bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do Users Go Both Ways?
Authors: Nemati Hamid , Earle Brad , Arekapudi Satya , Mamani Sanjay
Published: September 2010

A challenging task for a data warehouse team is identifying users by their information needs and skills, and then providing the BI (Business Intelligence) tools that support each group to do their job effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have shown that the BI market place is saturated with a bewildering array of capabilities, functions and software suites. The current lack of consistent interpretation of Business Intelligence has created some confusion in the market place. This paper defines a framework to identify different user groups in an organization and map their needs and requirements to the different functionalities offered by different BI tool vendors. Through literature review, clear definitions of users were created and a set of BI tools that identifies functional needs was established. From that information, a questionnaire was developed that probed for the relationships between user types, tools, functions and other perceived values. Responses from 154 professionals were then used to develop a road map for the data warehouse project team in BI tool selection.
Modeling a Secure Sensor Network Using an Extended Elementary Object System
Authors: Devarashetty Vineela , Tsai Jeffrey J.P. , Ma Lu , Zhang Du
Published: September 2010

A sensor network consists of a large number of sensor nodes, which are spread over a geographical area. Sensor networks have found their way into many applications, from military domains to traffic or environmental monitoring, and as sensor networks reach toward wide spread deployment, security becomes a major concern. In this regard, one needs to be sure about the confidentiality, authenticity and tamper-proof of data. The research thus far has focused on how to deploy sensor networks so that they can work efficiently; however, the focus of this paper is on sensor networks’ security issues. In this paper, the authors propose a formal model to design and analyze the secure sensor network system. The model is based on an augmented Petri net formalism called Extended Elementary Object System. This proposed secure sensor network model has a multi-layered structure consisting of sink node layer, sensor node layer and security mechanism layer. At the security mechanism layer, a synchronous firing mechanism is utilized as a security measure to detect malicious node attacks to sensor data and information flow. In addition, the model applies SNEP protocol for authentication and confidentiality of sensor data.
Customers Knowledge and Relational Marketing
Authors: Del Vecchio Pasquale , Ndou Valentina
Published: September 2010

The radical changes occurring in the global business environment, that is, in the information technology field and in management practices, call for a general rethinking of firms strategic positioning and competition. In this scenario, firms having the capacity to manage all of their own intellectual assets seem to be the only way to survive and succeed. The ability to comprehend the role that customers can play in contributing to a firm’s value creation is one of the main elements behind the growing attention of researchers and managers in context to managing a firm’s relationship with customers. This paper highlights the relevance of a Customers Relationship Management (CRM) issue in a Knowledge Management perspective as well as in Relational Marketing. In addition, this study shows how the rising and large adoption of Web 2.0 technologies represents a real opportunity for the effective implementation of a CRM strategy.
Toward a Quality-of-Service Framework for Peer-to-Peer Applications
Authors: Gupta Ankur , Awasthi Lalit K.
Published: September 2010

P2P networks have caught the imagination of the research community and application developers with their sheer scalability and fault-tolerance characteristics. However, only content-sharing applications based on the P2P concept have reached the desired level of maturity. The potential of the P2P concept for designing the next-generation of real-world distributed applications can be realized only if a comprehensive framework quantifying the performance related aspects of all classes of P2P applications is available. Researchers have proposed some QoS (Quality-of-Service) parameters for content-sharing P2P applications based on response time and delay, but these do not cover the gamut of application domains that the P2P concept is applicable to. Hence, this research paper proposes an early QoS framework covering various classes of P2P applications; content distribution, distributed computing and communication and collaboration. Early results from the prototype implementation of the Peer Enterprises framework (a cross-organizational P2P collaborative application) are used as a basis for formulation of the QoS parameters. The individual performance measures which comprise the QoS framework are also discussed in detail along with some thoughts on how these can be complied with. The proposed framework would hopefully lead to quantifiable Service-Level Agreements for a variety of peer-to-peer services and applications.
Theorizing Information Security Success
Authors: Dunkerley Kimberley , Tejay Gurvirender
Published: September 2010

As information systems become more pervasive within organizations, securing their associated information assets has become a topic of extensive research. However, minimal research has been focused on understanding the dimensions of information systems security within an organizational context. This study organizes a considerable body of information systems security literature based on their findings, and the authors identify core dimensions of information system security success and operationalize them as a model to predict success with information security initiatives. The utility of the proposed model is evaluated for the e-Government context and emergent issues for research and practice are discussed.
Harnessing Interagency Collaboration in Inter-Organizational Systems Development
Authors: Phuaphanthong Thayanan , Bui Tung , Keretho Somnuk
Published: September 2010

