bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Light and Wounding on Jasmonates in Rice phyAphyC Mutants
Authors: Brendel Rita , Svyatyna Katharina , Jikumaru Yusuke , Reichelt Michael , Mithöfer Axel , Takano Makoto , Kamiya Yuji , Nick Peter , Riemann Michael
Published: March 2014

Jasmonates (JA) are lipid-derived plant hormones. They have been shown to be important regulators of photomorphogenesis, a developmental program in plants, which is activated by light through different red and blue light sensitive photoreceptors. In rice, inhibition of coleoptile growth by light is a central event in photomorphogenesis. This growth inhibition is impaired, when jasmonate biosynthesis is knocked out. Previously, we found that JASMONATE RESISTANT 1 (OsJAR1) transcripts were not induced in the phytochrome (phy) mutant phyAphyC. Therefore, in the current study we investigated the regulation of JA and its highly bioactive derivative (+)-7-iso-jasmonoyl-L-isoleucine (JA-Ile), as well as the transcriptional regulation of several JA-dependent genes both in wild type and phyAphyC mutant. JA and JA-Ile levels increased in the mutant seedlings in response to blue light. However, in phyAphyC mutant leaves, which were continuously wounded, JA and JA-Ile levels were lower compared to those in the wild type. Hence, the mutation of phyA and phyC has differential effects on jasmonate levels depending on the tissue and developmental stage. Our results suggest that the contribution of JA-Ile to signaling during photomorphogenesis of rice is minor, as coleoptile phenotypes of phyAphyC mutants resemble those of jasmonate-deficient mutants despite the fact that induction by blue light leads to higher levels of JA-Ile compared to the wild type. We postulate that phyA and phyC could control the activity of specific enzymes metabolizing JA to active derivatives.
‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom
Authors: Alderton Zoe
Published: March 2014

The book and film franchise of Harry Potter has inspired a monumental fandom community with a veracious output of fanfiction and general musings on the text and the vivid universe contained therein. A significant portion of these texts deal with Professor Severus Snape, the stern Potions Master with ambiguous ethics and loyalties. This paper explores a small community of Snape fans who have gone beyond a narrative retelling of the character as constrained by the work of Joanne Katherine Rowling. The ‘Snapewives’ or ‘Snapists’ are women who channel Snape, are engaged in romantic relationships with him, and see him as a vital guide for their daily lives. In this context, Snape is viewed as more than a mere fictional creation. He is seen as a being that extends beyond the Harry Potter texts with Rowling perceived as a flawed interpreter of his supra-textual essence. While a Snape religion may be seen as the extreme end of the Harry Potter fandom, I argue that religions of this nature are not uncommon, unreasonable, or unprecedented. Popular films are a mechanism for communal bonding, individual identity building, and often contain their own metaphysical discourses. Here, I plan to outline the manner in which these elements resolve within extreme Snape fandom so as to propose a nuanced model for the analysis of fandom-inspired religion without the use of unwarranted veracity claims.
Becoming Ourselves: Anthropological Musings for Christian Psychologists
Authors: DeGroat Charles
Published: March 2014

A Christian narrative of the self provides a critique of a contemporary highly ennobled therapeutic and individualistic understanding of the self. Within a Christian anthropological narrative, the self is ennobled not in and of itself, but by virtue of its union with God. This leads theologians, both ancient and contemporary, to speak boldly about becoming fully human, and even more, becoming God. Herein, this Christian story of the self is explored, with implications for Christian psychology and its dialogue with other psychological perspectives.
Discipline, Resistance, Solace and the Body: Catholic Women Religious’ Convent Experiences from the Late 1930s to the Late 1960s
Authors: Gervais Christine , Watson Amanda
Published: March 2014

This paper examines the corporal forms of discipline and techniques of resistance exercised through and by Catholic women religious (sisters/nuns) in Ontario, Canada. Borrowing from Foucault’s conception of controlled activity as a technique for disciplining the body, as well as Cvetkovich’s notion of repetitive activity as imbued with possibility for knowledge and hope, this paper demonstrates how Catholic women religious, due to their unique position as both leaders and subjects of the institutional church, have been agents of, and subjected to particular forms of disciplinary ritual, both in the Church and in their lived religion. Drawing on the experiential accounts of thirty-two current and former women religious in Canada, the paper demonstrates more or less overt forms of embodied, ritualistic discipline and the extent to which women have resisted this disciplinary power both in convent life and in their later years. The paper sheds light on how women’s perception of discipline is related to disobedience and compliance, nuancing the well-known “old norms” of convent life before the Second Vatican Council.
Theodramatic Rehearsal: Fighting Self-Deception through the Dramatic Imagination
Authors: Vaden Brett
Published: March 2014

