OJS – Open Journal Systems: Überblick und Funktionalitäten

Dieser Beitrag beschreibt das Open-Journal Systems (OJS) Software zum Publizieren und Verwalten von elektronischen Fachzeitschriften, die im „Public Knowledge Project“ (PKP) von mehreren international renommierten Universitäten entwickelt wird. Das in ca. 40 Sprachen verfügbare Softwaresystem unterstützt den Publikationsprozess von der Einreichung der Artikel bis hin zur deren Publikation und bietet alle notwendigen Funktionalitäten sowohl für Open-Access Publikationen als auch für kostenpflichtige E-Journals. Die erste öffentliche OJS Version wurde im Jahr 2000 freigegeben. Ende 2013 wurde die Plattform bereits für die Veröffentlichung von über 7000 Fachzeitschriften mit etwa 330.000 , eine freie web-basierte Artikeln verwendet

Analyzing the Factors Influencing Farmers’ Willingness to Produce Safe Agricultural Products: Evidence from Vegetable and Rice Farmers in Sri Lanka

Organic farming has been widely recognized as the best alternative that provides healthy food, environmental protection and ecological balance which have been seriously threatened by high input agricultural methods. This demands the need of promoting safe food production which has been considerably neglected especially in the developing countries. The aim of this article was to investigate the factors affecting to farmers’ willingness to produce safe agricultural products or to adopt organic farming methods. On the basis of field survey data obtained from rice and vegetable farmers in Uva province in Sri Lanka and utilizing a binary logistic model this study found that farmers’ willingness is positively influenced by a number of factors: farmer’s education level, household income, income from agricultural activities, years of farming, land extent, relative price of organic products, knowledge on eco system services, risk behaviour, and entrepreneurial skills. Finding suggest that farmers could be motivated to produce safe food products by incorporating these influential variables in targeted programs rather than giving ad hoc economic incentives. Key words: Safe agricultural products; Farmers’ willingness; Organic farming; Sri Lanka DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-2-1

Single-Crystalline Graphene by Low-Pressure CVD Method: Nucleation Limited Growth, Transfer, and Characterization

Graphene has attracted enormous attention due to its unique characteristics. However, the LPCVD graphene grown on copper turns out to be polycrystalline because of the high nucleation density (ND) on the copper foil surface. In order to realize better quality LPCVD graphene, this ND needs to be significantly reduced. Based on the observations from our initial graphene growths on as-received copper, we figured that the uneven Cu surfaces with defects produce large NDs. At a large ND, the graphene flakes nucleated at different sites coalesced to produce polycrystalline graphene. Due to such issues, we have implemented an electropolishing technique to smoothen the native surface of the copper foil. We will discuss the successful implementation of the surface smoothening process to reduce nucleation site formation while limiting the surface defects (which leads to wrinkle formation). The annealing process was also helpful to flatten the surface during the growth process further. We have also observed that graphene grows across Cu grain boundaries and, in the process, produces an additional surface area for graphene growth. That later causes to form wrinkles, which affect graphene properties negatively. In the next project, the effect of multi-step copper surface oxidization, base pressure vacuum in the middle of the process, and integration of Cu enclosures on suppressing the ND will be discussed. The technique is based on the self-cleaning characteristics of copper oxides and the metal evaporation in a high vacuum at high temperatures. The ND has reduced to ~5 nucleation/cm2 on average (an improvement compared to the previously reported minimum value, ten nucleation/cm2 which was obtained using copper enclosures), and the graphene/copper surface has become smoother. The self-aligned graphene island geometry and shape of the flakes have reflected the symmetry and the single crystallinity of graphene. The final project will discuss the growth of cm-scale graphene flakes on Cu and 3D-multilayered graphene on 3D-Ni foams and used Ni\u27s gettering carbon diffusion effect to make the Cu foil carbon-free. The Ni-foam/Cu enclosure was oxidized in situ to assist with the self-cleaning process of metal oxides. The ND has been reduced to ~0.57 nucleation/cm2 and obtained cm-scale graphene flakes

