New developments in library orientation and information literacy:regenerating library services for new students

Over the last six years, Aston University Library & Information Services Induction Team have worked on the Welcome experience for new and returning students to the Library.�� The article provides an overview of the Induction programme and how it has evolved to engage students pre and post arrival to the University.��

Mathematical Packages for Teaching and Research in Internet ��� Application and Information Support

The paper considers the use and the information support of the most important mathematical Application Packages (AP), such as Maple, Matlab, Mathcad, Mathematica, Statistica and SPSS ��� mostly used during Calculus tuition in Universities. The main features of the packages and the information support in the sites of the producers are outlined, as well as their capacity for work in Internet, together with educational sites and literature related to them. The most important resources of the TeX system for preparation of mathematical articles and documents are presented.

Understanding the labour���environmental relationship in Britain, 1967���2011:a new narrative using political opportunity structure and coalition theory

Orthodox depictions of a fraught labour���environmental relationship privileging class, ideological and programmatic differences are problematised by newly quantified evidence of British unions' pro-environmental policy-making since 1967. The following narrative blends widely accepted accounts of the fortunes of both movements with an evaluation of Britain's shifting political opportunity structure and coalition theory to identify an alternative range of constraints and opportunities influencing the propensity and capacity of both movements to interact effectively, culminating recently in unions' emergence as environmental actors in their own right.

Evolution of Sets Systems and Homotopy Groups of Spheres

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Learning by Doing in the Context of Modern Information and Media Literacy of Students in ���Library and Information Management��� in ULSIT Using the Digital Collection ���Bulgarian Revival���

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of learning by doing as a practical tool for managing the training of students in "Library Management" at the ULSIT, Sofia, Bulgaria, by using the creation of project 'Data Base ���Bulgarian Revival Towns��� (CD), financed by Bulgarian Ministry of Education, Youth and Science (1/D002/144/13.10.2011) headed by Prof. DSc Ivanka Yankova, which aims to create new information resource for the towns which will serve the needs of scientific researches. By participating in generating the an array in the database through searching, selection and digitization of documents from these period, at the same time students get an opportunity to expand their skills to work effectively in a team, finding the interdisciplinary, a causal connection between the studied items, objects and subjects and foremost ��� practical experience in the field of digitization, information behavior, strategies for information search, etc. This method achieves good results for the accumulation of sustainable knowledge and it generates motivation to work in the field of library and information professions.

Students��� Digital Archive at the State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Sofia

The paper describes the creation and content of the digital archive of photographs, films and materials from fieldwork (interviews, surveys, and observations) of students from the Information Funds of the Cultural and Historical Heritage program at the State University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, Sofia, Bulgaria. The text discusses the educational opportunities of the archive, and the plans for publishing it as CD and for conversion into an electronic archive on the Internet.

Symbolic Solving of Partial Differential Equation Systems and Compatibility Conditions

An algorithm is produced for the symbolic solving of systems of partial differential equations by means of multivariate Laplace���Carson transform. A system of K equations with M as the greatest order of partial derivatives and right-hand parts of a special type is considered. Initial conditions are input. As a result of a Laplace���Carson transform of the system according to initial condition we obtain an algebraic system of equations. A method to obtain compatibility conditions is discussed.

A kivonul��s-tiltakoz��s-h��s��g fogalomh��rmas k��zgazdas��gtani relevanci��ja a 21. sz��zadban = The relevance of "exit, voice and loyalty" theory in 21st-century economics

A dolgozat a politikatudom��ny ��s k��zgazdas��g-tudom��ny hat��r��n ��ll�� kivonul��s-tiltakoz��s-h��s��g modell l��nyeg��t j��rja k��rbe. Az Albert O. Hirschman ��ltal fel��p��tett gondolati keret szeml��leti frissess��ge ��s saj��tos megk��zel��t��si m��dja rendk��v��l term��keny��t��en hatott az elm��lt ��vtizedekben a t��rsadalomtudom��nyok fejl��d��s��re. M��gis viszonylag periferikus helyet foglal el a k��zgazdas��g-tudom��nyon bel��l, mik��zben p��ld��ul a rendszerv��lt��s ��s az azt k��vet�� t��rsadalmi fesz��lts��gek megjelen��se szempontj��b��l is sokoldal��an haszn��lhat�� fogalmi keretr��l van sz��. A v��ls��g induk��lta turbulens k��rnyezet m��g ink��bb r��vil��g��t arra, hogy ma is id��szer�� perspekt��v��t k��n��l a hanyatl��s politikai gazdas��gtana, azaz hasznos elemz��si kapaszkod�� ny��jt az ��gynevezett Hirschman-trilemma a t��rsadalmi ��s gazdas��gi folyamatok ��rtelmez��s��hez. ________ The article concerns the "exit, voice, and loyalty" concept, which straddles the border of political science and economics. This theoretical framework, invented by Albert O. Hirschman, has exercised a fruitful influence in the social sciences in the last few decades, through its fresh features and original approach. However, it holds a peripheral position in economics and plays an undervalued role in eco-nomic education in Hungary, even though it can be flexibly applied in analyses of such phenomena as the economic transition and the ensuing social tensions. Moreover the very turbulence of the conditions brought about by the crisis show that the political economy of decline offers a relevant perspective, so that the Hirschman trilemma is a practical analytical tool for understanding social and economic processes.

