bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
El Mosaico indígena
Authors: Poloni-Simard Jacques
Published: October 2016

Estudiar el mundo indígena en América española, entre los siglos XVI y XVIII, consiste en encarar el tema de la "república de los indios", uno de los estamentos que componía la sociedad colonial, dentro de la cual los individuos se definían por sus obligaciones fiscales hacia la Corona.Gracias a la documentación notarial, especialmente los testamentos, la historia del corregimiento de Cuenca (Audiencia de Quito) revela la heterogeneidad de la sociedad indígena, que no se reduce a la sola oposición entre los miembros del común y los caciques. Las diversas formas de adaptación al sistema colonial dieron lugar al florecimiento de nuevos grupos sociales, bajo el efecto de los mecanismos de diferenciación interna y de los procesos de mestizaje, especialmente en la ciudad. El análisis de las redes sociales confirma que los indios han sido actores de las mutaciones observadas, mientras que las dinámicas socio-económicas ponen de manifiesto la maleabilidad de las estructuras colectivas.Estudio monográfico, El mosaico indígena propone así un modelo sobre las recomposiciones de las identidades sociales indígenas, en la larga duración del período colonial.
Agriculture, Trade Liberalization and Poverty in the ACP Countries
Authors: Rajack-Talley Theresa Ann
Published: October 2016

This chapter looks specifically at the impact of the ACP agriculture trade agreements on issues of food production, food security and poverty and how they relate in some ways to each other. It is divided into four distinct but inter-related sections. First, poverty in the ACP regions is briefly described. Secondly, the importance of agriculture, particularly the role of small farming systems to economic growth, employment, food production, food security and poverty reduction in the ACP countries is examined. Thirdly, the impact of the acceleration of trade liberalization and agriculture protectionism on ACP countries is reviewed and analyzed. Here, the trade arrangements and networks in the three ACP regions are described and include international, regional and local agricultural trade and market agreements. Further, the paradoxes and dilemmas that emerge are interrogated and their outcomes discussed. Particular attention is paid to small producers and women. The fourth and final section of the chapter concludes that while the impact of agriculture trade liberalization remains a mixed bag of positive and negative possibilities, one thing that is clear is that while trade liberalization is promoted as a cure for food security and world poverty, the jury is still out on whether it has helped or hindered this endeavour. Trade policies and arrangements do substantially change the lives of people in developing countries, but in very complex ways. Recommendations are made to support the South-South initiatives of the ACP and others as well as enhance regional and domestic agriculture production and trade policies. The author, however, warns that agriculture and trade policies must be linked closer to food security and the healthy diets of local populations.
Social and Environmental Impacts on Agricultural Development
Authors: Bekele Frances , Bekele Isaac
Published: October 2016

Addressing environmental and social impacts on agricultural development and food security is a global priority since increased food production of 60-70% is estimated to be required by 2050 to feed the growing world population. In developing nations, the situation is more acute since fewer social, technological and financial resources are available to combat climate change, which is expected to have negative effects on agricultural production, and there are other constraints to achieving food security. This chapter explores the social and environmental issues affecting agricultural production facing farmers and other agricultural practitioners, policy makers, institutions and stakeholders in the developing world. It will also address how progress in research in emerging economies can be put to maximum benefit in the face of these existing social and environmental challenges. A cohesive strategy to address these challenges is presented.
Strengthening Food Security with Sustainable Practices by Smallholder Farmers in Lesser Developed Economies
Authors: Naraine Leighton , Meehan Kevin
Published: October 2016

Smallholder farming has played a key role in reducing world hunger and the focus now turns to consolidating these gains. What practices and policies will enable smallholders to sustain their livelihoods and strengthen food security? Following a brief discussion of agricultural models, and the global shift to sustainable development goals, this chapter examines practices of smallholder farmers in St. Kitts with examples from elsewhere. Assessing what has worked and what barriers continue to limit smallholder success, the chapter offers a list of adaptive strategies, policy recommendations, and areas for future research that can maximize smallholder farming impact on food security. Suggested priorities include: focusing research and policies on individual farm enterprises; moving toward an integrated farm model; adopting best practices in marketing, distribution, and accounting; improving government support; and adapting education programs to include modernized curricula, non-formal education, and the use of ICTs for training and extension at all levels.
Horticulture as a Reliable Source of Livelihood in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Authors: Singh Shrawan , Chand Subhash , Singh D. R. , Roy S. Dam
Published: October 2016