In spite of the increasing need for building interagency systems, the literature on effective inter-organizational collaboration is practically inexistent, both from the methodological and practical perspectives. Using an action research approach, this paper reports the findings of a four-year long action research that seeks to identify critical success factors for establishing and maintaining interagency collaboration in a large-scale inter-organizational system development project. The findings were drawn from direct experiences during the implementation of the cross-border internet-based system for trade and transport facilitation in Thailand, which required an involvement of more than 40 governmental and business stakeholders. This paper suggests a stepwise approach for the establishment and maintenance of interagency collaboration, and derives methodological and practical implications from this large-scale experience.
G2C Adoption of E-Government in Malaysia
Authors: Hussein Ramlah , Mohamed Norshidah , Ahlan Abdul Rahman , Mahmud Murni , Aditiawarman Umar
Published: September 2010

Electronic government or e-government has long been known as a breakthrough of a new form of communication and transaction between the government and citizens, the government and industries, and among government agencies. Simply, e-government is meant not only to help the government to accomplish its daily administrative activities but also provide an easier way to communicate with external entities like citizens and businesses throughout the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With the implementation of e-government in Malaysia, study about Government to Citizens (G2C) adoption is important in reflecting its progress. Against this backdrop, this paper studies G2C adoption in Malaysia by espousing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theory as a framework. Other factors that are believed to influence citizens’ intentions for using the G2C system are also examined.
Building and Connecting to Online Communities for Action
Authors: Collin Philippa
Published: September 2010

Young people are using information communication technologies (ICT) for new forms of political participation. At the same time, government and non-government organisations are looking to the internet to implement policies designed to engage young people in democracy. This raises the question of what forms of e-citizenship are being imposed on young people and are these same forms being pursued by young people themselves? Coleman (2008) has suggested that programs tend to promote autonomous or managed forms and argues for a ‘productive convergence’ that can facilitate democratic e-citizenship. Using original research, this article presents two case studies of such a ‘productive convergence’ and argues that what is particularly powerful in such e-citizenship programs is that they facilitate young people’s connection to existing networks as well as the building of new communities for action. This article presents a critical analysis of how organisations and young people in Australia and the United Kingdom view and use the internet for participation and considers the extent to which there is increased democratising potential in these e-citizenship programs.
Enabling User Participation in Civic Engagement Web Sites
Authors: Thomas Dominic
Published: September 2010

Despite high hopes and large investments, existing efforts at designing and implementing Internet Web pages and systems for civic engagement have met only marginal success, suggesting a need for careful thought and application of research on how to get people to interact using technology. This paper develops and presents a theory for designing effective online civic engagement systems. The theory draws from several decades of work in the group support systems literature as well as the historical context of civic engagement in the United States to identify seven key dynamics (the kernel) to address and include when designing such systems. These seven dynamics include five focusing on promoting individual-level interaction: authentication, authorization, masking, interests, and expertise. Two focus on group-level interaction: local access and timeliness. The author analyzes existing systems in light of these seven dynamics and identifies two additional design accommodations that would specifically promote youth engagement.
Does Technology Acceptance Change the Way from CRM to Customer Loyalty?
Authors: Liu Yi-Yuan
Published: September 2010

This study explores the moderating effect of technology acceptance on the relationship between customer relationship management (CRM) in terms of distribution and tailor-made functions and customer loyalty in the banking industry. The author uses LISREL two-group path analysis to find the variances between high and low technology acceptance. Data collected from the customers of nine retail banks show that commitments have a mediating effect on the relationship between the tailor-made function of CRM and customer loyalty, while technology acceptance has significant effects on both relationships between the two functions of CRM and continuance commitment.
Client-Server Based LBS Architecture
Authors: Nabhan Mohammad AL , Almasri Suleiman , Garaj Vanja , Balachandran Wamadeva , Hunaiti Ziad
Published: September 2010

This work presents a new efficient positioning module that operates over client-server LBS architectures. The aim of the proposed module is to fulfil the position information requirements for LBS pedestrian applications by ensuring the availability of reliable, highly accurate and precise position solutions based on GPS single frequency (L1) positioning service. The positioning module operates at both LBS architecture sides; the client (mobile device), and the server (positioning server). At the server side, the positioning module is responsible for correcting user’s location information based on WADGPS corrections. In addition, at the mobile side, the positioning module is continually in charge for monitoring the integrity and available of the position solutions as well as managing the communication with the server. The integrity monitoring was based on EGNOS integrity methods. A prototype of the proposed module was developed and used in experimental trials to evaluate the efficiency of the module in terms of the achieved positioning performance. The positioning module was capable of achieving a horizontal accuracy of less than 2 meters with a 95% confidence level with integrity improvement of more than 30% from existing GPS/EGNOS services.
Indoor Positioning Using FM Radio
Authors: Papliatseyeu Andrei , Osmani Venet , Mayora Oscar
Published: September 2010

