bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Web-Enabled Self-Regulated Learning and Problem-Based Learning with Initiation on Students’ Computing Skills
Authors: Shen Pei-Di
Published: May 2011

Vocational degree earners represent a major portion of the work force in Taiwan. However, the reality of computing education in Taiwan’s vocational schools is that it’s not so practically oriented, revealing much room for improvement. In this context, we conducted a quasi-experiment to examine the effects of applying web-based self-regulated learning, web-based problem-based learning with initiation, and their combination to enhance students’ computing skills. Four classes in successive years, with a total of 177 third-year students, were divided into 2 (SRL vs. non-SRL) × 2 (PBL with initiation vs. PBL without initiation) experimental groups. Results were generally positive. Results revealed that the effects of web-enabled SRL, web-enabled PBL with initiation, and their combinations on students’ computing skills have significant differences. We hope that the online teaching method applied in this study is also useful for those teachers engaged in e-learning, specifically, in vocational schools. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Enhancement of TAPS Packages Using Tangible User Interface
Authors: Sidhu Manjit Singh , Maqableh Waleed
Published: May 2011

Tangible User Interfaces (TUI) is an emerging human-machine interaction (HMI) style where significant number of new TUIs has been incorporated into the educational technology domain. This work presents the design of new user interface for technology-assisted problem solving (TAPS) packages for Engineering Mechanics subject at University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). In this study the TAPS packages were further enhanced by adopting TUI and compared to the previous TAPS packages. The study found additional benefits when using TUI whereby it provided human interface senses, such as haptics and tactile (touch) making it more natural to use.
Generating Motivation to Learn Via Tailored Lesson Introductions
Authors: Banas Jennifer R.
Published: May 2011

Motivation to learn is difficult to generate when learners are uninterested in the topic. This quasi-experimental study explored behavioral construct tailoring as an instructional message design technique to generate motivation and improve cognitive performance. Ninety-eight college students pre- and post-appraised a lesson, completed a cognitive assessment, and attributed performance to affect or competence-related factors. A risk assessment was used to strategically assign experimental learners to one of three tailored lesson introductions. Results indicated that experimental group learners, on some subscales, were more motivated. Positive trends were found for some affective and competence-related performance attributions, as well as cognitive performance. These findings warrant additional research into behavioral construct tailoring.
An Investigation on Course Characteristics that Fit Well with Online Offering
Authors: Klaus Tim , Changchit Chuleeporn
Published: May 2011

The number of online courses offered by universities as well as the number of students enrolled in these courses has increased greatly over the past few years. Technological advancements currently penetrate society, allowing online courses to be offered efficiently and effectively. However, it has become more apparent that all classes are not as adaptive to an online format as others. Since many institutions of higher education further incorporate online courses into their curriculum, it is important to understand the characteristics of courses that affect students’ preferences for either traditional classroom environments or online environments. Indications of this can be seen in the attrition and retention rates of classes offered online. This study explores the characteristics of courses that affect students’ preferences towards online and traditional classroom settings. These results should help providing guidelines to institutions considering courses for online offer.
Computer-Based Simulation in Blended Learning Curriculum for Hazardous Waste Site Worker Health and Safety Training
Authors: West Cheryl , Slatin Craig , Sanborn Wayne , Volicer Beverly
Published: May 2011

