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 …

Choosing Among Unequals: A Statistical Solution To A Stalemate, Durgesh Chandra Pathak

Durgesh Chandra Pathak

In Uttar Pradesh, a new tradition has been started of selecting B.Ed degree holders for a job in Primary Schools and it has been named "Vishisht BTC". Applying their own logic, the ruling governments use variuos criterion to select the candidates. The basic problem is that they have to choose candidates on the basis of merit of their marks in various exams. Now, it is well-established fact that marking is not similar in all universities/colleges. So for a same exam, there can be much inter-university as well as intra-university variation in marks given to students. The point is that student …

Optimization Of Check Dams Through The Application Of Advanced Technologies, Praveen Jha Dr

Praveen Jha Dr

Scientific planning for conserving water and while minimizing the financial resources requirement for its implementation could be done through application of advanced technological programs developed by the author. Three state-of-art geo-spatial programs - Multi-Algorithm Automation Program (MAAP), Water Analysis Program (WAP) and Check Dam Optimization Program (CDOP) - would be used. MAAP produces land use land cover (lulc) map primarily by undertaking Digital Image Processing (DIP) of satellite data in an automated fashion using Artificial Intelligence (AI). WAP, a hydrology modeling program, would be used to generate information related to watershed, water flow, water accumulation etc. CDOP, coupled with MAAP …

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 …

International Terrorism:Role ,Responsibility And Operation Of Media Channles, Ratnesh Dwivedi Mr

Ratnesh Dwivedi

"Terrorism" is a term that cannot be given a stable defintion. Or rather, it can, but to do so forstalls any attempt to examine the major feature of its relation to television in the contemporary world. As the central public arena for organising ways of picturing and talking about social and political life, TV plays a pivotal role in the contest between competing defintions, accounts and explanations of terrorism. Which term is used in any particular context is inextricably tied to judgemements about the legitimacy of the action in question and of the political system against which it is directed. …

Corso Di Analisi Delle Serie Storiche A.A 2008/2009- Laboratorio Di Stata: Lezione 1 - Operazioni Di Base (Formato Pdf), Carlo Drago

Carlo Drago

No abstract provided.

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 …

666 Or 616 (Rev. 13,18), M. G. Michael

M. G. Michael

No abstract provided.

The Genre Of The Apocalypse: What Are They Saying Now?, M. G. Michael

M. G. Michael

No abstract provided.

European Climate Policy And The Position Of Cyprus, Theodoros Zachariadis

Theodoros Zachariadis

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Farmers’ Willingness To Protect Groundwater From Nonpoint Sources Of Pollution In The Lower Bhavani River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India, Sacchidananda Mukherjee

Sacchidananda Mukherjee

Farmers' perceptions about groundwater and drinking water quality are important, which influence their willingness to adopt protection measures either individually or collectively. This study attempts to capture the factors influencing farmers’ perceptions and their willingness to protect groundwater from nonpoint sources of pollution, and their willingness to support the local government to supply drinking water through alternative arrangements. Six villages are identified in the Lower Bhavani River Basin, Tamil Nadu, India on the basis of their long-term groundwater nitrate concentrations and sources of irrigation. A pre-structured questionnaire survey (face-to-face interviews) has been administered to 395 farm-households across six villages during …

The Dependence Of Measured Modulation Error Ratio On Phase Noise, Ron D. Katznelson

Ron D. Katznelson

This paper reviews the algorithms used by Vector Signal Analyzers to measure Modulation Error Ratio (MER) and derives the explicit functional dependence of measured MER on phase noise of digital transmitters. The modulation error model is introduced and the analytical expression for key estimated parameters required to obtain MER measure are derived. The essential elements of algorithms employed by MER measurement instruments to estimate amplitude scale, frequency offset, and initial phase intercept and the resulting MER are identified. The frequency response of the effective phase-noise rejection filtering action associated with a given measurement epoch is derived. It is shown that …

Investigation Of Stun Guns As Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (Emi) Sources, George H. Baker, Ryan C. Tuttle

George H Baker

Because the operation and control of most critical infrastructures are highly dependent on electronics, it is important to understand the vulnerability of those electronics to intentional electromagnetic interference (EMI). The possibility of interference using readily available consumer devices is a particular concern. We investigated the feasibility and effectiveness of using compact stun guns to intentionally interfere with electronic systems. Test articles included individual computers and computers networked through a central hub. 60KV and 600KV devices were used in the experiments. Results indicate that stun guns are effective in disabling digital electronic systems.

