bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PGBL inhibits the RAW 264.7 cells to express inflammatory factor
Authors: Zhang Chunmei , Lin Linghui , Li Guirong , Ma Jianan , Han Xu , Fei Rui
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Polysaccharides derived from Ginkgo biloba leaf (PGBL) is a kind of active ingredient came out from ginkgo biloba leaf extractions. Previous studies have shown that PGBL has a good anti-inflammatory effect. However, the mechanism is not clear. This study is to investigate the modulated immunity effect of PGBL on RAW264.7 cells. Here we showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces the expression of tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and this induction can be repressed by PGBL treatment both in protein level and mRNA level, and PGBL strongly reduced the translocation of nuclear factor (NF)- κB to the cell nucleus. These findings demonstrate that PGBL can decrease the sensitivity of monocytes to LPS, and PGBL has applications in systemic inflammation and immune diseases.
Noise induced calcium oscillations in a cell exposed to electromagnetic fields
Authors: Zhang Yuhong , Zhao Yongli , Chen Yafei , Yuan Changqing , Zhan Yong
Published: August 2015

Abstract

The effects of noise on the calcium oscillations in a cell exposed to electromagnetic fields are described by a dynamic model. Noise is a very important factor to be considered in the dynamic research on the calcium oscillations in a cell exposed to electromagnetic fields. Some meaningful results have been obtained here based on the discussion. The results show that the pattern of intracellular calcium oscillations exposure to electromagnetic fields can be influenced by noise. Furthermore, the intracellular calcium oscillations exposure to electromagnetic fields can also be induced by noise. And the work has also studied the relationships between the voltage sensitive calcium channel’s open probability and electromagnetic field. The result can provide new insights into constructive roles and potential applications of selecting appropriate electromagnetic field frequency during the research of biological effect of electromagnetic field.
Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects of Yinzhihuang injection
Authors: Liu Juan , Qiu Hong , Zhu Zhaorong , Zou Tangbin
Published: August 2015

Abstract

The Yinzhihuang injection, a traditional Chinese medicine, has been the recent target of increasing interest due to its anti-inflammatory properties. The molecular basis by which Yinzhihuang injection could cure Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) serositis in ducks is unclear. This study evaluated the antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Yinzhihuang injection, using disease models of RA-induced infectious serositis in ducks and heptane-induced inflammation in mice and rats. The duck mortality rate was reduced from 60% to 20% and both the inflammatory response and histological damage were ameliorated by treatment with Yinzhihuang injection (0.02 g/kg). Further studies indicated that superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were elevated while malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and RA growth were inhibited when the ducks were treated by Yinzhihuang injection. In addition, Yinzhihuang injection (0.04 g/ml) effectively inhibited xylene-induced auricle swelling in mice, (demonstrating an inhibition rate of 35.21%), egg albumen-induced paw metatarsus swelling in rats, (demonstrating an inhibition rate of 22.30%), and agar-induced formation of granulation tissue. These results suggest that Yinzhihuang injection ameliorates RA-induced infectious serositis in ducks by modulation of inflammatory mediators and antioxidation.
Aberrant Wnt-1/beta-catenin signaling and WIF-1 deficiency are important events which promote tumor cell invasion and metastasis in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma
Authors: Wang Ruinan , Geng Ning , Zhou Yuqiao , Zhang Dunfang , Li Longjiang , Li Jing , Ji Ning , Zhou Min , Chen Yu , Chen Qianming
Published: August 2015

Abstract

This study investigates whether Wnt components play a role in carcinogenesis, or the invasion and metastasis of salivary glands, also referred to as adenoid cystic carcinoma (sAdCC). Several sAdCC cell lines with low invasive potential (ACC-2), high metastatic potential (ACC-M), and higher invasive potential (T-ACC-M) were examined to determine whether Wnt components correlate with tumors’ invasive and metastatic behavior. Immunohistochemistry was performed in a sAdCC tissue array. ACC-M expressed higher levels of Wnt-1, beta-catenin and lower WIF-1 compared to ACC-2 (P<0.05). T-ACC-M exhibited increased mRNA of Wnt-1 and beta-catenin, and decreased WIF-1 compared to ACC-2 and ACC-M. Immuno-histochemistry showed up-regulation of Wnt-1 and down-regulation of WIF-1 in sAdCC compared with normal salivary glands. Beta-catenin was found in the cytoplasm and nuclei of sAdCC. Dislocation of E-cadherin in sAdCC was observed. These results suggest that sAdCC exhibits diverse expressions of Wnt components. It has an important relationship with the invasive phenotype of these cells.
Analysis of nervous fiber, muscle, and blood vessels using their ulraviolet near infrared reflectance characteristics
Authors: Tufan Kadir , Belli Ahmet Korkut
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Injury to the nervous system can lead to irreversible problems as nervous tissues have limited regenerative capability. Therefore it is imperative to find an objective, reliable, cheap, and easy-to-apply method that separates nervous fibers from muscles and blood vessels. The aim of this study is to determine structural differences that can aid in easy and reliable identification of nervous fibers. We analyzed light reflectance from these tissues from 230 nm to 1000 nm and found that in the range of 400 nm-600 nm nervous fibers have higher reflectance in comparison to others. Therefore, we generated distinct features in this range and utilized support vector machine to automatically classify samples. Classification performance demonstrated that light reflectance is a good candidate feature that can help to classify nervous tissue.
Peroxynitrite induced fibrinogen site identification
Authors: Luo Yunjing , Shi Jianlong , Li Jingjing
Published: August 2015