Intended for the interest of individuals and organizations who provide adult/worker training and education, we present a discussion of a computer-based simulation training tool used as part of a hazardous waste site worker health and safety training curriculum. Our objective is to present the simulation’s development, implementation, and assessment for learning utility from both trainee and trainer perspectives. The simulation is blended with other curriculum components of training courses and supports small group learning. Assessment included end-of-course trainee questionnaires and trainer focus groups to addressing simulation utility as a user-oriented learning tool. A majority of trainees reported simulation trainings as useful learning tools with numerous advantages that support a participatory, blended learning curriculum, and raise awareness of potential work site risks and hazards. Trainers reported that the simulation advanced training impact. Evaluation results indicate that the simulation successfully supports small group learning activities.
Teaching Advanced Computer Networking
Authors: Sarkar Nurul I. , Petrova Krassie
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports on the authors’ experiences of using miniproject-based learning (MPBL) as a key pedagogical method for teaching advanced computer networks within the context of a Master’s course in Net-centric computing at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). A two-threaded delivery approach was adopted that comprised an MPBL thread and a lecture thread. The MPBL thread within the course allows the students to gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of the key concepts of network protocols and technologies. The lecture thread uses face-to-face teaching, group discussion and class presentations to allow students to develop better communication and presentation skills. The effectiveness of the MPBL approach was evaluated extensively - formally by students and by an external moderator, and informally in discussions within the teaching team. The implementation of the MPBL was judged to be successful because of the positive student and external moderator feedback. Therefore, the authors propose that MPBL is a suitable pedagogical tool for teaching advanced computer networks to graduate and postgraduate students.
Why Choose an Online Course?
Authors: Tomei Lawrence A. , Kwiatkowski April , Brown Lorie , Pash Lori , Javery Christine , Ray Julie A. , Durocher Rae Ann
Published: May 2011

OCICU is the Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities and consists of five provider institutions which are located throughout the United States and Ireland. This consortium is the first of its kind to exist in distance education. The researchers wanted to understand why students choose to take courses through the consortium as well as why students opt for online learning instead of traditional face to face instruction. The research was limited courses that were completed in the Fall 2006, Spring 2007, and Fall 2007. The review of the literature revealed several factors of teaching online that affect why member schools recommend an OCICU course to their students and why these students succeed or fail in an online environment. The response rate of 25% diminishes the ability of this investigation to generalize to this population of 64 institutions.
Do Orientation Materials Help Students Successfully Complete Online Courses?
Authors: Tomei Lawrence A. , Hagle Holly , Rineer Ashley , Mastandrea Lisa A , Scollon Jennifer
Published: May 2011

OCICU is the Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities and consists of five provider institutions which are located throughout the United States and Ireland. This consortium is the first of its kind to exist in distance education. The researchers wanted to understand the importance of orientation materials to successfully completing an online course taken from another institution. The review of the literature revealed several factors of teaching online that supported the position that pro-active development of orientation materials is essential to the growth and development of online learning and results in additional revenue to participating institutions. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Information and Communication Technology in Chinese Elementary and Secondary Education
Authors: Li Xiaobin
Published: May 2011

This article provides an overview of the recent development of information and communication technology (ICT) utilized in Chinese elementary and secondary education. Specifically, the chapter discusses the positive impact ICT has on Chinese education, as well as the existing problems in the application of ICT. The potential for further developing education with ICT in schools is considered. In addition, challenges are discussed, and recommendations are made with regard to providing better learning experiences to every child with ICT.
The Effectiveness of Scaffolding in a Web-Based, Adaptive Learning System
Authors: Chang Mei-Yu , Tarng Wernhuar , Shin Fu-Yu
Published: May 2011

This study combined ideas from learning hierarchy and scaffolding theory to design a web-based, adaptive learning system to investigate the effectiveness of scaffolding for elementary school students having different levels of learning achievement. The topic chosen for learning was the Three States of Water. A quasi-experiment was conducted. In this experiment, students were divided into three groups: control group (without scaffolds), experimental group A (scaffolds providing by on-line conversation) and experimental group B (scaffolds providing by face-to-face conversation). The experimental results showed significant improvement for students after they had studied using the web-based, adaptive learning system. Specifically, scaffolds in the form of face-to-face conversations greatly enhanced the learning of high-achievement students. However, there were no significant differences between the low-achievement students with or without the provision of scaffolds. It was also discovered that the web-based, adaptive learning system could help students develop their learning responsibility.
The Role of Adult Education in Online Delivery of Career and Technical Education
Authors: Hernández-Gantes Victor M.
Published: May 2011

