bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Execution and Resource Management in QoS-Aware Virtualized Infrastructures
Authors: Lamp Dominik , Berger Sören , Stein Manuel , Voith Thomas , Cucinotta Tommaso , Bertogna Marko
Published: October 2011

Both real-time systems and virtualization have been important research topics for quite some time now. Having competing goals, research on the correlation of these topics has started only recently. This chapter overviews recent results in the research literature on virtualized large-scale systems and soft real-time systems. These concepts constitute the fundamental background over which the execution environment of any large-scale service-oriented real-time architecture for highly interactive, distributed, and virtualized applications will be built in the future. While many aspects covered in this chapter have already been adopted in commercial products, others are still under intensive investigation in research labs all over the world.
Cultural Differences in Social Media Usage and Beliefs and Attitudes towards Advertising on Social Media
Authors: Kamal Sara , Chu Shu-Chuan
Published: October 2011

Social media use is quickly integrating into the daily lives of consumers in the Middle East, where a large number of users represent a variety of cultural milieu. This chapter examines differences between Arab and non-Arab social media users in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with respect to usage, beliefs, and attitudes towards social media advertising. The chapter also examines managerial and theoretical implications for communication across culturally diverse audiences via online media.
Irish Identification as Exigence
Authors: Mara Andrew , Mara Miriam
Published: October 2011

To address some of the technical writing pressures concomitant with globalization, this chapter investigates documentation solutions implemented by an Irish Do-It-Yourself tour operator. The same identity-dependent approaches that these DIY tourism companies use to fulfill tourist expectations can provide technical writers with additional tools for analyzing user motivation. This chapter first analyzes how an Irish DIY Adventure travel company harnesses user motivations, then applies Appadurai’s (1996) globalism theories (especially his use of ethnoscapes, technoscapes, and mediascapes) to a particular use of this travel company’s documents, and finally demonstrates how user motivation intrinsic to identity formation can help the technical writer create documentation that effectively assists users in overcoming breakdowns through identity affordances.
Communicating Pragmatics About Content and Culture in Virtually Mediated Educational Environments
Authors: Mousten Birthe , Humbley John , Maylath Bruce , Vandepitte Sonia
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines the interactive communications of geographically distant virtual classrooms, connected via virtual aids ranging from e-mails to videoconferences. The combination is crucial: through diverse filters, virtual teams mediate a final text for a new language and culture. The authors use linguistic pragmatics as a mechanism to analyze and assess the efficiency and the meaningfulness of such communications. They then use this approach to recommend best practices for educators teaching in cross-cultural virtual environments.
Computer Mediated Cross-Cultural Communication
Authors: Klein William , La Berge Bernard E.
Published: October 2011

This chapter describes a case of Internet-mediated collaboration between writing classes in the U.S. and in Oman. In the chapter, the authors examine the challenges they experiences including differences in time, culture, academic preparation, language skills, and technological capabilities and literacies. The authors also discuss how such challenges let do their rethinking pedagogical practices and uses of technology and through the structure of institutional affiliation agreements.
Maximizing Multicultural Online Learning Experiences with the Social Presence Model, Course Examples, and Specific Strategies
Authors: Whiteside Aimee L. , Dikkers Amy Garrett
Published: October 2011

This chapter presents Whiteside’s (2007) Social Presence Model, course examples, and specific strategies and explains how such factors help facilitators maximize interactions in multicultural, online learning environments. The model provides a framework rooted in socio-cultural learning, linguistic nuances, learning communities, prior experiences, and instructor investment. The chapter also illustrates how the Social Presence Model, coupled with examples from a Human Rights Education case study and research-based strategies, can make significant differences in online interactions.
International Collaboration and Design Innovation in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Rive Pete , Thomassen Aukje
Published: October 2011

Second Life is a popular virtual world that can provide us with valuable lessons about international collaboration and design innovation. This chapter will explore how design practice and design education can assist geographically dispersed design teams working on collaborative designs in a shared virtual space, using real-time 3D constructions and communication tools. We contend that Second Life can provide solutions to collaborative international design and enable knowledge creation and innovation through tacit knowledge exchange.
An Architecture for Learning Environments Based on the Lightweight Integration of Intelligent Agents
Authors: Butakov Sergey , Smoline Denis , Samuel Nousheen Naimat , Samuel Naima Naimat
Published: October 2011