Abstract

An increasing number of peroxynitrite-mediated fibrinogen nitrifications have been associated with thrombotic diseases. However, few reports related to priority nitrified fibrinogen injury sites exist. In this paper, an improved method, which simulated the environment in vivo, was used to inspect the structural changes of fibrinogen treated with peroxynitrite and LC-MS/MS in order to investigate the fibrinogen injury sites. The SDS-PAGE results indicated that γ subunits of Fg were vulnerable to oxidative/nitrative modifications induced by peroxynitrite. An in-depth analysis of fibrinogen γ chain (Fg I) nitration site identification and susceptibility to peroxynitrite-utilizing LC-MS/MS strategy was performed. Based on a large dataset, the results indicated the priority injury sites during database searching were Y96, Y262, Y274, Y348, and Y363; these results could be applied to biomedical studies.
Regression models for the quantification of Parkinsonian bradykinesia
Authors: Kim Ji-Won , Kwon Yuri , Yun Ju-Seok , Heo Jae-Hoon , Eom Gwang-Moon , Tack Gye-Rae , Lim Tae-Hong , Koh Seong-Beom
Published: August 2015

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop regression models for the quantification of parkinsonian bradykinesia. Forty patients with Parkinson’s disease participated in this study. Angular velocity was measured using gyro sensor during finger tapping, forearm-rotation, and toe tapping tasks and the severity of bradykinesia was rated by two independent neurologists. Various characteristic variables were derived from the sensor signal. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was performed to develop models predicting the bradykinesia score with the characteristic variables as input. To evaluate the ability of the regression models to discriminate different bradykinesia scores, ANOVA and post hoc test were performed. Major determinants of the bradykinesia score differed among clinical tasks and between raters. The regression models were better than any single characteristic variable in terms of the ability to differentiate bradykinesia scores. Specifically, the regression models could differentiate all pairs of the bradykinesia scores (p<0.05) except for one pair in the finger tapping task and one pair in the toe tapping task. In contrast, any single characteristic variable was found not sensitive enough to discriminate many of the pairs, especially in case of the toe tapping task. The results suggest that the multiple regression models reflecting these differences would be beneficial for the quantification of bradykinesia because the cardinal features included in the determination of bradykinesia score differ among tasks as well as among the raters.
Down-regulation of AKT combined with radiation-induced autophagy and apoptosis roles in MCF-7 cells
Authors: Zhang Jing , Zhao Dali , Xie Zhongwei , Qi Yali
Published: August 2015

Abstract

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conservation process whereby cytoplasm and cellular organelles are degraded in lysosomes for amino acid and energy recycling. Autophagy concurrent with radiotherapy has emerged as a novel approach in breast cancer treatment. Our studies conclude that autophagy and apoptosis can be induced by radiation and inhibition of autophagy can increase apoptosis. In addition, Akt is a molecule that down-regulates autophagy and apoptosis; blocking Akt can enhance autophagy and apoptosis induced by radiation in MCF-7 cells. Akt could become a new focus in breast cancer radiotherapy.
Synthesis, spectroscopic studies of novel N-substituted phthalimides and evaluation of their antibacterial, antioxidant, DNA binding and molecular docking studies
Authors: Nayab Pattan Sirajuddin , Pulaganti Madhusudana , Chitta Suresh Kumar , Oves Mohammad , . Rahisuddin
Published: August 2015

A new series of N-substituted phthalimide derivatives were prepared by condensation of appropriate amount of n-amino tetrachlorophthalimide with respective aldehyde in glacial acetic acid. The structural investigation of the synthesized compounds was done by spectroscopic methods (UV-Vis., IR, 1H and 13C NMR) and elemental analysis. The antibacterial screening of these compounds was performed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus mutans. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their antioxidant potential using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as a scavenging agent. The interaction ability of most promising compounds (3a and 3b) with native calf thymus DNA (Ct-DNA) was also studied by means of UV-Vis., circular dichroism (CD), viscosity measurements and thermal studies. The intrinsic binding constants (Kb) of 3a and 3b with Ct-DNA obtained from UV-Vis. absorption studies were 8 × 104 and 1 × 105, respectively. Molecular docking of target compounds (3a and 3b) against DNA dodecamer d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2 has been carried out. The test compounds exhibited remarkable antibacterial, antioxidant and DNA binding activities.

