bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discriminating between Neutron Stars and Black Holes with Imperfect Knowledge of the Maximum Neutron Star Mass
Authors: Essick Reed , Landry Philippe
Published: November 2020

Although gravitational-wave signals from exceptional low-mass compact binary coalescences, like GW170817, may carry matter signatures that differentiate the source from a binary black hole system, only one out of every eight events detected by the current Advanced LIGO and Virgo observatories are likely to have signal-to-noise ratios large enough to measure matter effects, even if they are present. Nonetheless, the systems’ component masses will generally be constrained precisely. Constructing an explicit mixture model for the total rate density of merging compact objects, we develop a hierarchical Bayesian analysis to classify gravitational-wave sources according to the posterior odds that their component masses are drawn from different subpopulations. Accounting for current uncertainty in the maximum neutron star mass and adopting a power-law mass distribution with or without a mass gap and either random or mass-ratio-dependent pairing, we examine two recent events from the LIGO–Virgo Collaboration’s third observing run, GW190425 and GW190814. For population models with no overlap between the neutron star and black hole mass distributions, we typically find that there is a

chance, depending on the exact population model, that GW190425 was a binary neutron star merger rather than a neutron-star–black-hole merger. On the other hand, we find that there is a

chance that GW190814 involved a slowly spinning neutron star, regardless of our assumed population model.
The bastard grunt Pomadasys incisus (Bowdich, 1825) (Teleostei: Haemulidae) in Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea) - a late arrival or just a neglected species?
Authors: Doumpas Nikos , Tanduo Valentina , Crocetta Fabio , Giovos Ioannis , Langeneck Joachim , Tiralongo Francesco , Kleitou Periklis
Published: November 2020

Pomadasys incisus is a thermophilous coastal subtropical fish species belonging to the family Haemulidae. Originally described from Gambia, this species is widely distributed in the Eastern Atlantic from Galicia to South Africa. It has also been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea since 1840, presumably expanding its distribution in the next decades, although the species could have been already present in the basin, but simply overlooked until the mid XIX century. In this study, we first record P. incisus from Cyprus (eastern Mediterranean Sea), based on two opportunistic observations obtained through a citizen-science project and review the distribution of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. The present sighting raises the question on whether this species is a late arrival in the country or its presence has just been neglected until now. Based on present data, the most likely hypothesis is the latter one, with P. incisus occurring in low densities and being overlooked due to the absence of field studies. Whatever is true, some intrinsic or extrinsic factors may have played a role in limiting its spread or wide establishment in the above-mentioned country.
Dimension reduction of thermistor models for large-area organic light-emitting diodes
Authors: Glitzky Annegret , Liero Matthias , Nika Grigor
Published: November 2020

An effective system of partial differential equations describing the heat and current flow through a thin organic light-emitting diode (OLED) mounted on a glass substrate is rigorously derived from a recently introduced fully three-dimensional \begin{document}$ p(x) $\end{document}-Laplace thermistor model. The OLED consists of several thin layers that scale differently with respect to the multiscale parameter \begin{document}$ \varepsilon>0 $\end{document}, which is the ratio between the total thickness and the lateral extent of the OLED. Starting point of the derivation is a rescaled formulation of the current-flow equation in the OLED for the driving potential and the heat equation in OLED and glass substrate with Joule heat term concentrated in the OLED. Assuming physically motivated scalings in the electrical flux functions, uniform a priori bounds are derived for the solutions of the three-dimensional system which facilitates the extraction of converging subsequences with limits that are identified as solutions of a dimension reduced system. In the latter, the effective current-flow equation is given by two semilinear equations in the two-dimensional cross-sections of the electrodes and algebraic equations for the continuity of the electrical fluxes through the organic layers. The effective heat equation is formulated only in the glass substrate with Joule heat term on the part of the boundary where the OLED is mounted.
El salón del trono de Carlos IV en el Palacio Real de Madrid por Francisco Sabatini
Authors: Sancho Gaspar José-Luis , Gómez Escribano Raúl
Published: November 2020

Dentro de la renovación decorativa del Palacio Real de Madrid encargada por Carlos IV a su arquitecto Francisco Sabatini a principios de la década de 1790, la sala más espectacular iba a ser, lógicamente, el Salón del Trono, todo de mármoles españoles y bronce dorado a fuego. El proyecto, iniciado al parecer en 1794 pero definitivamente aprobado en 1796, empezó a realizarse, pero se interrumpió en 1798 cuando gran parte del mármol estaba en Madrid y el trabajo en metal iniciado por Giardoni y Leprince. Aunque los diseños originales se han perdido, la minuciosa memoria de Sabatini para el broncista ha permitido elaborar una exacta reconstitución gráfica que rescata del olvido lo que hubiera sido el más magnífico interior neoclásico español.
Abrir janelas nas almas dos homens: notas historiográficas nos 500 anos da Reforma Protestante
Authors: Liebel Silvia
Published: November 2020

