bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Leptin regulates MMP-2, TIMP-1 and collagen synthesis via p38 MAPK in HL-1 murine cardiomyocytes
Authors: Schram Kristin , Girolamo Sabrina , Madani Siham , Munoz Diana , Thong Farah , Sweeney Gary
Published: August 2010

A clear association between obesity and heart failure exists and a significant role for leptin, the product of the obese gene, has been suggested. One aspect of myocardial remodeling which characterizes heart failure is a disruption in the balance of extracellular matrix synthesis and degradation. Here we investigated the effects of leptin on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) expression, as well as collagen synthesis in HL-1 cardiac muscle cells. Gelatin zymographic analysis of MMP activity in conditioned media showed that leptin enhanced MMP-2 activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Leptin is known to stimulate phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in cardiac cells and utilization of the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, demonstrated that this kinase also plays a role in regulating several extracellular matrix components, such that inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling prevented the leptin-induced increase in MMP-2 activation. We also observed that leptin enhanced collagen synthesis determined by both proline incorporation and picrosirius red staining of conditioned media. Pro-collagen type-I and pro-collagen type-III expression, measured by real-time PCR and Western blotting were also increased by leptin, effects which were again attenuated by SB203580. In summary, these results demonstrate the potential for leptin to play a role in mediating myocardial ECM remodeling and that the p38 MAPK pathway plays an important role in mediating these effects.
Lynch Debord: About Two Psychogeographies
Authors: Wood Denis
Published: August 2010

Psychogeography emerged entirely independently in Paris in the 1950s and in the Boston area in the 1950s and 1960s, in the wildly disparate practices of the Situationists and of planners and geographers. At the same time that Guy Debord was creating psychogeography in Paris, MIT planning professor Kevin Lynch was laying the groundwork for what at Clark University in the late 1960s became psychogeography for David Stea and his students. Both practices were equally committed to the development of an objective description of the relationship between the urban environment and the psychic life of individuals, both depended heavily on walking as a method, and both produced maps that have become iconic.
Crash Generation Models: Forecasting Crashes in Urban Areas
Authors: Naderan Ali , Shahi Jalil
Published: August 2010

Traffic safety has been a major concern in many developing countries during the past two decades. Rapid growth in car ownership and use has extensively increased exposure to traffic crashes. Current practice regarding crashes is based mainly on short-term traffic engineering measures. However, one important issue in dealing with traffic crashes is long-range safety plans that account for future changes in transportation demand. This planning requires specialized tools and methods to forecast crash frequencies. One such tool is the aggregate (macro-level) crash prediction model. This research introduces crash generation models (CGMs), which are developed on the basis of the trip generation phase of the four-step demand modeling technique. These models are capable of forecasting the number of crashes in urban traffic analysis zones on the basis of the forecast number of trips generated by purpose. CGMs may be used for immediate checking of the effect of future trip generations on crash frequencies in comprehensive transportation planning studies (i.e., the ability to forecast crashes at each time-step when trips are being forecast). These models will help safety planners develop travel-demand management scenarios and simultaneously assess their perceived effects on the overall safety of urban areas. The models prove an effective step toward incorporating safety into long-range transportation planning.
Suggestions concerning School Traffic Control Devices
Authors: Fitzpatrick Kay , Brewer Marcus A. , Park Eun Sug
Published: August 2010

School speed zones are frequently requested as traffic controls for school areas on the basis of the common belief that if a transportation agency would install a reduced speed limit, then drivers would no longer speed through an area. A Texas research project was initiated to review existing practices and to develop guidelines concerning the establishment of school zones. Researchers sought to answer several questions about the relationships between operating speed and reduced-speed school zones. Researchers documented existing knowledge through a review of previous research on the effectiveness of devices, surveys of practitioners and law enforcement officers, and a review of existing school zone guidelines and warrants. In addition, researchers collected speed data at 24 school zones, focusing the analysis on unique characteristics of reduced-speed school zones, such as length, duration, and time of day relative to the start and end of school. Of particular interest was the finding that longer school zones do not result in lower speeds for a longer distance; speeds increased approximately 0.9 mph for every 500 ft of school zone length. Findings from the analysis and discussions with practitioners were used to develop guidelines for traffic control devices, including school speed zones, near schools in Texas. The guidelines were designed to serve as a supplement to the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the manual Procedures for Establishing Speed Zones. This paper focuses on the findings from the field studies and presents suggestions concerning school traffic control devices.
Relative Visibility of Internally versus Externally Illuminated On-Premise Signs
Authors: Garvey Philip M. , Damin Stephen J. , Pietrucha Martin T. , Deptuch Damian
Published: August 2010