This paper seeks to appropriate the insights of dramatic theology for Christian psychology and soul care. According to Kevin Vanhoozer, Scripture is the ‘script’ for human beings’ fitting participation in the acts and deeds of God in the world (i.e., ‘theodrama’). Keeping with this dramatic paradigm, the author will explore what ‘rehearsal’ might entail by drawing from a branch of psychotherapy called ‘psychodrama.’ The main question to be addressed in this appropriation of dramatic theology is, “How might dramatic rehearsal combat self-deception?” The author will only begin to answer this question, but in the attempt it is hoped that further reflection and clarity will be induced.
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Sustainability in 2013
Authors: Sustainability Editorial Office
Published: March 2014

The editors of Sustainability would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following reviewers for assessing manuscripts in 2013. [...]
Analytics and Performance Measurement Frameworks for Social Customer Relationship Management
Authors: Ayanso Anteneh , Visser Derek
Published: March 2014

This chapter provides an overview of the analytics and performance measurement frameworks for social customer relationship management (SCRM). Based on a review of academic research and industry practices, the chapter discusses the limitations of traditional CRM, and the technology and analytical capabilities that support SCRM. The chapter also provides a review of existing measurement frameworks for SCRM strategies and outlines the various metrics that have been proposed and/or are currently in use as part of SCRM systems. Furthermore, in view of the opportunities and challenges of big data and the social media environment, the chapter highlights current business practices as well technology and analytics trends that facilitate the implementation and maintenance of SCRM systems.
Insights into Social Media and Online Digital Music
Authors: Tu Yanbin , Zhao Miao , Jones Cathleen
Published: March 2014

This chapter investigates social media along with traditional assessment channels and their roles in music evaluation. For the current popular social media (such as Facebook and Twitter), marketing applications in the music industry are found to be limited. For certain specialized social media (social media sites specifically dedicated to music and audio sharing and product reviews and opinions), they are neither well known nor commonly used. More efforts to promote these social media are required to increase consumer awareness. This chapter also includes findings which describe consumers’ different attitudes about social media related to new artists and established ones. The use of traditional music evaluation channels and the use of social media are positively correlated. At present, social media do not significantly impact consumers’ music evaluations, but they do impact how much consumers are willing to pay for music products. Analysis of respondents’ statements about social media demonstrate that social media marketing applications potentially can have a great impact on digital music product evaluations and willingness to pay. Overall, findings indicate that the music industry should take better advantage of social media to influence consumers’ music evaluations and willingness to pay. Traditional channels and social media are correlated, indicating that the music industry should not neglect traditional channels while expanding the use of social media.
Exploring the Properties of Online Social Network Data and Their Implications for Consumer Social Data Analytics
Authors: Koubaa Yamen
Published: March 2014

The prediction of consumer behavior is largely based on the analysis of consumer data using statistics as a tool for prediction. Thanks to online social networks, large quantities of heterogeneous consumer data are now available at competitive costs. Though they have much in common with conventional data, online social network datasets display several different properties. The exploration of these unique properties is indispensable to insuring the accuracy of predictions and data analytics. This chapter presents online social data, discusses seven properties of online social network data, suggests some analysis tools, and draws implications regarding the use of social data analytics.
Improving Search and Navigation User Experience by Making Use of Social Data
Authors: Cataldi Mario , Di Caro Luigi , Schifanella Claudio
Published: March 2014

Available user-generated content provides a huge opportunity to contextualize and improve search and navigational processes. Currently, the huge amount of available social data requires that new forms of personalized content indexing be oriented towards a more efficient reuse and retrieval of information. Based on these considerations, this chapter presents a new system that makes use of the social profile of the user, which is automatically extracted and modeled from social network platforms, to improve the search and navigation experience of the user. This proposed system dynamically defines the social context of the user in way that allows it to be positively used to improve his navigational experience. In this chapter, the authors provide a set of visualization tools that permits the user to be immersed in a user-dependent visual space that represented by a set of text boxes that are semantically related to the user query. These boxes represent possible context-aware refinement of the user search interest which are represented through different cohesive set of terms extracted from his social profile. Within this immersive system, at each step, users can deepen their searches by selecting a semantic box that best fits with their needs. This chapter also presents an evaluation aimed at testing the efficiency and the usability of the proposed system and provides real case scenarios and user studies that validate the proposed approach from the user point of view.
A Semantic Approach to LinkedIn Profiles
Authors: Kapareliotis Ilias , Crosbie Patricia
Published: March 2014

Language is essential in allowing us to analyze and make sense of our everyday lives. The development and increased use of social media now means that the way language is structured online can facilitate communication; however, it can also hinder communication. This chapter examines LinkedIn as an example of an online platform which uses verbal and visual linguistic expressions to aid communication. A number of linguistic theories and their impact on LinkedIn as a social media platform are examined. LinkedIn, and its use of user profiles, has been chosen over other social media because it encapsulates the majority of theories presented. The theories are strongly linked to the linguistic background appropriate for the online environment and recommendations and discussions are presented.
From Software Specification to Cloud Model
Authors: Savić Dušan , Vlajić Siniša , Despotović-Zrakić Marijana
Published: March 2014

