bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subcellular Trafficking and Functional Relationship of the HSV-1 Glycoproteins N and M
Authors: Striebinger Hannah , Funk Christina , Raschbichler Verena , Bailer Susanne
Published: March 2016

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein N (gN/UL49.5) is a type I transmembrane protein conserved throughout the herpesvirus family. gN is a resident of the endoplasmic reticulum that in the presence of gM is translocated to the trans Golgi network. gM and gN are covalently linked by a single disulphide bond formed between cysteine 46 of gN and cysteine 59 of gM. Exit of gN from the endoplasmic reticulum requires the N-terminal core of gM composed of eight transmembrane domains but is independent of the C-terminal extension of gM. Co-transport of gN and gM to the trans Golgi network also occurs upon replacement of conserved cysteines in gM and gN, suggesting that their physical interaction is mediated by covalent and non-covalent forces. Deletion of gN/UL49.5 using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mutagenesis generated mutant viruses with wild-type growth behaviour, while full deletion of gM/UL10 resulted in an attenuated phenotype. Deletion of gN/UL49.5 in conjunction with various gM/UL10 mutants reduced average plaque sizes to the same extent as either single gM/UL10 mutant, indicating that gN is nonessential for the function performed by gM. We propose that gN functions in gM-dependent as well as gM-independent processes during which it is complemented by other viral factors.
Intranasal Vaccination Affords Localization and Persistence of Antigen-Specific CD8+ T Lymphocytes in the Female Reproductive Tract
Authors: Singh Shailbala , Schluns Kimberly , Yang Guojun , Anthony Scott , Barry Michael , Sastry K.
Published: March 2016

Immunization strategies generating large numbers of antigen-specific T cells in the female reproductive tract (FRT) can provide barrier protection against sexually-transmitted pathogens, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomaviruses (HPV). The kinetics and mechanisms of regulation of vaccine-induced adaptive T cell-mediated immune responses in FRT are less well defined. We present here evidence for intranasal delivery of the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) along with alpha-galactosylceramide adjuvant as a protein vaccine to induce significantly higher levels of antigen-specific effector and memory CD8+ T cells in the FRT, relative to other systemic and mucosal tissues. Antibody blocking of the CXCR3 receptor significantly reduced antigen-specific CD8+ T cells subsequent to intranasal delivery of the protein vaccine suggesting an important role for the CXCR3 chemokine-receptor signaling for T cell trafficking. Further, intranasal vaccination with an adenoviral vector expressing OVA or HIV-1 envelope was as effective as intramuscular vaccination for generating OVA- or ENV-specific immunity in the FRT. These results support the application of the needle-free intranasal route as a practical approach to delivering protein as well as DNA/virus vector-based vaccines for efficient induction of effector and memory T cell immunity in the FRT.
THE FORNAX DEEP SURVEY WITH VST. I. THE EXTENDED AND DIFFUSE STELLAR HALO OF NGC 1399 OUT TO 192 kpc
Authors: Iodice E. , Capaccioli M. , Grado A. , Limatola L. , Spavone M. , Napolitano N. R. , Paolillo M. , Peletier R. F. , Cantiello M. , Lisker T. , Wittmann C. , Venhola A. , Hilker M. , D’Abrusco R. , Pota V. , Schipani P.
Published: March 2016

We have started a new, deep multi-imaging survey of the Fornax cluster, dubbed the Fornax Deep Survey (FDS), at the VLT Survey Telescope (VST). In this paper we present the deep photometry inside two square degrees around the bright galaxy NGC 1399 in the core of the cluster. We found that the core of the Fornax cluster is characterized by a very extended and diffuse envelope surrounding the luminous galaxy NGC 1399: we map the surface brightness out to 33 arcmin (∼192 kpc) from the galaxy center and down to μ

g
 ∼ 31 mag arcsec−2 in the g band. The deep photometry allows us to detect a faint stellar bridge in the intracluster region on the west side of NGC 1399 and toward NGC 1387. By analyzing the integrated colors of this feature, we argue that it could be due to the ongoing interaction between the two galaxies, where the outer envelope of NGC 1387 on its east side is stripped away. By fitting the light profile, we found that there exists a physical break radius in the total light distribution at R = 10 arcmin (∼58 kpc) that sets the transition region between the bright central galaxy and the outer exponential halo, and that the stellar halo contributes 60% of the total light of the galaxy (Section 3.5). We discuss the main implications of this work on the build-up of the stellar halo at the center of the Fornax cluster. By comparing with the numerical simulations of the stellar halo formation for the most massive bright cluster galaxies (i.e.,

