bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Chalcolithic – Early Bronze Age Transition: A View from the Judean Desert Caves, Southern Levant
Authors: Davidovich Uri
Published: October 2016

Dans cet article, sont revues les différentes propositions relatives à la présence du Chalcolithique récent (Ghassoulien) et à sa datation dans les grottes difficiles d’accès des reliefs du désert de Judée ; sont également étudiées les relations possibles de ces sites avec la fi n de la culture du Ghassoulien et la transition Chalcolithique-Bronze ancien. Les vestiges matériels et les données radiométriques de deux grottes, la «Cave of the Warrior » et celle de Zruia, datées de la première moitié du IVe millénaire, sont ici examinés, ce qui permet d’aborder les problèmes d’affiliations temporelles et culturelles de cette période. On considère que les grottes ont été utilisées comme refuges temporaires pendant le Chalcolithique récent et le Bronze ancien IB 1 («Erani C » ). Un écart d’un demi millénaire au moins existe entre ces deux périodes, au cours duquel une activité réduite et de nature indéterminée prend place.
Performance and Participation: Multi-sensual analysis of Near Eastern Pre-Pottery Neolithic Non-Domestic Architecture
Authors: Mc Bride Alexis
Published: October 2016

A series of non-domestic structures have been found at Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) sites across the Near East, but have not been comprehensively analysed to determine how they were used and perceived by inhabitants of the site. A multi-sensual embodied analysis of the non-domestic structures at Göbekli Tepe, Nevalı Çori, and Jerf el-Ahmar show that these structures were very open and undifferentiated, and would have facilitated sharing of highly charged experiences rather than fostering and materializing hierarchical relationships. Analysis of the physical reality of inhabiting these spaces permits a contextual and nuanced model of the capacity of the structures to be constructed, elucidating the types of relationships that would be created and maintained within these spaces.
Zhukov, un « sanctuaire » énéolithique d’anciens nomades dans la vallée du Zeravshan (Ouzbékistan)
Authors: Avanessova Nona A.
Published: October 2016

The publication is devoted to the study of an Eneolitic complex of early nomads in the valley of Zeravshan (Uzbekistan). The presence of Afanasiev antiquities is documented by a polycultural ritual complex at Jukov, and therefore it is one more feature in favor of migration theory of origin of Afanasiev culture of South Siberia and Central Asia. The general aspect of the stone enclosure untypical among the settlements and funerary monuments attests to the identity of the monument. The main markers of cult activities are : long term fi res, patches of ochre, pits with ochre, broken pottery, tools, weapons, symbolic elements inside this circular enclosure. The ritual character of the fi nds points out the existence of an open-air “ sanctuary” around the IVe-IIIe millennia BC.
Le Paléolithique moyen de la haute vallée du Kasakh (Arménie) : caractérisation technologique et peuplement de montagne
Authors: Colonge David , Jaubert Jacques , Nahapetyan Samvel , Ollivier Vincent , Arakelian Dimitri , Devilder Gauthier , Fourloubey Christophe , Jamois Marie-Hélène , Gasparyan Boris , Chataigner Christine
Published: October 2016

ENG: Southern Caucasus ; Armenian highlands ; Middle Palaeolithic ; Open-air sites ; Obsidian procurement ; Settlement patterns.
Obsidian Exchange Networks in Prehistoric Anatolia: New Data from the Black Sea Region
Authors: Düring Bleda S. , Gratuze Bernard
Published: October 2016

The reconstruction of obsidian exchange networks has been one of the success stories of archaeology. However, despite over five decades of research on this topic, investigations have focussed predominantly on a number of well documented exchange networks, creating an incomplete understanding of Prehistoric interactions. In this paper the focus is on an ephemeral obsidian exchange network in Northern Anatolia that has been little investigated. On the basis of new data from the Western Turkish Black Sea Region, the broader exchange network in the north is re-evaluated and new research avenues are opened up.
TBHP-mediated highly efficient dehydrogenative cross-oxidative coupling of methylarenes with acetanilides
Authors: Chen Cui , Liu Weibing , Zhou Peng
Published: October 2016