Poorly visible on-premise commercial signs have been associated with reduced safety because drivers trying to locate and make sense of these signs may drive slower than the rest of traffic and perform erratic, last-second maneuvers. One of the main reasons for reduced sign visibility is poor sign lighting. In addressing this issue, research has demonstrated that internally illuminated on-premise signs have 40% to 60% greater visibility than externally illuminated signs on a controlled test track. Even so, an ever-increasing number of jurisdictions are implementing sign ordinances that prohibit the use of internally illuminated on-premise signs, mainly for aesthetic reasons. The objective of this research was to expand on the earlier test track research by evaluating the relative visibility of internally and externally illuminated signs on open roads in the real world. The results of this research clearly demonstrate the superiority of internally illuminated signs across a wide variety of driving conditions, sign offsets, sizes, shapes, colors, external lighting designs, and quality.
Effects of Rating Training on Inter-Rater Consistency for Developing a Dental Hygiene Clinical Rater Qualification System
Authors: Park Jeong Ran , Oh Jung Sook , Chae Moungae , Jung Jae Yeon , Bae Sung Suk
Published: August 2010

We tried to develop itemized evaluation criteria and a clinical rater qualification system through rating training of inter-rater consistency for experienced clinical dental hygienists and dental hygiene clinical educators. A total of 15 clinical dental hygienists with 1-year careers participated as clinical examination candidates, while 5 dental hygienists with 3-year educations and clinical careers or longer participated as clinical raters. They all took the clinical examination as examinees. The results were compared, and the consistency of competence was measured. The comparison of clinical competence between candidates and clinical raters showed that the candidate group?占퐏 mean clinical competence ranged from 2.96 to 3.55 on a 5-point system in a total of 3 instruments (Probe, Explorer, Curet), while the clinical rater group?占퐏 mean clinical competence ranged from 4.05 to 4.29. There was a higher inter-rater consistency after education of raters in the following 4 items: Probe, Explorer, Curet, and insertion on distal surface. The mean score distribution of clinical raters ranged from 75% to 100%, which was more uniform in the competence to detect an artificial calculus than that of candidates (25% to 100%). According to the above results, there was a necessity in the operating clinical rater qualification system for comprehensive dental hygiene clinicians. Furthermore, in order to execute the clinical rater qualification system, it will be necessary to keep conducting a series of studies on educational content, time, frequency, and educator level.
‘How many taxis there needs to be?’ The sociolinguistic variation of need to in spoken British English
Authors: Nokkonen Soili
Published: August 2010

This paper explores need to, a semi-modal of obligation and necessity, and its semantic variation in connection with the sociolinguistic variables of gender, age and social class in the spoken demographic part of the British National Corpus. The semantic/pragmatic uses of need to include internal, deontic, dynamic and epistemic domains based both on traditional concepts and cross-linguistic studies. The sociolinguistic analysis applies the generalisations by Labov, but pays attention to the interactional styles and the communicative needs of the various social groups as well. The results reveal that need to is undergoing change. It shows monotonic distribution among adults, but it is slightly more common among men than women, and, in terms of social class, the upper middle class takes the lead. The semantic variation corroborates these findings – older speakers stick to the more traditional domains – but also reflects the gendered life stages and discourse styles of the speaker groups.
Reactivation of Human Acetylcholinesterase and Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibited by Leptophos-Oxon with Different Oxime Reactivators in Vitro
Authors: Jun Daniel , Musilova Lucie , Pohanka Miroslav , Jung Young-Sik , Bostik Pavel , Kuca Kamil
Published: August 2010

We have evaluated in vitro the potency of 23 oximes to reactivate human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibited by racemic leptophos-oxon (O-[4-bromo-2,5-dichlorophenyl]-O-methyl phenyl-phosphonate), a toxic metabolite of the pesticide leptophos. Compounds were assayed in concentrations of 10 and 100 µM. In case of leptophos-oxon inhibited AChE, the best reactivation potency was achieved with methoxime, trimedoxime, obidoxime and oxime K027. The most potent reactivators of inhibited BChE were K033, obidoxime, K117, bis-3-PA, K075, K074 and K127. The reactivation efficacy of tested oximes was lower in case of leptophos-oxon inhibited BChE.
Alley Farming in Thailand
Authors: Ogunlana Elizabeth Adebola , Noomhorm Athapol , Silakul Teerapol
Published: August 2010

Poverty alleviation and environmental preservation are very important issues to many governments. Alley farming is beneficial to the environment because it conserves soil and sustains yields over time. Specifically, alley farming reduces soil erosion, which is a major problem in Thailand. Alley farming was conducted on a farmer’s field at Khaokwan Thong, a village in Uthaithani Province, Northern Thailand. We did a two-by-two factorial with and without alley farming, and with and without fertilizer. From this study, we observed that the two species used, Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia auriculiformis, grow well in Thailand, and that alley farming is suitable for Thailand. Few Thai farmers have heard about alley farming. However, it is nevertheless useful to know that there is potential for alley farming in Thailand using the two species. These plants, based upon the diameter and height measurements provided, grew well.
Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Function in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Nighttime-Release Prednisone
Authors: ALTEN RIEKE , DÖRING GISELA , CUTOLO MAURIZIO , GROMNICA-IHLE ERIKA , WITTE STEPHAN , STRAUB RAINER , BUTTGEREIT FRANK
Published: August 2010

Objective.

