bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Technology Acceptance Model in Strengthening Business Positioning
Authors: Oruh Emeka Smart
Published: June 2018

Technology acceptance model (TAM)—new media—has been widely viewed as a veritable medium for innovating businesses, specifically business positioning. However, organizations are hardly adopting it due to fear of losing control of information flow and cyber-attack, which has intensified and taken mutative dimensions recently. Although numerous studies have explored TAM, they have largely focused on users' perception of the system's usefulness, ease of use, intention to use, and the actual use, while leaving out the strategic implications of such business practice. Thus, relying on thematic textual analysis of interview data drawn from 41 respondents, this chapter empirically investigates how selected ICT firms in Nigeria are behaving towards TAM- new social media. Consequently, the study proposes that rather than dwell on avoidance model, following associated risks, TAM can be securely and effectively integrated to help stimulate business positioning: market positioning, market leadership, customer intimacy-relationship, and competitive advantage for organizational success.
Using a Revised Knowledge Pyramid to Redefine Knowledge Management Strategy
Authors: Jennex Murray E.
Published: June 2018

The knowledge pyramid has been used for several years to illustrate the hierarchical relationships between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. This chapter posits that the knowledge pyramid is too basic and fails to represent reality and presents a revised knowledge-KM pyramid. One key difference is that the revised knowledge-KM pyramid includes knowledge management as an extraction of reality with a focus on organizational learning. The revised pyramid includes newer initiatives such as business and/or customer intelligence, big data, analytics, internet of things. Finally, this chapter discusses how KM strategy can be generated using the final revised pyramid.
Knowledge Management and Entrepreneurship Research and Practice
Authors: Bandera Cesar , Passerini Katia , Bartolacci Michael R.
Published: June 2018

A contentious merger seems to characterize the relationship between entrepreneurship, defined as the process of bringing new products and services to the market, and knowledge management. Even when discussed from the perspective of dynamic knowledge creation and innovation rather than from the codification and organization of a firm's knowledge base, the knowledge management process of new ventures often fails to keep pace with best practices. This is particularly puzzling as the competitive advantage of new ventures stems from exploiting tacit knowledge, which is at the heart of successful knowledge creation and management. This chapter investigates this contradiction and discusses challenges and opportunities to both the practitioner and the researcher.
A Contingency Perspective for Knowledge Management Solutions in Different Decision-Making Contexts
Authors: Ozlen Kursad , Handzic Meliha
Published: June 2018

A contingency perspective of knowledge management, as one of the popular ways of promoting decision making capabilities, recognizes the need for a fit between knowledge management solutions (KMS) and decision-making contexts which they support. In order to determine the best fit, a field survey was carried out to investigate the impact of two different types of KMS (technical and social) on decision makers' behavior and performance in different decision contexts (simple and complex). According to the results, there is a partial support for the contingency view. As expected, social KMS appears as the best fit for complex contexts, based on subjects' superior performance from comparable adoption of both KMS. In contrast, the results suggest that both KMS were an equally good fit for simple contexts, based on similar levels of subjects' performance, but social KMS was preferred in terms of adoption. These findings contribute to much necessary empirical evidence for research and provide useful guidance for practice. However, their limitations necessitate further study.
Knowledge Engineering, Cognitive Ergonomics, and Knowledge Management in 2017
Authors: Lofaro Ronald John
Published: June 2018

Today there is a new emphasis on a discipline related to knowledge engineering (KE): knowledge management (KM). The chapter shows that a Delphi methodology, developed and used with real success from 1986 through 2003, can be revised and up-dated to take a place in the spectrum of KE/KM. This new model combines elements of a Pareto technique at the front end of an small group Delphi paradigm/estimate-talk-estimate (SGDP/ETE) process to initially identify and sharpen the criticality of problems and their solutions. The final stage of the model uses real time Delphi (RTD) techniques. As a result, the final paradigm uses today's technology to achieve extremely accurate decision making and indicate what can be successful courses of action across many venues. Examples will be given of how this new model could be applied to current, real-life problems in three very different arenas.
Knowledge Management Strategy Implementation Through Knowledge Ambassadors
Authors: Aagaard Annabeth
Published: June 2018

The aim of this chapter is to explore and explain how knowledge management strategies are implemented effectively across divisions through the application of change agents in the shape of so-called “knowledge ambassadors.” Knowledge ambassadors can play an active role in supporting knowledge sharing and effective integration of knowledge management strategies. The chapter is based on a three-year longitudinal participative case study of the implementation of a knowledge management strategy across an organization and its seven geographically dispersed divisions. The results of the study reveal different steps and key activities in effective implementation of a knowledge management strategy and how knowledge ambassadors play a vital role in effective integration of knowledge management tools, continuous support of knowledge sharing practices, and in developing a knowledge culture within the organization.
Knowledge Management in Support of Enterprise Risk Management
Authors: Rodriguez Eduardo , Edwards John S.
Published: June 2018