A TBHP-mediated dehydrogenative cross-oxidative-coupling approach has been developed for the synthesis of N-arylbenzamides from methylarenes and acetanilides. This cross-coupling method is free of transition metal catalysts and ligands, and no extra organic solvents are required, which make it an useful and attractive strategy for the straightforward construction of C–N bonds. Besides, this conversion is an important complement to the conventional C–N forming strategies.
A RESOLVED NEAR-INFRARED IMAGE OF THE INNER CAVITY IN THE GM Aur TRANSITIONAL DISK∗
Authors: Oh Daehyeon , Hashimoto Jun , Carson Joseph C. , Janson Markus , Kwon Jungmi , Nakagawa Takao , Mayama Satoshi , Uyama Taichi , Yang Yi , Kudo Tomoyuki , Kusakabe Nobuhiko , Abe Lyu , Akiyama Eiji , Brandner Wolfgang , Brandt Timothy D. , Currie Thayne , Feldt Markus , Goto Miwa , Grady Carol A. , Guyon Olivier , Hayano Yutaka , Hayashi Masahiko , Hayashi Saeko S. , Henning Thomas , Hodapp Klaus W. , Ishii Miki , Iye Masanori , Kandori Ryo , Knapp Gillian R. , Kuzuhara Masayuki , Matsuo Taro , Mcelwain Michael W. , Miyama Shoken , Morino Jun-Ichi , Moro-Martin Amaya , Nishimura Tetsuo , Pyo Tae-Soo , Serabyn Eugene , Suenaga Takuya , Suto Hiroshi , Suzuki Ryuji , Takahashi Yasuhiro H. , Takato Naruhisa , Terada Hiroshi , Thalmann Christian , Turner Edwin L. , Watanabe Makoto , Yamada Toru , Takami Hideki , Usuda Tomonori , Tamura Motohide
Published: October 2016

We present high-contrast H-band polarized intensity (PI) images of the transitional disk around the young solar-like star GM Aur. The near-infrared direct imaging of the disk was derived by polarimetric differential imaging using the Subaru 8.2 m Telescope and HiCIAO. An angular resolution and an inner working angle of 0.″07 and r ∼ 0.″05, respectively, were obtained. We clearly resolved a large inner cavity, with a measured radius of 18 ± 2 au, which is smaller than that of a submillimeter interferometric image (28 au). This discrepancy in the cavity radii at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths may be caused by a 3–4 M
Jup planet about 20 au away from the star, near the edge of the cavity. The presence of a near-infrared inner cavity is a strong constraint on hypotheses for inner cavity formation in a transitional disk. A dust filtration mechanism has been proposed to explain the large cavity in the submillimeter image, but our results suggest that this mechanism must be combined with an additional process. We found that the PI slope of the outer disk is significantly different from the intensity slope obtained from HST/NICMOS, and this difference may indicate the grain growth process in the disk.
Les recherches éthologiques récentes sur les phénomènes socio-culturels dans le monde animal : Un regard renouvelé en profondeur
Authors: Guillo Dominique
Published: October 2016

Les recherches sur la sociabilité animale au sens large ont été révolutionnées durant le demi-siècle écoulé, au plan théorique comme au plan empirique. Ces recherches nouvelles s’articulent principalement autour de deux thématiques : la description et l’explication du comportement social des animaux, d’une part, et celles des cultures animales , d’autre part. Bien loin de souscrire à un béhaviorisme sommaire, ces perspectives font ressortir empiriquement la complexité et la multiplicité des modes de sociabilité observables dans les différentes espèces animales. Outre ces découvertes empiriques, elles proposent des explications évolutionnistes extrêmement solides de l’apparition des comportements sociaux dans le monde vivant et des aptitudes culturelles animales. Toutefois, elles déploient une conception bien particulière de l’agentivité animale et des phénomènes socio-culturels, qui repose sur une épistémologie et des concepts quelque peu différents de ceux qui sont traditionnellement mobilisés dans les sciences sociales humaines. Ces différences – qui ne sont pas des incommensurabilités ou des contradictions – rendent illégitimes à la fois les tentatives d’explication réductionnistes de la sociabilité humaine, proposées par certains éthologues, et le rejet en bloc ou l’indifférence des sciences sociales à l’égard de ces recherches éthologiques sur les animaux. Par leur richesse, ces dernières invitent à trouver des voies qui articulent , sans les réduire les unes aux autres, les vues développées, chacune de leur côté et avec leurs propres méthodes, par les sciences sociales et par les sciences de la vie.
Comment articuler les sciences de la vie et les sciences sociales à propos des relations humains / animaux ? Un modèle interactionniste et évolutionniste
Authors: Claidière Nicolas , Guillo Dominique
Published: October 2016