 
Microsatellite markers for studies with the carnivorous plant Philcoxia minensis (Plantaginaceae)
Authors: Scatigna André V. , Oliveira Fernanda A. , Mantello Camila C. , Francisco Patrícia M. , Souza Anete P. , Simões André O.
Published: August 2015

Premise of the study:

Microsatellite markers were developed for the critically endangered carnivorous species Philcoxia minensis (Plantaginaceae) for further population genetic studies aiming at its conservation.

Methods and Results:

We identified 29 clones containing 40 microsatellites from a genomic enriched library. A total of 27 primer pairs were developed and evaluated in 30 individuals of a natural P. minensis population. Seventeen markers successfully presented amplification products within the expected size range, of which 12 were polymorphic. The expected and observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.03 to 0.65 and from 0.00 to 0.77, respectively. Positive transferability with the related species P. bahiensis was observed for the same 17 markers.

Conclusions:

The 12 polymorphic microsatellite markers are suitable for studies in genetic diversity and structure, mating system, and gene flow in P. minensis and also may be useful for similar issues regarding the related species P. bahiensis.
A facile method for the preparation of bifunctional Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 magnetic and fluorescent nanocrystals
Authors: Labiadh Houcine , Ben Chaabane Tahar , Sibille Romain , Balan Lavinia , Schneider Raphaël
Published: August 2015

Bifunctional magnetic and fluorescent core/shell/shell Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 nanocrystals were synthesized in a basic aqueous solution using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) as a capping ligand. The structural and optical properties of the heterostructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL spectra of Mn:ZnS/ZnS/Fe3O4 quantum dots (QDs) showed marked visible emission around 584 nm related to the 4T1 → 6A1 Mn2+ transition. The PL quantum yield (QY) and the remnant magnetization can be regulated by varying the thickness of the magnetic shell. The results showed that an increase in the thickness of the Fe3O4 magnetite layer around the Mn:ZnS/ZnS core reduced the PL QY but improved the magnetic properties of the composites. Nevertheless, a good compromise was achieved in order to maintain the dual modality of the nanocrystals, which may be promising candidates for various biological applications.
Biodiversity and distribution of macroinfauna assemblages on sandy beaches along the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Spain)
Authors: Reyes-Martínez M. José , Ruiz-Delgado M. Carmen , Sánchez-Moyano Juan Emilio , García-García Francisco José
Published: August 2015

In the current study, the macroinfauna communities inhabiting 12 sandy beaches along the Spanish coast of the Gulf of Cadiz were describe in order to characterize their unexplored biodiversity, their zonation patterns and their environmental features. A total of 66 macroinfauna taxa were recorded on 12 sandy beaches, ranging from 4 to 33 species. Density reached 848 individual per m2. The individual zonation pattern ranged from two to three zones, regardless of the morphodynamic state. A common zonation pattern of the whole set of beaches was established, comprising three across-shore biological zones. Generally, the supralittoral zone was typified by the air-breathing amphipod Talitrus saltator and coleopterans; the middle zone was dominated by true intertidal species, such as Haustoriidae amphipods (Haustorius arenarius), Cirolanidae isopods (Eurydice affinis), Spionidae polychaetes (Scolelepis spp.) and nemerteans; and the lower or sublittoral zone was typified by Pontoporeiidae amphipods, mysids and spionid polychaetes. Sediment moisture, average grain size, organic matter content and elevation were the main predictor variables of zonation patterns. We used the conservation and recreation potential indices to show how this information can be useful for coastal management. Most beaches studied show a score above 5 on the conservation index, so the beaches have a reasonable potential for conservation management.
Tordera River Delta system build up (NE Iberian Peninsula): sedimentary sequences and offshore correlation
Authors: Vila Isabel , Serra Jordi
Published: August 2015

The Tordera River Delta is made up of coarse sand bodies which were formed during the last sea level rise. Marine and land seismic profiles and wells show three depositional Holocene sequences corresponding to a) the transgressive base level, b) the progradant intermediate unit and c) the progradant unit which onlaps the Plio-Pleistocene sequence seawards and the granitic basement on the present delta plain and northern coast. The morphology of the sedimentary bodies, isobath maps and marine geophysical data enabled us to gain fresh insights into the evolution of the delta and its prodelta and into the various relict sand bodies on the inner shelf. The evolution of the coastline can be followed during the prograding process of the lower units from the successive coastal and internal lagoons. These coastal lagoons were conditioned by river changes and basement morphology. Once the sea level maximum was attained, the prograding units covered these morphologies, resulting in the present delta configuration.
Growth and reproduction investment of the young of the year of the squat lobster Munida gregaria (Crustacea: Anomura) in the Patagonian coast
Authors: Varisco Martin , Vinuesa Julio H.
Published: August 2015