This chapter examines possible relationships between knowledge management constructs related to knowledge sharing and two risk management concepts: perceived quality of risk control and perceived value of enterprise risk management. From a literature review, relationships with eight knowledge management variables covering people, process, and technology aspects were hypothesized. The results showed that the perceived quality of risk control is significantly associated with four knowledge management variables: perceived quality of risk knowledge sharing, perceived quality of communication among people, web channel functionality, and risk management information system functionality. However, the relationships of the knowledge management variables to the perceived value of enterprise risk management are not significant. The authors conclude that better knowledge management is associated with better risk control, but that more effort needs to be made to break down organizational silos in order to support true enterprise risk management.
Content Considerations for Blended Learning Experiences
Authors: Prion Susan , Mitchell Mathew
Published: June 2018

There are many resources available to higher education faculty to support selection and production of multimedia for use in blended (also known as mixed-mode or hybrid) learning experiences. Unfortunately, there is limited advice, best practice, or research available to assist a faculty member in determining which content would be best delivered to students in person, online, or in a mixture of the two approaches. This chapter describes a course design model used to determine the types of content that are best delivered in a completely classroom, only online, or mostly mixed pedagogical approach. The characteristics and criteria for content most suited to each of these instructional strategies are listed, and two worked examples from an undergraduate science and a doctoral statistics course are included.
Connecting Higher Education Learning Spaces in a Blended Zululand Teaching and Learning Ecology
Authors: Evans Neil Davies
Published: June 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to conceptualize a blended teaching and learning ecology in a South African institution of higher education which is grappling with issues of relevance, equity, and calls to decolonize the curriculum. This case study draws on past experiences and prior learning in higher education and suggests that a good teacher needs to understand the diversity of their students—how they develop and learn and that most “deep” learners actively construct and transform their own knowledge for their specific needs. Acknowledgement of this diversity also highlights that students from different backgrounds can have different perceptions, beliefs, and ethics, which all act as filters of information and thus learning. The epistemological and methodological foundations, together with the effect of participant diversity and proposed pedagogy, will contribute to dialogue on holistic curriculum development and deeper learning spaces in higher education.
Computer Analysis of Texts in Social Networks, Its Method and Tools
Authors: Makagonov Pavel P. , Troussov Alexander
Published: June 2018

Texts in virtual social networks differ cardinally from those of reviewed and edited publications, as being in fact the materials of non-moderated chat dialog having all the syntactic features, and in many cases, they are hypertexts with, as analysis subjects, quite relative boundaries. Instead of texts the virtual discourse, an object of new type is analyzed. In these conditions, the linguistic analysis is transformed into preliminary linguistic processing the texts and analysis of texts into the analysis of networks participants' interactions. Weak sides of linguistic processing both primary and pervasive are shown concerning the texts in social networks. Many problems appear when analyzing the texts as non-structured big data. A changing of used linguistic tools is linked with the reorientation onto new research customers: companies seeing the business interest in that, state structures, and even onto criminal structures using result of analysis for composing the texts aimed for manipulation of the consciousness.
Set Classification
Authors: Nastenko Ievgen Arnoldovich , Konoval Oleksandra Olegivna , Nosovets Olena Konstantinovna , Pavlov Volodymyr Anatolevich
Published: June 2018

The classification problem where each object is given by a set of multidimensional measurements that is associated with an unknown dependence is considered. Intersection of sets that define objects from different classes is allowed. In this case, it is natural to found classification algorithms based on the difference between dependencies for the objects belonging to different classes. Two algorithms to convert the set classification problem solution from the initial feature space into (1) the parameters space of the common model structure for all the objects and (2) the parameters spaces of the best structures for each class are proposed, along with a classification algorithm based on the accuracy of object representation by the models based on the structures found for each class. If the objects are described with big data, the approach can be used to transform data into a compact form (model parameters) that preserves the characteristics that are necessary to separate the classes. An approach to solve a problem of clustering sets is proposed. Some examples are given.
Using Online Data in Predicting Stock Price Movements
Authors: Dařena František , Petrovský Jonáš , Přichystal Jan , Žižka Jan
Published: June 2018

A lot of research has been focusing on incorporating online data into models of various phenomena. The chapter focuses on one specific problem coming from the domain of capital markets where the information contained in online environments is quite topical. The presented experiments were designed to reveal the association between online texts (from Yahoo! Finance, Facebook, and Twitter) and changes in stock prices of the corresponding companies. As the method for quantifying the association, machine learning-based classification was chosen. The experiments showed that the data preparation procedure had a substantial impact on the results. Thus, different stock price smoothing, the lags between the release of documents and related stock price changes, levels of a minimal stock price change, different weighting schemes for structured document representation, and classifiers were studied. The chapter also shows how to use currently available open source technologies to implement a system for accomplishing the task.
The Social Entrepreneur
Authors: Ülgen Beliz
Published: June 2018

