bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Type Curves for Analyzing Horizontal Well With Multiple Fractures in Shale Gas Reservoirs
Authors: Nobakht M. , Clarkson C. R. , Kaviani D.
Published: November 2011

To produce economically from most shale gas plays, horizontal wells (cased or open hole) with multiple fractures are the most popular choice for completing the wells. A number of well-performance behaviors can be seen for these wells depending on reservoir behavior and induced hydraulic-fracture geometry. In this paper, conceptual models for well/reservoir/hydraulic fracture combinations are first presented. Next, we discuss the impact of various reservoir types/induced hydraulic-fracture geometries upon the sequence of flow-regimes that could be encountered for shale gas reservoirs. In addition, we develop and present new sets of dimensionless type-curves for one of the conceptual models. The newly developed type curves in this study yield more unique results than those presented previously. With these dimensionless type curves, the early linear flow (early-time half slope) and boundary-dominated flow (late-time unit slope) fall on top of each other and the transition between these two regimes depends on the geometry of the reservoir and completion. Using the type curves as a guide, we then present the flow regimes that are expected for different values of horizontal well length, number of fractures, length of the fractures and spacing between horizontal wells. We also present a new method for evaluating the contribution from the outer reservoir (beyond the fracture length). Finally, using the characteristics of new dimensionless parameters and the new type-curve set, we present a simple and practical procedure for long-term forecasting in multi-fractured horizontal wells.
Organic Maturity, Hydrous Pyrolysis and Elastic Property in Shales
Authors: Zargari Saeed , Prasad Manika , Mba Kenechukwu C. , Mattson Earl D.
Published: November 2011

Organic-rich shales (ORS) are common source rocks for most clastic reservoirs. More recently, they have gained importance as reservoirs. However, the processes of kerogen maturation, hydrocarbon storage, and hydrocarbon transport are still poorly understood. Empirical relations have been developed to relate the increase in acoustic velocity and elastic modulus with increasing maturity. The reason for this increase in velocity also remains poorly understood.

We conducted experiments on ORS samples with a range of maturities from the Bakken formation. Our study focuses on investigating methods of predicting maturity of ORS by evaluation of their impedance micro-structure. Our Young’s modulus measurements on a nanometer scale help understand variations of Young’s modulus of minerals, clay particles, and kerogen matter in naturally matured shales. The samples were re-measured after subjecting them to hydrous pyrolysis. This step helped us investigate the cause for change in modulus with maturity and the mobility of the pyrolysed organic matter.

In the naturally matured samples, we find direct qualitative relationships between the Young’s modulus of shale samples and its maturity indicators, such as TOC and Transformation Ratio. After hydrous pyrolysis, there is a significant lowering of the Young’s modulus in some immature samples. We will present results of elastic property changes before and after hydrous pyrolysis in shales of various maturities.

This study improves our current understanding of maturity-related variations by using analysis from nanoindentation. We integrate these measurements with geochemical analysis, and observations from downhole sonic measurements to develop relationships of elastic impedance to shale maturity. These results are critical to help us understand how shales evolve with burial and maturation and how hydrocarbons are stored and transported to sustain large storage even at high overburden stresses.
The Place of Social Science in Medical Education: A Case Study of Language and Culture in Experiential Learning in a Multilingual Society
Authors: Marcus Tessa S.
Published: November 2011

The biopsychosocial model is the education paradigm of knowledge that is expected to inform medical practice. Yet in medical education, medical science is the gold standard. Social science barely features in the formal curriculum, and when it does, it is considered best done through experiential learning. This paper analyses the social through the issue of language and culture following medical and dental student exposure to experiential learning in a primary health care setting. Using qualitative accounts set out in student reflections, it explores the insights they gain from their experience and the implications these have for medical education and professional knowledge. The evidence suggests that when social issues are not grounded in social scientific theory (through formal education) they are incorporated idiosyncratically into learning and, more often than not, are relegated to the bottom of the medical knowledge value chain. This weak or absent grounding in social science carries major implications for the ability of medical education systems to create skilled clinicians capable of working with the biological, psychological and social complex that is individual and collective health in the contemporary world.
Contribution of Educational Factors in the Capacity to Overcome Adversity
Authors: Palomar Joaquina , Montes de Oca Sandra
Published: November 2011

The objective of this study was to identify factors that predict resilience and social mobility in persons living in extreme poverty in Mexico by analyzing an extensive set of school-related variables. A total of 913 adults were surveyed, with 65.2% women and an average age of 43.71 years. Significant correlations were found between the seven educational variables measured and resilience, and only one of them was correlated with social mobility. Regression analysis identifies achievement motivation and a reflexive learning style as predictors of resilience. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for this segment of the population.
The Role of Preservice Teachers' Meaning Perspectives and Schemes in a Study Abroad Experience
Authors: Wessels Stephanie , Holmes Melissa , Herrera Socorro
Published: November 2011

