Models, Techniques and Applications of e-Learning Personalization

In recent years Web has become mainstream medium for communication and information dissemination. This paper presents approaches and methods for adaptive learning implementation, which are used in some contemporary web-interfaced Learning Management Systems (LMSs). The problem is not how to create electronic learning materials, but how to locate and utilize the available information in personalized way. Different attitudes to personalization are briefly described in section 1. The real personalization requires a user profile containing information about preferences, aims, and educational history to be stored and used by the system. These issues are considered in section 2. A method for development and design of adaptive learning content in terms of learning strategy system support is represented in section 3. Section 4 includes a set of innovative personalization services that are suggested by several very important research projects (SeLeNe project, ELENA project, etc.) dated from the last few years. This section also describes a model for role- and competency-based learning customization that uses Web Services approach. The last part presents how personalization techniques are implemented in Learning Grid-driven applications.

An examination of NPD models in the context of business models

Most prior new product diffusion (NPD) models do not specifically consider the role of the business model in the process. However, the context of NPD in today's market has been changed dramatically by the introduction of new business models. Through reinterpretation and extension, this paper empirically examines the feasibility of applying Bass-type NPD models to products that are commercialized by different business models. More specifically, the results and analysis of this study consider the subscription business model for service products, the freemium business model for digital products, and a pre-paid and post-paid business model that is widely used by mobile network providers. The paper offers new insights derived from implementing the models in real-life cases. It also highlights three themes for future research.

The role of wisdom in organisational leadership

This thesis begins with a review of the literature on wisdom models, theories of wise leadership, and existing wisdom measures. It continues with a review of how the concept of wisdom may add value to existing leadership models, highlighting the need to empirically identify the characteristics of wise leaders and develop a wise leadership measure. A nomological framework for wise leadership is then presented. Based on a review of the wisdom and leadership paradigms, a mixed-methods research design is described for three studies to define the characteristics of wise leadership in organisations; identify specific leadership challenges that might require wise responses; and to develop the wise leadership measure comprising of vignettes. The first study involves critical incident interviews with 26 nominated wise leaders and 23 of their nominators, which led to the identification of nine wise leadership dimensions which include Strong Ethical Code, Strong Judgement, Optimising Positive Outcomes, Managing Uncertainty, Strong Legacy, Leading with Purpose, Humanity, Humility, and Self-Awareness. The second study includes critical incident interviews with 20 leaders about organisational challenges associated with the nine dimensions, to elucidate the wise leadership measure. The third study includes the design of 45 vignettes based on organisational challenges that measure the nine wise leadership dimensions. The measure is then administered to 250 organisational leaders to establish its construct validity, leading to the selection of 18 vignettes forming the final wise leadership measure. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications of this research are then discussed with recommendations for future research.

The role of amyloid precursor protein in neuronal and non-neuronal cell lines

Models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have provided useful insights into the pathogenesis and mechanistic pathways that lead to its development. One emerging idea about AD is that it may be described as a hypometabolic disorder due to the reduction of glucose uptake in AD brains. Inappropriate processing of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) is considered central to the initiation and progression of the disease. Although the exact role of APP misprocessing is unclear, it may play a role in neuronal metabolism before the onset of neurodegeneration. To investigate the potential role of APP in neuronal metabolism, the SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cell line was used to generate cell lines that stably overexpress wild type APP695 or express Swedish mutated-APP observed in familial AD (FAD), both under the control of the neuronal promoter, Synapsin I. The effects of APP on glucose uptake, cellular stress and energy homeostasis were studied extensively. It was found that APP-overexpressing cells exhibited decreased glucose uptake with changes in basal oxygen consumption in comparison to control cell lines. Similar studies were also performed in fibroblasts taken from FAD patients compared with control fibroblasts. Previous studies found FAD-derived fibroblasts displayed altered metabolic profiles, calcium homeostasis and oxidative stress when compared to controls. As such, in this study fibroblasts were studied in terms of their ability to metabolise glucose and their mitochondrial function. Results show that FAD-derived fibroblasts demonstrate no differences in mitochondrial function, or response to oxidative stress compared to control fibroblasts. However, control fibroblasts treated with Aβ1-42 demonstrated changes in glucose uptake. This study highlights the importance of APP expression within non-neuronal cell lines, suggesting that whilst AD is considered a brain-associated disorder, peripheral effects in non-neuronal cell types should also be considered when studying the effects of Aβ on metabolism.