Although social entrepreneurs have some common characteristics with business or commercial entrepreneurs, undoubtedly they differ in many ways. In this chapter, social entrepreneurs are highlighted with their core personality traits and motivation factors that are different from the other entrepreneurs. In the beginning, the definitions of social entrepreneurs put forward by different authorities were presented. Immediately after these definitions, the three main typologies—social bricoleurs, social constructionists, social engineers—and their characteristics were examined. By its nature and purpose, a social enterprise needs some specific entrepreneurial traits and driving factors. In the last section of this chapter, these personality traits and motivation factors were discussed.
Creating Competitive Advantage With Social Entrepreneurship
Authors: Yalcintas Murat
Published: June 2018

This chapter probes ways of creating competitive advantage with social entrepreneurship by determining the instruments that social enterprises can apply to achieve competitive advantage. The chapter first develops the concepts of social entrepreneurship and competitive advantage within their common framework by examining the relevant literature. Then, it proposes shared value, social intrapreneurship, strategic partnership, differentiation, and recruiting talents as instruments for social entrepreneurs to achieve competitive advantage and mentions various cases as examples. The chapter concludes by proposing a measurement framework that focuses on the interaction between business and social results.
Social Entrepreneurial Leadership for a Better World
Authors: Yıldız Müge Leyla
Published: June 2018

This chapter introduces the concept of entrepreneurial leadership and argues that it offers potential contributions to economic and social wealth. A theoretical framework of social entrepreneurial leadership and the characteristics of social entrepreneurial leaders is then posited. The similarities between social entrepreneurialism and other leadership styles such as ethical, transformative, authentic, sustainable, and servant leadership are explored. The conclusion reflects on the various understandings of social entrepreneurial leadership and how social entrepreneurial leaders can be characterized as the primary actors for a better world.
Consumer Buying Behavior of Budding Musicians Between 15 and 25 Purchasing Guitars in Pune
Authors: Choudhury Suddhaloke Roy , Kaushal B. K.
Published: June 2018

The earth-shattering effect of Rock and Roll on popular music put guitars on the map. Buying behavior of a guitar (instrument) is relatively a nascent topic in academic literature, although listening to and playing music itself has been an important part of human culture for centuries. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate consumer buying behavior of budding musicians between the ages of 15 and 25, purchasing guitars in the city of Pune. The study ended up providing a significant insight into the mind of a budding musician while purchasing a guitar. All of this has helped shape the buying behavior of a potential consumer. Surprisingly, family influence has been low for most people since they have been quite sure while making a purchase.
Mood of the Consumer
Authors: Sinha Chetan
Published: June 2018

Consumer mood is not simply a state of mind or general affective enterprise of individuals going to make any choice. It also acts as a moderator in making the person belong to the social world in some way. The act of choosing is an intentional behavior and dependent upon the mood, culture, and social class. The object of choice fit into the accumulated framework of meaning-making systems where the mood has an important role to play in a social world. It was observed by Savani et al (2010) that people in US context have a more independent and disjointed model of choice as compared with the Indian counterparts. The argument is about the intentionality to choose as not an individual stance but collectively derived behavior in a collectivist culture like India where groups matter.
Predictive Methods of Always Best-Connected Networks in Heterogeneous Environment
Authors: Mariappan Bhuvaneswari
Published: June 2018

Heterogeneous networks are comprised of dense deployments of pico (small cell) base stations (BSs) overlaid with traditional macro BSs, thus allowing them to communicate with each other. The internet itself is an example of a heterogeneous network. Presently, the emergence of 4G and 5G heterogeneous network has attracted most of the user-centric applications like video chatting, online mobile interactive classroom, and voice services. To facilitate such bandwidth-hungry multimedia applications and to ensure QoS (quality of service), always best-connected (ABC) network is to be selected among available heterogeneous network. The selection of the ABC network is based on certain design parameters such as cost factor, bandwidth utilization, packet delivery ratio, security, throughput, delay, packet loss ratio, and call blocking probability. In this chapter, all the above-mentioned design parameters are considered to evaluate the performance of always best-connected network under heterogeneous environment for mobile users.
Classification of Channel Allocation Schemes in Wireless Mesh Network
Authors: Banik Abira , Majumder Abhishek
Published: June 2018

