bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Computational Grid Scheduling Model To Maximize Reliability Using Modified GA
Authors: Raza Zahid , Vidyarthi Deo P.
Published: October 2011

This paper presents a grid scheduling model to schedule a job on the grid with the objective of ensuring maximum reliability to the job under the current grid state. The model schedules a modular job to those resources that suit the job requirements in terms of resources while offering the most reliable environment. The reliability estimates depict true grid picture and considers the contribution of the computational resources, network links and the application awaiting allocation. The scheduling executes the interactive jobs while considering the looping structure. As scheduling on the grid is an NP hard problem, soft computing tools are often applied. This paper applies Modified Genetic Algorithm (MGA), which is an elitist selection method based on the two threshold values, to improve the solution. The MGA works on the basis of partitioning the current population in three categories: the fittest chromosomes, average fit chromosomes and the ones with worst fitness. The worst are dropped, while the fittest chromosomes of the current generation are mated with the average fit chromosomes of the previous generation to produce off-spring. The simulation results are compared with other similar grid scheduling models to study the performance of the proposed model under various grid conditions.
A Novel System Oriented Scheduler for Avoiding Haste Problem in Computational Grids
Authors: Saleh Ahmed I.
Published: October 2011

Scheduling is an important issue that must be handled carefully to realize the “Just login to compute” principle introduced by computational grids. Current grid schedulers suffer from the haste problem, which is the inability to schedule all tasks successfully. Accordingly, some tasks fail to complete execution as they are allocated to unsuitable workers. Others may not start execution as suitable workers are previously allocated to other tasks. This paper introduces the scheduling haste problem and presents a novel high throughput grid scheduler. The proposed scheduler selects the most suitable worker to execute an input grid task. Hence, it minimizes the turnaround time for a set of grid tasks. Moreover, the scheduler is system oriented and avoids the scheduling haste problem. Experimental results show that the proposed scheduler outperforms traditional grid schedulers as it introduces better scheduling efficiency.
Migrating Android Applications to the Cloud
Authors: Hung Shih-Hao , Shieh Jeng-Peng , Lee Chen-Pang
Published: October 2011

Recently, smartphone technologies have evolved quickly and offered end users the computing power and networking capabilities required to perform useful network and multimedia applications. However, due to limited physical sizes and battery capacities, the current generation of smartphones cannot yet fulfill the requirements of sophisticated applications of which personal computers are capable. One way to solve this problem is to minimize the workload on a smartphone as much as possible by offloading portions of an application to a server. The solution is particularly attractive today as cloud computing provides the needed server resources at relatively low costs. This paper proposes a novel, lightweight application migration mechanism for the users of smartphones to suspend the execution of applications and offload them to the cloud. The authors also developed a framework to perform Android applications efficiently with virtual phones in the cloud with a virtual storage. This paper discusses the migration mechanism and evaluates its effectiveness on the Android smartphone. This approach may effectively offload workload for Android applications even with low-speed mobile network.
Dynamic Rightsizing with Quality-Controlled Algorithms in Virtualization Environments
Authors: Yang Ming-Jeng , Kuo Chin-Lin , Yeh Yao-Ming
Published: October 2011

Virtualization and partitioning are the means by which multiple application instances can share and run multiple virtual machines supported by a platform. In a Green Cloud environment, the goal is to consolidate multiple applications onto virtual machines associated by fewer servers, and reduce cost and complexity, increase agility, and lower power and cooling costs. To make Cloud center greener, it is beneficial to limit the amount of active servers to minimize energy consumption. This paper presents a precise model to formulate the right-sizing and energy-saving mechanism, which not only minimizes energy consumption of the server but also maintains a service quality through the Mt/M/Vt strategy of queuing theory. The authors map the complicated formula of the energy-saving mechanism to an approximation equation and design the fast decidable algorithms for calculating the right size of virtual machines in constant time complexity for power management systems.
Structural Outlooks for the OTIS-Arrangement Network
Authors: Awwad Ahmad , Al-Sadi Jehad , Haddad Bassam , Kayed Ahmad
Published: October 2011

Recent studies have revealed that the Optical Transpose Interconnection Systems (OTIS) are promising candidates for future high-performance parallel computers. This paper presents and evaluates a general method for algorithm development on the OTIS-Arrangement network (OTIS-AN) as an example of OTIS network. The proposed method can be used and customized for any other OTIS network. Furthermore, it allows efficient mapping of a wide class of algorithms into the OTIS-AN. This method is based on grids and pipelines as popular structures that support a vast body of parallel applications including linear algebra, divide-and-conquer types of algorithms, sorting, and FFT computation. This study confirms the viability of the OTIS-AN as an attractive alternative for large-scale parallel architectures.
Location Update Improvement Using Fuzzy Logic Optimization in Location Based Routing Protocols in MANET
Authors: Osmani Amjad , Haghighat Abolfazl Toroghi , Khezri Shirin
Published: October 2011

