-branding. Furthermore, these insights are used to develop a framework that can be used to understand the basic principals behind such strategy. Finally, the pros and cons are discussed.
The Pollyanna Problem
Authors: Miori Virginia M.
Published: May 2014

The assignment problem serves as the basis for a novel formulation and initial approach to assigning participants in holiday “Pollyanna” gift exchanges. This research presents the formalization of a typical heuristic assignment with constraints as commonly imposed by family and work dynamics. The constraints include restrictions on exchanging within the same nuclear family, restrictions on repeating that same exchanges as the previous year, balancing “good” gifts with “bad” gifts and restricting direct exchanges. A multidimensional assignment problem is formulated and reformulated employing Lagrangian Relaxation.
Cognitive Diagnosis of Students' Test Performance Based on Probability Inference
Authors: Xu Junjie , Chen Rong
Published: May 2014

Cognitive diagnosis is aimed at inferring the degree of cognitive state from observations. This paper considers cognitive diagnosis as an instance of model-based diagnosis, which has been studied in artificial intelligence for many years. The model-based cognitive diagnosis we present runs on a model of students' courses in terms of knowledge items that they may learn, tests them and helps them to understand their faults in cognition, and thus improves their learning performance in an E-learning environment. To do so, courses are formally defined as set of knowledge items with requirement constraints, and associated with a set of exam questions. Moreover, the authors introduce Bayesian net to build a model of cognitive diagnosis, using probabilistic inference on it to help a student understand what knowledge item he/she does not master, and the recommendations like what should be done next. Experimental results show that the group of students with such understanding can improve their testing performance greatly in an E-learning environment. Although the demo system has been integrated with a specific computerized adaptive testing system, the general technique could be applied to a broad class of intelligent tutoring systems.
Life-Long Collections
Authors: Caprani Niamh , Piasek Paulina , Gurrin Cathal , O'Connor Noel E. , Irving Kate , Smeaton Alan F.
Published: May 2014

In this paper the authors investigate the motivations for life-long collections and how these motivations can inform the design of future lifelog systems. Lifelogging is the practice of automatically capturing data from daily life experiences with mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearable cameras. Lifelog archives can benefit both older and younger people; therefore lifelog systems should be designed for people of all ages. The authors believe that people would be more likely to adopt lifelog practices that support their current motivations for collecting items. To identify these motivations, ten older and ten younger participants were interviewed. It was found that motivations for and against life-long collections evolve as people age and enter different stages, and that family is at the core of life-long collections. These findings will be used to guide the design of an intergenerational lifelog browser.
Older Adults with AMD as Co-Designers of an Assistive Mobile Application
Authors: Hakobyan Lilit , Lumsden Jo , O'Sullivan Dympna
Published: May 2014

In the UK, 20% of people aged 75 years and over are living with sight loss and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the UK, impacting nearly 10% of those over 80; regrettably, these figures are expected to increase in coming decades as the population ages (RNIB, 2012). This paper reports on the authors' design activities conducted for the purpose of informing the development of an assistive self-monitoring, ability-reactive technology (SMART) for older adults with AMD. The authors reflect on their experience of adopting and adapting the PICTIVE (Plastic Interface for Collaborative Technology Initiatives through Video Exploration) participatory design approach (Muller, 1992) to support effective design with and for their special needs user group, reflect on participants' views of being part of the process, and discuss the design themes identified via their PD activities.
Atmospheric measurement of point source fossil CO2 emissions
Authors: Turnbull J. C. , Keller E. D. , Baisden T. , Brailsford G. , Bromley T. , Norris M. , Zondervan A.
Published: May 2014

Abstract. We use the Kapuni Gas Treatment Plant to examine methodologies for atmospheric monitoring of point source fossil fuel CO2 (CO2ff) emissions. The Kapuni plant, located in rural New Zealand, removes CO2 from locally extracted natural gas and vents that CO2 to the atmosphere, at a rate of ~0.1 Tg carbon per year. The plant is located in a rural dairy farming area, with no other significant CO2ff sources nearby, but large, diurnally varying, biospheric CO2 fluxes from the surrounding highly productive agricultural grassland. We made flask measurements of CO2 and 14CO2 (from which we derive the CO2ff component) and in situ measurements of CO2 downwind of the Kapuni plant, using a Helikite to sample transects across the emission plume from the surface up to 100 m above ground level. We also determined the surface CO2ff content averaged over several weeks from the 14C content of grass samples collected from the surrounding area. We use the WindTrax plume dispersion model to compare the atmospheric observations with the emissions reported by the Kapuni plant, and to determine how well atmospheric measurements can constrain the emissions. The model has difficulty accurately capturing the fluctuations and short-term variability in the Helikite samples, but does quite well in representing the observed CO2ff in 15 min averaged surface flask samples and in ~ one week integrated CO2ff averages from grass samples. In this pilot study, we found that using grass samples, the modeled and observed CO2ff emissions averaged over one week agreed to within 30%. The results imply that greater verification accuracy may be achieved by including more detailed meteorological observations and refining 14C sampling strategies.
DIAL measurement of lower tropospheric ozone over Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E), Japan, and comparison with a chemistry–climate model
Authors: Uchino O. , Sakai T. , Nagai T. , Morino I. , Maki T. , Deushi M. , Shibata K. , Kajino M. , Kawasaki T. , Akaho T. , Takubo S. , Okumura H. , Arai K. , Nakazato M. , Matsunaga T. , Yokota T. , Kawakami S. , Kita K. , Sasano Y.
Published: May 2014