Wireless mesh network (WMN) is a widely accepted network topology due to its implementation convenience, low cost nature, and immense adaptability in real-time scenarios. The components of the network are gateways, mesh routers, access points, and end users. The components in mesh topology have a dedicated line of communication with a half-duplex radio. The wireless mesh network is basically implemented in IEEE 802.11 standard, and it is typically ad-hoc in nature. The advantageous nature of WMN leads to its extensive use in today's world. WMN's overall performance has been increased by incorporating the concept of multi-channel multi-radio. This gives rise to the problem of channel assignment for maximum utilization of the available bandwidth. In this chapter, the factors affecting the channel assignment process have been presented. Categorizations of the channel assignment techniques are also illustrated. Channel assignment techniques have also been compared.
Adaptive Power-Saving Mechanism for VoIP Over WiMAX Based on Artificial Neural Network
Authors: Emara Tamer
Published: June 2018

The IEEE 802.16 system offers power-saving class type II as a power-saving algorithm for real-time services such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service. However, it doesn't take into account the silent periods of VoIP conversation. This chapter proposes a power conservation algorithm based on artificial neural network (ANN-VPSM) that can be applied to VoIP service over WiMAX systems. Artificial intelligent model using feed forward neural network with a single hidden layer has been developed to predict the mutual silent period that used to determine the sleep period for power saving class mode in IEEE 802.16. From the implication of the findings, ANN-VPSM reduces the power consumption during VoIP calls with respect to the quality of services (QoS). Experimental results depict the significant advantages of ANN-VPSM in terms of power saving and quality-of-service (QoS). It shows the power consumed in the mobile station can be reduced up to 3.7% with respect to VoIP quality.
Advanced Water Treatment Systems and Their Applications
Authors: Rangreez Tauseef Ahmad , Mobin Rizwana , Chisti Hamida-Tun-Nisa , Bashir Rafia , Ara Tabassum
Published: June 2018

The chapter gives an idea about water as a life-sustaining medium and the sources of its pollution along with the deteriorating effects of over burdening of natural resources and the effect of various heavy metal ions discharged into the water bodies on human health and wellbeing. Several human diseases and disorders that are caused due to intake of water polluted by toxic heavy metal ions are also listed. The need and urgency in determination and removal of heavy metal ions from the water sources in order to release load on aquifers by making water safe for reuse is emphasized. The procedure and advantages of composite cation-exchangers along with the work carried out in the field to develop various lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury selective cation-exchangers are also included. The utility of organic-inorganic composite material for the detection of heavy metals, which render portable water unsafe for use and pose a threat to the wellbeing of man, is also discussed.
Wastewater Pollution From the Industries
Authors: Ara Tabassum , Bashir Rafia , Chisti Hamida-Tun-Nisa , Rangreez Tauseef Ahmad
Published: June 2018

Water is one of the most precious natural resources of the earth, without which the living beings cannot survive. Water is important for the sustenance of human civilization. Man uses water for many purposes like drinking, cleaning, washing, bathing, heating, rearing cattle, and farming. Mankind, for the bettering of themselves and society, advanced towards industries and industrial products. But this progress towards industrialization not only utilizes huge amounts of fresh water, but returns water to the environment with pollutants, which changes its natural quality. Thus, mankind is heading towards misery, instead of comfort. Effective measures need to be taken to prevent, minimize, and control water pollution before it becomes too late.
Agriculture Pollution
Authors: Kumar P. Senthil , Yaashikaa P. R.
Published: June 2018

Vast industrialization and population expansion forced an increase in the utilization of natural resources for human survival. Agriculture is a critical process in which livestock and growth of crops have to be balanced equally. Humans completely depend on agriculture for food and nutrition. Presently, the agricultural sector faces destructive activities due to chemical fertilizers and pesticides which cause environmental pollution. Agricultural pollution signifies biotic and abiotic side effects of cultivating practices that outcome in infection and deterioration of the environment and encompassing biological communities, as well as causing health effects to humans. Eutrophication, loss of biodiversity, contamination of soil, air, and water, depletion of fertility of soil are a few causes of agricultural pollution. Management of these pollutants includes replacement with biological formulations, run-off water treatment, minimizing use of nutrients, and livestock management. Thus, there is a need for securing the agriculture sector for crop productivity and handling country's economy.
Augmented Reality and Experiences
Authors: Selvaraj Prabha , Doraikannan Sumathi , Rathinam Anantha Raman , Balachandrudu K. E.
Published: June 2018