To investigate the effects of longterm low-dose chronotherapy with modified-release (MR) prednisone for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as part of the Circadian Administration of Prednisone in Rheumatoid Arthritis (CAPRA-1) study. This consisted of a 3-month active-controlled phase and a 9-month open-label extension with MR prednisone including patients previously treated with prednisone (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00146640).

Methods.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) tests were performed on 28 patients at 3 timepoints: at baseline on prestudy immediate-release (IR) prednisone, after the 3-month double-blind phase on either IR prednisone or MR prednisone, and after the 9-month open-label extension on MR prednisone. Changes of cortisol were assessed and compared to individual patients’ efficacy and safety data.

Results.

The increase (mean, SD) of cortisol plasma concentrations after injection of corticorelin was 5.5 (4.37) μg/dl on IR prednisone at baseline (n = 21) and 5.3 (4.07) μg/dl on MR prednisone at 12 months (n = 22). Numbers of normal/suppressed/no response reactions did not differ among treatments. Switching from IR to MR prednisone did not influence responses, nor did longterm treatment of up to 12 months with MR prednisone. No worsening of adrenal impairment was observed on treatment with nighttime-release prednisone in patients with low responsiveness to CRH testing before the treatment with MR prednisone.

Conclusion.

Treatment with nighttime-release prednisone did not change adrenocortical function over 12 months. We presume that chronotherapy with this nighttime-release prednisone may improve the efficacy of longterm low-dose glucocorticoid treatment in patients with RA.
1er après-propos.
Authors: Siegal Michael
Published: August 2010

Accès au langage et raisonnement de type théorie de l’esprit: recherches avec des enfants sourds signeurs natifs Ce commentaire a pour objectif de souligner les aspects fondamentaux des résultats récents concernant le raisonnement de type théorie de l’esprit (TOM) chez les jeunes enfants et ses relations avec l’accès au langage. Â maints égards, il apparaît désormais clairement que le raisonnement de type TOM et plus généralement les aspects de la mentalisation qui lui sont associés comme la compréhension des émotions, sont indépendants de l’acquisition de la syntaxe et d’autres aspects du langage, mais sont liés par contre à l’utilisation du langage comme base de discussion à propos des états mentaux. Les recherches avec les enfants sourds signeurs natifs et issus de familles de sourds sont particulièrement démonstratives de ce point de vue. Avec des environnements langagiers similaires à la maison, les enfants signeurs natifs bilingues qui ont accès à la fois au langage signé et au langage parlé à l’école ont des performances en TOM bien supérieures aux enfants qui sont dans des écoles oralistes où l’accès au langage signé est absent. De tels résultats suggèrent que l’expression d’une TOM chez les signeurs natifs pourrait être stimulée par la pratique et l’automatisation, dans un environnement où l’accès au langage natif (naturel) est continu. Dans ce cas, les enfants ont des conditions optimales pour maîtriser les aspects de la conversation portant sur les états mentaux avec toutes les implications qui en découlent dans l’évaluation métareprésentationnelle, et en particulier les états épistémiques de croyance vraie ou fausse.
Introduction : Comportements et représentations d'attachement dans l'enfance
Authors: Zaouche-Gaudron Chantal , Pierrehumbert Blaise
Published: August 2010

RÉSUMÉ À partir de la procédure des « Histoires d’attachement à compléter », proposée par Inge Bretherton au début des années 1990, plusieurs systèmes de codage ont été développés en vue d’opérationnaliser la notion de « Modèles internes opérants », ceci en s’appuyant sur les narratifs produits par les enfants. Depuis plus de quinze ans, ces procédures ont suscité de nombreuses recherches et s’avèrent productives tant en psychologie du développement que dans le champ de la recherche clinique. L’objectif principal de ce numéro thématique est de faire le point sur l’utilisation des narratifs d’enfants en vue d’explorer les représentations mentales au sujet des relations proches, ainsi que d’analyser la construction et l’intériorisation des relations d’attachement dans différents contextes de vie.
Les narratifs d'enfants et leur lien avec les comportements d'attachement précoce
Authors: Sher-Censor E. , Oppenheim D.
Published: August 2010