A Reforma Protestante, um dos limiares da modernidade para Hannah Arendt, permanece um tema fértil para especialistas do período. Passados os 500 anos de seu marco inaugural, momento relembrado por eventos e celebrações ao redor do mundo, observa-se um contexto profícuo para um balanço dos estudos que lhe são dedicados. Pela vasta extensão do tema, este ensaio contempla um recorte da historiografia concernente às rupturas religiosas ocorridas na Europa de então, abarcando, sobretudo, a produção das últimas décadas nas academias francesa e alemã. Destacam-se, entre os elementos abordados, as múltiplas interpretações da Reforma Protestante e da Contrarreforma, além da tese da confessionalização e das pesquisas acerca das guerras de religião na França e das vivências religiosas. Busca-se, assim, refletir sobre os olhares diversos da historiografia sobre o tema, sem perder de vista o contexto vivido e os impactos desses movimentos.
“Não tinha medo dos gringos”: violência e crime nas regiões de colonização italiana do Sul do Brasil
Authors: Vendrame Maíra Ines
Published: November 2020

O presente artigo analisa um crime ocorrido numa das principais regiões de colonização italiana do Rio Grande do Sul, no início do século XX: Caxias do Sul. Parte-se do episódio que ocasionou a morte de um indivíduo negro por um grupo de imigrantes italianos, numa das zonas rurais do município. Através do processo-crime, no qual são réus alguns “operários italianos”, busca-se analisar as disputas nos espaços de trabalho, as estratégias de controle social e reforço das diferenças e hierarquias. Mais do que isso, problematizou-se o uso da violência e da justiça oficial do Estado, enquanto modos autônomos de controlar e forçar o encaminhamento de resoluções para os impasses locais.
How Can Digital Health Be Best Leveraged to Provide Optimal Support During Pandemics Like the COVID-19 Crisis?
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini , Seitz Juergen
Published: November 2020

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) first identified in Wuhan, China in late December 2019 was identified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020 and has caused tremendous disruption to economies around the world and significant loss of life and serious illness. The current outbreak which has been thought to have originated in an animal wet market in late 2019, being transferred from the horse shoe bat to the pangolin, is well adapted to human cell receptors. This enables it to easily infect people with an R0 of approximately 2.2 causing a respiratory illness (COVID-19) which can develop into pneumonia in moderate to severe cases. Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk. The following outlines a responsible digital health solution.
Developing a Personalised Diabetic Platform Using a Design Science Research Methodology
Authors: Joachim Shane , Jayaraman Prem Prakash , Forkan Abdur Rahim Mohammad , Morshed Ahsan , Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: November 2020

Type II diabetes is a rapidly growing non-communicable chronic disease that is causing significant concern to healthcare systems around the world. As there is no foreseeable cure, the most effective solution is to focus on strategies to control blood glucose levels by regular monitoring of diet, exercise, and when necessary, medication management. In today's environment, to do so effectively necessitates the need for a personalised self-management technology solution which can help patients take control of their diabetes. This chapter presents initial data from a research in progress study focused on designing a personalised diabetic application. The authors proffer a design science research methodology (DSRM) approach to design, develop, and ultimately, evaluate a patient-centric diabetes platform. This application is not only a smart patient empowering solution which serves to guide patients and assist their care team with regard to diet, exercise, medication and their respective impacts on blood sugar levels but is also designed to be culturally sensitive.
Africa's Platform and the Sharing Economy
Authors: Umukoro Immanuel Ovemeso , Onuoha Raymond Okwudiri
Published: November 2020

Platforms are altering business processes and value creation mechanisms as previously witnessed across traditional pipe businesses. Africa has over 300 active digital platforms that serve millions of consumers across every sector of the economy – health, education, commerce, tourism and hospitality, government, information technology, and others. The rise of the platform economy has also popularised the concept of sharing, which has been with Africans for centuries. Through platforms, economic models have also evolved, allowing asset owners to monetize idle assets by offering these assets to those in need of them for a commercial fee using pay-as-you-use (PAYU) pricing models. This chapter serves as an introduction to the concept of platforms and the sharing economy while highlighting industry trends and opportunities that have been triggered by this innovative and disruptive business model.
The Rise and Role of Africa's Platform Economy in Inclusive Development
Authors: Johnson Chernay , Bester Hennie , Chamberlain Doubell , Dunn Matthew , Banya Roland Mwesigwa
Published: November 2020

