101,417 research outputs found
Challenges facing transactional e-government systems
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 17/10/2005.A review of normative literature, in the field of e-government, indicates that the transactional stage of e-government is one of the most important to the implementation of an e-government system as it represents the highest level of interaction within organisations and between customers and government organisations. Due to the importance of the transactional stage of the e-government system and its positive impact, not only in making the delivery of external services quicker, but also in increasing the efficiency of internal government processes, government organisations might seek to reach this stage. In fact, in the literature, there appears to be an absence of theoretical models for the technical and organisational challenges facing transactional e-government systems. Furthermore, there is a lack of studies focusing on identification of the importance, categorisation and presentation of strategies for overcoming technical and organisational challenges. Consequently, this dissertation attempts to fill the information gap based on empirical data derived from two case studies. This work proposes a novel model for the technical and organisational challenges facing transactional e-government systems. In moving from the conceptual to the empirical, the work is based on a qualitative case study approach to examine the proposed model for the technical and organisational challenges facing transactional e-government systems. In doing so, two case studies were conducted, presented and analysed. During the empirical research, additional technical and organisational challenge(s) facing transactional e-government systems emerged, which resulted in modifications being made to the previously presented conceptual model. However, this dissertation proposes the conceptual model, identifies the importance, categorisation, and presentation of the strategies for overcoming, technical and organisational challenges facing a transactional e-government system. This results in the development of a frame of reference that will lead to a model that can be used to enhance decision-making
Worship and Christian identity in Uganda : a study of the contextualization of worship in the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Independent Churches in the West Nile and Kampala areas of Uganda
No full textThis research develops a conceptual framework for a critical analysis of an area of theological practice that since the coming of Christianity to Uganda has been taking
place at the `folk level' in the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Independent Churches, in the West Nile and Kampala areas of Uganda. It is a theology of culture that is
informed by insights from cultural and anthropological studies. The primary purpose of this thesis is meaning-making. It uses Clifford Geertz's idea of interpreting
religious phenomena and Celia Lury's idea of cultural production in conjuction with Robertsons' global/local encounter in order to do a cultural hermeneutic of
Lugbara/Madi traditions and the received Christian traditions as practised in the Lugbara language. It is interpretative and therefore theological, because theology is meaning-making. It further uses a `community and critical consciousness' approach of Gerald West, to help communities to describe and analyse their cultural practices.
The research investigates the ways in which worship, as a cultural product, is used as a medium of social change and exchange and how its variability reflects socio-cultural identity. The cycle of production, distribution and reception of cultural works in the forms of societal structures, leadership styles, religious rituals, prayers
and music are described with the purpose of making meaning. The role of technology in making it possible for the Lugbara/Madi to separate cultural works from their context of production for distribution and reception is also assessed. The result is a new mobility for their cultural goods and a transformation of their mode of cultural
reproduction from repetition to one of replication. The research settles the point that Lugbara/Madi are in varying degrees using the modem technologies to provide unlimited copying of their cultural works to others and to copy from other cultural groups. The rural/urban interface provides them with this opportunity and they give it
a social shape through the network of Lugbara community churches and cultural organizations that exercise a form of copyright for these cultural goods for wider use and circulation.
