Form follows function:model-driven engineering for clinical trials

We argue that, for certain constrained domains, elaborate model transformation technologies-implemented from scratch in general-purpose programming languages-are unnecessary for model-driven engineering; instead, lightweight configuration of commercial off-the-shelf productivity tools suffices. In particular, in the CancerGrid project, we have been developing model-driven techniques for the generation of software tools to support clinical trials. A domain metamodel captures the community's best practice in trial design. A scientist authors a trial protocol, modelling their trial by instantiating the metamodel; customized software artifacts to support trial execution are generated automatically from the scientist's model. The metamodel is expressed as an XML Schema, in such a way that it can be instantiated by completing a form to generate a conformant XML document. The same process works at a second level for trial execution: among the artifacts generated from the protocol are models of the data to be collected, and the clinician conducting the trial instantiates such models in reporting observations-again by completing a form to create a conformant XML document, representing the data gathered during that observation. Simple standard form management tools are all that is needed. Our approach is applicable to a wide variety of information-modelling domains: not just clinical trials, but also electronic public sector computing, customer relationship management, document workflow, and so on. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Managing customer relationship management projects:the case of a large French telecommunication company

Customer relationship management (CRM) implementation projects reflect a growing conceptual shift from the traditional engineering view of projects. Such projects are complex and risky because they call for both organisational and technological changes. This requires effective project management across various phases of the implementation process. However, few empirical researches have dealt with these project management issues. The aim of this research is to investigate how a “project team” manages CRM implementation projects successfully, across the different phases of the implementation process. We conducted an in-depth case study of the “Firm-Clients Branch” of a large telecommunications company in France. The findings show that, to manage CRM implementation projects successfully, an integrated and balanced approach is required. This involves appropriate system selection, effective process re-engineering and further development of organizational structures. We highlight the need for a “technochange approach” to achieve successful organisational transition and effective CRM implementation. The study reveals that the project team plays a central role throughout the implementation phases. Furthermore the effectiveness of technochange depends on project team performance, technology efficiency and close coordination with stakeholders.

Design and development of logistics workflow systems for demand management with RFID

This paper discusses demand and supply chain management and examines how artificial intelligence techniques and RFID technology can enhance the responsiveness of the logistics workflow. This proposed system is expected to have a significant impact on the performance of logistics networks by virtue of its capabilities to adapt unexpected supply and demand changes in the volatile marketplace with the unique feature of responsiveness with the advanced technology, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Recent studies have found that RFID and artificial intelligence techniques drive the development of total solution in logistics industry. Apart from tracking the movement of the goods, RFID is able to play an important role to reflect the inventory level of various distribution areas. In today’s globalized industrial environment, the physical logistics operations and the associated flow of information are the essential elements for companies to realize an efficient logistics workflow scenario. Basically, a flexible logistics workflow, which is characterized by its fast responsiveness in dealing with customer requirements through the integration of various value chain activities, is fundamental to leverage business performance of enterprises. The significance of this research is the demonstration of the synergy of using a combination of advanced technologies to form an integrated system that helps achieve lean and agile logistics workflow.

Organised for inward investment? Development agencies, local government, and firms in the inward investment process

Inward investment promotion and aftercare remain central aspects of local economic development for English Regional Development Agencies, Scottish and Welsh development bodies, and local authorities in Britain. In many cases, partnership and consultation mechanisms have become integral to attracting inward investment and providing aftercare. Inward investment is thus an important area in which to explore interinstitutional relations between agents operating along diverse spatial boundaries and with different responsibilities. In this paper we analyse the local and regional institutional structures and relations characterising the inward investment process in Britain using new survey data from local authorities, regional bodies, and inward investors. We find that promotional activities have clearly defined structures which are chiefly led by the regional level. Aftercare is characterised by more collaborative arrangements involving both regional bodies and local government. However, many bodies are little used, with competition and tension between partners remaining frequent within English regions, regardless of recent institutional changes designed to reduce such problems. In Scotland and Wales, however, their national institutions are not only widely used, but they create high levels of satisfaction from firms. Hence, England has yet to respond to the effective challenges of Scotland and Wales. The analysis also highlights the limited importance of all national, regional, and local public institutions in attracting inward investors and their subsequent aftercare. The critical inputs to business decisions appear to be driven chiefly by more general supply-side conditions (for example, general skills versus local public packages) and the general attractions of a particular location.

