bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SWOT-FAHP Application for a Textile Firm in Turkey
Authors: Gürbüz Feyza , Yalçin Nese
Published: June 2013

Good performance within a company is the result of correct interaction of business management with its internal and external environment. The recognition of internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities and threats, takes place on the basis of a SWOT analysis. Many companies are conducting a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis as part of the strategic planning process to identify the organizations’ four factor groups before proceeding to the formulation of a corporate strategy. SWOT analysis is only the determination of the factors to evaluate for the future strategic decisions depending on the current situation of a company. Although the factors of each factor group are determined with this analysis, the importance of the factors is not taken into account. Therefore, the authors use a fuzzy Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarch Process (FAHP), to determine both the importance of the SWOT main-factors and sub-factors of each main-factor in a fuzzy environment. The aim of the MCDM is to obtain the optimum choice that has the highest degree of satisfaction for all of the relevant attributes. FAHP is the fuzzy version of the classical AHP methodology. The main difference of the FAHP from its own classical method is to use the fuzzy linguistic variables in comparison evaluations. On the contrary, FAHP uses the linguistic variables that are fuzzy numbers in the comparison evaluations because human beings’ subjective judgments are often vague or imprecise. For this purpose, in this study FAHP is used with the SWOT analysis to expose the existing state in transportation department of a textile firm in Kayseri, Turkey. According to the results of the analysis, the most appropriate strategy to be selected for the numerical data has been obtained.
Economic Evaluations for Service Delivery in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Angjellari-Dajci Fjorentina , Lawless William F. , Stachura Max E. , Wood Elena A. , DiBattisto Caroline
Published: June 2013

Comparative full economic evaluations are needed to evaluate whether telehealth-based systems can bring societal cost savings and economic benefits that exceed economic costs. However, economic evaluations of telehealth-based interventions across different health care fields have focused primarily on cost analysis, rather than on full economic analysis, which captures both the economic costs and economic benefits of two or more competing interventions. The authors provide a framework for Benefit-Cost Analysis that would render this method more applied. In particular, they are interested in the comparative economic evaluation of two categories of Autism Spectrum Disorders intervention programs: telehealth-based and in-person. Their framework can be used to economically evaluate whether telehealth service delivery offers greater societal net benefits—the difference between societal economic benefits and societal economic costs—than in-person delivery, and the threshold volume of telehealth encounters required for the telehealth delivery to reach a zero societal net benefit.
Clever Health
Authors: Braun Patrice
Published: June 2013

This chapter reports on the evaluation of Clever Health, an Australian e-health project. The evaluation took place from mid-2007 through 2010 and consisted of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to capture awareness, expectations, and use of Clever Health components—which included video-conferencing for patient care, professional development, and peer support—and to compare initial perceptions and expectations to perceived changes in awareness and uptake of Clever Health components. The study found that while use of components increased at a satisfactory pace, health services and professionals struggled with change management issues, which, in turn, impacted changing work practices. Findings suggest that it is imperative to address and integrate the human factors of e-health delivery in the rollout of future e-health programs. The study proposes a robust evaluation framework for future telemedicine projects that uses a patient-centred unit of analysis and examines the costs and benefits that accrue for different stakeholders.
Contingencies and Convergence in European Social Security
Authors: van Os Guido , Homburg Vincent , Bekkers Victor
Published: June 2013

In Western European welfare states, one of the uses of ICT is the delivery of integrated public services in social security. In order to do this, the deployment of ICT (especially in the back office) requires coordination among various central and local levels of government, and among social insurance executive institutions, welfare authorities, and job centers. Viewing ICT-enabled integration as a technological and managerial “practice,” the authors analyze ICT coordination in various institutional regimes (in a decentralized regime like Denmark, a decentralized unity state like The Netherlands, and in a federal state like Austria). By a comparative case study, the authors investigate whether ICT coordination adapts to the institutional context in which it is shaped (contingency-approach), or whether in various institutional contexts coordination practices more or less resemble each other (convergence-approach). Two methods are used to gather data. First, for each country policy, documents and strategy papers are analyzed by using a structured code list. Second, in each country five key respondents at ministerial level and five respondents at local/regional level are interviewed. The authors reflect on the findings by discussing the role of ICTs in providing coordinated and integrated services in various welfare state regimes.
Using Social Networks to Obtain Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Hernández-Chan Gandhi Samuel , Rodríguez-González Alejandro , Colomo-Palacios Ricardo
Published: June 2013