This paper presents an indoor positioning system based on FM radio. The system is built on commercially available short-range FM transmitters. This is the first experimental study of FM performance for indoor localisation. FM radio possesses a number of features, which make it distinct from other localisation technologies. Despite the low cost and off-the-shelf components, this FM positioning system reaches a high performance, comparable to other positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi. The authors’ experiments have yielded a median accuracy of 1.0 m and in 95% of cases the error is below 5 m.
Commanding the Cloud by Moving a Camera Phone
Authors: Spaanenburg Lambert , Zhang Dalong , Chen Miao , Rossholm Andreas
Published: September 2010

Major innovations are based on novel input devices, for example, the mouse and its role in revolutionizing the PC world. Some innovations are even over-looked, such as the touch screen, until it made quite a trendy return in the shape of the Apple iPhone. All such specialized devices will dwarf into remote handling applications in the cloud by a generalized device, that is, the camera phone. This paper shows that camera movement can be extracted from capture images by a limited block-matching based search. The CPU load is less than 20% and does not increase with image size.
Faculty Training Strategies to Enhance Pedagogy-Technology Integration
Authors: Keengwe Jared , Georgina David , Wachira Patrick
Published: September 2010

One of the unprecedented benefits of campus-wide distance learning strategies has been the incorporation of more technology-based pedagogy into traditional classrooms, thus, increasing faculty and student teaching and learning opportunities. This “hybrid” or “blended” teaching has emerged largely due to a desire to widen access to educational opportunities, continuing education, and university resources (Curran, 2004; Garrison & Kanuka, 2004). However, a major challenge to this technologically enhanced pedagogy has been the training of higher education faculty. This article focuses on faculty technology literacy, the implementation of technology into traditional faculty pedagogy, and the need for effective faculty training to enhance appropriate technology integration into classroom instruction (Keengwe, 2007). In this paper, the authors recommend two tier training as a possible strategy to technology integration training challenges that instructors face in their pedagogical practices.
Student Nurses’ Perception on the Impact of Information Technology on Teaching and Learning
Authors: Kandeel Nahed , Ibrahim Youssreya
Published: September 2010

This paper investigates student nurses’ perceptions of the impact of using information technology (IT) on teaching and learning critical care nursing. This study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt. The sample included 163 of fourth year Bachelor of Nursing students enrolled in a critical care nursing course during the first semester of the academic year 2007-2008. The data was collected using a questionnaire sheet that gathered information about student nurses’ IT skills and use, perception of the access to and use of IT at Faculty of Nursing, perception of the impact of using IT on teaching and perception, and on the impact of using IT on learning the critical care nursing course. The findings indicate that nursing students had a positive perception on the impact of using IT on teaching and learning the critical care nursing course. Students wanted access to IT at the Faculty, and expressed their need for more training on using Internet and Microsoft PowerPoint, and for IT resources in classrooms.
Applications of Mobile Learning in Higher Education
Authors: Gupta Babita , Koo Yangmo
Published: September 2010

As mobile devices’ use among consumers accelerates at an exponential rate, there is a need to examine how these mobile devices can be used as effective learning tools and not just a form of communication. In this paper, the authors use an empirical survey methodology to study various mobile learning tools that are currently available for use in higher education, their advantages and disadvantages in m-learning versus e-learning implementations, and to explore the current trends in m-learning.
Next Generation Networks
Authors: Kariyawasam Rohan
Published: September 2010

At present there is no one definition of the term ‘International Digital Divide’. It is often defined in different ways, but nevertheless, factors that influence its definition include access to telecommunication lines, the ratio of internet hosts to GDP, and the level of development of the human capital base. The lack of a clear definition will have knock-on effects in the loan documentation of aid agencies involved in infrastructure development and capacity building. However, a clear definition of the divide could help to focus and better target the necessary investment to help address the inequalities the divide attempts to capture, particularly with the rollout of NGNs. This paper attempts to (a) provide a brief overview on the rise and structure of the internet and evolution to Next Generation Networks, (b) set out basic indicators of the Digital Divide and clarify the significance of these linkages, and (c) to review various definitions of the Digital Divide available in current literature so as to arrive at one new overriding definition.
Deconstructing the ‘Digital Divide’ In Africa
Authors: Mutula Stephen
Published: September 2010