The main objectives of this chapter are to provide a review of multi-agent platforms for learning environments, to discuss the use of lightweight integration technologies in learning management systems, and to outline the theoretical framework for a multi-agent based platform for course provisioning. The proposed framework places a message switching system at the center of the architecture, providing an effective yet lightweight mechanism for agent communications. The chapter also provides two practical examples of the implementation of lightweight integration technologies for course management system development. The examples show the feasibility of implementing the proposed lightweight architecture, showing how the agent based elements could be added to existing learning management systems.
A Multi-Actor Ontology-Based Assistance Model
Authors: Paquette Gilbert , Marino Olga
Published: October 2011

Adaptivity plays a central role for Web-based assistance to work and training processes. In the last decade, learning and work systems have evolved, from single-user sequential scenarios to multi-actors rich learn-flows and workflows. Within the Semantic Web, resources, activities, and actors are referenced semantically using ontologies, while the user model focuses more on the user’s cognitive state than on simple interface adaptation. The assistance model elaborated in this chapter is composed of a hierarchy of rule-based agents that interacts with semantic annotation of scenario components such as actors, activities, and resources. Ontology-based assistance in multi-actor scenarios is a contribution towards the adaptive semantic Web.
Technology Enhanced Language Learning in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Chiang Tosti H.C. , Tsai Tom T.C. , Li Irene Y.S. , Hsiao Indy Y.T. , Yang Stephen J.H.
Published: October 2011

The application of Information Technology makes distance learning possible. Teachers can teach students who live in another side of the globe via Internet. They can see each others’ images and hear each others’ voices, which could not be done twenty years ago, through Internet. With the development of Internet, students can learn without the limitations of time and space. American Society for Training and Development proposed that digital learning includes learning through Internet, learning by computers, learning in virtual classrooms, and digital cooperation. The digitalized course contents can be transmitted via Internet, local or global networks, audio books, videotapes, satellite, interactive televisions, and compact disks.
Mobile Learning
Authors: Molnar Andreea , Muntean Cristina Hava
Published: October 2011

Today, mobile devices have become an integral part of their possessor’s life. Learning using mobile devices has the advantage of receiving educational content at the moment when it is actually needed, or when the learner feels like s/he is able to study. Moreover, mobile devices used in education can augment the learning experience by delivering further information to the learner, depending on the learner’s context. However, there are still challenges to overcome in order to achieve a widespread adoption of mobile learning. One of these is the high cost of delivering educational content over wireless networks, especially when multimedia content is transmitted. This research proposes a solution that predicts the learner’s economic behaviour and takes it into account when delivering educational multimedia content. A mechanism for reducing the cost of the educational content delivery over wireless networks is also presented.
Electronic-Government Vision
Authors: Shareef Mahmud Akhter , Kumar Uma , Kumar Vinod , Niktash Morteza
Published: October 2011

Different countries adopt Electronic-government (EG) from different perspectives, although they align their mission to develop efficient government sectors that can satisfy citizens. However, countries develop their initiatives from different visions and attempt to achieve different ends, although their means are very similar. This chapter addresses and analyzes the strategies and objectives for EG of different countries. It also delineates subtle differences in their targets to achieve the implementation and proliferation of EG. It has three sections; the first gives the background of this case study, the second examines the EG initiatives of some selected countries, and the third discusses the summary of these initiatives.
E-Government Initiatives
Authors: Shareef Mahmud Akhter , Archer Norm
Published: October 2011

This study is an extension of the case studies presented in the previous chapter (Chapter 2) on mission, vision, objectives, and strategies of E-government (EG) initiatives adopted and implemented by different developed and developing countries in the local, regional, or national levels. This chapter has three sections. In the first section, an introductory note regarding the initiatives to develop EG is presented. The second section describes two instruments to reveal EG development capability empirically in the country-context. The third section illustrates the studies on EG initiatives of different countries.
Interoperability in E-Government
Authors: Tripathi Rakhi P. , Rao V. Ranga , Gupta M.P.
Published: October 2011

Integration and interoperability are critical issues for successful development of one-stop portal for the government. This issue involves integration of information among departments of government both vertically and horizontally. The following paper focuses on Personal Information Integration of citizens which is one of the aspects for achieving interoperability within the departments of government in India. Various challenges, benefits, and key issues of sharing personal information for one-stop portal are discussed. Potential solutions to overcome the challenges are detailed in the paper. In-depth research conducted through a set of interviews with high-ranking government officials forms the basis for the chapter.
E-Governance in the Financial Capital Markets
Authors: Dutta Shantanu , MacAulay Ken , Oxner Mary M.
Published: October 2011

Studies of corporate governance in the capital markets area have focused on the mechanisms and structures of governance and less on the medium through which it is accomplished. This chapter examines the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) as a medium to enhance governance in the capital markets, focusing in particular on the Canadian capital market. Parallels are drawn between the e-governance issues faced by governments and the capital markets. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future directions for e-governance in the capital markets.
Review of Open Source Software (OSS)
Authors: Mukerji Bhasker , Palanisamy Ramaraj
Published: October 2011