Le modèle développé dans cet article vise à éclairer les relations interspécifiques en articulant les vues proposées dans la sociologie interactionniste, d’une part, et l’éthologie – et plus largement les sciences du comportement –, d’autre part. Ce modèle est centré sur l’interaction sociale et ses effets. Il repose sur l’idée selon laquelle la condition minimale de l’existence de faits sociaux et culturels n’est pas une identité partagée – de représentations, de comportements, d’une capacité à lire les intentions d’autrui, à imiter, à manipuler des symboles, ou encore une compréhension ou un sens communs. C’est une condition beaucoup moins restrictive : la possibilité d’ajustement pratique entre deux êtres au cours de leurs interactions – condition qui peut être réalisée entre deux êtres très différents. Un tel modèle fait ressortir avec acuité de nombreux phénomènes produits par les interactions – et tout particulièrement les interactions interspécifiques – qui échappent nécessairement aux perspectives appuyées sur les différentes déclinaisons du principe d’identité, en particulier celles qui restreignent le social learning à un mécanisme de copie – d’imitation. Pour illustrer ce modèle, nous nous appuierons sur l’étude des relations que les humains entretiennent avec deux espèces : les chiens et les macaques de Barbarie.
An Outdoor Mobile-Based Assessment Activity: Measuring Students’ Motivation and Acceptance
Authors: Nikou Stavros A. , Economides Anastasios A.
Published: October 2016

Mobile-devices are able to support a wide range of outdoor assessment activities. While there is a significant amount of research that investigates the acceptance of computer-based assessment from one side and the acceptance of mobile learning from the other, relatively few studies focus explicitly on the factors that influence the acceptance of Mobile-based Assessment. The current study implements a mobile-based outdoor educational activity in the city’s Botanic Gardens during an environmental education project. 50 secondary school students participated in a mobile-assisted assessment procedure using Quick Response (QR) - coding technology through their mobile devices. The study examines the impact of Perceived Mobility, Authentic Context and Interest/Enjoyment on students’ Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and Behavioral Intention to Use Mobile-based Assessment. Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used for the data analysis. Results show that Perceived Mobility, Authentic Context and Interest/Enjoyment, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use are all significant determinants of Behavioral Intention to Use mobile-based assessment. Furthermore, the study examines the impact of using mobile devices during the learning activity on students’ learning motivation. Implications for designing and implementing mobile-based assessment procedures are discussed.
VOISEE COMMUNICATOR: An Android Mobile Application for Hearing-impaired and Blind Communications
Authors: Landicho Junar Arciete
Published: October 2016

Voisee Communicator is an android type mobile messaging application designed and developed for the thorough communication between two disabled people most especially the hearing-impaired and blind people. With stable and smart Eclipse IDE and the availability of different built-in libraries in java especially the tts.speech.SpeechToText and tts.speech.RecognizerIntent has been taken advantage to create custom voice command functionalities.
Creating, replying, sending and forwarding messages are among the primary and fundamental features that this study has to offer. The researchers analyzed the results of the test survey and evaluation form and proved that the application is a user friendly, efficient and accurate in delivering messages to the recipient and has the important features that the users expected.
Novel Techniques to Enhance the Security of Smartphone Applications
Authors: Dar Muneer Ahmad , Parvez Javed
Published: October 2016

Smart phones have already become an important part of our lives. Smartphone is in the hands of millions of novice users who are unaware of the security concerns they may face. In order to address the security concerns of the millions of users, we propose and implement three novel techniques to enhance the security of these Smartphone’s.   The first Technique is Need based Security (NBS) wherein we take away the flexibility from the programmer and give the control to the users who can decide whether to permit the application to access any of the resources or not. In our second Technique we used the security API which will take care of everything in background and in our third technique we locked all the applications so that they can be restricted from doing any malicious activity. We tried to find out the security loopholes in one of the leading Smartphone operating system i.e. Android with the intension to apply the novel techniques proposed and implemented in this paper.
The Impact of Google Apps at Work: Higher Educational Perspective
Authors: Al-Emran Mostafa , Malik Sohail Iqbal
Published: October 2016

Google Apps brought many opportunities to enhance the work performance in the higher educational settings. This study aims to investigate the impact of Google Apps at work from the perspective of the higher educational institutions. An online questionnaire survey has been prepared and distributed among the academic and administrative staff at Al Buraimi University College, Oman for data collection. The total number of participants was 34. Different statistical analyses were performed on the collected data. Results revealed that the administrative staffs were more positive toward using Google Apps than the academics in performing their work while 58.8 % of the Academics indicated that they are using Google Apps in processing their work. The results of this study indicate that Google Apps are highly perceived by both academic and administrative staffs. This is evidence that these Apps have a significant impact on performing the work in the higher educational settings. Limitations and future work have been addressed.
Civic Education and Citizen Science
Authors: Ceccaroni Luigi , Bowser Anne , Brenton Peter
Published: October 2016

The first goal of this chapter is to propose a slight re-framing of citizen science, which will contextualize the information presented in the rest of the book. The authors propose a perspective on and a definition for citizen science (which is alternative to the numerous previously documented definitions) as: “work undertaken by civic educators together with citizen communities to advance science, foster a broad scientific mentality, and/or encourage democratic engagement, which allows society to deal rationally with complex modern problems”. By explaining the rationale behind this definition, the authors also hope to raise awareness of the role that the meaning of words and phrases (semantics) plays in understanding and supporting citizen science. A second goal of this chapter is to explain how different organizations already use certain software solutions to organize knowledge about citizen science, how these systems can be classified and how they can facilitate or impede interoperability – the ability of humans and machines to pass information between each other.
Can Citizen Science Seriously Contribute to Policy Development?
Authors: Chapman Colin , Hodges Crona
Published: October 2016