Web 2.0 Applications have gained much power and usability in the last years. A particular case is medicine Web sites, like forums, wikis, and others. In most cases, these sites provide general information without making contact with the physicians. On other side, the CDSS (Clinical Decision Support Systems) are very useful applications, and many of them are ontology based. In this chapter, the authors propose a social Web application that allows patients to make contact with their physicians through a CDSS list of signs. This application combines social Web, CDSS, and Web services.
Intelligent Agent to Identify Rheumatic Diseases
Authors: Salcido Gustavo Julio Puente , Delgado Eduardo César Contreras
Published: June 2013

Most of Mexican populations, even medical population, do not have enough information on rheumatic diseases to allow them to understand the importance of the socioeconomic and psychological impact of these disorders. In order to reduce this problem, a didactic tool is provided to general practitioners that enables them to identify medical disorders in the area of rheumatology. Didactic software is based on the application of an intelligent agent based on goals that contains enough information to identify seven of the most common inflammatory rheumatic diseases and fourteen non-inflammatory. The purpose of this tool is that a general practitioner can get an early diagnosis in a rheumatic patient and subsequently send that patient to a rheumatologist in order to prevent damage. The presented prototype can be useful for professors and students of the computation area to solve similar problems.
The Role of ICTs in the Management of Rare Chronic Diseases
Authors: Teixeira Leonor , Saavedra Vasco , Ferreira Carlos , Santos Beatriz Sousa
Published: June 2013

This chapter outlines a study that examines the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in management of a rare and chronic disease, hemophilia. Evidence in literature shows how the adoption of ICTs can improve the management of chronic conditions. Furthermore, these tools may also give response to rare diseases’ needs, while greatly improving the quality of life of those patients. A Web-based application that was developed to facilitate communication between Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and patients in a specific Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC), to improve the utility and quality of clinical data and treatment information, as well as to help the management of resources involved in a specific rare chronic disease, represents a practical case presented in this chapter. This technological solution allows the management of inherited bleeding disorders, integrating, diffusing, and archiving large sets of data relating to the clinical practice of hemophilia care, more specifically the clinical practice at the Hematology Service of Coimbra Hospital Center.
Roadmaps for Future ICT Use in the Health Sector
Authors: Tiago Maria Borges , Tiago Flavio
Published: June 2013

This chapter acts as both a review and an empirical framework analysis piece. It argues that technological acceptance and adoption by healthcare firms still suffers from oversimplification of its development, and specially, it measurement processes. There is a common thought both in business and academia that the technology adoption process is a key component of success and allows firms to achieve and sustain competitive advantages. In a digital era, these advantages arise from the potential of information and communication technology to improve firms’ daily activities. This research tries to reinforce the assessment of ICT impacts on healthcare firm performance, presenting a set of induced and intangible benefits besides the traditional financial benefits, as well as measuring IS integration impact. To do so, a structural equation model is applied to a large database sample covering firms from 17 European countries. The results reinforce the importance of induced and structural benefits in firms’ overall performance. It also found a positive relationship between IS integrated systems and performance. These results can be a starting point for a rethinking of the measurement models used in healthcare firms, and reinforce the argument stating that an IS integrated approach can provide better outcomes. Nevertheless, some questions remain unanswered regarding the impacts of ICT acceptance process on overall benefits, and therefore, future research will focus on this domain.
An Architecture Proposal for Residential Care Home Environments
Authors: Navarro Juan Enrique Garrido , Penichet Víctor Manuel Ruiz , Pérez María Dolores Lozano
Published: June 2013

A residential care home is a suitable environment to implement a software system providing users the functionality and the information required at any time, whichever place, and circumstance. The advances of technology in the last few years have made the design of the system possible; the system will employ features regarding collaboration, ubiquity, and context-awareness. Firstly, defining the architecture of the system is necessary to guarantee a proper design and implementation. This chapter deals with those subjects. The architectural proposal is described from the hardware and software perspectives. The hardware architecture shows the distribution of the hardware components to be used: mobile devices, servers, communications, etc.; on the other hand, the software architecture shows the distribution of the system components by layers based on the functionality and information processing. Awareness is a key issue to be considered in the design of the proposed system from the point of view of collaboration; therefore, an analysis about how to handle and consider this feature on both architectures is depicted.
Soft Methods for Automatic Drug Infusion in Medical Care Environment
Authors: Quinaz Filipe , Fazendeiro Paulo , Castelo-Branco Miguel , Araújo Pedro
Published: June 2013