This microethnographic case study focuses on patterns of interpretation and decision making of undergraduate preservice teachers as they participated in observations, co-teaching, and teaching in elementary schools in northern Mexico. At the core, this study explores the deeply embedded assumptions preservice teachers may bring to new cross-cultural interactions. Drawing from participant documents, surveys, and interviews, the study seeks to investigate the meaning perspectives and schemes (Mezirow, 1991) that study abroad participants used to make sense of their experiences. Also explored are ways the study abroad experience may have helped to alter or solidify meaning perspectives. Finally, recommendations based on lessons learned are provided for designing study abroad experiences that prompt preservice teachers to view and use cultural differences as assets in classroom practice.
A Review and Model of Auditor Judgments in Fraud-Related Planning Tasks
Authors: Hammersley Jacqueline S.
Published: November 2011

In this paper, I develop a model that describes auditor and fraud risk factor characteristics that I expect to affect auditor performance in fraud-related planning tasks (i.e., fraud hypothesis generation, risk assessment, and audit program modification). I expect that auditor knowledge, especially fraud knowledge, will significantly affect auditor performance in audit program modification tasks through its effects on fraud risk factor identification and hypothesis generation. Further, due to fraud's rarity, I expect that this knowledge is acquired primarily through indirect experience such as training rather than from direct experience and is enhanced when auditors have better problem solving skills and higher epistemic motivation. This is a significant departure from knowledge acquisition in other audit settings, and there is currently no evidence in the literature examining these relationships. I also propose that the diagnosticity of fraud risk factors and, specifically, the degree to which they support generation of specific testable fraud hypotheses affect auditors' ability to plan effective changes to audit programs. Finally, I review and summarize the extant fraud-related, audit planning literature and identify opportunities for future research.

JEL Classifications: M40; M41; M42.
The Effect of Auditing Standard No. 5 on Audit Fees
Authors: Krishnan Jagan , Krishnan Jayanthi , Song Hakjoon
Published: November 2011

In June 2007, the PCAOB issued Auditing Standard No. 5 (AS5), superseding Auditing Standard No. 2 (AS2). AS5 significantly changed the rules relating to audits of internal control over financial reporting (ICFR). Policymakers expected AS5 to lead to improvements in audit efficiency and thus a general reduction in audit costs, and specifically a reduction in fees for smaller and less complex companies that were disproportionately affected by AS2. We investigate the impact of the change from AS2 to AS5 on audit fees. We restrict our analysis to stable client-auditor combinations to ensure that auditors had prior AS2 experience with the client before the transition to AS5. We find that, after controlling for other factors, audit fees were lower in the first two years of implementation of AS5 relative to the last year of AS2. The decrease in fees was the highest for companies that had remediated material weaknesses in their internal control and thus moved from an adverse opinion under AS2 to a clean opinion under AS5. Further, firms that received first-time adverse opinions on their internal control in the AS5 period paid lower fee premiums (relative to firms with clean opinions) than did firms with adverse reports in the last AS2 year. Finally, in contrast to policymakers' expectations that AS5 would generate cost savings by allowing the ICFR audits to be “scaled” for small and less complex firms, there is no evidence that the smallest firms benefited. Specifically, audit fee savings were found only for relatively more complex firms (measured by multiple segments and international operations).
Non-Periodontal Oral Manifestations of Diabetes: A Framework for Medical Care Providers
Authors: Gandara Beatrice K. , Morton Thomas H.
Published: November 2011

In Brief

In addition to periodontitis and dental caries, other oral conditions commonly occur commonly in patients with diabetes. These include fungal infections, salivary gland dysfunction, neuropathy, and mucosal disorders. Many of these lesions can be easily examined and documented by non-dental providers.
A note on regularity and positive definiteness of interval matrices
Authors: Farhadsefat Raena , Lotfi Taher , Rohn Jiri
Published: November 2011

We present a sufficient regularity condition for interval matrices which generalizes two previously known ones. It is formulated in terms of positive definiteness of a certain point matrix, and can also be used for checking positive definiteness of interval matrices. Comparing it with Beeck’s strong regularity condition, we show by counterexamples that none of the two conditions is more general than the other one.
Influence of dendrimers on red blood cells
Authors: Ziemba Barbara , Matuszko Gabriela , Bryszewska Maria , Klajnert Barbara
Published: November 2011

Dendrimers, highly branched macromolecules with a specific size and shape, provide many exciting opportunities for biomedical applications. However, most dendrimers demonstrate toxic and haemolytic activity because of their positively charged surface. Masking the peripheral cationic groups by coating them with biocompatible molecules is a method to reduce it. It was proven that modified dendrimers can even diminish haemolytic activity of encapsulated drugs. Experiments confirmed that anionic dendrimers are less haemotoxic than cationic ones. Due to the high affinity of dendrimers for serum proteins, presence of these components in an incubation buffer might also influence red blood cell (RBC)-dendrimer interactions and decrease the haemolysis level. Generally, haemotoxicity of dendrimers is concentration-, generation-, and time-dependent. Various changes in the RBCs’ shape in response to interactions with dendrimers have been observed, from echinocytic transformations through cell aggregation to cluster formation, depending on the dendrimer’s type and concentration. Understanding the physical and chemical origins of dendrimers’ influences on RBCs might advance scientists’ ability to construct dendrimers more suitable for medical applications.
Dynamic facility layout problem under uncertainty: a Pareto-optimality based multi-objective evolutionary approach
Authors: Ripon Kazi , Glette Kyrre , Hovin Mats , Torresen Jim
Published: November 2011