Applications are often multi-tier and require application servers, workflow engines, and database management systems. Cloud computing is a computing paradigm wherein the resources such as processors, storage, and software applications are provided as services via the Internet. Moving an enterprise application to the cloud can be a challenge. This application needs to be split into the components that then automatically deploy on the cloud. In this chapter, the authors introduce a way to automatically derivate the main architecture components from the software requirements that can serve as a basis for an architecture diagram in the MOCCA method. The proposed approach is model and use case driven.
Mobile Learning Services on Cloud
Authors: Barać Dušan , Radenković Miloš , Jovanić Branislav
Published: March 2014

This chapter discusses providing mobile learning services on cloud. Mobile cloud computing brings numerous benefits and enables overcoming technical constraints of mobile learning. The main techniques and approaches in mobile cloud computing are analyzed. A model for mobile learning services delivering through cloud computing is proposed. Several examples of mobile learning services implementations on cloud are presented: Android native application that provides Moodle learning management system features and a SMS service and mobile application for managing the infrastructure of e-learning system.
Grids, Clouds, and Massive Simulations
Authors: Hajdu Levente , Lauret Jérôme , Mihajlović Radomir A.
Published: March 2014

In this chapter, the authors discuss issues surrounding High Performance Computing (HPC)-driven science on the example of Peta science Monte Carlo experiments conducted at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), one of the US Department of Energy (DOE) High Energy and Nuclear Physics (HENP) research sites. BNL, hosting the only remaining US-based HENP experiments and apparatus, seem appropriate to study the nature of the High-Throughput Computing (HTC) hungry experiments and short historical development of the HPC technology used in such experiments. The development of parallel processors, multiprocessor systems, custom clusters, supercomputers, networked super systems, and hierarchical parallelisms are presented in an evolutionary manner. Coarse grained, rigid Grid system parallelism is contrasted by cloud computing, which is classified within this chapter as flexible and fine grained soft system parallelism. In the process of evaluating various high performance computing options, a clear distinction between high availability-bound enterprise and high scalability-bound scientific computing is made. This distinction is used to further differentiate cloud from the pre-cloud computing technologies and fit cloud computing better into the scientific HPC.
Security Issues of Cloud Computing and an Encryption Approach
Authors: Mihaljević Miodrag J. , Imai Hideki
Published: March 2014

The main security and privacy issues of cloud computing as well as the related implications are addressed, and a general framework for achieving the goals is summarized. This chapter basically considers scientific and educational employment of a cloud as a particular instance of a public cloud and its security, and as a potentially specific issue, a request for a heavy minimization of the costs implied by security is pointed out. Consequently, the problem of minimization of the overheads implied by security/privacy mechanisms is addressed. The main security requirements are given as well as the main recommendations, providing a framework for the security management. As a particular issue, data protection is considered and significance of data access control and encryption are discussed. Accordingly, an illustrative approach for achieving lightweight and provable secure encryption is shown. The considered encryption is based on joint employment of cryptographic and coding methods.
Teaching Software Project Management
Authors: Periyasamy Kasi
Published: March 2014

Software project management is an inherent part of software engineering. While technical expertise is an important factor to complete a software product, knowledge and experience in project management are equally important. Teaching software project management is always a challenge. Most software engineering courses teach technical skills and knowledge on software development but lack project management guidance. On the other hand, project management courses taught by management faculty do not connect to technical activities. Therefore, a blend of technical and managerial skills must be taught together to train software engineers. This chapter describes the author’s experience in teaching a graduate level software project management course with emphasis on blending technical and non-technical skills. The chapter includes the different modes/styles in which the course was taught, the challenges faced, the benefits gained, and the current status of the course.
Towards an Understanding of Collaborations in Agile Course Projects
Authors: Kamthan Pankaj
Published: March 2014

The agile methodologies are part of a shift from predictive to adaptive approach towards software development. This change has had a notable impact on Software Engineering Education (SEE). In this chapter, a glimpse into the state-of-the-art of incorporating agile methodologies in software engineering courses is presented. In doing so, the reasons for including a project component in software engineering courses, and for committing to agile methodologies in software engineering courses, are given. To lend an understanding to the notion of collaboration in agile methodologies, a conceptual model for collaboration is proposed and elaborated. The pivotal role of collaboration in agile course projects is emphasized. The use of certain means for facilitating collaboration, including the Social Web, is discussed.
Developing Communities of Practice to Prepare Software Engineers with Effective Team Skills
Authors: Gates Ann Q. , Villa Elsa Y. , Salamah Salamah
Published: March 2014