The automatic drug infusion in medical care environment remains an elusive goal due to the inherent specificities of the biological systems under control and to subtle shortcomings of the current models. The central aim of this chapter is to present an overview of soft computing techniques and systems that can be used to ameliorate those problems. The applications of control systems in modern medicine are discussed along with several enabling methodologies. The advantages and limitations of automatic drug infusion systems are analyzed. In order to comprehend the evolution of these systems and identify recent advances and research trends, a survey on the hypertension control problem is provided. For illustration, a state-of-the-art automatic drug infusion controller of Sodium Nitroprusside for the mean arterial pressure is described in detail. The chapter ends with final remarks on future research directions towards a fully automated drug infusion system.
Personnel Rostering Management by ICT Techniques
Authors: Della Croce Federico , Salassa Fabio
Published: June 2013

In this chapter, the authors discuss the technological aspects of solutions and applications in staff rostering by means of ICT techniques. Three different applications are presented related to nurse rostering in a public hospital ward, nurse rostering in a private hospital ward, and physician rostering in a public hospital intensive care unit. For all applications, the use of efficient operations research techniques, models, and related solvers guided by the suggestions of the healthcare staff is introduced. The peculiarity of this work is the combination of mathematical programming techniques and solvers under the classical neighborhood search framework.
Quality of Health Web Sites
Authors: Rocha Álvaro , Brandão Patrícia Leite
Published: June 2013

The use of a methodology for the evaluation, comparison, and quality improvement of Health Web Sites is justified by its widespread adoption and visibility to Internet users. Due to the sensitiveness of their content and impact on users, health related sites should be evaluated. This chapter proposes three different dimensions for the development of quality evaluation methodologies of Health Web Sites: contents, services, and technical. The authors consider that these dimensions should be addressed transversally, providing an integrated and better overall evaluation.
Evolution of Trust and Formation of Preference Clusters in Distributed Networked Structure
Authors: Karmakar Purnendu , Roy Rajarshi
Published: June 2013

Distributed network researchers are trying to address one important issue concerning networked structures and how the network came into existence, i.e., dynamics of network evolution. From the knowledge of social science it is observed that trust is one such metric that evolves with the network particularly where human interaction is involved. This work presents a “trust” model of the authors’ studies and its various properties. In virtual (and “real”) communities (chat rooms, blogs, etc.) behavioral segregation over time is observed. Differences in identities of interacting agents result in evolution of various degrees of “trust” (and “distrust”) among them over a period of time. This process ultimately leads to emergence of self-segregation in behavioral kinetics and results in formation of preference clusters.
Identifying Opinion Leaders for Marketing by Analyzing Online Social Networks
Authors: Momtaz Niyoosha Jafari , Aghaie Abdollah , Alizadeh Somayeh
Published: June 2013

Recently, the impact of social networks in customer buying decision is rapidly increasing due to effectiveness in shaping public opinion. This paper helps marketers analyze social network’s members based on different characteristics and choose the best method for identifying influential people among them. Then, marketers can use these influential people as seeds to market products/services. Considering the importance of opinion leadership in social networks a comprehensive overview of existing literature has been done. Studies show, different titles (such as opinion leaders, influential people, market mavens and key players) are used to refer to the influential group in social networks whom we know as opinion leaders. The study shows all the properties presented for opinion leaders in the form of different titles are classified into three general categories including structural, relational and personal characteristics and based on studying opinion leader identification methods; appropriate parameters are extracted in a comprehensive chart to evaluate and compare these methods accurately.
Enhancing the Trust of Members in Online Social Networks
Authors: Vannoy Sandra A. , Medlin B. Dawn , Chen Charlie C.
Published: June 2013

The trust of members is essential to the sustainability of e-business. Unlike other business models, the success of online social networks is highly dependent upon the growth rate of social network size. In order to accelerate and continue the growth rate, online social networks need to be able to continuously roll out diversified services and use them to interest existing and new members. However, the nature of this business model can expose online social networks to ubiquitous security threats such as spam, viral marketing and viruses. In order to convince users to adopt social network services, cultivation of brand equity and trust in the online social networks is essential. This study integrates technical and marketing perspectives to examine the potential influence of website quality and brand equity on user satisfaction, thereby influencing users’ formation of trust. A survey was conducted with 385 subjects to understand the causal relationships between the studied constructs. Regression analysis indicates that website quality, brand loyalty, brand association, and brand quality have a positive influence on user satisfaction, thereby increasing the trust of members in online social networks. Brand awareness shows no significant influence on user satisfaction. These findings lead us to derive theoretical and practical implications on the sustainable operation of online social networks.
Virtual Research Conferences
Authors: Malik Kamna
Published: June 2013