The growth and reproduction investment of the young of the year (0+) of the squat lobster Munida gregaria in San Jorge Gulf, Argentina, were analysed. Moult cycle and size frequency distribution were studied in monthly field samples. Experiments to determine moult increments and intermoult duration were conducted. Sexual maturity, fecundity and reproductive output were analysed in field samples. In addition, maturity experiments in laboratory cultures were conducted. After settlement (November), juveniles showed fast growth until winter (July) and growth restarted in September-October. At the beginning of the mating period (early June), males 0+ exhibited mature gonads, whereas females 0+ only showed previtellogenic oocytes. Experimental data showed that females with developed gonads had smaller-size increments in the previous moult. Fecundity and reproductive output were significantly lower in females 0+ than in older females. The early life history of M. gregaria in San Jorge Gulf differs from that of southern populations as those of Beagle Channel and Strait of Magellan due to faster growth and early reproductive investment. Our results suggest that females 0+ of M. gregaria have two investment strategies: early maturity with low fecundity and delayed maturity with higher future fecundity.
Age and growth of Spondyliosoma cantharus (Sparidae) in the Gulf of Tunis
Authors: Mouine-Oueslati Nejla , Ahlem Romdhani , Ines Chater , Ktari Mohamed-Hédi , Chakroun-Marzouk Nadia
Published: August 2015

Age and the growth of the black seabream Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Gulf of Tunis were investigated using scales and otoliths. The length-weight relationship showed that the growth rates were isometric for females whereas males and the whole sample present a positive allometry. The monthly evolution in marginal increment data of scales and otoliths revealed that only one annulus is formed per year in April. Fish length and radii of the scales or otoliths were closely correlated. The von Bertalanffy growth equation was fitted on mean back-calculated length-at-age data, resulting in the parameter values L∞=35.4 cm, k=0.15 y–1 and t0=–0.19 y for scales and L∞=38.6 cm, k=0.10 y–1 and t0=–0.14 y for otoliths. Parameters estimated from scale and otoliths were significantly similar. However, taking into consideration the lower standard deviations of means for estimates based on otolith readings and the higher variance explained by the regression line fitted to otoliths, the latter seem to be more appropriate for ageing S. cantharus. The maximum age of the black seabream of the Gulf of Tunis is 10 years. Large discrepancies in growth parameters between geographic areas are the result of different growth patterns.
An EOG Signal based Framework to Control a Wheel Chair
Authors: Konwar Pushpanjalee , Bordoloi Hemashree
Published: August 2015

Elecrooculogram (EOG) signal extraction is critical in the working of any electrooculography aided system based upon the tracking of the ocular movement of the eye dipole. In this chapter the signals captured using sensors (electrodes), are first amplified, then the noise is removed and then digitized, before being transferred to controller for movement of the wheelchair. Finally, from the muscle sensor, the output is directly being given to the controller to reach the target and complete the control of the movement of the wheelchair. Initially, a potentiometer is used instead of the Ag-Agcl electrodes to test the strength of signal obtained due to the movement of the eyes. Using this wheelchair is quite an advantage because this chair helps a physically handicapped person to move freely without being dependent on anyone else. The research provides a new method for human-machine interface system.
Bloodless Technique to Detect Diabetes using Soft Computational Tool
Authors: Sah Puspalata , Sarma Kandarpa Kumar
Published: August 2015

Detection of diabetes using bloodless technique is an important research issue in the area of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Here we present the working of a system designed to detect the abnormality of the eye with pain and blood free method. The typical features for diabetic retinopathy (DR) are used along with certain soft computing techniques to design such a system. The essential components of DR are blood vessels, red lesions visible as microaneurysms, hemorrhages and whitish lesions i.e., lipid exudates and cotton wool spots. The chapter reports the use of a unique feature set derived from the retinal image of the eye. The feature set is applied to a Support Vector Machine (SVM) which provides the decision regarding the state of infection of the eye. The classification ability of the proposed system for blood vessel and exudate is 91.67% and for optic disc and microaneurysm is 83.33%.
An Approach for Automatic Detection and Grading of Macular Edema
Authors: Medhi Jyoti Prakash
Published: August 2015

Prolonged Diabetes causes massive destruction to the retina, known as Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) leading to blindness. The blindness due to DR may consequence from several factors such as Blood vessel (BV) leakage, new BV formation on retina. The effects become more threatening when abnormalities involves the macular region. Here automatic analysis of fundus images becomes important. This system checks for any abnormality and help ophthalmologists in decision making and to analyze more number of cases. The main objective of this chapter is to explore image processing tools for automatic detection and grading macular edema in fundus images.
Computer Assisted Methods for Retinal Image Classification
Authors: Nirmala S. R. , Sharma Purabi
Published: August 2015