Several position-based routing protocols have been developed for mobile ad hoc networks. Many of these protocols assume that a location service is available which provides location information on the nodes in the network. This paper introduces a new schema in management of mobile nodes location in mobile ad hoc networks. Fuzzy logic optimization is applied to a better management of location update operation in hierarchical location services. Update management overhead is decreased without significant loss of query success probability. One-hop-chain-technique is used for Auto compensation. A new composed method can update mobile nodes location when the nodes cross a grid boundary. The proposed method uses a dynamic grid area that ?solves the ping-pong problem between grids. Simulation results show that these methods are effective. The algorithms are distributed and can keep scalability in the scenario of increasing nodes density?. The described solutions are not limited to a special network grid ordering, and can be used in every hierarchical ordering like GLS if the ordering can be mappable on these methods.
Asymmetric Interaction in Competitive Internet Technology Diffusion
Authors: Song Peijian , Zhang Cheng , Xu Yunjie , Xue Ling , Wang Ke , Zhang Chenghong
Published: October 2011

This paper explores the diffusion of competitive Internet technology products in the context of competition between local and multinational corporations as well as how the diffusive interactions between technologies affect their dominance in electronic markets. Drawing on existing theories of innovation diffusion, and competitive dynamics, the authors adopted a new diffusion model that incorporates the influence of one technology’s adoption on the diffusion of other technology. The authors then validated the model using longitudinal field data of the two pairs of Internet technology products in Chinese electronic markets. The findings of this investigation suggest that Internet product diffusion can be better predicted by a competitive dynamic model than by an independent-diffusion-process model. Further, results indicate that the diffusive interaction between local and multinational corporations’ technologies can be a two-way asymmetric interaction. Such a pattern supports a conclusion of significant second-mover advantage for local online vendors in fast-growing emerging markets. The authors also examine the policy implications of these results, specifically with respect to how asymmetric interaction effects can help domestic online vendors gain second-mover advantage facing the entry of multinational corporations.
Technology Adoption in Post-Conflict Regions
Authors: Stapleton Larry
Published: October 2011

Post-conflict developing regions are special cases of developing countries which have received little attention in information systems research. They are emergency situations which attract significant aid designed to help create economic stability through, for example, the use of IT. This study compared the experiences of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) adoption in the extreme environment of a post-conflict region to other developing regions. Presenting data gathered from 68 companies in Kosovo, this paper provides an in-depth examination of EDI technology adoption in a post-conflict region. The findings suggest that EDI adoption in Kosovo comprises different features when compared with other developing countries, indicating that current theories of technology adoption have not fully accounted for EDI adoption in post-conflict regions. From this finding, implications for interventions in post-conflict regions are drawn. This paper contributes to the understanding of technology adoption processes and offers new insight into the process of technology adoption in this context. This paper provides a starting point for further work which creates a basis for more effective interventions in post-conflict zones, contributing to economic development and stabilisation.
A Vertical Approach to Knowledge Management
Authors: Jahn Karsten , Nielsen Peter Axel
Published: October 2011

Software process improvement is a practical concern in software companies today and it has been addressed in research. Part of this research has applied a knowledge management perspective. Researchers point out that two different strategies exist where a mixture is difficult to maintain: Personalization (focus on people and their collaboration) and codification (focus on documents and their accessibility). This paper addresses different knowledge management problems of a software company and how they can be alleviated. A prototype, which distinguishes between different organizational levels (e.g., software managers and software developers) and applies different knowledge management strategies, was built. It consists of a wiki and an enterprise system. This article shows how each part of the system focuses on one of the strategies and describes the differences for tool support. This combination could be beneficial because the connection between the two different parts of the prototype works. Further implications for practitioners are explained.
Success Factors for the Management of Global Virtual Teams for Software Development
Authors: Guzmán Javier García , Ramos Javier Saldaña , Seco Antonio Amescua , Esteban Ana Sanz
Published: October 2011

