bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overall Impacts of Off-Hour Delivery Programs in New York City Metropolitan Area
Authors: Holguín-Veras José , Ozbay Kaan , Kornhauser Alain , Brom Matthew A. , Iyer Shrisan , Yushimito Wilfredo F. , Ukkusuri Satish , Allen Brandon , Silas Michael A.
Published: December 2011

This paper examines the chief findings of research conducted on policies to foster off-hour deliveries (OHDs) in the New York City metropolitan area. The goal was to estimate the overall impacts of eventual full implementation of an OHD program. As part of the research, a system of incentives was designed for the receivers of deliveries the system combined Global Positioning System (GPS) remote sensing monitoring with GPS-enabled smart phones to induce a shift of deliveries to the off-hours from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The concept was pilot tested in Manhattan by 33 companies that switched delivery operations to the off-hours for a period of 1 month. At the in-depth interviews conducted after the test, the participants reported being very satisfied with the experience. As an alternative to road pricing schemes that target freight carriers, this was the first real-life trial of the use of financial incentives to delivery receivers. The analyses indicate that the economic benefits of a full implementation of the OHD program are in the range of $147 to $193 million per year, corresponding to savings on travel time and environmental pollution for regular-hour traffic as well as productivity increases for the freight industry. The pilot test also highlighted the great potential of unassisted OHD—that is, OHD made without personnel from the receiving establishment present—because almost all participants who used this modality decided to continue receiving OHD even after the financial incentive ended.
Assessing China's Megaregional Mobility in a Comparative Context
Authors: Yang Jiawen , Fang Chuanglin , Ross Catherine , Song Ge
Published: December 2011

Improved mobility and accessibility for passengers and goods provide competitive advantages for megaregions. This article describes the trends in mobility in China's top three megaregions—the Capital Economic Zone, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta—and how megaregional planning has led to solutions to the challenges of mobility. China's experience is compared with trends in megaregions in the United States and the European Union. This comparative context confirms that existing trends in China's regional mobility carry severe energy and environmental challenges and that China's movement toward rail, particularly high-speed rail, provides a better chance to mitigate congestion and pollution problems.
Administrative Structure and Hosting of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Authors: Bond Alexander , Kramer Jeff
Published: December 2011

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) are required to undertake a federally mandated transportation planning and programming process. Although federal law mandates the process and documents that it must be adopted, the law is completely silent on how the MPO should be organized and administered. It has long been known that some MPOs operate as independent agencies, while others depend on a host agency to provide goods and services to support the MPO. Using results from a national survey of MPOs, this paper discusses the administrative structure of MPOs, including the prevalence of hosted MPOs, the types of host agencies, indirect charges, and the advantages of being hosted versus independent. The survey found that 69% of MPOs were hosted by another agency. Regional councils (26%) were the largest host of MPOs, but municipalities (20%) and counties (20%) were also commonly reported. MPOs gave narrative responses about the perceived advantages and disadvantages of their individual administrative structure. The major advantages of hosting included lower overall costs, staff synergies, and agency name recognition. The major disadvantages identified included lack of capital float, difficulty meeting federal match requirements, and confusion in managerial independence. Five distinct types of MPO organizational structures were identified, and the common attributes of each type were discussed. The paper concludes by addressing important issues MPOs must consider when choosing between a hosted MPO administrative structure and an independent one.
Developing and Applying Models for Estimating Arterial Corridor Travel Time Index for Transportation Planning in Small to Medium-Sized Communities
Authors: Eisele William L. , Zhang Yunlong , Park Eun Sug , Zhang Yanru , Stensrud Rachael
Published: December 2011

This paper describes research with the objective of developing and validating a corridor arterial model to estimate the travel time index (TTI) for mobility analysis. The TTI is the ratio of the travel rate (minutes per mile) during the peak period to the travel rate (minutes per mile) during the off-peak period. The models are most useful for sketch planning purposes in areas where monitoring infrastructure is not in place. Practitioners in small and medium-sized communities, particularly those on the developing fringe of such communities, will benefit from the use of the models for tracking mobility along roadways of interest and prioritizing roadway improvements. This paper describes the development and validation of two models to assist transportation professionals in estimating TTI in the arterial environment during light and moderate congestion conditions. A 2.6-mi major arterial corridor in College Station, Texas, was used to develop the models, and three study corridors in Virginia were used to validate the models. To address limitations of existing models, the models presented in this paper (a) consider driveway density, (b) are corridor-based, (c) are a function of generally available or easy-to-obtain independent variables, (d) are calibrated and validated with extensive field data, and (e) explain a relatively high degree of variability. The use of TTI also makes the models more transferable. For sketch-planning applications, the models are a function of relatively available or easy-to-estimate data including traffic volume, driveway density, signal green time relative to the cycle time, and signal coordination conditions.
Global Positioning System–Assisted Prompted Recall Household Travel Survey to Support Development of Advanced Travel Model in Jerusalem, Israel
Authors: Oliveira Marcelo G. Simas , Vovsha Peter , Wolf Jean , Birotker Yehoshua , Givon Danny , Paasche Julie
Published: December 2011