Today technology evolves in two different directions. The first one is to create a new technology for our requirement and solve the problem, and the second one is to do it with the existing technology. This chapter will discuss in detail augmented reality and its use in the real world and also its application domains like medicine, education, health, gaming, tourism, film and entertainment, architecture, and development. Many think that AR is only for smartphones, but there are different ways to enhance the insight of the world. Augmented realities can be presented on an extensive range of displays, monitors, screens, handheld devices, or glasses. This chapter will provide the information about the key components of AR devices. This chapter gives a view on different types of AR and also projects how the technology can be adapted for multiple purposes based on the required type of view.
Real-Time Notifications
Authors: Soares Nuno , Vairiinhos Mário , Beça Pedro , Ribeiro Tânia Ferreira
Published: June 2018

Consumers have become better informed, forcing companies to offer products and services that fit their tastes and preferences. The technologies in the context of internet of things (IoT) have been in increasing demand, by allowing the adaptation and customization of products and services contextualized with the location of consumers functioning and operating in real-time context and location of consumers. In this chapter, two relevant real-time content notification systems based on IoT systems are analyzed. It was concluded that, despite all the advantages associated with the use of these notification services, there are some security limitations: large amount of information collected, it is necessary to manage quickly and effectively to deliver relevant content in a timely manner; need for high bandwidth; considerable reduction of the autonomy of the batteries of the smartphones, of the users due to the necessity of activation of the GPS and the Bluetooth.
IoT Sustainability in Higher Education
Authors: Belchior-Rocha Helena , Almeida Filomena Nogueira , Abreu Ricardo
Published: June 2018

The widespread use of new information technologies has brought new challenges to society and in particular to forcing innovation in education and training by changing the paradigm of education. However, there still seems to be no consensus on how best to use new information technologies in educational practices. In this context, and because it is important to know, debate, think, and plan the future role of these new technologies in teaching/training, the authors conducted an exploratory study with the Delphi technique. The experience and creativity of a panel of experts will lead to a categorical scale and to the elaboration of an instrument with a preliminary list of indicators to be applied to students and professors and evaluate the sustainability of IoT in higher education.
“What If Goodness Ruled the World?”
Authors: Silton Nava R. , Riley Patrick
Published: June 2018

This chapter describes how the Realabilities Comic Book Series and the Addy & Uno Off-Broadway Musical feature five characters with disabilities, who harness the special strengths-associated with their disabilities (Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Visual, Hearing and Physical Disability)-to save their school from bullies. The intent of the following five studies was to utilize pre-post-test designs to examine the efficacy of various iterations of a musical and/or a full comic book series curriculum in enhancing typical children's empathy, cognitive attitudes on the adjective checklist (ACL) and behavioral intentions on the shared activities questionnaire (SAQ) towards children with disabilities. Following the musical and/or comic book series curriculum, the participants showed significantly improved behavioral intentions and improved cognitive attitudes towards children with disabilities. These findings help demonstrate how creative programs like these may foster empathy and serve as a useful antidote to counter negative attitudes towards individuals with disabilities.
Using Gamification to Engage Higher-Order Thinking Skills
Authors: Bourke Brian
Published: June 2018

Critical thinking and other higher-order thinking skills are key objectives of higher education. Through the development of higher-order thinking skills, students are able to discern information from multiple, often competing sources, make sound judgements, draw conclusions, and enact creative solutions to complex problems. However, faculty can struggle with how to help students develop higher-order thinking skills, relying instead on transmission of knowledge, focusing on what to learn instead of how to learn. In this chapter, the author provides insights into the connections between using gamification as a pedagogical approach, and the development of higher-order thinking skills. The chapter addresses perspectives on higher-ordering thinking, approaches to gamification in college courses, and concludes with recommendations for faculty in approaching gamification.
Developing Diversity Awareness and Multicultural Competence Across Liberal Arts Campuses
Authors: Vallera Farah L. , Thorpe LaKeisha , Kleintop Lizabeth
Published: June 2018

The rapidly changing world requires students to be prepared to address change and diversity with empathy, tolerance, and competence. To help prepare them, the authors collaboratively developed and implemented a set of blended, cross-campus multicultural competence modules in graduate and undergraduate courses. This chapter discusses the use of blended learning techniques, digital tools, and learning management technologies, as well as instructional design and collaborative approaches to teaching, learning, and course development. The modules were created to be disseminated for use in multiple courses, disciplines, and collegiate levels across college campuses in an effort to better prepare students for the rapidly changing social landscape of interpersonal relationships and technological developments. Recommendations for similar development and implementations are provided.
Entrepreneurial Skills for the 21st Century Workplace
Authors: Bowen Mauvalyn M. , Johnson Karen R.
Published: June 2018