RÉSUMÉ La découverte centrale de la théorie de l’attachement dans ses développements récents est que la caractéristique la plus pertinente des narratifs, lorsque l’on évalue la qualité des représentations d’attachement, est la cohérence du récit ; le contenu du narratif est à cet égard moins pertinent. Le but de cet article est d’illustrer cette distinction entre cohérence et contenu du narratif dans les productions d’enfants, ainsi que de mettre en lien ces caractéristiques avec la qualité de l’attachement à la mère, évaluée dans la petite enfance à l’aide de la situation étrange. La procédure utilisée est le MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB). Une échelle de cohérence évalue la fluidité du narratif aussi bien que la reconnaissance, la compréhension du problème et sa résolution. L’examen du contenu du narratif de l’enfant se réfère à la façon dont les protagonistes sont représentés comme compétents émotionnellement dans des situations stressantes. Le MSSB comprend des débuts d’histoires qui couvrent un éventail de problèmes émotionnels plus vaste que les thèmes d’attachement, ce qui permet de distinguer les caractéristiques des productions d’enfants dans des histoires comportant des thèmes variés.
Les représentations d'attachement des enfants accueillis et des enfants adoptés
Authors: Euillet Séverine , Spencer Rosario , Troupel Olivia , Fresno Andrés , Zaouche-Gaudron Chantal
Published: August 2010

RÉSUMÉ L’objectif de cette contribution est d’analyser la qualité des représentations d’attachement des enfants adoptés et accueillis dans leur nouvel environnement familial. Les principaux travaux concernant l’étude de l’évolution des représentations d’attachement tout au long du développement du sujet, tendent à montrer une certaine continuité de la qualité des modèles internes opérants (MIO) au sein des dyades mère-enfant « tout-venant ». Qu’en est-il lorsque l’enfant doit construire des relations d’attachement avec de multiples figures significatives ? Les résultats de deux recherches, l’une menée auprès d’enfants accueillis en famille d’accueil (N = 36, m = 57 mois) et l’autre auprès d’enfants adoptés (N = 25, m = 56 mois), obtenus à l’aide des « Histoires à compléter » (Bretherton et al., 1990) avec la cotation CCH (Miljkovitch et al., 2003) seront analysés. Les principaux résultats révèlent que 70 % des enfants en accueil familial et 60 % des enfants adoptés ont une représentation d’attachement sécurisée et que la répartition des attachements insécurisés est différente pour les deux populations étudiées.
L'expérience précoce de la variété sensorielle et ses conséquences sur l'alimentation future
Authors: Maier Andrea , Blossfeld Ivonne , Leathwood Peter
Published: August 2010

RÉSUMÉ L’expérience alimentaire au cours de la première année peut influencer durablement les préférences chimiosensorielles ou l’acceptation de la nourriture. L’exposition précoce à un goût particulier peut favoriser l’acceptation des aliments contenant cette saveur ; l’exposition à une variété de goûts et de textures au moment du sevrage peut faciliter l’acceptation de nouveaux aliments par la suite ; une exposition répétée à un aliment qui déplaît peut favoriser son acceptation, et l’expérience précoce de textures variées peut faciliter l’acceptation de textures plus complexes. Certains de ces effets persistent pendant un an ou plus. Ces différents points sont examinés et les mécanismes qui pourraient les expliquer sont discutés. Ils révèlent que nous commençons à avoir une meilleure compréhension des effets de l’expérience précoce des flaveurs et textures sur les préférences alimentaires ultérieures, bien que plus de recherches soient souhaitables.
Le développement des représentations sur les aliments chez l'enfant de 4 à 12 ans
Authors: Guérin Hélène , Thibaut Jean-Pierre
Published: August 2010

RÉSUMÉ Notre recherche porte sur le développement des conceptions alimentaires des enfants de 4 à 12 ans, et sur les conséquences de l’ingestion de différentes catégories d’aliments, en fonction du type de présentation qui en est faite (ludique ou normale), sur deux dimensions biologiques et une dimension psychologique. Les résultats montrent que, dès le CP, les enfants pensent que les fruits et les légumes sont bons pour la santé. Ils révèlent également que les enfants ne sont pas attirés par les aliments dits ludiques. Les enfants distinguent également les conséquences biologiques et psychologiques des aliments. Les résultats sont discutés à la lumière des travaux récents sur les théories naïves portant sur le monde biologique.
EFFECTS OF LIGUSTICUM CHUANXIONG ON INJURED PERIPHERAL NERVE IN RATS
Authors: Chen Chao-Tsung , Lin Jaung-Geng , Lu Tung-Wu , Huang Chih-Yang , Tsai Chin-Chuan , Yao Chun-Hsu , Chen Yueh-Sheng
Published: August 2010

