Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ssrn As An Initial Revolution In Academic Knowledge Aggregation And Dissemination, David Bray, Sascha Vitzthum, Benn Konsynski

Sascha Vitzthum

Within this paper we consider our results of using the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) over a period of 18 months to distribute our working papers to the research community. Our experiences have been quite positive, with SSRN serving as a platform both to inform our colleagues about our research as well as inform us about related research (through email and telephoned conversations of colleagues who discovered our paper on SSRN). We then discuss potential future directions for SSRN to consider, and how SSRN might well represent an initial revolution in 21st century academic knowledge aggregation and dissemination. Our paper …

Towards Self-Organizing, Smart Business Networks: Let’S Create ‘Life’ From Inert Information, David Bray, Benn Konsynski

David A. Bray

We review three different theories that can inform how researchers can determine the performance of smart business networks, to include: (1) the Theory of Evolution, (2) the Knowledge-Based Theory of the Firm, and (3) research insights into computers and cognition. We suggest that each of these theories demonstrate that to be generally perceived as smart, an organism needs to be self-organizing, communicative, and tool-making. Consequentially, to determine the performance of a smart business network, we suggest that researchers need to determine the degree to which it is self-organizing, communicative, and tool-making. We then relate these findings to the Internet and …

Networking, William Osei-Poku

William Osei-Poku

No abstract provided.

Player Guild Dynamics And Evolution In Massively Multiplayer Online Games, Chien Hsun Chen, J. L. Hsieh, C. T. Sun

Chien Hsun Chen

In the latest versions of massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), developers have purposefully made guilds part of game environments. Guilds represent a powerful method for giving players a sense of online community, but there is little quantitative data on guild dynamics. To address this topic, we took advantage of a feature found in one of today’s most popular MMOGs (World of Warcraft) to collect in-game data: user interfaces that players can modify and refine. In addition to collecting data on in-game player activities, we used this feature to observe and investigate how players join and leave guilds. Data were analyzed …

Leading Firms As Knowledge Gatekeepers In A Networked Environment, Deogratias Harorimana Mr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

This chapter introduces the role of the knowledge gatekeeper as a mechanism by which knowledge is created and transferred in a networked environment. Knowledge creation and transfer are essential for building a knowledge based economy. The chapter considers obstacles that inhibit this process and argues that leading firms create a shared socio-cultural context that enables the condivision of tacit meanings and codification of knowledge. Leading firms act as gatekeepers of knowledge through the creation of shared virtual platforms. There will be a leading firm that connects several networks of clients and suppliers may not interact directly with one another, but …

Report Of The Commission To Assess The Threat To The United States From Emp Attack: Critical National Infrastructures, William R. Graham

George H Baker

The physical and social fabric of the United States is sustained by a system of systems; a complex and dynamic network of interlocking and interdependent infrastructures (“critical national infrastructures”) whose harmonious functioning enables the myriad actions, transactions, and information flow that undergird the orderly conduct of civil society in this country. The vulnerability of these frastructures to threats — deliberate, accidental, and acts of nature — is the focus of greatly heightened concern in the current era, a process accelerated by the events of 9/11 and recent hurricanes, including Katrina and Rita. This report presents the results of the Commission’s …

The Emerging Ethics Of Humancentric Gps Tracking And Monitoring, Katina Michael, Andrew Mcnamee, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is increasingly being adopted by private and public enterprise to track and monitor humans for location-based services (LBS). Some of these applications include personal locators for children, the elderly or those suffering from Alzheimer’s or memory loss, and the monitoring of parolees for law enforcement, security or personal protection purposes. The continual miniaturization of the GPS chipset means that receivers can take the form of wristwatches, mini mobiles and bracelets, with the ability to pinpoint the longitude and latitude of a subject 24/7/365. This paper employs usability context analyses to draw out the emerging ethical …

Location-Based Intelligence – Modeling Behavior In Humans Using Gps, Katina Michael, Andrew Mcnamee, M G. Michael, Holly Tootell

Professor Katina Michael

This paper introduces the notion of location-based intelligence by tracking the spatial properties and behavior of a single civilian participant over a two-week study period using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, and displaying them on a geographic information system (GIS). The paper clearly shows the power of combining speed (S), distance (D), time (T) and elevation (E) data with the exact longitude and latitude position of the user. The issues drawn from the observation and the civilian’s personal diary are useful in understanding the social implications of tracking and monitoring objects and subjects using GPS. The findings show that …

The (In)Essentiality Of Monopoly Power In Network Neutrality Violations, Matthias Bärwolff

Matthias Bärwolff

It has recently been proposed that competition in the provision of internet access does not obtain the normative goals of network neutrality proponents. Even under competition internet access providers will still have substantial incentives to discriminate against independent providers' content and applications.