The tropical region is typically warm to hot and moist year-round with lush vegetation thus is favourable for horticultural diversity. The horticulture sector has shown remarkable progress in production and the shift in consumption patterns towards healthier diets within the principles of sustainability. Plantation crops are major contributors to the farm income and livelihoods of millions of people in the tropical region, while fruits and vegetables have direct roles in improved health through their micronutrient and antioxidants properties. Tuber and root vegetables are staple diets for indigenous tribes and one cannot imagine tribal life without coconut. Plantations crops and spices bring additional farm income and add flavour to foods and life. Medicinal plants have huge potential in the modern pharmaceutical and functional food industries. Research and development efforts have made horticulture an indispensable option for livelihood and nutrition, however, there are several issues which need timely attention for sustainable development.
Accessible and Inclusive Content and Applications
Authors: Brunet Tom , Ramachandran P. G.
Published: October 2016

As devices have become smaller and more pervasive, usage scenarios that have historically been common for people with disabilities are finding more general application for all users. Overall, the consideration of accessibility improves the usability of applications for all users. This chapter will discuss standards for accessibility, inclusive design, and topics related to the development of accessible mobile content and applications. The discussion will apply to mobile content, such as EPUB documents, and topics related to Web, native, and hybrid applications.
Role-Based Access Control for Mobile Computing and Applications
Authors: Sánchez Yaira K. Rivera , Demurjian Steven A. , Conover Joanne , Agresta Thomas P. , Shao Xian , Diamond Michael
Published: October 2016

The proliferation of mobile devices has changed the way that individuals access digital information with desktop applications now performed seamlessly in mobile applications. Mobile applications related to healthcare, finance/banking, etc., have highly sensitive data where unsecure access could have serious consequences. This chapter demonstrates an approach to Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for mobile applications that allows an information owner to define who can do what by role, which is then enforced within a mobile application's infrastructure (UI, API, server/database). Towards this objective, the chapter: motivates the usage of RBAC for mobile applications; generalizes the structure and components of a mobile application so that it can be customized by role; defines a configurable framework of locations where RBAC can be realized in a mobile application's infrastructure; and, proposes an approach that realizes RBAC for mobile security. To demonstrate, the proposed RBAC approach is incorporated into the Connecticut Concussion Tracker mobile application.
Preserving User Privacy and Security in Context-Aware Mobile Platforms
Authors: Das Prajit Kumar , Ghosh Dibyajyoti , Jagtap Pramod , Joshi Anupam , Finin Tim
Published: October 2016

Contemporary smartphones are capable of generating and transmitting large amounts of data about their users. Recent advances in collaborative context modeling combined with a lack of adequate permission model for handling dynamic context sharing on mobile platforms have led to the emergence of a new class of mobile applications that can access and share embedded sensor and context data. Most of the time such data is used for providing tailored services to the user but it can lead to serious breaches of privacy. We use Semantic Web technologies to create a rich notion of context. We also discuss challenges for context aware mobile platforms and present approaches to manage data flow on these devices using semantically rich fine-grained context-based policies that allow users to define their privacy and security need using tools we provide.
Influence of Star Bioscientists on Obtaining Venture Capital for Canadian Dedicated Biotechnology Firms
Authors: Queenton Johanne , Veilleux Sophie
Published: October 2016

As organizations based on science, dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs) establish very narrow links with universities and public research institutions in developing their technologies. This chapter examines the influence of DBF relationships with star bioscientists on their venture-capital funding. It proposes a new definition of bioscientists anchored in today's technological practices. It also classifies Canadian bioscientists into four categories to give a national overview of their involvement with DBFs. The cross-analysis of 150 Canadian DBFs active in human-health applications and 431 bioscientists confirms the positive impact of these relationships on obtaining venture capital when a star is involved because of the credibility it brings to the firm. Moreover, results show that bioscientists most often chose to establish contractual agreements with existing firms or start their own. Future research directions and implications for policy makers are discussed.
A Road Map for a Domestic Wind Turbine Manufacturıng Industry in Turkey
Authors: Erdoğdu M. Mustafa , Karaca Coşkun
Published: October 2016