The debate about whether the digital divide between Africa and the developed world is narrowing or widening has intensified over the last five years. Some believe that access to technology is positively correlated to economic development and wealth creation, however, since the dawn of the last century, the gap between the rich and the poor within and between developed and developing countries has continued to grow. The protagonists in this debate do not seem to appreciate the notion that the digital divide is not about a single technology, and is driven by a complex set of factors that exist beyond wires. This paper attempts to deconstruct the concept of the digital divide beyond access to PCs, telephones, Internet, cable TV, etc… The authors argue that the phenomenon as currently conceived is misleading and flawed, and so are the indices for its measurement. Suggestions that a new model for mapping the phenomenon is made in order to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries. In deconstructing the digital divide, the authors use the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society and the indices used to measure e-readiness, information society, digital opportunity, and e-government.
The Search Engine as an Internet Service Channel
Authors: Hiraoka Leslie S.
Published: September 2010

Development of the search engine as a major information and marketing channel resulted from innovative technologies that made it capable of presenting rapid, relevant responses to queries. To do this, the search engine compiles an index of web pages of information stored on the World Wide Web, ranks each page according to its incoming links, matches keywords in the query to those in its index, and returns what it determines are the most relevant pages to the searcher. Innovative and cost-effective ad placement algorithms have attracted advertisers to search engine websites and intensified the competitive dynamics among industry leaders. Their interacting software also continues to draw advertisers from traditional, mass marketing channels like television and newspapers to the online medium to cater to customers who have expressed an interest in their products and services.
Management of Logistics Planning
Authors: Aas Bjørnar , Wallace Stein W.
Published: September 2010

Logistics problems are gradually becoming more complex and a better understanding of logistics management as a subject is a key to deal with the new challenges. A core element of logistics management is logistics planning, which substitutes for low customer service levels, high waste, and the use of buffers and slacks in the execution of logistic activities. Furthermore, the availability of information and problem-solving capabilities are established as the core parts of logistics planning. Based on this, in this paper, a conceptual model for the management of logistics planning is proposed and discussed. In this regard, the model is built on ideas from microeconomics.
A Composite Method to Compare Countries to Ascertain Supply Chain Success
Authors: Gershon Mark , Rajashekharaiah Jagadeesh
Published: September 2010

Supply chains are assessed for the contribution they make in improving business processes. Assessment also looks at the return on investment and improves the overall functioning of the entire chain. However, supply chains extend beyond geographical borders and span a wide variety of activities; therefore, a systematic examination of factors required for success of supply chains is essential. This paper proposes a composite method by which supply chains could be assessed at multiple levels to enable a comprehensive comparison. The objective is to first compare at a global level and then narrow down to the firms’ level. Although over time a number of measures have been developed to evaluate supply chain performance, this paper provides a methodology involving well-known techniques to assess the supply chain success based on objective considerations. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate how global players can select the partnering countries to reap maximum benefits. Finally, a comprehensive model is provided involving three approaches that look at the issue of comparison from different perspectives and are debated with respect to India and the United States.
View and Share
Authors: Greaves Andrew , Rukzio Enrico
Published: September 2010

Co-present viewing and sharing of images on mobile devices is a popular but very cumbersome activity. Firstly, it is difficult to show a picture to a group of friends due to the small mobile phone screen and secondly it is difficult to share media between multiple friends, e.g., when considering Bluetooth usage and technical limitations, limited input and repeated user interactions. This paper introduces the View & Share system which allows mobile phone users to spontaneously form a group and engage in the viewing and sharing of images. A member of the group has a personal projector (e.g., projector phone) which is used to view pictures collaboratively. View & Share supports sharing with a single user, multiple users or all users, allows members to borrow the projected display and provides a private viewing mode between co-located users. This paper reports on the View & Share system, its implementation and an explorative user study with 12 participants showing the advantages of our system and user feedback.
A Conceptual Framework for Interoperability of Mobile User Interfaces with Ambient Computing Environments
Authors: Lorenz Andreas
Published: September 2010

