16,131 research outputs found
The Metaverse: Survey, Trends, Novel Pipeline Ecosystem & Future Directions
The Metaverse offers a second world beyond reality, where boundaries are
non-existent, and possibilities are endless through engagement and immersive
experiences using the virtual reality (VR) technology. Many disciplines can
benefit from the advancement of the Metaverse when accurately developed,
including the fields of technology, gaming, education, art, and culture.
Nevertheless, developing the Metaverse environment to its full potential is an
ambiguous task that needs proper guidance and directions. Existing surveys on
the Metaverse focus only on a specific aspect and discipline of the Metaverse
and lack a holistic view of the entire process. To this end, a more holistic,
multi-disciplinary, in-depth, and academic and industry-oriented review is
required to provide a thorough study of the Metaverse development pipeline. To
address these issues, we present in this survey a novel multi-layered pipeline
ecosystem composed of (1) the Metaverse computing, networking, communications
and hardware infrastructure, (2) environment digitization, and (3) user
interactions. For every layer, we discuss the components that detail the steps
of its development. Also, for each of these components, we examine the impact
of a set of enabling technologies and empowering domains (e.g., Artificial
Intelligence, Security & Privacy, Blockchain, Business, Ethics, and Social) on
its advancement. In addition, we explain the importance of these technologies
to support decentralization, interoperability, user experiences, interactions,
and monetization. Our presented study highlights the existing challenges for
each component, followed by research directions and potential solutions. To the
best of our knowledge, this survey is the most comprehensive and allows users,
scholars, and entrepreneurs to get an in-depth understanding of the Metaverse
ecosystem to find their opportunities and potentials for contribution
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Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through the Transformation of Food Systems
Success factors in IT Outsourcing
Abstract. To survive and respond to the everchanging business world companies are seeking new ways to concentrate and improve core competencies, as well as improve their competitive status against the market. Companies are exploring how to exploit the core competencies of other companies. The goals of the partnership might differ depending on the scope of the partnership. The goal might be one or many of the following: cost reduction, access to higher quality service, access to technology and/or know-how.
Even if the first IT outsourcing was done around 30 years ago by Eastman Kodak and General Dynamics and the area has been studied quite heavily, the topic seems to be still difficult for companies to grasp the wanted benefits. As the IT outsourcing is widely used option in the business world and the results are not firm, I feel the topic is still relevant to study. The research question for the study is: âWhat factors affect the success of IT outsourcing relationship?â
The research question is answered through the literature review. From the literature review eleven high level success factors can be identified. In some cases, some factors are combined. The success factors are Cost and Quality, Trust, Alignment to business strategy, Culture, Communication, Contracts, Strategic Partnership, Governance, Management support, Infrastructure, and Know-how. How important each individual factors are in outsourcing engagement in question depends on the sort of the partnership.
The theoretical implications are very limited, but the practical implications regarding communication, trust and governance should be considered when companies enter IT outsourcing partnerships. Putting an emphasis on setting up proper governance functions and people who are good at communicating with the other party will pay the efforts back in success of the relationship
Implementing Health Impact Assessment as a Required Component of Government Policymaking: A Multi-Level Exploration of the Determinants of Healthy Public Policy
It is widely understood that the public policies of ânon-healthâ government sectors have greater impacts on population health than those of the traditional healthcare realm. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a decision support tool that identifies and promotes the health benefits of policies while also mitigating their unintended negative consequences. Despite numerous calls to do so, the Ontario government has yet to implement HIA as a required component of policy development. This dissertation therefore sought to identify the contexts and factors that may both enable and impede HIA use at the sub-national (i.e., provincial, territorial, or state) government level.
The three integrated articles of this dissertation provide insights into specific aspects of the policy process as they relate to HIA. Chapter one details a case study of purposive information-seeking among public servants within Ontarioâs Ministry of Education (MOE). Situated within Ontarioâs Ministry of Health (MOH), chapter two presents a case study of policy collaboration between health and ânon-healthâ ministries. Finally, chapter three details a framework analysis of the political factors supporting health impact tool use in two sub-national jurisdictions â namely, QuĂŠbec and South Australia.