Digital platforms are bridging barriers to financial and economic inclusion and in the process giving rise to new financial needs in Africa. This chapter presents findings from research conducted by insight2impact that explored the landscape and growing influence of digital platforms in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research identified 277 unique digital platforms across Africa, of which 80% are homegrown. These platforms provide income-generating opportunities to over 4.8 million Africans and are creating structure and efficiency in formal and informal markets. Understanding the impact and magnitude of this disruption is vital if digital platforms are to achieve inclusive development in Africa.
Selected Dynamics Impacting Emerging Platform Design in Africa
Authors: Grove Wouter J. , Breytenbach Johan
Published: November 2020

This chapter explores the concept of platforms, which is not clearly defined in the IS literature. Platforms lead to changes in emerging markets, thus disrupting the logic of innovation, yet these platforms seem to be deepening various digital divides. There is an increasing awareness of digital platforms leading to disconnect and isolation in Africa and the creation of a Second Digital Divide. Platform emergence as IS phenomenon is inextricably linked to the design concepts of platform scaling and platform evolution. The design decisions deliberately made to facilitate scaling receives mention first, followed by a dissection of selected aspects of the emergence process that are externally dictated by changes in contexts, ecosystems, actors, or technologies. The positioning of emerging digital platform design within IS contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the impact that digital platforms design decisions may have on vulnerable African citizens with limited media, data, and digital literacy skills.
Stuck in the GeM Jam
Authors: Chia Jia Ying , Chow Shenn Ni , Li Fang , Ng Patricia Kar Wai , Kahl Christian
Published: November 2020

In this chapter, the researchers present the results of the action research project. The GeM (Future General Manager) Program is a specifically-designed training program for outstanding students in the hospitality school to gain specific deep-grounded work experiences in several hotels in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study used the action research approach to understand the quality of today's industrial training programs. Four final-year undergraduate students from the hospitality school reflected on their training experiences and provided feedback on how the GeM Program can be further developed to enhance the learning outcomes for future training participants. This chapter helps to understand how to develop, design, implement, and monitor a successfully structured training program for the future of the hospitality industry. With this, hotels can acquire the best student trainees who will further their career as employees with them.
Quality Assurance Within HEIs in South-East Asia
Authors: Costello Robert
Published: November 2020

With the adaption of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) since the early 1960s, the quality within the higher education institutions (HEIs) has improved locally, regionally, and globally. However, there is still a need to harmonize the HEIs communities who were striving for more dynamic, resilient, sustainable corporations. This chapter aims at exploring quality assurance, culture acceptance, cultural management, and a selection of educational models within Southeast Asia, through critical analysis of current HEIs models while suggesting a theoretical framework based on QA tied to HEIs institutions to explore policies, procedures, scope, funding, and instruments to support strategies within open universities. The benefit of having this additional layer of quality assurance is to give guidance towards policies associated with economic growth towards harmonization of global HEIs. This robustness within the education sector has allowed the quality of export to become more financially appealing.
A Comprehensive Perspective on Mobile Forensics
Authors: D. Aju , Kakelli Anil Kumar , Varma Ashwin Suresh , Rajendiran Kishore
Published: November 2020

The modern-day smartphones are the result of the technological progression that is happening in this digital world. This technological advancement has brought an incremental augmentation where these were not perceived as critical by the smartphone users. Also, the computational capability and networking competence has been dragooned constantly to maintain the momentum with the ever-expanding workload demands. This scenario has endorsed the smart gadgets such as smartphones and tablets to accomplish the growing complex challenges. In this digital era, the next generation users are substituting the conventional way of preference such as the personal computers and laptops with smartphone for the social connectedness, e-commerce, financial transaction, market updates, latest news, or even editing images. Users willingly install various mobile apps on to their smartphone and consequently providing their valuable and sensitive personal information to their service providers without thinking and knowing the security lapses and repercussions. Considering the fact, the smartphones' size and its portability, these devices are much more susceptible of being stolen, becoming jeopardized, or being exploited for various cyber-attacks and other malevolent activities. Essentially, the hackers look forward to the new mobile vulnerabilities so that they exploit the revealed vulnerability once a newer edition of the respective mobile operating system is released. In view of the fact that the smartphones are too vulnerable to various exploits, the necessity for a digital investigation entrained to establish a separate domain named mobile forensics. This established forensic domain is specialized in acquiring, extracting, analyzing, and reporting the evidence that is obtained from the smartphone devices so that the exploiting artifacts and its respective actions are determined and located. This chapter puts forward the various processes involved with the mobile forensics that can be employed for examining the evidences of various cyber incidents. Furthermore, it discusses the various vulnerabilities with the iOS and Android mobile operating systems and how they are being exploited in detail. The chapter also discusses the various approaches of data extraction and the respective industry standard for the tools that are being utilized for the same.
Machine Learning Forensics
Authors: Gupta Angad , Gupta Ruchika , Sankaran A.
Published: November 2020