A major challenge to teaching software engineering is achieving functioning teams that enforce individual accountability while integrating software engineering principles, approaches, and techniques. The two-semester software engineering course at the University of Texas at El Paso, referred to as the Team-Oriented Software Engineering (TOSE) course, establishes communities of practice that are cultivated through cooperative group practices and an improvement process model that enables learning from past experiences. The experience of working with incomplete, ambiguous, and changing software requirements motivates the need for applying disciplined software engineering practices and approaches throughout project development. Over the course of the two-semester sequence, the nature of students’ participation in project teams changes: they begin to influence others in software engineering practice, and their identities as software engineers begins to develop. The purpose of the chapter is to describe how to structure a software engineering course that results in establishing communities of practice in which learners become increasingly more knowledgeable team members who embody the skills needed to work effectively in a team- and project-based environment.
Controlled Experiments as Means to Teach Soft Skills in Software Engineering
Authors: Kuhrmann Marco , Femmer Henning , Eckhardt Jonas
Published: March 2014

The job profile of a Software Engineer not only includes so-called “hard-skills” (e.g. specifying, programming, or building architectures) but also “soft skills” like awareness of team effects and similar human factors. These skills are typically hard to teach in classrooms, and current education, hence, mostly focuses on hard rather than soft skills. Yet, since software development is becoming more and more spread across different sites in a globally distributed manner, the importance of soft skills increases rapidly. However, there are only a few practical guides to teach such tacit knowledge to Software Engineering students. In this chapter, the authors describe an approach that combines theoretical lectures, practical experiments, and discussion sessions to fill this gap. They describe the processes of creating, planning, executing, and evaluating these sessions, so that soft skill topics can be taught in a university course. The authors present two example implementations of the approach. The first implementation lets students experience and reflect on group dynamics and team-internal effects in a project situation. The second implementation enables students to understand the challenges of a distributed software development setting. With this knowledge, the authors critically discuss the contribution of experimentation to university teaching.
A Project-Based Introduction to Agile Software Development
Authors: Lainez Marc , Deville Yves , Dessy Adrien , Dejemeppe Cyrille , Mairy Jean-Baptiste , Van Cauwelaert Sascha
Published: March 2014

This chapter shows how a lightweight Agile process has been used to introduce Agile project development to young computer science students. This experience has been conducted on a project aimed at developing Android applications. The context, the process, and the results of this experiment are described in this chapter.
Teaching Software Architecture in Industrial and Academic Contexts
Authors: Ciancarini Paolo , Russo Stefano
Published: March 2014

In this chapter, the authors describe their experiences in designing, developing, and teaching a course on Software Architecture that tested both in an academic context with their graduate Computer Science students and in an advanced context of professional updating and training with scores of system engineers in a number of different companies. The course has been taught in several editions in the last five years. The authors describe its rationale, the way in which they teach it differently in academia and in industry, and how they evaluate the students’ learning in the different contexts. Finally, the authors discuss the lessons learnt and describe how this experience is inspiring for the future of this course.
Improve Collaboration Skills Using Cyber-Enabled Learning Environment
Authors: Fu Yujian
Published: March 2014

Collaborative learning methods have been widely applied in online learning environments to increase the effectiveness of the STEM programs. However, simply grouping students and assigning them projects and homework does not guarantee that they will get effective learning outcomes and improve their collaboration skills. This chapter shows that students can improve their learning outcomes and non-technical skills (e.g. collaboration and communication skills) through the cyber-enabled learning environment. The data was collected mainly from software engineering and object-oriented design classes of both graduates and undergraduates. The authors apply a blended version of education techniques by taking advantage of online environment and classroom teaching. Based on the study, the authors show that students can improve their collaboration and communication skills as well as other learning outcomes through the blended version of learning environment.
E-Learning Implementation in Developing Countries
Authors: Zoroja Jovana , Skok Marjana Merkač , Bach Mirjana Pejić
Published: March 2014

E-learning nowadays plays an important role in teaching because it is oriented toward the use of information and communication technologies that have become a part of the everyday life and day-to-day business. E-learning contributes to traditional teaching methods and provides many advantages to society and citizens. The main goal of the chapter is to explore e-learning use in developing countries, using Croatia as an example. This chapter identifies perspectives and obstacles defined by users and non-users of e-learning. Four in-depth interviews were conducted to get a more extensive picture of educational institutions that use e-learning in the teaching process. The results of this research indicate that the potential implementation of e-learning in developing countries faces a number of obstacles, mainly due to the restricted resources of professors and institutions measured both in time and financial terms.
Standing on the Shoulders of a Giant
Authors: Vlachopoulos Panos , Cowan John
Published: March 2014