The paper describes recent experience with the application of an innovative Global Positioning System (GPS)–assisted prompted recall (PR) method for a large-scale household travel survey (HTS) in Jerusalem, Israel. The survey was designed to support development of an advanced activity-based model (ABM). The requirements for an HTS to support an advanced ABM are discussed, and the corresponding decisions for survey methods are substantiated. Development of an advanced ABM requires individual records for the entire daily pattern without gaps, missing trips, overlaps, or other data inconsistencies found in a conventional HTS. A consistent record of joint activities and trips of multiple household members is essential. In addition, high levels of spatial and temporal resolution are required. The GPS-assisted PR survey has been identified as the most promising methodology for meeting these requirements. The experience of the first phase of the Jerusalem HTS in 2010 proved the feasibility of the GPS-PR method for all population sectors including specific Orthodox Jewish and Arab populations, which typically featured large household sizes. Various structural comparisons of trip and tour rates obtained during the first phase of the Jerusalem GPS-assisted HTS (3,000 households) with the non-GPS surveys previously implemented in Jerusalem and several metropolitan regions in the United States as well as comparisons between the GPS and non-GPS subsamples within the Jerusalem HTS were made. The results confirmed the ability of the GPS-PR approach to create full and consistent daily records of individual activity travel patterns and practically eliminate the underreporting issues that have plagued HTS.
LED Streetlight Application Assessment Project
Authors: Beckwith Dana , Zhang Xiaoping , Smalley Edward , Chan Lok , Yand Mark
Published: December 2011

Recent studies have found that LED technology is becoming competitive for streetlight applications compared with commonly employed high-intensity discharge light sources, such as high-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide. The expectation is that LED street lighting technology will not only provide more efficient light distribution and increased uniformity but will also save energy and reduce maintenance costs. Seattle City Light (SCL), Washington, has a street lighting system of nearly 84,000 street and area lights that predominantly use HPS light sources. Because of the potential benefits of installing LED luminaires as replacements for these lights, SCL launched the LED Streetlight Application Assessment Project pilot study to evaluate LED luminaires for photometric performance, energy efficiency, economic performance, and other impacts on the SCL streetlight system. The project findings will be used by SCL to create a strategy for the installation of LED streetlights to develop an energy-efficient lighting system. The major elements of this project included LED luminaire selection, simulated photometric performance evaluation of selected LED products, field photometric performance evaluation at selected test sites, and economic performance evaluation in comparison with HPS luminaires. In addition, because combining LED roadway luminaires with new light control systems provides many new options to enhance overall light control, facilitate maintenance, increase luminaire life, and reduce operating costs, a preliminary review of current cutting-edge lighting control systems was conducted.
Effect Of Removal Of Some Photosynthetic Organs On Yield Components In Durum Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.)
Authors: Balkan Alpay , Gençtan Temel , Bilgin Oguz
Published: December 2011

This research was carried out in experimental field of Field Crops Department of Agricultural Faculty of Namik Kemal University in randomized split block design with three replications per treatment during 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. The objective of this study was to find out the contribution rates of awn, flag leaf, 1st upper leaf blade, 2nd upper leaf blade and other leaf blades to main yield components in three durum wheat cultivars (cv. Kiziltan-91, Kunduru-1149, and Yelken-2000). The results of this experiment showed that removal of awn, flag leaf, 1st upper leaf blade, 2nd upper leaf blade, and other leaf blades reduced significantly spike weight, number of grains per spike, grain weight per spike, and 1000-grain weight except the number of spikelets per spike. It was concluded that the organs play an important role in grain yield in durum wheat during grain filling stage.   Keywords: Photosynthetic organs; yield components; durum wheat.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9224 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 1-12
Effect Of Crude Seed Extract Of Some Indigenous Plants For The Control Of Legume Pod Borer (Maruca Vitrata F.) On Country Bean
Authors: Rouf FMA , Sardar MA
Published: December 2011

The crude seed extract of neem, black pepper, mahogani, and garlic bulb with three doses were evaluated against legume pod borer in the country bean field in two seasons kharif 2006 and rabi 2006-2007. The neem seed extract applied @150 and 100 g/l and mahogani seed extract @ 100 g/l of water 7 days intervals on the country bean showed better performance in the reduction of flower and pod damage with significantly higher yield of bean in both the seasons. The seed extracts lost the efficacy against legume pod borer after 7 days of application.   Keywords: Indigenous plant materials; crude extract; country bean; legume pod borer. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9228 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 41-50
Effect Of Boron On Yield And Mineral Nutrition Of Mustard (Brassica Napus)
Authors: Hossain MA , Jahiruddin M , Khatun F
Published: December 2011