Design software architecture models using ontology

Software architecture plays an essential role in the high level description of a system design, where the structure and communication are emphasized. Despite its importance in the software engineering process, the lack of formal description and automated verification hinders the development of good software architecture models. In this paper, we present an approach to support the rigorous design and verification of software architecture models using the semantic web technology. We view software architecture models as ontology representations, where their structures and communication constraints are captured by the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL). Specific configurations on the design are represented as concrete instances of the ontology, to which their structures and dynamic behaviors must conform. Furthermore, ontology reasoning tools can be applied to perform various automated verification on the design to ensure correctness, such as consistency checking, style recognition, and behavioral inference.

The Long-Term impact of Business Support? - Exploring the Role of Evaluation Timing using Micro Data

The original contribution of this work is threefold. Firstly, this thesis develops a critical perspective on current evaluation practice of business support, with focus on the timing of evaluation. The general time frame applied for business support policy evaluation is limited to one to two, seldom three years post intervention. This is despite calls for long-term impact studies by various authors, concerned about time lags before effects are fully realised. This desire for long-term evaluation opposes the requirements by policy-makers and funders, seeking quick results. Also, current ‘best practice’ frameworks do not refer to timing or its implications, and data availability affects the ability to undertake long-term evaluation. Secondly, this thesis provides methodological value for follow-up and similar studies by using data linking of scheme-beneficiary data with official performance datasets. Thus data availability problems are avoided through the use of secondary data. Thirdly, this thesis builds the evidence, through the application of a longitudinal impact study of small business support in England, covering seven years of post intervention data. This illustrates the variability of results for different evaluation periods, and the value in using multiple years of data for a robust understanding of support impact. For survival, impact of assistance is found to be immediate, but limited. Concerning growth, significant impact centres on a two to three year period post intervention for the linear selection and quantile regression models – positive for employment and turnover, negative for productivity. Attribution of impact may present a problem for subsequent periods. The results clearly support the argument for the use of longitudinal data and analysis, and a greater appreciation by evaluators of the factor time. This analysis recommends a time frame of four to five years post intervention for soft business support evaluation.

The long-term impact of business support? - Exploring the role of evaluation timing using micro data

The original contribution of this work is threefold. Firstly, this thesis develops a critical perspective on current evaluation practice of business support, with focus on the timing of evaluation. The general time frame applied for business support policy evaluation is limited to one to two, seldom three years post intervention. This is despite calls for long-term impact studies by various authors, concerned about time lags before effects are fully realised. This desire for long-term evaluation opposes the requirements by policy-makers and funders, seeking quick results. Also, current ‘best practice’ frameworks do not refer to timing or its implications, and data availability affects the ability to undertake long-term evaluation. Secondly, this thesis provides methodological value for follow-up and similar studies by using data linking of scheme-beneficiary data with official performance datasets. Thus data availability problems are avoided through the use of secondary data. Thirdly, this thesis builds the evidence, through the application of a longitudinal impact study of small business support in England, covering seven years of post intervention data. This illustrates the variability of results for different evaluation periods, and the value in using multiple years of data for a robust understanding of support impact. For survival, impact of assistance is found to be immediate, but limited. Concerning growth, significant impact centres on a two to three year period post intervention for the linear selection and quantile regression models – positive for employment and turnover, negative for productivity. Attribution of impact may present a problem for subsequent periods. The results clearly support the argument for the use of longitudinal data and analysis, and a greater appreciation by evaluators of the factor time. This analysis recommends a time frame of four to five years post intervention for soft business support evaluation.

