Epidemiologists recommended contact-tracing as an effective control measure for the global infection like COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its effectiveness in infection containment, it has many limitations such as labour-intensive process, prone to human errors and most importantly, user privacy concerns. To address these shortcomings, we proposed location-aware blockchain-based hierarchical contact-tracing framework for anonymised data collection and processing. This infectious disease control framework serves both the infected users with localised alerts as well as stakeholders such as city officials and health workers with health statistics. Our proposed solution uses hierarchical network design that offloads individual infection block data to create hospital and city-level 'chains' for generating macro-level infection statistics. Results demonstrate that our system can represent the dynamic complexities of contract tracing in highly infection situations. Overall, our design emphasises on data processing and verification mechanism for large volume of infection data over a significant period of time for active risk assessment.

The seventh issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning (IJELL- formerly Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects - IJELLO) special series includes a selection of best papers presented at the 10th Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies: Learning in the Technological Era. The Chais conference 2015 was held at The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel, on February 10-11, 2015, and was organized by its Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies. This preface presents the mission and activities of the Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies at the Open University of Israel. It describes the objectives and themes of the Chais conference 2015, explains the special series synergies with IJELL and the Informing Science Institute, chronicles the topics that have been published in the series, and introduces the papers included in this special selection.

The current rapid technological changes confront researchers of learning technologies with the challenge of evaluating them, predicting trends, and improving their adoption and diffusion. This study utilizes a data-driven discourse analysis approach, namely culturomics, to investigate changes over time in the research of learning technologies. The patterns and changes were examined on a corpus of articles published over the past decade (2006-2014) in the proceedings of Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies – the leading research conference on learning technologies in Israel. The interesting findings of the exhaustive process of analyzing all the words in the corpus were that the most commonly used terms (e.g., pupil, teacher, student) and the most commonly used phrases (e.g., face-to-face) in the field of learning technologies reflect a pedagogical rather than a technological aspect of learning technologies. The study also demonstrates two cases of change over time in prominent themes, such as “Facebook” and “the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) program”. Methodologically, this research demonstrates the effectiveness of a data-driven approach for identifying discourse trends over time.

This preface presents the papers included in the eighth issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning (IJELL) special series of selected Chais Conference best papers. The Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies: Learning in the Technological Era, is organized annually by the Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies, The Open University of Israel. The 11th Chais Conference was held at The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel, on February 16-17, 2016.

Aim/Purpose: This preface presents the papers included in the ninth issue of the Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning (IJELL) special series of selected Chais Conference best papers. Background: The Chais Conference for the Study of Innovation and Learning Technologies: Learning in the Technological Era, is organized by the Research Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies, The Open University of Israel. The 12th Chais Conference was held at The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel, on February 14-15, 2017. Each year, selected papers of the Chais conference are expanded and published in IJELL. Methodology: A qualitative conceptual analysis of the themes and insights of the papers included in the ninth selection of IJELL special series of selected Chais Conference best papers. Contribution: The presentation of the papers of this selection emphasizes their novelty, as well as their main implications, describes current research issues, and chronicles the main themes within the discourse of learning technologies research, as reflected at the Chais 2017 conference. Findings: Contemporary research goes ‘beyond the walls of the classroom’ and investigates systemic and pedagogical aspects of integrating learning technologies in education on a large scale. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are encouraged to investigate broad aspects of seizing the opportunities and overcoming the challenges of integrating innovative technologies in education. Impact on Society: Effective application of learning technologies has a major potential to improve the well-being of individuals and societies. Future Research: The conceptual analysis of contemporary main themes of innovative learning technologies may provide researchers with novel directions for future research on various aspects of the effective utilization of learning technologies.