Machine learning (without human interference) can collect, analyze, and process data. In the case of cyber security, this technology helps to better analyze previous cyber-attacks and develop respective defense responses. This approach enables an automated cyber defense system with a minimum-skilled cyber security force. There are high expectations for machine learning (ML) in cyber security, and for good reasons. With the help of ML algorithms, we can sift through massive amounts of security events looking for anomalies, deviations from normal behavior that are often indicative of malicious activity. These findings are then presented to the analyst for review and vetting, and the results of his determination fed back into the system for training. As we process more and more data through the system, it evolves: it learns to recognize similar events and, eventually, the underlying traits of malicious behavior that we're trying to detect. This chapter explores machine learning forensics.
Deep Learning-Based Malware Detection and Classification
Authors: T. T. Mirnalinee , J. Bhuvana , S. Arul Thileeban , Jeswin Nallathambi Daniel , Muthukumar Anirudh
Published: November 2020

Malware analysis is an important aspect of cyber security and is a key component in securing systems from attackers. New malware signatures are being created continuously and detection techniques need to keep pace with them. The primary objective is to propose a solution which detects malicious files in real time by evaluating each file. Other objectives are to assess the threat level of the malware and recognize the family of malicious file. Hence, to cover all the needs and to fulfill the motivation, a deep neural network is more suitable to detect and classify the malware. Convolutional neural network-based system MalNet-D is designed to detect the presence of malware, and subsequently, to classify the detected malware into the family in which it belongs, a variation of MalNet-D termed as MalNet-C is proposed. Images of the executable files, both malign and benign, are used as input data, which is trained by the respective MalNet. This is used to detect and classify malware into families. The system achieved 93% accuracy in malware detection and 96% accuracy in malware classification.
Motivational Quotes-Based Intelligent Insider Threat Prediction Model
Authors: Dhavale Sunita Vikrant
Published: November 2020

Insiders are considered as the weakest link. The digital records of a person's Facebook likes against motivational quotes can be used for automatic and accurate prediction of sensitive attributes related to their personality traits depression, and their views against company/government policies, etc. Such analysis will help organization to take proactive measures against vulnerable insiders. Insiders managing their impressions differently than their basic personality traits can also be identified. Deep learning models can be utilized to learn and map the association among extracted features and insider behavioral patterns. Further, reinforcement techniques can be used to select appropriate motivational quotes in order to collect additional data required for further analysis. At the same time, the same exposed motivational messages on insider's social platform can aid to improve their psychological health over a time. However, due to implications involved in data collections related to personalization and data collection privacy, the authors have quoted their work in terms of this concept chapter only.
Virtual Reality for Better Event Planning and Management
Authors: Thomson Alana , Proud Ingrid , Goldston Andrew L. J. , Dodds-Gorman Rebecca
Published: November 2020

Digital technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), will have an increasing influence on the way events are experienced and managed. To date, scholarship has focused predominantly on the possibilities that VR presents for event experiences by event attendees, and there has been limited consideration of the application of VR for event planning and management. In this chapter, the authors provide a brief overview of the growth and application of virtual reality technology in events. A case study of a private sector start-up in the Australian setting is examined with a focus on VR technologies, it is developing as an aid in event planning and logistics. Key opportunities and challenges of VR pertinent to event planning and management are identified, and the authors suggest a number of implications for industry practice and event education, alongside avenues for future research to support the development of VR in event management and education.
Applying Industry 4.0 on Management of Gastronomy Events
Authors: Saldamli Asim , Iflazoglu Nurhayat , Can Ipek Itır
Published: November 2020

Industry 4.0 plays a role in meeting the demands of the global market in food and beverage activities with more efficient, harmonious, reliable, and sustainable production processes. In the recent years, enterprises have started taking advantage of augmented reality technology in the design phase; three-dimensional printers, internet of things technology and robot chefs during the production phase; and robot waiters in the presentation phase. In this context, in this chapter, the transformations experienced in the design, production, and presentation processes of banquet organizations as the result of the Gastronomy 4.0 concept, which emerged as a result of the reflections of Industry 4.0 on the field of gastronomy, were examined. It is thought that in the near future, if the prevalence of Gastronomy 4.0 applications increases, the personnel responsible for running banquet organizations will need to be trained and also informed about the equipment of the new age.
This Is Next Level
Authors: Marlatt Rick , Pando Magdalena , Harvey Miles M.
Published: November 2020