In this paper, we investigate an evolutionary approach to solve the multi-objective dynamic facility layout problem (FLP) under uncertainty that presents the layout as a set of Pareto-optimal solutions. Research examining the dynamic FLP usually assumes that data for each time period are deterministic and known with certainty. However, production uncertainty is one of the most challenging aspects in today’s manufacturing environments. Researchers have only recently modeled FLPs with uncertainty. Unfortunately, most solution methodologies developed to date for both static and dynamic FLPs under uncertainty focus on optimizing just a single objective. To the best of our knowledge, the use of Pareto-optimality in multi-objective dynamic FLPs under uncertainty has not yet been studied. In addition, the approach proposed in this paper is tested using a backward pass heuristic to determine its effectiveness in optimizing multiple objectives. Results show that our approach is an efficient evolutionary dynamic FLP approach to optimize multiple objectives simultaneously under uncertainty.
Acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting Alkaloids from Zephyranthes concolor
Authors: Reyes-Chilpa Ricardo , Berkov Strahil , Hernández-Ortega Simón , Jankowski Christopher K. , Arseneau Sebastien , Clotet-Codina Imma , Esté José A. , Codina Carles , Viladomat Francesc , Bastida Jaume
Published: November 2011

The bulbs and aerial parts of Zephyranthes concolor (Lindl.) Benth. & Hook. f. (Amaryllidaceae), an endemic species to Mexico, were found to contain the alkaloids chlidanthine, galanthamine, galanthamine N-oxide, lycorine, galwesine, and epinorgalanthamine. Since currently only partial and low resolution 1H-NMR data for chlidanthine acetate are available, and none for chlidanthine, its 1D and 2D high resolution 1H- and 13C-NMR spectra were recorded. Unambiguous assignations were achieved with HMBC, and HSQC experiments, and its structure was corroborated by X-ray diffraction. Minimum energy conformation for structures of chlidanthine, and its positional isomer galanthamine, were calculated by molecular modelling. Galanthamine is a well known acetylcholinesterase inhibitor; therefore, the isolated alkaloids were tested for this activity. Chlidanthine and galanthamine N-oxide inhibited electric eel acetylcholinesterase (2.4 and 2.6 × 10−5 M, respectively), indicating they are about five times less potent than galanthamine, while galwesine was inactive at 10−3 M. Inhibitory activity of HIV-1 replication, and cytotoxicity of the isolated alkaloids were evaluated in human MT-4 cells; however, the alkaloids showed poor activity as compared with standard anti-HIV drugs, but most of them were not cytotoxic.
A Configurable Sensor Network Applied to Ambient Assisted Living
Authors: Villacorta Juan J. , Jiménez María I. , Val Lara del , Izquierdo Alberto
Published: November 2011

The rising older people population has increased the interest in Ambient Assisted Living systems. This article presents a system for monitoring the disabled or older persons developed from an existing surveillance system. The modularity and adaptability characteristics of the system allow an easy adaptation for a different purpose. The proposed system uses a network of sensors capable of motion detection that includes fall warning, identification of persons and a configurable control system which allows its use in different scenarios.
Rituximab Maintenance Therapy for Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis and Microscopic Polyangiitis
Authors: ROUBAUD-BAUDRON CLAIRE , PAGNOUX CHRISTIAN , MÉAUX-RUAULT NADINE , GRASLAND ANNE , ZOULIM ABDELKADER , LE GUEN JULIEN , PRUD’HOMME ANNE , BIENVENU BORIS , de MENTHON MATHILDE , CAMPS SANDRA , LE GUERN VÉRONIQUE , AOUBA ACHILLE , COHEN PASCAL , MOUTHON LUC , GUILLEVIN LOÏC ,   the French Vasculitis Study Group
Published: November 2011

Objective.

To evaluate the efficacy compared to the relapse risk and tolerance of systematic rituximab (RTX) infusions as maintenance therapy for patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) or microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), who entered remission taking conventional immunosuppressants or RTX.

Methods.

A retrospective study of the main clinical characteristics, outcomes, and RTX tolerance of patients who had received ≥ 2 RTX maintenance infusions in our center, regardless of induction regimen, between 2003 and 2010.

Results.