This chapter considers the potential for citizen science to contribute to policy development. A background to evidence-based policy making is given, and the requirement for data to be robust, reliable and, increasingly, cost-effective is noted. The potential for the use of ‘co-design' strategies with stakeholders, to add value to their engagement as well as provide more meaningful data that can contribute to policy development, is presented and discussed. Barriers to uptake can be institutional and the quality of data used in evidence-based policy making will always need to be fully assured. Data must be appropriate to the decision making process at hand and there is potential for citizen science to fill important, existing data-gaps.
Surface Water Information Collection
Authors: Gillingham Mark
Published: October 2016

This chapter's starting premise is that for decades the United States Environmental Protection Agency region subsuming most of the Great Lakes watershed has been partially monitored by private citizens, but collected data have been underutilized by water managers, scientists, and policymakers. Today, citizens with only a smartphone can dramatically increase our understanding of surface water, help managers and policymakers, and educate the general public about the quality of water. The US Clean Water Act and National Strategy for Civil Earth Observations have helped to coordinate citizen scientists and direct funds to surface-water monitoring. And more contributors are being solicited and trained to help with the enormous task of monitoring lakes and streams. At the same time, technology allows citizens with a smartphone to accomplish what previously required experts in a lab: to act for clean water!
Applications of the Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis Method for Consumer Preference Study
Authors: Trzaskalik Tadeusz , Namieciński Piotr , Bajdak Andrzej , Jarek Slawomir
Published: October 2016

Introducing a new product to the market is a complex, costly and time-consuming process which requires research on consumer preferences. On the basis of information on the characteristics of the new product and its competitors, as well as on the competitors and their market shares, the company has to estimate future market shares and to determine the profile of potential consumers inclined to purchase the new product. The purpose of our paper is to present a method of consumer preference research when introducing a new product, using a multiple criteria method called Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis (SMAA). To apply this method, no information requiring tedious research is needed. SMAA allows to obtain essential information on the potential market power of the new product already at an early stage of its preparation. Furthermore, the flexibility of the SMAA method allows to easily expand the scope of the analysis by including additional information and various techniques of the modeling of the consumer selection process.
Improving Customer Experience Using Sentiment Analysis in E-Commerce
Authors: Jain Vinay Kumar , Kumar Shishir
Published: October 2016

In today's world, millions of online users post their opinions on product features, services, quality, benefits and other values of the products. These opinions or sentiment data generated via different communication mediums often include vital data points that can be fruitful for businesses in understanding customer experiences, products quality and services. The E-commerce companies considered social media platform for new product launch, promotion of products and features or establishing a successful business to customer relationship which produces great results. Analytics on this Social media data helps in identifying the customers in the right demographic, psychographic and lifestyle group. This chapter identifying important characteristics of customer reviews which help businesses houses to improve their marketing strategies.
Adoption of Online Marketing for Service SMEs with Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach
Authors: Ocampo Lanndon , Alarde Rosalin Merry Berdin , Kilongkilong Dennis Anthony , Esmero Antonio
Published: October 2016

This chapter attempts to fill in the gap of evaluating the viability of adopting online marketing for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in service industries. As SMEs are generally characterized by shortage of resources, the use of online marketing strategies is apparently difficult. However, the current landscape of competition among SMEs in a global market economy prompts the necessity of adopting online marketing. With these, the decision-making process of SMEs in this area becomes complex and the decisions must integrate complex and interrelating criteria and constructs in order to provide a more holistic solution. Thus, this work adopts a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method particularly the analytic network process (ANP) in order to evaluate the practicability of using online marketing for service SMEs. It becomes highly relevant as it provides significant insights to decision-makers in SMEs regarding the use of online marketing strategy. The contribution of this chapter lies in the application of MCDM in evaluating viability of online marketing in service SMEs.
E-Retailing from Past to Future
Authors: Ozturk Zehra Kamisli , Alegoz Mehmet
Published: October 2016

In this chapter, first, the definition, the advantages and disadvantages of e-retailing are given and the related literature about e-retailing is briefly explained in order to give a background to unfamiliar readers. Then, the qualitative and quantitative criteria which affect the e-retailer selection are determined and some e-retailers are evaluated by using a multi-phase, integrated Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach. In first phase of proposed MCDM approach, the weight of each criterion is determined. In second phase, a pre-evaluation is made and some of the e-retailers are eliminated. In last phase, the remaining retailers are evaluated and the best one is determined. Finally, the study is concluded by discussions, inferences and recommendations for future work.
Operating Commodities Market by Automated Traders
Authors: Laib Fodil , Radjef Mohammed Said
Published: October 2016