This chapter features instructional approaches positioning video games and literature as text sets that can promote reading and writing engagement in English language arts. Smartphone-accessible games were recently combined with middle school literary assignments in an after-school esports club in which students who identify as English language learners expressed an increased interest in academic tasks that prioritized smartphone usage. Grounded in digital literacies and text-based gameplay, this chapter showcases how a text set framework can offer literacy instructors multiple pathways for student engagement that leverage diverse learners' sociocultural meaning-making toward success in school. Recommendations are offered for teachers, including a series of pedagogical moves that can be implemented in secondary language arts classrooms, as well as affordances and challenges to smartphone-driven teaching.
Brands and Stories in Ads
Authors: Santos Sara , Santo Pedro Espírito
Published: November 2020

Storytelling in advertising allows consumers to recall the narrative, characters, and brands related to the story. This consolidates the consumer's idea of a brand as unique and distinct from others and can also be the basis for brand distinctiveness. As such, the present chapter will firstly take into consideration the existing theoretical framework related to the use of storytelling in the creation of narrative ads, and then it will present the creation, unfolding and results of an investigation involving 326 individuals. The data collected from this study demonstrates that the structure of the narrative of a storytelling ad positively influences the distinctiveness of the brand. Moreover, this study shows the mediating role between narrative structure and the perception of brand distinctiveness. This chapter enhances knowledge on advertising, narrative, and brand distinctiveness and supports new researches in this field.
Food and Mediations
Authors: Sehgal Rupali
Published: November 2020

The chapter attempts to look at food and its representation in media with a special focus on Punjab and its cuisine. The work locates important symbols pertaining to the food culture of Punjab in sites such as cookbooks and cinema, which interestingly mix traditional with contemporary representations of material life. The first section looks at the cultural expressions of Punjabi cuisine in cookbooks against the backdrop of the history of Punjab, its ancient ties, and cultural affiliations of the past. Questions of caste, gastro-ethnicity, and stereotyping are also examined. The second section attempts to review select Bollywood films in order to cast light onto the contemporary socio-cultural conceptions of Punjabi culture. The study concludes by observing the ways in which food emerges as a commodity spectacle through stories and ideas on the food of Punjab. The work is carried out in order to exemplify the role of food in the creation of a cultural imaginary and explore the subtle connection that food and food culture share with the multiple intersections of an individual's identity.
New Perspectives on the Annals of R.K. Narayan
Authors: Nayak Sushma Nagesh
Published: November 2020

This chapter aims to examine new perspectives on the annals of R. K. Narayan, with specific emphasis on Malgudi Days. It primarily attempts to examine how modern television/media has changed dramatically ever since Malgudi Days was first aired on Indian television during the eighties, what the viewers' expectations from television entertainment are today, how television viewers perceive the difference in television broadcasts since the 1980s until the present date. To this end, the author employs online reviews to assess the impact on viewers' choices through a number of paradigms, such as star ratings, the nature of the review content, the number of reviews, and the source of review.
Chemistry Edutainment
Authors: Ferraz-Caetano José , Dias Dora
Published: November 2020

Creating a fun, interactive, and useful science activity for teaching purposes can be a real challenge, especially if it is addressed to middle-school children. More and more science communicators are employing novel communication techniques to better reach out to their audience. In science communication, storytelling is valuable to sparking interest in science. Given that there are many episodes in the history of science that can serve as inspiration, the authors of this chapter share how they used storytelling, based on a real-life event, to create a science communication activity for middle-school children. Focused on chemistry and ethics, these topics were introduced through hands-on laboratory activities with ethical questions embedded in the story line. This task challenges the students to come up with answers by themselves, through a problem-based learning model. By adding game logic elements to this activity, the authors created a unique form of communicating science, both educational and entertaining, which children appreciated.
Newsroom Representation and Discrimination Against Female Journalists in Ghana
Authors: Sackey Rainbow , Asiamah Abraham Atobrah , Aboagye Lisa Agyinor Forson
Published: November 2020

In journalism, there are still growing concerns about the ratio of men to women, even though women's presence in the newsroom have increased progressively. The issues of gender stereotyping and discrimination against women have emerged over time and still remain an issue of great concern. In view of this, using the gender theory, this chapter aims to interrogate the issues of female representation in the practice of journalism in Ghana, in terms of numbers, portrayals, and discriminations. To achieve the aim, the study employs a qualitative approach through in-drpth interviews. The study reveal that men still dominate the journalism profession in Ghana. Also women in the newsroom are portrayed on one hand as capable and hardworking and on the other hand as emotional and immoral. Furthermore, women in journalism in Ghana are discriminated against in terms of salary structure and job roles. It was also revealed that female journalists in Ghana are employing strategies like apathy and rebelliousness to deal with the negative portrayals and discrimination against them.
A Conceptual Framework for Educational Robotics Activities C4STEM
Authors: Jäggle Georg , Vincze Markus
Published: November 2020

