Information systems in the public sector: The e-Government enactment framework

Despite the burgeoning number of studies of public sector information systems, very few scholars have focussed on the relationship between e-Government policies and information systems choice and design. Drawing on Fountain’s (2001) technology enactment framework, this paper endeavours to conduct an in-depth investigation of the intricacies characterising the choice and design of new technologies in the context of e-Government reforms. By claiming that technologies are carriers of e-Government reform aims, this study investigates the logics embedded in the design of new technology and extant political interests and values inscribed in e-Government policies. The e-Government enactment framework is proposed as a theoretical and analytical approach to understand and study the complexity of these relationships which shape e-Government policies.     

Building linked ontologies with high precision using subclass mapping discovery

The creation of links between schemas of published datasets is a key part of the Linked Open Data (LOD) paradigm. The ability to discover these links “on the go” requires that ontology matching techniques achieve good precision and recall within acceptable execution times. In this paper, we add similarity-based and mediator-based ontology matching methods to the Agreementmaker ontology matching system, which aim to efficiently discover high precision subclass mappings between LOD ontologies. Similarity-based matching methods discover subclass mappings by extrapolating them from a set of high quality equivalence mappings and from the interpretation of compound concept names. Mediator-based matching methods discover subclass mappings by comparing polysemic lexical annotations of ontology concepts and by considering external web ontologies. Experiments show that when compared with a leading LOD approach, Agreementmaker achieves considerably higher precision and F-measure, at the cost of a slight decrease in recall.     

Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramics synthesized by spray drying method

Potassium-sodium niobate was synthesized at 800 °C for 1 h using dried precursors in a powder form obtained by the spray drying method. Different samples were sintered from 1060 to 1120 °C for 2 h reaching a relative density as high as 96% of the theoretical value. Piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties were studied for these samples and some of the most prominent results are: k_p, d₃₁, 2P_r, and 2E_C of 0.36, 39 pC/N, 29 μC/cm² and 16.5 kV/cm, respectively, for the sample sintered at 1080 °C. The methodology presented in this study can be used to synthesize submicrometer powders.     

Electrical properties of Pb0.98Eu0.02(ZryTi1−y)0.995O3 prepared by sol–gel processing

A Pb_0.98Eu_0.02(Zr_yTi_1−y )_0.995O₃ compound series, with y = 0.60, 0.53 and 0.45 was prepared. PZT samples were synthesized by sol–gel technique. The crystallization and quality of the compounds were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The shape of the ε′(ω) vs T curves can be considered typical of a ferro-paraelectric transition. The ferro-paraelectric transition temperature for each composition was 348, 328 and 307°C, for the y = 0.45, 0.53 and 0.60, respectively. σ′(ω) is strongly influenced by short range processes. For the logσ′(ω) curves as function of temperature, there is evidence of a non dispersive dc-conductivity component for the high temperature region. The associated dc-activation energies are larger than those calculated for the ac region (at lower temperatures).     

European citizen and consumer attitudes and preferences regarding beef and pork

This paper presents the combined mid-term findings of the consumer research components of two EU Sixth Framework Programme integrated projects concerning meat, ProSafeBeef and Q-PorkChains. The consumer pillar of ProSafeBeef carried out eight focus group discussions in May 2008, in France, Germany, Spain and the UK. Q-PorkChains conducted a large-scale, web-based, consumer survey in January 2008 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece and Poland. The first project provides a set of qualitative data from a small cohort of focus groups and the second a set of quantitative data from a larger consumer sample. This paper draws together the main findings of both projects and provides a comprehensive overview of European citizens’ and consumers’ attitudes towards and preferences regarding beef and pork. In general, consumers consider meat to be a healthy and important component of the diet. Consumers support the development of technologies that can improve the health attributes of meat products and guarantee eating quality, but they have a negative view of what they see to be excessive manipulation and lack of naturalness in the production and processing of beef products. In the Q-PorkChains study consumer and citizen segments are identified and profiled. Consumer segments were built upon the frequency and variety of pork consumption. The citizen segments were built upon their attitudes towards pig production systems. Overall, the relationship between individuals’ views as citizens and their behaviour as consumers was found to be quite weak and did not appear to greatly or systematically influence meat-buying habits. Future studies in both projects will concentrate on consumers’ acceptance of innovative meat product concepts and products, with the aim of boosting consumer trust and invigorating the European beef and pork industries.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on unburned coal char burnout in a pilot-scale rotary kiln