La sostenibilidad en un mercado emergente - En el contexto de la alta dirección

The concept of CSR is still novel to Sri Lanka and firms in the country, and the adoption of the concept is in the initial phase. Scholars in developing countries are conducting studies based on CSR. This study aims to explore how and to what extent firms in emerging countries can conduct CSR activities; the types of benefits the firms can enjoy from CSR-driven activities; and the types of benefits that society can gain from CSR. This study provides insights into identifying existing CSR practices and analyze the benefits that they can generate. The study was conducted using 50 of the highest market capitalized firms listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, Sri Lanka. The target group comprised 70 board of directors of the selected firms. A structured questionnaire was used for collecting data. The board of directors who responded believed that the most vital criteria in the CSR pyramid are economic responsibility. This response indicates that firms need to prioritise generating profits and then use their earnings for the wellbeing of society.El concepto de RSC es todavía novedoso en Sri Lanka y en las empresas del país, y su adopción está en la fase inicial. Los especialistas de los países en desarrollo están realizando estudios basados en la RSE. Este estudio pretende explorar cómo y en qué medida las empresas de los países emergentes pueden llevar a cabo actividades de RSE; los tipos de beneficios que las empresas pueden obtener de las actividades impulsadas por la RSE; y los tipos de beneficios que la sociedad puede obtener de la RSE. Este estudio permite identificar las prácticas de RSE existentes y analizar los beneficios que pueden generar. El estudio se realizó con 50 de las empresas de mayor capitalización bursátil que cotizan en la Bolsa de Colombo, Sri Lanka. El grupo objetivo estaba formado por 70 consejos de administración de las empresas seleccionadas. Se utilizó un cuestionario estructurado para la recogida de datos. Los consejos de administración que respondieron creen que el criterio más importante en la pirámide de la RSE es la responsabilidad económica. Esta respuesta indica que las empresas deben dar prioridad a la generación de beneficios y luego utilizar sus ganancias para el bienestar de la sociedad

Evaluation of the coastal inundation and erosion process in the Mid-West coast of Western Australia

This study focused on the coastal inundation and erosion process in the Mid-West Coast of Western Australia. The process was evaluated for 1, 100 and 500 ARI events with future sea level rise using numerical modelling method. Statistical method was used to determine the extreme water level, wave and wind for selected ARI events. Overall modelling results clearly show that future climate change and sea level rise have adverse impacts on the selected coastal region

On some inferential problems with recurrent event models

Recurrent events (RE) occur in many disciplines, such as biomedical, engineering, actuarial science, sociology, economy to name a few. It is then important to develop dynamic models for their modeling and analysis. Of interest with data collected in a RE monitoring are inferential problems pertaining to the distribution function F of the time between occurrences, or that of the distribution function G of the monitoring window, and their functionals such as quantiles, mean. These problems include, but not limited to: estimating F parametrically or nonparametrically; goodness of fit tests on an hypothesized family of distributions; efficient of tests; regression-type models, or validation of models that arise in the modeling and analysis of RE. This dissertation work focuses on several inferential problems of significant importance with these types of data. The first one we dealt with is the problem of informative monitoring. Informative monitoring occurs when G contains information about F, and the information is accounted for in the inferential process through a Lehman-type model, 1 - G= (1 -F )ß, so called generalized Koziol-Green model in the literature. We propose a class of inferential procedures for validating the model. The research work proceeds with the development of a flexible, random cells based chi-square goodness of fit test for an hypothesized family of distributions with unknown parameter. The cells are random in the sense that they are cut free, are function of the data, and are not predetermined in advance as is done in standard chi-square type tests. A minimum chi-square estimator is used to construct the test statistic whose power is assessed against a sequence of Pitman-like alternatives. The last problem we considered is that of an efficiency, optimality, and comparison of various statistical tests on RE that are derived in this work and existed in the literature. The efficiency and optimality are obtained by extending the theory of Bahadur and Wieand to RE. Asymptotic properties of the different estimators and or statistics are presented via empirical processes tools. Small sample results using intensive simulation study of the various procedures are presented, and these show good approximation of the truth. Real recurrent event data from the engineering and biomedical studies are utilized to illustrate the various methods --Abstract, page iv

Effect of Thermal Modification on the Density, Durability, Dimensional Stability, and Mechanical Properties of Pinus caribaea