INFRAWEBS Axiom Editor – A Graphical Ontology-Driven Tool for Creating Complex Logical Expressions

The current INFRAWEBS European research project aims at developing ICT framework enabling software and service providers to generate and establish open and extensible development platforms for Web Service applications. One of the concrete project objectives is developing a full-life-cycle software toolset for creating and maintaining Semantic Web Services (SWSs) supporting specific applications based on Web Service Modelling Ontology (WSMO) framework. According to WSMO, functional and behavioural descriptions of a SWS may be represented by means of complex logical expressions (axioms). The paper describes a specialized userfriendly tool for constructing and editing such axioms – INFRAWEBS Axiom Editor. After discussing the main design principles of the Editor, its functional architecture is briefly presented. The tool is implemented in Eclipse Graphical Environment Framework and Eclipse Rich Client Platform.

Data Mining for Software Development Life Cycle Quality Management

Computer software plays an important role in business, government, society and sciences. To solve real-world problems, it is very important to measure the quality and reliability in the software development life cycle (SDLC). Software Engineering (SE) is the computing field concerned with designing, developing, implementing, maintaining and modifying software. The present paper gives an overview of the Data Mining (DM) techniques that can be applied to various types of SE data in order to solve the challenges posed by SE tasks such as programming, bug detection, debugging and maintenance. A specific DM software is discussed, namely one of the analytical tools for analyzing data and summarizing the relationships that have been identified. The paper concludes that the proposed techniques of DM within the domain of SE could be well applied in fields such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM), eCommerce and eGovernment. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): H.2.8.

Szolgálatosodás, avagy az integrált termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakulása és jellemzői = Servitization – characteristics and development of integrated product-service systems

A tanulmány középpontjában a szolgálatosodás folyamata, vagy más néven az átfogó megoldásokat kínáló integrált termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakulása áll. Áttekintjük a szolgálatosodás XIX. századra visszanyúló kialakulásának tényezőit, és a jelenlegi vállalatok előtt álló fejlődési lehetőségeket. Foglalkozunk e rendszerekhez szükséges képességek kérdéseivel és a sikeres termék-szolgáltatás rendszerek kialakításának folyamataival. Az irodalmi összefoglalás célja, hogy a vállalati üzletfejlesztéssel foglalkozó szakembereknek, a vállalati vezetőknek ötleteket adjon a sikeres fejlődéshez és egyben a lehetséges kockázatok elkerüléséhez. = The emerging theme of servitization, or in other words, the integrated product-service systems providing complex solutions to customer demand are in the focus of this study. We overview the factors leading to servitization, and highlight the improvement opportunities in this field. The capabilities required and the development steps of successful servitization are also addressed. The objective of this short literature review is to provide ideas for business development experts and top managers on how to develop their business successfully and how to avoid risks in this development.

Hogyan kezeljük a „közösségi ügyfeleket”? – Social CRM marketing és IT megközelítésben (How to manage social customer? Social CRM in marketing and IT context.)

Van egy szó, ami egyre fontosabb lesz a társadalom és a vállalatok számára is, ez a szó a közösség. A közösséghez tevékenységek tartoznak, és ezen a ponton kapcsolódik be a vállalat. A vállalkozások az elmúlt években a közösségi igényeket a CRM-(Customer Relationship Management) megoldásokkal szolgálták ki. Informatikailag a közösségi hálózatok, már nemcsak vállalkozási folyamatot, hanem ehhez kapcsoltan az emberek társadalmi igényét is megpróbálják lefedni az elektronika lehetőségeivel. Egyre inkább a közösségi vállalkozások korát éljük, melyben a folyamathoz tartozó közösségek megosztják, egymás rendelkezésére bocsátják az információkat. A korábbi klasszikus CRM-rendszerek csak begyűjtötték az információkat, ezzel ellenben a közösségi CRM-rendszerek kétirányú kommunikációt folytatnak, párbeszédet kezdeményeznek az ügyfelekkel, buzdítják őket, hogy mondják el a véleményüket. Vajon ez az új stratégia,egy teljesen új világot hoz el a vállalatok számára, vagy csak a CRM fejlődésének egy újabb fokát jelenti? A szerzők erre a kérdésre keresik a választ gyakorlati esetek és szakirodalmi publikációk feldolgozásával. ______ There is a word that begins to be more and more important for the society and the companies, and this word is community. We can talk about social networks, people seek the social demand they already had as a part of their lives for a long time, and this means that it appears in the electronic society as an essential need too. The community is not enough, activities are also needed and this is the point where the companies link in, who promote their goods and facilities to the outside world and with this they use the next stage of customer relationship management, the fulfilment of social needs. We live in the age of social shopping, communities are everywhere and everyone shares information, and up to the present classic CR M systems ran from static databases. On the contrary social CR M systems perform a two-way communication, start a conversation with customers and encourage them to tell their opinions, which always changes on social media, so they build a dynamic database and communicate with customers through response-reactions. Does this new strategy bring a whole new world to companies or is it only another step in the development and another channel of CRM?