Diabetes maculopathy has become one of the rapidly increasing health threats worldwide. The complication of diabetes associated to retina of the eye is diabetic retinopathy. A patient with the disease has to undergo periodic screening of eye. The ophthalmologists use colour retinal images of a patient acquired from digital fundus camera for disease diagnosis. Limited number of ophthalmology specialists in most of the countries motivates the need for computer based analysis of retinal images using image processing techniques. The results of this process may be used in applications such as, to classify the retinal images into normal and diseased. This could reduce the workload of ophthalmologists, also aid in diagnosis, to make measurements and to look for a change in progression of disease. Some computer based retinal image analysis methods used for the application are briefed in this chapter.
A New Coding Scheme for Data Security in RF based Wireless Communication
Authors: Habib Irfan , Islam Atiqul , Chetia Suman , Saikia Samar Jyoti
Published: August 2015

A radio-controlled (RC) aircraft is controlled remotely by a hand-held transmitter and a receiver within the craft. The working mechanism of such an arrangement designed using an AT89S51 microcontroller is reported in this chapter. The primary focus of the chapter is to describe the design of the interfacing of transceiver module with AT89S51 microcontroller and control the movement of the aircraft according to the instruction given remotely. The microcontroller reads the input given by the user and transmits the data to the receiver at the aircraft. The receiver module receives the transmitted signal and demodulates it and gives the data as serial sequence of bits at the output. The serial data are then given to the decoder which transforms the data from serial to parallel. This set of data is used to control motors and any related device. A special coding technique is used to secure the transmitted data.
Different Aspects of Interleaving Techniques in Wireless Communication
Authors: Das Barnali , Sarma Manash Pratim , Sarma Kandarpa Kumar
Published: August 2015

This chapter describes the use of certain interleavers for use in a wireless communication set for better accuracy and constancy of the transmitted data. Different interleaver techniques and methods are explored, including the variation of associated system parameters. The performance derived is discussed and the most suitable design is ascertained which is essential for better reliability of a wireless communication system. Bit Error Rate (BER), computational time, mutual information and correlation are the parameters analysed, in case of four types of interleavers viz. general block interleaver, matrix interleaver, random interleaver and convolutional interleaver, considering a fading environment. The hardware implementation using a block interleaver is reported here as a part of this work that shows encouraging results and maybe considered to be a part of a communication system with appropriate modifications.
Effects of Annotations on Inferring Meaning within a Listening Comprehension Environment
Authors: Jones Linda C.
Published: August 2015

In this chapter, the author analyzes students' abilities to understand aural texts while accessing annotated information in a multimedia-based environment. In particular, the study examines inferencing in the aural environment and students' abilities to infer meaning from an aural text when processing it in one of four treatments: the aural passage 1) with no annotations; 2) with pictorial annotations only; 3) with written annotations only or; 4) with written and pictorial annotations. Overall, students who accessed pictorial and/or written annotations most often inferred meaning significantly better compared to those who did not access such annotations. And too, while the relationship of recall and inferencing was highly correlated based on annotation type, the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and inferencing based on annotation type was not strong.
Intelligent Design of Captions in Interactive Multimedia Listening Environments
Authors: Turel Vehbi
Published: August 2015

In this chapter, 48 language learners' perceptions towards the presence of captions at the first listening (i.e. the while listening stage) in an IME that aimed to enhance the language learners' listening skills as a part of learning English as a second language were investigated. The language learners were autonomous intermediate (and upper intermediate) non-native speakers (NNSs). The results reveal that captions should not be available at the while-listening stage in IMEs for FLL/SLL. The availability of the captions at the while-listening stage in IMEs for FLL/SLL seems to make language learners rely on captions. Instead, the unavailability of the captions at the while-listening stage in IMEs for FLL/SLL seems to: (1) help language learners to focus on listening texts, (2) encourage language learners to try to understand listening texts without captions help and (3) encourage and motivate language learners to listen to / view the listening texts more.
The Removal of Target Language Captioning Supports
Authors: Leveridge Aubrey Neil
Published: August 2015

This chapter discusses captioning support in second language instruction and its subsequent removal. Prior research has focused on the addition of captions, viewing captioning support as similar to other types of supports. However, captioning is unlike other instructional supports in that it provides an alternative route from which to gather complete comprehension, in turn fostering learner reliance on the support. Accordingly, this chapter argues that the removal of this support may negatively affect learners. The current paper reports on an empirical study that gathered learner perceptions regarding caption reliance, caption addition and removal. The data reveals that perceptions are affected by learner proficiency. A framework was created to assist language instructors and course developers to make informed choices regarding the addition and removal of captioning support.
Intelligent Design of the Post-Listening Tasks in Interactive Multimedia Listening Environments
Authors: Turel Vehbi
Published: August 2015