There is growing interest in fully online courses because of their learning flexibility. One of the success factors in such courses can be the carefully designed interactions between learners and learners, and of learners with tutors. Although there is a great body of literature that deals with the role of the online tutor or e-moderator in formal learning contexts, little has been published about the principles on which the development and exercise of the e-moderator's facilitative skills in nurturing the development of higher level abilities should be founded. This chapter will review seminal past and current literature relating to the practice of facilitation and e-moderation. Its overall aim is to reconceptualise some of the key facilitative skills derived from the humanistic principles of human relationships set out five decades ago by Carl Rogers (1961, 1969), and their use and evaluation subsequently within educational practice. In so doing, the authors are conscious of presenting a controversial view, and of advocating practice contentiously at variance with some present developments in this field.
Using ‘Formally’ Informal Blogs to Create Learning Communities for Students on a Teaching and Learning Programme
Authors: Tan Elaine , Loughlin Eleanor
Published: March 2014

This chapter details the use of informal blogs as part of teaching induction programme and their role in creating small online learning communities. The chapter explores the informal appropriation of a seemingly formal tool within a virtual learning environment to create a student-owned space for discussion, reflection and online peer mentoring. The blogs were analysed and combined with feedback from the students themselves on this process with the results indicating that the students used the online spaces for a number of interactions, both learning and socially orientated.
E-Learning Technologies for Effective Teaching
Authors: Parlakkılıç Alaattin
Published: March 2014

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is extensively used in delivering e-learning. The effective use of technology in e-learning fosters learning and communication. E-learning technologies provide dynamism and increase in learning possibilities all over the world. The application of e-learning in education has already changed the organization and delivery of education. E-learning technologies and tools are increasing every day thus it is necessary to learn and know their properties in order to use them effectively. It is also important to know the learners and their skills for e-learning technologies. Digital Pedagogy emerged in response to this challenge; it effectively enhances and transforms teaching and learning to provide rich, diverse and flexible learning opportunities for a digital generation. For effective e-learning an instructor must focus less on lecturing and content presentation, and more on assisting learners in creating personal learning or knowledge networks. Virtual class tools, chat or instant messaging, voice over IP, asynchronous tools, forums, email utilities, blogs, wikis and other asynchronous and synchronous tools are commonly used technological tools. This chapter explores the way in which e-learning technologies have caused a revolution in education, allowing learning to be individualized, enhancing interactions and changing the role of the classical teacher into facilitator.
The Collaborative Animation Forum in Facebook
Authors: McCarthy Josh
Published: March 2014

This chapter reports on the use of Facebook as the host site for a collaborative international animation forum between student cohorts from the University of South Australia in Australia, Penn State University in the United States of America, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. From July to December in 2012, 69 animation students from the three institutions took part in the forum. Students were required to submit work-in-progress imagery related to major assignments, and provide feedback and critiques to their global peers. Locally, resulting discussions were often transferred into the physical classroom, be it a lecture or studio, for further dissemination between peers. Internationally, students took on new roles, with more experienced students mentoring their peers. The evaluation process of the international online learning environment included informal discussions between associated teaching staff, and a post semester survey providing participating students with the opportunity to critically reflect on the experience. The findings of the study are discussed in light of the growing use of social media to support mentoring, learning and teaching in tertiary education, particularly in the fields of design and digital media.
Social Capital, Self-Esteem, Popularity, Need for Accessibility to Friends, and Stress Predict Cyber Technology Use
Authors: Soysa Champika K. , Gardner Jennifer M.
Published: March 2014

The authors examined social capital, self-esteem, popularity, need for accessibility to friends, and stress as gendered predictors of cyber technology use in 149 undergraduates. The authors investigated four kinds of cyber technology use: social networking, texting, internet surfing, and MP3 player listening. Stress was the most consistent predictor of cyber technology use in men (social networking, texting, and MP3 player listening), while popularity was the most consistent for women (social networking, texting, and MP3 player listening). Furthermore, self-esteem inversely predicted use of internet surfing in men and MP3 player listening in women. On the other hand, the social capital dimension of bridging online which is establishing weak social ties, predicted the use of both internet surfing and MP3 player listening in men and women. The authors extended the literature by establishing gendered social-cognitive dimensions of cyber technology use among undergraduates in the United States.
Self-Report Versus Web-Log
Authors: Li Ang , Yan Zheng , Zhu Tingshao
Published: March 2014

Number of studies have investigated the relationship between personality and web use behaviors on Social Network Sites (SNS), and the measurement of web use behaviors relies on self-report technique. In this study, the authors investigated the correlation between self-report and web-log measures of web use behaviors, and further examined which one would be better to predict user’s personality. There are two major findings: (a) a diverse relationship exists between self-report and web-log measures of web use behaviors; (b) web-log data is a better predictor of user’s personality than self-report data. It suggests that such two sets of data (self-report and web-log) should be treated differently, and it is suitable to predict user’s personality using web-log data.
The Effectiveness of Internet-Based Mindfulness Interventions for Physical and Mental Illnesses
Authors: Krolikowski Alex Matthew
Published: March 2014