We identified 28 patients [4 MPA and 24 GPA; median age 55.5 yrs (range 18–78); 17 (60%) males] who received a median of 4 (range 2–10) RTX maintenance infusions, with median followup of 38 months (range 21–97) since diagnosis or last flare. None experienced a RTX infusion-related adverse event; 15 patients (among the 21 with available data) had hypogammaglobulinemia (predominantly IgM) prior to their last RTX maintenance infusion; 3 had infectious events (1 cutaneous abscess, 1 otitis, 1 fatal H1N1 flu). Two patients suffered pulmonary relapses shortly before a planned RTX maintenance infusion (both had increased antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody levels and 1 had CD19+ lymphocyte reconstitution).

Conclusion.

Rituximab maintenance therapy was well tolerated but did not completely prevent relapses and persistent “grumbling” disease. These preliminary results remain to be confirmed by a randomized controlled trial currently in progress.
Civamide Cream 0.075% in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A 12-Week Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial with a Longterm Extension
Authors: SCHNITZER THOMAS J. , PELLETIER JEAN-PIERRE , HASELWOOD DOUG M. , ELLISON WILLIAM T. , ERVIN JOHN E. , GORDON RICHARD D. , LISSE JEFFREY R. , ARCHAMBAULT W. TAD , SAMPSON ALLAN R. , FEZATTE HEIDI B. , PHILLIPS SCOTT B. , BERNSTEIN JOEL E.
Published: November 2011

Objective.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of civamide cream 0.075% for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.

Methods.

We conducted a 12-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study with a 52-week open-label extension. Patients with OA of the knee received either civamide cream 0.075% or a lower dose of civamide cream, 0.01%, as the control. The 3 co-primary endpoints in the double-blind study were the time-weighted average (TWA) of change from baseline to Day 84 in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale, the WOMAC physical function subscale, and the Subject Global Evaluation (SGE). In the 52-week open-label extension study, the Osteoarthritis Pain Score and SGE were assessed.

Results.

A total of 695 patients were randomized to receive civamide cream 0.075% (n = 351) or civamide cream 0.01% (control; n = 344) in the double-blind study. Significance in favor of civamide cream 0.075% was achieved for the TWA for all 3 co-primary efficacy variables: WOMAC pain (p = 0.009), WOMAC physical function (p < 0.001), and SGE (p = 0.008); and at Day 84 for these 3 variables (p = 0.013, p < 0.001, and p = 0.049, respectively). These analyses accounted for significant baseline-by-treatment interactions. In the 52-week open-label extension, efficacy was maintained. Civamide cream 0.075% was well tolerated throughout the studies.

Conclusion.

These studies demonstrate the efficacy of civamide cream for up to 1 year of continuous use. Civamide cream, with its lack of systemic absorption, does not have the potential for serious systemic toxicity, in contrast to several other OA treatments.
Frequency of Class III and IV Nephritis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Without Clinical Renal Involvement: An Analysis of Predictive Measures
Authors: WAKASUGI DAISUKE , GONO TAKAHISA , KAWAGUCHI YASUSHI , HARA MASAKO , KOSEKI YUMI , KATSUMATA YASUHIRO , HANAOKA MASANORI , YAMANAKA HISASHI
Published: November 2011

Objective.

To determine the frequency of International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) class III or IV lupus nephritis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without clinical renal involvement.

Methods.

We investigated the renal pathology of 195 patients with SLE, including 86 patients without clinical renal involvement.

Results.

Lupus nephritis other than class I was found in 58% of the patients without clinical renal involvement, and class III and IV nephritis was found in 15% of these patients. To reveal the predictive measures involved in class III or IV lupus nephritis, we explored the clinical measures in patients with SLE who did not have clinical renal involvement. Anti-dsDNA antibody titers were significantly higher (p = 0.0266) and C3 values were significantly lower (p = 0.0073) in patients with class III or IV lupus nephritis than in patients without class III or IV lupus nephritis. The sensitivity and specificity values were 77% and 73%, respectively, for cutoff levels of both 40 IU/ml for anti-dsDNA antibodies and 55 mg/dl for C3 (OR 8.8, p = 0.0011).

Conclusion.

The frequency of nephritis, including ISN/RPS class III and IV, was unexpectedly high in SLE patients without clinical renal involvement. ISN/RPS class III or IV lupus nephritis could be hidden in patients with SLE who present both a high titer of anti-dsDNA antibody and a low concentration of C3, even when they have clinically normal urinary findings and renal function.
Clinical Significance of Cryofibrinogenemia: Possible Pathophysiological Link with Raynaud’s Phenomenon
Authors: SOYFOO MUHAMMAD S. , GOUBELLA AHMED , COGAN ELIE , WAUTRECHT JEAN-CLAUDE , OCMANT ANNICK , STORDEUR PATRICK
Published: November 2011

Objective.

To describe the clinical findings and prevalence of patients with cryofibrinogenemia (CF) and to determine whether CF is associated with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon.

Methods.

Between June 2006 and December 2009, 227 patients were tested for CF in a single university hospital. Forty-five patients with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon were tested for CF.

Results.