An experiment was conducted for three years from 2003-04 to 2005-06 to find out the optimum rate of B application for maximizing nutrient uptake and yield of mustard in calcareous soil of Jessore, Bangladesh. Boron was applied at 0, 1, and 2 kg/ha. The mustard variety BARI Sarisha-8, (B. napus group) was selected for the experiment. Effect of B was evaluated in terms of yield and mineral nutrients (N, P, K, S, Zn, and B) uptake. The mustard crop responded significantly to B application. The optimum rate of B was found to be 1 kg/ha There was no significant difference between 1 & 2 kg B/ha in all the years. Boron and N concentrations of grain and stover were significantly increased with increased rate of B application indicating that B had positive role on protein synthesis. In case of P, S, and Zn, the concentrations were significantly increased but in case of K, it remained unchanged in stover. The grain B concentration increased from 19.96 μg/g in B control to 45.99 μg/g and 51.29 μg/g due to application of 1 kg and 2 kg B/ha, respectively. Concerning the effect of B on the nutrient uptake, six elements followed the order K> N> S> P> B> Zn and these were significantly influenced by B application.   Keywords: Mustard; boron; yield; nutrient uptake. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9230 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 63-73
Farmers Efficiency Enhancement Through Input Management: The Issue Of USG Application In Modern Rice
Authors: Alam M Shahe , Islam M Saiful , Islam MA
Published: December 2011

A socio-economic study was carried out in two rice production environments (Gazipur and Tangail) to assess the comparative advantages of using urea super granule (USG) over prilled urea (PU) in modern rice production and to examine the differences in producers’ technical efficiency between USG user and non- user in crop management. Stochastic frontier production model was employed to examine the farm specific technical efficiency difference in crop management between USG and PU users in the study areas. Analysis revealed that comparatively low amount (36%) of urea was needed in modern boro rice production using USG instead of PU. Nearly 366 % more labour was needed in the USG using plots compared to that of PU user plots, while weeding cost was a bit lower in USG using plots. Analysis also indicated that the sample farmers were able to achieve additional yield of 0.87 t/ha by using USG and this yield gain further resulted to additional benefit of Tk. 11506/ha. For the resource poor rice farms, this benefit is considered to be substantive. Farmers’ contact with the technology disseminators, training on rice production and the use of USG (instead of PU) were the important factors of increasing rice farmers’ technical efficiency in crop management and productivity enhancement as well. According to the farmers’ opinion, there were several constraints in using USG and out of those, requirement of more labour and non availability of USG in proper time were the dominant ones. Keywords: Urea super granule; prilled urea; flood-prone ecosystem; technical efficiency; productivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9237 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 129-141
Impact Assessment Of Pheromone Traps To Manage Fruit Fly On Sweet Gourd Cultivation
Authors: Rakshit Atanu , Karim ANM Rezaul , Hristovska Tatjana , Norton George W
Published: December 2011

This paper assessed the economic benefits of managing fruit flies infecting sweet gourd using pheromones. In this study, a pheromone called Cuelure imported by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) was used for suppressing fruit fly infesting sweet gourd. Analysis of the potential benefits of farmers adopting the Cuelure technology projects that benefits over 15 years range from 187 million Taka or $2.7 million to 428 million Taka or $6.3 million, depending on assumptions. The projected rate of return on the BARI investment in pheromone research ranges from to 140 to 165 percent. The size of these returns implies that pheromone research at BARI has a high economic return and that Bangladesh benefits significantly as Cuelure becomes more widely available to farmers. Keywords: 1PM; pheromone; sweet gourd; economic impact assessment DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i2.9244 BJAR 2011; 36(2): 197-203
Performance Of Bilati Dhonia (Eryngium Foetidum L.) Under The Canopy Of Different Tree Species
Authors: Moniruzzaman M , Qamruzzaman AKM
Published: December 2011

Performance of ‘Bilati Dhonia’ (Eryngium foetidum L.) grown under the shades of different tree species, namely guava, jackfruit, mango, jujube, and farmers’ practice (grown under artificial shade) was evaluated at the Agricultural Research Station, Raikhali, Rangainati Hill District during two consecutive years of 2004-05 and 2005-06. The results revealed that plant height, leaf length, number of leaves per plant and fresh weight per plant were significantly higher under the canopies of various trees and farmers’ practice than those grown under direct sun light. Different growth characters were better under the shades of jackfruit and guava trees than those of other species. Periods to first and 50% flowering under tree species were longer than that under direct sunlight. The highest fresh yield (mean of two years) of ‘Bilati Dhonia’ was found in the farmers’ practice (27.58 t/ha), which was similar to those under guava (27.31 t/ha) and jackfruit trees (27.51 t/ha). Keywords: Bilati Dhonia (Eryngium foetidum L.); tree shades; hilly area. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i2.9252 BJAR 2011; 36(2): 255-262
Efficacy Of Sedomil 72 WP And Recozeb 80 WP In Controlling Red Rust Of Tea
Authors: Islam MS , Ali M
Published: December 2011