Aim/Purpose : An important objective of any firm is escalation of its performance and the achievement of competitive advantages. Supply chain agility plays a prominent role to enhance the level of firm’s performance. Moreover, information technology (IT) plays a foundational role in supply chain management practices. Hence, this study proposes the relationship between IT integration as the competency of IT and firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility. Background: Many studies have been done to date on the impact of supply chain agility on overall firm’s performance. However, the effect of an agile supply chain on firm’s market performance per se needs to be studied. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature about the effect of IT competency such as IT integration on firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility. Recommendation for Researchers: The first direction this study gives to researchers is to consider the different factors which have significant effect on the agility of supply chain, particularly the IT related ones. The second direction is about the study on the effect of IT competencies and supply chain agility on each category of firm’s performance separately instead of considering it as a one construct. Impact on Society : Although this is a conceptual study, it can highlight the importance of IT competency not only in our daily life, but also in our businesses and industries. Future Research: This study only proposes some relationships based on theory and literature. Future researchers can test these proposed relationships in different contexts and compare the results. Furthermore, this study proposes the relationships for large manufacturing sector in developing countries. The model could be tested for SMEs as well. In addition, the proposed theoretical model in this study might be tested in both developing as well as developed countries to compare the results which will be contributed to the body of knowledge.

COVID-19 created a surge in e-commerce usage, leading to fierce channel competition between the manufacturer's online sales and the offline retailer. Hence, the imperative need for effective and innovative optimisation strategies to mitigate channel competition. Manufacturer-coupons are widely practiced in market, yet research on the importance they play in coordinating channel competition to achieve optimisation in channel distributions is scarce. This research addresses this gap by examining the effectiveness of manufacturer-coupons on the coordination of the manufacturer's online sales and offline retailer's sales. The findings indicate that issuing a manufacturer-coupon to the customers who buy from the offline retailer reduces the competition in the different channel distributions, but cost sharing of the retailer coupon is a better strategy. We thus examine if profit sharing is an effective strategy to facilitate the use of manufacturer-coupon in the market. After comparing different scenarios, we conclude that advanced profit-sharing can be effective in making manufacturer-coupon prevalent in the market and thus alleviate channel competition effectively.

This paper studies a dual-channel supply chain consisting of one risk-averse manufacturer and one risk-averse retailer with stochastic demand. Herein, the manufacturer provides value-added services to enhance channel demand. First, the optimal pricing and service decisions of the channel members are investigated under different settings, i.e., the cooperative game, Bertrand game, and manufacturer Stackelberg (MS) game models. Second, the effects of channel members' risk aversion on optimal channel prices and expected utilities are analysed under the assumption that the manufacturer service is a decision variable and an exogenous variable, respectively. Third, sensitivity analysis and numerical simulation are performed to verify our propositions consistently and seek more managerial implications. The findings suggest that the manufacturer's value-added services in their direct channel will improve the direct price while decreasing the retail price. Consumers' channel loyalty degree has a great influence on the optimal price decisions and the performance of the channel members. The direct price increases while the retail price decreases in the manufacturer's value-added services. The retailer's risk aversion has a greater influence on price decisions than that of the manufacturer.

A new paper describing a system integrating a GDPR Ontology with blockchain to support checking data operations for compliance.

The post paper: Automating GDPR Compliance using Policy Integrated Blockchain appeared first on UMBC ebiquity.

On Saturday night, a select few from Karachi enjoyed excerpts from the album and an extended trailer of ‘Ustad’

Designed By: Elaine, Jewelry Designer, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Designed By: Patti, Jewelry Designer, Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®

Actually it's very easy to change the chain of a BMX bike. As well it's not a big thing to make the chain shorter. But without some little tricks it can be a long way to solve this work. That's why you should watch the kunstform?! BMX Shop - How To put a chain video!

cna

Derk Haank to succeed Peter Wakkie as Chairman of the Supervisory Board as of the 2019 Annual General Meeting

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark R. Warner says that if the Nov. 5 vote is as close as anticipated, U.S. adversaries can be expected to ramp up digital disinformation operations with the goal of sowing chaos, discord and confusion among Americans during the days immediately following the election.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was widely misunderstood in life, and perhaps even more so in death. How much do you know about the great composer? ... Read more

The post How Well Do You Know Tchaikovsky? Take the Quiz! appeared first on CMUSE.

