An empirical study of Canadian technical assistance: Adaptation and effectiveness on overseas assignment

Some 100 variables were studied on adaptation and effectiveness of technical assistance personnel working in six developing countries. Variables related to job effectiveness, personal and cultural adaptation, transfer of skills, receptivity of nationals, and personal characteristics of the effective Canadian working and living in another culture. Data analyzed included options and standardized ratings by self, colleagues, and national counterparts. Results detailed the components of “Overseas Effectiveness” of technical assistance personnel and spouses. There was evidence of at least two categories of adaptation and two categories of effectiveness. It was found that the best predictor of overseas effectiveness was “Interpersonal Skills,” followed by “Idenity” and “realistic predeparture expectations.” Regarding transfer of skills to nationals, it was found that technical assistance personnel were likely ineffective because of their inability to engage in intercultural interaction.     

Our picture of mental imagery: Prospects for research and development

Educational technology research and development -     

Comparing Rank and Score Combination Methods for Data Fusion in Information Retrieval

Combination of multiple evidences (multiple query formulations, multiple retrieval schemes or systems) has been shown (mostly experimentally) to be effective in data fusion in information retrieval. However, the question of why and how combination should be done still remains largely unanswered. In this paper, we provide a model for simulation and a framework for analysis in the study of data fusion in the information retrieval domain. A rank/score function is defined and the concept of a Cayley graph is used in the design and analysis of our framework. The model and framework have led us to better understanding of the data fusion phenomena in information retrieval. In particular, by exploiting the graphical properties of the rank/score function, we have shown analytically and by simulation that combination using rank performs better than combination using score under certain conditions. Moreover, we demonstrated that the rank/score function might be used as a predictive variable for the effectiveness of combination of multiple evidences.Authors wish to dedicate this paper to the memory of our friend and colleague Professor Jacob Shapiro, who passed away September 2003.Supported in part by the DIMACS NSF grant STC-91-19999 and by NJ Commission.Supported in part by a grant from The City University of New York PSC-CUNY Research Award.     

DINI机构仓储库认证

目的——旨在概述机构仓储库的认证技术以支持德国开放存取活动,同时还描述了德国网络信息初始化计划(DINI)开展的"DINI认证2006"活动。设计方法——DINI对文献和出版物仓库的认证向潜在用户表明,该仓储的运行质量是有所保证的,同时使其区别于一般机构的网络服务。本认证也能够被用作支持开放获取的一个工具。结果——仓储库认证技术虽然不会成为全球性学术信息实现开放获取的主要影响因素,但它能够促进机构仓储库的推广,并提高机构仓储库服务的知名度。研究局限性/意义——DINI认证作为一种"软性"认证,关注的是数字仓储库的互操作性,这是一种正在流行的有指导意义的观点。但是它并不能为可信赖的数字资源长期保存系统提供详尽的审计工具。实践意义——依据特定的组织及技术标准,"DINI针对文档及出版物仓储的认证"推进了德国机构仓储库的发展,同时也为世界范围内数字仓储库的互操作性做出了贡献。原创性/价值——本文描述了德国采用的一个独特方法,同时也适用于其他国家及组织。     

您的梦想有多大？中国，亚太，还是全球？

今天,你们中的大多数人正集中于满足中国数码印刷领域的一些细分市场。中国市场非常大．只要你集中力量,以全新的解决方案逐步深入到关键市场领域,就可以获得巨大成功,尤其是拥有数码印刷解决方案。     

写给中国读者

新年新气象,作为2008年国际化发展战略的重要举措之一,从本期开始,《数码印刷》杂志将从世界范围内遴选印刷行业知名专家,为本刊撰写卷首语（Professional＇s Letter）,请其就数码印刷市场的变化,数码印刷技术的发展,发表自己独到的观点。本期我们邀请到了素有“按需印刷之父”美誉的Frank D.Steenburgh先生,以其《如果创业,我选数码印刷》作为开篇之作,今后,我们将继续邀请其他知名专家,希望他们的言论能给读者耳目一新的感受,并能从中受到启迪。     

The Proliferation of Piracy in the Publishing Supply Chains of Emerging Countries: A Study in Vietnam

Book piracy is a significant problem throughout the world and particularly in emerging countries. Such a phenomenon is costly to all participants in the publishing supply chain. This paper aims to investigate factors that influence Vietnamese students’ purchases of photocopied textbooks. The findings reveal that students’ purchases are motivated by their perceived value, subjective norms representing social influence and the lack of regulation enforcement. Using these findings, this paper suggests interventions for policymakers, publishers, distributors and universities to limit the purchase of pirated textbooks as well as to improve the value of original textbooks.     

Conservation aspects of the concept of time in primary school children

Sixty-two second-, fourth-, and sixth-graders were asked to judge the temporal duration of objects and events when the objects were changed in height or subjected to decay, when an event was reversed, and when an event was given an affective dimension. Nonconservers of time were those who judged that these irrelevant transformations affected the temporal aspects of the objects or events. The shift from nonconservation to conservation of time occurred between the second and fourth grades for most problems. The results indicated that young (under eight or nine years) children's concept of time is surprisingly defective. The relation of these findings to other conservation concepts was discussed.     

博洛尼亚宣言与德国职业技术教育师资培训新模式(一)

博洛尼亚宣言(1999)的执行使德国学位结构发生了重大的变化。博洛尼亚宣言所建议的在给定时间内采用的两级学位授予制度(学士和硕士)对