The popularity of Open Source Software (OSS) in developing countries is quiet evident from its widespread adoption across government departments and public sector organizations. The use of OSS saves economic resources of cash starved countries, provides an opportunity to promote e-government, and to utilize their resources in other sectors. Many developing countries have a large pool of skilled developers who can modify the source code of the OSS at a very low cost. Many governments in developing and developed countries have switched to OSS which probably encourages others to follow the trend. It was not possible to follow the adoption trend in all the developing countries but the usage of OSS in countries like India, Brazil, and Venezuela provides us an insight. The successful adoption of OSS requires thorough analysis of its advantages as well as the issues associated with it. This chapter will provide an overview of OSS, characteristics of OSS developers, and their motivation to volunteer by contributing in OSS projects, followed by the advantages and issues associated with OSS.
Securing Wireless Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Pomponiu Victor
Published: October 2011

The wireless technologies are bringing significant changes to data networking and telecommunication services, making integrated networks a reality. By removing the wires, personal networks, local area networks, mobile radio networks, and cellular systems, offer an entirely distributed mobile computing and communications environment. Due to their unique features such as shared medium, limited resources, and dynamic topology, wireless ad hoc networks are vulnerable to a variety of potential attacks. However, the common security measures employed for wired networks are not enough to protect the nodes of the networks against complex attacks. Therefore, a new line of defense, called intrusion detection, has been added. In this chapter, first we introduce the main wireless technologies along with their characteristics. Then, a description of the attacks that can be mounted on these networks is given. A separate section will review and compare the most recent intrusion detection techniques for wireless ad hoc networks. Finally, based on the current state of the art, the conclusions, and major challenges are discussed.
Structures of Agency in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Falcão Thiago
Published: October 2011

In this chapter we inquire about the role that the narrative acquires in the production of meaning resulting from the contact between players and environment, in the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft1. We posit that through the process of agency, the authorial narrative, structurally positioned at the conceptual core of the virtual world, may contribute to the diversity of variables involved in the creation of a framing (Goffman, 1974) in which the users will engage in interaction among themselves. According to Dramaturgical Sociology, the resulting meaning from an interaction strongly depends on the context in which it is situated; such notion is precisely the reason why, by observing an environment so intensely imbued by symbols from popular culture, European folklore and medieval fantasy, we may also examine how such signs may assist in the creation of behavioral scripts – and how these are played by the players interacting in the virtual world.
The Epistemological Character of Puzzles in the Metaverse
Authors: Petry Luís Carlos , Tonéis Cristiano Natal
Published: October 2011

This chapter discusses cognitive abilities that can be developed by means of the metaverse. We are concerned with developing virtual environments capable of providing, in a world full of challenges, more than adventures and excitement meant to push the narrative forward. In the search for recovering classical concepts and integrating them into the metaverse we also seek their episteme so that experience construction can be contemplated by means of lateral thinking, that is “thinking about thinking” in a way similar to the Greek concept of mathema. Can we develop creative thinking? What is the role of games? Which characteristics of games can open up paths to creative thinking? The classical culture and the classical puzzles can give us an opportunity to answer these questions.
One Self to Rule Them All
Authors: Rosas Omar V. , Dhen Grégory
Published: October 2011

This chapter provides a critical discourse analysis of French-speaking players’ personal and collective identity construction in World of Warcraft. Based on sixteen semi-structured interviews conducted online, we have analyzed how players introduce their avatars, the extent to which avatars correspond to or differ from players’ real selves, and how players perceive and construct collective identity within their guilds. The study revealed that most players make use of avatar introduction as a rhetorical pretext to fabricate narratives of personal experiences related to their game practice. In addition, players’ discourses made it evident that avatars constituted either transparent (extensions) or translucent (enhancements) representations of their real selves. Finally, collective identity within guilds was mostly perceived and experienced through shared values that transcend the technical format of the game including sense of belonging, trust, respect, putting things into perspective, and modesty.
Modeling Ecotoxicity as Applied to some Selected Aromatic Compounds
Authors: Giri Santanab , Chakraborty Arindam , Gupta Ashutosh Kumar , Roy Debesh Ranjan , Vijayaraj Ramadoss , Parthasarathi Ramakrishnan , Subramanian Venkatesan , Chattaraj Pratim
Published: October 2011