A kutatási és fejlesztési tevékenység lehetőségei és korlátai a kkv szektorban A vezető szerepe az innovációban és az innováció értelmezése a kkv szektorban = Opportunities and constrains in the r&d activities of the SMEs: The role of the entrepreneur in the innovation processes and how it is manifasted in their everyday activities

Jelen tanulmány arra keresi a választ, hogy a vállalkozónak milyen szerepe van az innovációban, és az innovációnak milyen különböző értelmezési lehetőségei fedezhetőek fel kis- és középvállalkozási szektorban. Kiindulási pontja a vállalkozó vezető személye és innovatív magatartása, mellyel folyamatosan keresi a fejlődés új lehetőségeit. A vállalkozó az erőforrások kreatív felhasználása és vállalkozói magatartása révén a vállalkozás motorjának tekinthető. A tanulmány alapját kvalitatív mélyinterjúkon alapuló, 14 interjúból álló kutatás képezi, melyek mélyreható elemzése alátámasztotta, hogy az innovációs hajlandóság erősen összefügg a vállalkozói magatartással, és mindkét tényező szorosan köthető a vállalkozás vezetőjéhez. / === / This paper focuses on the entrepreneur’s role in the innovation process and on the way the entrepreneurs interpret the phenomena of innovation and they perceive their role in this process. The paper begins with the presentation of different entrepreneurial models, focusing especially on entrepreneurial management and its linkages to variable forms of innovation. Based on the deep examination of 14 interviews made with Hungarian entrepreneurs, the paper identifies the entrepreneur’s decisive role in the innovation process, furthermore the article confirms the importance of entrepreneurial and risk-taking behavior in innovative organizations.

Nemlineáris dinamika klasszikus növekedési modellekben (Nonlinear dynamics in classical economic growth models)

Ebben a tanulmányban a klasszikus Harrod növekedési modellt nemlineáris kiterjesztéssel, keynesi és schumpeteri tradíciók bevezetésével reprezentatív ügynök modellbe alakítjuk. A híres Lucas kritika igazolásaként megmutatjuk, hogy az intrinsic gazdasági növekedési ütemek trajektóriái vagy egy turbulens káoszba szóródnak szét, vagy egy nagyméretű rendhez vezetnek, ami elsődlegesen a megfelelő fogyasztási függvény típusától függ, s bizonyos paraméterek piaci értékei, pedig csak másodlagos szerepet játszanak. A másik meglepő eredmény empirikus, ami szerint külkereskedelmi többlet, a hazai valuta bizonyos devizapiaci értékei mellett, különös attraktorokat generálhat. _____ In this paper the classical Harrodian growth model is transformed into a representative agent model by its nonlinear extensions and the Keynesian and Schumpeterian traditions. For the proof of the celebrated Lucas critique it is shown that the trajectories of intrinsic economic growth rates either are scattered into a turbulent chaos or lead to a large scale order. It depends on the type of the appropriate consumption function, and the market values of some parameters are playing only secondary role.Another surprising result is empirical: the international trade su±cit may generate strange attractors under some exchange rate values.

A fundamentális transzformáció és a referenciapont szerepe a hiányos szerződések elméletében (The role of basic transformation and reference point in the theory of incomplete contracts)

A cikk Oliver Hart és szerzőtársai modelljeinek következtetéseit hasonlítja össze Williamson tranzakciós költségekre vonatkozó nézeteivel. Megmutatja, hogy a két irányzat a vállalat vagy piac kérdéskörében más eszközöket használ, de hasonlóan érvel. Megismerkedhetünk Williamson Harttal szemben megfogalmazott azon kritikájával, hogy Hart modelljeiben az alkunak nincsenek tranzakciós költségei, illetve a kritika kritikájával is. Hart elképzeléseit támasztja alá a tulajdonjogi irányzaton belül nemrégiben kialakult referenciapont-elmélet, amely kísérleti lehetőségeket is nyújt a különböző feltételezések igazolására. ____ The article compares the conclusions from the models of Oliver Hart et al. with the views of Williamson on transaction costs. It shows that the two schools use different means on the question of the firm or the market, but similar reasoning. The author covers Williamson's criticism of Hart that there are no transaction costs in his models, and also the criticism of that criticism. Hart's notions are supported by the recently developed theory of reference point within the property-right trend, which offers chances of experimental proof of the various assumptions.