Climate change is now widely recognized as the major environmental problem facing the globe. In large part this is due to emissions of so-called “greenhouse gases,” which mainly result from the production of energy using fossil fuels. In addition to environmental problems, some countries with limited fossil fuel reserves also suffer from energy-dependency. Turkey, for instance, now imports over 90 percent of its oil and natural gas at an annual cost of approximately US$35 billion. Turkey's dependence on imported energy portends negative effects on both national security and the economy. More investment in renewable energy has thus become vital. In this context, wind energy appears not only to be the most cost-efficient, medium term solution for energy dependency, but also for global climate change mitigation. Wind energy has the potential to reduce environmental impacts because it does not generate either atmospheric contaminants or thermal pollution. It also makes economic sense because while the costs of most forms of energy are rising, the costs of wind energy are decreasing. This chapter explores the way in which a strong domestic wind turbine manufacturing industry can be nurtured in Turkey. For this purpose, the chapter focuses particularly on some key measures such as investment subsidies, tax exemptions, corporate financing schemes, and information dissemination.
A Review of Various Nanostructures to Enhance the Efficiency of Solar-Photon-Conversions
Authors: Akhoon S. A. , Rubab S. , Shah M. A.
Published: October 2016

The problem of dwindling energy can be attributed to the rapidly increasing worldwide energy demand, leading to an urgent need for alternative energy-harvesting technologies to sustain the economic growth by maintaining our appetite for energy. Among them, solar-energy-harvesting is most promising, and the huge demand for clean, cost-effective, and cost-efficient energy can be met by solar energy. The large-scale solar energy utilization has not become practical because of the high cost and inadequate efficiencies of the current solar-energy-conversions. Nanotechnology offers tools to develop cost-effective and cost-efficient technologies for solar-energy conversions. Nanostructures, such as nanowires, nanopillars, nanodomes, nanorods, quatumdots, nanoparticles, etc., facilitate photon absorption, electron transport, and electron collection properties of the solar-energy-conversion devices. This review specifically summarizes the contribution of the nanotechnology to photovoltaics, dye-sensitive solar cells, quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells, and solar hydrogen production devices.
Sustainable Design of Photovoltaics
Authors: Putz Mihai V. , Tudoran Marina A. , Mirica Marius C. , Iorga Mirela I. , Bănică Radu , Novaconi Ștefan D. , Balcu Ionel , Rus Ștefania F. , Putz Ana-Maria
Published: October 2016

With the ever present-to-future need of renewable energy the main features of photo-electrochemistry processes are reviewed and described from the perspective of devices phenomenology serving to sustainable design of photovoltaics, while providing the quantum insight in terms of data observability and interpretation. At the same time, the photovoltaic cell “enriched” with quantum dots is presented as a “milestone for obtaining green energy”, a perspective opened by the developing of recent nanotechnology. Nevertheless, this new approach is referring to both theoretical and experimental aspects, both equally needed in order to find a way to develop efficient and ecological photovoltaic devices. Finally, bondonic information for molecules activated in mesoscopic scale are determined while combining their FT-IR spectra with photovoltaic fill factor and metrological quantum triangle (electron tunneling, Josephson effect and quantum Hall effect) towards challenging new perspective of sub-quantum interaction in condensed nano-matter.
Sustainable Development and Turkey's Biomass Energy Potential
Authors: Karaca Coşkun , Erdoğdu M. Mustafa
Published: October 2016

Although energy is indispensable for the provision of basic human needs and economic growth, it simultaneously threatens the basic elements of life when its production and usage is based on fossil fuels. Scientific evidence proves that high carbon emission is the main reason behind climate change. Therefore, producing energy from more sustainable type of energies has great importance not only to ensure preservation of a clean and livable environment for future generations, but also to reduce high dependence on fossil fuels for the production of energy. The latter issue is particularly important for emerging nations such as Turkey, which do not possess large fossil fuel reserves. Currently, Turkey is in a position to meet less than one third of its energy need domestically. Increasing the share of energy produced from biomass would help to create a low-carbon economy and cleaner environment, and increase the security of the energy supply and reduce dependence on imported oil and gas. The present study focuses on the level of Turkey's biomass energy potential and the way in which to make efficient use of this potential. The chapter forwards two main questions: (1) To what extent can the quality of environment be improved via biomass energy? (2) What changes occur in economic variables such as foreign trade, employment, and balance of payments when fossil fuel is substituted with biomass energy?
Mechatronic System Design for a Solar Tracker
Authors: Zhang H. Henry , Tan Li-Zhe , Yu Wangling , Meskouri Simo
Published: October 2016

The performance and cost-effectiveness of photovoltaic cells depends greatly on the intensity of solar radiation to which they are exposed. Integrating a solar tracking system to the photovoltaic cell panel provides a way to improve the efficiencies of the solar energy system. Designing such an interdisciplinary system requires the mechatronic approach, through which the subsystems and their interfacings relating to the electrical, electronic, mechanical, structural, and control are integrated with multiple functionality and intelligent engineering realized in the microprocessor/controller operations and the controlled mechanisms. This chapter presents a case study of mechatronic system design and prototyping of a two-axis solar tracking system ST100 utilizing microcontroller OOPic. Two stepper motors adjusting the solar panel's rotation and tilt about the horizontal axis and the vertical axis give it the ability to track the movement of the sun and align the solar panel to face the sun at all times.
Electricity Production from Small-Scale Photovoltaics in Urban Areas
Authors: Psomopoulos Constantinos S. , Ioannidis George Ch. , Kaminaris Stavros D.
Published: October 2016