An experiment was conducted for two years to find out the efficacy of two fungicides Sedomil 72 WP (Mancozeb) and Recozeb 80 WP (Mancozeb + Metalaxyl) @ 1, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 kg/ha in controlling red rust disease (Cephaleuros parasiticus) of tea. in both the years, Sedomil 72 WP and Recozeb 80 WP inhibited disease severity and disease progress. Among the treatments, the highest reduction in PDI was obtained with 2.5 kg/ha of the both fungicides. During 2008, Sedomil 72 WP showed 93.28% and Recozeb 80 WP showed 91.04% efficacy with the dose of 2.5 kg/ha of both fungicides, while it was 91.40% of both with same dose during 2009. In case of the dose of 2.0 kg/ha of both the fungicides caused disease reduction more than 80%, which is significantly similar to the dose of 2.5 kg/ha. Decreasing trend in disease infection was observed from the spray to final sprays of both the fungicides for all doses. The overall result suggests that the use of Sedomil 72 WP or Recozeb 80 WP may provide an economic advantage alone with 2.0 kg/ha. Keywords: Efficacy of Sedomil 72 WP; Recozeb 80 WP; red rust of tea. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i2.9255 BJAR 2011; 36(2): 279-284
Investigation On Selection Criteria For Drought Tolerance Of Bread Wheat (Triticum Aestivum L.) In The North-West Turkey
Authors: Bilgin Oguz , Baser Ismet , Korkut Kayihan Z , Balkan Alpay
Published: December 2011

This study was carried out with 27 bread wheat genotypes during two crop seasons. The great variations were determined between first and second year means of genotypes for all characters. The correlation between grain yield and rate of water losses at heading stage, number of stomata and days to flowering in the first year were found significant and negative. The correlation only between grain yield and days to maturity was positive and significant in the second year. The highest direct positive effects on grain yield were computed for plant height in two years. Although rate of water losses at heading stage showed negative direct effect on grain yield in the first year, it influenced the grain yield positively in the second year. It can be concluded that plant height, days to flowering, maturity, and rate of water losses at heading stage might be effective selection criteria for drought tolerance in semi-arid regions, such as Tekirdag.
Keywords: Bread wheat; flag leaf area; rate of water loss; glaucousness; stomata; grain yield.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i2.9257
BJAR 2011; 36(2): 291-303
Platelet Reactivity and Disease Activity in Subjects with Psoriatic Arthritis
Authors: Di MINNO MATTEO NICOLA DARIO , IERVOLINO SALVATORE , PELUSO ROSARIO , SCARPA RAFFAELE , Di MINNO GIOVANNI
Published: December 2011

Objective.

Platelet aggregation plays a major role in vascular mortality. Individuals with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are highly predisposed to vascular mortality. We evaluated the correlation between disease activity and platelet aggregation in individuals with PsA.

Methods.

Individuals with PsA receiving tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blockers (n = 114) and healthy controls (n = 114) matched for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk factors were tested for light transmission aggregometry. None was receiving antiinflammatory drugs. Platelet aggregation (max-A%) was defined as maximal light transmittance achieved within 5 min after the addition of 0.1 or 0.2 mM arachidonic acid or 0.4 μM adenosine diphosphate. A value of ≥ 50% irreversible light transmittance (LT-50%) following platelet stimulation was used to define platelet hyperreactivity. Minimal disease activity (MDA) was evaluated in subjects with PsA.

Results.

Regardless of the agent used, individuals with PsA showed a higher max-A% and achieved LT-50% more often than controls. Among individuals with PsA, those achieving MDA exhibited a max-A% similar to that of controls, both being significantly lower (p < 0.001) than max-A% of subjects with active disease. Subjects with active disease showed platelet hyperreactivity (LT-50%) more often than those achieving MDA (p < 0.001). For increasing quartiles of max-A%, C-reactive protein levels increased and prevalence of MDA decreased.

Conclusion.

Compared with those achieving MDA, subjects with active PsA disease had abnormally high platelet reactivity. Whether this is relevant for the cardiovascular risk profile of subjects with PsA receiving TNF-α blockers requires further evaluation.
Dinâmicas Sócio-Espaciais Produtivas e a Formação do Território do Morango no Vale do Caí – Brasil
Authors: Specht Suzimary , Rückert Aldomar A.
Published: December 2011

