Benefiting from Commissioned Research: The Role of Researcher – Client Cooperation

This paper discusses why commissioned research is often neglected and misunderstood, as well as how its use can be enhanced. We argue that the lack of use of such research can be attributed to differences in researchers’ and practitioners’ knowledge and expectations regarding research problems, solutions, interpretations, and applications. Two hypotheses are proposed, which link the use of research to cooperation between researchers and users during the production of the research, and to assistance in interpreting and applying the research results. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 65 buyers of 86 research projects in the seafood industry. The reported findings reveal that collaboration fosters research utilisation, but also that close cooperation between the providers and the users of research may substitute assistance in enhancing research utilisation.     

Prediction of multivariate responses with a selected number of principal components

This paper proposes a new method and algorithm for predicting multivariate responses in a regression setting. Research into the classification of high dimension low sample size (HDLSS) data, in particular microarray data, has made considerable advances, but regression prediction for high-dimensional data with continuous responses has had less attention. Recently Bair et al. (2006) proposed an efficient prediction method based on supervised principal component regression (PCR). Motivated by the fact that using a larger number of principal components results in better regression performance, this paper extends the method of Bair et al. in several ways: a comprehensive variable ranking is combined with a selection of the best number of components for PCR, and the new method further extends to regression with multivariate responses. The new method is particularly suited to addressing HDLSS problems. Applications to simulated and real data demonstrate the performance of the new method. Comparisons with the findings of Bair et al. (2006) show that for high-dimensional data in particular the new ranking results in a smaller number of predictors and smaller errors.     

Estimation and validation of glacier surface motion in the northwestern Himalayas using high-resolution SAR intensity tracking

We estimate two-dimensional (2D) glacier surface motion using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) X-band intensity tracking. It has been observed that the viability of SAR interferometry (InSAR) is often limited by coherence loss over glaciers in landlocked regions using SAR data pairs of more than 1 day temporal baseline. An alternative to InSAR is the intensity-tracking approach, which relies on intensity cross-correlation for the estimation of subpixel surface motion in range and azimuth direction. In this work, we apply this approach for 2D glacier surface motion estimation in the north-western (NW) Himalayas, using TerraSAR-X (TS-X) spotlight mode high-resolution data pairs of 11, 22, and 33 day temporal separation. The results are in good agreement with total station surveying measurements synchronous with the satellite data acquisition period. The technique is found to be highly appropriate for monitoring the flow rate of glaciers in the Himalayas on a multitemporal basis.     

From 101 to nnn: a review and a classification of computer game architectures

The game world graph (GWG) framework is a taxonomy for analyzing and classifying computer game architectures. This article presents a systematic review of game architectures using the GWG framework. The review validates the usefulness of the GWG framework through classifying game architectures described in the literature into distinct categories according to the framework. The major contribution of the paper is a state-of-the-art presentation of 40 different game architectures, which covers architectures for all kinds of games from single player games to massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). Previous reviews of game architectures have focused on a narrower selection of games such as only networked games, MMOGs or similar. Further, none of the previous reviews has used a systematic framework for analyzing the characteristics of game architectures. Using the framework, we can identify similarities and differences of the 40 game architectures in a systematic way. Finally, the paper outlines the evolution of the game architectures from the perspective of the GWG framework.     

A situational method for semi-automated Enterprise Architecture Documentation

The business capabilities of modern enterprises crucially rely on the enterprises’ information systems and underlying IT infrastructure. Hence, optimization of the business-IT alignment is a key objective of Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM). To achieve this objective, EAM creates, maintains and analyzes a model of the current state of the Enterprise Architecture. This model covers different concepts reflecting both the business and the IT perspective and has to be constantly maintained in response to ongoing transformations of the enterprise. In practice, EA models grow large and are difficult to maintain, since many stakeholders from various backgrounds have to contribute architecture-relevant information. EAM literature and two practitioner surveys conducted by the authors indicate that EA model maintenance, in particular the manual documentation activities, poses one of the biggest challenges to EAM in practice. Current research approaches target the automation of the EA documentation based on specific data sources. These approaches, as our systematic literature review showed, do not consider enterprise specificity of the documentation context or the variability of the data sources from organization to organization. The approach presented in this article specifically accounts for these factors and presents a situational method for EA documentation. It builds on four process-supported documentation techniques which can be selected, composed and applied to design an organization-specific documentation process. The techniques build on a meta-model for EA documentation, which is implemented in an EA-repository prototype that supports the configuration and execution of the documentation techniques. We applied our documentation method assembly process at a German insurance company and report the findings from this case study in particular regarding practical applicability and usability of our approach.     