The management of globally distributed software teams is complex because of problems of linguistic differences, geographical dispersion, different time zones, and the cultural diversity of the team members; what is particularly common in software development environments. These problems are amplified when a single software development team is composed of highly skilled individuals working in dispersed geographical locations, and they have to work as a team across distances. This paper describes several of the most important factors that contribute to the correct and effective management of global virtual teams for software development and underlying solutions are addressed to reduce cultural and time barriers. These factors are obtained from an industrial case study, which lasted 36 months, corresponding to a huge software development project that involved several global virtual teams. These success factors consider different perspectives as technology, human factors and process.
A Multidisciplinary Problem Based Learning Experience for Telecommunications Students
Authors: Figuera Carlos , Morgado Eduardo , Gutiérrez-Pérez David , Alonso-Atienza Felipe , del Arco-Fernández-Cano Eduardo , Caamaño Antonio J. , Ramos-López Javier , Ramiro-Bargueño Julio , Requena-Carrión Jesús
Published: October 2011

The Telecommunications Engineering degree contains the study and understanding of a wide range of knowledge areas, like signal theory and communications, computer networks, and radio propagation. This diversity makes it hard for students to integrate different concepts, which is essential to tackle real and practical problems that involve different subjects. As a response to this need of integration, a group of professors at Rey Juan Carlos University carried out an educational project based on Problem Based Learning (PBL), called the Wireles4x4 Project. In this project, groups of students build a complete system to autonomously drive a radio controlled car, involving different technologies such as wireless communications, positioning systems, power management, and system integration. The results show that the participating students improve not only their specific knowledge on the involved issues, but also their capability of integrating different subjects of the degree and the skills for autonomous learning.
Using People-CMM for Diminishing Resistance to ITIL
Authors: Gama Nelson , Nunes da Silva Raúl , Mira da Silva Miguel
Published: October 2011

Information Technology (IT) now plays a fundamental role in most organizations. This increased responsibility and consequent impact in business performance leads to a higher demand and tighter control on IT Departments. To respond to these requirements, IT Departments have been implementing Service Management frameworks, with ITIL currently being the most popular. However, many ITIL projects fail, and the most commonly documented cause is organizational resistance. The main goal of this research work is to test the hypothesis that using best practices described in the People Capability Maturity Model (People-CMM) framework for improving organizational maturity has impact on achieving a greater ITIL maturity as well. This hypothesis was evaluated in three real-world case studies, and based on the results; the conclusion reached was that the hypothesis cannot be rejected. However, more research is needed to prove a cause-effect relation between People-CMM and ITIL.
A Petri-Net Based Context Representation in Smart Car Environment
Authors: Sun Jie , Zhang Yongping , Fan Jianbo
Published: October 2011

Driving is a complex process influenced by a wide range of factors, especially complex interactions between the driver, the vehicle, and the environment. This paper represents the complex situations in smart car domain. Unlike existing context-aware systems which isolate one context situation from another, such as road congestion and car deceleration, this paper proposes a context model which considers the driver, vehicle and environment as a whole. The paper tries to discover the inherent relationship between the situations in the smart car environment, and proposes a context model to support the representation of situations and their correlation. The detailed example scenarios are given to illustrate our idea.
A Generic Context Interpreter for Pervasive Context-Aware Systems
Authors: Chien Been-Chian , He Shiang-Yi
Published: October 2011

Developing pervasive context-aware systems to construct smart space applications has attracted much attention from researchers in recent decade. Although many different kinds of context-aware computing paradigms were built of late years, it is still a challenge for researchers to extend an existing system to different application domains and interoperate with other service systems due to heterogeneity among systems This paper proposes a generic context interpreter to overcome the dependency between context and hardware devices. The proposed generic context interpreter contains two modules: the context interpreter generator and the generic interpreter. The context interpreter generator imports sensor data from sensor devices as an XML schema and produces interpretation scripts instead of interpretation widgets. The generic interpreter generates the semantic context for context-aware applications. A context editor is also designed by employing schema matching algorithms for supporting context mapping between devices and context model.
Sampling and Reconstructing User Experience
Authors: Markopoulos Panos , Khan Vassilis-Javed
Published: October 2011

The Experience Sampling and Reconstruction (ESRM) method is a research method suitable for user studies conducted in situ that is needed for the design and evaluation of ambient intelligence technologies. ESRM is a diary method supported by a distributed application, Reconexp, which runs on a mobile device and a website, enabling surveying user attitudes, experiences, and requirements in field studies. ESRM combines aspects of the Experience Sampling Method and the Day Reconstruction Method aiming to reduce data loss, improve data quality, and reduce burden put upon participants. The authors present a case study of using this method in the context of a study of communication needs of working parents with young children. Requirements for future developments of the tool and the method are discussed.
Integration of Health Records by Using Relaxed ACID Properties Between Hospitals, Physicians and Mobile Units Like Ambulances and Doctors
Authors: Frank Lars , Pape-Haugaard Louise
Published: October 2011