The present study provides in vivo trials of silicone rubber chambers filled with different concentrations (0, 1.25, 12.5, and 125 mg/ml) of Ligusticum Chuanxiong (LC) to bridge a 10 mm sciatic nerve defect in rats. Histological and electrophysiological techniques were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the nerve. At the end of eight weeks, regenerated nerves from all of the groups treated with the LC had similar microstructures compared to the controls. However, the high dose LC group at 125 mg/ml could inhibit the nerve regeneration with a significantly fewer myelinated axons compared to the other three groups. These results indicated that LC could be involved in both positive and negative effects on regenerating nerves. Therefore, whether a proper dosage of an LC is used or not plays a critical factor in deciding if it can sustain nerve regeneration over long gaps.
FEATURES OF sEMG BASED ON SOURCE SEPARATION AND FRACTAL PROPERTIES TO DETECT WRIST MOVEMENTS
Authors: Arjunan Sridhar P. , Kumar Dinesh K. , Naik Ganesh R.
Published: August 2010

Classification of surface electromyogram (sEMG) for identification of hand and finger flexions has a number of applications such as sEMG-based controllers for near elbow amputees and human-computer interface devices for the elderly. However, the classification of an sEMG becomes difficult when the level of muscle contraction is low and when there are multiple active muscles. The presence of noise and crosstalk from closely located and simultaneously active muscles is exaggerated when muscles are weakly active such as during sustained wrist and finger flexion and of people with neuropathological disorders or who are amputees. This paper reports analysis of fractal length and fractal dimension of two channels to obtain accurate identification of hand and finger flexion. An alternate technique, which consists of source separation of an sEMG to obtain individual muscle activity to identify the finger and hand flexion actions, is also reported. The results show that both the fractal features and muscle activity obtained using modified independent component analysis of an sEMG from the forearm can accurately identify a set of finger and wrist flexion-based actions even when the muscle activity is very weak.
Formal and Emergent Standards in KM
Authors: Hasan Helen
Published: August 2010

A natural consequence of the advance of human knowledge is an increase in the complexity of business, government and social organisations, supported and integrated by technological systems. It is now impossible to operate in this environment without a web of standards, sometimes expressed as laws and regulations, and sometimes as best practice guidelines, benchmarks or course content of educational programs. Standards can emerge through converging practice, through the dominance of one player in the market or through the work of an official Standards Development Organisation (SDO). There is no shortage of work for SDOs, which exist within most countries and at the international level. In addition to formal standards there exist myriads of frameworks, models, sets of guidelines or taxonomies that are used to influence and direct practice particularly on developing topics or where formal standards are inappropriate. Such informal emergent standards can be anything from a simple diagram to a comprehensive documentation of best practice, a generalised model or a taxonomy resulting from extensive research.
Knowledge Management in Charities
Authors: Greenaway Kathleen E. , Vuong David C.H.
Published: August 2010

Charities, also called voluntary-service not-forprofit organizations (VSNFP), play a vital role in modern societies by addressing needs and providing services that benefit the public. These services frequently are available from neither markets nor governments. Many charitable organizations have been created to deliver or have expanded their range or scope of services as the result of governments “devolving” or transferring services to the non-profit sector (Gunn, 2004). Therefore, it is unsurprising that charities have a significant impact economically and socially. For example, volunteer work in Argentina, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and is valued at 2.7, 21, 23, and 109 billion (US) dollars respectively (Johns Hopkins University, 2005). Volunteering translates into significant resources for non-profit organizations. For example, Statistics Canada estimates that work equivalent to 1 million fulltime jobs was provided through volunteer labor in 2004 (Statistics Canada, 2006). While charities are part of the non-profit sector, research demonstrates that charitable organizations differ from for-profit organizations in terms of their human capital management, management practices, and strategies (Bontis & Serenko, 2008). Failing to account for such differences may adversely affect theory (Orlikowski & Barley, 2001) and practice (Kilbourne & Marshall, 2005). Our key question is: What is the extent of our understanding of the role of knowledge management, both as process and system, in charitable organizations? We discuss this question by adapting the knowledge management (KM) research framework originally developed for examining KM in knowledge-based enterprises (Staples, Greenaway & McKeen 2001). Many non-profits are “knowledge-intensive” organizations (Lettieri et al 2004:17). Therefore, this research model should be transferable to non-profit organizations including charities.
Knowledge Management in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises
Authors: Sparrow John
Published: August 2010

In Europe, USA, Japan, Korea & Taiwan, which account for nearly 75% of the world’s economic output, SME’s contribute between 50-75% of the countries’ GDP. Developing economies are also increasing the SME contribution rate to GDP. Large organizations represent only one per cent of enterprises throughout the world. A great deal of knowledge management (KM) practice and theorizing however has been based upon the issues facing large (and quite frequently multinational) organizations. Understanding knowledge management within SMEs is fundamental to economic advancement, particularly if priorities and practices transferred from large organizations are sub-optimal or counter-productive. This chapter provides some background upon the definition and nature of SMEs, highlighting some theoretical arguments for why knowledge management in SMEs may be different from larger businesses. It then explores knowledge management in SMEs in terms of knowledge features of SMEs, knowledge management practices of SMEs, and the impact of knowledge management within SMEs. Research highlighting aspects of differentiation amongst SMEs that impinge upon KM is introduced and future trends in the practice and study of KM in SMEs are summarized. The conclusion of the chapter is that evidence-based evaluation of KM in SMEs reveals realistic ways in which SMEs can gain benefit from knowledge management.
Knowledge Representation in Pattern Management
Authors: Kamthan Pankaj , Pai Hsueh-Ieng
Published: August 2010