Pinus caribaea (Pine) is an underutilized timber species in Sri Lanka due to its low density, durability, dimensional stability, and undesirable colour. This research aims to examine the enhancements in the physical and mechanical properties of Pinewood through thermal modification (TM) and compare the properties of the TM wood with kiln-dried and untreated wood and with the properties of high-graded timbers of Tectona grandis (teak) and Koompassia malaccensi (kempas). TM is a process that involves heating wood to high temperatures (2000 C) in the absence of oxygen, which removes the moisture and creates changes in the wood at the cellular level. The effectiveness of the thermal modification on density, modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE), moisture content, dimensional stability, durability, and colour was studied. Specific gravity of thermally modified wood was 6% higher than untreated wood, but lower than teak and kempas. MOR and MOE values were 35.75% and 46.46% respectively higher than untreated wood. Equilibrium moisture content was reduced after TM and volumetric shrinkage of TM was reduced to 2.16% and swelling under liquid water contact was reduced to 2.37%. Thermally modified timber was classified as not durable (DC 5) based on field test (EN 252, 2014) results. However, TM timber was slightly durable (DC 4) according to laboratory tests and showed better fungal resistance. The wood underwent a darkening effect as a result of thermal modification, resembling the colour of teak. The cost of TM was 13.1% higher than kiln drying. Improved dimensional stability, enhanced bending strength, and attractive appearance demonstrate the potential of thermal modification as a promising alternative for transforming P. caribaea wood into high-value raw material. TM timber finds suitable applications in indoor furniture and joinery projects. However, due to its lack of termite resistance, preservative treatment is recommended for outdoor ground contact usage.   Keywords: Thermally modified timber, Mechanical properties, Dimensional stability, Durability, Pinus caribaea &nbsp

The Economics of Marriage in Australia.

As applied economists and women, we find this topic sensational. The fact is the odds appear to be against you if you are a woman looking for the perfect man in Australia. Australia is in the grip of a ‘man drought’ where women increasingly outnumber men and a good bachelor is hard to find... and single women in their 30s are beginning to wonder where all the men have gone! (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2005). The rumour of there being generally fewer men in the world is being pr oven to be true by Australian men. In 2007, Channel Nine news re ported that starting from the age of 30, the male population in Australia is incipiently becoming extinct! Isn’t this simply a disaster for all the women out there

Keine zwei verschiedenen Systeme mehr: Konferenzbeiträge auf der Zeitschriftenplattform (OJS) veröffentlichen

Der Vortrag präsentiert die Arbeiten von TIB Open Publishing zur Veröffentlichung von Konferenzbänden mittels angepasster und erweiterter Funktionen von Open Journal Systems (OJS). Konferenzpublikationen sind ein quantitativ und qualitativ wichtiger Teil des publizierten wissenschaftlichen Outputs. Sie werden auf unterschiedlichen Wegen und mit unterschiedlichen Standards veröffentlicht. Open-Access-Veröffentlichungen von Konferenzbänden, die an aktuellen Publikations- und Qualitätsstandards orientiert sind, erhöhen die Zugänglichkeit und Nachnutzbarkeit der auf Konferenzen vorgestellten Erkenntnisse. TIB Open Publishing ist ein neuer Diamond-Open-Access-Verlag für Zeitschriften und Konferenzpublikationen, der OJS nutzt. OJS ist mit weltweit mehr als 30.000 Installationen die am weitesten verbreitete freie Open-Source-Software zur Veröffentlichung von Zeitschriften. Basierend auf den eigenen Anforderungen und im engen Austausch mit der weltweiten OJS-Community entwickelt die TIB eine bessere Unterstützung von OJS für Konferenzreihen und verwandte Komponenten und Workflows. Die Lösungen werden als freie Software zur Verfügung gestellt. Im Vortrag stellen wir das technische Konzept, ein Anwendungsbeispiel, die Zusammenarbeit mit verschiedenen Akteuren sowie das Modell für eine nachhaltige Weiterentwicklung vor. Darüber hinaus möchten wir die Kosteneinsparungen durch die Wiederverwendung vorhandener Ressourcen und durch ein einheitliches System für Zeitschriften und Konferenzpublikationen thematisieren