Este artigo apresenta o Território do Morango, no Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Analisa-se como a produção de morangos potencializou a construção deste território estruturado por relações de poder, em diferentes escalas, e uma territorialidade, externalizada nas construções, logomarcas e festividades associadas ao morango. A metodologia da pesquisa é qualitativa, sendo que o referencial teórico para tal análise está embasado no conceito de território. A pesquisa de campo foi realizada nos municípios de Feliz, Bom Princípio e São Sebastião do Caí, os três maiores produtores da região do Vale do Caí, RS, através da aplicação de sessenta e quatro entrevistas, com roteiros de questões semiestruturadas, a atores sociais envolvidos com a produção de morangos. Através das análises realizadas percebeu-se que o “Território do Morango” apresenta uma dinâmica territorial própria, baseada em uma legitimidade histórica construída através de diferentes saberes, variadas manifestações de poder e uma territorialidade gerada em função da produção desta fruta. Num primeiro momento, os atores sociais se apropriaram desta fruta, mas num segundo momento, sua produção passou a se apropriar de parte da paisagem, das ações públicas, construindo uma história, uma identidade territorial, uma tradição produtiva com conhecimentos específicos. E este processo contribuiu de forma significativa para a patrimonialização produtiva do morango no Vale do Caí, RS.
L’écologie est en deuil : Pierre Dansereau 1911-2011
Authors: Silva D. Sampaio da
Published: December 2011

L’éminent scientifique Pierre Dansereau s’est éteint à l’âge de 99 ans. Dès le début de sa carrière, il a défendu une nouvelle perspective écologique basée sur l’analyse des interrelations entre les agents des écosystèmes où l’homme occupe une place à part entière. Son originalité a fait de Dansereau un précurseur de ce qu’est aujourd’hui le développement durable. Son œuvre est riche d’enseignements pour penser la crise écologique actuelle ainsi que les possibilités d’en sortir. Elle est marquée en effet par la nécessité de repenser la relation entre l’humanité et son environnement.
Strategy and Structure in a Virtual Organization
Authors: Ahmed Nazim U. , Montagno Ray , Sharma Sushil
Published: December 2011

The business environment of the 21st century require organizations to respond quickly to market demands and thus traditional organization structures and strategy are no longer capable of sustaining the needs of this relentless pace. New forms of organizations in the form of virtual organization (VO) hold promise in the network world. Several organizations worldwide have already been experimenting virtual organizations’ structures and processes. These new virtual structures and processes, however, will require newer strategies to succeed. This paper attempts to highlight some strategy and structural issues of a VO. The study is conceptual in nature and inferences have been drawn from existing literature and practices.
Evaluating Heuristics for Scheduling Dependent Jobs in Grid Computing Environments
Authors: Falzon Geoffrey , Li Maozhen
Published: December 2011

Job scheduling plays a critical role in the utilisation of grid resources by mapping a number of jobs to grid resources. However, the heterogeneity of grid resources adds some challenges to the work of job scheduling, especially when jobs have dependencies which can be represented as Direct Acyclic Graphs (DAGs). It is widely recognised that scheduling m jobs to n resources with an objective to achieve a minimum makespan has shown to be NP-complete, requiring the development of heuristics. Although a number of heuristics are available for job scheduling optimisation, selecting the best heuristic to use in a given grid environment remains a difficult problem due to the fact that the performance of each original heuristic is usually evaluated under different assumptions. This paper evaluates 12 representative heuristics for dependent job scheduling under one set of common assumptions. The results are presented and analysed, which provides an even basis in comparison of the performance of those heuristics. To facilitate performance evaluation, a DAG simulator is implemented which provides a set of tools for DAG job configuration, execution, and monitoring. The components of the DAG simulator are also presented in this paper.
Network Architectures and Data Management for Massively Multiplayer Online Games
Authors: Ma Minhua , Oikonomou Andreas
Published: December 2011

Current-generation Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), such as World of Warcraft, Eve Online, and Second Life are mainly built on distributed client-server architectures with server allocation based on sharding, static geographical partitioning, dynamic micro-cell scheme, or optimal server for placing a virtual region according to the geographical dispersion of players. This paper reviews various approaches on data replication and region partitioning. Management of areas of interest (field of vision) is discussed, which reduces processing load dramatically by updating players only with those events that occur within their area of interest. This can be managed either through static geographical partitioning on the basis of the assumption that players in one region do not see/interact with players in other regions, or behavioural modelling based on players’ behaviours. The authors investigate data storage and synchronisation methods for MMOG databases, mainly on relational databases. Several attempts of peer to peer (P2P) architectures and protocols for MMOGs are reviewed, and critical issues such as cheat prevention on P2P MMOGs are highlighted.
Mechanism for Privacy Preservation in VANETs
Authors: Chaurasia Brijesh K. , Verma Shekhar , Tomar G. S.
Published: December 2011

This paper proposes a mechanism for sustaining privacy of a vehicle in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) through pseudonym update. In a VANET, vehicles on the road are involved in dissemination of information as they move. An association can be formed between the physical location of the source vehicle and the transmitted messages. This relationship between the physical vehicle and its identity can breach its privacy. In this work, a strategy for optimal pseudonym update for maximizing privacy has been formulated when a vehicle is being observed by adversaries with different capabilities. Results indicate that updating pseudonyms in accordance to the strategy maximizes the privacy of a vehicle in the given situation.
Managing Inconsistencies in Data Grid Environments
Authors: Ahmed Ejaz , Bessis Nik , Norrington Peter , Yue Yong
Published: December 2011

