bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Critical Success Factors of Web-Based Supply Chain Collaboration Adoption
Authors: Ghaleb Yaseen Saad , Al Omoush Khaled Saleh
Published: May 2010

This chapter aims to identify the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and outcomes of Web-based Supply Chain Collaboration (SCC). A total of 230 questionnaires were initially distributed to sample respondents of seven manufacturing firms in Jordan that use Web systems to collaborate with supply chain members. The results showed that top management support, IT infrastructure, training and education, business processes reengineering, trust among partners, open information sharing, and performance measurement are critical factors for Web-based SCC implementation success. In addition, this study revealed that Web-based SCC implementation is positively related to supply chain relationship quality, performance effectiveness, and performance efficiency.
Internet Banking System in South Asian Countries
Authors: Amin Farrukh
Published: May 2010

The Banking Sector in Pakistan is in its developing state of employing Internet Technology for conducting transactions, interactivity and customer relationship management. Government of Pakistan has brought in efforts to improve the situation. In this regard many of the Public sector banks have been privatized in the last decade. The State Bank of Pakistan (Central Bank in Pakistan) has adopted effective measures and introduced reforms for application of Information Technology for using Internet Banking services. This chapter identifies the implementation of the Internet Technology in Pakistan in particular and in South Asian countries in general. The chapter replicates the Diniz (1998) model using the case of Pakistan and other South Asian countries as an example of an emerging banking sector using Internet.
Information Technology as a Service
Authors: Qiu Robin G.
Published: May 2010

In this information era, both business and living communities are truly IT driven and service oriented. As the globalization of the world economy accelerates with the fast advance of networking and computing technologies, IT plays a more and more critical role in assuring real-time collaborations for delivering needs across the world. Nowadays, world-class enterprises are eagerly embracing service-led business models aimed at creating highly profitable service-oriented businesses. They take advantage of their own years of experience and unique marketing, engineering, and application expertise and shift gears toward creating superior outcomes to best meet their customers’ needs in order to stay competitive. IT has been considered as one of the high-value services areas. In this chapter, the discussion will focus on IT as a service. We present IT development, research, and outsourcing as a knowledge service; on the other hand, we argue that IT as a service helps enterprises align their business operations, workforce, and technologies to maximize their profits by continuously improving their performance. Numerous research and development aspects of service-enterprise engineering from a business perspective will be briefly explored, and then computing methodologies and technologies to enable adaptive enterprise service computing in support of service-enterprise engineering will be simply studied and analyzed. Finally, future development and research avenues in this emerging interdisciplinary field will also be highlighted.
The Impact of Sociocultural Factors in Multicultural Communication Environments
Authors: Ragusa Angela T.
Published: May 2010

Changes in the availability and quality of communication technology have revolutionized, and fundamentally altered, learning environments. As citizens of the “Information Age,” the breadth and impact of global communication are triggering unprecedented transformation of social structures and institutions. This chapter explores the impact of commodification on education when institutions of higher education sell knowledge as a commercial good. The contemporary phenomenon of distance education is increasingly offered and purchased by an international market which experiences heightened pressure for standardization from the global citizens it serves. It is argued here that technological changes necessitate reevaluation of communication processes, discursive practices, and organizational policies. To stay competitive and produce quality products for increasingly international audiences, institutions must create well-articulated policies. By providing insight on the impact multiple sociocultural and communicative norms have on virtual communication, this research uses qualitative discursive analysis of case examples to examine how variance in the structure and delivery of virtual communication environments at a leading distance education university in Australia affects student satisfaction, perception, and learning outcomes. Whereas previous research fails to include a theoretical or conceptual framework, this work draws upon interdisciplinary work from the fields of sociology, education, and science and technology studies. How “cyberspace” changes interaction rituals, masks cultural norms, and alters entrenched social expectations by creating new sensitivities is discussed, along with the ramifications of variation in technological availability, competence, and expectations in global classrooms. In sum, ideas for informing change in policy, administration, and the delivery of distance education and virtual communication in global environments are discussed to equip leaders and participants with skills to foster effective communicative and interaction strategies.
Electronic Government Interoperability
Authors: Gottschalk Petter , Solli-Saether Hans
Published: May 2010

Digital government, E-Government, and E-governance: all are terms that have become synonymous with the use of information and communications technologies in government agencies. Regardless of the label, digital government has become a prominent strategy for government administrative reform. E-Government projects can potentially increase the quality of government services, generate financial savings, and improve the effectiveness of government policies and programs (Pardo & Tayi, 2007).
Frameworks for Aligned Development
Authors: Gottschalk Petter , Solli-Saether Hans
Published: May 2010