The use of mobile and hand-held devices is a desirable option for implementation of user interaction with remote services from a distance, whereby the user should be able to select the input device depending on personal preferences, capabilities and availability of interaction devices. Because of the heterogeneity of available devices and interaction styles, the interoperability needs particular attention by the developer. This paper describes the design of a general solution to enable mobile devices to have control on services at remote hosts. The applied approach enhances the idea of separating the user interface from the application logic, leading to the definition of virtual or logical input devices physically separated from the controlled services.
Feature Selection for Bankruptcy Prediction
Authors: Gaspar-Cunha A. , Mendes F. , Duarte J. , Vieira A. , Ribeiro B. , Ribeiro A. , Neves J.
Published: September 2010

In this work a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) was applied for feature selection in the problem of bankruptcy prediction. This algorithm maximizes the accuracy of the classifier while keeping the number of features low. A two-objective problem, that is minimization of the number of features and accuracy maximization, was fully analyzed using the Logistic Regression (LR) and Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifiers. Simultaneously, the parameters required by both classifiers were also optimized, and the validity of the methodology proposed was tested using a database containing financial statements of 1200 medium sized private French companies. Based on extensive tests, it is shown that MOEA is an efficient feature selection approach. Best results were obtained when both the accuracy and the classifiers parameters are optimized. The proposed method can provide useful information for decision makers in characterizing the financial health of a company.
Distributed Intelligence for Constructing Economic Models
Authors: Yu Ting
Published: September 2010

This paper presents an integrated and distributed intelligent system being capable of automatically estimating and updating large-size economic models. The input-output model of economics uses a matrix representation of a nation’s (or a region’s) economy to predict the effect of changes in one industry on others and by consumers, government, and foreign suppliers on the economy (Miller & Blair, 1985). To construct the model reflecting the underlying industry structure faithfully, multiple sources of data are collected and integrated together. The system in this paper facilitates this estimation process by integrating a series of components with the purposes of data retrieval, data integration, machine learning, and quality checking. More importantly, the complexity of national economy leads to extremely large-size models to represent every detail of an economy, which requires the system to have the capacity for processing large amounts of data. This paper demonstrates that the major bottleneck is the memory allocation, and to include more memory, the machine learning component is built on a distributed platform and constructs the matrix by analyzing historical and spatial data simultaneously. This system is the first distributed matrix estimation package for such a large-size economic matrix.
Analyzing Community Deliberation and Achieving Consensual Knowledge in SAM
Authors: Maleewong Krissada , Anutariya Chutiporn , Wuwongse Vilas
Published: September 2010

This paper presents a novel approach to harnessing collective intelligence that will allow a community to create, collaborate, and share knowledge based on the Semantic Argumentation Model (SAM). It encourages multiple users to express ideas or positions on complex issues, and to submit arguments that support or oppose the ideas of the other members. In principle, ideas considered possible solutions to an issue are those that contain high content quality and achieve great community agreement. Therefore, the authors define several useful measures to analyze the deliberation for determining the content quality, community preference, and achieving quality-assured consensual knowledge. Finally, a web-based prototype system founded on the proposed approach is developed and made available for public use. A preliminary study on the system usability shows that the system is practical and can enhance the collaborative knowledge creation and sharing process.
Improvement of Restaurant Operation by Sharing Order and Customer Information
Authors: Shimmura Takeshi , Takenaka Takeshi , Akamatsu Motoyuki
Published: September 2010

In full-service restaurants, it is important to share customer information among staff members in real time in order to perform complicated operations. Conventional point of sale (POS) systems in restaurants was developed to improve the verification and transmission of order information passed from the dining hall to the kitchen. However, POS systems have remained insufficient to share customers’ order information among many staff members in different positions. This paper introduces an information sharing system for full-service restaurants using an advanced POS system with which staff members can share order information in real time. Using this system, kitchen staff members can grasp the total number of orders and the elapsed time for preparation of each order. Moreover, service staff members can grasp the status of each customer quickly. Using this system in a large-scale restaurant, preparation processes can be made more efficient and reduce customer complaints.
A New Hybrid Inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal Method for Nonlinear Complementarity Problems
Authors: Zhou Ying , Wang Lizhi
Published: September 2010

In this paper, the authors present and analyze a new hybrid inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal method for solving nonlinear complementarity problems. Each iteration of the new method consists of a prediction and a correction step. The predictor is produced using an inexact Logarithmic-Quadratic Proximal method, which is then corrected by the Proximal Point Algorithm. The new iterate is obtained by combining predictor and correction point at each iteration. In this paper, the authors prove the convergence of the new method under the mild assumptions that the function involved is continuous and monotone. Comparison to another existing method with numerical experiments on classical NCP instances demonstrates its superiority.
A Graph-Search Based Navigation Algorithm for Traversing A Potentially Hazardous Area with Disambiguation
Authors: Ye Xugang , Priebe Carey E.
Published: September 2010