We argue that this argument effectively conforms to basic insights from models of monopolistic competition and, in itself, holds little of the policy relevance alleged by network neutrality advocates. Without empirical validation the conclusions of such an argument-an urgent call for material network neutrality regulation-is unjustified.

Further, we point to the duality of the discrimination problem, for the …

Information Commons To Go, Marc D. Bayer

Marc D Bayer

This article describes the concept of a virtual information commons based not on the Web but on portable drives. ic2go is a collection of portable applications that are served from your USB device by a portable Web server. The applications have been configured to work properly and to include valuable support resources for the end user.

A Hybrid Approach To Projects In Gaming Courses, Amber Settle, Joe Linhoff, André Berthiaume

Amber Settle

Double Cross Playing Diamonds, Rudolf Kaehr

Rudolf Kaehr

Understanding interactivity in/between bigraphs and diamonds Grammatologically, the Western notational system is not offering space in itself to place sameness and otherness necessary to realize interaction/ality. Alphabetism is not prepared to challenge the dynamics of interaction directly. The Chinese writing system in its scriptural structuration, is able to place complex differences into itself, necessary for the development and design of formal systems and programming languages of interaction. The challenge of interactionality to Western thinking, modeling and design interactivity has to be confronted with the decline of the scientific power of alpha-numeric notational systems as media of living in a complex …

Short Studies 2008. Adventures In Diamond Strategies Of Change(S), Rudolf Kaehr

Rudolf Kaehr

Modular Bolognese Paradoxes of postmodern education. A Tale of Fishes, Birds and Diamonds in Second-Order Epistemology Why it is useless to write about the mono-contexturality of alphabetism and digitalism Chez Maxime's Human rights in a polycontextural world Primary Thoughts to a Manifesto for Awareness Fashion Marketing Which Equality? How equal are equal human beings? Generalized Diamonds From monosemic to tectonic complementarity Diamond Disremption Diamond interpretation of the kenomic succession operation Diamond Web2.0? How social is social networking? Web Mobility Web computing between semiotic and kenomic spaces Double Cross Playing Diamonds Understanding interactivity in/between bigraphs and diamonds Morphogrammatics of Change A …

Perspectives On Social Cognition, Leslie Marsh, Christian Onof

Leslie Marsh

No longer is sociality the preserve of the social sciences, or ‘‘culture’’ the preserve of the humanities or anthropology. By the same token, cognition is no longer the sole preserve of the cognitive sciences. Social cognition (SC) or, sociocognition if you like, is thus a kaleidoscope of research projects that has seen exponential growth over the past 30 or so years. That so many disciplines now invoke the term ‘‘social cognition,’’ shouldn’t tempt one into thinking that they are all denoting the same idea. On the contrary, with such methodologically and perspectivally diverse interests involved, there is every chance that …

Perspectives On Social Cognition, Leslie Marsh, Christian Onof

Leslie Marsh

No longer is sociality the preserve of the social sciences, or ‘‘culture’’ the preserve of the humanities or anthropology. By the same token, cognition is no longer the sole preserve of the cognitive sciences. Social cognition (SC) or, sociocognition if you like, is thus a kaleidoscope of research projects that has seen exponential growth over the past 30 or so years. That so many disciplines now invoke the term ‘‘social cognition,’’ shouldn’t tempt one into thinking that they are all denoting the same idea. On the contrary, with such methodologically and perspectivally diverse interests involved, there is every chance that …

Validation Of Programmes Of Higher Education In Ireland - The Role Of The Higher Education And Training Awards Council, Deirdre Lillis, Tara Ryan

Deirdre Lillis

This paper considers the programme validation arrangements in place in one half of the Irish higher education sector. It outlines how responsibility for programme validation can be safely delegated to Institutions within a robust overarching framework for quality assurance. It compares programme validation in Institutions with self awarding status with Institutions that have their programmes validated by a national Awarding agency. The paper concludes that when programme validation in Ireland and (potentially) across Europe is examined more closely, processes that appear to be very different on the surface can be quite similar in reality. From a philosophical perspective it appears …

Tourism Development In Aqaba And Human Sustainability, Philadelphia University

Philadelphia University, Jordan

No abstract provided.