MOE respondents (N=9) identified four components of policymaking âdue diligenceâ, including evidence retrieval, consultation and collaboration, referencing, and risk analysis. As prospective HIA users, they also confirmed that information is not routinely sought to mitigate the potential negative health impacts of education-based policies. MOH respondents (N=8) identified the bureaucratic hierarchy as the brokering mechanism for inter-ministerial policy development. As prospective HIA stewards, they also confirmed that the ministry does not proactively flag the potential negative health impacts of non-health sector policies. Finally, âlessons learnedâ from case articles specific to QuĂŠbec (n=12) and South Australia (n=17) identified the political factors supporting tool use at different stages of the policy cycle, including agenda setting (âpolicy elitesâ and âpolitical cultureâ), implementation (âjurisdictionâ), and sustained implementation (âinstitutional powerâ).
This work provides important insights into âreal lifeâ policymaking. By highlighting existing facilitators of and barriers to HIA use, the findings offer a useful starting point from which proponents may tailor context-specific strategies to sustainably implement HIA at the sub-national government level
Strategies for Early Learners
Welcome to learning about how to effectively plan curriculum for young children. This textbook will address: ⢠Developing curriculum through the planning cycle ⢠Theories that inform what we know about how children learn and the best ways for teachers to support learning ⢠The three components of developmentally appropriate practice ⢠Importance and value of play and intentional teaching ⢠Different models of curriculum ⢠Process of lesson planning (documenting planned experiences for children) ⢠Physical, temporal, and social environments that set the stage for childrenâs learning ⢠Appropriate guidance techniques to support childrenâs behaviors as the self-regulation abilities mature. ⢠Planning for preschool-aged children in specific domains including o Physical development o Language and literacy o Math o Science o Creative (the visual and performing arts) o Diversity (social science and history) o Health and safety ⢠Making childrenâs learning visible through documentation and assessmenthttps://scholar.utc.edu/open-textbooks/1001/thumbnail.jp
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The influence of blockchains and internet of things on global value chain
Copyright Š 2022 The Authors. Despite the increasing proliferation of deploying the internet of things (IoT) in the global value chain (GVC), several challenges might lead to a lack of trust among value chain partners, for example, technical challenges (i.e., confidentiality, authenticity, and privacy); and security challenges (i.e., counterfeiting, physical tampering, and data theft). In this study, we argue that blockchain technology (BT), when combined with the IoT ecosystem, will strengthen GVC and enhance value creation and capture among value chain partners. Therefore, we examine the impact of BT combined with the IoT ecosystem and how it can be utilized to enhance value creation and capture among value chain partners. We collected data through an online survey, and 265 U.K. Agri-food retailers completed the survey. Our data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our finding reveals that BT enhances GVC by improving IoT scalability, security, and traceability combined with the IoT ecosystem. Moreover, the combination of BT and IoT strengthens GVC and creates more value for value chain partners, which serves as a competitive advantage. Finally, our research outlines the theoretical and practical contribution of combining BT and the IoT ecosystem
Understanding interactions between Ramularia collo-cygni and barley leaf physiology to target improvements in host resistance and disease control strategy
Ramularia Leaf Spot (RLS) is an increasingly problematic disease of barley.
Control options are limited as the causal fungus, Ramularia collo-cygni, has
developed resistance to several of the major fungicide groups. Developing
new methods for controlling this disease is therefore a priority. R. collo-cygni
can grow systemically in barley plants from infected seed, without inducing
visible symptoms. In the field, visible symptoms normally only appear after
flowering. The relative contribution of the latent and symptomatic stages of
the fungal lifecycle to reduction in barley yield is not currently known with any
certainty. Two possibilities are that the effect of asymptomatic infection on
pre-flowering photosynthetic activity, and the development of grain sink
capacity, plays an important role; or that reduction in photosynthetic activity
during grain filling, resulting from lesion development and loss of green leaf
area, is the predominant factor. This research aimed to increase our
understanding of the impact of different phases of the fungal lifecycle on
barley photosynthesis and yield formation, to better target host resistance
and disease control strategies.