A total of 117 patients with CF without cryoglobulinemia were included. The main clinical manifestations included skin manifestations (50%) and arthralgia (35%). There were 67 patients with primary CF and 50 patients with secondary CF. There was no significant difference in the mean concentration of the cryoprecipitate in primary CF as compared to the secondary form (172 ± 18.6 vs 192 ± 20.9 mg/dl, respectively; p = 0.41). Highest concentrations of cryoprecipitate were observed in those containing fibrinogen only as compared to cryoprecipitates containing fibrinogen and fibronectin (301 ± 43.5 vs 125 ± 10.6 mg/dl; p < 0.001). Patients having skin necrosis (n = 3) had significantly higher values of cryofibrinogen compared to those without necrosis (638 ± 105 vs 160 ± 10.2 mg/dl; p = 0.0046). Among the 45 patients with primary Raynaud’s phenomenon, 36 had associated CF. There was no significant difference in the mean concentration of the cryoprecipitate in these patients compared to those with primary CF.

Conclusion.

There seems to be a significant correlation between cryofibrinogen concentration and the severity of the clinical signs, particularly when cryoprecipitate is composed of fibrinogen alone. CF might have a possible pathophysiological role in primary Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Image du corps chez l'adolescent obèse et transmission transgénérationnelle
Authors: Sanahuja Maria de la Almudena , Cuynet Patrice
Published: November 2011

Résumé « Image du corps chez l’adolescent obèse et transmission transgénérationnelle. » À travers le cas clinique d’une adolescente obèse, les auteurs soutiennent que l’image du corps individuel révèle une fonction de contenance pour donner une figuration de la structure dynamique du groupe familial. La dimension transgénérationnelle serait un des vecteurs originels des conduites addictives utilisant le corps comme premier objet formel. En se servant de son enveloppe corporelle, le sujet réalise une tentative ultime de formaliser une représentation impensable liée à la généalogie du corps familial.
La candidature à la Maison-Blanche
Authors: Zoller Élisabeth
Published: November 2011

Résumé À l’inverse de la candidature à l’Élysée qui est la décision d’un individu agissant de manière parfaitement indépendante et à titre personnel, une candidature à la Maison-Blanche est en principe toujours initiée dans une communauté, proposée et portée par elle. Comme toutes les candidatures dans le système politique américain, elle doit s’inscrire dans le modèle de la candidature régulière et la candidature régulière aux États-Unis provient toujours de la base.
Transitions Experienced by Older Survivors of Critical Care
Authors: Balas Michele C. , Chaperon Claudia , Sisson Joseph H. , Bonasera Steven , Hertzog Melody , Potter Jane , Peterson Delayne , McVay Wendy , Gorman Jackie , Burke William J.
Published: November 2011

The transition from hospital to home is complicated for older adults who experience a serious or life-threatening illness. The specific aims of this prospective, observational cohort study were to determine the number of older adults who experience a change in their functional ability and residence after an intensive care unit (ICU) stay and to explore risk factors for functional decline and new institutionalization at hospital discharge. We found high rates of unrecognized preexisting cognitive impairment, delirium, complications, functional decline, and new institutionalization in this sample (
N
= 43). A number of variables were associated with functional decline or new institutionalization, including narcotic agent use (
p
= 0.03), ICU complications (
p
= 0.05), comorbidities (
p
= 0.01), depression (
p
= 0.05), and severity of illness (
p
= 0.05). We identified device self-removal, admission type, and ICU delirium as also potentially associated with these outcomes (
p
≤ 0.25). There are a number of important and potentially modifiable factors that influence an older adult’s ability to recover after a critical illness.
Update on Energy Drinks and Youth
Authors: McGuinness Teena M. , Fogger Susanne
Published: November 2011

Energy drinks are attractive and readily available in every grocery store and gas station. While most youth verbalize an understanding that too much caffeine is bad for one’s health, at an age of multiple demands, an over-the-counter offer of increased energy and alertness is hard to ignore. What makes energy drinks different from regular coffee? Although the heavily caffeinated drinks promise increased energy and stamina and are loaded with healthy natural ingredients, excessive consumption is of concern on many levels. This article will discuss some of the effects of excessive caffeine, as well as risks associated with energy drinks mixed with alcohol.
Code for a safe and sustainable performance of demolition and dismantling
Authors: González J. , Díaz M. B. , Rodríguez R.
Published: November 2011

Demolition and dismantling have been traditionally considered an obstacle to overcome before starting new constructions, up to the inclusion in the industry of the concept of sustainable development, which implies impacts minimization, recovery maximization and the legislation to warrant such premises. For demolitions in Spain, it becomes necessary to establish specific updated standards (similar to those of the surrounding countries) capable of combining technical features with sustainability, due to the current legal void. Beyond reviewing the up-to-date legislation, the research has produced a code of minimum requirements for safe and sustainable performance, capable of joining the different agents involved: technicians, promoters, contractors and waste managers. This code, developed from the experimental analysis of practical cases as a guide for technical requirements and as an indicator of the overall quality of the demolition, could be extrapolated to other countries (specially to those with a lack of legislation or to emerging countries).
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF CORPORATE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES AMONG APARTMENT DEVELOPERS IN CHINA
Authors: Zhu Qinghua , Zhao Tielin , Sarkis Joseph
Published: November 2011