The interest in solar photovoltaic energy is growing worldwide. Today, more than 40GW of photovoltaics have been installed all over the world. Since the 1970s, the PV system price is continuously dropping. This price drop and the adaptation of feed-in tariffs at governmental or utility scale have encouraged worldwide application of small-scale photovoltaic systems. The objective of this chapter is to present the potential for electricity production focusing mainly on the benefits of small-scale installations in urban areas, along with the growth of the global photovoltaics market. The types of installation alternatives are described but the focus is on the rooftop installations due to their simplicity and relatively low cost for urban areas. Electricity production data are presented together with their technical characteristics. Furthermore, analysis of the cost reduction is attempted and the benefits gained from the implementation of small-scale systems are also presented, demonstrating the sustainability role they will play.
A Game Theoretic Framework for Green HetNets Using D2D Traffic Offload and Renewable Energy Powered Base Stations
Authors: Yaacoub Elias , Ghazzai Hakim , Alouini Mohamed-Slim
Published: October 2016

This chapter investigates the interplay between cooperative device-to-device (D2D) communications and green communications in LTE heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Two game theoretic concepts are studied and analyzed in order to perform dynamic HetNet base station (BS) on/off switching. The first approach is a coalition-based method whereas the second is based on the Nash bargaining solution. Afterwards, a method for coupling the BS on/off switching approach with D2D collaborative communications is presented and shown to lead to increased energy efficiency. The savings are additionally increased when a portion of the small cell BSs in a HetNet are powered by renewable energy sources. Different utility functions, modeling the game theoretic framework governing the energy consumption balance between the cellular network and the mobile terminals (MTs), are proposed and compared, and their impact on MT quality of service (QoS) is analyzed.
Application of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in Renewable Energy Generation from Micro-Hydel Projects of Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Sarkar A. N.
Published: October 2016

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is defined as one of the “flexibility” mechanisms that allows entities based in Developed Countries (Annex I Parties) to develop emission-reducing projects in Developing Countries (non-Annex I Parties), and generate tradable carbon credits corresponding to the volume of carbon emission reductions achieved by those projects. CDM projects have been developed in several parts of the world across the sectoral economies, including renewable energy, with reportedly varying degrees of success and failures. In the renewable energy segment, CDM has been successfully deployed in Micro-Hydel power projects to mitigate and offset green-house gas emissions into the environment. The experiences of different implementing states are vastly different in past decade. CDM applications in Micro-Hydel projects have been quite notable to generate hydro-power and mitigate emissions in the state. This paper takes a holistic review about the current status in the performance of CDM projects in India, with special reference to Himachal Pradesh, particularly in the context of Small (Micro)-Hydel projects with a very high renewable energy potential. The achievements as well as strategy of implementation of Small-Hydel projects in Himachal Pradesh is discussed in the light of selected case studies of CDM projects that are at various stages of formulation, designing and implementation. Guidelines for CDM project designing and the potential for carbon markets for the hydro-power in the context of Himachal Pradesh is discussed. Some of the shortcomings in implementation of Micro-Hydel CDM project in the State are also discussed and highlighted in the paper. The paper has also examined the status of implementation and the quality of projects in the form of illustrative case studies in terms of their ability for energy extraction, creating energy trading opportunities, and stakeholder participation in sharing the project benefits during the lifetime as well as the beyond the life-time of the projects.
Use of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells for Refrigerated Transport
Authors: Garde Raquel , Casado Sindia , Jimenez Fernando , Garcia-Naveda Gabriel , Aguado Monica
Published: October 2016

Benchmark refrigeration systems in the road transportation sector are powered by diesel, having operation costs of up to 6,000 €/y with the consequent increase of the goods cost. This chapter presents an alternative refrigeration system based on fuel cells (FC) and hydrogen as fuel, with higher efficiency, reduced costs and independent of diesel price fluctuations. Examples of the energy load profiles impact on the FC sizing, H2 consumption and system autonomy are presented as well as a description of the FC model and performance simulation results. The economical feasibility of this new refrigeration system linked to renewable energies is also analyzed and an economical assessment for different scenarios is presented.
Low Carbon Footprint
Authors: Shaharudin Muhammad Shabir , Fernando Yudi
Published: October 2016