In the present chapter, density functional theory based reactivity indices are applied as chemical descriptors in QSAR analysis for ecotoxicological studies on a group of aromatic compounds. Two sets of aromatic compounds have been chosen to model ecotoxicity. First set comprises 97 electron-donor aromatic compounds and 77 electron-acceptor aromatic compounds studied on Tetrahymena pyriformis. The second set consists of 19 chlorophenol compounds studied for Daphnia magna, Brachydanio rerio and Bacillus. It is observed that a very simple descriptor like atom counting (number of non-hydrogenic atoms) along with other descriptors like electrophilicity index and (ground state) energies of the molecule, provide the best QSAR model for the toxicity of the first set of compounds. For the second set of compounds, it is found that the descriptors consisting of atom counting and group philicities together give the best QSAR models.
Nanoparticles
Authors: Rasulev Bakhtiyor , Leszczynska Danuta , Leszczynski Jerzy
Published: October 2011

Here, the authors show that an application of the QSAR methods for nanomaterials is nevertheless possible and can be useful in predicting their various properties and activities (toxicity). In the chapter briefly explained how the physico-chemical properties can be predicted for nanomaterials. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated how the biological activity, particularly toxicity, can be modeled and predicted for the series of nanoparticles, by applying the quantum-chemical methods in combination with the nano-QSAR.
On Applications of Macromolecular QSAR Theory
Authors: Duchowicz Pablo R. , Castro Eduardo A.
Published: October 2011

Present chapter reviews the application of Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships for the treatment of molecules involving thousands of atoms, such as proteins, nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), or polysaccharides. This is a new developing area of interest in Chemoinformatics, and it is expected to have a growing number of applications during the forthcoming years. Among the several points to be addressed during the modeling of macromolecules, the most important one appears to be the accurate representation of the chemical structure through numerical descriptors. It has to be noticed that descriptors based on optimized three-dimensional geometry are difficult to specify, and it is also a drawback the fact that the experimental geometry is not available. However, different experts in the field have been generalizing the employment of classical types of topological descriptors in macromolecular systems.
Virtual Screening
Authors: Talevi Alan , Castro Eduardo A. , Bruno-Blanch Luis E.
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, the authors analyze virtual screening advantages and the classification of virtual screening approaches. They also discuss the current and potential importance of virtual screening for drug development in Latin America. Finally, they present a brief overview on virtual screening perspectives.
Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Special Substrates Coated by Titanium Dioxide Nanostructured Thin Films via Sol-Gel Process
Authors: Dadvar Hamid , Ghodsi Farhad E. , Dadvar Saeed
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, the sol-gel made titanium dioxide nanostructured thin films deposited on special substrates such as glasses, mica, steels, textiles, fibers, and other organic/inorganic substrates were reviewed. Through this review, several distinctive properties such as optical, electrical, photocatalytic, morphological, and mechanical properties of TiO2 nanostructured thin films were described. Also, a wide range of practical application of TiO2 nanostructured thin films such as dye-sensitised solar cells, optical coatings, humidity and gas sensors, selfcleaning, dielectric, and antibacterial surfaces were discussed in details. Dip and spin coating techniques were demonstrated as suitable methods for deposition of thin films. It has been shown that properties of such films can be affected by type of coating technique, stabilizer, precursor material, solvents, pH and viscosity of precursor solution, aging, and etc. Finally, Successive Interference Fringes Method (SIFM) was presented as a simple method for the determination of optical constants and thickness of TiO2 thin films from single transmission measurements.
Electrostatic Potential at Nuclei
Authors: Ilieva Sonia , Galabov Boris
Published: October 2011

Numerous applications showed that the EPN index, an accurate quantum mechanical quantity, predicts with remarkable accuracy the energy shifts accompanying hydrogen bonding. The theoretically evaluated EPN descriptor correlates also excellently with experimental and theoretically evaluated kinetic parameters for a number of important organic reactions. Based on these findings an efficient computational approach for the evaluation of substituent constants was developed.
An Epistemological Analysis of QSPR/QSAR Models
Authors: Vallverdú Jordi
Published: October 2011

Computer sciences have deeply changed the way by which we make science or produce knowledge. With the era of computers and the development of computer science, quantum chemists were among the first scientists to explore the potentialities of the new tool, and even to collaborate in its development. In this way, they also became participants in what many dubbed as the Second Instrumental Revolution in chemistry. Deeply involved into this research field, QSAR methods are powerful tools to create knowledge on toxicology and drug design, among others. There are several epistemological questions to be analyzed in order to understand the truth and scientific value of their research results (from in silico to wet laboratories and vice versa).
Symbolic Equation for the Instantaneous Amount of Substance in Linear Compartmental Systems
Authors: Villalba J.M. , Varón R. , Arribas E. , Diaz-Sierra R. , Garcia-Sevilla F. , Garcia-Molina F. , Garcia-Moreno M. , Garcia-Meseguer M. J.
Published: October 2011