Much work has been done in the area of data access and integration using various data mapping, matching, and loading techniques. One of the main concerns when integrating data from heterogeneous data sources is data redundancy. The concern is mainly due to the different business contexts and purposes from which the data systems were originally built. A common process for accessing data from integrated databases involves the use of each data source’s own catalogue or metadata schema. In this article, the authors take the view that there is a greater chance of data inconsistencies, such as data redundancies when integrating them within a grid environment as compared to traditional distributed paradigms. The importance of improving the data search and matching process is briefly discussed, and a partial service oriented generic strategy is adopted to consolidate distinct catalogue schemas of federated databases to access information seamlessly. To this end, a proposed matching strategy between structure objects and data values across federated databases in a grid environment is presented.
A Noble Eightfold Path
Authors: Shaw Julia Penn
Published: December 2011

Teachers teach to the level of their ability: novices can teach students to be novices: experts can teach students to be experts. Using the Buddhist Eightfold Path as a model, this chapter explores the expert/novice paradigm as a framework for e-learning, particularly as offered through instructional design that can both scaffold novice instructors to teach to a higher level of learning, and also support experts to help students reach higher goals. Three facets of the teaching/learning dialogue are explored: expertise in a domain of knowledge (teacher), expertise in acquiring deep knowledge in a new domain through learning (learner), and expertise in the instructor/learner learning interface (instructional designer). Expert and novice teaching and learning and their relationship through instructional designers will be discussed.
Virtual Performance Assessment in Immersive Virtual Environments
Authors: Code Jillianne , Clarke-Midura Jody , Zap Nick , Dede Chris
Published: December 2011

Validating interactions in immersive virtual environments (IVE) used in educational settings is critical for ensuring their effectiveness for learning. The effectiveness of any educational technology depends upon teachers’ and learners’ perception of the functional utility of that medium for teaching, learning, and assessment. The purpose of this chapter is to offer a framework for the design and validation of interactions in IVEs as they are linked to learning outcomes. In order to illustrate this framework, we present a case study of the Virtual Performance Assessment (VPA) project at Harvard University (http://vpa.gse.harvard.edu). Through our framework and case study, this chapter will provide educators, designers, and researchers with a model for how to effectively design immersive virtual and game-based learning environments for the purpose of assessing student inquiry learning.
Cartography and Stability to Enhance and Self Regulate Proactive Routing in MANETs
Authors: Abid Mohamed Amine , Belghith Abdelfettah
Published: December 2011

In this chapter, the authors propose a novel proactive routing protocol where routing advertisement frequency is self regulated locally at and by each node depending on its mobility level. The proposal relays on an asynchronous distributed cartography gathering algorithm and a link stability criterion. The cartography of the network is kept constantly valid in time and for all applied speeds. Each node senses its own dynamics and locally chooses an appropriate routing advertisement period size. As such stationary nodes generate little signaling traffic while fast moving nodes prefer small routing periods to mitigate the effect of their mobility.
Security Aspects in Radio Frequency Identification Systems
Authors: Gódor Gyozo , Imre Sándor
Published: December 2011

Radio frequency identification technology is becoming ubiquitous, and as an unfortunate side effect, more and more authentication solutions come with more security issues. In former contributions, the authors introduced a solely hash-based secure authentication algorithm that is capable of providing protection against most of the well-known attacks and performs exceptionally well even in very large systems. The authors gave a theoretical analysis of Simple Lightweight Authentication Protocol (SLAP) protocol from security and performance point of view. This chapter gives a detailed examination of small computational capacity systems from the point of view of security. The authors define the model of attacker and the well-known attacks which can be achieved in these kinds of environments. Furthermore, the chapter gives a summary of the significant RFID authentication protocols which are found in literature. The authors present several lightweight authentication protocols and some novel elliptic curve cryptography based methods. Besides, the chapter illustrates the SLAP protocol’s performance characteristics with measurements carried out in a simulation environment and compares with the theoretical results. The authors show the effects of numerous attacks and the system’s different parameters on the authentication time. Finally, the chapter examines the performance and security characteristics of two other protocols chosen from the literature in order to compare to SLAP algorithm and give proper explanation for the differences between them.
Process Scheduling Using Task Duplication in Heterogeneous Distributed Systems
Authors: Elcock Jeffrey , Chaudhuri Pranay
Published: December 2011

Task scheduling in heterogeneous parallel and distributed computing environments continues to be one of the most challenging problems. In this chapter, the authors investigate the Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (HEFT) algorithm, along with its alternative scheduling policies for the task prioritising phases, and the Critical Path on a Processor (CPOP) for scheduling tasks on a heterogeneous multiprocessor system. It is shown that, by combining the HEFT algorithm selection policy with the task duplication strategy, it is possible to further reduce the schedule length produced by both HEFT and CPOP. The process scheduling algorithm presented in this chapter compares favourably with other algorithms that use a similar strategy. The proposed algorithm has a time complexity of ?(|V|2(p + d)), whererepresents the number of tasks, p represents the number of processors, and d the maximum in-degree of tasks.
Using Real Options Theory to Evaluate Strategic Investment Options for Mobile Content Delivery
Authors: Liginlal Divakaran , Khansa Lara , Chia Stella C.
Published: December 2011