Research conferences provide an important platform for idea exchange and validation as well as for social networking and talent hunt. Online social networks and collaborative web tools can make conferences budget friendly for sponsors, flexible for attendees, and environment friendly for the society without loss of effectiveness. While many conferences have adopted such tools during pre and post conferencing stages, their use during actual meeting hours is very limited. This paper deliberates on the current and potential use of such technologies on various stages of a conference. It then presents the case of a pure virtual conference in comparison with a face to face conference with an aim to analyze the immediate benefits that virtual conferencing brings for organizers and participants. Perceived deterrents and potential benefits for various stakeholders are discussed. Suggestions are made for educational institutions to review their norms for conference sponsorships.
Developing a Multimodal Application for a Scientific Experiment on Smartphones
Authors: Rouillard José
Published: June 2013

Designing and developing multimodal mobile applications is an important knowledge for researchers and industrial engineers. It is crucial to be able to rapidly develop prototypes for smartphones and tablet devices in order to test and evaluate mobile multimedia solutions, without necessarily being an expert in signal processing (image processing, objects recognition, sensors processing, etc.). This chapter proposes to follow the development process of a scientific experiment, in which a mobile application will be used to determine which modality (touch, voice, QRcode) is preferred for entering expiration dates of alimentary products. For the conception and the generation of the mobile application, the AppInventor framework is used. Benefits and limitations of this visual tool are presented across the “Pervasive Fridge” case study, and the obtained final prototype is discussed.
Intelligent Mobile Learning Systems for Learners with Style
Authors: Mehigan Tracey J. , Pitt Ian
Published: June 2013

This chapter discusses the development of intelligent personalized user models for mLearning. Previous research findings are reviewed, indicating that it is possible to identify aspects of a user’s learning style though biometric technologies. A user interface model is presented, designed to intelligently detect the learning-style of individual’s using a mobile learning environments and adapt learning content accordingly. The application of the model to a mLearning system is described.
BioCondition Assessment Tool
Authors: Law Chin Loong , Roe Paul , Zhang Jinglan
Published: June 2013

Environmental degradation has become increasingly aggressive in recent years due to rapid urban development and other land use pressures. This chapter looks at BioCondition, a newly developed vegetation assessment framework by Queensland Department of Resource Management (DERM) and how mobile technology can assist beginners in conducting the survey. Even though BioCondition is designed to be simple, it is still fairly inaccessible to beginners due to its complex, time consuming, and repetitive nature. A Windows Phone mobile application, BioCondition Assessment Tool, was developed to provide on-site guidance to beginners and document the assessment process for future revision and comparison. The application was tested in an experiment at Samford Conservation Park with 12 students studying ecology in Queensland University of Technology.
Impact of E-Resources and Web Technology on Reading Habits
Authors: Verma Jyoti , Sonkar Sharad Kumar
Published: June 2013

The main purpose of this chapter is to study and explore the impact of digital media and Internet on reading habits. Traditional reading habits of library users have now changed with the changing environment and working culture. People are now looking for an opportunity to read content in electronic mode via Internet, mail, etc. It reduces the burden for people to stay inside the library, and now people can even read content while travelling or while moving around the world. Traditional libraries and digital libraries supplement each other to meet the needs of various kinds of readers. Younger generation students sometimes prefer reading through the Internet or following up book reviews as such opportunities can be thought of as effective means for fostering reading habits. Reading is influenced by many factors like environment, subject, background, age, etc. Libraries are under the influence of modern technologies, which have converted the functional activities in all walks of life.
Social Networking in Libraries
Authors: Chakravarty Rupak , Kiran Anu
Published: June 2013

Social networking seems to be the way 21st century libraries provide services. Library services are changing with the change in the nature of library users; social networking plays a major role in serving the users. Social networking is the grouping of individuals into specific groups of people with shared interests, communities. The prominence of social networking Websites has reached a peak in the last few years. This chapter examines libraries and their importance in embracing the Web 2.0 phenomenon of social networking. This chapter examines the importance of using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to enable libraries to engage with students in the virtual environment for the promotion of the library, library events and services, teaching and learning, and humanizing the concept of the library and librarians. This chapter also examines the importance that social networking sites have with improving professional relationships within the library profession and across the university, resulting in an increase of information sharing that ensures libraries are on the forefront of changes in demands and needs of their students. If libraries fail to adopt this technology, they are in danger of finding themselves extinct.
Research Publications in Anthropometric Measurements of Sports
Authors: Thirumagal A.
Published: June 2013