Oxidation reactivity studies are imperative for improving carbon re-burn technologies and valuing the heat content of unburned carbon within coal combustion ashes. Non-isothermal, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to examine the oxidation kinetics of unburned carbon in coal combustion fly ashes having different particle size distributions; TGA results were related to combustion efficiencies as measured in a bench-scale rotary kiln. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor were determined for the chemically-controlled reaction regime; the transition temperatures between chemically-controlled and partially diffusion-controlled combustion regimes were obtained for unburned carbon particles of different sizes. After the oxidation reaction rates were evaluated, the residence time distribution (RTD) of fly ashes in the rotary kiln were experimentally measured and the mean residence times related to process parameters, including the rotating velocity and kiln inclination. By comparing these results with an advective-dispersive model, the axial dispersion coefficient of fly ashes was determined. The reaction rates obtained by thermal analyses and the RTDs were used to predict combustion efficiencies within the kiln and oxidation conditions of unburned carbon using various processing options.     

Characterisation and modelling of the elastic properties of poly(lactic acid) nanofibre scaffolds

The aim of this study is to predict the elastic response of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) electrospun nanofibre scaffolds through mathematical models based on homogenisation and the differential replacement method (DRM). These models principally seek to determine and analyse the effects of the internal morphology of the nanofibres on the effective Young’s modulus of polymer nanofibre scaffolds. The microstructure of the nanofibres was first characterised by SEM, XRD, DSC, AFM, and TEM techniques. From this characterisation, strong evidence of a hierarchical core–shell structure was found. With the experimental data, it was possible to design and validate better models than those currently used. In addition, the effects of the electrospinning parameters, such as take-up velocity and thermal treatment, were analysed and correlated with the morphology and the elastic properties of the nanofibres and their scaffolds. To validate the models’ results, we conducted a series of uniaxial tensile tests on the PLA nanofibre scaffolds. Using the data from the nanofibre measurements, the homogenisation approximations and the model based on the DRM predicted an effective Young’s modulus of 667 and 835 MPa, respectively. The predicted data were in excellent agreement with the experimental results (685–880 MPa). These models will be useful in understanding and evaluating the structure–property relationships of oriented nanofibre scaffolds for medical or biological applications.     

Technological,nutritional and sensory properties of pasta fortified with agro-industrial by-products: a review

Reducing food waste is a priority to move towards more sustainable food systems. Since agro-food by-products are often rich in healthy compounds, such as fibre, phytochemicals, protein, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, the waste valorisation could move through their transformation into ingredients useful for the formulation of functional foods. Pasta is a staple food widely consumed all over the world representing an optimal carrier for nutrients delivery. The incorporation of ingredients of a high added value obtained by agro-industrial by-products in pasta can improve its nutritional value and provides several health benefits. At the same time, the inclusion of new ingredients could modify the physical, chemical and textural properties determining the change of the organoleptic characteristics of fortified pasta, affecting its acceptability. Thus, the preparation of new pasta formulations with high nutritional properties, good technological and sensory characteristics represents a challenge for the food industry.     

Accessing the spoken word

Spoken-word audio collections cover many domains, including radio and television broadcasts, oral narratives, governmental proceedings, lectures, and telephone conversations. The collection, access, and preservation of such data is stimulated by political, economic, cultural, and educational needs. This paper outlines the major issues in the field, reviews the current state of technology, examines the rapidly changing policy issues relating to privacy and copyright, and presents issues relating to the collection and preservation of spoken audio content .