With a rich fare of localized content, but limited regional media outlet channels, mobile content generates new business opportunities for Media News, a small media company with considerable growth potential. Two business models are considered: partnering with wireless service providers and strategic alliances with mobile content syndicators. First, the models are evaluated based on their resource requirements, market share acquisition, revenue generation, and nature, scope and control of content and bandwidth. Then, real options analysis is used to value Media News’ managerial flexibility in responding to uncertainty in investment choices specific to the media industry. The modeling approach, analytical methods, and decision support tools employed in this paper serve as exemplar for engineering managers involved in strategic investment decisions, especially in emerging areas such as mobile commerce.
Pop Quiz Debacle
Authors: Spinale Leanne
Published: December 2011

It is now commonplace for students to bring PDAs and smart phones into the classroom, which gives them swift access to the internet. While this technology is a benefit for students conducting research for a project, it can also be detrimental for educators conducting assessments. “Pop Quiz Debacle” describes a particular quandary for educators who work with advanced placement or Gifted/Talented students. For students with a very high GPA and other academic performance, what distinguishes them is how perfect they are, so there’s no room for any kind of error. If there’s no room for error, students tend to cheat–even though these students would have done just fine on the test. They say they cheat because, “this is my safety net.”
YouTube in the Classroom?
Authors: Horstman Alison
Published: December 2011

Among Mrs. Grant’s 22 first graders, ten are English language learners, while another two are autistic and have special needs. One of the autistic students is physically and verbally aggressive. Mrs. Grant realized that the classroom had many obstacles to overcome before becoming an emotionally and physically safe place for all the students. Mrs. Grant played a video explaining the importance of classroom rules. She showed another YouTube video showing students following their classroom rules.
Supply Chain Analysis and Typology
Authors: Aghili Seyedehnasim , Sedghi Mahdieh
Published: December 2011

In the constantly changing business environment, companies are required to compete against their rivals. In this regard, they should be improved immediately. For that purpose, they need to discover their status in the market and to monitor it over time regarding their competitors. To understand the status of the chain, it is necessary to have a general idea of how it works and how efficient/effective it works, which can be achieved through supply chain analysis. Supply chain analysis is the process of modeling and performance evaluation with a set of tools and methods. This chapter will discuss the most well-known tool for the modeling of supply chain, Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR). Furthermore, we will discuss the performance metrics to evaluate how the supply chain is performing. Moreover, a typology of the supply chain is outlined to help the manager in describing the chain with a collection of attributes that can affect decision making. It is also a supportive tool for the second level of the SCOR model or any planning software.
Competition in Supply Chain
Authors: Rezapour Shabnam
Published: December 2011

In this chapter, first we will introduce the different forms of competition in the markets and the ways used in the literature to model them. Then we will discuss the kinds of competitions that exist in the field of supply chain. Finally we will present one of the works that have been done in each field in more detail.
Ice and Iceberg Management Plans for Shtokman Field
Authors: Edmond Coche , Liferov Pavel , Metge Michel
Published: December 2011

The Shtokman gas condensate field lies in the centre of the shelf zone of the Russian sector of the Barents Sea about 600 kilometers northeast from Murmansk. Shtokman Development AG (SDAG, 51% Gazprom, 25% Total and 24% Statoil) is in charge of the integrated development of the phase 1 of the Shtokman Gas condensate field. Exploitation of the gas field will be done through a floating platform that will export gas and condensate to the shore via pipeline.

Significant sea ice invasions occur at Shtokman in approximately 3 out of 10 years, on average. Icebergs may also occur in the SCGF area. Ice and iceberg management activities have been planned to support the operations. The ice and iceberg management activities include surveillance, threat assessment and physical management. At this stage, definitions of strategy and philosophies for ice and iceberg management have been developed and preliminary plans for the main tasks have been outlined. The present paper describes the different components of the ice and iceberg management system and the rationales for the main technical choices.

1 INTRODUCTION

The Barents Sea is bordered by the cold and icy waters of the Arctic Ocean and the Kara Sea on the North and East sides and by the warm water of the Norwegian Sea on the west side. The Gulf Stream enters the Barents Sea as the North Cape and Spitsbergen branches of the Norwegian current, bringing warm water into the region. The border between warm and cold water varies in location, depending on the oceanographic and meteorological conditions; this change is more sensitive in the Eastern part of the Barents Sea and especially at the Shtokman field.

Sea ice does not form at Shtokman (except very thin ice in very cold years) but is exported from the North - Northeast by persistent winds. Thus, the origin of ice which can arrive at Shtokman is North-Eastern Barents Sea and possibly Kara Sea. The presence of drifting sea ice is observed in approximately 40% of the years on the Shtokman field, based on satellite observations from 1974 to 2007. This means that sea ice in the Shtokman area occurs approximately once every 2.6 years. Sea ice arrives rapidly at the Shtokman area and ice concentration may increase from 2/10th to above 8/10th within a few hours. Furthermore, ice may not be continually present at Shtokman throughout any one ice season.