The foundation of graduates' employability is based on skills and by extension, workers. Due to the high levels of unemployment among young people, entrepreneurial skills for graduates and the workforce becomes an imperative to scholars and policy makers trying to tackle unemployment issues by providing students with skills, and competences that fulfill the needs of a very competitive labor market (Pereira, Vilas-Boas & Rebelo, 2016). To encourage collaboration on educational innovation, to promote entrepreneurship education, and to improve university technology and knowledge transfer to industry and society, several initiatives were developed. This chapter discusses some of those initiatives and contributes to the skills discourse by proposing strategies to empower, structure, and improve innovative curriculum, workplace, and life. Some skills shortages identified for the 21st century workplace are: learning and innovation skills, career and life skills; adaptability, self-reliance and social skills, team building, technology, leadership and responsibility skills.
The Role of Teacher Education in Developing Employability Skills in Higher Education
Authors: Sessanga Joyce Bukirwa , Musisi Badru
Published: June 2018

This chapter explores the need to equip student teachers with the skills that will enable them to train and develop their learners for employability. However, given the broad understanding of employability, it is important to recognize that the quality of a university graduate is not just a reflection of the quality of the curriculum and its supporting academic environment. It reflects the demands of the industry as well as the competence of the regulating body (i.e. related government institutions) in shaping the characteristics of higher education graduates. It might be overly simplistic to say that universities are encouraged, if not pressured, to produce employable graduates. The higher education sector therefore needs to recognize and understand the context of employability for their graduates to ensure that their students can live up to the expectations from governments and employers.
Promoting Competence-Based Learning and Assessment Through Innovative Use of Electronic Portfolios
Authors: Gikandi Joyce W.
Published: June 2018

This chapter focuses on how innovative use of electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) can contribute towards meeting the needs of 21st century learners by promoting competence-based learning and assessment. The author explores various strategies and functionalities of e-portfolio application in higher education. Further, fundamental issues that relate to successful implementation of student academic e-portfolios are examined. Specifically, the relevance of congruent theoretical perspectives and teacher's involvement in the process of e-portfolio development are articulated among other key issues. Based on the emergent perspectives elucidated through this chapter, best practices to inform innovative and effective uses of e-portfolios are identified. The chapter illuminates how the effective use of e-portfolio can promote meaningful learning experiences and development of core competences including interactive collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy, problem solving and self-efficacy.
Technology-Enhanced Classroom to Enhance Critical Thinking Skills
Authors: Omariba Alice
Published: June 2018

This chapter describes how the impact of digital technology can now be felt in all spheres of life leading to global competition especially in education. The vision for technology-enhanced classrooms is one in which student groups work on long-term, multidisciplinary projects involving challenging content that is interesting and important to them with the support of technological tools for collecting, analyzing, displaying and communicating information. In the face of severe social and economic challenges, many developing countries are struggling to overcome barriers to the integration of digital tools in education to help students develop high-order skills and global competences for life and work. This chapter is intended to further discussions on incorporating technologies into instruction in order to bridge the gap between critical thinking skills and digital tools, and helping learners to become globally competent at the digital workplace.
Core Competencies and Innovation for Library and Information Science Professional in 21st Century Digital-Based Environments
Authors: Awoyemi Robert Akinade
Published: June 2018

Academic libraries and information technology centres are under serious threat due to the increasing pressure to achieve higher level of performance in a competitive global environment. Most of these challenges are as result of information communication technology (ICT) and digital revolution. This chapter discusses the impact of digital revolution on academic libraries and the need to acquire core competencies and new skills to effectively the 21st century academic libraries and information technology centres. Further, the author examines the sets of skills required by Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals to survive in the digital-based environments.
Incorporating Representation-Based Instruction Into Mathematics Teaching
Authors: Ulusoy Fadime , Incikabi Lutfi
Published: June 2018

Developing students' abilities in using and selecting appropriate representations and making transformations between representations is an important issue in mathematics education. Among the mathematical concepts, fractions have always reported as a challenging issue for students in the middle schools for a long time. In this sense, researchers have suggested the use of different representations in learning and teaching of fractions in order to enhance students' conceptual understandings of fractions. Based on this suggestion, we provide some activities for engaging middle school students with multiple representations of fractions by focusing on addition operation. These activities are focused on the need to identify appropriate instructional strategies to enhance students' communication and critical thinking, thus improving their academic performance in mathematics.
Using Learner Centered Pedagogy and Social Justice Pedagogy in Post-Secondary Technical and Professional Communication Writing Courses
Authors: Harper Kimberly C.
Published: June 2018

This chapter discusses the author's approach to implementing social justice and learner-centered pedagogies in a course titled Technical Communication in the Age of #BlackLivesMatter. The author uses the Black Lives Matter movement as a springboard for teaching technical communication students about the responsibilities of workplace writers. Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) make use of a skills-based pedagogy and, at times, omits the importance of providing students with cultural competency skills. However, there is a shift in the field of TPC as some scholars are advocating for the inclusion of topics such as race, culture, gender, and class in pedagogical discussions. Discussed in this chapter are the theories behind the author's pedagogical choices when creating the described course, the student assignments, and the challenges encountered while teaching the course.
A Survey on Local Textural Patterns for Facial Feature Extraction
Authors: Maheswari V Uma , Prasad Golla Vara , Raju S Viswanadha
Published: June 2018