Automatic Identification Of Discourse Moves In Scientific Article Introductions, Elena Cotos, Nick Pendar

Elena Cotos

This paper reports on the first stage of building an educational tool for international graduate students to improve their academic writing skills. Taking a text-categorization approach, we experimented with several models to automatically classify sentences in research article introductions into one of three rhetorical moves. The paper begins by situating the project within the larger framework of intelligent computer-assisted language learning. It then presents the details of the study with very encouraging results. The paper then concludes by commenting on how the system may be improved and how the project is intended to be pursued and evaluated.

Brain Bases Of Individual Differences In Cognition, Chantel Prat, Marcel Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

A Decrease In Brain Activation Associated With Driving When Listening To Someone Speak, Marcel Just, Timothy Keller, Jacquelyn Cynkar

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Fmri Investigation Of Working Memory For Faces In Autism: Visual Coding And Underconnectivity With Frontal Areas, Hideya Koshino, Rajesh Kana, Timothy Keller, Vladimir Cherkassky, Nancy Minshew, Marcel Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Bayesian Density Forecasting Of Intraday Electricity Prices Using Multivariate Skew T Distributions, Anastasios Panagiotelis, Michael Smith

Michael Stanley Smith

Electricity spot prices exhibit strong time series properties, including substantial periodicity, both inter-day and intraday serial correlation, heavy tails and skewness. In this paper we capture these characteristics using a first order vector autoregressive model with exogenous effects and a skew t distributed disturbance. The vector is longitudinal, in that it comprises observations on the spot price at intervals during a day. A band two inverse scale matrix is employed for the disturbance, as well as a sparse autoregressive coefficient matrix. This corresponds to a parsimonious dependency structure that directly relates an observation to the two immediately prior, and the …

Rounds, Levels, And Waves: The Early Evolution Of Gameplay Segmentation, Jose Zagal, Clara Fernandez-Vara, Michael Mateas

Jose P Zagal

This article explores the early evolution of the structure and management of gameplay in videogames. We introduce the notion of gameplay segmentation to capture the role that design elements like level, boss, and wave play in videogames, and identify three modes of segmentation. Temporal segmentation limits, synchronizes and/or coordinates player activity over time. Spatial segmentation breaks the game’s virtual space into sub-locations. Challenge segmentation presents the player with a sequence of self-contained challenges. We describe each mode, and additional sub-modes, by analyzing vintage arcade games. Our analyses illustrate how these games represent a “primordial soup” in which many current game …

Using Fmri Brain Activation To Identify Cognitive States Associated With Perception Of Tools And Dwellings, Svetlana V. Shinkareva, Robert A. Mason, Vicente L. Malave, Wei Wang, Tom M. Mitchell, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Modifying The Brain Activation Of Poor Readers During Sentence Comprehension With Extended Remedial Instruction: A Longitudinal Study Of Neuroplasticity, Ann Meyler, Timothy A. Keller, Vladimir L. Cherkassky, John D. E. Gabrieli, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

What Brain Imaging Can Tell Us About Embodied Meaning, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Theory Of Mind Disruption And Recruitment Of The Right Hemisphere During Narrative Comprehension In Autism, Robert A. Mason, Diane L. Williams, Rajesh K. Kana, Nancy J. Minshew, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.

Predicting Human Brain Activity Associated With The Meanings Of Nouns, Tom M. Mitchell, Svetlana V. Shinkareva, Andrew Carlson, Kai-Min Chang, Vicente L. Malave, Robert A. Mason, Marcel Adam Just

Marcel Adam Just

No abstract provided.