This chapter deals with the bibliometric study on the publication of “anthropometric measurements.” The records are collected from Pubmed resource MEDLINE for the period of 2006 to 2010. The total number of records is 1869. Result of such studies may be very useful for the research administrators, policy makers, and funding agencies. Anthropometry plays an important role in determining athletes’ performances and may also help the coaches select athletes for team events. Anthropometric measurements have been a part of physical education since its commencement in this country.
E-Business Modeling Languages
Authors: Kovács Gábor
Published: June 2013

This chapter gives an overview of modeling languages used for modeling business environment, abstract workflows, executable business processes, and business data. The languages are either abstract that primarily serve the purposes of business modeling or executable that can be run in a business process engine. The business process modeling languages BPMN (Business Process Modeling Language) and BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) are in the center of the discussion; however, the core concepts and application area of other languages are given as well. An important part of business modeling is the description of business collaboration and the format of business information exchanged. XML based data modeling languages are used for describing such contracts. Throughout the chapter the focus is on the underlying concepts of these languages rather than the syntax.
Electronic Retailing of Prepared Food in Australia
Authors: Adapa Sujana
Published: June 2013

The advent and evolution of the Internet has dramatically transformed the way businesses used to operate. Modern businesses perform many transactions in an electronic environment and offer many advantages for both retailers and consumers alike. Electronic retailing has gained consumer acceptance as consumers are becoming increasingly confident in the application of their electronic processing skills. Many electronic retailers complement both off line and online practices to cater to the needs of their customers through effective logistics and supply chain management. This chapter provides information about the application of electronic retailing by Mitchell’s Quality Foods (MQF), into Lite n’ Easy (LnE) operating in Australia as a case study format. Critical drivers and barriers to electronic retailing particularly in the prepared food sector are discussed in detail. Furthermore, implications for practitioners are pinned down from the electronic business perspective with service-oriented solutions.
Towards Understanding the Intention to Use and Continuance Usage Intention of E-Filing System in Malaysia
Authors: Thominathan Santhanamery , Ramayah T.
Published: June 2013

E-Government actually represents a higher quality, cost effective government services and a better relationship between citizens and governments. Research on e-government is taking a new phase nowadays, with research focusing more to evaluate the continued usage intention by the citizens rather than the initial intention. Continuance intention is defined as one’s intention to continue using or long term usage intention of a technology. Previous researchers have found a mixed result on the influence of perceived risk towards intention to use and continuance usage intention. Therefore, this case study aims to examine the moderating role of perceived risk on continuance usage intention of e-filing system by taxpayers in Malaysia. The primary discussion in this case study concerns on the e-Filing system in Malaysia, followed by the challenges and barriers for e-government continuous adoption, impacts of e-government failures, and concluded with future research directions.
Enterprise Integration
Authors: Shankararaman Venky , Megargel Alan
Published: June 2013

Enterprise Integration enables the sharing of information and business processes among the various applications and data sources within and beyond an organization. Over the years, due to changes in business requirements and availability of sophisticated technology, the architectures for integrating applications and data sources have evolved from simple point-to-point integration technique to more comprehensive architectures leveraging Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Event Driven Architecture (EDA). In this chapter, the authors trace this evolution, and examine the architectures in terms of complexity versus business benefit. The architectures are presented in a logical progression starting with the simplest form.
Access Control in Service Compositions
Authors: Faravelon Aurélien , Chollet Stéphanie
Published: June 2013

Pervasive applications are entering the mainstream, but at the present time, exhibit significant security weaknesses. Service-driven architectural approaches facilitate the development of pervasive applications, however, security with respect to access control and data privacy of pervasive applications are currently not managed comprehensively from design time through run time. This chapter presents a use case emphasizing the security challenges for pervasive applications and proposes a novel, generative architectural approach, to include security in pervasive applications at design time. This is a model-driven approach based on models pertaining to access control management that respect the temporal constraints relating to pervasive applications. The approach is implemented with a design and runtime environment and the results of the validation applied to the pervasive use case are presented.
Efficient Evolution of Modular Robot Control via Genetic Programming
Authors: Kuyucu Tüze , Tanev Ivan , Shimohara Katsunori
Published: June 2013