This paper describes an architecture for integrating both stationary health units like hospitals and group physicians with health records of mobile health units like ambulances and doctors at emergency call service. This paper focuses on how it is possible to have high availability in all the integrated health units and at the same time keep the consistency between the health records in the different locations at an acceptable level. In central databases the consistency of data is normally implemented by using the Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) properties of a Data Base Management System (DBMS) (Gray & Reuter, 1993). This is not possible if mobile databases are involved and the availability of data also has to be optimized. Therefore, this paper describes using relaxed ACID properties across different locations. The objective of designing relaxed ACID properties across different database locations is to make it possible for all the involved locations to operate in disconnected mode and at the same time give the users a view of the data that may be inconsistent across different locations but anyway better than the data in a centralized database with low availability for the users.
Reducing Power and Energy Overhead in Instruction Prefetching for Embedded Processor Systems
Authors: Gu Ji , Guo Hui
Published: October 2011

Instruction prefetching is an effective way to improve performance of the pipelined processors. However, existing instruction prefetching schemes increase performance with a significant energy sacrifice, making them unsuitable for embedded and ubiquitous systems where high performance and low energy consumption are all demanded. This paper proposes reducing energy overhead in instruction prefetching by using a simple hardware/software design and an efficient prefetching operation scheme. Two approaches are investigated: Decoded Loop Instruction Cache based Prefetching (DLICP) that is most effective for loop intensive applications, and the enhanced DLICP with the popular existing Next Line Prefetching (NLP) for applications of a moderate number of loops. The experimental results show that both DLICP and the enhanced DLICP deliver improved performance at a much reduced energy overhead.
A Novel Use for Real Time Locating Systems
Authors: Day T. Eugene , Mehrotra Anchit , Ravi Nathan
Published: October 2011

In 2009, the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) installed a Real Time Locating system (RTLS) in their eye clinic. The system tracks staff and patient movement through a combination of radio-frequency identification and infra-red technology. This system, in addition to its primary purpose as a throughput monitoring system, was used to gather data for the validation of a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) of the eye clinic. Use of the RTLS gathered data greatly diminished the time required to validate the simulation, as well as the cost of labor needed to observe and record the data points necessary. RTLS systems may be employed by operations researchers and systems engineers to assist in patient flow analysis in capacities beyond the ‘Real Time’ aspects of the locating system.
Record Linkage in Healthcare
Authors: Shah Gulzar H. , Lertwachara Kaveepan , Ayanso Anteneh
Published: October 2011

Recent years have witnessed the development of new record linkage technologies that are increasingly being used for data integration in various application settings. The authors’ objective in this article is to provide a review of recent developments in medical record linkage and their implications in healthcare research and public health policies. In particular, the authors assess the key advantages and possible limitations of record linkage techniques and technologies in various health care scenarios where different pieces of patient records are collected and managed by different agencies. First, the authors provide a brief overview of deterministic, probabilistic, and unsupervised record linkage techniques and their advantages and limitations. Then, the authors describe current probablistic record linkage software and their functionalities, and present specific cases where probabilistic linkage has been successfully used to enhance decision-making in healthcare delivery as well as in healthcare-related public policy making. Finally, the authors outline some of the critical issues and challenges of integrating medical records across distributed databases, including technical considerations as well as concerns about patient privacy and confidentiality.
Preferred Types of Menopause Service Delivery
Authors: Hyde Abbey , Nee Jean , Butler Michelle , Drennan Jonathan , Howlett Etaoine
Published: October 2011

This article analyses what a sample of women experiencing menopause say they would like in terms of a quality menopause health service. Thirty-nine women who defined themselves as currently or recently menopausal were interviewed in depth, and data were analysed using a qualitative strategy known as thematic networks analysis. In terms of the structure of a menopause service, the dominant picture emerging was that women wanted an integrative menopause service where General Practitioners would act as a gateway to both biomedical treatments and complementary and alternative medicine. In addition, participants recommended that practitioners be knowledgeable about the wider (psychosocial) issues associated with menopause, and well versed in a range of therapies. In terms of process issues, participants wanted a service where their experiences were listened to and taken seriously. Given the tension between biomedicine and complementary and alternative medicine over the status of knowledge and diverse approaches to what counts as evidence about whether or not a therapy works, at least some aspects of what participants want from a menopause service may be very difficult to realise.
The Adventure of Structuring Knowledge During Emergencies
Authors: Beckerman Carina
Published: October 2011