This chapter investigates the development of a conceptual and methodological C4STEM framework to assess the learning outcome of educational robotics activities (ERAs) and demonstrates first case study on Virtual Educational Robotics Workshop. Several ERAs are challenges or competitions and are classified in navigational contests, duels, crusades, line follower, micro mouse, or climbing contest. These ERAs use different didactical strategies and methodological tools to teach students programming and CT. The C4STEM offers for a better comparison a template with a didactical approach to identify and share the best of ERAs with the community.
Planning Implementation and Evaluation of a Distance Seminar on the Pedagogical Utilization of Educational Robotics in Teaching Lessons (2018-2020)
Authors: Tzimopoulos Nikos
Published: November 2020

In this chapter, the author describes an effort for distance training of teachers in Greece on educational robotics' pedagogical utilization. This is done through the European eTwinning program, which aims to collaborate with schools from many countries to produce new technologies. Based on a Community of Practice of the South Aegean teachers, eTwinning organized the seminars for the utilization of ICT in the implementation of eTwinning projects and the teaching of courses with their use. From 2018 the author has included these seminars for the utilization of educational robotics in the implementation of eTwinning projects and the teaching of courses. These seminars were attended by many teachers and were very positively evaluated by them. The author believes that the Ministry of Education will soon adopt educational robotics in the teaching of courses, which is why the author plans to expand the seminars and create new ones for other robots such as Edison and BeeBot.
DuBot
Authors: Chatzopoulos Avraam , Kalogiannakis Michail , Papadakis Stamatios , Papoutsidakis Michail , Elza Dethe , Psycharis Sarantos
Published: November 2020

This chapter presents the design and development of an open-source, low-cost robot for K12 students, suitable for use in educational robotics and science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM). The development of DuΒot is a continuation of previous research and robot's innovation is based on three axes: (a) its specifications came from the 1st cycle of action research; (b) robot's visual programming language is integrated into the robot, taking advantage of the fact that it can be programmed from any device (smartphone, tablet, PC) with an internet connection and without the need to install any software or app; (c) is low-cost with no “exotic” parts robot than anyone can build with less than 50€. Furthermore, the robot's initial evaluation is presented -from distance due to emergency restrictions of Covid-19 is presented by the University of Crete, Department of Preschool Education's students.
Bidirectional Relationship Between Cash Holdings and Financial Performance for Banks in the MENA Region
Authors: El-Halaby Sherif , Aboul-Dahab Sameh , Qoud Nuha Bin
Published: November 2020

This study examines the interrelationship between cash holdings and financial performance by firstly investigating whether the existence of an optimal cash level maximizes financial performance and secondly measuring the impacts of financial performance over the optimal level of cash holdings. This study uses a sample of 400 financial institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region across 18 different countries over 15 years (2003–2017). The results support the hypothesis about the positive impact of cash holdings over the financial performance as well a positive influence for financial performance over the existence of an optimum level of cash holding. The analysis supports this association through a robustness test by controlling the culture variables based on Hofstede's model as well as through using different alternative measures for cash holdings. This study is one of the original empirical studies that measure the interrelationship between holding cash and the level of financial performance through the banking sector in the MENA context.
A Brief Assessment of the Energy Sector of Bangladesh
Authors: Bagdadee Amam Hossain
Published: November 2020

This paper gives a review of the energy sector of Bangladesh with the help of different data on the related electrical utility and its annual report. It is also tried to put some remarks on the crisis of the energy sector and a possible solution to rising above the electrical power crisis. Moreover, the master plan of the power sector discussed. The administration of the energy sector in Bangladesh has attempted a few undertakings to take care of this quickly developing requirement. New planning has been created to address the difficulties in the energy sector. These planning are also swiftly analyzed in this paper. These approaches will assume an essential part in the maintainable improvement of the nation.
Intellectualized Control System for Anaerobic Bioconversion of Liquid Organic Waste
Authors: Kovalev Andrey A. , Kovalev Dmitriy A. , Panchenko Vladimir , Kharchenko Valeriy
Published: November 2020