In Genetic Programming (GP), most often the search space grows in a greater than linear fashion as the number of tasks required to be accomplished increases. This is a cause for one of the greatest problems in Evolutionary Computation (EC): scalability. The aim of the work presented here is to facilitate the evolution of control systems for complex robotic systems. The authors use a combination of mechanisms specifically designed to facilitate the fast evolution of systems with multiple objectives. These mechanisms are: a genetic transposition inspired seeding, a strongly-typed crossover, and a multiobjective optimization. The authors demonstrate that, when used together, these mechanisms not only improve the performance of GP but also the reliability of the final designs. They investigate the effect of the aforementioned mechanisms on the efficiency of GP employed for the coevolution of locomotion gaits and sensing of a simulated snake-like robot (Snakebot). Experimental results show that the mechanisms set forth contribute to significant increase in the efficiency of the evolution of fast moving and sensing Snakebots as well as the robustness of the final designs.
Optimal Motivation and Governance of Education Agents
Authors: O’Connell Nadia , Wong Ho Yin
Published: June 2013

This chapter addresses the issue of marketing higher education institutions through education agents, focusing on ways to gain a competitive advantage over other institutions in the context of increasing global competition while maintaining close management and governance of this distribution channel. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 Australian university international marketing managers and staff, and 16 education agents based in Australia and overseas. The findings show seven main themes, namely, service and support, joint promotion, incentives, training, gifts, social activities, and relationship enhancement. The contributions of this chapter are the provision of experiences, ideas, attitudes, and perspectives of how Australian universities work in partnership with education agents throughout the world to recruit international students in an increasingly competitive marketplace, whilst ensuring obligations are met under Australian international education legislation. This chapter provides marketing specialists, educational administrators, and policy makers with practical real life examples of motivational and management techniques.
Marketing Higher Educational Institutions on Social Network Sites
Authors: Leng Ho Keat , Leng Dahlia
Published: June 2013

With social network sites growing in popularity, many organisations, including educational institutions, are starting to use this new platform to market themselves. However, marketing on social network sites is different from traditional marketing. Its value lies in engaging members of the social network and generating shared cultural meaning of the advertised brand rather than promoting awareness of the brand to a large number of people. As marketing on social network sites remains in its infancy and educational institutions are only beginning to understand that it is different from traditional marketing, it is not clear as to how educational institutions can leverage social network sites for their marketing effort. Using a case study on the use of Facebook as a marketing tool by a private educational institution offering degree programmes in Hong Kong, this chapter proposes a framework for marketing higher educational institutions on social network sites. The model suggests that educational institutions should encourage the participation of students on social network sites and engage the students through activities. The activities and participation of students on social network sites not only provide positive reinforcement of the decision to enroll in the education institution but also provide information to prospective students when they are evaluating the alternatives in the choice of an educational institution. In addition, the model also proposes that social network sites should facilitate the decision to enroll in the education institution by providing support in the application process.
An Intramuscular Approach to Teacher Development in International Collaborative Higher Education
Authors: Breen Paul
Published: June 2013

This chapter looks at a practical example of staff development and considers how professional development of teachers should be an essential component of enhancing provision within higher educational institutions not just in terms of pedagogy but also in respect of developing programmes and marketing those programmes. Set within the specific context of English Language teaching for international students, the research is based on a case study of two trainee teachers on a DELTA programme (Diploma in English Language Teaching for Adults). These teachers have been interviewed at two different stages of their development, firstly whilst doing the DELTA course, and then one year later, by which time they have completed the course. Through analysing their responses in a qualitative fashion, the author examines whether teacher development has a positive impact on the higher educational institution as a whole, and whether it leads to an improved student experience or a heightened consciousness of that student experience on the part of teachers. At the heart of this chapter, there is a metaphor taken from Medical Science to define the best approach to teacher education and development, namely, what the author labels an intramuscular approach. The author takes this term from a medical process of giving injections that are placed deep within muscles so that the particular drug or medicine is released slowly over a period of time rather than in a standard one-shot manner. There is no quick fix solution to teacher development, and having a long-term vision contributes far more to organisations in terms of the ultimate student experience.
Identifying the Barriers and Enablers for Supporting Learners with Special Needs in Higher Education
Authors: Nicholl Peter , Graham Deryn , Redpath Jennifer , Kearney Patricia , Wallace Jonathan , Mulvenna Maurice , Martin Suzanne , Benest Ian
Published: June 2013