This is an introductory work to the field of automatizing futures markets, related to commodities, so far operated by human traders. First, we build a mathematical framework for a futures market with many producers and consumers represented by automated traders in the market platform. Then we suggest an automatic trading strategy for the automatons. This strategy takes into account the forecasts of supply and demand streams as well as the evolution of nominal price. Later, we recall a set of analytical criteria used to measure the performance of a trading strategy. Next, we illustrate our approach by showing a price pattern generated by the automatic strategy and calculate its performances. Finally, we exhibit a heuristic based on simulation allowing to compute a quasi-optimal parameters matrix for this automatic trading system.
E-Learning and Management Education at African Universities
Authors: Naidoo Vannie
Published: October 2016

Technology has bridged all areas in society from government, corporate, society and education. Technology has changed the classroom dynamics in higher education institutions. Management education attracts the most elite students into our programs. These students join the faculty so that they can acquire qualifications and skills and one day join the business, entrepreneurship or corporate world. The new technologies are teaching tools that can be used to assist academics to enhance their teaching in the classroom. Some of these technologies are: desktop and laptop computers; notepads, Software; including assistive software; interactive whiteboards; digital cameras; mobile and wireless tools, including mobile phones; Electronic communication tools, including e-mail, discussion; Virtual learning Environments and Learning activity management systems e.g. E-Learning. Management educators should embrace technology in their curriculum and program offerings.
Medical Video Processing
Authors: Goswami Srijan , Dey Urmimala , Roy Payel , Ashour Amira , Dey Nilanjan
Published: October 2016

In today's medical environments, imaging technology is extremely significant to provide information for accurate diagnosis. An increasing amount of graphical information from high resolution 3D scanners is being used for diagnoses. Improved medical data quality become one of the major aims of researchers. This leads to the development of various medical modalities supported by cameras that can provide videos for the human body internal for surgical purposes and more information for accurate diagnosis. The current chapter studied concept of the video processing, and its application in the medical domain. Based on the highlighted literatures, it is convinced that video processing and real time frame will have outstanding value in the clinical environments.
Feature Detectors and Descriptors Generations with Numerous Images and Video Applications
Authors: Dey Nilanjan , Ashour Amira S. , Hassanien Aboul Ella
Published: October 2016

Feature detectors have a critical role in numerous applications such as camera calibrations, object recognition, biometrics, medical applications and image/video retrieval. One of its main tasks is to extract point correspondences “Interest points” between two similar scenes, objects, images or video shots. Extensive research has been done concerning the progress of visual feature detectors and descriptors to be robust against image deformations and achieve reduced computational speed in real-time applications. The current chapter introduced an overview of feature detectors such as Moravec, Hessian, Harris and FAST (Features from Accelerated Segment Test). It addressed the feature detectors' generation over time, the principle concept of each type, and their use in image/video applications. Furthermore, some recent feature detectors are addressed. A comparison based on these points is performed to illustrate their respective strengths and weaknesses to be a base for selecting an appropriate detector according to the application under concern.
How Is the Personality of Facebook Customers?
Authors: Delgado Juan Jose
Published: October 2016

This chapter claims to understand the implications of Cloninger´s psychobiological model of temperament in the people behaviour on social networking sites. This study uses secondary information as well as primary data. The author collected and analyzed an online survey with a sample of 365 individuals. The study contributed to bridging the research gap of the correlation between the Cloninger´s psychobiological model of temperament and people behaviour on SNSs. The main findings show that clear correlation exists between Cloninger´s psychobiological temperament dimensions and the way people interacts on Facebook. Mainly, temperament is affecting in almost all the areas that have been tested; Facebook affinity uses of Facebook, motives and barriers of using Facebook.
Neuromarketing from the Perspective of Advertising Professionals
Authors: Bakir Ugur , Elden Muge , Gecit Erdem
Published: October 2016

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with the senior level advertising agency employees that work in the creative and strategic planning departments to learn about their opinions on neuromarketing and the various issues related to neuromarketing. Interpretative phenomenology analysis (IPA) was used to examine the research data. The study reveals three interpretive themes: 1) Neuromarketing and advertising research (the role of research in advertising – applying neuromarketing to advertising); 2) perspectives on neuromarketing and related topics (concerns about creativity in advertising – ethical issues); and 3) the future of neuromarketing. The results from this study indicate that advertising professionals are aware of neuroscience, but opinions on the use of neuroscience in marketing and advertising differ mostly based on the department they work in at the agency.
Vulnerability of the Lakshadweep Coral Islands in India and Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change Impacts
Authors: Khanna B. K.
Published: October 2016