Alignment is the adjustment of an object such as a system, a procedure or a process in relation with other objects so that they work better together. For example, strategic alignment refers to business structure and information technology fit in relation to business strategy and external environment. When alignment is attained, then an organization improves its relative performance as compared to other organizations.
Conceptual and Theoretical Foundations of Social Capital
Authors: Daniel Ben Kei
Published: May 2010

Social capital is a complex multifaceted and litigious theory, discussed in the Social Sciences and the Humanities. It is a theory increasingly researchers questioned its scientific legitimacy and yet paradoxically many other researchers continuously use it as a conceptual and theoretical framework to explain the structural and functional operations of communities. This Chapter discusses work done on the theory. It covers some of the theoretical controversy with a goal of aligning its conceptualization and distinguishing it from other types of capitals. The Chapter is organized first the basic theoretical and conceptual foundations of social capital are described. The aim is to present the reader with a basic understanding of what constitutes social capital, by opening discussion about various forms of capital(s)—as discussed in the disciplines of Economics and Sociology. Second, the Chapter discusses the origin of the theory as well as the work of key scholars who have contributed to the development of the theory. Furthermore, in order to identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the theory, the Chapter provides the reader with analysis of benefits and shortcomings of social capital both as a theoretical and analytical tool for studying communities.
Social Capital Use-Case Application Areas
Authors: Daniel Ben Kei
Published: May 2010

Despite lack of meticulousness, social capital continues to occupy a central position in many discussions about community, trust and social networks. The multidimensionality and multivariate nature of social capital provides a foundation for explaining, although sometimes vaguely so, various social issues in communities and social networks. In most of the discussions in scientific work, social capital is continuously treated as either an output or an input. Researchers write about communities performing better due to higher levels of social capital, others attribute superior performance of social amenities such as national economy to the prevalence of higher social capital. Some writers mentioned the construct as a circumventing term to mean one or more of its core variables (trust, shared understanding, social protocols etc.) and their application to specific areas of interests, while others take a holistic view to describe all of its variables and their utility to addressing social problems anchored in communities. This Chapter discusses the application of social capital in a variety of contexts to solve community problems. This is by no means a complete comprehensive coverage of cases in which social capital is currently utilized, rather the cases presented here are considered sufficient to illustrate the growing relevance of social capital to many application areas. The goal of the Chapter is to expose the reader to key application areas and to think about the practical and theoretical relevance of social capital to research and practice in other emergent cases.
Knowledge and Knowledge Sharing in Virtual Communities
Authors: Daniel Ben Kei
Published: May 2010

Knowledge management and knowledge sharing are topics best addressed in a different book. This Chapter is intentionally introduced in the book to introduce the reader to knowledge management and knowledge sharing and to think about these growing areas where there are potential opportunities to apply social capital to solve real world practical problems. Though the use of social capital and knowledge management was briefly introduced in Chapter 3, by reiterating these two issues here it will broaden the reader’s understanding of the critical role social capital plays in enhancing knowledge management through knowledge sharing in virtual communities. In addition, this Chapter discusses some of the most important challenges to knowledge sharing in virtual communities. Furthermore, this Chapter describes the basic concepts often associated with knowledge management and social capital.
Overview of Bayesian Belief Network
Authors: Daniel Ben Kei
Published: May 2010

Statistical and probability inferences are basically dependent on two major methods of reasoning, conventional (frequentist) and Bayesian probability. Frequentists’ methods are mainly based on numerous events, where Bayesian probability applies prior knowledge and subjective belief. Frequentist models of probability do not permit the introduction of prior knowledge into the calculations. This is traditionally to maintain the rigour of a scientific method and as way to prevent the introduction of extraneous data that might skew the experimental results. However, there are times when the use of prior knowledge would be a useful contribution to evaluation a situation. The Bayesian approach was proposed to help us reason in situation where prior knowledge is need, and especially under highly uncertain circumstances. This Chapter provides an overview of the main principles underlying the Bayesian method and Bayesian belief networks. The ultimate goal is to provide the reader with the basic knowledge necessary for understanding the Bayesian Belief Network approach to building computational model. The Chapter does not go into more technical details of probability theory and Bayesian statistics. But to make it more accessible to a wide range of readers, some technical details are simplified.
Conclusions, Book Limitations and Future Directions
Authors: Daniel Ben Kei
Published: May 2010

Social capital in virtual communities offers a useful conceptual and practical tool to help us gain insights into the way people interact with each other, share information and knowledge among themselves and work together. This book has synthesized and brought together a massive volume of current and past work on social capital in geographical or place-based communities. The results of the analysis helped to extend the theory of social capital to virtual communities. It has also provided basis for e researchers, policymakers and systems designers to explore social issues that are likely to have an impact on information and knowledge sharing. The book provides useful information for people concerned with how social capital may be used to answer key questions about its fundamental components, how to study and model it within the contexts of virtual learning communities and distributed communities of practice. The main thrust of this book is the ability to identify the critical components of social capital in virtual communities and the use of modelling techniques—Bayesian Belief Network to analysis of interactions of the components of social capital. The components identified in the book serve as important proxies for examination of how social capital will operate in virtual communities. It is hoped that this fresh conceptualization of social capital in virtual communities prepares scholars to engage in useful and productive discussions on how to hone the potentials of this theory. This Chapter summarises the key issues presented in the book and outlines important future directions for the discussion of social capital in virtual communities.
Multimodal, Multiliteracies
Authors: Iyer Radha , Luke Carmen
Published: May 2010