The symbolic time course equations corresponding to a general model of a linear compartmental system, closed or open, with or without traps and with zero input are presented in this chapter. From here, the steady state equations are obtained easily from the transient phase equations by setting the time towards infinite. Special attention is given to the open systems, for which an exhaustive kinetic analysis has been developed to obtain important properties. Besides, the results are particularized to open systems without traps. The software COEFICOM, easy to use and with a user-friendly format of the input of data and the output of results, allows the user to obtain the symbolic expressions of the coefficients involved in the general symbolic equation and all the information necessary to derive the symbolic time course equations for closed or open systems as well as for the derivation of the mean residence times.
Customer Relationship Management Adoption in Local Governments in the United States
Authors: Reddick Christopher G.
Published: October 2011

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is part of the use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to transform government. This chapter examines the common characteristics of the New Public Management (NPM) and e-government models applying them to CRM adoption in local governments in the United States. Both of these models are commonly cited in the public administration literature as drivers of organizational reform and change. Some of the common characteristics of the NPM and e-government are examined with data from a survey of local government chief administrators. The results of this chapter indicated that more of the characteristics identified in the e-government literature were exemplified in CRM adoption in local governments. In addition, local governments that used more advanced CRM technology were more likely to report organizational changes from these models. The implications of these findings are that researchers should understand both the NPM and e-government principles as important for understanding organizational change.
Functionalities and Facets of Group Awareness in Collaborative Online Laboratories
Authors: Gravier Christophe , Callaghan Michael
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines the rationale and motivations for using Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) for Online Laboratories. It explores different classifications, facets and features of virtual, remote and hybrid laboratories (Gomes2009, Gravier2009a) and subsequently introduces and discusses a range of metaphors, which can be used to understand each approach (Kreijins2002, Northrup2001). It also attempts to classify each of these platforms based on how students learn in these environments i.e. working as individuals or collaboratively in peer based groups (Gravier2009). It discusses and defines the concept of “Collaborative Online Laboratories” as Remote, Virtual or Hybrid Laboratories where groups of users work collaboratively in online virtual communities to support and facilitate learning. Two practical examples of Collaborative Online Laboratories, (the OCELOT project, a Collaborative Remote Laboratory from the University of Saint-Etienne and the Engineering Education Island project, a Collaborative Virtual Laboratory from the University of Ulster) will be presented in the context of existing literature, our individual experiences in implementation and the functionality included in each platform to facilitate collaboration between learners. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of the author’s experiences of practical implementation of these projects and the opportunities/barriers to future directions in Collaborative Online Laboratories.
Semantically Linking Virtual Communities
Authors: Akerkar Rajendra , Aaberge Terje
Published: October 2011

A Virtual Community can be defined as a group of people sharing interests and making use of electronic forms of communication for exchanges. The shared interests might be with respect to a topic or a domain of knowledge, but it might also be related to a task. With the advent of virtual communities, there is a growing need for providing methods to link these communities together in a meaningful way. In this chapter, we shall describe the usage of semantic technologies for enhancing community portals and connecting heterogeneous virtual community sites. We propose a framework for semantically interlinked virtual communities called SIVC that can be used for information structuring, export and information dissemination. We present the SIVC ontology which combines terms from vocabularies that already exist with new terms needed to describe the relationships between concepts in the domain of virtual community.
Efficient Managerial Decision-Making in Healthcare Settings
Authors: Kolker Alexander
Published: October 2011

Traditional managerial decision-making and management engineering methodology are discussed and applied side by side to analyze the same problems in order to illustrate and explain their differences. Some fundamental management engineering principles are summarized in conclusion.
Simulation Applications in a Healthcare Setting
Authors: Perez-Velez Roque
Published: October 2011

The author will attempt to answer the questions above by means of examples, anecdotes, real-case simulation models, and experiences while developing problem-solving models for a healthcare system. Some of the problem-solving models discussed include labor and delivery room utilization, neonatal intensive care unit expansion, emergency department staffing and process improvement, radiology process improvement, patient transport, operating room elective case surgery optimization, partial pediatric unit conversion to Intermediate Medical Care unit, family practice, and women’s health clinics.
Human-Centered Systems Engineering
Authors: Samaras GM
Published: October 2011