This chapter provides a systematic analysis of thirteen in-depth interviews of disabled students from both universities in Northern Ireland. Undertaken as part of the Uni4U initiative hosted within the University of Ulster, the findings presented describe barriers experienced by students with disabilities to participation in higher education across both universities. The students provided comments concerning their current support provisions, barriers they have experienced, and suggestions for improvements to the service. Examination of the findings leads to three recommendations: firstly, that a network of communication should exist that encourages dialogue between all parties with an interest in the well-being of the student, with the student at the heart of these discussions and involved in all decisions; secondly, that attention must be paid to staff development especially with regard to Mental Health Issues; and finally, that in the long term the aim of institutions should be to move away from individual “reasonable adjustments” to inclusive education for all.
Trends and Challenges in Serving Students with Disabilities in Post-Secondary Education
Authors: Roszkowski Michael J. , Spreat Scott , McDonald MarySheila E. , Soven Margot
Published: June 2013

The present chapter provides a detailed insight into the challenges faced by higher education institutions across the globe in providing education to students with disabilities. The chapter examines the enrolment pattern of these learners and how this varies with the nature and kind of disabilities. It also identifies the factors that affect the academic success of these learners and suggests measures that can enhance enrollment of learners with special needs.
Education Collaboration Development
Authors: Strohschen Gabriele
Published: June 2013

We are living in a state of great flux. Needless to say, political, social, economic, and technological structures are changing faster than we can name and define them. As educators, we are called upon to ready adults for the challenges brought on by global changes. Educators in the 21st century are no longer knowledge producers and disseminators. Educators are involved in managing the educational process: their own and that of the adult students. Educational leadership in the knowledge society is evidenced with a curiously mixed set of skills; it is defined by emotional intelligence and spirituality; it is defined by the finely honed ability of facilitating learning in cross-cultural, multi-lingual, and inter-disciplinary settings; it is defined by a willingness to move away from the guru-stance of teaching and toward a praxis of partnering for change. Today’s educator ought to be a strategic partner in the lifelong and life-wide process of learning. This chapter explores the multi-dimensional role of educational leadership, which is characterized by interdependence and calls for research on collaborative and contextual paradigms in higher education development, delivery, and management.
The Global Scholar
Authors: Lu Mei-Yan , Miller Michael T. , Newman Richard E.
Published: June 2013

This chapter addresses the challenges associated with college faculty members crossing international borders to be employed by higher education institutions. This process includes challenges associated with the technical aspects of recruiting and hiring faculty members of different nationalities and then the subsequent challenges of understanding cultural dynamics in the classroom and how faculty members can be prepared to deal with these cultural differences. The chapter includes a practical analysis of these issues and concludes with recommendations for the stronger institutional integration of transnational faculty to higher education institutions.
Virtual School of the Smokies
Authors: Bloom Lisa , Dole Sharon
Published: June 2013

The rapid growth of communication on the Internet has facilitated the sharing of information within and across organizations around the world. This chapter describes how a virtual environment called the Virtual School of the Smokies serves as a support system for preservice and inservice teachers in an online program at a regional state university in Southeastern United States that enrolls students from the United States as well as other countries. Difficulties with development of community and professional identity in online teacher education programs and the role of the Virtual School in addressing these issues are discussed. The role of universal design for learning in virtual environments is also addressed. Surveys were conducted with students to ascertain which resources in the school were used most frequently and what suggestions they had for improvement.
Media Streaming for Technological Innovation in Higher Education
Authors: Olaniyan Moradeke , Graham Deryn
Published: June 2013

Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) can be slow in responding to technological innovation. Streaming technology offers a competitive advantage to a HEI if appropriately adopted and integrated with the marketing strategy compared to the Push-Pull strategy: when all available technological innovation is used to push educational options to the market and the potential people pull from the market. This chapter briefly describes the concepts of e-learning and media streaming, and their relationship to HEIs. The intangible business benefits of using media streaming to enhance teaching and learning in HEIs are explored through a literature review and small sample survey. The case study of a UK university is used to represent a HEI; e-learning technology is already in use within the university, considering the integration of media streaming technology into new or existing learning technologies. The hardware and software requirements are briefly examined, and possible business concerns and risks are identified with recommendations.
Renal angiomyolipoma with renal vein invasion
Authors: Di Cristofano Francesca , Petrucci Federico , Zeccolini Guglielmo , Leo Genesio , Cicero Calogero , Del Biondo Dario , Celia Antonio
Published: June 2013