The shift from traditional definitions of literacy focused upon print, primarily reading and writing, to multiple literacies has highlighted the significance of attending to different modes of text design and multiple forms of knowledge processes. Today’s students engage with complex semiotic systems; therefore, while teaching and learning attends principally to print media, multimodality and multiliteracies have become central to effective pedagogical practice. Some teachers have moved away from a singular focus on print texts to incorporating multiple design modes that are linguistic, spatial, visual, gestural and aural – to enable valuable, comprehensive learning for today’s multiliterate, multiskilled students. In this chapter, the authors discuss the Design modes proposed by the New London Group (1996; 2000), and the Learning by Design pedagogy advocated by Kalantzis and Cope (2005) to highlight effective learning based on multimodal, multiliteracies. The chapter provides a vignette of a multimodal activity in a primary class and argues for the extension of such learning through the incorporation of multiliteracies. They conclude the chapter by providing a framework for a possible multiliteracies project incorporating multiliteracies pedagogies and learning from the classroom vignette.
Convergence
Authors: Stone Jennifer C. , Schowen Ryan A.
Published: May 2010

Online participation is becoming a significant part of many young people’s recreational literate lives. Nonetheless, the range of online literacies available in children’s out-of-school lives is rarely addressed in school-based literacy curricula and instruction. To address this gap, this chapter develops and illustrates a critical literacy framework based on Jenkins’ (2006) concept of “convergence.” Building on Jenkins’ theory of convergence, the authors pull together ideas from media studies, multiliteracies, and semiotics to develop a cohesive framework for unpacking the textual practices, practices of consumption, and social networks common in new media. The authors then illustrate this framework through an analysis of ideologies of gender in popular websites among elementary-age children, including Barbie, American Girl, Transformers, and Hot Wheels.
Riding Critical and Cultural Boundaries
Authors: Faulkner Julie , Williams Bronwyn T.
Published: May 2010

This chapter explores the impact of new technologies on young peoples’ literacy practices, with a particular focus on humour as text. Acknowledging ways in which rapidly-changing cultural and technological conditions have reshaped how people work and play, the authors work within expanded definitions of literacy, or multiliteracies. Exploring the potential of humour to interrogate cultural assumptions, Australian and American students participated in a cross cultural television study. They viewed a ‘foreign’ sitcom, asking to what extent knowledge of the sitcom’s cultural norms was fundamental to an appreciation of the intended humour of the series. The student cohorts then communicated on line, developing their reading of the sitcoms in a cross cultural forum. The study asks how the students’ multiliterate practices, including their critical interpretations of television comedy, hold implications for literacy education.
Theorizing Media Productions as Complex Literacy Performances Among Youth In and Out of Schools
Authors: Rogers Theresa
Published: May 2010

In this chapter the author explores the ways media production represents sophisticated identity and cultural work, and therefore complex literacy performances, among youth as they engage in a play of genres and subject positioning in particular social (educational and community) spaces. Two major research projects in which youth participated in media production form the basis for theorizing in this chapter. Four cases illustrate the ways particular youth design new, hybrid multimodal genres, and how they engage in new models of authorship and cultural critique in this process. Although “youth culture” is often referred to as an undifferentiated phenomenon, this work is highly context-specific, revealing multiple and diverse sub-communities in which specific kinds of cultural and critical work are being undertaken. The author concludes with a challenge to transform schools and classrooms to reflect the increasingly multimodal landscapes in which youth reside.
ICT Integration in Second Language Writing
Authors: Gitsaki Christina , Ya’akub Abduyah , Honan Eileen
Published: May 2010

As the integration of information and communications technologies (ICT) in Singapore schools reaches a considerable level of maturity and stability, a pertinent question is: how has ICT integration impacted on pedagogy in Singapore schools? The present study attempts to address this question through interpretive, case-study research in two Singaporean secondary schools. The study found the use of ICT was limited in its perceived pedagogical value by teachers. A lack of appreciation and/or understanding of the complexity of the process or culture shift required for ICT to be implemented and integrated effectively into the Malay Language Curriculum along with conformity to policy directions resulted in underutilisation and uncritical use of ICT tools, and an adherence to the traditional method of assigning tasks and the maintenance of existing practices.
Robotics as a Vehicle for Multiliteracies
Authors: Saville Marissa J.
Published: May 2010