In China corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) has gained increasing attention within industry and government. Evidence exists for significant attempts to promote CSER by the Chinese government. As a critical ‘pillar’ industrial sector, urban residential apartment development has been a major contributor to China's national gross domestic product. This industry has also profoundly influenced social and environmental issues in the country. Thus, apartment developers in China have felt increased pressures to implement CSER practices. Little research has sought to investigate CSER in this industry, whether in China or globally. The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate, using a surveyed sample of 92 apartment development companies, CSER practices in this industrial sector. In the empirical analysis we find that CSER practices can be grouped into basic, environmentally-related and extended practices. We further compare these groupings of CSER practices among different sizes of apartment developers using multivariate analysis of variance and Scheffe multiple analysis tests. We also apply one-way analysis of variance and t-tests for comparisons of CSER practices among apartment developers from different cities and with different ownership structures. The results show that apartment developers generally implement environmentally-related and extended CSER practices at higher levels. Residential apartment development is occurring in more developed cities, and thus apartment developers in these cities face more pressures for CSER practices. Joint ventures are more likely to implement environmentally-related CSER practices. Research and managerial implications, and future research directions are also presented in this work.
RESOURCE RECOVERY AND MATERIALS FLOW IN THE CITY
Authors: Lehmann Dr. Steffen
Published: November 2011

Beyond energy efficiency, there are now urgent challenges around the supply of resources, materials, food and water. After debating energy-efficiency for the last decade, the focus has shifted to include resource and material-efficiency. In this context, urban farming has emerged as a valid urban design strategy in Europe, where food is produced and consumed locally within city boundaries, turning disused sites into productive urban landscapes and community gardens. Agricultural activities allow for effective composting of organic waste, returning nutrients to the soil and improving biodiversity in the urban environment. Urban farming will help to feed the 9 billion by 2050 (predicted population growth, UN-Habitat forecast 2009). This paper reports on best practice of urban design principles in regard to materials flow, material recovery, adaptive re-use of building elements and components (‘design for disassembly’; prefabrication of modular building components), and other relevant strategies to implement zero waste by avoiding waste creation, reducing harmful consumption and changing behaviour. The paper touches on two important issues in regard to the rapid depletion of the world's natural resources: the construction sector and the education of architects and designers.

The construction sector: Prefabricated multi-story timber buildings for inner-city living can set new benchmarks for minimizing construction wastage and for sustainable on-site assembly. Today, the construction and demolition (C&D) sector is one of the main producers of waste; it does not engage enough with waste minimization, waste avoidance and recycling. Education and research: It's still unclear how best to introduce a holistic understanding of these challenges and to better teach practical and affordable solutions to architects, urban designers, industrial designers, and so on.

One of the findings of this paper is that embedding ‘zero-waste’ requires strong industry leadership, new policies and effective education curricula, as well as raising awareness (education) and refocusing research agendas to bring about attitudinal change and the reduction of wasteful consumption.
Attention Versus Learning of Online Content
Authors: Yaros Ronald A. , Cook Anne E.
Published: November 2011

Previous eye tracking studies have consistently associated increased eye fixations with comprehension difficulty. However, little research has probed this relationship in more complex news stories online. This exploratory within-subject experiment exposed participants (N = 20) to different text and graphic structures in health news stories. Results suggest enhanced learning, shorter viewing time, and fewer eye fixations for a linear text structure as compared to an “inverted pyramid” text commonly used in news. Graphics interacted with text, facilitating performance in the linear conditions but inhibiting them in the inverted pyramid structure. Graphics tended to also increase viewing time and eye fixations on text only and text combined with graphics for both structure conditions. Results discuss the importance of text structure in complex news and how the data are not entirely consistent with the assumption that explanatory graphics increase understanding.
Misuse Detection for Mobile Devices Using Behaviour Profiling
Authors: Li Fudong , Clarke Nathan , Papadaki Maria , Dowland Paul
Published: November 2011

Mobile devices have become essential to modern society; however, as their popularity has grown, so has the requirement to ensure devices remain secure. This paper proposes a behaviour-based profiling technique using a mobile user’s application usage to detect abnormal activities. Through operating transparently to the user, the approach offers significant advantages over traditional point-of-entry authentication and can provide continuous protection. The experiment employed the MIT Reality dataset and a total of 45,529 log entries. Four experiments were devised based on an application-level dataset containing the general application; two application-specific datasets combined with telephony and text message data; and a combined dataset that included both application-level and application-specific. Based on the experiments, a user’s profile was built using either static or dynamic profiles and the best experimental results for the application-level applications, telephone, text message, and multi-instance applications were an EER (Equal Error Rate) of 13.5%, 5.4%, 2.2%, and 10%, respectively.
Committing to Organizational Change in IT Industry
Authors: Kauppinen Jukka-Pekka , Kivijärvi Hannu , Talvinen Jari
Published: November 2011