This paper applies two concepts, ‘knowledge structuring’ and ‘knowledge domination,’ to a real life work situation. The purpose is to explore, analyze and discuss what happens when management interferes into the activities of a knowledge worker in a specific organizational setting by computerizing a key document. Exercising knowledge is delicate and complex. This study makes visible how some parts of performing anesthesia become structured and re-structured when the anesthesia patient record is transformed into a knowledge management system at the same time as someone or something influences how that structuring takes place.
Improving the Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice and Information Systems in Healthcare
Authors: Arling Priscilla A. , Doebbeling Bradley N. , Fox Rebekah L.
Published: October 2011

In healthcare, evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates clinical expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic research. Yet even with the aid of technology, implementation of EBP in many settings remains a challenge due in part to the complexity of the healthcare system and the lack of a strong theoretical and analytical foundation to guide implementation efforts. This paper combines research from the fields of healthcare implementation science and social networks to present a theoretically based, integrated framework for the study of EBP implementation. This study explores the application of the framework to a complex healthcare collaborative, the MRSA infection control project, a project intended to foster the implementation of EBP to reduce the spread of MRSA infections. The authors consider how the framework can also be used to inform future research into EBP-related information system implementations and innovations.
Lose It!
Authors: Dohan Michael , Tan Joseph
Published: October 2011

Lose It! is a web-based, food and exercise diary application, assisting its users in weight control. It is part of a growing form of information technology developed to transform self-care through influencing individual care behaviors and impacting on lifestyle changes. Future implications for the development of such electronic tools require research into the connection of key variables dictated by the relevant theoretical body of knowledge and the translation of such knowledge to practice.
A Novel Neural Fuzzy Approach for Diagnosis of Potassium Disturbances
Authors: Amer Mashhour Bani , Amawi Mohammad , El-Khatib Hasan
Published: October 2011

In this paper, a neural fuzzy system for the diagnosis of potassium disturbances is presented. This paper develops an adaptive neuro-fuzzy expert system that can provide accurate diagnosis of potassium disturbances. The proposed diagnostic approach has many attractive features. First, it provides an efficient tool for diagnosis of K+ disturbances and aids clinicians, especially the non-expert ones, in providing fast and accurate diagnosis of K+ disturbances in critical time. Second, it significantly reduces the time needed to accomplish precise diagnosis of K+ disturbances and thus enhances the healthcare standards. Third, it is capable of diagnosing the different types of potassium disturbances using a hybrid neural fuzzy approach. Finally, it has good accuracy (higher than 87%), specificity (100%), and average sensitivity (83%). The performance of the proposed diagnostic system was experimentally evaluated and the achieved results confirmed that the proposed system is efficient and accurate in diagnosing K+ disturbances.
Using Online Learning Systems to Improve Student Performance
Authors: Todorova Nelly , Mills Annette M.
Published: October 2011

A key responsibility of educators is to enable meaningful learning and to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make decisions and solve real-life problems. The knowledge that students bring to class (i.e. prior knowledge) has been identified as a major factor enabling meaningful learning. Leveraging this knowledge depends on instructors being able to assess it and adjust their teaching accordingly. This paper proposes a learning model aimed at enriching, assessing and activating prior knowledge. To provide a preliminary evaluation on the feasibility of the model, it was implemented using an online learning system and assessed using survey and interview data gathered from students and faculty. The results showed positive changes in student study behavior, motivation, classroom experience and learning outcomes. Opportunities for improvement of the learning model were also identified.
E-Learning Effectiveness in a Quantitative Course
Authors: Strang Kenneth David
Published: October 2011

A quasi experiment compared the effectiveness of discussion question types on exam scores in an online quantitative methods course at an accredited university. Correlation, ANOVA and MANCOVA were utilized to test the hypothesis that questions exploiting industry examples would increase discussion interaction volume and exam scores more than using theoretical problems. Demographic factors (age, gender), semester timing, and prior ability were tested for moderation/mediation impact. Instructional method, professor, course content, assessment rubrics, and learning context were controlled. The treatment consisted of enhancing all discussion and examination questions from the materials and assessments to approximate authentic industry scenarios. A statistically significant model was validated, using exam question types as a factor, and a count of online discussion interactions (as a covariate), to measure problem-based learning effect on exam score.
Using Animated Graphics as a Teaching Tool in Patternmaking
Authors: Boorady Lynn M. , Hawley Jana M. , Schofield Nancy A.
Published: October 2011