This chapter is a catalyst for encouraging educators to use robotics as a vehicle for multiliteracies. This chapter will provide compelling, practical evidence of the multimodal nature of robotics, highlighting the potential of robotics to encompass any or all of the linguistic, spatial, visual, audio and gestural elements of multiliteracies, as described by the New London Group (1996). The social and technological benefits for both genders arising from the integration of robotics into the curriculum, and their importance in a rapidly changing world are discussed, as is the need for educators to learn how to facilitate a learning environment that entices students to take risks and solve problems through the development of higherorder thinking skills. Robotics crosses curriculum boundaries, and engages and motivates students of all ages by making learning directed and real.
Typology of Services
Authors: Koumpis Adamantios
Published: May 2010

Classes and taxonomies of services – how can they be categorized, with respect to different parameters, factors, dimensions. Why some of them matter and some other don’t? How can they be organized to serve specific purposes, etc. The major part of the chapter is justly devoted to the presentation of the Service Analysis Model (SAM). With its four constituent building blocks, SAM provides an insight to the analysis of services and is followed by a section devoted to the synthesis of service and the composition of new ones. The chapter closes with the presentation of a real test case implemented for a manufacturing company to improve their service supply chain.
Emerging Technologies for Business Collaboration
Authors: Unhelkar Bhuvan , Ghanbary Abbass , Younessi Houman
Published: May 2010

This chapter describes the fundamentals of technologies such as Web Services (WS) and mobile technologies that provide the basis for modem-day business collaboration. These technologies, introduced here, are further discussed and evaluated later in Chapter 5 from the point of view of demonstrating their application to the CBPE environment.
Case Study 1
Authors: Unhelkar Bhuvan , Ghanbary Abbass , Younessi Houman
Published: May 2010

This chapter describes a case study that is carried out in an organization that provides physical security services in Australia. The case study has been carried out with the aim of applying the CBPE model to some parts of this medium-sized organization that is called upon by event organizers such as those managing large public meetings, conventions and exhibitions, and so on. The primary focus of this chapter is to present how the CBPE framework helps in introducing newly-engineered processes for the organization. These new processes, mainly internal in this case, are able to make practical utilization of the concept of collaboration in order to reduce their time and cost.
Plastic Interfaces for Ubiquitous Learning
Authors: Rouillard José
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents research around pervasive and ubiquitous computing, particularly oriented in the field of human learning. We are studying several solutions to deliver content over a heterogeneous networks and devices. Converting and transmitting documents across electronic networks is not sufficient. We have to deal with contents and containers simultaneously. Related work in interface adaptation and plasticity (the capacity of a user interface to withstand variations of both the system physical characteristics and the environment while preserving usability) is presented and some examples of context-aware adaptation are exposed. We present an adaptive pervasive learning environment, based on contextual QR Codes, where information is presented to learner at the appropriate time and place, and according to a particular task. This learning environment is called PerZoovasive, where learning activities take place in a zoo and are meant to enhance classroom activities.
Co-Design and Co-Deployment Methodologies for Innovative m-Learning Systems
Authors: Millard David , Howard Yvonne , Gilbert Lester , Wills Gary
Published: May 2010

Building innovative m-learning systems can be challenging, because innovative technology is tied to innovative practice, and thus the design process needs to consider the social and professional context in which a technology is to be deployed. In this chapter the authors describe a methodology for co-design in m-learning, which includes stakeholders from the domain in the technology design team. Through a case study of a project to support nurses on placement, they show that co-design should be accompanied by co-deployment in order to manage the reception and eventual acceptance of new technology in a particular environment. They present both our co-design and co-deployment methodologies, and describe the techniques that are applicable at each stage.
Towards Mobile Learning Applications Integration with Learning Management Systems
Authors: Forment Marc Alier , Casany Guerrero María José , Poch Jordi Piguillem
Published: May 2010

ICT in education innovators are creating new kinds of learning applications using all sorts of new technologies available: Web 2.0, Mobile, Gaming platforms and even Virtual Worlds. Mobile learning applications (m-learning) take advantage of the ubiquitousness of the mobile devices to explore new kinds of ways of learning. Learning Management Systems (LMS) are a consolidated kind of Web based learning software that over the last 15 years have evolved to meet the needs of the learning institution to basic, common online educational platforms. The LMS creates a Web based space for every course (Virtual classroom) that can be used to complement the presence learning activities (Blended Learning) or to fully deliver the course contents (Online Learning). Nowadays most learning organizations have integrated a LMS with their information systems (back-office, academic management, etc.) to a point where all learning activities (virtual and non virtual) have a counterpart (syllabus, assessments, scheduling, etc.) in the LMS virtual classrooms. M-learning is not destined to replace the current Web based learning applications, but to extend it, that is why Mobile Applications will need to be able to integrate with the LMS. It also makes sense to be able to access some of the services of the LMS Virtual Classroom from the mobile device. But, to accomplish this goal might not be a simple task. This chapter analyzes the complexities involved to achieve that goal, and describes some standard interoperability architectures and related research and development projects that will allow this kind of interaction between the LMS and the m-learning applications.
Nature that Breeds Solutions
Authors: Chiong Raymond , Neri Ferrante , McKay Robert I.
Published: May 2010