The reliance on past experience and expertise is critical to any development. Patterns are a reusable form of knowledge gained by experts in solving problems that occur repeatedly in a domain. The concept of a pattern was introduced by Christopher Alexander in the 1970s (Alexander, 1979).
Managing Customer Knowledge with Social Software
Authors: Zhang Zuopeng (Justin)
Published: August 2010

The development of Internet technologies and Web 2.0 has created tremendous opportunities for Knowledge Management (KM) (Johnston 2008). Among the new directions of KM, customer knowledge management and social software have gained growing interests from both business practitioners and academic researchers. Customer Knowledge Management (CKM) refers to the management of organizational knowledge residing on the customer side. Different from Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and general KM, CKM assumes the five basic styles: prosumerism, team-based co-learning, mutual innovation, communities of creation, and joint intellectual property (Gibbert, et al. 2002). Approaches in marketing and CRM cannot successfully capture knowledge from customers, so appropriate methods of CKM have to be employed to retrieve and manage customer knowledge (García-Murillo & Annabi, 2002).
Mobile Knowledge Management
Authors: Derballa Volker , Pousttchi Key
Published: August 2010

Whereas knowledge management (KM) has gained much attention in the field of management science and practice as the eminent source of competitive advantage (e.g., Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Drucker, 1993; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995; Probst, Raub, & Romhardt, 2003), one issue has been largely neglected: The aspect of mobility.
Secure Knowledge Management
Authors: Upadhyaya S. , Rao H. Raghav , Padmanabhan G.
Published: August 2010

As the world is getting more and more technology savvy, the collection and distribution of information and knowledge need special attention. Progress has been made on the languages and tools needed for effective knowledge management and on the legal issues concerning the consumption and dissemination of critical knowledge. From a business perspective, a knowledge-management system (KMS) within a firm generally strives to maximize the human-capital utilization and profitability of the firm. However, security is becoming a major issue revolving around KMS; for instance, the KMS must incorporate adequate security features to prevent any unauthorized access or unauthorized dissemination of information. Acquiring the information that one needs to remain competitive while safeguarding the information one already has is a complicated task. Firms must balance the advantages of openness against its inevitable risks, and maximize the efficiency of electronic communication without making it a magnet for intruders. One must integrate offense and defense into a comprehensive strategy, and scholars have suggested that it is time to integrate intelligence and security imperatives with other knowledge-management strategies and processes (Barth, 2001).
Gunilla Bradley
Authors: Pratchett-Hultkrantz Geraldine
Published: August 2010

Gunilla Bradley first breezed into my life over 30 years ago. She came as strong spring breeze with her great personality wafting around her. Her children have attended my English Kindergarten School and since then we have been close and firm friends who have undertaken many journeys together and have experienced LIFE in a way that I haven’t experienced with any other friends. It is a great privilege for me to be able to present some excerpts of her life and deeds.
Electronic Performance Monitoring, Job Design and Psychological Stress
Authors: Rogers Katherine J.S. , Smith Michael J. , Sainfort Pascale C.
Published: August 2010

This study helps establish how electronic performance monitoring may influence employee physical strain levels through job design. It identifies job design variables which differ between monitored and non-monitored employees in the telecommunications industry (using discriminant function analysis). These variables’ relationships to psychological stress outcomes were examined using multiple regression analysis. A group of 704 employees in three job categories (telephone operator {n=228}, customer service representative {n=230}, and clerk {n=246}) responded to a questionnaire survey mailed to their residence. Four hundred thirty-four of the respondents were monitored and 264 were not. The results indicated that the monitored employees had significantly higher levels of reported psychological stress than the non-monitored employees. The discriminant function analysis of job design variables showed that a variety of job design factors discriminated between monitored and non-monitored employees. High levels of workload, few lulls between periods of high workload, high levels of career/future ambiguity, poor relationships with supervisors, as well as low levels of task meaningfulness and completeness were significant predictors of psychological stress outcomes (tension, anxiety, depression and fatigue).
Psychological and Social Problems of Automation and Computerization
Authors: Munipov Vladimir
Published: August 2010

This chapter discusses the ergonomic, psychological and social problems of operators of large complex systems. It is noted that the category of activity is the most important one in the Russian ergonomic and psychological knowledge. It is analyzed the relationship between information models and conceptual-image ones. It emphasizes that in the Soviet Union the notion of cognitive revolution makes not sense because cognitive processes were treated in the works of L. Vygotsky, S. Rubinstein and A. Leontiev as forms of activity. The article indicates the influence of works of G. Bradley on the development of social and psychological aspects of ergonomics in the former Soviet Union and Russia.
Psychosocial Life Environment and Life Roles in Interaction with Daily Use of Information Communication Technology Boundaries between Work and Leisure
Authors: Danielsson Ulrika , Öberg Karin Danielsson
Published: August 2010

