Electronic services, new public sector structures, and knowledge (mis)management

Session 5: Knowledge societ

Introducing e-Gov: History, Definitions, and Issues

The e-Gov field (also called Electronic Government, Digital Government, Electronic Governance, and similar names) emerged in the late 1990´s. Since then it spurred several scientific conferences and journals. Because the field grew considerably in size, both its contents and position with respect to other research fields and disciplines need to be explained and discussed. What is e-Gov? What is e-Gov research? What does it mean for the field of Information Systems? This paper briefly sketches the short e-Gov history and current status, and discusses the content of the field as it appears in current research. We conclude with a discussion of e-Gov as a research field of interest both as a new application area for IS theories and methods and as a source of new insight

Correlations in Networks associated to Preferential Growth

Combinations of random and preferential growth for both on-growing and stationary networks are studied and a hierarchical topology is observed. Thus for real world scale-free networks which do not exhibit hierarchical features preferential growth is probably not the main ingredient in the growth process. An example of such real world networks includes the protein-protein interaction network in yeast, which exhibits pronounced anti-hierarchical features.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Scale-freeness for networks as a degenerate ground state: A Hamiltonian formulation

The origin of scale-free degree distributions in the context of networks is addressed through an analogous non-network model in which the node degree corresponds to the number of balls in a box and the rewiring of links to balls moving between the boxes. A statistical mechanical formulation is presented and the corresponding Hamiltonian is derived. The energy, the entropy, as well as the degree distribution and its fluctuations are investigated at various temperatures. The scale-free distribution is shown to correspond to the degenerate ground state, which has small fluctuations in the degree distribution and yet a large entropy. We suggest an implication of our results from the viewpoint of the stability in evolution of networks.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. To appear in Europhysics lette

The networked seceder model: Group formation in social and economic systems

The seceder model illustrates how the desire to be different than the average can lead to formation of groups in a population. We turn the original, agent based, seceder model into a model of network evolution. We find that the structural characteristics our model closely matches empirical social networks. Statistics for the dynamics of group formation are also given. Extensions of the model to networks of companies are also discussed

Dynamic scaling regimes of collective decision making

We investigate a social system of agents faced with a binary choice. We assume there is a correct, or beneficial, outcome of this choice. Furthermore, we assume agents are influenced by others in making their decision, and that the agents can obtain information that may guide them towards making a correct decision. The dynamic model we propose is of nonequilibrium type, converging to a final decision. We run it on random graphs and scale-free networks. On random graphs, we find two distinct regions in terms of the "finalizing time" -- the time until all agents have finalized their decisions. On scale-free networks on the other hand, there does not seem to be any such distinct scaling regions

Religion and Episodic Volunteering

Connections between religion and volunteering have been widely documented. Religion is a key motivating factor for volunteering in religious settings and elsewhere. Episodic volunteering is one of the fastest-growing forms of volunteering, but literature on episodic volunteering and religion is scarce. In this article, we analyse connections between religion and religiosity, and episodic volunteering. First, we identify types of episodic volunteers at religious events. Second, we use a set of three independent variables (declared religious denomination, importance of religion and spiritual motivation) to understand episodic volunteering participation. Third, we examine whether those who volunteer both episodically and regularly are more religious. Finally, we identify differences across religious affiliations. Using data from a cross-national survey, we apply different data segments in each area of our study. Our findings suggest that episodic volunteers are influenced by religion and religiosity, with especially strong connections among Protestants. We conclude with suggestions for future research.Peer reviewe

Fungus covered insulator materials studied with laser-induced fluorescence and principal component analysis

A method combining laser-induced fluorescence and principal component analysis to detect and discriminate between algal and fungal growth on insulator materials has been studied. Eight fungal cultures and four insulator materials have been analyzed. Multivariate classifications were utilized to characterize the insulator material, and fungal growth could readily be distinguished from a clean surface. The results of the principal component analyses make it possible to distinguish between algae infected, fungi infected, and clean silicone rubber materials. The experiments were performed in the laboratory using a fiber-optic fluorosensor that consisted of a nitrogen laser and an optical multi-channel analyzer system

Evolution of Rogue Waves in Interacting Wave Systems

Large amplitude water waves on deep water has long been known in the sea faring community, and the cause of great concern for, e.g., oil platform constructions. The concept of such freak waves is nowadays, thanks to satellite and radar measurements, well established within the scientific community. There are a number of important models and approaches for the theoretical description of such waves. By analyzing the scaling behavior of freak wave formation in a model of two interacting waves, described by two coupled nonlinear Schroedinger equations, we show that there are two different dynamical scaling behaviors above and below a critical angle theta_c of the direction of the interacting waves below theta_c all wave systems evolve and display statistics similar to a wave system of non-interacting waves. The results equally apply to other systems described by the nonlinear Schroedinger equations, and should be of interest when designing optical wave guides.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Europhysics Letter

Effect of Inhaled Xenon on Cerebral White Matter Damage in Comatose Survivors of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE: Evidence from preclinical models indicates that xenon gas can prevent the development of cerebral damage after acute global hypoxic-ischemic brain injury but, thus far, these putative neuroprotective properties have not been reported in human studies. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of inhaled xenon on ischemic white matter damage assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomized single-blind phase 2 clinical drug trial conducted between August 2009 and March 2015 at 2 multipurpose intensive care units in Finland. One hundred ten comatose patients (aged 24-76 years) who had experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were randomized. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either inhaled xenon combined with hypothermia (33°C) for 24 hours (n = 55 in the xenon group) or hypothermia treatment alone (n = 55 in the control group). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was cerebral white matter damage as evaluated by fractional anisotropy from diffusion tensor MRI scheduled to be performed between 36 and 52 hours after cardiac arrest. Secondary end points included neurological outcome assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (score 0 [no symptoms] through 6 [death]) and mortality at 6 months. RESULTS: Among the 110 randomized patients (mean age, 61.5 years; 80 men [72.7%]), all completed the study. There were MRI data from 97 patients (88.2%) a median of 53 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 47-64 hours) after cardiac arrest. The mean global fractional anisotropy values were 0.433 (SD, 0.028) in the xenon group and 0.419 (SD, 0.033) in the control group. The age-, sex-, and site-adjusted mean global fractional anisotropy value was 3.8% higher (95% CI, 1.1%-6.4%) in the xenon group (adjusted mean difference, 0.016 [95% CI, 0.005-0.027], P = .006). At 6 months, 75 patients (68.2%) were alive. Secondary end points at 6 months did not reveal statistically significant differences between the groups. In ordinal analysis of the modified Rankin Scale, the median (IQR) value was 1 (1-6) in the xenon group and 1 (0-6) in the control group (median difference, 0 [95% CI, 0-0]; P = .68). The 6-month mortality rate was 27.3% (15/55) in the xenon group and 34.5% (19/55) in the control group (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.23-1.01]; P = .053). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, inhaled xenon combined with hypothermia compared with hypothermia alone resulted in less white matter damage as measured by fractional anisotropy of diffusion tensor MRI. However, there was no statistically significant difference in neurological outcomes or mortality at 6 months. These preliminary findings require further evaluation in an adequately powered clinical trial designed to assess clinical outcomes associated with inhaled xenon among survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00879892