), we find that the observed stellar halo mass fraction is consistent with a halo formed through the multiple accretion of progenitors with stellar mass in the range 108–1011
M
⊙. This might suggest that the halo of NGC 1399 has also gone through a major merging event. The absence of a significant number of luminous stellar streams and tidal tails out to 192 kpc suggests that the epoch of this strong interaction goes back to an early formation epoch. Therefore, different from the Virgo cluster, the extended stellar halo around NGC 1399 is characterized by a more diffuse and well-mixed component, including the intracluster light.
OPTIMIZED BEAM SCULPTING WITH GENERALIZED FRINGE-RATE FILTERS
Authors: Parsons Aaron R. , Liu Adrian , Ali Zaki S. , Cheng Carina
Published: March 2016

We generalize the technique of fringe-rate filtering, whereby visibilities measured by a radio interferometer are re-weighted according to their temporal variation. As the Earth rotates, radio sources traverse through an interferometer’s fringe pattern at rates that depend on their position on the sky. Capitalizing on this geometric interpretation of fringe rates, we employ time-domain convolution kernels to enact fringe-rate filters that sculpt the effective primary beam of antennas in an interferometer. As we show, beam sculpting through fringe-rate filtering can be used to optimize measurements for a variety of applications, including mapmaking, minimizing polarization leakage, suppressing instrumental systematics, and enhancing the sensitivity of power-spectrum measurements. We show that fringe-rate filtering arises naturally in minimum variance treatments of many of these problems, enabling optimal visibility-based approaches to analyses of interferometric data that avoid systematics potentially introduced by traditional approaches such as imaging. Our techniques have recently been demonstrated in Ali et al., where new upper limits were placed on the

power spectrum from reionization, showcasing the ability of fringe-rate filtering to successfully boost sensitivity and reduce the impact of systematics in deep observations.
THE PHOENIX STREAM: A COLD STREAM IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
Authors: Balbinot E. , Yanny B. , Li T. S. , Santiago B. , Marshall J. L. , Finley D. A. , Pieres A. , Abbott T. M. C. , Abdalla F. B. , Allam S. , Benoit-Lévy A. , Bernstein G. M. , Bertin E. , Brooks D. , Burke D. L. , Rosell A. Carnero , Kind M. Carrasco , Carretero J. , Cunha C. E. , Costa L. N. da , DePoy D. L. , Desai S. , Diehl H. T. , Doel P. , Estrada J. , Flaugher B. , Frieman J. , Gerdes D. W. , Gruen D. , Gruendl R. A. , Honscheid K. , James D. J. , Kuehn K. , Kuropatkin N. , Lahav O. , March M. , Martini P. , Miquel R. , Nichol R. C. , Ogando R. , Romer A. K. , Sanchez E. , Schubnell M. , Sevilla-Noarbe I. , Smith R. C. , Soares-Santos M. , Sobreira F. , Suchyta E. , Tarle G. , Thomas D. , Tucker D. , Walker A. R. ,   (The DES Collaboration)
Published: March 2016

We report the discovery of a stellar stream in the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 (Y1A1) data. The discovery was made through simple color–magnitude filters and visual inspection of the Y1A1 data. We refer to this new object as the Phoenix stream, after its resident constellation. After subtraction of the background stellar population we detect a clear signal of a simple stellar population. By fitting the ridge line of the stream in color–magnitude space, we find that a stellar population with age τ = 11.5 ± 0.5 Gyr and [Fe/H] < −1.6, located 17.5 ± 0.9 kpc from the Sun, gives an adequate description of the stream stellar population. The stream is detected over an extension of 8.°1 (2.5 kpc) and has a width of ∼54 pc assuming a Gaussian profile, indicating that a globular cluster (GC) is a probable progenitor. There is no known GC within 5 kpc that is compatible with being the progenitor of the stream, assuming that the stream traces its orbit. We examined overdensities (ODs) along the stream, however, no obvious counterpart-bound stellar system is visible in the coadded images. We also find ODs along the stream that appear to be symmetrically distributed—consistent with the epicyclic OD scenario for the formation of cold streams—as well as a misalignment between the northern and southern part of stream. Despite the close proximity we find no evidence that this stream and the halo cluster NGC 1261 have a common accretion origin linked to the recently found EriPhe OD.
POPULATION III STARS AROUND THE MILKY WAY
Authors: Komiya Yutaka , Suda Takuma , Fujimoto Masayuki Y.
Published: March 2016

We explore the possibility of observing Population III (Pop III) stars, born of primordial gas. Pop III stars with masses below 0.8 M
⊙ should survive to date though are not yet observed, but the existence of stars with low metallicity as

in the Milky Way halo suggests the surface pollution of Pop III stars with accreted metals from the interstellar gas after birth. In this paper, we investigate the runaway of Pop III stars from their host mini-halos, considering the ejection of secondary members from binary systems when their massive primaries explode as supernovae. These stars save them from surface pollution. By computing the star formation and chemical evolution along with the hierarchical structure formation based on the extended Press–Schechter merger trees, we demonstrate that several hundreds to tens of thousands of low-mass Pop III stars escape from the building blocks of the Milky Way. The second and later generations of extremely metal-poor stars also escaped from the mini-halos. We discuss the spatial distributions of these escaped stars by evaluating the distances between the mini-halos in the branches of merger trees under the spherical collapse model of dark matter halos. It is demonstrated that the escaped stars distribute beyond the stellar halo with a density profile close to the dark matter halo, while Pop III stars are slightly more centrally concentrated. 6%–30% of the escaped stars leave the Milky Way and go out into the intergalactic space. Based on the results, we discuss the feasibility of observing the Pop III stars with the pristine surface abundance.
MAGNETIC-ISLAND CONTRACTION AND PARTICLE ACCELERATION IN SIMULATED ERUPTIVE SOLAR FLARES
Authors: Guidoni S. E. , DeVore C. R. , Karpen J. T. , Lynch B. J.
Published: March 2016