The objective of this chapter is to clearly demonstrate through concrete examples how affective and efficient post-listening tasks for autonomous intermediate and upper-intermediate (intermediate) language learners can be designed and created in interactive multimedia listening environments (IMLEs) as a part of foreign/second language learning (FLL/SLL) process. Thus, in this chapter, firstly the definition of autonomy is slightly touched on. Secondly, the categorisation of autonomy is briefly explained. Thirdly, a separate part on multimedia listening environments and the nature of the listening stages and tasks in such environments is presented. Mainly and finally, what need to be taken into account in order to be able to design and create pedagogically and psychologically effective and useful post-listening tasks for autonomous intermediate language learners in IMLEs is accounted for in detail.
English Major Students' Attitudes towards Movies and Series as Language Learning Resources
Authors: Zengin Buğra , Doğan Duygu , Çubukçu Feryal
Published: August 2015

This chapter focuses on the attitudes of the fourth-year English Language Teaching (ELT) students towards strategies related to using movies and series as foreign language learning resources. The subjects were teacher candidates (at a state university in the west of Turkey). The current study demonstrates that foreign-language majors are not immune to downsides of a low-exposure EFL setting. The participants also state that only their family members - but not friends - are likely to cause a shift to the dubbed version of movie/series they want to view in the original language and with L2 captions (intralingual captions / in the source language) otherwise. This study suggests that backseat TV systems on buses can provide solutions. The backseat TV systems are welcome by most of the participants, in particular by those whose intercity travelling habits are found to be quite high.
Using 3-D Virtual Learning Environments to Improve Listening Skill
Authors: Zengin Ramazan
Published: August 2015

The recent developments in educational technologies have given opportunity to the use of various Internet-based resources, apps and Interactive Multimedia Software. This variety has provided freedom for foreign language learners to reach multiple sources of technology. The immersive nature of 3-D virtual learning environments such as the Second Life may provide many new opportunities for authentic communication, cooperative creation of content, and multiple modes of information processing in the context of foreign language learning. This chapter will discuss how these new technologies can be used in language classrooms to improve students' listening skill which is important for effective communication. In the digital age, new technologies are repositioning listening as an important ‘new' literacy where new resources can be used to provide a better learning-teaching context. Today's young people known as “digital natives” are born into a digital world, and they spend hours in front of their digital devices.
The Making of the Information Society
Authors: Thomas P.E.
Published: August 2015

Unlike the decisive occupations which facilitated the unambiguous naming of the agricultural and industrial societies, the present one which is tagged with an array of groupings—Post-Industrial, Service, Knowledge, Post-modern, Wired/Networked, Artificial, so on and so forth—can hardly ever be viewed from the perspective of a single occupation. With technology in the forefront working as the driver of information and knowledge, it supports and causes the rampant changes in the provinces of economy, occupation, spatial relations, and culture. And, together they signify the arrival of the ‘Information Society'. The obvious shift of a considerable population from the landed labour to industrial labour to knowledge workers marks the transitional phase of the society from agriculture to manufacturing to knowledge society. Hence, this chapter proposes that the dominant phase of a society is not to be visualised as an independent system that is divorced from the other two, but to be understood as an extension of its past.
A Design Framework for Evolving a Citizen-Centric Information Society
Authors: Malhotra Charru
Published: August 2015

Typically, designers of ICT based initiatives tend to consider the emerging trends of information and communication technology (ICT) as the starting point for designing an e-initiative rather than first inculcating a clarity on what services are to be delivered by such e-initiatives. ‘Technology first' or ‘Citizens First' is a conflict all designers have been confronted with, especially in the wake of all technology trends infesting the world now. To resolve this dichotomy, the present study proposes a citizen-centric framework, christened by author as G2C2G framework, which advocates combining technology in equal measures with the respective ‘socio-cultural issues' of the local populace.
The Thin-Blue Web
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: August 2015

This chapter using an empirical data-driven approach to investigate crime recording logs of South Wales Police relating to Internet trolling byand towards different sexes. The chapter finds more favourable attitudes towards women as victims in even the most trivial of cases. It finds male victims of trolling are only treated as victims when a form of unwanted face-to-face encounter is needed for action. The chapter shows transferring police powers to local authorities, can cut the cost of community policing by 50% across the board and eliminate sexist attitudes also. The chapter finds that the way social media platforms are exercising ‘sysop prerogative' where they have no right to – such as not passing over account information on alleged defamers – puts a huge burden on police resources. Using local authorities, which have many of the same powers as the police and indeed more, can resolve problems without the need to criminalise offenders.
The Empirical Analysis of Cloud Computing Services among the Hungarian Enterprises
Authors: Sasvari Peter , Nagymate Zoltán
Published: August 2015

