1,721,013 research outputs found

    A low cost micro-station to monitor soil water potential for irrigation management

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    The RISPArMiA project (which stands for “reduction of water wastage through the continuous monitoring of agri-environmental parameters”) won in 2013 the contest called “LINFAS - The New Ideas Make Sustainable Agriculture" and sponsored by two Italian Foundations (Fondazione Italiana Accenture and Fondazione Collegio Università Milanesi). The objective of the RISPArMiA project is to improve the irrigation efficiency at the farm scale, by providing the farmer with a valuable decision support system for the management of irrigation through the use of low-cost sensors and technologies that can easily be interfaced with Mobile devices. Through the installation of tensiometric sensors within the cropped field, the soil water potential can be continuously monitored. Using open hardware electronic platforms, a data-logger for storing the measured data will be built. Data will be then processed through a software that will allow the conversion of the monitored information into an irrigation advice. This will be notified to the farmer if the measured soil water potential exceed literature crop-specific tensiometric thresholds. Through an extrapolation conducted on the most recent monitored data, it will be also possible to obtain a simple soil water potential prevision in absence of rain events. All the information will be sent directly to a virtual server and successively on the farmer Mobile devices. Each micro-station is completely autonomous from the energy point of view, since it is powered by batteries recharged by a solar panel. The transmission modulus consists of a GSM apparatus with a SIM card. The use of free platforms (Arduino) and low cost sensors (Watermark 200SS tensiometers and soil thermocouples) will significantly reduce the costs of construction of the micro-station which are expected to be considerably lower than those required for similar instruments on the market today . Six prototype micro-stations are actually under construction. Their field testing will be conducted on maize and peach orchard fields in the 2014 agricultural season, and the results will be published at the end of the year. In this work the micro-station prototype will be described in all its components, and the experimental field activities will be illustrated

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Mobile Applications and Their Delivery Platforms

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    Mobile applications are a multibillion-dollar business. Understanding the business strategies behind them and the characteristics of their distinct delivery platform—the mobile app store—provides a glimpse into the emerging convergence of mobile-Web applications

    Mobile Social Networking: A Case Study in an Australian Mobile Network Operator

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    In the context of increased importance of social applications and convergence between mobile and Web technological domains, this paper investigates potential strategies that MNOs can adopt regarding the offer of mobile social networking services. A case study in an Australian mobile network operator is presented in order to highlight the decision-making process for the launch of mobile networking services. General conclusions and potential implications for mobile network operators are presented, including a three-step strategy for carriers wishing to enter the social networking arena

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Social Applications: Revenue Models, Delivery Channels, and Critical Success Factors - An Exploratory Study and Evidence from the Spanish-Speaking Market

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    In the context of growing interest in both Mobile-Internet convergence and Web 2.0 social technologies, this article investigates the business opportunities derived from offering Social Applications in the convergent scenario, particularly regarding Social Network and Content Sharing services. Given the business model structural deficiencies identified in literature for this type of convergent services, the investigation is oriented towards the role of the technology delivery channels (either Internet and/or Mobile) and revenue appropriation strategies. A mixed-methods research strategy was employed consisting of a cross-sectional survey of 124 Social Application services offered in Spanish language and seven case studies with representative Social Network and Content Sharing services. While the aim of the survey was to map and identify the overall main characteristics and business model dimensions of Social Applications, the case studies' objective was to understand the strategic reasoning behind business model design and evolution. The research offered a detailed view on the dynamics of Social Network and Content Sharing services, showing how the revenue strategies are tightly linked to the technological delivery channel. Finally, six critical success factors for business models of Content Sharing and Social Network services were identified
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