Strategies for mitigating climate change impact on the vulnerable Lakshadweep coral islands have been drawn up in accordance with the principles, guidelines and strategies laid down in the Indian National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The region most vulnerable to inundation from accelerated sea level rise (at least 40 cm by 2100) is the Lakshadweep archipelago. The first section of the chapter reviews the origin and geophysical features, climate profile, sectoral impact of climate change and vulnerabilities of Lakshdweep. The second section deals with climate change strategies and their adaptation, recommending appropriate actions for coping strategies to be adopted by local communities to be resilient against the adverse impacts of climate change. The third section outlines the Lakshadweep Action Plan for Climate Change (LAPCC) and the fourth section describes integrating LAPCC within the NAPCC, successes and challenges ahead. For small islands it is a notable case study to emulate, mitigating the effects of climate change while not deviating from development goals.
Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in the Caribbean
Authors: Eudoxie Gaius , Roopnarine Ronald
Published: October 2016

Caribbean countries share unique features such as small size, geographical location, limited natural resources, low economic status aligned with ambitious developmental agendas, all of which influences their vulnerability to natural disasters. Agriculture and tourism are the main economic drivers for Caribbean states. Notably, both these sectors are highly prone to natural disasters. Other sectors including forestry, biodiversity, coastal resources and inland water resources are also susceptible to climatic hazards. The eroding natural resource base aligned to these sectors demands appropriate management. Risk assessment is integral in planning and preparing for natural hazards. Several methods have been used in the Caribbean with varying success. Two successful examples are the Land Degradation Assessment (LADA) conducted in Grenada and the Landslide Mapping in Trinidad. The LADA project geospatially quantified the extent of land degradation and presented data in support of natural resource management. The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) was a milestone establishment for regional disaster management. Introduction and implementation of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) strategy transformed disaster management from simply response and recovery, to include preparedness, prevention and mitigation. This approach included the appointment of national focal points in all participating countries, a feature that aimed to build and improve communication channels. Whilst mostly positive, the present approach has also showcased limitations to long term sustainability. Most islands lack effective governance structures with a dedicated budget to disaster management and where available, activities are centrally operated. Improving social resilience through community engagement is seen as critical to the success of CDM. Social media has also been shown to add real value to networking and communication in disaster management.
Impact of Climate Change on a Key Agricultural Pest
Authors: Garrick Tamika A. , Liburd Oscar E.
Published: October 2016

The world population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050 and most of this growth will occur in developing countries. As population increases, more arable lands will be used to construct cities and these activities increase CO2 in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Climate assessments have shown rising sea levels and increase in the frequency of droughts in many dry areas. Prolonged droughts can decrease the relative amounts of water available for human consumption and agriculture. In developing countries agriculture contributes to more than 15% of GDP and when crops and livestock are deprived of water they become more susceptible to pests and diseases. As climate change continues to occur there is a need to develop strategies to manage key invasive pest and disease species that threaten agricultural production. Thrips are major agricultural pests with the majority of species in tropical regions. They are cosmopolitan in nature and damage crops when they feed and lay eggs in many parts of the plant. Thrips are also vectors for spreading plant diseases. They disperse quickly into new areas where susceptible hosts exist. This chapter focuses on a few important thrips species that threatens agricultural production in the Americas including Central and South America and the Caribbean. The chapter discusses the ecology and pest management strategies for key invasive thrips species and examines the potential effects of climate change on these troublesome species.
The Impact of Climate Change on Small Ruminant Performance in Caribbean Communities
Authors: Lallo Cicero H. O. , Smalling Sebrena , Facey Audley , Hughes Martin
Published: October 2016

Many Caribbean small ruminant management systems are forage-based, relying on rain to sustain pastures for feed. Animal performance is thus heavily dependent on forage availability. The nutritive value of pasture was highest during the intermediate season and lowest during the dry season, leading to under nutrition, and declined flock performance in the dry season. Climate change will therefore seriously hamper pasture availability and nutritive value. Hair sheep on pasture, without shade or water, experienced increased respiration rate, they were under chronic heat stress. However, where adequate shade and water were provided, heat stress was reduced. The current system of small ruminant production is prone to the negative impacts of climate change events due to its effect on nutrition, growth and reproduction. Immediate actions are needed to prepare farmers to respond by mitigation methods, to maintain and enhance animal productivity if the envisaged protein security goals set for this sector are to be realized.
Modelling the Frequency of Tropical Cyclones in the Lower Caribbean Region
Authors: Stone Reynold J.
Published: October 2016