A kockázat szerepe a könyvvizsgálatban = The role of risk in external audits

A tanulmány a kockázatnak és a kockázatok felmérésének az éves beszámolók (pénzügyi kimutatások) könyvvizsgálatban betöltött szerepével foglalkozik. A modern könyvvizsgálat – belső és külső korlátainál fogva – nem létezhet a vizsgált vállalkozás üzleti kockázatainak felmérése nélkül. Olyannyira igaz ez, hogy a szakma alapvető szabályait lefektető nemzeti és nemzetközi standardok is kötelező jelleggel előírják az ügyfelek üzleti kockázatainak megismerését. Mindez nem öncélú tevékenység, hanem éppen ez jelenti a könyvvizsgálat kiinduló magját: a kockázatbecslés – a tervezés részeként – az audit végrehajtásának alapja, és egyben vezérfonala. A szerző először bemutatja a könyvvizsgálat és a kockázat kapcsolatának alapvonásait, azt, hogy miként jelenik meg egyáltalán a kockázat problémája a könyvvizsgálatban. Ezt követően a különféle kockázatalapú megközelítéseket tárgyalja, majd néhány főbb elem kiragadásával ábrázolja a kockázatkoncepció beágyazódását a szakmai szabályozásba. Végül – mintegy az elmélet tesztjeként – bemutatja a kockázatmodell gyakorlati alkalmazásának néhány aspektusát. ______ The study examines the role of risk and the assessment of risks in the external audit of financial statements. A modern audit – due to its internal and external limitations – cannot exist without the assessment of the business risk of the entity being audited. This is not a l’art pour l’art activity but rather the very core of the audit. It is – as part of the planning of the audit – a guideline to the whole auditing process. This study has three main sections. The first one explains the connection between audit and risk, the second discusses the different risk based approaches to auditing and the embeddedness of the risk concept into professional regulation. Finally – as a test of theory – some practical aspects of the risk model are discussed through the lens of former empirical research carried out mostly in the US. The conclusion of the study is that though risk based models of auditing have many weaknesses they still result in the most effective and efficient high quality audits.

The role of longevity risk in Hungary

In this paper, I analyze the role of longevity risk in Hungary in the public pension system and the life annuity segment of the life insurance market, which are two primary financial sectors of relevance to this special type of actuarial risk, using state-of-the- art econometric methodology. To this end, I present an overview and the mathematical background of several important current mortality forecasting techniques from the Lee–Carter model up to unifying paradigm of the Age–Period–Cohort family of models. After presenting the findings of a case study on the public pension system based on the paper of Bajk ́o, Maknics, T ́oth and V ́ekas, I conclude that longevity risk jeopardizes the sustainability of the Hungarian public pension system in the long run. In another case study, I present an analysis of the role of longevity risk in the pre- mium of private pension annuities, a relevant topic due to recent changes in a law on Hungarian voluntary pension funds, following an earlier analysis of M ́ajer and Kov ́acs. Based on the criterion on out-of-sample forecasting accuracy, I find that the Cairns–Blake– Dowd mortality forecasting model aimed specifically at modeling old-age mortality outperforms the Lee–Carter model applied by M ́ajer and Kov ́acs . Based on numerical results, I finally conclude that the role of longevity risk in the Hungarian life annuity mar- ket has increased significantly in the past decade and is likely to further increase in the future.