The use of methods for the biological conversion of organic waste with the production of biogas while solving environmental issues from pollution is an urgent task. The aim of this work is the development of intellectualized control system of parameters of anaerobic bioconversion of organic waste liquid, including parameters of heating supply system of a biogas plant with optimization of the combustion process of biogas, while using the method of optimization of the anaerobic bioconversion of organic waste due to the multiple supply substrate to the bioreactor, ensuring the efficiency and stability of anaerobic bioconversion of organic matter. The developed system allows optimizing the process of biogas combustion with obtaining the heat carrier in the required quantity and quality while minimizing emissions of biogas combustion. Maintaining the optimal rate of supply of the daily dose of the substrate in the bioreactor allows to increase the resistance to organic matter overload; to increase resistance to ammonium nitrogen overloads; to reduce pH fluctuations in the bioreactor.
A Probabilistic Optimal Power Flow in Wind-Thermal Coordination Considering Intermittency of the Wind
Authors: Banerjee Sriparna , Banerjee Dhiman , Roy Provas Kumar , Saha Pradip Kumar , Panda Goutam Kumar
Published: November 2020

This article specifically aims to prove the superiority of the proposed moth swarm algorithm (MSA) in view of wind-thermal coordination. In the present article, a probabilistic optimal power flow (POPF) problem is formulated to reflect the probabilistic nature of wind. Modelling of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is included in the proposed POPF to represent the wind energy conversion system (WECS). To reduce DFIG imposed deviation of bus voltage ancillary reactive power support is considered. Moreover, three different optimization techniques, namely, MSA, biogeography-based optimization (BBO), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) are independently applied for the minimization of active power generation cost for wind-thermal coordination, considering different instances in case of IEEE 30-bus and IEEE 118-bus system. From the simulation results, it is confirmed and validated that the proposed MSA performs considerably better than BBO and PSO.
Digital Intelligent Design of Avatar-Based Control With Application to Human Capital Management
Authors: Mkrttchian Vardan , Chernyshenko Serge
Published: November 2020

The article is devoted to modern digital technologies of management. A new approach to construct digital avatars has been proposed. It combines knowledge-based self-learning mechanisms and switching decision-making properties, based on using differential equations with special structure. As a main field of methodology's application, the field of human capital management has been considered. It is shown that the approach can essentially increase efficiency of HR activity. Some problems of using the method have been mentioned also. The article has mainly theoretical character, although practical aspects of the problem has been discussed.
Measuring Employability Skills of Budding IT Professionals in India
Authors: Khurana Khushbu , Misra Rajnish Kumar
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this study is to identify employability skills among aspiring engineering graduates and develop measurement scale to assess their skill sets. This research has been conducted in two phases: Phase 1 covers the scale development process and Phase 2 covers exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and validation. The findings of EFA resulted in ten factors of employability. Subsequently, CFA identified nine different factors: leadership, critical thinking, numeracy, sociability, using technology, planning and organizing, problem-solving, teamwork, and emotional intelligence skills. The values of CFA met the acceptance level of different fit indices and thus, resulted in a good model fit. Further, the internal consistency of the total scale yielded Cronbach's alpha value (α = 0.82). The threshold values of CR, AVE, and MSV also met the required criteria. Thus, it received a valid and reliable 26-item measurement scale of employability which can prove to be useful for academia, students, and employers in computer science and information technology.
Forming Suitable Groups in MCSCL Environments
Authors: Amara Sofiane , Bendella Fatima , Macedo Joaquim , Santos Alexandre
Published: November 2020

Given the peculiarities of mobile computer-supported collaborative learning (MCSCL) environments, forming suitable groups in such learning environments represents a hard and time-consuming task. This is because many conditions related to mobile learners, devices, and environment should be considered. Unlike the existing solutions, the present paper shows a grouping approach that allows a customizable formation of (1) homogeneous groups, (2) heterogeneous groups, and (3) mixed groups. The proposed solution does not only help instructors to dynamically form appropriate MCSCL groups, but it also allows to continually control the learners' learning, psychological, and social developments. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed solution, three metrics were used: (1) comparison between the characteristics of the existing group formation tools, (2) average intra-cluster distance of each grouping algorithm, and (3) an experimental evaluation in a real world environment. The obtained results show a great superiority of the proposed solution compared to the existing ones.
Social Media and Social Bonding in Students' Decision-Making Regarding Their Study Path
Authors: Dirin Amir , Nieminen Marko , Alamäki Ari
Published: November 2020

Students are often unsure of how to select the right study path at a higher educational institution. They either lack knowledge of a proposed study path or they do not manage to learn more before making their selection. Universities often apply various approaches, such as printed or online course curricula, to facilitate the selection process. Yet these approaches are often inefficient because they do not attract students' attention, or they provide ambiguous descriptions. Moreover, these descriptions are not provided to students through the right channels. The study reveals that students use different digital channels in various contexts to perform their educational activities. The study reveals that the use of social media applications in an educational context results in social bonding among students. The results of the study can help educators select appropriate channels that match students' expectations of a reliable and trustworthy interaction medium.
Extending the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) Model to E-Textbook Usage by Students and Instructors
Authors: Jardina Jo R. , Chaparro Barbara S. , Abdinnour Sue
Published: November 2020