Managing SD requires recognition of all stakeholders and their NWDs, permitting discovery and mapping of potential conflicts. Prioritizing conflicts for mitigation relies on standard risk analysis and decision analysis methods. HCSE provides methods for measuring only those NWDs involved, once the critical conflicts are chosen. This permits the mitigations to be verified, and the deployment design to be validated in a pilot setting, prior to general release of the new tools and technologies into the organization.
Appointment Order Outpatient Scheduling System with Consideration of Ancillary Services and Overbooking Policy to Improve Outpatient Experience
Authors: Huang Yu-Li
Published: October 2011

Patient wait time and access to care have long been a recognized problem in modern outpatient healthcare delivery systems. In spite of all the efforts to develop appointment rules and policies, the problem of long patient waits persists. Despite the reasons, the fact remains that there are few implemented models for effective scheduling that consider patient wait times, physician idle time, overtime, ancillary service time, as well as individual no-show rate, and are generalized sufficiently to accommodate a variety of outpatient clinic settings. The goal of this chapter is to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery by developing a physician schedule that meets the clinical policies without overbooking using an innovative wait ratio concept, a patient arrival schedule from the physician schedule accounting for ancillary services, an evidence-based predictive model of no-show probability for individual patient, and a model-supported dynamic overbooking policy to reduce the negative impact of no-shows.
A New Cost Accounting Model and New Indicators for Hospital Management Based on Personnel Cost
Authors: Nakagawa Yoshiaki , Yoshihara Hiroyuki , Nakagawa Yoshinobu
Published: October 2011

New financial indicators were developed based on personnel costs which were calculated using this new cost accounting system. Indicator 1: The ratio of the marginal profit after personnel cost per personnel cost (RMP). Indicator 2: The ratio of investment (=indirect cost) per personnel cost (RIP). Operation profit per one dollar of personnel cost (OPP) was demonstrated to be the difference between the RMP and RIP. The break-even point (BEP) and break-even ratio (BER) could be determined by combining the indicators. RMP demonstrates not only the medical efficiency, but also the medical productivity in the case of DPC/DRG groups. OPP can be utilized to compare the medical efficiency of each department in either one hospital or multiple hospitals. It also makes it possible to evaluate the management efficiency of multiple hospitals.
Mathematics Education
Authors: Albano Giovannina
Published: October 2011

This chapter is concerned with the integration of research in mathematics education and e-learning. Its main aim is to provide a perspective on the teaching/learning opportunities offered by e-learning platforms in a blended learning setting, as experienced at the Universities of Salerno and of Piemonte Orientale. Two types of teaching actions have been set above all: a) tailored units of learning, which have required the design/implementation of a huge pool of learning objects, according to domain-specific guidelines from mathematics education research and to various educational parameters from e-learning research; b) cooperative or individual teacher-driven learning activities together with various practice for self or peer assessment, which have been designed according both to e-learning and mathematics pedagogies based on the active role of the learner, the interaction with tutors and peers, and the importance of critical thinking and communication skills. Finally some feedback from students is reported, and some opportunities for future research are outlined.
Self-Regulated Learning and Self Assessment in Online Mathematics Bridging Courses
Authors: Biehler R. , Fischer P. R. , Hochmuth R. , Wassong Th.
Published: October 2011

For providing an overview of our whole bridging-course programme, at first we will discuss our material concerning content-related, didactical, and authoring aspects. Then we will discuss our course scenarios with regard to pedagogical and organisational aspects. Focusing on selected results of an accompanying evaluation study we will finally discuss the acceptance and success of our courses and highlight some interesting findings concerning our learners.
NAUK.si
Authors: Lokar M. , Lukšic P. , Horvat B.
Published: October 2011

The lack of tools that are easy to use, but at the same time provide the functionality required for a quality education, and technical knowledge that is necessary for the implementation of electronic-based education, are currently the main two obstacles that hinder wider use of e-learning in schools as well as elsewhere. The NAUK group (http://www.nauk.si) is aiming to solve that problem by developing a new paradigm of learning blocks accompanied by tools for easy creation of content and its adaptation to the teachers’ needs. When dealing with e-learning content it is our goal to allow teachers to be in control of the content, thereby putting them “back into the game.”
Voice/Speech Recognition Software
Authors: Kitchenham Andrew , Bowes Doug
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, the authors discuss the promise of speech or voice recognition software and provide practical suggestions for the teacher or any stakeholder working with a disabled child. The authors begin the chapter with a brief overview of the legislation mandating the accommodation of special needs students in the classroom and discuss the implications of assistive technology. The authors then move on to an examination of the promise of the software. The authors end the chapter with practical ideas for implementation should the caregiver believe that voice recognition software will assist the disabled child in the learning process.
A Guide to Assistive Technology for Teachers in Special Education
Authors: Wang Harris
Published: October 2011