Nature has always been a source of inspiration. Over the last few decades, it has stimulated many successful techniques, algorithms and computational applications for dealing with large, complex and dynamic real world problems. In this chapter, the authors discuss why nature-inspired solutions have become increasingly important and favourable for tackling the conventionally-hard problems. They also present the concepts and background of some selected examples from the domain of natural computing, and describe their key applications in business, science and engineering. Finally, the future trends are highlighted to provide a vision for the potential growth of this field.
E-Government Interoperability
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2010

The mobilization of electronic information across government organizations has the potential of modernizing and transforming information exchanges. The current information exchanges are, however, often inefficient and error-prone, causing interoperability problems for electronic government. Based on a literature review, this chapter presents some of the many frameworks for aligned development to improve e-government interoperability.
UML as Front-End Language for Embedded Systems Design
Authors: Brisolara de Brisolara Lisane , Kreutz Marcio Eduardo , Carro Luigi
Published: May 2010

This chapter covers the use of UML as a modeling language for embedded systems design. It introduces the UML language, presenting the history of its definition, its main diagrams and characteristics. Using a case study, we show that using the standard UML with its limitations one is not able to model many important characteristics of embedded systems. For that reason, UML provides extension mechanisms that enable one to extend the language for a given domain, through the definition of profiles covering domain-specific applications. Several profiles have been proposed for the embedded systems domain, and some of those that have been standardized by OMG are presented here. A case study is also used to present MARTE, a new profile specifically proposed for the embedded system domain, enabling designers to model aspects like performance and schedulability. This chapter also presents a discussion about the effort to generate code from UML diagrams and analyses the open issues to the successful use of UML in the whole embedded system design flow.
High-Level Design Space Exploration of Embedded Systems Using the Model-Driven Engineering and Aspect-Oriented Design Approaches
Authors: Ferreira da Silva Oliveira Marcio , Wehrmeister Marco Aurelio , Assis do Nascimento Francisco , Pereira Carlos Eduardo
Published: May 2010

Modern embedded systems have increased their functionality by using a large amount and diversity of hardware and software components. Realizing the expected system functionality is a complex task. Such complexity must be managed in order to decrease time-to-market and increase system quality. This chapter presents a method for high-level design space exploration (DSE) of embedded systems that uses model-driven engineering (MDE) and aspect-oriented design (AOD) approaches. The modelling style and the abstraction level open new design automation and optimization opportunities, thus improving the overall results. Furthermore, the proposed method achieves better reusability, complexity management, and design automation by exploiting both MDE and AOD approaches. Preliminary results regarding the use of the proposed method are presented.
SystemC Platform Modeling for Behavioral Simulation and Performance Estimation of Embedded Systems
Authors: Posadas Hector , Castillo Juan , Quijano David , Fernandez Victor , Villar Eugenio , Martinez Marcos
Published: May 2010

Currently, embedded systems make use of large, multiprocessing systems on chip integrating complex application software running on the different processors in close interaction with the application-specific hardware. These systems demand new modeling, simulation, and performance estimation tools and methodologies for system architecture evaluation and design exploration. Recently approved as IEEE 1666 standard, SystemC has proven to be a powerful language for system modeling and simulation. In this chapter, SCoPE, a SystemC framework for platform modeling, SW source-code behavioral simulation and performance estimation of embedded systems is presented. Using SCoPE, the application SW running on the different processors of the platform can be simulated efficiently in close interaction with the rest of the platform components. In this way, fast and sufficiently accurate performance metrics are obtained for design-space exploration.
Digital Literacy
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

Digital literacy is an important aspect of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and in this chapter I focus on particular elements of it, including new ways of reading and processing written language, with implications of how literacy is embedded in language. Reading in the 21st Century is no longer confined to reading print books. Electronic versions of many print materials have been made available on the World Wide Web. Some of the advantages of using electronic or digital materials include their relative accessibility and flexibility in terms of time and space. Electronic materials also allow the inclusion of multi-media elements like sound and video clips, which cannot be presented in print books. These and other factors have contributed to growing acquisition rates of e-books and e-journals in academic libraries around the world. As urban areas all over the world become more and more crowded, the save-space feature of digital libraries is an even more attractive reason why users of library facilities in academic and public libraries are being encouraged to read electronic versions of publications.
Insights from Mobile Phone Voice Communication
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