In the current competitive environment, managing organizational change successfully requires comprehensive understanding of change management concepts and processes as well as the implied drivers behind them. Information technology (IT) field is not an exception; growing interest exists for understanding organizational change and change management in the IT industry. Fast-paced changes in today’s IT and business environments are inevitable and the challenges associated with organizational changes are becoming more complex. This study aims to find at least partial answers to the question how employees’ commitment to change and the implementation quality of a change process affect achieving the goals and succeeding in an organizational change initiative. The study is conducted in two parts in a Finnish IT company providing complex IT solutions and services. The first part, the pilot study, identifies factors hindering employees’ commitment to change. The pilot study is followed by a quantitative main study, which investigates the relationships between employees’ level of commitment during the different phases of a change project, the change process quality, the importance and realization level of the different goals set for the change project, and the final success of the change initiative. The results indicate that a strong, positive relationship exists between the change process quality and the level of employees’ commitment to change.
Customer Integration in Innovation Processes via Operating Information Systems
Authors: Strehl Benjamin
Published: November 2011

The positive effects of customer integration in corporate innovation activities are undisputed. Further, several concepts for an improved cooperation with customers have already been developed and even implemented in many cases. Most of these methods target a special group of customers, the so-called lead-users. Besides being proven as beneficial, this selected integration neglects the majority of a company’s human client interactions which occur in the often centralized service centers, for example call centers. Many studies confirm the innovation potential of these existing, regular customer interactions. This paper presents detailed requirements as well as an overall solution system for the integration of these customer contacts via service centers. Therefore, existing research was combined with quality function deployment and service system modeling.
MoBiFlow
Authors: Held Markus , Küchlin Wolfgang , Blochinger Wolfgang
Published: November 2011

Web-based problem solving environments provide sharing, execution and monitoring of scientific workflows. Where they depend on general purpose workflow development systems, the workflow notations are likely far too powerful and complex, especially in the area of biology, where programming skills are rare. On the other hand, application specific workflow systems may use special purpose languages and execution engines, suffering from a lack of standards, portability, documentation, stability of investment etc. In both cases, the need to support yet another application on the desk-top places a burden on the system administration of a research lab. In previous research the authors have developed the web based workflow systems Calvin and Hobbes, which enable biologists and computer scientists to approach these problems in collaboration. Both systems use a server-centric Web 2.0 based approach. Calvin is tailored to molecular biology applications, with a simple graphical workflow-language and easy access to existing BioMoby web services. Calvin workflows are compiled to industry standard BPEL workflows, which can be edited and refined in collaboration between researchers and computer scientists using the Hobbes tool. Together, Calvin and Hobbes form our workflow platform MoBiFlow, whose principles, design, and use cases are described in this paper.
One Variant of Manned Mission to Mars with a Nuclear Electric Propulsion
Authors: Konstantinov M. S. , Loeb H. W. , Petukhov V. G. , Popov G. A.
Published: November 2011

In this paper, one possible way for implementing a manned mission to Mars is examined. Typical peculiarities of the mission are as follows: the nuclear electric propulsion; relatively low mass of the spacecraft at a low Earth orbit (200 tons) and the crew time in flight is high (900-1000 days). Space mission analysis of the chosen variant is performed. As an optimization criterion, the authors chose the fuel mass required for the flight. Under examined problem definition such mass minimization is equivalent to maximal final mass of the spacecraft and maximal permissible total mass of power and electric propulsion systems. The authors show that to implement the examined manned mission, it is necessary to create the nuclear electric power and electric propulsion systems with a specific mass lower than 12.5 kg/kW under propulsion efficiency of 0.8, specific mass of the system for propellant storage of 0.05 and manned spacecraft complex mass of 52.1 tons. Under propulsion efficiency of 0.7, specific mass of power-propulsion should be lower than 10.9 kg/kW.
The Essential Leadership Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita
Authors: Low Patrick Kim Cheng , Muniapan Balakrishnan
Published: November 2011

The Bhagavad Gita, a part of the Mahabharata composed more than 5,000 years ago by Vyasa, is a timeless leadership classic and its wisdom is highly relevant to leaders of today. Here, in this paper, the authors examine the various tenets of the Bhagavad Gita and provides its wisdom to contemporary leadership. Some of these teachings will certainly inspire the leaders to change from within and transform their leadership from transactional to transformational and towards transcendental. In presenting this wisdom, the authors have employed hermeneutics, which is a method to interpret ancient texts combined with some qualitative inputs received from leadership seminar participants. This paper is significant for both leadership theory and practice.
What Skill/Knowledge is Important to a Nursing Professional?
Authors: Lin Li-Min , Chen Yi-Cheng , Wu Jen-Her , Tennyson Robert D.
Published: November 2011