The rapid growth of information technologies, such as the internet, smartphones, and videoconferencing has improved the access to mindfulness therapies, which focus on enhancing one’s awareness of the present moment. This review paper attempts to provide an overall picture of the effectiveness of internet-based mindfulness therapies. After a brief introduction to the concept of mindfulness and a presentation of the literature search methods, this review focuses on the effectiveness of internet-based mindfulness therapies. Specifically, the review discusses the role of internet mindfulness therapies in the treatment of physical illnesses, such as chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, tinnitus, diabetes, and cardiovascular illness. Then, the applications of online mindfulness therapy to the treatment of mental illnesses, such as depression, stress, binge eating disorder, and suicidal ideation, are described. The review concludes with a discussion of potential future research directions.
Involve Users or Fail
Authors: Procte Chris , Businge Molly
Published: March 2014

Repeated surveys, and most notably those by the Standish Group, suggest that a substantial proportion of Information Technology (IT) projects fail. The literature suggests that this is in part due to a lack of user involvement in the project. The authors’ research describes the case study of a major IT system implementation project in East Africa. The paper reports on the results of both an online questionnaire and interviews with key participants. The authors’ findings suggest that the subsequent failure of this project was in large part attributable to a lack of user involvement in the definition of requirements and implementation of the system. There did not appear to be an organisational culture that recognised the significance of such participation in the project. Although there are issues of definition raised, such as the definition of success and failure, this work supports previous findings that user involvement is a key factor in IT project success and failure.
From Computational Emotional Models to HRI
Authors: Vallverdú J. , Casacuberta D. , Nishida T. , Ohmoto Y. , Moran S. , Lázare S.
Published: March 2014

During the previous stage of our research we developed a computer simulation (called ‘The Panic Room’ or, more simply, ‘TPR’) dealing with synthetic emotions. The authors were developing the first steps towards an evolutionary machine, defining the key elements involved in the development of complex actions (that is, creating a physical intuitive ontology, from a bottom-up approach). After the successful initial results of TPR, the authors considered that it would be necessary to develop a new simulation (which the authors will call “TPR 2.0.”), more complex and with better visualisation characteristics. After this, the authors created a simulation on emotions evolution with genetic algorithms (Game Of Emotions, GOE) which results on the value of specific emotions into social domains were applied to HRI real robotic environments at Nishidalab (Japan), focused into the notions of empathy and proxemics. There the authors performed an experiment that involved humans from two different native-speaking cultures and one robot introduced as three different machines. The final HRI obtained data was analyzed under several research field perspectives: psychology, philosophy, robotic sciences and anthropology.
Inference of Human Intentions in Smart Home Environments
Authors: Oyama Katsunori , Chang Carl K. , Mitra Simanta
Published: March 2014

Most of context models have limited capability in involving human intention for system evolvability and self-adaptability. Human intention in context aware systems can evolve at any time; however, context aware systems based on these context models can provide only standard services that are often insufficient for specific user needs. Consequently, evolving human intentions result in changes in system requirements. Moreover, an intention must be analyzed from tangled relations with different types of contexts. In the past, this complexity has prevented researchers from using computational methods for analyzing or specifying human intention in context aware system design. The authors investigated the possibility for inferring human intentions from contexts and situations, and deploying appropriate services that users require during system run-time. This paper presents an inference ontology to represent stepwise inference tasks, and then evaluate contexts surrounding a user who accesses PCs through a case study of the smart home environment.
Utility of C-terminal Telopeptide in Evaluating Levothyroxine Replacement Therapy-Induced Bone Loss
Authors: Christy Alap L. , D'Souza Vivian , Babu Ruby P. , Takodara Sohil , Manjrekar Poornima , Hegde Anupama , Rukmini M. S.
Published: March 2014

Background

Levothyroxine (LT4) therapy has shown to have effects on bone metabolism though its deleterious effect on bone remodeling is debatable. This study was aimed at assessing the diagnostic utility of the bone remodeling marker C-terminal telopeptide (CTx) in detecting early bone loss.

Materials and Methods

In this case–control study, 84 premenopausal women of 30–45 years of age were selected. Out of them, 28 were recently diagnosed of hypothyroidism (not on LT4), 28 were on LT4 replacement therapy (100–200 μg/day) for more than five years, and 28 had euthyroid. Plasma CTx levels were estimated. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) method. Pearson's coefficient of correlation and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.

Results

CTx was most elevated in LT4-treated group (0.497 ± 0.209 ng/mL). It showed a significant negative correlation with T-score and Z-score of BMD values. In the treatment group of more than 150 μg/day, CTx showed significantly negative correlation with TSH ( r = –0.462, P = 0.047).