The authors consider the problem of navigating an agent to safely and swiftly traverse a two dimensional terrain populated with possible hazards. Each potential hazard is marked with a probabilistic estimate of whether it is indeed true. In proximity to any of these potential hazards, the agent is able to disambiguate, at a cost, whether it is indeed true or false. The method presented in this paper is to discretize the terrain using a two dimensional grid with 8-adjacency and approximately solve the problem by dynamically searching for shortest paths using the A* algorithm in the positively weighted grid graph with changing weight function.
Toward a Theory of IOIS Variance
Authors: Reimers Kai , Johnston Robert B. , Klein Stefan
Published: September 2010

Observing that existing models of inter-organisational information systems (IOIS) have not been developed to explain IOIS variance, in this paper the authors develop three criteria a new theoretical framework should meet: 1) It should support identification of and distinction between essential properties of IOIS; 2) it should explain the resilience of IOIS, that is, why (properties of) IOIS persist in the face of environmental change; and 3) it should offer a way of describing IOIS on organisational and collective levels, that is, the level of various types of collectives of organisations, such as networks, associations or industries. This paper then assesses four theories commonly used in IOIS studies (Transaction Cost Theory, Resource Dependence Theory, Neo-Institutionalism, and Structuration Theory) in view of these three criteria. Based on this discussion, the authors develop a new framework for studying IOIS variance which views IOIS as constellations of aligned practices.
Music Retrieval and Recommendation Scheme Based on Varying Mood Sequences
Authors: Jun Sanghoon , Rho Seungmin , Hwang Eenjun
Published: September 2010

A typical music clip consists of one or more segments with different moods and such mood information could be a crucial clue for determining the similarity between music clips. One representative mood has been selected for music clip for retrieval, recommendation or classification purposes, which often gives unsatisfactory result. In this paper, the authors propose a new music retrieval and recommendation scheme based on the mood sequence of music clips. The authors first divide each music clip into segments through beat structure analysis, then, apply the k-medoids clustering algorithm for grouping all the segments into clusters with similar features. By assigning a unique mood symbol for each cluster, one can transform each music clip into a musical mood sequence. For music retrieval, the authors use the Smith-Waterman (SW) algorithm to measure the similarity between mood sequences. However, for music recommendation, user preferences are retrieved from a recent music playlist or user interaction through the interface, which generates a music recommendation list based on the mood sequence similarity. The authors demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves excellent performance in terms of retrieval accuracy and user satisfaction in music recommendation.
A Cross-Cultural Examination of Student Attitudes and Gender Differences in Facebook Profile Content
Authors: Karl Katherine , Peluchette Joy , Schlagel Christopher
Published: September 2010

This paper examines cultural and gender differences in student reports of the likelihood that they would post various types of information on their Facebook profiles and their attitudes regarding non-students accessing their profiles. Significant gender and country differences were found. In general, U.S. students were more likely than German students to report they would post extreme information. Males in both countries (U.S. and Germany) were more likely than females to self-promote and be extreme in the information they would post and less concerned if employers viewed their profiles. Both U.S. and German students reported several items they would likely post on their profiles, but did not want employers to see. Implications of these results and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Computational Trust in SocialWeb
Authors: Zolfaghar Kiyana , Aghaie Abdollah
Published: September 2010

Trust as a major part of human interactions plays an important role in addressing information overload and helping users collect reliable information in SocialWeb applications. This paper examines the current situation and future trends of computational trust for these systems. Achieving this, the authors present an overview of existing social trust mechanisms and identify their strengths and weaknesses through discussion and analysis. In this paper, the authors also provide a comprehensive framework of social trust-inducing factors that contribute to the trust formation process and discuss key research issues and challenges to find future research trends in computing trust in the SocialWeb context.
Affective Load and Engagement in Second Life
Authors: Nahl Diane
Published: September 2010