Over the last two decades retrieving an accurate image has become a challenging task. Regardless, texture patterns address this problem by decreasing the significant gap between the actual image over the user expectation rather than other low-level features. This article represents the comprehensive survey of the recent achievements and relevant publications investigated in different directions of the textural areas in CBIR. These consist of triggered methods for image local texture feature extraction, numerical illustration and similarity measurement. In addition, challenges are discussed in comparisons of textural patterns. Retrospectively, concluded with a few recommendations based on generic survey and demand from the
Securing Digital Image from Malicious Insider Attacks
Authors: Saranjame Rahul , Das Manik Lal
Published: June 2018

Protection of digital images from malicious (and dishonest) insider entities is an important concern in modern digital space. A malicious entity can alter some important features of an image to mislead the target recipient of the image, which can cause harm in applications such as healthcare, insurance, product description and so on. In order to protect digital images, cryptographic primitives such as pseudo-random function and digital signature have been used in practice for image protection. In this article, the authors present a method of image protection from malicious image manipulation. The authors use the concept of secret sharing and public key primitives in the proposed method. This article discusses on attacks involving generation of fake shares to cheat honest user(s) and a demonstration of the proposed system employing a centralized server to generate shares and authenticate them on the basis of requests is made as a counter to the described attack.
Dual Hesitant Fuzzy Soft Rings
Authors: Deepa V.
Published: June 2018

In this article, the concept of dual hesitant fuzzy soft sets is applied to the subring and ideal structures of the classical rings. Further, based on level soft sets of the dual hesitant fuzzy soft set, a characterization theorem for the dual hesitant fuzzy soft ring is established. Moreover, a counter-example is provided for a dual hesitant fuzzy soft ring which is not an idealistic dual hesitant fuzzy soft ring. Finally, the homomorphic and bi-soft homomorphic properties of a dual hesitant fuzzy soft ring are discussed.
Fuzzy Soft Matrices Entropy
Authors: Sharma Omdutt , Tiwari Pratiksha , Gupta Priti
Published: June 2018

This article describes how information technology and internet together infused organizations with huge amount of data. Consequently, accumulating, storing, understanding and analyzing data at a large scale is equally important and complex. Out of this data not all is information data, in order to extract information, one needs to discard redundant, irrelevant and unnecessary data. This article aims to introduce a data reduction technique which will be useful to discard irrelevant data. Here in data-reduction, the authors have used fuzzy-soft set techniques, namely fuzzy-soft information matrixes. Further, they have introduced a new fuzzy-soft information measure of fuzzy-soft matrixes.
Journalistic Professionalism and User Motivations for Snapchat Video
Authors: Lee Eun Jeong , Kaufhold Kelly
Published: June 2018

This article applied uses and gratifications to investigate motivations for posting Snapchat videos to identify whether journalistic norms inform Snapchat behavior. This study revealed that information sharing, entertainment, recognition, and self-expression motives were related to Snapchat video use; professional journalistic practices were not. Findings suggest that Snapchat video is used primarily for entertainment, rather than journalism among users. Given the robust increase by legacy news outlets in Snapchat Discover, the findings are timely and relevant.
Pre-Vaccination and Quarantine Approach for Defense Against Worms Propagation of Malicious Objects in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ojha Rudra Pratap , Srivastava Pramod Kumar , Sanyal Goutam
Published: June 2018

Network security poses a challenge to wireless sensor networks (WSNs) achieving its true potential. It is hard to tackle due to operational constraints of networks. Worms have become an emergent threat to the wireless networks. The spread of worms in the network is epidemic in nature. This article proposes a novel mathematical model with pre-vaccination and quarantine for study of worm propagation dynamics in WSN that is based on epidemic model. Further, the authors have devised an expression to determine threshold communication radius and node density. The objective of this proposed model is to study the propagation dynamics of worms in wireless sensor networks. Through the model, investigate the stability condition of networks in the presence of malicious codes. The experimental studies indicate that the proposed model outperforms in terms of security and energy efficiency over other existing models. It is a leap toward worm-controlling mechanisms in sensor networks. Finally, the control mechanism and performance of the proposed model is validated through extensive simulation results.
Mobile Applications in Data Acquisition for Production Planning and Control
Authors: Moura Ana , Tomás Daniela Ferreira , Teixeira Leonor
Published: June 2018