Conclusion

LT4 therapy induces bone loss in hypothyroid patients. CTx levels can measure such bone loss along with BMD. Regular monitoring of CTx with adjustment in LT4 doses may help delay osteoporosis induced by prolonged LT4 replacement therapy.
Social Security Disability Reform: Steps Toward Economic Efficiency and Improved Claimant Care
Authors: Ghubril Nate
Published: March 2014

None
Illiquidity and Financial Crisis
Authors: Pacces Alessio M.
Published: March 2014

None
Kosovo after the ICJ Opinion
Authors: Brand Ronald A.
Published: March 2014

None
Taxing by Default
Authors: Satterthwaite Emily
Published: March 2014

This paper is the first in the Canadian legal literature to address “tax elections”, which bestow upon taxpayers the ability to choose among two or more available tax treatments for a single taxable event. I argue that policymakers should adopt a rebuttable presumption in favour of setting default treatments according to the preferences of a majority of eligible taxpayers, unless a “penalty default” structure can be shown to convey sufficiently valuable information to the government. To illustrate how such a presumption would work in practice, I apply it to two similar but inconsistently structured tax elections in the Income Tax Act relating to transfers of property to a spouse and to a corporation (subsections 73(1) and 85(1), respectively). I find that the design of subsection 73(1) is sound—its majoritarian default of tax-deferring “rollover” treatment avoids unnecessary transaction costs and squanders no information-forcing role. On the other hand, subsection 85(1) is counter-majoritarian, and the information disclosed jointly by taxpayers and corporations via the 85(1) election can be obtained at lower cost by requiring corporations to routinely report information about contributions of property. Mandatory reporting would also bolster the government’s anti-avoidance efforts. Thus, amending subsection 85(1) to reverse its default treatment would make an important corner of the income tax less costly and, at the same time, more equitable.
Reforming 340B to Serve the Interests of Patients, Not Institutions
Authors: DiGiorgio Anthony M. , Winegarden Wayne
Published: July 2024

This Viewpoint discusses reforms to the 340B Drug Pricing Program to focus revenues from the program on lower-income and uninsured patients.
Naloxone Availability and Cost After Transition to an Over-the-Counter Product
Authors: Marley Grace T. , Annis Izabela E. , Egan Kathleen L. , Delamater Paul , Carpenter Delesha M.
Published: July 2024

Importance

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, a nasal spray formulation of naloxone, for sale as an over-the-counter (OTC) medication in March 2023. The purpose of OTC approval was to improve naloxone accessibility to reduce opioid overdoses; however, research has not yet evaluated whether naloxone’s availability and cost changed since this policy was implemented.

Objective

To evaluate whether the accessibility and cost of naloxone at North Carolina community pharmacies changed after OTC naloxone became available and whether cost and availability varied by pharmacy type and urbanicity.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This longitudinal telephone-based secret shopper survey study included a stratified sample of 202 North Carolina community pharmacies, including health department, independent, and chain pharmacies. There were 2 separate data collection efforts from March to April 2023 (before OTC naloxone could be sold at pharmacies) and November 2023 to January 2024 (after OTC naloxone was sold at pharmacies).

Exposure

OTC naloxone first became available for sale at community pharmacies in September 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The main outcomes were same-day availability of naloxone without a clinician-issued prescription and the quoted out-of-pocket cost for cash-paying patients.

Results

Data were collected from 192 pharmacies. Same-day naloxone availability increased from 42.2% (81 of 192) before OTC naloxone availability to 57.8% (111 of 192) after (P < .001). The mean (SD) quoted out-of-pocket cost decreased from $90.93 ($42.6) pre-OTC availability to $62.67 ($41.0) post-OTC availability (P < .001). Independent pharmacies had higher mean (SD) costs than chain pharmacies in both the pre-OTC phase ($109.47 [$37.90] vs $86.40 [$35.70]; P < .001) and post-OTC phase ($77.59 [$38.90] vs $57.74 [$35.90]; P = .004). Out-of-pocket costs did not differ by urbanicity in the pre-OTC phase; however, mean (SD) costs were higher at suburban ($88.67 [$66.80]) and rural ($65.43 [$35.00]) pharmacies compared with urban pharmacies ($53.58 [$29.00]) in the post-OTC phase (P = .003).

Conclusions and Relevance

The Food and Drug Administration’s approval of OTC naloxone nasal spray contributed to an increase in pharmacy-based availability of naloxone and a reduction of its cost for cash-paying patients. Cost was higher at independent pharmacies compared with chain pharmacies and lower in urban pharmacies compared with suburban and rural pharmacies.
Feasibility of a Serious Illness Communication Program for Pediatric Advance Care Planning
Authors: DeCourcey Danielle D. , Bernacki Rachelle E. , Nava-Coulter Brett , Lach Sithya , Xiong Niya , Wolfe Joanne
Published: July 2024

Importance

Pediatric advance care planning (ACP), which aims to ensure care is aligned with family goals and values, is associated with better end-of-life outcomes; however, ACP in pediatrics remains uncommon.