New users of virtual environments face a steep learning curve, requiring persistence and determination to overcome challenges experienced while acclimatizing to the demands of avatar-mediated behavior. Concurrent structured self-reports can be used to monitor the personal affective and cognitive struggles involved in virtual world adaptation to specific affordances while performing particular tasks and activities with avatars. Examination of user discourse in self-reports reveal that participants focus on micro-management concerns about how to proceed in an activity, replete with intense emotions and uncertainty over how to operate affordances. Concurrent structured self-reports engage users in meta-affective and meta-cognitive reflection and facilitate coping with confusion and negative emotions. As Second Life is a complex virtual world with hundreds of affordances, people experience a continuous stream of information needs. Urgent, persistent, and long-term information needs are associated with differing qualities and intensities of affective load, such as impatience, irritation, anxiety, and frustration. When a particular information need is met, affective engagement results in intensity proportional to the affective load. Constructing user discourse during virtual activities serves as a coping mechanism that facilitates adaptation by raising meta-cognitive and meta-affective awareness.
A Framework for the Assessment of Wiki-Based Collaborative Learning Activities
Authors: Meishar-Tal Hagit , Schencks Mat
Published: September 2010

This paper discusses the pedagogical and technological aspects of assessing wiki-based collaborative learning activities. The first part of the paper presents a general framework of collaborative learning assessment. The framework is based on four aspects of assessment, characterized by four questions: who, what, how and by whom. The second part of the paper concentrates on the analysis of the applicability of the assessment framework in wikis. A systematic analysis of MediaWiki’s reports is conducted in order to discuss the requisite information required for a well-balanced and effective assessment process. Finally, a few suggestions are raised for further improvements of the wiki’s reports.
Impacts of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidants on Semen Functions
Authors: Bansal Amrit Kaur , Bilaspuri G. S.
Published: September 2010

Oxidative stress (OS) has been considered a major contributory factor to the infertility. Oxidative stress is the result of imbalance between the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants in the body which can lead to sperm damage, deformity, and eventually male infertility. Although high concentrations of the ROS cause sperm pathology (ATP depletion) leading to insufficient axonemal phosphorylation, lipid peroxidation, and loss of motility and viability but, many evidences demonstrate that low and controlled concentrations of these ROS play an important role in sperm physiological processes such as capacitation, acrosome reaction, and signaling processes to ensure fertilization. The supplementation of a cryopreservation extender with antioxidant has been shown to provide a cryoprotective effect on mammalian sperm quality. This paper reviews the impacts of oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species on spermatozoa functions, causes of ROS generation, and antioxidative strategies to reduce OS. In addition, we also highlight the emerging concept of utilizing OS as a tool of contraception.
Meaning and Structure in the Work and Family Interface
Authors: Ba Stefano
Published: September 2010

This article explores the work and family life of dual-earner parents, how they manage these commitments and how they respond to competing demands on their daily life. The analysis of qualitative data suggests that parents manage the work-family boundaries according to the specific meaning that they attach to these spheres of daily life, but it also points to employment structures informing parents’ ‘focus’ on work and family and equally shaping these boundaries. Hence, this article assesses the relevance of these boundaries and how families mediate work and home. This mediating position is analysed through an approach whereby social and economic constraints become parameters informing parents’ sense of self and the meanings used in the work and home articulation. Then, the symbolic side of the work-family interface becomes crucial to understand issues concerning the meaningful order of daily life and the emotional attachments of families to these domains. On this point, I argue that mechanistic approaches to the work-family articulation that take in consideration solely chronometric parameters cannot explore these issues as deeply. This article then advocates a qualitative approach to the work-family interface in order to understand better its cultural co-ordinates and contexts.
Choosing National Identity
Authors: Bechhofer Frank , McCrone David
Published: September 2010

This paper examines national identity in England and Scotland, arguing that it is necessary to understand how people construe it instead of simply assuming that it is constructed from above by the state. It adds to qualitative data on this issue by discussing recent survey data, from the British and Scottish Social Attitudes surveys 2006, in which for the first time people are asked about their reasons for making a specific choice of national identity. In so doing it fleshes out the responses given to a well known survey question (the so-called ‘Moreno’ question) providing a greater understanding of what a large sample of people are saying when they make these territorial identity choices.

The English and the Scots handle ‘national’ and ‘state’ identities differently, but the paper shows there is considerable similarity as regards reasons for choosing national identity. Both English and Scottish ‘nationals’, those placing greater weight on their ‘national’ as opposed to their ‘state’ identities, choose to do so mainly for cultural and institutional reasons. They are not making a ‘political’ statement about the break-up of Britain. At the British end of the scale, there are patterns in the English data which throw into doubt easy assertions about ‘being British’. Simply assuming, as some politicians and commentators do, that ‘British’ has singular meanings is unfounded.