Modelling the frequency of occurrence of tropical cyclones is an important step in assessing risk with a view toward mitigating their adverse impacts The Poisson model was evaluated for modelling the frequency of tropical cyclones over and around Trinidad and Tobago's area of influence by statistically analysing a data series extracted from the Atlantic HURDAT2 count time series data for the period 1851 to 2014. This was tested for serial correlation and the residuals of a Poisson regression analysis. Both tests failed to detect the presence of trends or cycles thereby indicating that the data series is random. The Poisson model was subsequently fitted to the data. It was concluded that there has been no increasing trend in the frequency of tropical cyclones. Therefore, widespread claims of an increasing trend in the frequency of tropical cyclones in Trinidad and Tobago's area of influence have no valid empirical basis. The Poisson model is recommended for estimating the probabilities of occurrence of tropical cyclones.
Institutionalizing Academic Integrity
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: October 2016

Academic dishonesty can come in a variety of forms. Hence, there is a need for academics to stay abreast of the many and varied methods of cheating, and potentially, utilize an array of prevention and detection strategies in ‘combination'. This very dynamics of academic dishonesty, fails the very purpose of education, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and educational systems. If learners engage in academic dishonesty or malpractice either intentionally or unintentionally; it not only retards the learning and development, but more important raises questions on Academic Integrity (AI) of HEIs on which the whole edifice of educational process rests. Through grounded research, an in-depth literature review, deep observation, and being a part of HE for nearly two decades, this chapter delves into the causes of academic dishonesty. The focus is on the need and mechanism to institutionalize polices for AI, which the present hour demands.
Academic Integrity
Authors: Li Mingsheng
Published: October 2016

Student plagiarism is a pervasive issue at all levels of study in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) around the world. Plagiarism is considered as a cultural phenomenon and students from certain cultures are often stereotyped as ‘persistent plagiarists'. This chapter reports the findings of a research project and examines the issues of academic dishonesty reported by Chinese students in New Zealand universities. Four lecturers and six university graduates participated in the interviews and the focus group discussion. The study has identified seven forms of disguised plagiarism deriving from four interrelated variables: inadequate language proficiency, lack of discipline knowledge and conventions, issues of assessment, and situational variables. The university is morally responsible to teach the students the concept of Academic Integrity (AI) and plagiarism, discipline conventions and rules of games in academic writing, and develop their language, writing, and research skills to help them avoid the traps of plagiarism.
A Clear Pathway
Authors: Velliaris Donna M.
Published: October 2016

The educational institution participating in this research is a pre-university pathway college in South Australia. Specific to this study are the international students who enter this educational organization to undertake a Diploma in Business, Information Technology (IT) or Engineering, which constitutes the ‘first-year' of a Bachelor's degree at the partner university. In response to a mandatory online questionnaire, 106 responses were gathered from new students to the open-ended question—What is the difference between ‘group work' and ‘collusion'? Faculty are taking greater responsibility for elucidating the ‘line' between authorized and unauthorized collaboration. Deep(er) understanding of students' views/notions of these two concepts are indispensable if institutions with diverse student populations are to develop effective policies and procedures for increasing Academic Integrity (AI) among all members of the teaching and learning community.
Welding Process under Fault Coverage Approach for Reliability and MTTF
Authors: Goyal Nupur , Ram Mangey , Kumar Pranshu
Published: October 2016

This chapter deals with the problems occur in the welding under the consideration of many causes of defects such as cracking, distortion, porosity, inclusion and undercutting. Welding is very useful for every industry. It is used as a fabrication and sculptural that joins the two parts of materials, generally metals or thermoplastic, through a restricted amalgamation from a suitable combination of temperature, pressure and metallurgical conditions. In this chapter, authors study that the welding process is how much reliable when many causes of defects taken account into this process and try to find out the reliability and mean time to failure of welding process with the help of Markov modelling and supplementary variable technique. They derived the generalised expression for the probability of each possible transition state, probability of upstate and downstate of welding, and also studied the sensitivity in reliability and MTTF of welding. Fault coverage technique has been developed to enhance the reliability of the welding process for practical utility in the industry.
Electrical Impedance Modeling of Electrochemical Spark Micromachining Process
Authors: Kulkarni Anjali Vishwas
Published: October 2016

Electrochemical spark micromachining (ECSMM) process, an advanced machining process, has been used for micromachining. Various kinds of machining power sources, different workpiece materials and different tool materials have been used to study the performance of the process. The nature of the sparking has been investigated by studying the online, transient process current in synchronization with the machining supply voltage. Based on the study of the transient current, the spark formation process is identified as discrete and repetitive. The spark formation comprises of many physical and chemical phases in a single spark cycle. The online process current has been mathematically analyzed to formulate the electrical model of the process to understand the overall process mechanism. The electrical impedance in each phase of a single spark cycle is modeled. This semiempirical modeled impedance is compared against the impedance computed by taking the ratio of the measured online voltage and current data during single spark formation.
Development of a Material Constitutive Model and Simulation Technique to Predict Nonlinearities in Piezoelectric Materials under Weak Electric Fields
Authors: Samal M. K.
Published: October 2016