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching patternmaking via a computer by comparing the outcomes of a patternmaking lesson being taught in a traditional lecture style to instruction received through a computer-based animation program. A lesson in patternmaking was taught to undergraduate students with varying levels of previous experience using the two instructional methods. A significant difference in learning outcomes was found between the lowest experience level group and the more experienced groups. However, there was no difference found by the method of instruction in the outcomes between the two more experienced groups. Therefore the suggestion is made that computer delivered lessons would be appropriate for students with some prior basic patternmaking knowledge.
Choosing a Path for Doctoral Studies in Educational Leadership
Authors: Semich George W. , Ray Julie A.
Published: October 2011

Current indications (U.S. Department of Education, 2003; Zandberg & Lewis, 2008; Picciano & Seaman, 2009) are that distance learning, in particular online learning, will continue to expand into the foreseeable future. There are some completely online doctoral programs presently operating, but many students continue to flock to the non-traditional executive type leadership cohort-based, on-ground programs at colleges and universities. However, this trend may change. Erickson, Howard, Borland, and Baker (2004) have noted the advent of the virtual university has actually changed the expectations of doctoral students. The focus of this study is to examine the perceptions of doctoral students at a small, private university toward the online format. The findings of this study indicated a less than favorable support among doctoral students to a completely online format for the non-traditional executive management/leadership doctoral program. However, there was support given to a hybrid model for the program.
Forming Groups for Collaborative Learning of Introductory Computer Programming Based on Students’ Programming Skills and Learning Styles
Authors: Adán-Coello Juan Manuel , Tobar Carlos Miguel , José de Faria Eustáquio São , Serafim de Menezes Wiris , Luís de Freitas Ricardo
Published: October 2011

Collaborative learning is pointed out as an effective approach to reduce apprentices’ difficulties that arise during the effort to learn computer programming. In a collaborative learning process, the formation of groups is a fundamental activity and one of the most complex, because grouping students randomly is ineffective in obtaining real collaboration. PQAS and GroupOrganizer were developed to address the lack of tools that support group formation in the context of collaborative learning of computer programming. These tools form groups based on the theories of socio-cognitive conflict and learning styles. In order to stimulate the social-cognitive conflict, PQAS groups students with significant differences in programming style. GroupOrganizer extends PQAS and forms groups also considering students’ learning styles. Two experiments involving students taking introductory programming courses provide evidences that the adopted approaches contribute to increase students’ learning both in terms of programming style and workgroup skills.
Changes in the Technological Aspects and Facilities of Design Education
Authors: Siu Kin Wai Michael , Wong Yi Lin
Published: October 2011

Technological literacy is required of all in the 21st century. Given its close relationship with technology, design education is fundamental to teaching children and young adults how to understand technology. This paper provides a historical review of the development of design education in Hong Kong. This development is found to be closely connected with a number of historical events, the development of the economy, industry, society, and the educational policies of the Hong Kong government. Furthermore, the history of design education shows that the value of current technological practices and facilities corresponds to the societal needs of the time, reflecting the value of past and present practices in design education. It is hoped that this historical review and discussion of past and present practices will provide insights for optimising the role of design education in the contemporary world.
Pre-Service Teachers and Technology Integration with Smart Boards
Authors: Oigara James N. , Keengwe Jared
Published: October 2011

This study explores pre-service teachers’ experiences integrating SMART Board technology into their teaching practice. The results suggest that pre-service teachers found the technology mentoring process to be useful in preparing them to integrate instructional technology into their lessons. The pre-service teachers developed high interest in integrating SMART board technology within their own practice. They also reported the technology mentoring process to be useful in preparing them to integrate instructional technology into their teaching. This article highlights the need for teacher educators to create a better curriculum aimed at preparing teachers who can selectively, purposely, and effectively integrate appropriate educational technologies into classroom instruction.
Factors Affecting E-Commerce Adoption by Small Businesses in a Developing Country
Authors: Acilar Ali , Karamasa Çaglar
Published: October 2011