The role of individualism and collectivism as predictors of attributions for unethical work behavior: An empirical examination across two culturally diverse groups

This dissertation addresses how the cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism affect the attributions people make for unethical behavior at work. The moderating effect of ethnicity is also examined by considering two culturally diverse groups: Hispanics and Anglos. The sample for this study is a group of business graduate students from two universities in the Southeast. A 20-minute survey was distributed to master's degree students at their classroom and later on returned to the researcher. Individualism and collectivism were operationalized as by a set of attitude items, while unethical work behavior was introduced in the form of hypothetical descriptions or scenarios. Data analysis employed multiple group confirmatory factor analysis for both independent and dependent variables, and subsequently multiple group LISREL models, in order to test predictions. Results confirmed the expected link between cultural variables and attribution responses, although the role of independent variables shifted, due to the moderating effect of ethnicity, and to the nuances of each particular situation. ^

Teams leading teams: Examining the role of leadership in multi-team systems

A major challenge of modern teams lies in the coordination of the efforts not just of individuals within a team, but also of teams whose efforts are ultimately entwined with those of other teams. Despite this fact, much of the research on work teams fails to consider the external dependencies that exist in organizational teams and instead focuses on internal or within team processes. Multi-Team Systems Theory is used as a theoretical framework for understanding teams-of-teams organizational forms (Multi-Team Systems; MTS's); and leadership teams are proposed as one remedy that enable MTS members to dedicate needed resources to intra-team activities while ensuring effective synchronization of between-team activities. Two functions of leader teams were identified: strategy development and coordination facilitation; and a model was developed delineating the effects of the two leader roles on multi-team cognitions, processes, and performance.^ Three hundred eighty-four undergraduate psychology and business students participated in a laboratory simulation that modeled an MTS; each MTS was comprised of three, two-member teams each performing distinct but interdependent components of an F-22 battle simulation task. Two roles of leader teams supported in the literature were manipulated through training in a 2 (strategy training vs. control) x 2 (coordination training vs. control) design. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and mediated regression analysis were used to test the study's hypotheses. ^ Results indicate that both training manipulations produced differences in the effectiveness of the intended form of leader behavior. The enhanced leader strategy training resulted in more accurate (but not more similar) MTS mental models, better inter-team coordination, and higher levels of multi-team (but not component team) performance. Moreover, mental model accuracy fully mediated the relationship between leader strategy and inter-team coordination; and inter-team coordination fully mediated the effect of leader strategy on multi-team performance. Leader coordination training led to better inter-team coordination, but not to higher levels of either team or multi-team performance. Mediated Input-Process-Output (I-P-O) relationships were not supported with leader coordination; rather, leader coordination facilitation and inter-team coordination uniquely contributed to component team and multi-team level performance. The implications of these findings and future research directions are also discussed. ^

The role of disturbance and resource availability in structuring plant communities

Disturbances alter competitive hierarchies by reducing populations and altering resource regimes. The interaction between disturbance and resource availability may strongly influence the structure of plant communities, as observed in the recolonization of seagrass beds in outer Florida Bay that were denuded by sea-urchin overgrazing. There is no consensus concerning the interaction between disturbance and resource availability on competition intensity (CI). On the other hand, species diversity is dependent on both factors. Peaks in species diversity have been observed to occur when both resource availability and disturbance intensity are high, thus implying that CI is low. Based on this supposition of previous models, I presented the resource-disturbance hypothesis as a graphical model to make predictions of CI as a function of both disturbance intensity and the availability of a limiting resource. The predictions of this model were tested in two experiments within a seagrass community in south Florida, in which transplants of Halodule wrightii were placed into near-monocultures of Syringodium filiforme in a full-factorial array. In the first experiment, two measures of relative CI were calculated based on the changes in the short-shoot number (SS) and of rhizome length (RHL) on the transplants. Both light and disturbance were identified as important factors, though the interaction between light * disturbance was not significant. Relative CISS ranged between 0.2 and 1.0 for the high light and high disturbance treatments and the relative CIRHL < 0 for the same treatments, though results were not significantly different due to high variability and low sample size. These results, including a contour schematic using six data points from the different treatment combinations, preliminarily suggests that the resource-disturbance hypothesis may be used may be used as a next step in developing our understanding of the mechanisms involved in structuring plant communities. Furthermore, the focus of the model is on the outcome of CI, which may be a useful predictor of changes in species diversity. Further study is needed to confirm the results of this study and validate the usefulness of this model in other systems. ^