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 …

Summary Of 2008 Homeland Security Symposium At The National Academies: Fostering Public-Private Partnerships, George H. Baker, Cheryl J. Elliott

George H Baker

Recent U.S. high consequence events have made clear the importance of government collaboration with industry. The benefits of such collaboration were clearly seen as a lesson from Hurricane Katrina. The resources owned and controlled by American industry dwarf those available to local, state and even the federal government departments. Better agreements and incentives to bring the full capabilities of industry squarely into the national response agenda will be indispensable in effectively responding to large-scale catastrophes. General Russel Honoré who led the National Guard response to Katrina has said, “We need the partnering between local, state, and federal governments; but the …

Polypyrrole Based Switchable Filter System, Yanzhe Wu, Lorrain Nolan, Shirley Coyle, King Tong Lau, Gordon G. Wallace, Dermot Diamond

Gordon Wallace

BioTex is an EU funded project aiming to develop textile-based sensors for monitoring biological fluids. In the context of the project, there is a need to develop an effective sample delivery strategy for the wearable biomedical devices. A compact, electroactive switchable membrane would be useful as a valve to control the sample delivery within such devices. A method that employed inherently conducting polymers deposited onto a permeable substrate to form a switchable membrane was investigated [1, 2, 3]. By application of specific voltages, the permeability (pore size) of the membrane can be switched to swollen (expand) and contracted forms, which …

Fuel Taxation And Social Policy, Theodoros Zachariadis

Theodoros Zachariadis

No abstract provided.

Climate Change Education And The Ecological Footprint, Eugene Cordero, Anne Marie Todd, D. Abellerra

Anne Marie Todd

No abstra

National Security: The Social Implications Of The Politics Of Transparency, M G. Michael, Katina Michael

M. G. Michael

This special issue of Prometheus is dedicated to the theme of the Social Implications of National Security Measures on Citizens and Business. National security measures can be defined as those technical and non-technical measures that have been initiated as a means to curb breaches in national security, irrespective of whether these might occur by nationals or aliens in or from outside the sovereign state. National security includes such government priorities as maintaining border control, safeguarding against pandemic outbreaks, preventing acts of terror, and even discovering and eliminating identification fraud. Governments worldwide are beginning to implement information and communication security techniques …

Historical Lessons On Id Technology And The Consequences Of An Unchecked Trajectory, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

M. G. Michael

This paper traces the use of identification techniques throughout the ages and focuses on the growing importance of citizen identification by governments. The paper uses a historical approach beginning with manual techniques such as tattoos, through to more recent automatic identification (auto-ID) techniques such as smart cards and biometrics. The findings indicate that identification techniques born for one purpose have gradually found their way into alternate applications, and in some instances have been misused altogether. There is also strong evidence to suggest that governments are moving away from localized identification schemes to more global systems based on universal lifetime identifiers.

Privacy, Value And Control Issues In Four Mobile Business Applications, Benjamin D. Renegar, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

M. G. Michael

This paper presents four case studies that explore the adoption and acceptance of mobile technologies and services within the context of the privacy-value-control (PVC) trichotomy. The technologies studied include: the mobile phone, electronic toll payment tags, e-passports, and loyalty card programs. The study shows that despite the potential barriers to adoption in each of the depicted cases, the applications were embraced with great success soon after their introduction. An understanding of why these mobile innovations succeeded in spite of the concerns surrounding them will serve to help practitioners understand other issues currently plaguing emerging technologies like radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags …

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 …

Conducting Polymer-Carbon Nanotubes Composites, May Tahhan, N. Barisci, Gordon G. Wallace

Gordon Wallace

During the course of this work, three different approaches to the formation of conducting polymer/carbon nanotube (CP/CNT) composites were investigated. The first approach involved the preparation of CNT dispersions using Poly methoxy aniline-5-sulfonic acid (PMAS) as a stabilizer. The second approach investigated involved the use of CNT as the dopant in the electropolymerization of CPs. The third approach involved the electrochemical deposition of a thin polymer film onto the surface of CNT paper. These CNT/CP composites were characterized to determine capacitance, conductivity and mechanical strength.

Writing Research Proposal: Literature Review And Database Search, Mamoudou H. Dicko Prof.

Pr. Mamoudou H. DICKO, PhD

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 …

Economic Valuation Of A Wetland In West Bengal, India, Sacchidananda Mukherjee

Sacchidananda Mukherjee

In the Gangetic flood plain of West Bengal, wetlands are used for multiple purposes, and have significant role in the livelihoods of the local people. Over the years, these Multiple Use Systems (MUSs) are getting converted to single use systems due to economic and social pressure from dominant stakeholders, which are higher than that in single use systems. Economic and ecological functions of MUS changes over time and space. These dynamic aspects of MUS are often not fully appreciated. Attempts to classify wetlands according to their uses across ecological zones and to do their economic valuation are very limited. Based …

Economists, Value Judgments, And Climate Change: A View From Feminist Economics, Julie Nelson

Julie A. Nelson

A number of recent discussions about ethical issues in climate change, as engaged in by economists, have focused on the value of the parameter representing the rate of time preference within models of optimal growth. This essay examines many economists' antipathy to serious discussion of ethical matters, and suggests that the avoidance of questions of intergenerational equity is related to another set of value judgments concerning the quality and objectivity of economic practice. Using insights from feminist philosophy of science and research on high reliability organizations, this essay argues that a more ethically transparent, real-world-oriented, and flexible economic practice would …