Mobile phone communication as an instance of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has not received as much attention as email and others. Indeed, it may be argued that it is not a typical instance of CMC as some people do not consider the mobile phone a computer and also because there is hardly any Internet Protocol (IP) address involved in sending SMS, one might claim. However, as has been mentioned by writers like Prensky (2004) the mobile phone has reached such sophistication that it is indeed more powerful than some computers in terms of processing power, and indeed internet facilities are easily incorporated into mobile phones. While many have studied email and its effects on writing and the school curriculum, among other issues (e.g. Abdullah 1998, 2003, Akers-Jordan 2002, Baron 2001, Crystal 2001, Healey 2007, etc), little has been done on the mobile phone until now (but see Bodomo 2003, 2007, Bodomo and Lee 2002, Thurlow 2003 and Prensky 2004). This chapter and the next focus particularly on the use of mobile phones through case studies based on reports of completed research projects. There are, at least, two aspects of mobile phone communication, voice mobile phone communication and text messaging. Chapter 6 focuses mainly on voice mobile phone communication aspects while chapter 7 dwells on mobile phone texting, especially its grammatical aspects.
The Grammar of Mobile Phone Written Language
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

In the last chapter, I concentrated mainly on mobile phone voice communication. In this chapter, I will focus on mobile phone text communication. Mobile phone texting or communication through short message service (SMS) started slowly, as we saw in chapter 6, but has quickly emerged as a frequent daily linguistic, literacy or general communicative practice in which two or more people exchange messages by coding and decoding texts received and sent from their cell phones. Mobile phone texting is almost now as pervasive and as ubiquitous as mobile phone voice communication, if not more among some segments of users like young people. This communication process can be witnessed in buses, at homes, in offices, in restaurants, out in the woods, on the high seas, and even in the air! Hong Kong’s main English language newspaper, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) edition of April 11, 2004 indicates that as huge a volume of 200 million SMS messages are exchanged monthly. SMS has become a multi-million dollar business for service providers.
Computer-Mediated Communication
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), with particular reference to linguistics and Literacy and how the technologies that drive this exciting area of research can be applied for natural language education, is a fast changing discipline. About every month a new technology is introduced by one company or the other that has the potential to impact the discipline in profound ways. So much so that it is hard for a research academic to pretend that at any one moment in time one can capture a representative snap-shot of the discipline that can stand the test of time. New technologies - new media, new issues - new themes are constantly emerging, and it is fitting to emphasize these new technologies and new themes in the final chapter of the book.
Muscle Contraction Mechanisms: Use of Synchrotron X‐ray Diffraction
Authors: Wakabayashi Katsuzo , Sugimoto Yasunobu , Takezawa Yasunori , Oshima Kanji , Matsuo Tatsuhito , Ueno Yutaka , Irving Thomas C
Published: May 2010

Muscle contraction occurs when the constitutive proteins,actinandmyosin, interact via crossbridge formation, powered by the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It is a physical process that transduces chemical energy into mechanical work, producing directional motion. The central question is how force generation and movement in muscle contraction are associated with major conformational changes in contractile and regulatory proteins. The best available technique for such an approach is X‐ray diffraction which can provide structural information with a submolecular resolution. X‐ray diffraction with intense synchrotron radiation has demonstrated a structural basis for the molecular mechanism underlying muscle contraction with high spatial‐ and time‐resolution. The structural alterations in vertebrate skeletal muscles undergoing contraction by synchrotron X‐ray diffraction are outlined by putting a lot of weight on the thin filament as the locus of actomyosin interaction.

Key Concepts:

Muscle contraction occurs when constitutive proteins actin and myosin in muscle interact with each other, powered by the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), leading to a force generation or a shortening of the sarcomere.

Sliding filament theory is a proposal on the basis of the discovery that when a sarcomere shortens, two types of filaments slide each other with little change in their lengths, resulting in an overall shortening of muscle.

Elastic elements sustaining the tension that muscle exerts during contraction are thought to be resided somewhere in a sarcomere. In the current hypothesis, the only elastic elements are assumed to reside somewhere around or within the myosin heads.

Extensibility of the thin actin filament: The force is transmitted to the ends of the contractile unit through the thin actin filaments, which have been thought to contribute very little compliance to the mechanochemical machinery. Evidence that the thin actin filaments are purely elastic under active force generation has been obtained.

Twisting of the thin actin filament suggests that the force acting at a myosin crossbridge contains torque components around the axis of the thin actin filament.

X‐ray diffraction is the interference of the X‐rays scattered from the electron densities of the matter, and the Fourier transformation of the interference pattern yields the structure of the matter.