Malaysia has committed to a 40% reduction of carbon emissions by 2020. The government has encouraged industry, society, and non-government organizations to work together to achieve this objective. The government has provided incentives through several energy programmes such as energy efficiency, renewable energy, green technology, and green building. One key area that has been targeted is logistics and supply chain, which has been contributing to high carbon emissions in manufacturing industries. Scholars and practitioners have only recently begun to pay attention to creating a low carbon supply chain. Furthermore, Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have faced several challenges in adopting low carbon activities. SMEs are unable to take the advantage of energy initiatives because of a lack of knowledge, a shortage of funds, and inadequate facilities. Almost 90% of firms are in the service industry working with large manufacturing firms and some SMEs working in manufacturing industry are working closely with their supply chain networks; achieving low carbon targets is hampered by the readiness of the manufacturing itself. This chapter discusses the challenges and future agenda of creating low carbon supply chains in manufacturing in Malaysia. Possible solutions are provided at the end of the chapter.
Quantifying the Uncertainty of Energy Creation from Solar and Wind Farms in Different Locations
Authors: Nersesian Roy L. , Strang Kenneth David
Published: October 2016

This paper illustrates how to assess the risk associated with solar and wind farm energy creation by identifying the critical operational factors and then developing multivariate models. The study reveals that a dependence on solar and wind could place consumers at risk of interrupted service given the state of contemporary battery technology. Large scale electricity storage is not currently available which places a contingency risk on electricity generating capacity. More so, maintaining system stability where solar and wind play a significant role in generating electricity is a growing challenge facing utility operators. Therefore, the authors demonstrate how to build a model that quantifies uncertainty by matching uncontrollable supply to uncontrollable demand where a gravity battery may be installed as a buffer. This novel approach generalizes to fossil fuel and nuclear plant operations because demand fluctuations could be managed by storing surplus energy into a gravity battery to meet high peak periods.
An Accurate and Efficient Analytical Method to Extract the Parameters of the Single and Double Diode Photovoltaic Cells Models
Authors: Majdoul Radouane , Abdelmounim Elhassane , Aboulfatah Mohamed , Touati Abd Elwahed , Moutabir Ahmed
Published: October 2016

For Photovoltaic systems designers and manufacturers, it is very important to develop suitable models to closely emulate the characteristics of PV cells, predict their behavior and evaluate their efficiency. So the main contribution of this chapter is to propose an improved and accurate method for identifying and determining the equivalent circuit elements values of photovoltaic module using only exact analytical equations and four manufacture's data reference, i.e., the open-circuit voltage (VOC), the short-circuit current (ISC), the current and the voltage at the maximum power point (IM, VM). In order to extract the five-parameter Single or Double-Diode models of photovoltaic module, the authors try initially to determine analytically all parameters according to RS (the value of the series resistance). Thus, all these parameters are calculated once RS is determined. Rapid and iterative algorithm is then designed to solve a strongly nonlinear equation in order to extract the value of RS in a precise manner and without any mathematical simplification used usually by many other authors.
Electronic and ICT Solutions for Smart Buildings and Urban Areas
Authors: Tamburini Luca , Rossi Maurizio , Brunelli Davide
Published: October 2016

Nowadays, residential hybrid energy systems are moving from being a pure theoretical exercise to real applications for new urban areas. The growing interest related to the needs of reducing pollution, the phasing out of fossil fuel resources and the need to safeguard the environment, have led to a large number of studies and solutions to reduce fuel consumption and to manage energy sources in a better way, leading to an innovative concept of the city where smart infrastructures are in place. In this chapter we introduce the concept of hybrid energy systems, namely buildings that can exploit both renewable energy sources and the grid. On top of it, a system manager schedules the usage of electrical appliances to minimize the electricity bill while providing peak shaving and load balancing services to utilities and service providers.
Early Detection of Electroencephalogram Temporal Events in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Rodrigues Pedro Miguel , Freitas Diamantino , Teixeira João Paulo , Alves Dílio , Garrett Carolina
Published: October 2016

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is considered one of the most debilitating illness in modern societies and the leading cause of dementia. This study is a new approach to detect early AD Electroencephalogram (EEG) temporal events in order to improve early AD diagnosis. For that, Self-Organized Maps (SOM) were used, and it was found that there are sequences of EEG energy variation, characteristic of AD, that appear with high incidence in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients. Those AD events are related to the first cognitive changes in patients that interfered with the normal EEG signal pattern. Moreover, there are significant differences concerning the propagation time of those events between the study groups(p=0.0082<0.05), meaning that, as AD progresses the brain dynamics are progressively affected, what is expected because AD causes brain atrophy.
How to Make Your Work Really Influence Future Healthcare
Authors: Bourek Aleš
Published: October 2016