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed high-energy impulsive emission in solar flares is not well understood. Drake et al. proposed a mechanism for accelerating electrons in contracting magnetic islands formed by kinetic reconnection in multi-layered current sheets (CSs). We apply these ideas to sunward-moving flux ropes (2.5D magnetic islands) formed during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. A simple analytic model is used to calculate the energy gain of particles orbiting the field lines of the contracting magnetic islands in our ultrahigh-resolution 2.5D numerical simulation. We find that the estimated energy gains in a single island range up to a factor of five. This is higher than that found by Drake et al. for islands in the terrestrial magnetosphere and at the heliopause, due to strong plasma compression that occurs at the flare CS. In order to increase their energy by two orders of magnitude and plausibly account for the observed high-energy flare emission, the electrons must visit multiple contracting islands. This mechanism should produce sporadic emission because island formation is intermittent. Moreover, a large number of particles could be accelerated in each magnetohydrodynamic-scale island, which may explain the inferred rates of energetic-electron production in flares. We conclude that island contraction in the flare CS is a promising candidate for electron acceleration in solar eruptions.
NONRELATIVISTIC PERPENDICULAR SHOCKS MODELING YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANTS: NONSTATIONARY DYNAMICS AND PARTICLE ACCELERATION AT FORWARD AND REVERSE SHOCKS
Authors: Wieland Volkmar , Pohl Martin , Niemiec Jacek , Rafighi Iman , Nishikawa Ken-Ichi
Published: March 2016

For parameters that are applicable to the conditions at young supernova remnants, we present results of two-dimensional, three-vector (2D3V) particle-in-cell simulations of a non-relativistic plasma shock with a large-scale perpendicular magnetic field inclined at a

angle to the simulation plane to approximate three-dimensional (3D) physics. We developed an improved clean setup that uses the collision of two plasma slabs with different densities and velocities, leading to the development of two distinctive shocks and a contact discontinuity. The shock formation is mediated by Weibel-type filamentation instabilities that generate magnetic turbulence. Cyclic reformation is observed in both shocks with similar period, for which we note global variations due to shock rippling and local variations arising from turbulent current filaments. The shock rippling occurs on spatial and temporal scales produced by the gyro-motions of shock-reflected ions. The drift motion of electrons and ions is not a gradient drift, but is commensurate with

drift. We observe a stable supra-thermal tail in the ion spectra, but no electron acceleration because the amplitude of the Buneman modes in the shock foot is insufficient for trapping relativistic electrons. We see no evidence of turbulent reconnection. A comparison with other two-dimensional (2D) simulation results suggests that the plasma beta and the ion-to-electron mass ratio are not decisive for efficient electron acceleration, but the pre-acceleration efficacy might be reduced with respect to the 2D results once 3D effects are fully accounted for. Other microphysical factors may also play a part in limiting the amplitude of the Buneman waves or preventing the return of electrons to the foot region.
MEASUREMENTS OF NON-THERMAL LINE WIDTHS IN SOLAR ACTIVE REGIONS
Authors: Brooks David H. , Warren Harry P.
Published: March 2016

Spectral line widths are often observed to be larger than can be accounted for by thermal and instrumental broadening alone. This excess broadening is a key observational constraint for both nanoflare and wave dissipation models of coronal heating. Here we present a survey of non-thermal velocities measured in the high temperature loops (1–4 MK) often found in the cores of solar active regions. This survey of Hinode Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) observations covers 15 non-flaring active regions that span a wide range of solar conditions. We find relatively small non-thermal velocities, with a mean value of 17.6 ± 5.3 km s−1, and no significant trend with temperature or active region magnetic flux. These measurements appear to be inconsistent with those expected from reconnection jets in the corona, chromospheric evaporation induced by coronal nanoflares, and Alfvén wave turbulence models. Furthermore, because the observed non-thermal widths are generally small, such measurements are difficult and susceptible to systematic effects.
FK COMAE BERENICES, KING OF SPIN: THE COCOA-PUFS PROJECT*

†
Authors: Ayres Thomas R. , Kashyap V. , Saar S. , Huenemoerder D. , Korhonen H. , Drake J. J. , Testa P. , Cohen O. , Garraffo C. , Granzer T. , Strassmeier K.
Published: March 2016