Abstract. We have improved an ozone DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system, originally developed in March 2010. The improved DIAL system consists of a Nd:YAG laser and a 2 m Raman cell filled with 8.1 × 105 Pa of CO2 gas which generate four Stokes lines (276, 287, 299, and 312 nm) of stimulated Raman scattering, and two receiving telescopes with diameters of 49 and 10 cm. Using this system, 44 ozone profiles were observed in the 1–6 km altitude range over Saga (33.24° N, 130.29° E) in 2012. High-ozone layers were observed at around 2 km altitude during April and May. Ozone column amounts within the 1–6 km altitude range were almost constant (19.1 DU on average) from January to March, and increased to 26.7 DU from late April to July. From mid-July through August, ozone column amounts decreased greatly to 14.3 DU because of exchanges of continental and maritime air masses. Then in mid-September they increased again to 22.1 DU within 1−6 km, and subsequently decreased slowly to 17.3 DU, becoming almost constant by December. The Meteorological Research Institute's chemistry–climate model version 2 (MRI-CCM2) successfully predicted most of these ozone variations with the following exceptions. MRI-CCM2 could not predict the high-ozone volume mixing ratios measured at around 2 km altitude on 5 May and 11 May, possibly in part because emissions were assumed in the model to be constant (climatological data were used). Ozone volume mixing ratios predicted by MRI-CCM2 were low in the 2–6 km range on 7 July and high in the 1–4 km range on 19 July compared with those measured by DIAL.
Past changes in the vertical distribution of ozone – Part 1: Measurement techniques, uncertainties and availability
Authors: Hassler B. , Petropavlovskikh I. , Staehelin J. , August T. , Bhartia P. K. , Clerbaux C. , Degenstein D. , Mazière M. De , Dinelli B. M. , Dudhia A. , Dufour G. , Frith S. M. , Froidevaux L. , Godin-Beekmann S. , Granville J. , Harris N. R. P. , Hoppel K. , Hubert D. , Kasai Y. , Kurylo M. J. , Kyrölä E. , Lambert J.-C. , Levelt P. F. , McElroy C. T. , McPeters R. D. , Munro R. , Nakajima H. , Parrish A. , Raspollini P. , Remsberg E. E. , Rosenlof K. H. , Rozanov A. , Sano T. , Sasano Y. , Shiotani M. , Smit H. G. J. , Stiller G. , Tamminen J. , Tarasick D. W. , Urban J. , van der A R. J. , Veefkind J. P. , Vigouroux C. , von Clarmann T. , von Savigny C. , Walker K. A. , Weber M. , Wild J. , Zawodny J. M.
Published: May 2014

Abstract. Peak stratospheric chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and other ozone depleting substance (ODS) concentrations were reached in the mid- to late 1990s. Detection and attribution of the expected recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer in an atmosphere with reduced ODSs as well as efforts to understand the evolution of stratospheric ozone in the presence of increasing greenhouse gases are key current research topics. These require a critical examination of the ozone changes with an accurate knowledge of the spatial (geographical and vertical) and temporal ozone response. For such an examination, it is vital that the quality of the measurements used be as high as possible and measurement uncertainties well quantified. In preparation for the 2014 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, the SPARC/IO3C/IGACO-O3/NDACC (SI2N) Initiative was designed to study and document changes in the global ozone profile distribution. This requires assessing long-term ozone profile data sets in regards to measurement stability and uncertainty characteristics. The ultimate goal is to establish suitability for estimating long-term ozone trends to contribute to ozone recovery studies. Some of the data sets have been improved as part of this initiative with updated versions now available. This summary presents an overview of stratospheric ozone profile measurement data sets (ground and satellite based) available for ozone recovery studies. Here we document measurement techniques, spatial and temporal coverage, vertical resolution, native units and measurement uncertainties. In addition, the latest data versions are briefly described (including data version updates as well as detailing multiple retrievals when available for a given satellite instrument). Archive location information for each data set is also given.
Isotopomeric characterization of nitrous oxide produced by reaction of enzymes extracted from nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria
Authors: Yamazaki T. , Hozuki T. , Arai K. , Toyoda S. , Koba K. , Fujiwara T. , Yoshida N.
Published: May 2014