The future of the United Kingdom as presently constituted may lie in the hands of those who describe themselves as equally national (English or Scottish) and British. Devolution influences which national identity people choose in all three sets of national identity categories but these effects are sociologically most interesting in this group. Devolution seems to have encouraged them to stress the equality of the two nations in the British state, recognising that they are equal partners, that one can be equally proud of a national and a British identity, and that it is not necessary to choose one over the other.
Institutional Racism in Mental Health Services: The consequences of compromised conceptualisation
Authors: Bradby Hannah
Published: September 2010

Inequalities in mental health service use and outcome in the British NHS have been attributed to institutional racism. Institutional racism is widely understood in terms of the definition published in the Macpherson report, despite critique of its inability to differentiate the role of individual and institution in discrimination, and weakness in distinguishing racism from other forms of discrimination. The inquiry into David Bennett's death declared the NHS to be institutionally racist, and, although still contested, this has been widely accepted. Poor conceptualisation and the endemic failure to demonstrate how institutional racism leads to iniquitous outcomes can be seen in recommendations to tackle it through individual education. Policy based on a compromised conceptualisation of institutional racism is unlikely to reduce racialised inequalities and, in the face of progress for ethnic minorities else-where, may lead to the conclusion that discrimination is no longer a problem. In the light of recent shifts in what is implied by institutional racism, suggestions for research towards a re-conceptualisation are made.
Racial Hatred and Unmourned Loss
Authors: Gadd David
Published: September 2010

This paper explores the way in which Freud's theory of melancholia is being used within sociological theory to explain racial hatred in Britain. The paper critically interrogates the work of Paul Gilroy before engaging with the works of Eric Fromm, Richard Sennett, as well as Freud and Klein's classic psychoanalytic formulations. Using two biographical case studies drawn from original empirical research on racial harassment perpetrators the paper argues that while racial hatred is often melancholic in nature, the losses at the heart of the racist's malaise tend to be only tangentially connected to empire and its crimes. More commonly, the losses that underpin hatred are irreducibly personal and class based, and hence multilayered, losses of love and security, for example, aggravating the pain of losses of respect and community, and vice versa. The paper concludes by drawing attention to the dangerously racialized kinds of imagined community losses of this kind tend to furnish, and the difficulties of providing recognition to those most afflicted by them.
Trans-Pacific transport of reactive nitrogen and ozone to Canada during spring
Authors: Walker T. W. , Martin R. V. , van Donkelaar A. , Leaitch W. R. , MacDonald A. M. , Anlauf K. G. , Cohen R. C. , Bertram T. H. , Huey L. G. , Avery M. A. , Weinheimer A. J. , Flocke F. M. , Tarasick D. W. , Thompson A. M. , Streets D. G. , Liu X.
Published: September 2010

Abstract. We interpret observations from the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment, Phase B (INTEX-B) in spring 2006 using a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to evaluate sensitivities of the free troposphere above the North Pacific Ocean and North America to Asian anthropogenic emissions. We develop a method to use satellite observations of tropospheric NO2 columns to provide timely estimates of trends in NOx emissions. NOx emissions increased by 33% for China and 29% for East Asia from 2003 to 2006. We examine measurements from three aircraft platforms from the INTEX-B campaign, including a Canadian Cessna taking vertical profiles of ozone near Whistler Peak. The contribution to the mean simulated ozone profiles over Whistler below 5.5 km is at least 7.2 ppbv for Asian anthropogenic emissions and at least 3.5 ppbv for global lightning NOx emissions. Tropospheric ozone columns from OMI exhibit a broad Asian outflow plume across the Pacific, which is reproduced by simulation. Mean modelled sensitivities of Pacific (30° N–60° N) tropospheric ozone columns are at least 4.6 DU for Asian anthropogenic emissions and at least 3.3 DU for lightning, as determined by simulations excluding either source. Enhancements of ozone over Canada from Asian anthropogenic emissions reflect a combination of trans-Pacific transport of ozone produced over Asia, and ozone produced in the eastern Pacific through decomposition of peroxyacetyl nitrates (PANs). A sensitivity study decoupling PANs globally from the model's chemical mechanism establishes that PANs increase ozone production by removing NOx from regions of low ozone production efficiency (OPE) and injecting it into regions with higher OPE, resulting in a global increase in ozone production by 2% in spring 2006. PANs contribute up to 4 ppbv to surface springtime ozone concentrations in western Canada. Ozone production due to PAN transport is greatest in the eastern Pacific; commonly occurring transport patterns advect this ozone northeastward into Canada. Transport events observed by the aircraft confirm that polluted airmasses were advected in this way.