COCOA-PUFS is an energy-diverse, time-domain study of the ultra-fast spinning, heavily spotted, yellow giant FK Comae Berenices (FK Com: HD117555; G4 III). This single star is thought to be a recent binary merger, and is exceptionally active by measure of its intense ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray emissions, and proclivity to flare. COCOA-PUFS was carried out with the Hubble Space Telescope in the UV (1200–3000 Å), using mainly its high-performance Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, but also high precision Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph; Chandra X-ray Observatory in the soft X-rays (0.5–10 keV), utilizing its High-Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer; together with supporting photometry and spectropolarimetry in the visible from the ground. This is an introductory report on the project. FK Com displayed variability on a wide range of timescales over all wavelengths during the week-long main campaign, including a large X-ray flare; “super-rotational broadening” of the far-ultraviolet “hot lines” (e.g., Si iv 1393 Å; 8 × 104 K) together with chromospheric Mg ii 2800 Å and C ii 1335 Å (1–3 × 104 K); large Doppler swings suggestive of bright regions alternately on advancing and retreating limbs of the star; and substantial redshifts of the epoch-average emission profiles. These behaviors paint a picture of a highly extended, dynamic, hot (∼10 MK) coronal magnetosphere around the star, threaded by cooler structures perhaps analogous to solar prominences and replenished continually by surface activity and flares. Suppression of angular momentum loss by the confining magnetosphere could temporarily postpone the inevitable stellar spindown, thereby lengthening this highly volatile stage of coronal evolution.
FROM THE LIR–T RELATION TO THE LIMITED SIZES OF DUSTY STARBURSTING REGIONS AT HIGH REDSHIFTS
Authors: Yan Haojing , Ma Zhiyuan
Published: March 2016

Using the far-infrared (IR) data obtained by the Herschel Space Observatory, we study the relation between the IR luminosity (L
IR) and the dust temperature (T) of dusty starbursting galaxies at high redshifts (high-z). We focus on the total IR luminosity from the cold-dust component (

), whose emission can be described by a modified blackbody (MBB) of a single temperature (T
mbb). An object on the (

, T
mbb) plane can be explained by the equivalent of the Stefan–Boltzmann law for an MBB with an effective radius of R
eff. We show that R
eff is a good measure of the combined size of the dusty starbursting regions (DSBRs) of the host galaxy. In at least one case where the individual DSBRs are well resolved through strong gravitational lensing, R
eff is consistent with the direct size measurement. We show that the observed L
IR–T relation is simply due to the limited R
eff (≲2 kpc). The small R
eff values also agree with the compact sizes of the DSBRs seen in the local universe. However, previous interferometric observations to resolve high-z dusty starbursting galaxies often quote much larger sizes. This inconsistency can be reconciled by the blending effect when considering that the current interferometry might still not be of sufficient resolution. From R
eff we infer the lower limits to the volume densities of the star formation rate (minSFR3D) in the DSBRs, and find that the L
IR–T relation outlines a boundary on the (

, T
mbb) plane, below which is the “zone of avoidance” in terms of minSFR3D.
BIDIRECTIONAL OUTFLOWS AS EVIDENCE OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION LEADING TO A SOLAR MICROFLARE
Authors: Hong Jie , Ding M. D. , Li Ying , Yang Kai , Cheng Xin , Chen Feng , Fang Cheng , Cao Wenda
Published: March 2016

Magnetic reconnection is a rapid energy release process that is believed to be responsible for flares on the Sun and stars. Nevertheless, such flare-related reconnection is mostly detected to occur in the corona, while there have been few studies concerning the reconnection in the chromosphere or photosphere. Here, we present both spectroscopic and imaging observations of magnetic reconnection in the chromosphere leading to a microflare. During the flare peak time, chromospheric line profiles show significant blueshifted/redshifted components on the two sides of the flaring site, corresponding to upflows and downflows with velocities of ±(70–80) km s−1, comparable with the local Alfvén speed as expected by the reconnection in the chromosphere. The three-dimensional nonlinear force-free field configuration further discloses twisted field lines (a flux rope) at a low altitude, cospatial with the dark threads in He i 10830 Å images. The instability of the flux rope may initiate the flare-related reconnection. These observations provide clear evidence of magnetic reconnection in the chromosphere and show the similar mechanisms of a microflare to those of major flares.
Criterios de diseño y análisis estructural del Centro de Atención y Gestión de Llamadas de Urgencia 112 Catalunya en Reus
Authors: Señís R.
Published: March 2016