A case study of the development of the Argentinean community college system

In the 1980's and 1990's, Argentina was undergoing significant political, social and economic changes as a result of the change over from a military driven government to elected governments. A major aspect of the change was an increased emphasis on privatization, and promotion of foreign and domestic investment in Argentina. Higher education leaders were increasingly drawn into developing a national strategy for changing the educational structure to help facilitate changes in other aspects of the society. Preliminary reviews by the Argentinean higher education leaders indicated that adaptation of the American community college promised to help achieve the national goals. ^ The purpose of this study was to determine: if and how the community college concept, an American invention, could be adapted to function in Argentina, a nation with a significantly different history of political, social, cultural and economic development. Achieving this purpose involved: identifying the key leaders in the movement that developed to apply the community college concept in Argentina; the study of their perspectives regarding the movement as it developed; and tracking the assistance given by selected American community college leaders. ^ The case study method was employed in this research, using interview and historical data collection. Key leaders from higher education in the United States and Argentina were interviewed in-depth, to determine their views. An interview protocol with appropriate sub-questions was followed to ensure complete coverage. The interviewees identified several major areas of education in need of change including, the system, access to the system, new areas of study, integration into the hemisphere and, in general, decentralization. Historical review revealed a steady development of the community college concept in Argentina reflected in documentation of events, conceptual writings and legal structures. ^ It was concluded that there is a community college structure beginning to emerge that, so far, in broad outline, follows the structure developed in the United States. It is anticipated however, that future developments will include conceptual aspects to the model reflective of Argentina. ^

Endothelin 3 induces skin pigmentation in a keratin-driven inducible mouse model

Endothelin 3 (Edn3) is a ligand important to developing neural crest cells (NCC). Some NCC eventually migrate into the skin and give rise to the pigment-forming melanocytes found in hair follicles. Edn3's effects on NCC have been largely explored through spontaneous mutants and cell culture experiments. These studies have shown the Endothelin receptor B/Edn3 signaling pathway to be important in the proliferation/survival and differentiation of developing melanocytes. To supplement these investigations I have created doxycycline-responsive transgenic mice which conditionally over-express Edn3. These mice will help us clarify Edn3's role during the development of early embryonic melanoblasts, differentiating melanocyte precursors in the skin, and fully differentiated melanocytes in the hair follicle. The transgene mediated expression of Edn3 was predominantly confined to the roof plate of the neural tube and surface ectoderm in embryos and postnatally in the epidermal keratinocytes of the skin. Relative to littermate controls, transgenics develop increased pigmentation on most areas of the skin. My doxycycline-based temporal studies have shown that both embryonic and postnatal events are important for establishing and maintaining pigmented skin. The study of my Edn3 transgenic mice may offer some insight into the genetics behind benign dermal pigmentation and offer clues about the time periods important in establishing these conditions. This apparently abnormal development is echoed in a benign condition of human skin. Cases of dermal melanocytosis, such as common freckles, Mongolian spotting, and nevus of Ito demonstrate histological and etiological characteristics similar to those of the transgenic mice generated in this study.

Development and validation of an instrument to predict online student success using faculty perceptions

Distance learning is growing and transforming educational institutions. The increasing use of distance learning by higher education institutions and particularly community colleges coupled with the higher level of student attrition in online courses than in traditional classrooms suggests that increased attention should be paid to factors that affect online student course completion. The purpose of the study was to develop and validate an instrument to predict community college online student course completion based on faculty perceptions, yielding a prediction model of online course completion rates. Social Presence and Media Richness theories were used to develop a theoretically-driven measure of online course completion. This research study involved surveying 311 community college faculty who taught at least one online course in the past 2 years. Email addresses of participating faculty were provided by two south Florida community colleges. Each participant was contacted through email, and a link to an Internet survey was given. The survey response rate was 63% (192 out of 303 available questionnaires). Data were analyzed through factor analysis, alpha reliability, and multiple regression. The exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded a four-factor solution that accounted for 48.8% of the variance. Consistent with Social Presence theory, the factors with their percent of variance in parentheses were: immediacy (21.2%), technological immediacy (11.0%), online communication and interactivity (10.3%), and intimacy (6.3%). Internal consistency of the four factors was calculated using Cronbach's alpha (1951) with reliability coefficients ranging between .680 and .828. Multiple regression analysis yielded a model that significantly predicted 11% of the variance of the dependent variable, the percentage of student who completed the online course. As indicated in the literature (Johnson & Keil, 2002; Newberry, 2002), Media Richness theory appears to be closely related to Social Presence theory. However, elements from this theory did not emerge in the factor analysis.