Controlled environment and field experiments were used to determine the
relative effects of asymptomatic and symptom-expressing phases of R. collo-cygni infection on photosynthesis and yield formation in spring barley. In
controlled environment experiments leaf photosynthetic activity was
measured in seedlings inoculated with suspensions of R. collo-cygni mycelia.
Measurements were made before and after visible symptom development
using Infra-Red Gas Analysis (IRGA), chlorophyll fluorescence analysis and
chlorophyll fluorescence imaging. No reduction in photosynthetic activity was
observed in leaves infected with R. collo-cygni, compared to those of non-
infected leaves, during the latent phase of infection. After the appearance of
visible symptoms, photosynthetic activity within lesions reduced as the
lesions developed. However, this did not lead to reductions in photosynthetic
activity when measured across the whole leaf area, suggesting that for there
to be a significant effect of disease on whole leaf photosynthetic activity,
visible symptoms must develop into mature lesions and coalesce to cover
larger areas of the leaf surface.
In field experiments plots were treated with a full fungicide regime, left
untreated, or inoculated with R. collo-cygni and treated with fungicide to
which R. collo-cygni is resistant (the latter as a precaution against lack of
natural RLS disease that year and/or other diseases developing on untreated
plots). RLS was the only disease of significance that developed in untreated
or inoculated plots. Symptoms first appeared after flowering, around Zadoks
Growth Stage 72. Fungicide-treated plots remained free of disease.
Chlorophyll fluorescence analysis of field plants showed no effect of infection
on the maximum quantum efficiency of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm) before visible
symptom development, consistent with results from controlled environment
experiments. Grain yield of untreated and fungicide-treated plots was
predicted from fixed common values of radiation use efficiency (RUE) and
utilisation of soluble sugar reserves, and measured values of post-flowering
healthy (green) leaf area light interception. Grain yields predicted from the
difference in post-flowering light interception between fungicide-treated plants
and untreated or inoculated plants displaying symptoms of RLS were
comparable with the measured yield response to fungicide. This suggests
that yield loss to RLS is primarily associated with a reduction in light capture
during grain filling, resulting from lesion development and loss of green leaf
area.
Results from controlled environment and field experiments suggested that
symptom expression was associated with leaf senescence. Further controlled
environment experiments tested this relationship by using treatments to vary
the onset and rate of leaf senescence. Seedlings that were treated with
cytokinin to delay senescence after inoculation with suspensions of R. collo-cygni mycelia developed fewer lesions than control plants. Fungal growth, as
measured by quantification of R. collo-cygni DNA in leaves, was also
restricted in plants treated with cytokinin.
Collectively these results suggest that prevention of visible symptom
development, rather than prevention of asymptomatic growth, is the most
important target for management of this disease. Control methods targeted at
delaying senescence could be a useful avenue for further investigation
Embodying entrepreneurship: everyday practices, processes and routines in a technology incubator
The growing interest in the processes and practices of entrepreneurship has
been dominated by a consideration of temporality. Through a thirty-six-month
ethnography of a technology incubator, this thesis contributes to extant
understanding by exploring the effect of space. The first paper explores how
class structures from the surrounding city have appropriated entrepreneurship
within the incubator. The second paper adopts a more explicitly spatial analysis
to reveal how the use of space influences a common understanding of
entrepreneurship. The final paper looks more closely at the entrepreneurs within
the incubator and how they use visual symbols to develop their identity. Taken
together, the three papers reject the notion of entrepreneurship as a primarily
economic endeavour as articulated through commonly understood language and
propose entrepreneuring as an enigmatic attractor that is accessed through the
ambiguity of the non-verbal to develop the ânewâ. The thesis therefore contributes
to the understanding of entrepreneurship and proposes a distinct role for the non-verbal in that understanding
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