Renal angiomyolipoma is a uncommon benign tumor, considered an hamartoma. The lesion, usually benign, can be single or multiple and well-circumscribed. In letterature only few cases of infiltrating angiomyolipomas have been described. The aim of the paper is to describe a paradigmatic case of a giant kidney angiomyolipoma, not associ- ated with tuberous sclerosis, invading the pelvis and the renal vein. The lesion have been discovered incidentally during abdominal ultrasound for other pathology. Owing to the extent of the lesion and the appreciable risk of bleeding, we opted for surgical treatment.
Getting bad publicity and staying in power: Leviticus 10 and possible priestly power struggles
Authors: Meyer Esias E.
Published: June 2013

The story of the death of Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10 has always been a difficult text to understand. Recently it has been used in debates about possible power struggles between Aaronides and Zadokites in post-exilic Yehud. The article critically explores the work of three European scholars, namely Achenbach, Nihan and Otto on this issue. Initially most of the traditional questions asked by scholars are addressed such as what the ‘strange fire’ was, and what exactly Nadab and Abihu did wrong. The focus of the article then moves to whether Leviticus 10 reflects badly on certain priestly groups.
Is It a Sialolithiasis or Tooth?
Authors: Senturk Mehmet Fatih , Yakar Elif Naz , Oztas Bengi
Published: June 2013

Objectives

The aim of this study was to present careful evaluation of the clinical and radiological findings of submandibular salivary gland pathologies and its importance to diagnose.

Case report

Presented here is a case report of a 65-year-old male patient who had a submandibular sialolith. The sialolith was removed with intraoral approach and no postoperative complications were noted. Radiopaque lesion was similar to premolar tooth according to radiographic examinations performed by use of panoramic and occlusal radiography.

Conclusion

Reported here is a case of submandibular sialolith which was diagnosed clinically and radiographically and treated with no postoperative complications.

How to cite this article

Inceoglu B, Senturk MF, Yakar EN, Oztas B. Is It a Sialolithiasis or Tooth?. Int J Experiment Dent Sci 2013;2(1):50-52.
Systematic Review of Interventions Used in or Relevant to Occupational Therapy for Children With Feeding Difficulties Ages Birth–5 Years
Authors: Howe Tsu-Hsin , Wang Tien-Ni
Published: June 2013

Research articles on the effectiveness of feeding interventions for infants and young children were identified, appraised, and synthesized. Thirty-four studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Three broad intervention themes regarding feeding approaches were identified on the basis of their theoretical orientations. These three feeding approaches were (1) behavioral interventions, (2) parent-directed and educational interventions, and (3) physiological interventions. Synthesis of the evidence suggested that various feeding approaches may result in positive outcomes in the areas of feeding performance, feeding interaction, and feeding competence of parents and children. This synthesis of empirical evidence supporting interventions for feeding problems provides a foundation for future research to define the types of outcomes that can be expected for children with different diagnoses or functional impairments and to develop best practice guidelines.
Research Utilization and Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Study
Authors: Thomas Aliki , Law Mary
Published: June 2013

Many articles have been written on the barriers to and facilitators of the use of evidence in practice in nursing and medicine, but to date no extensive review has been published of the literature on evidence-based practice (EBP) supports in occupational therapy. This article presents the results of a scoping review that examined factors that support the integration of research into practice. A review of 69 articles revealed four themes: (1) attitudes toward, perceptions of, confidence in, and use of research and EBP; (2) factors that support the use of research in practice; (3) effects of interventions targeting changes in knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and evidence-based practices; and (4) identification of the processes involved in the acquisition of EBP skills and their application in clinical practice. A process that integrates client-centered practice, structured reflection, case application, and peer consultations within a scholarship of practice model facilitates occupational therapists’ evaluation and integration of research evidence.
Emergence of Scholarship in theAmerican Journal of Occupational Therapy
Authors: Crepeau Elizabeth Blesedell , Wilson Linda H.
Published: June 2013

We undertook a content analysis of 192 American Journal of Occupational Therapy articles published from 1947 to 2010 to understand and explicate the emergence of scholarship within the profession. Scholarship includes scientific inquiry, empirical research, and other forms of inquiry. We identified and coded three aspects of the development of scholarship: argument, methodological rigor, and occupational focus. All three aspects increased over the evaluated period, during which substantial changes occurred in the profession’s practice and access to higher education. We see the development of scholarship as aligned with the claiming of the profession’s independence and voice.