Piezoceramic materials exhibit different types of nonlinearities depending upon the magnitude of the mechanical and electric field strength in the continuum. Some of the nonlinearities observed under weak electric fields are: presence of superharmonics in the response spectra and jump phenomena etc. especially if the system is excited near resonance. It has also been observed by many researchers that, at weak alternating stress fields, the relationship between the piezoelectrically induced charge and applied stress in ferroelectric ceramics, has the same form as the Rayleigh law (for magnetization versus magnetic field) in ferromagnetic materials. Applicability of the Rayleigh law to the piezoelectric effect has been demonstrated for Lead Zirconate Titanate ceramics by many researchers and their experimental results indicate that the dominant mechanism responsible for piezoelectric hysteresis and the dependence of the piezoelectric coefficient on the applied alternating stress is the pinning of non-180° domain walls. In this chapter, the Rayleigh law for ferromagnetic hysteresis has been modified and incorporated in a nonlinear electric enthalpy function and then applied in the analysis of hysteresis behavior of piezoelectric continua. Analytical solutions have been derived for a cantilever beam actuated by two piezo-patches attached to the top and bottom of the beam and excited by opposite electric fields. Analysis has been carried out at different electric field excitations of varying amplitude and frequencies and the results have been compared with the available experimental results from literature.
Stochastic Approach to Uncertainty Control in Multiphysics Systems
Authors: Kostyuchenko Yuriy V. , Movchan Dmytro , Artemenko Igor , Kopachevsky Ivan
Published: October 2016

The problem of uncertainty analysis in multi-component systems is considered. As an example a problem of decision making under uncertainty in task of modeling of carbon balance and analysis of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions using satellite tools was considered. Approaches to decision making under uncertainty are described: interval, fuzzy, and stochastic assessments. Different approaches and algorithms to calculate carbon and GHG emissions are described. For every algorithm (deterministic inventory, ecological modeling, and satellite control of emissions) errors and uncertainties are analyzed and estimated. Algorithms for uncertainty analysis are presented. Algorithm for analysis of components of uncertainty of vegetation productivity assessment using satellite data is proposed. Uncertainty component analysis allows understand important properties of the system studied and its feedback to anthropogenic load and climate impact. It was demonstrated that the comprehensive analysis of uncertainties not only reduces errors but also obtains new knowledge about the systems studied.
Numerical Simulation of High Temperature Deformation Behavior of Nickel-Based Superalloys Using Crystal Plasticity Models and Finite Element Method
Authors: Samal M. K.
Published: October 2016

Development of reliable computational models to predict the high temperature deformation behavior of nickel based super-alloys is in the forefront of materials research. These alloys find wide applications in manufacturing of turbine blades and discs of aircraft engines. The micro-structure of these alloys consists of the primary gamma-prime phase and the secondary and tertiary precipitates (of Ni3Al type) are dispersed as gamma-prime phases in the gamma-matrix. It is computationally expensive to incorporate the explicit finite element model of the micro-structure in a crystal plasticity based constitutive framework to simulate the response of the polycrystalline micro-structure. Existing models in literature do not account for these underlying micro-structural features which are important for simulation of polycrystalline response. The aim of this chapter is to present a physically-motivated multi-scale approach for simulation of high temperature response of Nickel-based super-alloys. At the lower length scale, a dislocation density based crystal plasticity model is developed which simulates the response of various types of micro-structures. The micro-structures are designed with various shapes and volume fractions of gamma-prime precipitates. A new model for simulation of the mechanism of anti-phase boundary shearing of the gamma-prime precipitates, by the matrix dislocations, is presented in this chapter. The lower scale model is homogenized as a function of various micro-structural parameters and the homogenized model is used in the next scale of multi-scale simulation. In addition, a new criterion for initiation of micro-twin and a constitutive model for twin strain accumulation are developed. This new micro-twin model along with the homogenized crystal plasticity model has been used to simulate the creep response of a single crystal nickel-based super-alloy and the results have been compared with those of experiment from literature. It was observed that the new model has been able to model the tension-compression asymmetry as observed in single crystal experiments.
Discovering Basics
Authors: Courduff Jennifer , Duncan Amy
Published: October 2016

A review of special education law and AT will provide the context for teaching and learning in the inclusive classroom. Following, foundations of AT and effective implementation strategies at the classroom level will be discussed. The process by which teachers can be supported in integrating technology tools into learning tasks will be reviewed, and the importance of making emotional connections and providing time to practice and share in an environment where failure is seen as an opportunity for growth will be provided. Finally, systemic implementation issues and strategies for success will also be shared.