Everyone has the right to learn and to succeed in education. For people with certain disabilities, learning can be a challenging task, and proper use of certain assistive technologies can significantly ease the challenge, and help the learners to succeed. For teachers in special education, knowing existing assistive technology is an important step towards the proper use of those technologies and success in special education. This chapter provides a guide for teachers about assistive technology and its uses in special education. Assistive technology for people with learning difficulties, assistive technology for the visually impaired, and assistive technology for people with hearing difficulties will be discussed. Since online learning and the Internet are becoming trends in distance education, this chapter will focus on assistive technologies for Web-based distance learning, including assistive technologies for better human-computer interaction. Selecting more appropriate assistive technology for a given learner with a certain learning disability, among many choices, will be discussed.
Using Social Bookmarking to Make Online Resources More Accessible
Authors: Brunvand Stein
Published: October 2011

There are a multitude of high-quality Web-based resources available for teachers to use with students across the curriculum. Having a systematic way to store, categorize, and share those resources with learners is critical. This is particularly true for students with learning disabilities for whom the task of searching through the vast array of online content to find relevant information can be quite daunting. This review looks at Diigo® (http://www.diigo.com/), a social bookmarking tool, and the affordances it provides for teachers trying to make online content more accessible for students with disabilities.
Reading by Listening
Authors: Jones Marni Gail , Schwilk Christopher L. , Bateman David F.
Published: October 2011

Advances in technology have produced a variety of ways for students with a print disability to access written material through audio format: from Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic’s pre-recorded books to text-to-speech technology, such as Kurzweil’s screen reader. This chapter will describe the need for books in alternate formats, how they can be used, who the end users are, the pros and cons of various formats, where to access information about the technology available, sample products, and tips for their use. Note: The authors are not promoting or endorsing any specific technology, and received no reimbursement nor are affiliated with any of the products mentioned in this chapter.
Communication Technologies for Instructional Use
Authors: Kang Seok
Published: October 2011

This chapter explores educational tools that adopt the interactive nature of communication technologies. The effectiveness of communication technologies for teaching varies depending on what and how the tools are used. Further, learner characteristics and/or available facilities determine the effect of communication technologies as instructional tools on student learning. In this chapter, the most up-to-date communication technologies for classroom use are introduced and evaluated. Linear technologies such as Screenr® and Ispring® are assessed from an educator perspective. Nonlinear communication technologies include Wimba,® Turning Technologies,® or Second Life.® Possible advantages and disadvantages are discussed as implications that instructors can reference for their own needs and objectives in teaching. This chapter concludes that instructors find the best-fit tools for their course objectives, materials, student backgrounds, and difficulty levels.
Evaluations of Online Learning Activities Based on LMS Logs
Authors: Lam Paul , Lo Judy , Lee Jack , McNaught Carmel
Published: October 2011

Effective record-keeping, and extraction and interpretation of activity logs recorded in learning management systems (LMS), can reveal valuable information to facilitate eLearning design, development and support. In universities with centralized Web-based teaching and learning systems, monitoring the logs can be accomplished because most LMS have inbuilt mechanisms to track and record a certain amount of information about online activities. Starting in 2006, we began to examine the logs of eLearning activities in LMS maintained centrally in our University (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) in order to provide a relatively easy method for the evaluation of the richness of eLearning resources and interactions. In this chapter, we: 1) explain how the system works; 2) use empirical evidence recorded from 2007 to 2010 to show how the data can be analyzed; and 3) discuss how the more detailed understanding of online activities have informed decisions in our University.
Critical Factors Influencing Instructors’ Acceptance and Use of Learning Management Systems
Authors: Al-Busaidi Kamla Ali , Al-Shihi Hafedh
Published: October 2011

Learning management systems (LMS) enable educational institutions to manage their educational resources, support their distance education, and supplement their traditional way of teaching. Although LMS survive via instructors’ and students’ use, the adoption of LMS is initiated by instructors’ acceptance and use. Consequently, this study examined the impacts of instructors’ individual characteristics, LMS’ characteristics, and organization’s characteristics on instructors’ acceptance and use of LMS as a supplementary tool and, consequently, on their continuous use intention and their pure use intention for distance education. The findings indicated that, first, instructors’ supplementary use of LMS is determined by perceived usefulness, training, management support, perceived ease of use, information quality, and computer anxiety. Second, instructors’ perceived usefulness of LMS is determined by system quality, perceived ease of use, and incentives policy. Third, instructors’ perceived ease of use is determined by computer anxiety, technology experience, training, system quality, and service quality. Furthermore, instructors’ continuous supplementary use intention is determined by their current supplementary use, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, while instructors’ pure use intention is determined only by their perceived usefulness of LMS.
A Comparative Study on LMS Interoperability
Authors: Leal José Paulo , Queirós Ricardo
Published: October 2011