It is challenging to know whether Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is better known these days for his symphonic works or his ballets. Perhaps it is his ... Read more

The post The Legacy of Tchaikovsky’s Ballets appeared first on CMUSE.

Using more technology in business spending has led to breakthroughs in B2B payments.

The Portland Cement Association, which represents America’s cement manufacturers, announced new leadership for its Board of Directors after holding elections on Dec. 4 at its last meeting of 2023.

The Portland Cement Association, representing America’s cement manufacturers, announced the winners of its Energy and Environment, Chairman’s Safety and Safety Innovation Awards at its 2024 Cement Fly-In in Washington, D.C.

Ian Theodoreson, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 2019, wrote that he ‘had lived a good life’ in a blog post posthumously published on 27 October

Sector veteran Peter Cardy offers answers to your workplace dilemmas

As my experiences have shown, you run the risk of being seriously misled if you don't

Washington – President Barack Obama has designated Patrick Nakamura as acting chairman of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission.

Washington – The acting chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has been designated and sworn in as the official chair, OSHRC announced in a Jan. 19 press release.

Washington – Heather MacDougall is the new chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, sworn in Aug. 16 after being appointed by President Donald Trump.

Washington — James Sullivan Jr. is the new chair of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Louisville, KY – Traffic law enforcement agencies should shift their priorities away from roadside inspections and instead focus on drivers’ unsafe behaviors – the cause of about 9 out of 10 crashes – according to an American Trucking Associations representative.

Interface Systems announced WaBa Grill Franchise has chosen Interface Systems’ Restaurant Network-Technology-in-a-Box solution to transform its network and voice infrastructure in over 190 franchise locations.

Kevin Stone, COO of Doyle Security Systems, succeeds John Loud as ESA Chairman, bringing his extensive industry experience to further advance the association and its mission.

The TMA-ATN-01 standard will develop an efficient means for the monitoring center to provide responding authorities with information that assists with an efficient and safe response.

Washington — The Senate on Dec. 13 confirmed Steve Owens as chair of the Chemical Safety Board and Catherine J.K. Sandoval as a CSB member, returning a quorum to the short-staffed agency.

Washington — The House Steering Committee has selected Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to serve as chair of the renamed Education and the Workforce Committee for the 118th Congress.

Mr. Chain’s plastic chain creates an effective, highly visible barrier for crowd control, construction sites, traffic control, and more. It is lightweight, strong, durable, fade-resistant and meets OSHA standards for visual barriers. Available by the foot or in our stanchion kits, loading dock kits, and cone chain connector kits.

Click here for more information from Mr. Chain

State College, PA — Workers who play a role in the U.S. food supply chain are at high risk for being hospitalized with severe injuries, results of a recent study show.

In her new leadership role, Brown will work to ensure the TMA Five Diamond designation remains current and reflective of excellence in security monitoring.

This white paper from Avetta discusses how integrating ESG and EHS into one consolidated program opens up endless possibilities.

Managing the tangled network of contractors and subcontractors with whom your business partners is a complex, time-consuming challenge.

Creating a safe evacuation plan means all employees should be accounted for in it – including workers who use a wheelchair.

Mr. Chain’s Loading Dock Kit includes two magnet rings, two carabiners, and 10 feet of 2-inch HD yellow chain – everything needed to create a high-visibility barrier. Removes quickly and easily for loading/unloading trucks. Complies with OSHA’s standards for visual barriers.

Click here for more information from Mr. Chain

Washington — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) presided as the chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for the first time on Feb. 9.

Quality plastic chain and and stanchions bring awareness to potential hazardous situations.

Click here for more information from Mr. Chain

Operating a chain saw poses a number of very serious risks.

Chain saws are one of the most efficient portable power tools workers have at their disposal, according to OSHA. They also are one of the most dangerous.