Synchrotron radiations are electromagnetic waves that are emitted in the tangential direction of the orbit when electrons or positrons circulating near the speed of light in an accelerating ring (synchrotron). Synchrotron X‐rays with high brilliance are an indispensable tool for muscle structural research.
Plant Defences against Fungal Attack: Biochemistry
Authors: Funnell Deanna L , Schardl Christopher L , Bednarek Paweł
Published: May 2010

A wide variety of biochemical constituents, including small molecules, peptides and sugar polymers, contribute to the interactions between plant and fungal or oomycete pathogens. Molecules of microbe or plant origin are critical for the pathogen recognition and further triggering of plant defence responses. Moreover, defence molecules of a broad range of biological activity are produced by plants either before fungal attack (preformed) or in response to infection (induced). During the course of their host adaptation, fungal pathogens developed sophisticated molecular tools to overcome plant biochemical weapons. These tools include enzymes able to metabolise plant bioactive molecules as well as own toxins interfering with plant defence reactions. Contribution of various biochemical components to different stages of plant–pathogen interactions has been supported by genetic tools available for model organisms.

Key Concepts:

Small molecules, peptides and biopolymers are critical players in plant–fungus interactions.

Recognition in plant–microbe interactions is mediated by biochemical motifs associated with a wide range of pathogens.

Cell wall polymers constitute a physical barrier protecting protoplast from attacking fungi.

Secretion of small molecules at the sites of attempted fungal penetration is critical for pre‐invasive defence.

Particular constitutive and inducible secondary metabolites can terminate fungal development.

Detoxification of plant antibiotics contributes to fungal virulence.
Confirmation study of PTEN mutations among individuals with autism or developmental delays/mental retardation and macrocephaly
Authors: McBride Kim L. , Varga Elizabeth A. , Pastore Matthew T. , Prior Thomas W. , Manickam Kandamurugu , Atkin Joan F. , Herman Gail E.
Published: May 2010

There is a strong genetic component to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but due to significant genetic heterogeneity, individual genetic abnormalities contribute a small percentage to the overall total. Previous studies have demonstrated PTEN mutations in a sizable proportion of individuals with ASD or mental retardation/developmental delays (MR/DD) and macrocephaly that do not have features of Cowden or Bannayan–Riley–Ruvalcaba syndrome. This study was performed to confirm our previous results. We reviewed the charts of individuals who had PTEN clinical sequencing performed at our institution from January 2008 to July 2009. There were 93 subjects tested from our institution during that period. PTEN mutations were found in 2/39 (5.1%) ASD patients and 2/51 (3.9%) MR/DD patients. Three additional patients without mutations had no diagnostic information. Multiple relatives of individuals with a PTEN mutation had macrocephaly, MR, or early onset cancer (breast, renal, and prostate). Of those relatives tested, all had the familial PTEN mutation. None of the affected relatives had previously been diagnosed with Cowden or Bannayan–Riley–Ruvalcaba syndrome. We noted in our previous study several adult relatives without any findings who carried a mutation. Combined with data from our previous cohort, we have found PTEN mutations in 7/99 (7.1%) of individuals with ASD and 8/100 (8.0%) of individuals with MR/DD, all of whom had macrocephaly. We recommend testing for mutations in PTEN for individuals with ASD or MR/DD and macrocephaly. If mutations are found, other family members should be offered testing and the adults offered cancer screening if they have a PTEN mutation.
Dynamic three‐dimensional illustrator for teaching descriptive geometry and training visualisation skills
Authors: Martín‐Gutiérrez Jorge , Gil Francisco Albert , Contero Manuel , Saorín José L.
Published: May 2010

This article presents a pilot study with architecture students, in which the effects of descriptive geometry, taught conventionally and using a three‐dimensional dynamic tool designed for the purpose, on the improvement of spatial abilities are compared and analysed. In relation with previous works, the main contribution of this research is the development of a three‐dimensional viewer (Diedro‐3D) to support the teaching process, encouraging autonomous learning. The Diedro‐3D application tries to overcome the main obstacle that student face when using a descriptive geometry textbook: static 2D illustrations of high complexity. This is achieved by providing a series of construction steps and supporting a 3D visualisation environment where the student can freely change the point of view. It is important to note that students show a high degree of satisfaction with the learning experience using Diedro‐3D as usability analysis confirms. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 21: 8–25, 2013
Molecular Composition of Liquid Sulfur.
Authors: Ludwig Ralf , Behler Joerg , Klink Bjoern , Weinhold F.
Published: May 2010

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Crystal Structure of Lu4Si2O7N2 Analyzed by the Rietveld Method Using the Time‐of‐Flight Neutron Powder Diffraction Pattern.
Authors: Takahashi Junichi , Yamane Hisanori , Shimada Masahiko , Yamamoto Yoshinobu , Hirosaki Naoto , Mitomo Mamoru , Oikawa Kenichi , Torii Shuki , Kamiyama Takashi
Published: May 2010