Scaffolding of small groups�� metacognitive activities with an avatar

Metacognitive scaffolding in a computer-supported learning environment can influence students’ metacognitive activities, metacognitive knowledge and domain knowledge. In this study we analyze how metacognitive activities mediate the relationships between different avatar scaffolds on students’ learning. Multivariate, multilevel analysis of the 51,339 conversation turns by 54 elementary school students working in triads showed that scaffolding has an effect on students’ learning. Students receiving structuring or problematizing metacognitive scaffolds displayed more metacognitive knowledge than students in the control group. Metacognitive activities mediated the effects of scaffolding, and increased metacognitive activities supported students’ metacognitive knowledge. Moreover, students who were engaged in proportionately more cognitive activities or fewer off-task activities also outperformed other students on the metacognitive knowledge test. Only problematizing scaffolds led to more domain knowledge and metacognitive activities mediated the effects of the problematizing scaffolds. Moreover, students in the problematizing condition who engaged in more cognitive activities or whose group mates used more relational activities had greater domain knowledge acquisition than other students.     

High-Temperature Proton-Conducting LaNbO4-Based Materials: Powder Synthesis by Spray Pyrolysis

Submicrometer lanthanum ortho-niobate (LaNbO₄ (LN))-based powders have been prepared by spray pyrolysis of an aqueous solution containing stable La–EDTA and Nb–malic acid complexes. The powders had a particle size of ∼0.1 μm, a narrow particle size distribution, and high purity after calcination above 800°C. The powders possessed excellent sintering properties resulting in >98% dense materials at 1200°C. The present route is shown to be excellent for the large-scale preparation of high-quality LaNbO₄-based powders.     

Mary Dinsmore Saltworthy Ainsworth (1913–1999): Obituary.

Memorializes Mary D. S. Ainsworth, one of the preeminent developmental psychologists of the 20th century. Her conceptual and empirical contributions to attachment theory have led to groundbreaking changes in how psychologists think about the connection between an infant and its caregivers and, by extension, about close human relationships at all ages. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How reasonable are oil production scenarios from public agencies?

According to the long-term scenarios of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), conventional oil production is expected to grow until at least 2030. EIA has published results from a resource-constrained production model which ostensibly supports such a scenario. The model is here described and analyzed in detail. However, it is shown that the model, although sound in principle, has been misapplied due to a confusion of resource categories. A correction of this methodological error reveals that EIA's scenario requires rather extreme and implausible assumptions regarding future global decline rates. This result puts into question the basis for the conclusion that global “peak oil” would not occur before 2030.     

Improving the effectiveness of root cause analysis in post mortem analysis: A controlled experiment

Retrospective analysis is a way to share knowledge following the completion of a project or major milestone. However, in the busy workday of a software project, there is rarely time for such reviews and there is a need for effective methods that will yield good results quickly without the need for external consultants or experts. Building on an existing method for retrospective analysis and theories of group involvement, we propose improvements to the root cause analysis phase of a lightweight retrospective analysis method known as post mortem analysis (PMA). In particular, to facilitate brainstorming during the root cause analysis phase of the PMA, we propose certain processual changes to facilitate more active individual participation and the use of less rigidly structured diagrams. We conducted a controlled experiment to compare this new variation of the method with the existing one, and conclude that in our setting of small software teams with no access to an experienced facilitator, the new variation is more effective when it comes to identifying possible root causes of problems and successes. The modified method also produced more specific starting points for improving the software development process.