Abstract. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and produced in denitrification and nitrification by various microorganisms. Site preference (SP) of 15N in N2O, which is defined as the difference in the natural abundance of isotopomers 14N15NO and 15N14NO relative to 14N14NO, has been reported to be a useful tool to quantitatively distinguish N2O production pathways. To determine representative SP values for each microbial process, we firstly measured SP of N2O produced in the enzyme reaction of hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) purified from two species of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosococcus oceani, and that of nitric oxide reductase (NOR) from Paracoccus denitrificans. The SP value for NOR reaction (−5.9 ± 2.1‰) showed nearly the same value as that reported for N2O produced by P. denitrificans in pure culture. In contrast, SP value for HAO reaction (36.3 ± 2.3‰) was a little higher than the values reported for N2O produced by AOB in aerobic pure culture. Using the SP values obtained by HAO and NOR reactions, we calculated relative contribution of the nitrite (NO2–) reduction (which is followed by NO reduction) to N2O production by N. oceani incubated under different O2 availability. Our calculations revealed that previous in vivo studies might have underestimated the SP value for the NH2OH oxidation pathway possibly due to a small contribution of NO2– reduction pathway. Further evaluation of isotopomer signatures of N2O using common enzymes of other processes related to N2O would improve the isotopomer analysis of N2O in various environments.
Numerical modelling of physical processes governing larval transport in the southern North Sea
Authors: Tiessen M. C. H. , Fernard L. , Gerkema T. , van der Molen J. , Ruardij P. , van der Veer H. W.
Published: May 2014

Abstract. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model (GETM) was coupled with a particle tracking routine (GITM) to study the inter-annual variability in transport paths of particles in the North Sea and English Channel. For validation, a comparison with observed drifter trajectories is also presented here. This research investigated to what extent variability in the hydrodynamic conditions alone (reflecting passive particle transport) contributed to inter-annual variability in the transport of eggs and larvae. In this idealised study, no a priori selection of specific spawning grounds or periods was made and no active behaviour (vertical migration) or mortality was included. In this study, egg and larval development towards coastal nursery areas was based solely on sea water temperature, while settlement areas were defined by a threshold water depth. Results showed strong inter-annual variability in drift direction and distance, caused by a combination of wind speed and direction. Strong inter-annual variability was observed both in absolute amount of settlement in several coastal areas, and in the relative importance of the different areas. The effects of wind and temperature variability are minor for settlement along the western shores of the North Sea and in the English Channel, but have a very significant impact on settlement along the eastern shores of the North Sea. Years with strong south-westerly winds across the Dover Straight resulted in higher settlement figures along its eastern shores of the North Sea (standard deviation 37% of the mean annual settlement value). Settlement in the western Dutch Wadden Sea did not only show inter-annual variability, but patterns were also variable within each year and revealed seasonal changes in the origin of particles: during winter, stronger currents along with colder temperatures generally result in particles originating from further away.
Hospital readmission rates in Medicare
Authors: Erdem Erkan , Tao Fout Betty , Korda Holly , O. Abolude Abisola
Published: May 2014

Hospital readmissions are the focus of many recent efforts to improve quality and reduce spending under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We examined variations in Medicare readmission rates by hospital characteristics (e.g., type, size, utilization) and Medicare patient mix (i.e., share of dual eligible beneficiaries, share of patients under 65 years of age, health status). Using 2010 data from 3,543 short-stay Medicare-certified hospitals, readmission rates were higher for hospitals that served a greater share of patients who were dual-eligible and less healthy; and larger hospitals and hospitals with higher occupancy rates even after controlling for patient mix.
Public Health Depends on Proper Water Main Repair, Disinfection
Authors: Baker Everett
Published: May 2014

A significant number of waterborne disease outbreaks are caused by broken water mains or contamination occurring from construction or repair. These outbreaks emphasize the importance of using proper water main repair and disinfection methods.
Survey Will Boost Knowledge Base for Biofiltration Application and Practices
Authors: Carter Jason T. , Brown Jess , Lauderdale Chance
Published: May 2014

Biofiltration, a reliable process that has been used to purify water for hundreds of years, can address a wide array of regulated and emerging contaminants of concern. However, the water industry lacks a comprehensive set of best practices for biofiltration use. To address this knowledge gap, the Water Research Foundation (WRF) launched Project 4459, Development of a Biofiltration Knowledge Base (http://bit.ly/OsQUdy), to catalog information from high‐rate biofiltration facilities across North America.