El diseño y análisis estructural del Centro de Llamadas de Urgencia 112 Catalunya constituyó un reto técnico y tecnológico, dadas las características y dimensiones de la estructura resistente, con un claro objetivo: obtener una buena resolución del proyecto sobre la base de que la concepción espacial de un edifico depende también de su concepción resistente. Las necesidades funcionales del edificio dieron paso a una tipología edificatoria singular e innovadora sin pilares en la caja operativa del edificio multifuncional. Para ello, se proyectó una estructura metálica (vigas de celosía) de grandes dimensiones colgadas únicamente de cuatro núcleos de hormigón. El objetivo del presente artículo es exponer los criterios utilizados en el diseño y análisis estructural del proyecto, para atender satisfactoriamente las cuestiones formales y necesidades arquitectónicas, así como funcionales, resistentes y constructivas. El edificio, desarrollado con herramientas BIM, actualmente es un referente en los ámbitos de la Arquitectura e Ingeniería estructural.
De la jurisprudence à la réforme réglementaire : le visa d’exploitation cinématographique à l’épreuve d’un effet ciseau
Authors: Medard Inghilterra Robin
Published: March 2016

Certes habitué aux lumières des projecteurs, le monde du cinéma a bénéficié lors des six derniers mois d’un éclairage particulier qui lui est moins familier : celui du contentieux administratif. Love, La vie d’Adèle, Antichrist, Salafistes, Bang Gang, Les huit salopards et même Cinquante nuances de Grey ont tour à tour été crédités des considérations du juge administratif afin de déterminer la légalité du visa d’exploitation qui leur avait été attribué. Alors que les visas des trois derniers longs métrages ont été épargnés en première instance, les quatre premiers ont quant à eux été évincés, en faveur d’un assouplissement pour Salafistes et au prix d’un rehaussement de l’interdiction de représentation pour Love, La vie d’Adèle et Antichrist. Une lecture croisée de ces quatre cas d’espèce n’est pas dénuée d’intérêt et permet au contraire de saisir avec davantage de poids l’opportunité de la refonte du système de classification annoncée le 29 février 2016 par la ministre de la Culture et de la Communication.
The Mismatch between Undergraduate Marketing Education and Employers' Requirements in Portugal
Authors: Estima Ana , Duarte Paulo
Published: March 2016

The debate on what should be offered by universities concerning their marketing education curricula in order to serve the market needs, specifically the employers' has been widely present in the literature. Its relevance derives from the fact that employers are one of the most important stakeholders of higher education institutions, given their responsibility in the career of graduate students. In this chapter we intend to contribute to the understanding of the state of undergraduate marketing education offered by Portuguese universities and assess whether there is a mismatch between marketing education and market needs. A better understanding of the mismatch and its implications can lead to better marketing education programs, increasing not only the acceptance and employability of students but also the transfer of innovative marketing knowledge to companies. The findings show that there is indeed a gap between what is being offered by the academia and what is requested by the job market, in terms of marketing, that could be higher than 50% of the requirements expected by employers.
Uncertainty Analysis Using Fuzzy Random Set Theory
Authors: Datta Debabrata
Published: March 2016

Uncertainty analysis of any physical model is always an essential task from the point of decision making analysis. Two kinds of uncertainties exist: (1) aleatory uncertainty which is due to randomness of the parameters of models of interest and (2) the epistemic uncertainty which is due to fuzziness of the parameters of the same models. So far both these uncertainties are addressed independently; however since in any practical problem both the types of uncertain variables present, it is required to address them jointly. In order to solve practical problems on uncertainty modeling, it is required to replace the abstract definition of hybrid set by fuzzy random set. Since uncertainty modeling using fuzzy random set has not been carried out so far, the present chapter will address the utility of fuzzy random set for uncertainty modeling on geotechnical and hydrological applications. This chapter will present the fundamentals of fuzzy random set and their application in uncertainty analysis.
Application of Artificial Intelligence to Gearbox Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Parey Anand , Ahuja Amandeep Singh
Published: March 2016

Gearboxes are employed in a wide variety of applications, ranging from small domestic appliances to the rather gigantic power plants and marine propulsion systems. Gearbox failure may not only result in significant financial losses resulting from downtime of machinery but may also place human life at risk. Gearbox failure in transmission systems of warships and single engine aircraft, beside other military applications, is unacceptable. The criticality of the gearbox in rotary machines has resulted in enormous effort on the part of researchers to develop new and efficient methods of diagnosing faults in gearboxes so that timely rectification can be undertaken before catastrophic failure occurs. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a significant milestone in automated gearbox fault diagnosis (GFD). This chapter reviews over a decade of research efforts on fault diagnosis of gearboxes with AI techniques. Some of areas of AI in GFD which still merit attention have been identified and discussed at the end of the chapter.
Ambient Learning Conceptual Framework for Bridging Digital Divide in Higher Education
Authors: Mwendia Simon Nyaga , Wagacha Peter Waiganjo , Oboko Robert
Published: March 2016