Objectives

To determine the feasibility and acceptability of the Pediatric Serious Illness Communication Program (PediSICP) and explore family-centered outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study was a single-group pilot study of the PediSICP in adolescents and young adults (AYAs; age ≥13 y) with serious illness, parents of seriously ill children, and interprofessional clinicians from April 2021 to March 2023 in a quaternary care pediatric hospital. Duration of follow-up was 1 month. Data were analyzed from January 2022 to March 2023.

Exposure

The PediSICP includes clinician training preceding an ACP communication occasion supported by communication guides and a template for electronic medical record documentation.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Outcomes of interest were parent, patient, and clinician experiences with and perceptions of the PediSICP. Feasibility was defined a priori as at least 70% clinician intervention completion rates.

Results

A total of 10 virtual trainings were conducted among 40 clinicians, including 27 physicians, 7 nurse practitioners, 5 nurses, and 1 respiratory therapist, and 30 trained clinicians (75%) conducted and documented 42 ACP conversations with 33 parents (median [IQR] age, 43 [35-51] years; 25 [76%] female) and 5 AYAs (median [IQR] age, 19 [17-19] years; 3 [60%] female) who completed the intervention. The median (IQR) conversation duration was 27 (10-45) minutes. Most clinicians (29 clinicians [97%]) agreed that they felt prepared for the conversation, and all clinicians recommended the PediSICP. Parents reported participation was worthwhile (27 parents [84%]), they felt listened to (31 parents [94%]), and would recommend the PediSICP (28 parents [85%]). Parents endorsed higher therapeutic alliance after the PediSICP intervention compared with before (The Human Connection scale mean [SD] score, 57.6 [6.4] vs 55.3 [7.8]; P = .03) and decreased anxiety immediately after the intervention (Generalized Anxiety Disorder–7-item mean [SD] score, 10.1 [7.3] vs 8.4 [6.9]; P = .003), which persisted at the 1-month follow-up (mean [SD] score, 7.7 [6.8]; P = .03).

Conclusions and Relevance

This pilot cohort study found that the PediSICP was feasible, acceptable, and highly valued by clinicians and parents of children with serious illness. These findings suggest that the PediSICP may empower interprofessional clinicians and improve ACP with families of children and AYAs who are seriously ill.
Drop‐Weight Impact Resistance of 3D‐Printed Complex Zeolite‐Inspired Structures
Authors: Ambekar Rushikesh S. , Oliveira Eliezer F. , Pugazhenthi Piraisoodan , Singh Shatrughan , Mahapatra Debiprosad Roy , Galvao Douglas S. , Tiwary Chandra S.
Published: July 2024

Ballistic resistance architectures have crucial importance in the defense and aerospace industries. The researchers are constantly excited to explore lightweight, complex architectures for higher mechanical energy absorption. The complexity of the design is restricted due to a lack of advanced manufacturing techniques. However, additive manufacturing (AM)/3D printing facilitates sustainability, excellent design flexibility, and automation. The zeolite‐inspired 3D printed structures are designed and developed to study deformation under low‐velocity drop impact. The present work has the comparison of the specific energy absorption of different types of zeolite‐inspired structures. It also has the effect of velocity on impact depth at multiscale using molecular dynamics (theoretical) and computer tomography (experimental).
Cellulose‐Based Dual‐Network Conductive Hydrogel with Exceptional Adhesion
Authors: Shi Haoran , Huo Huanxin , Yang Hongxing , Li Hongshan , Shen Jingjie , Wan Jianyong , Du Guanben , Yang Long
Published: July 2024

Cellulose consists of a natural, rigid polymer that is widely used to improve the mechanical and water‐holding properties of hydrogels. However, its abundant hydroxyl groups make it highly absorbent to free water, leading to swelling behavior. This increased free water content will also decrease mechanical and adhesive performance. In this study, cellulose is successfully hydrophobically modified to reduce its absorption of free water. Gelatin is then cross‐linked with cellulose through a Schiff‐base reaction, resulting in increased bound water content. This significantly enhances resistance to swelling and permeability, and improves the freeze–thaw stability of the hydrogel. Due to its internal hydrophobicity, water molecules can quickly penetrate into the interior, reducing their residence time on the hydrogel surface. This allows the hydrogel to maintain high adhesion in natural environments, achieving an adhesion strength of up to 3.0 MPa on wood and bamboo‐based materials. The hydrogel can retain its adhesive properties even after prolonged exposure to a humid environment. Additionally, Na+ ions enhance the electrical conductivity and sensitivity of the hydrogel (gauge factor (GF) = 1.51), demonstrating its potential applications in flexible sensing.