A Learning Management System (LMS) plays an important role in any eLearning environment. Still, the LMS cannot afford to be isolated from other systems in an educational institution. Thus, the potential for interoperability is an important, although frequently overlooked, aspect of an LMS system. In this chapter we make a comparative study of the interoperability features of the most relevant LMS in use nowadays. We start by defining a comparison framework, with systems that are representative of the LMS universe, and interoperability facets that are representative of the type integration with other broad classes of eLearning systems. For each interoperability facet we categorize and identify the most representative remote systems, we present a comprehensive survey of existing standards and we illustrate with concrete integration scenarios. Finally, we draw some conclusions on the status of interoperability in LMS based on our study.
Mobile Learning Management Systems in Higher Education
Authors: Sampson Demetrios G. , Zervas Panagiotis
Published: October 2011

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are widely used in Higher Education offering important benefits to students, tutors, administrators and the educational organizations. On the other hand, the widespread ownership of mobile devices has lead to educational initiatives that investigate their potential as the means to change the way that students interact with their tutors, their classmates, the learning material, the administration services and the environment of their educational institute. This mainly aims to support the continuation of these interactions not only outside the classroom, but also beyond desktop restrictions, towards to a truly constant and instant access from anywhere. As a result, the development of mobile LMS (mLMS) is important for the deployment of feasible mobile-supported educational services in Higher Education. In this book chapter, we address the issue of designing mLMS for Higher Education by studying and applying the W3C Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 to a widely used existing LMS, namely, the Moodle.
Enhancing Electronic Examinations through Advanced Multiple-Choice Questionnaires
Authors: Triantis Dimos , Ventouras Errikos
Published: October 2011

The present chapter deals with the variants of grading schemes that are applied in current Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) tests. MCQs are ideally suited for electronic examinations, which, as assessment items, are typically developed in the framework of Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs) and handled, in the cycle of educational and training activities, by Learning Management Systems (LMS). Special focus is placed in novel grading methodologies, that enable to surpass the limitations and drawbacks of the most commonly used grading schemes for MCQs in electronic examinations. The paired MCQs grading method, according to which a set of pairs of MCQs is composed, is presented. The MCQs in each pair are similar concerning the same topic, but this similarity is not evident for an examinee that does not possess adequate knowledge on the topic addressed in the questions of the pair. The adoption of the paired MCQs grading method might expand the use of electronic examinations, provided that the new method proves its equivalence to traditional methods that might be considered as standard, such as constructed response (CR) tests. Research efforts to that direction are presented.
Effective Use of E-Learning for Improving Students’ Skills
Authors: Salas-Morera Lorenzo , Cubero-Atienza Antonio J. , Redel-Macías María Dolores , Arauzo-Azofra Antonio , García-Hernández Laura
Published: October 2011

The educational system promoted by the European higher education area advocates the introduction of new teaching methodologies in order to improve students’ skills as well as their knowledge in the subject areas they are studying. In response to this, new teaching strategies were implemented in Industrial Engineering and Software Engineering degree courses. The main goal of the project was to improve students’ skills in areas including problem-solving, information management, group working and the acquisition of writing and speaking skills, by means of e-learning tools. In addition to implementing the new strategies, a set of assessments including surveys, forum activity analyses and group tutorial evaluations were also carried out. The combined use of these techniques proved a very useful way of improving the students’ general skills and knowledge, especially in terms of design methods and organisation and planning ability and in general academical performance.
Managing Human Factors in the Development of Fighter Aircraft
Authors: Alfredson Jens , Andersson Rikard
Published: October 2011

The chapter includes a description of the domain of fighter aircraft development, followed by a section on how to design for what is special about a fighter pilot, a fighter aircraft, and the flight environment. Examples of design concepts from the domain, such as HOTAS and Basic-T are discussed in light of domain specific demands. Later, human factor considerations, such as evaluation of human factors and usable systems, are discussed together with how to manage human factors in development.
Design and Optimization of Defense Hole System for Shear Loaded Laminates
Authors: Al-Husban Mohammad , Akour Salih N. , Nayfeh Jamal F.
Published: October 2011

Stress concentrations associated with circular holes in pure biaxial shear-loaded laminates can be reduced by up to 20.56%. This significant reduction is made possible by introducing elliptical auxiliary holes along the principal stress direction. The effect of the stacking sequence, the fiber orientation, and the stiffness of both the fiber and the matrix are investigated.