This study employed a survey instrument to investigate the knowledge topics that are important to a nursing professional. We asked 491 nursing professionals and managers in Taiwan what they thought about 47 educational topics. For each topic, the authors asked them how much they had learned about a given topic in their formal education, their current knowledge of the topic, and how important the topic has been in their career. Results indicate each knowledge topic’s importance, the amount learned in formal education programs, and the educational knowledge gap. The findings also show the amount currently known, current knowledge gap, and the amount learned (or forgotten) subsequent to education. The survey supports current perceptions about the importance of some topics, but it also highlights topics that are sometimes underemphasized or overemphasized. Efforts to develop nursing curricula or training programs for nursing professionals or students should consider the experience of practitioners in clinics and hospitals. Findings should be useful to hospital training departments and nursing educators in universities and colleges to refine or revise their curriculum design. Nursing professionals and students seeking continuing education will also be able to use the results for selecting courses for career enhancement.
Investigating Youth’s Life Online Phenomena
Authors: Jamaludin Azilawati , San Chee Yam
Published: November 2011

This paper examines the dialectics between living in offline and digitally-mediated worlds and how youth construct their identity and sense of self, negotiate meaning, and make sense of their social experiences. Situating the study within the context of the popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft (WoW), the authors investigate the interplay between the everyday, situated lives of five digital youth gamers, aged 18 to 25, and their activities and ‘lived practices’ in WoW. Findings suggest a recurrent theme that challenges ascribed dichotomies between youth’s presence in the offline and online world in terms of their identities in play, sense of embodiment, and orientation toward work, play, and the spirit of communitas within WoW. Exploration of such a phenomenon indicates a more intimately enmeshed and dialectically coupled experience of youths’ in their contextual traversals, providing a fundamental conceptual understanding of the impact of youths’ exodus to the virtual world and its implications for 21st century teaching and learning. The outcomes address theoretical challenges associated with the interpretation of 21st century literacy performances that may be characterized as a need to move away from static and linear narratives of development to a more divergent becoming of learners through the learning process.
Procedural Ethos
Authors: Evans Michael A.
Published: November 2011

How is it that serious games are actually persuasive? Ian Bogost’s work on serious (or persuasive) games provides essential philosophical foundations for the genre though, as the article demonstrates, sufficient detail of argument is lacking. Bogost uses the model of classical rhetoric to demonstrate that games can make arguments through “procedural rhetoric,” which he exemplifies with games like Molleindustria’s McDonald’s Videogame, a title that can best be identified as parody. However, such games, while attempting to make persuasive arguments, lack classical requisites for persuasion, leaving room for further critical inquiry and development of understanding of how serious games work. To be considered persuasive, serious games should additionally demonstrate the components of ethos, which include: phronesis (practical knowledge, factual basis), arête (integrity, virtue), and eunoia (goodwill, concern for the hearer). It is insufficient for serious games to have procedural rhetoric without taking account of procedural ethos. Analyses of the McDonald’s game and the ReDistricting Game are conducted for an initial verification of this proposal. This description of how serious games can be persuasive can provide additional conceptual tools to game developers, instructional designers, and educational scholars attempting to leverage serious games for intentional, productive, and predictable learning.
Problem-Focused Higher Education for Shaping the Knowledge Society
Authors: Valtanen Juri , Berki Eleni , Georgiadou Elli , Ross Margaret , Staples Geoff
Published: November 2011

Higher education (HE) has not efficiently targeted a knowledge-shaped economy and has not kept up with the knowledge and IT skills demanded to resolve the problems from social- and work- exclusion. While recently unemployed knowledge workers are searching for new jobs, re-educating policies and career development options have not kept pace with work changes. There is an urgent need for a HE reform in order to address the current socio-economic and work-life crises. For this reform, the authors compare and contrast three promising learning approaches: problem-based learning PBL, work-based learning WBL and problem-focused education PFE. While in PBL and WBL work- and problem-related knowledge is transferred sufficiently, PFE seems to outperform. The paper points to an effective re-organisation of HE by (1) investing in PFE as the means to achieve quality in the learning process and its outcomes and (2) identifying ICT quality features for supporting the PFE learning process.
Instructional Design and Quality
Authors: Busquets Anna , Gómez Muriel
Published: November 2011

Quality in e-learning should be measured from three perspectives: technology, pedagogy, and management and administration. This paper examines the pedagogical and methodological perspective, specifically in the work developed by the professors of the course “East Asian Geography”, a compulsory course of the Programme of East Asian Studies. The authors consider that the teaching and learning methodology applied to the UOC model has reached the proper level of quality when students are satisfied, follow the courses and not drop out, and perform appropriately. In that sense, satisfaction, permanence, and academic performance are the three levels of measurement of the quality of the each course and program, as well as the UOC model in general. On the basis of the data obtained and results of the first two years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, in terms of performance and satisfaction of the students in the course “East Asian Geography”, is considered for revision and improvement. This process has two phases. In the first one, during 2005-2008, the authors focus on the instructional design process and the conceptualization of the course plan with new activities; in the second, from 2009 to present, the authors examine the design and diversification of course materials and e-learning activities.