Innovation capability has increasingly been searched by the ICT sector in cloud computing applications recently. This chapter describes the economic potentials of cloud computing and explores the characteristics of its usage among Hungarian enterprises. Although enterprises are aware of the basic concept of cloud computing, they have concerns about its application mainly due to data security issues and the lack of education. The chance of using cloud computing services is mainly facilitated by the creation of easier application and consultation would positively affect their usage. According to microenterprises and corporations, faster information flow and remote access are the key benefits of cloud usage. In the case of small-sized enterprises, the two main advantages are easier system recoverability and a higher level of mobility in case of a system breakdown. For the medium-sized enterprises, remote access and greater data security were the key benefits of using cloud computing services in 2014.
Use of Social Media for Policing
Authors: Manzoor Amir
Published: August 2015

An overwhelming amount of information (and misinformation) is available on today's social media sites (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube). Law enforcement agencies actively seek to leverage these resources to improve services and communication with public. Various factors have forced law enforcement agencies to have an active voice on social media. This chapter examines the growing interest of police forces in the use of social media to engage groups previously uninvolved in discussion of community policing and for deliberation about priorities of police forces. The chapter concludes that police forces, in general, have been able to exploit the networked characteristics of social media and the potential of user-generated content. Recommendations are provided to achieve more ambitious aims for using social media for policing.
E-Governance for Socio Economic Welfare
Authors: Arya Umesh Kumar
Published: August 2015

In this chapter, the author has discussed India's first rainbow e-governance project encompassing the “ICTs, e-governance, rural development and access to the basic administrative services” aspects in India's hinterland and one of the most backward regions. The paper argues for the “socio economic welfare” stance of the ICTs and the resultants benefits thereof. The present study investigates the socio-economic aspect of community e-governance project named Gyandoot in remote villages of Madhya Pradesh. Out of 18 services offered by Gyandoot, people fully utilized only 3 services (land records, exam results and addressing public grievances) which lead to the considerable fulfillment of target audience's needs (felt needs and expected needs) and improvement in their work efficiency by high scores on convenience, satisfaction, time, cost, reliability and overall benefits factors and a reduction in the time and money for government service delivery. However, Gyandoot could not fare impressively well on spurt in employment and economic activity fronts thus leading to only moderate gains. Only 17% of the Gyandoot's potential could be utilized and 39% was used moderately. Rest 44% could not be utilized at all due to less demand of services. ‘Optimism in IT hardware' and ‘development of entrepreneurial attitude' were the most noticeable aspects of economic activity generated. The study also posits a few very important questions on the sustainability, interoperability and hierarchical issues relating to the project.
The Potential of Social Media as a Communication Tool in Rural Community Development
Authors: Wims Pádraig
Published: August 2015

This chapter analyses the social media site Facebook as a communication tool in rural community development. The analysis was focused on the Facebook page of one rural community in Ireland. The research was conducted using a mixed method approach, using Facebook insights, key informant interviews, and questionnaires. The evolution of the Facebook page was documented. The study presents the attitudes towards the Facebook page of users and non-Facebook users. The findings indicate that friends of the community Facebook page believe it plays a vital role in their community forging debate, discussion and higher levels of participation. The non-Facebook users have made the conscious decision not to engage with Facebook, but nonetheless are aware of Facebook and on occasion, kept informed indirectly from sources close to them. Overall the research presented in this chapter illustrates that Facebook can be an effective communication tool in community development even in rural areas.
Contingency Factors Impacting the Rural Information and Communication Technology Hubs
Authors: Govindaraju P , Mabel M Maani
Published: August 2015

A thorough glance of the ICT and development researches reveal that the qualitative studies reasonably depend on the grounded theory as it is obtained from the phenomenon unlike the study begins with the theory and proves it. Most of the researches concentrated on the adoption of technology, receptiveness of the target audience, organizational structure of the project agencies and of course, the impact of intervention. Fewer researches have been done to gauge the factors affecting the positive or negative impact of the technology. None of the above stated theories were relevant except meta-theoretical perspectives of ICT and society. The authors propose a chapter discusses the contingency factors which affect the positive or negative impact of the rural Information and Communication Technology hubs in India by analyzing the researches which were published after the year 2000. It shall be specifically dealing with the researches which are based on primary data. Thus it could reflect the challenges the Indian rural ICT initiatives face.
ISO14001
Authors: Hamzah Hanafi , Karim Shahrim , Camillo Angelo , Holt Svetlana
Published: August 2015