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Nanocluster with One Missing Core Atom: A Three‐Dimensional Hybrid Superlattice Built from Dual‐Sized Supertetrahedral Clusters.
Authors: Wang Cheng , Bu Xianhui , Zheng Nanfeng , Feng Pingyun
Published: May 2010

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Improved Single Crystal Growth of the Boron Sillenite “Bi24B2O39” and Investigation of the Crystal Structure.
Authors: Burianek M. , Held P. , Muehlberg M.
Published: May 2010

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Oscillatory Photochemical Decomposition of Tetrathionate Ion.
Authors: Horvath Attila K. , Nagypal Istvan , Epstein Irving R.
Published: May 2010

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Singlet Delta Oxygen Production from a Gas—Solid Reaction.
Authors: Alfano Angelo J. , Christe Karl O.
Published: May 2010

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1∞[HgGe9]2‐ — A Polymer with Zintl Ions as Building Blocks Covalently Linked by Heteroatoms.
Authors: Nienhaus Anke , Hauptmann Ralf , Faessler Thomas F.
Published: May 2010

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Lead Hafnate (PbHfO3) Perovskite Powders Synthesized by the Oxidant Peroxo Method.
Authors: Camargo Emerson R. , Kakihana Masato
Published: May 2010

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Crystal Growth of Mixed Titanium Sillenites.
Authors: Majchrowski A. , Borowiec M. T. , Zmija J. , Szymczak H. , Michalski E. , Baranski M.
Published: May 2010

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Hydrothermal Synthesis of the First Vanadomolybdenum Polyoxocation with a “Metal‐Bonded” Spherical Framework.
Authors: Yang Wenbin , Lu Canzhong , Zhan Xiaoping , Zhuang Honghui
Published: May 2010

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Unusual Uranyl Tellurites Containing [Te2O6]4‐ Ions and Three‐Dimensional Networks.
Authors: Almond Philip M. , McKee Michael L. , Albrecht‐Schmitt Thomas E.
Published: May 2010

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Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Open Framework Zinc‐Cobalt Phosphate with Zeolite DFT Topology.
Authors: Ke Y. , He G. , Li J. , Zhang Y. , Lu S. , Lei Z.
Published: May 2010

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Synthesis of 6‐, 7‐, and 8‐Membered Lactones via the Nickel‐Catalyzed Electrochemical Arylation of Electron‐Deficient Olefins.
Authors: de Mendonca Cavalcanti Janesmar Camilo , Fonseca Goulart Marilia Oliveira , Leonel Eric , Nedelec Jean‐Yves
Published: May 2010

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Novel Asymmetric Michael Addition of α‐Cyanopropionates to Acrolein by the Use of a Bis(oxazolinyl)phenylstannane‐Derived Rhodium(III) Complex as a Chiral Lewis Acid Catalyst.
Authors: Motoyama Yukihiro , Koga Yoshiyuki , Kobayashi Kouji , Aoki Katsuyuki , Nishiyama Hisao
Published: May 2010

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Fine‐Tuning of Modular Amino Alcohol Ligands for the Enantioselective Transfer Hydrogenation of Ketones.
Authors: Pasto Mireia , Riera Antoni , Pericas Miquel A.
Published: May 2010

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(2S,5S)‐1,3‐Diaza‐2‐phospha‐2‐oxo‐2‐chloro‐3‐phenylbicyclo [3.3.0]octane: A Novel Chiral Source for Borane‐Mediated Catalytic Chiral Reductions.
Authors: Basavaiah Deevi , Reddy Gone Jayapal , Chandrashekar Vanampally
Published: May 2010

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Structural Effects on Chemo‐ and Enantio‐Selectivity of Candida antarctica Lipase B — Resolution of β‐Amino Esters.
Authors: Gedey Szilvia , Liljeblad Arto , Lazar Laszlo , Fueloep Ferenc , Kanerva Liisa T.
Published: May 2010

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Hydroxynitrile Lyase‐Catalyzed Addition of HCN to 4‐Substituted Cyclohexanones: Stereoselective Preparation of Tetronic Acids.
Authors: Effenberger Franz , Roos Juergen , Kobler Christoph , Buehler Holger
Published: May 2010

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Selective Biotransformation of Substituted Alicyclic Nitriles by Rhodococcus equi A4.
Authors: Martinkova Ludmila , Klempier Norbert , Preiml Margit , Ovesna Maria , Kuzma Marek , Mylerova Veronika , Kren Vladimir
Published: May 2010

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Chemoselective Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes with Gluconobacter oxydans.
Authors: Villa Raffaella , Romano Andrea , Gandolfi Raffaella , Sinisterra Gago Jose V. , Molinari Francesco
Published: May 2010

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New Studies of Rh‐Catalyzed Addition of Boronic Acids under Basic Conditions in Aqueous Medium.
Authors: Amengual Remi , Michelet Veronique , Genet Jean‐Pierre
Published: May 2010

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