The presence of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in our psychosocial work environment and in our personal lives, has increased rapidly during the past 40 years. This way of interacting with ICT is often characterized in terms of access to information and social networks with the possibility of being independent of time and place. Every person’s psychosocial health is influenced by their life environment; a combination of their work and home environments, their life roles and of their social networks. People who work professionally in the field of ICT or use ICT in their work experience a blurring between their professional and private roles. However, when people’s experience of work and leisure becomes blurred, this may impact on their psychosocial health. They need to develop strategies to create ways of allowing time for recovery. In this chapter we present a review of the literature that identifies the effects that cause a blurring of the line between work and leisure. Moreover, we present some examples of strategies for managing the blurring of contexts facilitated by ICT. Presented research combines theories from the fields of psychology, informatics and work science.
From Social Capital to Social Production Implications for Individuals, Organisations and Nations
Authors: Tan Margaret
Published: August 2010

In recent years, the advancing and sophisticated interconnectivity of the fast-evolving interactive digital technologies have dramatically created a new space that is both virtual as well as physical, that is both conceptual as well as real. This new collaborative space known as the ‘co-space’ provides a new paradigm shift to the economic and social ecology of information and knowledge creation. For instance, various social networking tools and technologies that enable individuals and the communities to express, communicate, and interact to share their creative works and knowledge in the new ‘co-space’ can facilitate profound networks of relationships that not only constitute a valuable conduit for the conduct of social affairs but also the social production of intellectual capital. In other words, as social production becomes a critical contributor in the knowledge-based economy, it is important to recognize that the key to today’s innovations may be developing the organizational ability to harness such social production efforts so as to use them in the formulation of competitive actions at the individual, organizational as well as national level.
New Design Paradigm
Authors: Sedenkov Vladimir M.
Published: August 2010

The multiple shortcomings of the current Design paradigm manifest the need of its modification. Our objective was to find out an appropriate mechanism. But such a mechanism could not be revealed without assistance of a Design theory. The emergent dilemma – to use one of the available theories or develop a new one – was resolved by choosing the third way: rearrangement of the material at hand on modularity principles with initiation of fundamental (systemic) Design theory module via identification of its paradigm. While doing this, we had to overcome a number of delusions ingrained in engineering design, concerned firstly with design problem, process and design representation. To push these efforts forward, a scientific base named Continuous Process Theory had been developed. Systemic module initiation enabled to define a paradigm of the second Design theory module – the sought-for Design practice paradigm. Discussion on the outcomes of this definition rounds off this chapter.
Implementation of Rapid Manufacturing Systems in the Jewellery Industry in Brazil
Authors: Rubio Juan Carlos Campos , Filho Eduardo Romeiro
Published: August 2010

This chapter presents the rapid prototyping and manufacturing concepts applied as means to reducing time between jewellery designs and manufacturing process. Different processes on jewellery modelling production are presented. Nowadays, the use of technologies as CAD/CAM - Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing in high production companies are very disseminated. However, the implementation of these resources at the design and manufacturing processes of jewels and fashion accessories, in small and medium size businesses, is still insipient. As reference, is presented the situation observed in small and medium companies located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Virtual Reality Systems for Industrial Design Application
Authors: Pignatel Alice , Brevi Fausto
Published: August 2010

3D digital models are an essential tool that supports every step of the industrial product design process. For example, during the design review step photorealistic models are used as virtual prototypes for aesthetic and ergonomic evaluation of new products, in order to anticipate design evaluation and choices and to shorten the overall process. For this reason, industrial design enterprises usually have special rooms equipped with a projection based large display, for the realistic visualization of digital models. Usually, the interaction with 3D models is still based on mouse and keyboard, even if this kind of input is not fully adequate to the interaction needs concerning such special application. The aim of this chapter is to investigate different interaction techniques and outline their benefits and drawbacks compared to the interaction tasks required in this special field.
The Influence of Ageing on User Experience
Authors: Medeiros Ana Cristina , Crilly Nathan , Clarkson P. John
Published: August 2010

The world population is ageing. At both the individual and collective levels, ageing causes several changes in people’s lives that influence their needs and the way in which they interact with products. This chapter aims first, to provide a literature review on different aspects of ageing in order to better understand how people will respond to products as they grow older. Second, it describes how the physical and cognitive decline of older users increases rather than decreases the need to focus on all aspects of their experience, including their physical, sensory, cognitive and affective responses. Having considered these issues, suggestions are made in order that designers might best focus their attention as they design for a population that is rapidly ageing, and where members of that population are encouraged to maintain full participation in society.
Deploying and Adapting an Indoor Positioning System in the Clinical Setting
Authors: Stahl James , Holt Julie , Lye Michael
Published: August 2010