Future health systems, besides traditional areas defined and addressed since 1980, face the advent of Proactive, Predictive, Prospective, Preventive, Participative and Personalized health care (HC). Reliable e-health platforms can help us with these challenges. They should be designed and implemented in a way to help ordinary people achieve extraordinary results. Even the best projects addressing HC systems improvement are not automatically qualified for implementation unless adopted by policy makers. The introduction of strategies with a potential for healthcare systems improvement to policy makers is necessary but difficult because of the complexity of the addressed issue. Illustrated on four projects, selected from the 25 the author participated in, from 1993 to 2016, principles, processes and attitudes found beneficial for successful policy implementation in various healthcare environments, are presented, to help with the integration of reliable electronic healthcare platforms into coming healthcare systems.
Evolution of Construction Systems
Authors: Vatan Meltem
Published: October 2016

This chapter is going to deal with the evolution of structural systems; traditional structural systems, modern structural systems and more than traditional approach to the structural systems. Beyond this, even though this chapter is related with structural systems as an integral part of architectural design, it is also going to explore the link between culture, traditional structural techniques, and influence of culture, cultural beliefs and local materials, natural constraints as local available materials, climate effects and disaster risks as drivers affecting the evolution of structural systems. Structural principles of traditional construction techniques will be analyzed. The link between modern buildings and their structural systems and traditional construction techniques will be discussed by tracing modern buildings and structural systems in terms of their evolution. The subject matter will be approached in a descriptive manner. The examples given will be used to trace the link between past and present as a way of associating cultural effect with the architectural uniqueness.
The Communicative Nature of Space in Organizations
Authors: Kupritz Virginia W.
Published: October 2016

This chapter examines the important role of space in communication. Design scholars have long recognized the importance of context, but few have gone further than to acknowledge that space has a communicative dimension. While design research has investigated certain aspects of communication (especially some of the symbolic properties) in organizations, it has not examined the full spectrum of symbolic and physical properties of space that affect interpersonal, group and organizational communication needs. The physical setting communicates messages through its symbolic properties. Just as importantly, it supports or impedes our ability to use visual, auditory, tactile/haptic, and olfactory cues through its physical properties that help convey and interpret messages in social interaction. Design solutions that effectively utilize symbolic and physical properties of space to accommodate interpersonal, group and organizational communication needs support organizational strategies to maximize worker opportunity to perform in today's workplace.
“Bridges” and “Gaps” on Maps of Multicultural Cities
Authors: Karnaukhova Oxana
Published: October 2016

The city is a sum of feasible expressions of social and historical evolution and space identity. The uniqueness of a place is formed not only by contemporary infrastructure, but by the cultural environment deeply anchored in the historical context. The object of the study is the South Russian agglomeration as a feasible example of ragged edges of multicultural history of the region and constantly challenged collective identity. Multicultural cities in Russia carry a burden of the pre-Soviet and Soviet urban policy, weighed down by complex historical environment. As a result, cities are closed in a coterie: reliance on Soviet and post-Soviet legacy – conservative economic policy –– fragmentary and spontaneous development of the city architecture and infrastructure. The term of splintering urbanism coined by Steven Graham and Simon Marvin is focused on the historical circumstances and socio-cultural environment of urban communities in the South Russian agglomeration, describing symbolic forms of bridges and gaps in the collective urban identity.
Using Digital Storytelling to Inform Students About Bullying: Results of a Pilot Program
Authors: Fokides Emmanuel
Published: October 2016

The study presents the results of a pilot program in which digital storytelling was used in order to inform fourth-grade students about bullying. The constructivist principles concerning the learning process, and in particular, the requirement of students' active participation, provided the necessary framework. Students created their own digital stories about bullying, while the researcher, although present, avoided to intervene, to guide or to lecture students to a great extent. The intervention was short in duration and easily applied, without altering the school's timetable. Qualitative analysis of the data indicates that, through their digital stories, students were able to grasp the main aspects of bullying and how they should react, but the role of bystanders was unclear to them. The results of the study might prove useful in the formation of a more comprehensive anti-bullying program.
Satisfaction with External Internships: Do Students Acquire the Professional Skills Necessary to Improve their Employability?
Authors: Ramírez Miguel-Angel Acedo , Ciriza Esperanza Azcona , Gil Consuelo Riaño , Cabestre Francisco Javier Ruiz
Published: October 2016

