An evaluation methodology and framework for semantic web services technology

Software engineering has been driven over decades by the trend towards component based development and loose coupling. Service oriented architectures and Web Services in particular are the latest product of this long-reaching development. Semantic Web Services (SWS) apply the paradigms of the Semantic Web to Web Services to allow more flexible and dynamic service usages. Numerous frameworks to realize SWS have been put forward in recent years but their relative advantages and general maturity are not easy to assess. This dissertation presents a solution to this issue. It defines a general methodology and framework for SWS technology evaluation as well as concrete benchmarks to assess the functional scope and performance of various approaches. The presented benchmarks have been executed within international evaluation campaign. The thesis thus comprehensively covers theoretical, methodological as well as practical results regarding the evaluation and assessment of SWS technologies

Digital Transformation and Public Services

Through a series of studies, the overarching aim of this book is to investigate if and how the digitalization/digital transformation process affects various welfare services provided by the public sector, and the ensuing implications thereof. Ultimately, this book seeks to understand if it is conceivable for digital advancement to result in the creation of private/non-governmental alternatives to welfare services, possibly in a manner that transcends national boundaries. This study also investigates the possible ramifications of technological development for the public sector and the Western welfare society at large. This book takes its point of departure from the 2016 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report that targets specific public service areas in which government needs to adopt new strategies not to fall behind. Specifically, this report emphasizes the focus on digitalization of health care/social care, education, and protection services, including the use of assistive technologies referred to as "digital welfare." Hence, this book explores the factors potentially leading to whether state actors could be overrun by other non-governmental actors, disrupting the current status quo of welfare services. The book seeks to provide an innovative, enriching, and controversial take on society at large and how various aspects of the public sector can be, and are, affected by the ongoing digitalization process in a way that is not covered by extant literature on the market. This book takes its point of departure in Sweden given the fact that Sweden is one of the most digitalized countries in Europe, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), making it a pertinent research case. However, as digitalization transcends national borders, large parts of the subject matter take on an international angle. This includes cases from several other countries around Europe as well as the United States

Bridging between Research and Practice

This book presents a fresh approach to bridging the perceived gap between academic and classroom cultures. It describes a unique form of research partnership whereby Cambridge University academics and school teachers together grappled with and reformulated theory—through in-depth case studies analysing practice using interactive whiteboards in five subject areas. The inquiry exploited the collaborators’ complementary professional knowledge bases. Teachers’ voices are particularly audible in co-authored case study chapters. Outcomes included deeper insights into concepts of sociocultural learning theory and classroom dialogue, more analytical mindsets, sustained new practices and ways of working collegially.; Readership: The book will interest academic and teacher researchers, initial teacher educators, professional development leaders, mentors, plus practitioners interested in using interactive whiteboards and dialogic teaching. It explores widening approaches to collegial development to reach educators working in other contexts (with and without technology). This could involve intermediate theory building or shortcutting by sharing and adapting the outcomes—springboarding teachers’ further critique and professional learning

Bibliographic Control in the Digital Ecosystem

With the contributions of international experts, the book aims to explore the new boundaries of universal bibliographic control. Bibliographic control is radically changing because the bibliographic universe is radically changing: resources, agents, technologies, standards and practices. Among the main topics addressed: library cooperation networks; legal deposit; national bibliographies; new tools and standards (IFLA LRM, RDA, BIBFRAME); authority control and new alliances (Wikidata, Wikibase, Identifiers); new ways of indexing resources (artificial intelligence); institutional repositories; new book supply chain; “discoverability” in the IIIF digital ecosystem; role of thesauri and ontologies in the digital ecosystem; bibliographic control and search engines

SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar). Earth observing system. Volume 2F: Instrument panel report

The scientific and engineering requirements for the Earth Observing System (EOS) imaging radar are provided. The radar is based on Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C), and would include three frequencies: 1.25 GHz, 5.3 GHz, and 9.6 GHz; selectable polarizations for both transmit and receive channels; and selectable incidence angles from 15 to 55 deg. There would be three main viewing modes: a local high-resolution mode with typically 25 m resolution and 50 km swath width; a regional mapping mode with 100 m resolution and up to 200 km swath width; and a global mapping mode with typically 500 m resolution and up to 700 km swath width. The last mode allows global coverage in three days. The EOS SAR will be the first orbital imaging radar to provide multifrequency, multipolarization, multiple incidence angle observations of the entire Earth. Combined with Canadian and Japanese satellites, continuous radar observation capability will be possible. Major applications in the areas of glaciology, hydrology, vegetation science, oceanography, geology, and data and information systems are described

Realising Global Water Futures: a Summary of Progress in Delivering Solutions to Water Threats in an Era of Global Change

Canada First Research Excellence FundNon-Peer ReviewedOver the past six years the Global Water Futures program has produced a wide range of scientific findings and engagements with multiple types of potential users of the research. This briefing book provides a snapshot of some of the science advancements and user engagement that have taken place to date. Annual reports to the funding agency are the most up to date source of information: this compilation has been created from reports submitted by projects in 2022, representing both completed and current project work. The briefing book aims to provide quick access to information about GWF projects in a single place for GWF’s User Advisory Panel: we hope that knowing more about the research being produced will spark conversations about how to make the best use of the new knowledge in both policy and practice