We are living in an era where the demands on our healthcare system are relentlessly rising while at the same time key resources, such as, the number of physicians and time available to see patients, are declining. In order to diagnose what is wrong and treat it appropriately we need to be able to objectively measure and describe how our healthcare system behaves. At Massachusetts General Hospital, an innovative project weaves together industrial design, operations research, outcomes research with emerging technologies to provide a means for objectively and reliably measuring time in the primary care setting. The RFID in Clinical Workflow Project aims to provide a tool with which to understand resource allocation and to shape appropriate and effective policy. In order to successfully incorporate the use of an emerging technology that enables accurate and reliable measurement into the demanding and critical clinical setting, the multidisciplinary team used a hybrid of design techniques sourced from the different disciplines represented on the team.
Product Form Evolution
Authors: Wood Andrew Muir , Moultrie James , Eckert Claudia
Published: August 2010

Companies are coming round to the idea that function and form are complimentary factors in improving the user’s experience of a product and competing in today’s saturated consumer goods markets. However, consumer perception of form is constantly changing, and this manifests itself in the evolving forms of the products that they adopt. From clothes to cameras to cars, change in form is inevitable, and design teams must account for these trends in their product design and development strategies. Through literature, semi-structured interviews with design and trend practitioners, and an archival case study of mobile phone evolution, the authors have developed theories about the continuities that occur in product forms over time, and the forces that can disrupt this behaviour. They then go on to suggest how this view of form as evolving trajectories can benefit future product design strategies.
Application of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps in IT Management and Risk Analysis
Authors: Mohammadian Masoud
Published: August 2010

Development and management of IT systems are complex, demanding, and yet crucial to an organization success and its competitive position in the marketplace. Due to rapid changes in emerging technologies there is a need for constant improvement and adjustment to IT systems. There are a large number of processes involved in IT system development and monitoring. The interdependencies of these processes make it very difficult for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to comprehend and be aware of effect of inefficiencies that may exist in development of these processes in their organization. This chapter considers the implementation of a Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM) to provide facilities to capture and represent complex relationships in an IT management model and their related processes to improve the understanding of CIOs about the systems and its associated risks. By using FCMs CIOs can regularly review and improve their IT systems and provide greater improvement in development, monitoring and maintenance of IT facilities. CIOs can perform what-if analysis to better understand vulnerabilities of their designed system.
Gender and National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policies in Africa
Authors: Igun Stella E.
Published: August 2010

This chapter discusses the importance of incorporating gender aspects into the national ICT policies in Africa. The mention of gender issues in national ICT policies in Africa is still very scanty (where they exist). Many countries in Africa have no clear gender aspects incorporated into their national ICT policies. The chapter focuses on the imperativeness of ICTs to the livelihood of women in Africa, the need and urgency of increasing and encouraging women participation in all aspects of ICTs. The enactment and implementation of ICT policies and strategies targeting women population in both rural and urban areas is inevitable. Thus, status of gender inequality of ICT in Africa, strategies geared towards addressing gender inequalities in ICT in Africa and gender and ICT perspectives were discussed.
ICT in Education Development in Africa
Authors: Evoh Chijioke J.
Published: August 2010

This study presents the rationale for policy and institutional frameworks in the development of ICT in secondary education in countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As the adoption of modern ICTs slowly gain momentum, various stakeholders in education have recognized the importance of leveraging these technological tools for the improvement of teaching and learning. To a large extent, the application of modern ICTs in education remains uncoordinated in many countries. This study identifies the institutional framework as the dominant approach to ICT in education policy process in the region. This involves the participation of broad-based interest groups in the policy process. Using South Africa as a case study, the study presents elements of ICT in education policy as well as policy lessons that would enable African countries use ICTs for productive educational outcomes.
Information and Communication Technology Security Network
Authors: Emiri Ogochukwu Thaddaeus , Omede Chukwunweike Gracious
Published: August 2010

This chapter examines the problems of e-governance data/information security. In order to adequately achieve this objective, the chapter after the introduction, deals with the information and communication technology (ICT) security network, followed by effects of the changing nature of security threats in e-governance. The use of ICT internet security balancing requirements for achieving effective e-governance security network is considered. The chapter observes that strong security for internet transactions (information communication) is one of the last technical hurdles to be overcome in achieving true e-governance, enabling the broadest range of online government services while streamlining bureaucracy and providing efficient alternatives to in-person contact between government agencies and their constituents. The chapter argues that the problems of information security threats, if not tackled effectively, can hinder e-governance implementation success. The use of ICT internet security balancing requirements for achieving effective e-governance security network is recommended.