Food service Contracts That Win: Essentials in the Development of a Food service Agreement

The authors provide tips for institutions wanting to place a contract for operation of their food service and for companies and/or individuals in the business of managing food service operations for a fee.

Toward A Better Understanding of the Evolution of Hotel Development: A Discussion of Product-specific Lodging Demand

In his essay - Toward a Better Understanding of the Evolution of Hotel Development: A Discussion of Product-Specific Lodging Demand - by John A. Carnella, Consultant, Laventhol & Horwath, cpas, New York, Carnella initially describes his piece by stating: “The diversified hotel product in the united states lodging market has Resulted in latent room-night demand, or supply-driven demand resulting from the introduction of a lodging product which caters to a specific set of hotel patrons. The subject has become significant as the lodging market has moved toward segmentation with regard to guest room offerings. The author proposes that latent demand is a tangible, measurable phenomenon best understood in light of the history of the guest room product from its infancy to its present state.” The article opens with an ephemeral depiction of hotel development in the United States, both pre’ and post World War II. To put it succinctly, the author wants you to know that the advent of the inter-state highway system changed the complexion of the hotel industry in the U.S. “Two essential ingredients were necessary for the next phase of hotel development in this country. First was the establishment of the magnificently intricate infrastructure which facilitated motor vehicle transportation in and around the then 48 states of the nation,” says Carnella. “The second event…was the introduction of affordable highway travel. Carnella goes on to say that the next – big thing – in hotel evolution was the introduction of affordable air travel. “With the airways filled with potential lodging guests, developers moved next to erect a new genre of hotel, the airport hotel,” Carnella advances his picture. Growth progressed with the arrival of the suburban hotel concept, which wasn’t fueled by developments in transportation, but by changes in people’s living habits, i.e. suburban affiliations as opposed to urban and city population aggregates. The author explores the distinctions between full-service and limited service lodging operations. “The market of interest with consideration to the extended-stay facility is one dominated by corporate office parks,” Carnella proceeds. These evolutional states speak to latent demand, and even further to segmentation of the market. “Latent demand… is a product-generated phenomenon in which the number of potential hotel guests increases as the direct result of the introduction of a new lodging facility,” Carnella brings his unique insight to the table with regard to the specialization process. The demand is already there; just waiting to be tapped. In closing, “…there must be a consideration of the unique attributes of a lodging facility relative to its ability to attract guests to a subject market, just as there must be an examination of the property's ability to draw guests from within the subject market,” Carnella proposes.

A Customer's Expectation and Perception of Hotel Service Quality in Cyprus

In recent years, hotels in Cyprus have encountered difficult economic times due to increasing customer demands and strong internal industry development competition. The hospitality industry’s main concern globally is to serve its customer S needs and desires, most of which are addressed through personal services. Hence, the hotel businesses that are able to provide quality services to its ever-demanding customers in a warm and efficient manner are those businesses which will be more likely to obtain a long term competitive advantage over their rivals. Ironically, the quality of services frequently cannot fully appreciated until something goes wrong, and then, the poor quality of services can have long lasting lingering effects on the customer base and, hence, often is translated into a loss of business. Nevertheless, since the issue of delivery of hospitality services always involves people, this issue must center around the management of the human resource factor, and in particular, on the way which interacts with itself and with guests, as service encounters. In the eyes of guests, hospitality businesses will be viewed successful or failure, depending on [he cumulative impact of the service encounters they have experienced on a personal level. Finally, since hotels are offering intangible and perishable personal service encounters, managing these services must be a paramount concern of any hotel business. As a preliminary exercise, visualize when you have last visited a hotel, or a restaurant, and then, ask yourself these questions: What did you feel about the quality of the experience? Was it a memorable one, which you would recommend it to others, or there were certain things, which could have made the difference? Thus, the way personalized services are provided can make the deference in attracting arid retaining long-term customers

Monitoring of Tree Island Condition in the Southern Everglades: Hydrologic Driven Decadal Changes in Tree Island Woody Vegetation Structure and Composition: 2012 Annual Report

This report examines the interaction between hydrology and vegetation over a 10-year period, between 2001/02 and 2012 within six permanent tree island plots located on three tree islands, two plots each per tree island, established in 2001/02, along a hydrologic and productivity gradient. We hypothesize that: (H1) hydrologic differences within plots between census dates will result in marked differences in a) tree and sapling densities, b) tree basal area, and c) forest structure, i.e., canopy volume and height, and (H2) tree island growth, development, and succession is dependent on hydrologic fluxes, particularly during periods of prolonged droughts or below average hydroperiods.