According to ITU (2012), digital divide is the difference between countries in terms of levels of ICT development. This difference remains significant. In 2011, the ICT Development Index (IDI) value of developed countries (6.52) was twice as high as that of developing countries (3.24). The need to link the digital divide for universal broadband Internet access is within the key international development goals, which include World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) goals and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ambient learning is the next generation of M-learning (Bick, Kummer, Pawlowski, & Veith, 2007), which allows flexible content access by considering learner's current situation and learning context (Kofod-Petersen, et al., 2008). However, ambient learning has not yet attained a state of common understanding (Winker, Scharf, Hahn, & Herczeg, 2011) and is not widely used or adopted (Bick, et al., 2007). This chapter presents a theoretical conceptual framework to foster creativity for innovative ambient learning applications, which can be used to bridge the digital gap between universities in developed and developing countries.
Internationalization Process of Innovative SMEs in Lebanon
Authors: Ramadan Maarouf
Published: March 2016

This chapter aims to highlight the relationship between innovation and internationalization in the context of international development of Lebanese innovative SMEs. The problems of the commitment of these SMEs in a process of internationalization is relevant in the Mediterranean countries in general and Lebanon in particular, but few empirical studies have been done so far to understand their international development (Ramadan, 2008; Ramadan and Levratto, 2011). The role of key factors such as size, age, international cooperation and strategic planning in the international development of Lebanese SMEs has rarely been comprehensively studied. Motivated by the literature that establishes a positive relationship between innovation and internationalization, this study presents a research proposal on these SMEs to bring out certain variables that characterize them. Moreover, the aim of the study is to verify the effect of the above factors and integrates into schools of thought that attempt to demonstrate that the international development of SMEs is influenced by a context that must be identified in the case of Lebanon.
Using Information Technology to Spread Awareness about Communicable Diseases
Authors: Vachhrajani Twiesha , Rao Lavanya , Rao H. R.
Published: March 2016

Over time, changes in lifestyles, surroundings, and presence of parasites in the developed and developing world has resulted in new strains of various communicable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc. Even though the global average of diseases may be quite low, the concentration in certain countries is much higher. In developed countries, information technology has proved to be an indispensable tool to spread awareness regarding these communicable diseases; however, most developing countries lack the infrastructure needed to use these same resources to educate people about the prevention, symptoms, and treatment available. This chapter makes the following contributions: first, it outlines some of the critical challenges regarding the spread of communicable diseases. It then identifies and summarizes the various information systems strategies used in developed and developing countries. The conclusion ties these together and offers suggestions to further curb the spread of communicable diseases in developing countries.
Strategic Advantage in Web Tourism Promotion
Authors: Sambhanthan Arunasalam , Good Alice
Published: March 2016

This research informs the means to develop an e-commerce strategy for web based tourism promotion of hotels located in developing countries. The study explored the aspects related to the use of information systems in web based tourism promotion, along with a focus on the organizational factors affecting the use of e-commerce strategy. Interviews were conducted with the managers of selected five sample hotels located in Sri Lanka. A structured web content analysis was undertaken for all five sample hotels to trace process level data on the e-commerce web content. Specific aspects of web content analysis include interactivity, trust, information and value adding features. Instrument for web content analysis was developed by the researcher. The outcome of research produces an outline for developing an e-commerce strategy for hotels located in developing countries to achieve strategic advantages in web based tourism promotion.
Adoption of E-Government in Africa
Authors: Jain Priti , Akakandelwa Akakandelwa
Published: March 2016

Increasingly, the importance of e-government is growing owing to higher quality delivery of government services, improved citizen empowerment through access to e-information, and better interactions between governments and their stakeholders. Despite all this recognition and appreciation of e-government, there is slow uptake and high failure of e-government in developing countries. A huge imbalance still remains between developed and developing countries, specifically in Africa because of numerous impediments. Africa lags far behind all other regions in the world. Some African countries have initiated e-government, such as Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, yet others have not taken any initiative or are very slow in realizing its full take off, for instance, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia. In light of the above background, the main purpose of this chapter is to determine the challenges and based on the findings make recommendations for adoption of E-Government in Arica. The chapter reviews the theoretical underpinning of E-Government as a tool for modernizing public administration; examines the present state of e-government in Africa; highlights the challenges and barriers African countries encounter in their quest to develop E-Government; reviews the role of public libraries in E-Government, and finally, makes recommendations for E-Government adoption in Africa and other developing countries.
Wired for Change?
Authors: Virkar Shefali
Published: March 2016

The recent global diffusion of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) has raised expectations for technological change to support socio-economic progress and political reform in the developing as well as the developed world. Much as been written about e-government within a growing stream of literature on ICT for development, generating countervailing perspectives where optimistic, technocratic approaches are countered by far more sceptical standpoints on technological innovation. In seeking to bridge existing gaps in the literature, this article critically examines the role of Information and Communication Technologies in governmental reform processes for development through the presentation of a case study based in the Indian State of Karnataka. The study focuses on a collaboration between the state government of Karnataka and the eGovernments Foundation (a non-profit private sector organisation) between 2002 and 2011, designed to reform existing methods of property tax collection through the establishment of a networked online tax collection system across the municipalities of 56 towns and cities within the state. Through a combination of both qualitative and quantitative data, this paper analyses the interactions between new technologies and changing information flows within the complexities of public administration reform of the given context and, in doing so, examines the interplay of local and external factors and relationships and their role in shaping the implementation of the project at hand.
Enabling Instruments for Digital Access and e-Government in Zimbabwe
Authors: Hikwa Lawton , Maisiri Esabel
Published: March 2016