Historically, icebergs have been observed near Shtokman (within 75 nm) about once every five years on average. 10% of icebergs observed within 25 nm circle around Shtokman were in ice while 40% of icebergs observed within up to 100 nm north of Shtokman were in ice. With regard to seasonal variation it must be assumed that the probability of encountering icebergs at Shtokman during spring is higher than during late summer / early autumn.
Real-Time Pack Ice Monitoring Systems - Identification of Hazardous Sea Ice Using Upward Looking Sonars for Tactical Support of Offshore Oil and Gas Projects
Authors: Fissel David , Mudge Todd , Chave Rene , Stone Matt , Kanwar Anudeep , Bard Adam , Buermans Jan
Published: December 2011

There is an increasing requirement for real-time detection of sea ice hazards. These hazards include the identification of thick ice keels, large hummocky ice, fast moving ice, rapidly changing ice direction and multi-year ice. Such information is needed in real-time to support tactical applications for safe routing of ships in heavy sea ice concentrations. More recently, a need has emerged for tactical support of offshore oil and gas activities in ice infested waters of the Arctic Ocean and in marginal ice areas such as the Barents Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Caspian Sea, Baffin Bay, the Labrador Sea and East Greenland waters. Reliable upward looking sonar (ULS) instruments, including the ASL Ice Profiler for ice keel measurements and the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler for Ice Velocity measurements have been widely used in these areas for many years. These instruments, which record data internally, are operated from subsurface moorings that are deployed and recovered by ship during times of minimal sea ice coverage.

Providing real-time measurements from the upward looking sonar measurements operating under heavy ice cover pose new technological challenges. The use of surface buoys to relay data from subsurface instruments to shore facilities or satellites is not possible due to the ice cover itself. A more feasible approach is to transmit the data from each instrument using underwater cables on the sea floor and which link the instruments on the subsurface moorings to a bottom mounted or floating structure. For a floating structure, the use of high performance acoustic modems may be required.

Previous experience with real-time ULS ice measurement systems dates back to operational projects undertaken from 2002 to the present. More challenging requirements for real-time ULS ice measurement systems are being addressed in much deeper and more remote areas of the Arctic Ocean such as the Barents and Beaufort Seas. Conditions in these areas can vary from short episodes of hazardous ice to more prolonged and severe ice conditions. ULS ice systems may be deployed on a yearround basis or used episodically strategically just before hazardous ice episodes begin. The requirements for timely and accurate ice information demand high reliability in support of ship navigation, offshore oil and gas drilling and development applications. The real-time ULS ice measurement system must be capable of operating for multiple years without servicing in conjunction with other metocean sensors packages (e.g. ice radar, satellite, winds). Multiple ULS measurement arrays will be needed over operational areas spanning distances of many kilometers. For these Arctic Ocean applications, cabled ocean observatory technology and advanced underwater acoustic modems become key enabling technologies.
Well, You've Drilled 'em. Now Can You Produce em? Panarctic Oils Ltd's Test Program - the Drake F76 Project
Authors: Bomba J.G. , Brown R.J.
Published: December 2011

The primary goal of this paper is to present the historical significance of the The Drake F 76 program. After about 10 years of drilling onshore and offshore in the Arctic Islands region of the Canadian North, Panarctic Oils Ltd decided that it was time to prove one way or another if completing wells subsea and carrying out subsea tie-ins of flowlines and control systems was feasible This paper describes some of the thinking that went into developing the first under-the ice offshore pipeline as well as the first under the ice subsea connection system, well completion with trees/manifolds on the seafloor, some of the many specialized equipment developed for the project, summarises the construction of the flowline and control bundle system, and discusses the well testing program.

The primary significance of this paper is its historical value. It shows that what was done in the past is useful today as some of the ideas implemented then (industry firsts) have been developed further and are in use offshore today. The overall test program, of which the Drake F 76 well, the floating ice platform, the subsea tree, and the subsea diverless connections of flowlines and controls, and the subsequent production test were a part, proved that offshore production of gas in the Arctic region was feasible. By extension, oil could also be produced.

Introduction

This project, because of its uniqueness, has been the subject of at least 29 papers; one as recently as April 2010. Because the project resulted in a drilled, completed, and produced well under the ice, north of the Arctic Circle, and because some of the " firsts?? tried on that project have grown in importance since 1978, it is worth some discussion here at the first Arctic Technology Conference.

The Drake 76 well is located in 55m water approximately 1200 m offshore Drake Point on the Sabine Peninsula of Melville Island in the Canadian Arctic. Drilling in the Canadian Arctic began onshore in 1920. Forty one years later, drilling in the Arctic Islands began (1961).