Internet use has grown and spread rapidly around the world during the last decade. Today, computers and the Internet have become an integral part of modern societies. The Internet has created a new medium for communication and commerce for businesses. It is hard to imagine a business working without using a computer. These technological advances have also largely affected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While large companies have been quick to adopt the information and communication technologies (ICTs), SMEs have been slow to adopt these technologies in general for various reasons, especially in developing countries. This study explores the factors affecting the adoption of e-commerce by small businesses in a developing country. To attain this purpose a case study was conducted in a small hotel, which is using its website to keep up with customer expectations and competition in a small Turkish city. Conclusions and suggestions derived from this study provide a meaningful contribution to the understanding of e-commerce adoption among small businesses in developing countries.
Use of Mobile Phone Technology in Agricultural Marketing
Authors: Katengeza Samson P. , Okello Julius Juma , Jambo Noel
Published: October 2011

The mobile phone technology is an important tool to enhance farmers’ access to better paying agricultural markets. The study reports the results of a household study in Mwanza, Dedza and Mzimba Districts of Malawi. The study assesses drivers of adoption of mobile phone technology for agricultural marketing by smallholder farmers. The study used regression techniques to identify drivers and extent of mobile phone use. Results show that use is positively affected by literacy, distance to local market, land size, current value of assets, crop income, and region variations but negatively influenced by access to electricity. Intensity of use is conditioned by gender, participation in agricultural projects, ownership of a mobile phone, current asset value, distance to nearest public phone services, and region variations. Asset endowment plays a critical role in enhancing adoption of mobile phone technology. Gender disparities significantly affect adoption as most women have limited access to assets. The study suggests the need to improve farmers’ access to mobile phones for agricultural marketing. It recommends that government, in collaboration with mobile network operators, should reduce calling tariffs to enhance use, gender disparities in accessing assets should be minimised, and investment in supporting infrastructure must be enhanced.
Awareness of ICT-Based Projects and the Intensity of Use of Mobile Phones Among Smallholder Farmers in Uganda
Authors: Lwasa Stephen , Asingwire Narathius , Okello Julius Juma , Kiwanuka Joseph
Published: October 2011

As the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is embraced in Uganda, determinants of awareness of ICT based projects remain unknown. The intensity of use of mobile phones among smallholder farmers in the areas where such projects operate is unclear. To address this knowledge gap, 346 smallholder farmers in two ICT project sites in Mayuge and Apac districts were subjected to econometric analysis using bi-variate logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regression models to ascertain determinants of projects’ awareness and intensity of use of mobile phones. The authors find that education, distance to input markets, and membership in a group positively influence awareness. The decision to use a mobile phone for agricultural purposes is affected by distance to electricity and land cultivated and negatively influenced by being a member of any farmer group. Lastly, intensity of mobile phone use is affected by age, farming as the major occupation, and distance to an internet facility, being a member of a project, having participated in an agricultural project before, value of assets, size of land cultivated, possession of a mobile phone, and proximity to agricultural offices. The paper discusses policy implications of these findings.
Operationalizing the Concept of Success in Software Engineering Projects
Authors: Ikonen Marko , Abrahamsson Pekka
Published: October 2011

Success in industrial software development projects is critical in the sense of economic survival for companies acting as software suppliers. If the structure or decision-making mechanism is heavyweight, the suppliers will encounter problems when improving their performance due to their inadequate ability to change. This, however, offers an opportunity for more flexible organizations that are able to proactively survive in a volatile software business environment. Taking such an advantage, regardless, requires understanding the components of success holistically. Research on project success regarding software engineering is still fragmented and focuses on the isolated relationships of success. This article operationalizes the concept of project success based on a literature survey and an empirical validation. As a result, an indicative project success model for software engineering projects is proposed. The resulting model is evaluated empirically in a large multinational software corporation setting. The results show the model provides a valuable tool for KIBS organizations to increase their capabilities in running successful projects as well as to find targets for improvements in these projects.
Virtual Business Incubations
Authors: Rusko Rauno
Published: October 2011

This article examines possibilities to develop the service sector in a peripheral area by using virtual business incubations instead of traditional, location-based business incubations. The articleintroduces typical characteristics of physical business incubations and compares them with features that are possible to be provided also virtually. Then, using the tourism branch in Finnish Lapland as a basis for a case study, the article shows that virtual implementation of business incubations is in some cases either better or even the only possible way to provide services typical for business incubations. Furthermore, the article discusses how the logic of virtual business incubations provides a win-win or a win-win-win situation than a win-lose situation for the businesses involved: the establishment of a virtual business incubation between competing firms is able to create value in a way resembling the situation in multifaceted coopetition (Brandenburger & Nalebuff, 1996) without typical economic-geographical zero-sum game of traditional business incubations. The article shows both practical and theoretical importance of virtual incubations in business and in business research.
Intelligent Agent-Based e-Learning System for Adaptive Learning
Authors: Lai Hokyin , Wang Minhong , Wang Huaiqing
Published: October 2011