The concept of e-Government sub-assumes that of digital access to activities of public and private sector organisations. Explicitly, digital access includes improving government processes, connecting citizens, and building external interactions. Following the formation of the inclusive government as determined by the Global Political Agreement (GPA), Zimbabwe established the Ministry of Information Communication Technology whose mission is to promote the deployment and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to intensify national competitiveness and growth. Driving the digital access and e-Government agenda in Zimbabwe is a Modernisation Unit within the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Ministry of Information Communication Technology guided by “Zimconnect,” the e-Government framework, and other enabling instruments. Particular attention is paid to instruments that enable digital access and e-Government in Zimbabwe. The chapter attempts to contextualise digital access and e-Government, outlines e-Government policy objectives and constraints, explains the e-Government framework, including “Zimconnect” and others, and concludes with a section on strategies for enabling digital access and e-Government with a special focus on the possible role of library and information services.
Impact of International Students on Interactive Skills and College Outcomes of Domestic Students in U.S. Colleges
Authors: Luo Jiali
Published: March 2016

This chapter reviews literature on the impact of international interaction on interactive skills and college outcomes of domestic students in U.S. colleges and presents key results from a comprehensive alumni survey of three graduating cohorts on the career achievements among undergraduate students who engaged in substantial interaction with international students during college. The findings indicate that collegiate international interaction was significantly correlated with U.S. students' postbaccalaureate international interaction, civic engagement, and artistic activities. The findings provide empirical evidence for claims of potential outcomes from collegiate international interaction and have implications for faculty, senior administrators, student affairs professionals, and policy makers as well as students seeking strategies for promoting beneficial international interaction, maximizing the gains in international diversity that institutions have achieved in recent years, and preparing students to function effectively in an increasingly globalized world.
The Influence of National Culture and Organizational Culture on the Success of an Expatriate Overseas Assignment
Authors: Causin Gina Fe G. , Ngwenya Charito G.
Published: March 2016

Numerous studies have attempted to determine what makes hospitality expatriate executives successful and a large variety of managerial skills have been generated. The rapidly increasing trend toward internationalization of business has fostered an interest in examining important management skills that international hospitality executives should possess. The study findings indicated that there were underlying dimensions that contributed to the success of hospitality expatriate executives on their overseas assignment. National culture and corporate using management skills could influence a successful overseas assignment. However, it was not revealed which one between the two dimensions has more influence towards a successful overseas assignment. Successful expatriates are being profiled as organizations have found that expatriate assignments are an effective, yet expensive, means of developing international qualities in their managers. The increasing globalization of business appears to have led to the emergence of an international business workforce that shares a unique set of cultural beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. The thrust of this chapter was to examine the influence of national culture and corporate culture of hospitality expatriate executives that led to a successful overseas assignment.
A Cross-National Effect of Ethnocentrism on Purchase Intention
Authors: Jiménez Nadia , San-Martín Sonia
Published: March 2016

The purpose of this study is to understand how socio-psychological and cultural factors (patriotism, cultural openness and collectivism) affect a social phenomenon implying a tendency to reject foreign products (ethnocentrism). The main contribution of this work is to propose a cross-national study to establish differences or similarities in the behaviour of consumers from emerging and developed markets when evaluating foreign products. Data was collected from 476 Spanish and Mexican consumers. Our results show that also in emerging as in developed markets the patriotism and cultural openness are antecedents of ethnocentrism, but collectivism only influences the ethnocentrism of consumer from emerging markets. In addition, in developed market economies the ethnocentrism negatively affects purchase intention of foreign products, although in emerging markets it does not.
A Perspective of Cross-Cultural Psychological Studies for Global Business
Authors: Yama Hiroshi
Published: March 2016

Some may still have a stereotypical image that Japanese employees work like a robot, and achieved the industrial development even though they are not logical thinkers. This chapter is against this based on the latest cross-cultural studies. The conclusions are as follows. (1) Even if Japanese appears to be illogical in the sense that they are less likely to do rule-based thinking, this does not means that they are less intelligent. (2) Easterners are more likely to do dialectical thinking. (3) Easterners' naïve dialecticism is strongly associated with cultural tradition, and it is plausible that it has been developed in a high-context culture. (4) Japanese people may have a collectivist culture, and it is not an undeveloped culture comparing with an individualist culture as shown in the case of ‘nemawashi'. Finally, it is proposed that the distinction between Westerners' low-context culture and Easterners' high-context culture provide important implications for globalizing business and that the notions of global mindset and ‘glocal' are important for international business.
Communication (Intercultural and Multicultural) at Play for Cross Cultural Management within Multinational Corporations (MNCs)
Authors: Tran Ben
Published: March 2016