Signal processing and information fusing algorithms for the synthesis of an alternative electromyogram/eye gaze tracking computer cursor control system

This research pursued the conceptualization and real-time verification of a system that allows a computer user to control the cursor of a computer interface without using his/her hands. The target user groups for this system are individuals who are unable to use their hands due to spinal dysfunction or other afflictions, and individuals who must use their hands for higher priority tasks while still requiring interaction with a computer. ^ The system receives two forms of input from the user: Electromyogram (EMG) signals from muscles in the face and point-of-gaze coordinates produced by an Eye Gaze Tracking (EGT) system. In order to produce reliable cursor control from the two forms of user input, the development of this EMG/EGT system addressed three key requirements: an algorithm was created to accurately translate EMG signals due to facial movements into cursor actions, a separate algorithm was created that recognized an eye gaze fixation and provided an estimate of the associated eye gaze position, and an information fusion protocol was devised to efficiently integrate the outputs of these algorithms. ^ Experiments were conducted to compare the performance of EMG/EGT cursor control to EGT-only control and mouse control. These experiments took the form of two different types of point-and-click trials. The data produced by these experiments were evaluated using statistical analysis, Fitts' Law analysis and target re-entry (TRE) analysis. ^ The experimental results revealed that though EMG/EGT control was slower than EGT-only and mouse control, it provided effective hands-free control of the cursor without a spatial accuracy limitation, and it also facilitated a reliable click operation. This combination of qualities is not possessed by either EGT-only or mouse control, making EMG/EGT cursor control a unique and practical alternative for a user's cursor control needs. ^

An examination of Lotka's law in the field of Library and Information Studies

The purpose of this study was to test Lotka���s law of scientific publication productivity using the methodology outlined by Pao (1985), in the field of Library and Information Studies (LIS). Lotka���s law has been sporadically tested in the field over the past 30+ years, but the results of these studies are inconclusive due to the varying methods employed by the researchers. ^ A data set of 1,856 citations that were found using the ISI Web of Knowledge databases were studied. The values of n and c were calculated to be 2.1 and 0.6418 (64.18%) respectively. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) one sample goodness-of-fit test was conducted at the 0.10 level of significance. The Dmax value is 0.022758 and the calculated critical value is 0.026562. It was determined that the null hypothesis stating that there is no difference in the observed distribution of publications and the distribution obtained using Lotka���s and Pao���s procedure could not be rejected. ^ This study finds that literature in the field of Library and Information Studies does conform to Lotka���s law with reliable results. As result, Lotka���s law can be used in LIS as a standardized means of measuring author publication productivity which will lead to findings that are comparable on many levels (e.g., department, institution, national). Lotka���s law can be employed as an empirically proven analytical tool to establish publication productivity benchmarks for faculty and faculty librarians. Recommendations for further study include (a) exploring the characteristics of the high and low producers; (b) finding a way to successfully account for collaborative contributions in the formula; and, (c) a detailed study of institutional policies concerning publication productivity and its impact on the appointment, tenure and promotion process of academic librarians. ^

Borinquen, la tierra de Belen: Participatory Action Research and Transformational Theory in the Urban Chicago Puerto Rican Experience: A Critical Analysis

This paper analyzes how Jos�� Lop��z���s participatory action research and transformational learning theory addresses the oppressed Puerto Rican experience. The paper examines the historical experience of colonialism, explains these two theories, and explores Lop��z���s adult education work in the Puerto Rican community using participatory action research and transformational learning.

Ethics, Value Systems And The Professionalization Of Hoteliers

In the discussion - Ethics, Value Systems And The Professionalization Of Hoteliers by K. Michael Haywood, Associate Professor, School of Hotel and Food Administration, University of Guelph, Haywood initially presents: ���Hoteliers and executives in other service industries should realize that the foundation of success in their businesses is based upon personal and corporate value systems and steady commitment to excellence. The author illustrates how ethical issues and manager morality are linked to, and shaped by the values of executives and the organization, and how improved professionalism can only be achieved through the adoption of a value system that rewards contributions rather than the mere attainment of results.��� The bottom line of this discussion is, how does the hotel industry reconcile its behavior with that of public perception? ���The time has come for hoteliers to examine their own standards of ethics, value systems, and professionalism,��� Haywood says. And it is ethics that are at the center of this issue; Haywood holds that component in an estimable position. ���Hoteliers must become value-driven,��� advises Haywood. ���They must be committed to excellence both in actualizing their best potentialities and in excelling in all they do. In other words, the professionalization of the hotelier can be achieved through a high degree of self-control, internalized values, codes of ethics, and related socialization processes,��� he expands. ���Serious ethical issues exist for hoteliers as well as for many business people and professionals in positions of responsibility,��� Haywood alludes in defining some inter-industry problems. ���The acceptance of kickbacks and gifts from suppliers, the hiding of income from taxation authorities, the lack of interest in installing and maintaining proper safety and security systems, and the raiding of competitors' staffs are common practices,��� he offers, with the reasoning that if these problems can occur within ranks, then there is going to be a negative backlash in the public/client arena as well. Haywood divides the key principles of his thesis statement - ethics, value systems, and professionalism ��� into specific elements, and then continues to broaden the scope of each element. Promotion, product/service, and pricing are additional key components in Haywood���s discussion, and he addresses each with verve and vitality. Haywood references the four character types - craftsmen, jungle fighters, company men, and gamesmen ��� via a citation to Michael Maccoby, in the portion of the discussion dedicated to morality and success. Haywood closes with a series of questions derived from Lawrence Miller's American Spirit, Visions of a New Corporate Culture, each question designed to focus, shape, and organize management's attention to the values that Miller sets forth in his piece.

Airline Deregulation, Computerized Reservation Systems, and Travel Agents

With the beginning of airline deregulations in 1978, U.S. domestic operations were in for a period of turmoil, adjustment, vibrancy, entrepreneurship, and change. A great deal has been written about the effects of deregulation on airlines and their personnel, and on the public at large. Less attention has been paid to the effects on travel agents and on the seminal role of computerized reservations systems (CRSs) in the flowering of travel agencies. This article examines both of these phenomena.