Adaptive learning approaches support learners to achieve the intended learning outcomes through a personalized way. Previous studies mistakenly treat adaptive e-Learning as personalizing the presentation style of the learning materials, which is not completely correct. The main idea of adaptive learning is to personalize the earning content in a way that can cope with individual differences in aptitude. In this study, an adaptive learning model is designed based on the Aptitude-Treatment Interaction theory and Constructive Alignment Model. The model aims at improving students’ learning outcomes through enhancing their intrinsic motivation to learn. This model is operationalized with a multi-agent framework and is validated under a controlled laboratory setting. The result is quite promising. The individual differences of students, especially in the experimental group, have been narrowed significantly. Students who have difficulties in learning show significant improvement after the test. However, the longitudinal effect of this model is not tested in this study and will be studied in the future.
Evaluating Campus Safety Messages at 99 Public Universities in 2010
Authors: Barbrey John W.
Published: October 2011

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Education published an Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). In 2006, the Virginia State Crime Commission issued a prescient “Final Report: Study on Campus Safety (HJR 122)” regarding Virginia’s colleges and universities (Virginia State Crime Commission, 2006). Gray (2009) provided results from a “Columbine 10-Year Anniversary Survey”, which reviewed recent campus safety improvements of 435 K-12 and university respondents. From the three documents, prescribed campus safety activities were identified that could be consistently found in the stated programs and policies on university websites. Of these activities, 18 separate criteria upon which a university’s online emergency preparedness/ safety/security messages could be evaluated through content analysis were conceptualized (coding: 1= school has criterion, 0= does not), to estimate the quality of the overall preparedness message of each institution in the small sample (n = 99) of universities, representing all 50 states in 2010.
Equipment Distribution for Structural Stabilization and Civilian Rescue
Authors: Chen Albert Y. , Peña-Mora Feniosky , Mehta Saumil J. , Foltz Stuart , Plans Albert P. , Brauer Brian R. , Nacheman Scott
Published: October 2011

The efficiency of Urban Search and Rescue operations depends on the supply of appropriate equipment and resources, and an efficient damage assessment facilitates deployment of these resources. This paper presents an Information Technology (IT) supported system for on-site data collection to communicate structural condition, track search and rescue status, and request and allocate appropriate resources. The system provides a unified interface for efficient gathering, storing, and sharing of building assessment information. Visualization and access of such information enable rescuers to respond to the disaster more efficiently with better situational awareness. The IT system also provides an interface for electronic resource requests to a geospatial resource repository service that enables a spatial disaster management environment for resource allocation. Request and deployment of critical resources through this system enables lifesaving efforts, with the appropriate equipment, operator, and materials, to become more efficient and effective. System development at the Illinois Fire Service Institute has shown promising results.
WORKPAD
Authors: Catarci Tiziana , de Leoni Massimiliano , Marrella Andrea , Mecella Massimo , Russo Alessandro , Steinmann Renate , Bortenschlager Manfred
Published: October 2011

In complex emergency/disaster scenarios, persons from teams from various emergency-response organizations collaborate to achieve a common goal. In these scenarios, the use of smart mobile devices and applications can improve the collaboration dynamically. The lack of basic interaction principles can be dangerous, as it could increase the level of disaster or can make the efforts ineffective. This paper examines the main results of the project WORKPAD finished in December 2009. WORKPAD worked on a two-level architecture to support rescue operators during emergency management. The use of a user-centered design methodology during the entire development cycle has guaranteed that the architecture and resulting system meet end-user requirements. The feasibility of its use in real emergencies is also proven by a demonstration showcased with real operators. The paper includes qualitative and quantitative results and presents guidelines that can be useful in developing emergency-management systems.
Multi-Layers of Information Security in Emergency Response
Authors: Harnesk Dan , Hartikainen Heidi
Published: October 2011

This paper draws on the socio-technical research tradition in information systems to re-conceptualize the information security in emergency response. A conceptual basis encompassing the three layers—technical, cognitive, and organizational—is developed by synthesizing Actor Network Theory and Theory of Organizational Routines. This paper makes the assumption that the emergency response context is built on the relationship between association and connectivity, which continuously shapes the emergency action network and its routines. Empirically, the analysis is based on a single case study conducted across three emergency departments. The data thus collected on information security, emergency department routines, and emergency actions is used to theorize specifically on the association/connectivity relationship. The resultant findings point to the fact that information security layers have a meaning in emergency response that is different from mainstream definitions of information security.