With the globalization of economy, multinational corporations (MNCs) and joint ventures are expanding across the world, and China's vast market is attracting more foreign enterprises. Hence, misunderstanding, or even conflicts in employees' communication and cooperation in these cross-cultural enterprises exist more often than not. Compared with the general management activities, cross-cultural communication is more difficult than the general communication. Therefore, how to overcome the barriers in cross-cultural communication and how to achieve effective communication among employees is a common problem of all cross-cultural aMNCs. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is on communication, intercultural communication and multicultural communication in MNCs. The chapter will cover the meaning of multinational corporations, as well as language and diversity, and the roles that language and diversity play in MNCs. The chapter will conclude with factors to be sensitive about when becoming effective cross cultural managers for MNCs.
The Region-of-Origin Effect
Authors: García-Gallego José Manuel , Chamorro‑Mera Antonio
Published: March 2016

The main objective of this chapter was to determine the variables that explain and moderate the intention to purchase regional a specific product, in particular, wine. Some of the selected variables were directly related to regional development. To achieve that goal, and based on the literature review, authors designed a structural model to study the ROO effect in the Spanish wine market. The model proposes direct and indirect effects of the following antecedent variables on the purchase intention: the region's image, the region's image as a producer in this product category, the perceived quality of the region's products, and consumer ethnocentrism. The results of this study contribute to guiding decision-making on the strategies to be implemented by regional public institutions in collaboration with the wine industry, both of them responsible of creating value for the region.
Effect of Globalization on Multicultural Consumer Behavior
Authors: Manrai Lalita A. , Manrai Ajay K. , Mady Tarek T.
Published: March 2016

A great deal has been learned in recent years about the role of culture in consumer behavior. However, the overwhelming scope and fragmented nature of cross-cultural and cross-national consumer research often necessitates a periodic review and critical assessment of the field. We highlight the salient aspects of cross-cultural and cross-national consumer research today by offering a summary of key findings and themes, discussions of major trends, and provide insights into the future of the field. Globalization has created multicultural societies across the world. However there is relatively very limited research on multicultural consumer behavior (MCB). The main purpose of this chapter is to analyze and understand the dynamics of MCB in today's global economy and offer insights into the way forward.
The Changing Nature of Information Behavior and the Information Environment
Authors: Al-Suqri Mohammed Nasser
Published: March 2016

This chapter examines the changing nature of the information environment and its implications for Library and Information Science (LIS), with a focus on developing countries in general and the Arab Gulf states in particular. Drawing on key findings from previous LIS literature, it explores what is needed to ensure the future viability of the profession in the GCC region so that it can help underpin social and economic development in these states. Examples of successful practice in LIS innovation from other parts of the developing world are included to demonstrate some possible approaches and the chapter concludes by summarizing some key points for consideration by LIS education specialists, library managers, and policymakers in the Gulf States.
Towards a New Model of SMEs' Internationalization
Authors: Della Corte Valentina
Published: March 2016

This chapter aims at exploring the internationalization of small and medium sized enterprises through the search within the referring literature for the main models challenging the internationalization process. In the light of the weaknesses and strengths as well as of the related gaps of such models, this study builds and presents a new model that is able to address the issue of both gradual and rapid growth at international level. This model, thanks to the supposed variables (roots of resources and development and direction trough which these resources are valorized) and mechanisms, offers interesting theoretical and managerial insights for the analysis of the internationalization process characterized by increasing uncertainty. Finally, the model is tested through the analysis of two case studies.
Organizational Integration of Decision Analytic Methods in Healthcare Settings
Authors: Pate Christopher L. , Swofford Mark D.
Published: March 2016

Healthcare organizations face a range of external and internal factors that both enable and hinder the organization's ability to provide safe, quality, timely and reliable healthcare services. The accessibility of data coupled with effectively integrated analytic methods can provide healthcare organizations with essential components of a solid framework for improving performance across the full spectrum of organizational contexts. However, data, methods, and a robust information infrastructure are only part of the solution. Healthcare organizations must consider characteristics of the organization and its strategy in order to effectively integrate analytic methods. Conceptual ideas from organizational theory, economics and strategic management can provide structure to the integration process.
The Role of the Mixed Strategies and Selective Inflexibility in the Repeated Games of Business
Authors: Rusko Rauno
Published: March 2016

This chapter is focused on the possibilities of game theory as a tool of strategists to interpret practical strategic decision-making situations. Simultaneously, there is a need to simplify presentation of game theory and consider the possibilities of mixed strategies. Practical game situations are relatively complex: even the rules of the game might change during the decision-making process, or at least there is need to change several times the strategy during the game, especially in the case of repeated game. This chapter shows some practical examples how to describe the strategic game situations in a manner relatively easy to understand.