In the last decades, the tourism and hospitality industries have increased their awareness toward environmental sustainability and the application of Environmental Management Systems (EMS). However, research into EMS application and its challenges in the hospitality industry has been left out of sight. In fact, it appears that most hospitality and tourism organizations have neglected to adopt and implement EMS and have failed to recognize the benefits EMS can offer. Perhaps this may explain mixed findings on EMS success adoption and implementation to date. This conceptual paper investigates the challenges and opportunities within the concept of sustainability and aims to sum the existing knowledge on EMSs and the opportunities for its successful implementation in tourism and hospitality establishments. The findings will raise awareness of the importance of EMS and stimulate changes in the way management puts its effort toward enhancing the value these establishments put on adoption and implementation of EMS.
Role of Social Media in Tourism
Authors: Nadda Vipin K. , Dadwal Sumesh Singh , Mulindwa Dirisa , Vieira Rubina
Published: August 2015

Revolutionary development in field of communication and information technology have globally opened new avenue of marketing tourism and hospitality products. Major shift in web usage happened when Napster in 1999 released peer-to-peer share media and then with pioneer social networking websites named ‘Six Degrees'. This kind of interactive social web was named as ‘Web 2.0'. It would create openness, community and interaction. Web2. is also known as Social media base. Social media is incudes “all the different kinds of content that form social networks: posts on blogs or forums, photos, audio, videos, links, profiles on social networking web sites, status updates and more”. It allows people to create; upload post and share content easily and share globally. Social media allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content and experiences online. Thus, social media is any kind of information we share with our social network, using social networking web sites and services.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Authors: Di Virgilio Francesca , Presenza Angelo , Sheehan Lorn R.
Published: August 2015

This chapter analyzes organizational citizenship behavior of permanent versus contingent employees in the Italian hospitality industry. The empirical data were derived from a questionnaire survey conducted in three regions of Southern Italy. Survey respondents were 848 frontline employees from 63 hotels. Findings show that contingent employees exhibited less helping behavior than permanent employees but no difference in their voice behavior. In addition, work status was found to make more of a difference in both helping and voice in less work centrality organizations. Hotel managers are encouraged to focus attention on individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization. Particularly in Italy, it would be advantageous to develop retention strategies for talented people that exhibit a high degree of organizational citizenship behavior.
The Influence of National Culture on Customer Service Experience
Authors: Liao Ying Ying , Soltani Ebrahim , Wang Wei-Yuan
Published: August 2015

Hofstede's cultural framework has been very instrumental in furthering an understanding of cross-cultural management and taken center stage as the dominant cultural paradigm to show respect for norms, values, and management styles across cultures. However, resent research on cross-cultural management suggests to go beyond Hofstede's cultural framework and use non-Western, Asian cultural norms which might provide additional insights into the impact of cultural values on service quality dimensions and the resultant implications for customer expectations and satisfaction. This chapter attends to this call and examines the practice of service quality in hospitality sector in the Republic of China (Taiwan) so it may serve as a reference point against which to interpret the fieldwork data of cross-cultural service quality research and its implications for customers' perceptions towards service quality.
Tourism Development in Least Developed Countries
Authors: Saner Raymond , Yiu Lichia , Filadoro Mario
Published: August 2015

Effective tourism strategies of a developing country can create revenue generating opportunities (tax revenues) and provide sustainable employment for semi-skilled or unskilled workers. Such tourism development strategies require systemic thinking and comprehensive investment portfolio strategies regarding the tourism industry as a whole, i.e. going beyond investing in hotels, but also including transportation infrastructure, catering, restaurants, safe water, financial system etc. In other words, the destination countries need to review their tourism value & supply chains and identify structural impediments to the full utilization of their tourism assets and facilities. This chapter shows how Least Developed Countries (LDCs) can define their tourism sector development and suggests a framework which can be used by a LDC to assess its tourism development potential. It can also be used by potential investors interested in investing in an LDC's tourism sector who need to understand the broader context of doing business in LDCs.
Lesotho, a Tourism Destination
Authors: Yiu Lichia , Saner Raymond , Lee Marcus Raphael
Published: August 2015

The objective of this chapter is to map and analyze the available tourism assets and products in the Kingdom of Lesotho. The analysis includes assessments on how to improve performance and sustainability of the tourism industry in Lesotho including greater utilization of existing tourism infrastructure and further development of Lesotho's tourism products. This chapter also addresses the strategic issues of tourism development and how Lesotho could increase the number of its tourists. Tourism development has been identified by the government of Lesotho, the International Monetary Fund as well as the United Nations World Tourism Organization as a sector that can reduce poverty as well as absorb low or semi skilled labor. Boosting the tourism sector in Lesotho would work towards alleviating poverty in the Kingdom overall. This chapter applies a case approach in order to illustrate potential investment opportunities and tourism performance improvements in an existing ski resort in Lesotho.