This paper evaluates the level of satisfaction of students enrolled in the Degree in Business Administration and Management (DBAM) who have completed external internships and of the companies that have hosted them, with the aim of improving both formal and training components of these internships. The authors' findings reveal potential for improvement in the administrative management of internships, and the existence of a discrepancy between the skills acquired by undergraduates in university lecture halls and the practical skills necessary for the performance of work. There was also found to be limited potential for applying acquired knowledge during the internships. The evidence therefore suggests that the training offered by universities is not always sufficiently geared towards the demands of today's society and labour market. Nevertheless, company internships meet one of its fundamental objectives, in the form of increased employment opportunities, and this is particularly significant given the extremely high youth unemployment rate at the present time.
Throughput Analysis of IEEE 802.11ac and IEEE 802.11n in a Residential Home Environment
Authors: Shah Zawar , Kolhe Ashutosh
Published: October 2016

IEEE 802.11ac is the latest WiFi standard that operates in 5GHz frequency band and promises high data rate than IEEE 802.11n. In this paper, the authors carry out experiments using commercial off-the-shelf equipment in a typical home environment and quantify the gain provided by IEEE 802.11ac compared to IEEE 802.11n. Their experimental results obtained in a typical home environment show that in 5GHz frequency band with a 2x2 MIMO configuration, IEEE 802.11ac provides much higher throughput than IEEE 802.11n. IEEE 802.11ac provides an average throughput gain of 94% and 91% at a distance of 3.6m and 8.5m from the wireless router, respectively. The authors further investigate the gain in average throughput that is provided by IEEE 802.11ac when the transmit antenna diversity on the wireless router is increased from two to three. They note that IEEE 802.11ac with a 3x2 MIMO configuration helps to combat multipath fading effect present in residential home environment and provides higher average throughput than 2x2 MIMO e.g. at a distance of 11m from the wireless router, 3x2 MIMO configuration provides a gain of 15.13% than the 2x2 MIMO configuration. The authors conclude based on their results (obtained via experiments in a typical home environment) that although IEEE 802.11ac wireless routers are more expensive than IEEE 802.11n wireless routers however, high throughput provided by IEEE 802.11ac justifies the high cost associated with its routers.
Students' Acceptance of Mobile Learning
Authors: Li Xiaoqing
Published: October 2016

With the rapid development of telecommunications, mobile learning is appearing as a promising learning approach for students to learn anytime anywhere. However, many key issues regarding the design and implementation of mobile learning are still unclear. This research investigates key factors leading to the acceptance of mobile learning based on students' use of Blackboard Mobile Learn. The research findings will help instructors to design courses for mobile users and system developers to design better mobile learning systems.
Examination the Usefulness of Selected Classification Methods in the Pre-Qualification of Construction Contractors
Authors: Błaszczyk Paweł , Błaszczyk Tomasz
Published: October 2016

For most of projects, including major infrastructure enterprises a key success factor is an appropriately selected general contractor. In addition to technical and organizational criteria the assessment of its financial capacity is strongly important to provide liquidity to the cash flows of the project. Unfortunately, the practical experience of the construction market during the economic downturn shows that many projects have been delayed or suspended as a result of the bankruptcy of general contractors. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of studies on the use of Partial Least Square, Fisher Linear Discriminant, Support Vector Machine methods, and the authors' proprietary approach to the Extraction by Applying Weighted Criterion of Difference Scatter Matrices (EWCDSM) for the pre-qualification of potential contractors. The study included an ex post evaluation of selected large construction companies, operated in Poland by reference the fact of their bankruptcy or maintain the market to historical financial data for the prior year period. Then, for the same set of data the authors performed the identification of companies at risk of bankruptcy. The results obtained are confronted with the actual condition of the surveyed companies. Proposed operating models have been validated on publicly available financial data of construction companies listed on the Polish Stock Exchange.
Developing Evaluation Criteria for Partner Selection in Tourism Supply Chain Networks
Authors: Pongsathornwiwat Narongsak , Huynh Van-Nam , Jeenanunta Chawalit
Published: October 2016