Companies produce increasing numbers of textbooks in electronic format (e-textbooks) for use by students and instructors. One would be remiss, however, to think that university bookstores are not filled with hard copies of textbooks; many students and instructors still insist on using traditional paper copy textbooks. Many models exist to explain the factors that influence whether users adopt new technologies. The majority of this research, however, focuses on a single user group or isolated new technologies in the academic domain, such as learning management systems or digital video tools. The study extends the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model to explore how both students and instructors use e-textbooks. New items were added to existing constructs of access, task technology fit, and perceived ease of use. The authors propose a new model and test the impact of perceived ease of use, access to technology, and the task technology fit on performance by both students and instructors. The results of factor analysis and structural equation modeling are reported.
Factors Influencing Student Satisfaction Towards Using Learning Management System Moodle
Authors: Alkhateeb Maan Ali , Abdalla Rania Ahmad
Published: November 2020

Higher education institutions are increasingly adopting leaning management systems (LMS) as a complementary tool in improving learning systems. The purpose of this study is explore the factors influencing students' satisfaction in Palestine Technical University-Khadoury (PTUK) in Palestine toward using the learning management system (Moodle). Six potential factors were used including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, information quality, system quality, service quality, and computer self-efficacy. Surveying strategy was used to collect the required data; 372 questionnaires were analyzed using simple and multiple regression. The findings revealed that all the examined predictors had significant influence on students' satisfaction toward using LMS. These findings enrich the previous literature with input towards adopting learning management systems in higher education institutions. The authors recommended that the LMS at PTUK should be integrated with social media platforms, and designed in a way that allow it to work fully and properly on mobile phones.
Critical Analysis of Telecommunications Regulatory Governance in Malawi
Authors: Makoza Frank
Published: November 2020

This paper presents a critical analysis of power dynamics for telecommunications governance in the context of a developing country. The study used regulatory governance and critical discourse analysis as theoretical underpinnings. The case of telecommunications sector of Malawi was analysed using secondary data comprise policy documents and media reports. The results showed that power relations affected the autonomy of the telecommunications regulator in performing its functions. The effects of power dynamics created practices and conduct of stakeholders that contributed towards the barriers in market entry of mobile network operators in the telecommunications sector. Consequently, there was limited market competition and the cost of ICT services remained high. Power relations were also productive in enabling stakeholders to raise sector problems to the regulator. The study provides an understanding of power relations in the regulation of telecommunications in the context of an African country.
iASSIST
Authors: Zhu Zhigang , Chen Jin , Zhang Lei , Chang Yaohua , Franklin Tyler , Tang Hao , Ruci Arber
Published: November 2020

The iASSIST is an iPhone-based assistive sensor solution for independent and safe travel for people who are blind or visually impaired, or those who simply face challenges in navigating an unfamiliar indoor environment. The solution integrates information of Bluetooth beacons, data connectivity, visual models, and user preferences. Hybrid models of interiors are created in a modeling stage with these multimodal data, collected, and mapped to the floor plan as the modeler walks through the building. Client-server architecture allows scaling to large areas by lazy-loading models according to beacon signals and/or adjacent region proximity. During the navigation stage, a user with the navigation app is localized within the floor plan, using visual, connectivity, and user preference data, along an optimal route to their destination. User interfaces for both modeling and navigation use multimedia channels, including visual, audio, and haptic feedback for targeted users. The design of human subject test experiments is also described, in addition to some preliminary experimental results.
Enhancement of Production Rate and Flexibility in an Assembly Line by Execution of Various Lean Techniques - A Case Study
Authors: Sobya D. , Jeyabalan S.
Published: November 2020

This research work mainly focuses on the flexibility and productivity improvement through the execution of different lean techniques in the valve assembly of medium scale manufacturing unit. The different types of wastes percentage are determined to find out the waste which mainly affects the productivity. The major wastes of motion waste by about 30% and unwanted distance of 250 square foot were reduced by implementation of kaizen in the valve assembly area. Value stream mapping was used to identify the bottleneck process and by eliminating the bottleneck process results in the reduction of excess motion and non-value added activity by 45%. Work-in-process aging and work-in-process inventory cost was calculated and the production level was estimated by using 95th Percentile calculation. The total lead time was reduced about 54minutes with reduction of transportation time 2.7minutes after the implementation of lean techniques and the productivity of the valve assembly was also increased to about 6% after reducing the non-value added activities.