Bridging between Research and Practice

This book presents a fresh approach to bridging the perceived gap between academic and classroom cultures. It describes a unique form of research partnership whereby Cambridge University academics and school teachers together grappled with and reformulated theory—through in-depth case studies analysing practice using interactive whiteboards in five subject areas. The inquiry exploited the collaborators’ complementary professional knowledge bases. Teachers’ voices are particularly audible in co-authored case study chapters. Outcomes included deeper insights into concepts of sociocultural learning theory and classroom dialogue, more analytical mindsets, sustained new practices and ways of working collegially.; Readership: The book will interest academic and teacher researchers, initial teacher educators, professional development leaders, mentors, plus practitioners interested in using interactive whiteboards and dialogic teaching. It explores widening approaches to collegial development to reach educators working in other contexts (with and without technology). This could involve intermediate theory building or shortcutting by sharing and adapting the outcomes—springboarding teachers’ further critique and professional learning

INTERACTIONS AMONG CLIMATE, FIRE, AND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES ACROSS MULTIPLE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORESTS

Warmer and drier climate conditions over recent decades are contributing to widespread increases in fire activity across western North America. The combined impacts of changing climate and fire activity threaten to undermine the longstanding resilience of forest ecosystems to wildfires, potentially leading to ecological transformations. This context creates a pressing need to understand the direct effects of climate and wildfire on ecosystem processes, and how longer-term changes in climate, fire activity, and ecosystem processes interact to determine ecological trajectories. This dissertation advances our understanding of the causes and ecosystem consequences of wildfire and changing fire regimes in northern Rocky Mountain forests over years to millennia. In Chapter 1, I utilized extensive field sampling in two recent wildfires in western Montana to document how fires alter microclimatic conditions in biologically meaningful ways for regenerating and surviving vegetation. Through a subsequent study that tracked conifer seedling demography over the first three years following these wildfires, Chapter 2 highlights how spatial heterogeneity in fire effects can facilitate tree regeneration following wildfires, provided suitable post-fire climate. Overall, forests are exhibiting early signs of resilience to these two fire events. Chapters 3 and 4 utilized paleoecological methods to address questions of long-term ecosystem change, and relationships among climate, fire activity, and ecosystem processes. In Chapter 3 I used a high-resolution, multiproxy lake-sediment record from the northern Rockies to reconstruct fire activity and ecosystem change over the past 4800 years. Changes in vegetation and fire activity coincident with increased effective moisture c. 2000 years ago highlight the overarching impact of climate on shaping ecosystem processes. Past wildfires had diverse, detectable impacts on biogeochemical processes, and evidence of ecosystem resilience to wildfires was consistent across variations in climate, vegetation, and fire activity over the late Holocene. Chapter 4 addressed variability in fire activity across a broader landscape, much of it burned during the historic 1910 fire season. I developed a network of 12 lake-sediment records to reconstruct a landscape-scale fire history over the past 2500 years and quantify the historical range of variability. This perspective reveals that contemporary burning, including the 1910 fires, remains within the historical range of fire activity in subalpine forests in this region. My findings imply that northern Rocky Mountain subalpine forests are currently experiencing fire activity and ecological dynamics broadly consistent with historical variability. However, each chapter also highlights the sensitivity of multiple forest ecosystem processes to climate conditions and climate variability. Given the rapid rate of ongoing climatic change, subalpine forests will become increasingly vulnerable to widespread shifts in composition and structure. Future research could focus on identifying thresholds to change and early warning signals

Mothers of Adult Children Who Have Down Syndrome: Understanding the Meaning of Religion and Spirituality in Perception, Hope, and Coping

Since the 1970s, the number of individuals living with Down syndrome has continued to increase. Many of these individuals live with their families, and mothers are the primary caretakers for most of these children. As the life expectancy of individuals who have Down syndrome continues to rise, theses caregiving roles are expected to last longer. Unfortunately, the supports offered to families, and specifically mothers, have been inconsistent and often inadequate. Spirituality and religion offer some mothers additional supports and can enhance their resilience and endurance. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach to explore the experience of spirituality and religion in the parenting process of six mothers of adult children who have Down syndrome. The six participants resided in the Mid-South region of the United States and reported that spirituality or religion was important in their lives. Four sub-questions guided this exploration to understand how spirituality and religion influenced these mothers: (1) perceptions of meaning or purpose in their childs diagnosis; (2) positive or negative perceptions of Down syndrome within the context of the church; (3) coping resources and strategies; and (4) perceptions of hope for the childs future. The data collected from a series of three face-to-face interviews with the six participants was processed using Colaizzis method of data analysis. The findings indicated spirituality and religion were supportive coping resources for the mothers in this study, but they were also sources of stress, particularly religion. Mothers found comfort in the belief that their child had purpose, and several mothers believed they were divinely chosen to be the mother of their child. Although biblical scriptures and stories offered reassurances, the supports received from parishioners and religious leaders were inconsistent and sometimes rejecting. Mothers frequently described the institution of the church as insensitive to the needs of individuals who had Down syndrome. When considering the future, mothers reliance on spiritual and religious faith wavered and proactive planning increased. The most frequently reported source of spiritual support among these mothers was their relationship with God

The Missouri Miner, March 05, 1997

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