The process began when the Lugbara/Madi began to associate socio-cultural reproduction with their socio-cultural progress. It consisted in the implicit and explicit reception of the translated scriptures, which contributed directly to the development and affirmation of local cultural forms that in turn contributed to the formation of local Christian identities. The interplay and partnership between Lugbara/Madi religious traditions, the received Christian traditions and the local experiences of the gospel, in conjunction with the global processes that are marketed through urbanization and information technology, have led to the construction of these new identities. In short, the rural/urban interface is generating autochthonous
Christian practices that are beginning to render the old denominational identities - of Anglican and Roman Catholic - immaterial. The LugbaralMadi concept of ori'ba -
'people of God' for kinship, orijo - `house of God' for Church and orindi - `God present' for the Spirit generates new theological, ecclesiological and missiological insights that are stimulating
Linking between sequence stratigraphy and reservoir quality of Abu Madi Formation utilizing well logging and seismic analysis at Abu Madi and El Qar’a fields, Nile Delta, Egypt
No full textThis work has been carried out to interpret the link between sequence stratigraphy of the incised valley deposits with the reservoir quality in the Abu Madi Formation in the Abu Madi and El Qar’a Fields, onshore Nile Delta, Egypt based on borehole and seismic data. The distribution of sand-body in the Abu Madi Formation revealed that the fluvial channel sandstones are not randomly distributed but are controlled by the fluctuation of the sea level (regression and transgression). Interpretation of sandstones distribution of the Abu Madi incised-valley within a sequence stratigraphic framework allows a better understanding of their characterization during burial. The Abu Madi Formation is made up of two sequences: the lower sequence-1 (SQ 1) and upper sequence-2 (SQ 2). Sequence-1 forms the basal part of the Abu Madi Formation. It consists of two systems tracts in all the studied wells, in which the lowstand systems tract is overlained by a transgressive systems tract (TST-1), except at AM-12 and AM-15 wells in the western and eastern sides of the studied area, respectively where it consists of only transgressive system tract (TST-1). The upper sequence-2 (SQ2) is recorded in all the studied wells except at AM-12 and AM-15 wells. It is composed of two systems tracts (LST-2 and TST-2); the lower lowstand systems tracts contains thin sandstone channel-fill interpreted as LST-2, above this sandstone channel-fill the tidal deposits interpreted as TST-2. The lowstand systems tracts of the studied Abu Madi Formation is considered good reservoir target in the studied area, its porosity ranged from 15 to 22%. It was formed due to a rapid fall in relative sea level below the shelf edge formed valley incision due to subaerial exposure of the continental shelf. The floodplain deposits of TST represent a good seal separating LST reservoirs and water bearing zone of lower sequence (SQ1) and upper sequence (SQ2) in each well. Keywords: Sequence stratigraphy, Abu Madi Formation, Well logging and seismic stratigraphy, Abu Madi and El Qar’a field
Reservoir characterization utilizing the well logging analysis of Abu Madi Formation, Nile Delta, Egypt
No full textAbstractThe petrophysical evaluation of the Late Miocene Abu Madi Formation were accomplished based on the open hole logs of eighteen wells in Abu Madi–El Qar’a gas fields, onshore Nile Delta, Egypt. The lithological contents of this rock unit were analyzed using the cross plots of petrophysical parameters including shale volume, porosity and hydrocarbon saturation. The neutron /density cross-plots, M-N and RHOMAA–DTMAA and litho-saturation cross plots of the studied wells show that the main lithology of the lower part of Abu Madi Formation is calcareous sandstones with shale intercalations in most of the studied wells while its lithology is mainly shale with sand intercalations in wells AM-13, AM-21 and AM-7. The lithology of the upper part of Abu Madi Formation in most wells is composed mainly of shale while its lithology in AM-13, AM-21 and AM-7 wells is composed of sandstone with shale intercalations. The thorium-potassium cross plots indicate that, Abu Madi Formation was deposited mostly in fluvial to shallow marine environments according to the presence of mica and illite in the southern area and montmorillonite at the northern area as dominant clay minerals. Contour maps of several petrophysical parameters such as effective thickness, average shale volume, average porosity and hydrocarbon saturation showed that both lower and upper parts of Abu Madi Formation in the study area have promising reservoirs characteristics; in which the prospective area for gas accumulation located toward the central part
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Pelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
Appraisal of recent theories to understand cyclogenesis pathways of tropical cyclone Madi (2013)
No full textThe present study aims to examine the new understanding of cyclogenesis by analyzing the genesis sequence of formation of a very severe cyclonic storm Madi (6-13 December 2013) that occurred over the Bay of Bengal. We have generated a high-resolution (18 km, 6 km, and 2 km) analysis using three-dimensional variational data assimilation technique and Weather Research and Forecasting model. The genesis sequence of Madi cyclone is analyzed using the concepts in the marsupial theory and other theories of tropical cyclone formation. Major results are as follows: The developed analysis is found useful for tracking the movement of westward moving parent disturbance from 15 days prior to the genesis; identifying developed pouch region in the Lagrangian frame of reference; understanding the evolution of the pouch and convection within the pouch region and for the study of intensification inside the pouch region. Also, large-scale priming of environment concurs with the hypotheses of the marsupial theory of tropical cyclogenesis. The analysis of dynamical and thermodynamical processes within the pouch region showed gradual moistening, uplifting of moisture, diabatic heating causing buoyant convection in the vorticity-rich environment followed by vortex tube stretching, development of convection, heavy precipitation, strengthening of lower level convergence, and hence spin-up during a day or two preceding the genesis of Madi cyclone. In general, it is concluded that intensification within pouch region during the cyclogenesis phase followed the marsupial paradigm and bottom-up mechanism
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