The evolution of technologies, coupled with the constant and fast growth of mobile communication network structures, has promoted the development of technological solutions in different business sectors, particularly in manufacturing companies. To help the companies to become and/or remain more competitive, management and production planning requires progressively more prompt and effective decisions, in order to increase the productivity and reduce production costs. This article presents a mobile application, developed for an Android platform that was implemented and tested in a Portuguese company. This application allows the recording and storage of data, with the main objective of supporting the production planning and control. In addition to the development, implementation and testing of the application, a study of the usability impact of the application in the company was also performed. This was done not only by covering the production process optimization, but also as the feasibility of its use by human resources.
Visualizing the Rapid and Dynamic Elimination of Allogeneic T Cells in Secondary Lymphoid Organs
Authors: Kanda Yasuhiro , Takeuchi Arata , Ozawa Madoka , Kurosawa Yoichi , Kawamura Toshihiko , Bogdanova Dana , Iioka Hidekazu , Kondo Eisaku , Kitazawa Yusuke , Ueta Hisashi , Matsuno Kenjiro , Kinashi Tatsuo , Katakai Tomoya
Published: June 2018

Allogeneic organ transplants are rejected by the recipient immune system within several days or weeks. However, the rejection process of allogeneic T (allo-T) cells is poorly understood. In this study, using fluorescence-based monitoring and two-photon live imaging in mouse adoptive transfer system, we visualized the fate of allo-T cells in the in vivo environment and showed rapid elimination in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs). Although i.v. transferred allo-T cells efficiently entered host SLOs, including lymph nodes and the spleen, ∼70% of the cells had disappeared within 24 h. At early time points, allo-T cells robustly migrated in the T cell area, whereas after 8 h, the numbers of arrested cells and cell fragments were dramatically elevated. Apoptotic breakdown of allo-T cells released a large amount of cell debris, which was efficiently phagocytosed and cleared by CD8+ dendritic cells. Rapid elimination of allo-T cells was also observed in nu/nu recipients. Depletion of NK cells abrogated allo-T cell reduction only in a specific combination of donor and recipient genetic backgrounds. In addition, F1 hybrid transfer experiments showed that allo-T cell killing was independent of the missing-self signature typically recognized by NK cells. These suggest the presence of a unique and previously uncharacterized modality of allorecognition by the host immune system. Taken together, our findings reveal an extremely efficient and dynamic process of allogeneic lymphocyte elimination in SLOs, which could not be recapitulated in vitro and is distinct from the rejection of solid organ and bone marrow transplants.
Collagen VI Contains Multiple Host Defense Peptides with Potent In Vivo Activity
Authors: Abdillahi Suado M. , Maaß Tobias , Kasetty Gopinath , Strömstedt Adam A. , Baumgarten Maria , Tati Ramesh , Nordin Sara L. , Walse Björn , Wagener Raimund , Schmidtchen Artur , Mörgelin Matthias
Published: June 2018

Collagen VI is a ubiquitous extracellular matrix component that forms extensive microfibrillar networks in most connective tissues. In this study, we describe for the first time, to our knowledge, that the collagen VI von Willebrand factor type A–like domains exhibit a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in human skin infections in vivo. In silico sequence and structural analysis of VWA domains revealed that they contain cationic and amphipathic peptide sequence motifs, which might explain the antimicrobial nature of collagen VI. In vitro and in vivo studies show that these peptides exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through membrane disruption. Our findings shed new light on the role of collagen VI–derived peptides in innate host defense and provide templates for development of peptide-based antibacterial therapies.
Comparison of selected parts of larval morphology in some species of the genus Chironomus (Diptera: Chironomidae) using Scanning Electron Microscope
Authors: Kownacki Andrzej , Szarek-Gwiazda Ewa , Dykas Michał , Jabłońska-Barna Izabela , Michailova Paraskeva
Published: June 2018

Comparison of small sized and weakly chitinized structures such as the labrum (labral setae SI-SIII, labral lamella, tormal bar, pecten epipharings) and the maxilla (maxillary palp, lacinial chaeta) is provided in larvae of Chironomus plumosus, C. balatonicus, C. usenicus C. melanotus, C. acerbiphilus, and C. riparius using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The general morphological structures of the labrum and the maxilla were similar in all of the Chironomus larvae. They differed only in fine details such as labral seta, mainly S I. Seta S I is always plumose on each side and differently figured: elongated in C. balatonicus, C. plumosus, C. melanotus and C. usenicus; rounded in C. acerbiphilus and C. riparius. Some differences were also observed in the shape, length or ratio of lacinial chaetae (LCh I, LCh II). Based on morphological variation in the larvae of some Chironomus species, results indicated that the SEM method is apparently beneficial and useful in the analysis of smaller and weakly chitinized morphological structures such as the labrum and the maxilla.