Effective partnership management is a crucial strategy for tourism firms in designing the services successfully as well as gaining the advantages dynamically. Literature suggests that the successful partnerships may be initiated at the beginning of selection process; however, there is a dearth of research on how to manage tourism partnerships effectively. This paper suggests the evaluation criteria proposed to assist tourism firms to effectively make a decision on selecting partners to start working with. In developing criteria, the authors first reviewed the available criteria in the other contexts, then conducted qualitative research using buyer and supplier firms in Thailand by in-depth interviewing with ten experts to refine and to verify these criteria proposed. After statistical verification, the results indicated that the proposed criteria consist of five main categories: performances, profiles, risk factors, product's characteristics and compatibilities. This study contributes the useful knowledge on how to select partners and manage partnerships effectively in tourism supply chain.
An Algorithm for Improving Algebraic Degree of S-Box Based on Affine Equivalence Transformation
Authors: Dung Luong The , Tho Hoang Duc
Published: October 2016

The Substitution box (S-box) plays an important role in a block cipher as it is the only nonlinear part of the cipher in most cases. To avoid various attacks on the ciphers and for efficient software implementation, S-boxes are required to satisfy a lot of properties, for instance being a permutation defined on the fields with even degrees, with a high algebraic degree, a low differential uniformity and a high nonlinearity, etc. However, it seems very difficult to find an S-box to satisfy all the criteria. The S-box of low algebraic degree is vulnerable to many attacks such as linear and differential cryptanalysis, for instance higher-order differential attacks, algebraic attacks or cube attacks. In this paper the authors propose an algorithm for improving algebraic degree of the S-box while not affecting its other important properties. The algorithm is based on affine equivalence transformation of the S-boxes.
Optimization Models for the Continuous Review Inventory System
Authors: Cobb Barry R.
Published: October 2016

Businesses that carry inventory as a means of responding to customer demand must decide when to place inventory orders and how much to order. A model for selecting an optimal order quantity and reorder point in the continuous review system is implemented in spreadsheet software. Historical data on period demand and lead time is processed by performing a statistical test to select a mixture distribution for lead time demand. This distribution is incorporated into an expected shortage calculation and cost model where shortages incur lost sales and/or goodwill costs. The lead time demand distribution selection is evaluated through experiments. In examples, employing an incorrect distribution leads to expenditures between one and eighteen percent higher than those experienced with the correct model. A mismatch of the backorder or lost sales model with the correct underlying assumptions leads to expenses between four and thirteen percent larger than necessary in an example problem.
Head Pose Estimation and Motion Analysis of Public Speaking Videos
Authors: Komiya Rinko , Saitoh Takeshi , Fuyuno Miharu , Yamashita Yuko , Nakajima Yoshitaka
Published: October 2016

Public speaking is an essential skill in a large variety of professions and also in everyday life. However, it can be difficult to master. This paper focuses on the automatic assessment of nonverbal facial behavior during public speaking and proposes simple and efficient methods of head pose estimation and motion analysis. The authors collected nine and six speech videos from a recitation and oration contest, respectively, conducted at a Japanese high school and applied the proposed method to evaluate the contestants' performance. For the estimation of head pose from speech videos, their method produced results with an acceptable level of accuracy. The proposed motion analysis method can be used for calculating frequencies and moving ranges of head motion. The authors found that the proposed parameters and the eye-contact score are strongly correlated and that the proposed frequency and moving range parameters are suitable for evaluating public speaking. Thus, on the basis of these features, a teacher can provide accurate feedback to help a speaker improve.
BHA2
Authors: Bouarara Hadj Ahmed , Hamou Reda Mohamed , Rahmani Amine
Published: October 2016

In the last decade, the plagiarism cases were increased and become a topical problem in the modern scientific world, caused by the quantity of textual information available online/offline. The authors' work deals on the development of a new plagiarism detector system called BHA2 which has as input the suspicious text (to be analysed) and the original texts (learning basis). It can detect the different forms of plagiarism based on: Google API to detect the cases of plagiarism with translation; text summarization to detect the plagiarism of idea; conceptual transformation to detect the plagiarism with synonymy; bag of phrases to detect the paraphraser plagiarism; the social worker bees algorithm that was inspired from the lifestyle of social worker bees (forager, guardian, and cleaner) to select the documents source of plagiarism; the output of the authors' system are the plagiarised passages (the copied parts from the original texts) and the plagiarism percentage for each suspicious text. Their experiments were performed on the Pan 09 dataset and using the validation measures (recall, precision, accuracy, error, f-measure, and entropy, FPR, FNR, W-accuracy, ROC and TCR) in order to show the benefit derived from using such idea compared to the result of classical systems existed in literature. A comparative study in term of services was realised between their system and others commercial systems such as (check, Turnitin, and machine learning system) with their system. Finally, a visualization step was achieved for the purpose to see the outcome in graphical form (3d cub and cobweb) with more realism using the functionalities of zooming and rotation.