As online education continues to grow, there is a consensus that online courses and programs should be designed based on the needs of adult learners. This premise is also relevant to growing career and technical education (CTE) programs offered online. However, much of the literature in online CTE lacks implicit connections to emerging notions of adult development and learning. This article provides an overview of the status of online education in CTE offered in higher education, and discusses adult learning development as a means to inform curriculum design and instruction. The article concludes with an outline of emerging trends bridging adult learning and online education relevant to career and technical education.
Modeling the Ecological Footprint of Nations via Evolutionary Computation and Machine Learning Models
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed M.
Published: May 2011

The per capita Ecological Footprint (EF) is one of the most-widely recognized measures of environmental sustainability. It seeks to quantify the Earth’s biological capacity required to support human activity. This study uses gene expression programming and Self-organizing Maps (SOM) to predict, classify and cluster the EF of 140 nations. A Bayesian approach was used to formally test the research hypotheses. By formulating the linear regression in a probabilistic framework, a Bayesian linear regression model is derived, and a specific simulation method, i.e., Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), is utilized to estimate the model parameters. Bayesian MCMC methods allow a richer and more complete representation of complex EF data. It also provides a computationally attractive and straightforward method to develop a full and complete description of the inherent uncertainty in parameters, quantiles and performance metrics.
Air Quality Assessment by Neural Networks
Authors: Hájek Petr , Olej Vladimír
Published: May 2011

The chapter presents an overview of current methods for air quality assessment, i.e. air stress indices and air quality indices. Traditional air quality assessment is realized using air quality indices which are determined as mean values of selected air pollutants. Thus, air quality assessment depends on strictly given limits without taking into account specific local conditions and synergic relations between air pollutants and other meteorological factors. The stated limitations can be eliminated, e.g. using systems based on neural networks and fuzzy logic. Therefore, the chapter presents a design of a model for air quality assessment based on a combination of Kohonen’s self-organizing feature maps and fuzzy logic neural networks. The model makes it possible to analyze the structure of data, to find localities with similar air quality, and to interpret the classification results by means of fuzzy logic. Due to its generalization ability, it is also possible to classify unknown localities into classes assessing their air quality.
Air Quality Modeling and Metamodeling Approach
Authors: Kašparová Miloslava , Krupka Jirí
Published: May 2011

This chapter deals with modeling and metamodeling of air quality in the Pardubice region of the Czech Republic. From a regional point of view, the Pardubice district is the most problematic area in regards to air pollution. Concentrations of traffic, industry and power stations (Opatovice and Chvaletice) activities are the cause of this situation, although emissions of all pollutants have markedly decreased within the last ten years. A decrease in air pollution was achieved particularly by restriction and restructuring of industrial production, use of emission standards, changes in legislation in the area of air protection, etc. The mentioned air quality modeling belongs to classification tasks. It means the authors deal with the classification problem, with the creation of classification models (classifiers) and they focus on metamodeling (combining classifiers). Through the application of modeling and metamodeling the authors use selected algorithms of decision trees (C5.0, chi-squared automatic interaction detection and classification and regression trees) that belong to useful explanatory techniques.
Modeling of the Economic Development of a Region
Authors: Myšková Renáta , Linkeová Ivana
Published: May 2011

The economic development of a region depends on a number of factors which influence it mainly bases in a macro-economic aspect. Each region has its specific characteristics, thus area-surveyed indicators may not have sufficient predicative potential. In this chapter the authors design two new indicators (Index of Citizens’ Financial Provision and Risk of Regional Economic Development) which enable them to evaluate the financial provision of citizens and the economic risk of a region in more detail. Consequently the authors can, through the course of designing these indicators, determine the rate of their influence on a region or at least predict their development. In order to create and model these indicators the authors used tools from the Microsoft Excel program. The methodology described can be widely utilized, as partial indicators can be substituted and, therefore, it is possible to evaluate other strategic factors of the region under consideration. Indicator Risk of Regional Economic Development was designed with the help of fuzzy sets. The chapter includes two case studies, which are based on official data provided by the Czech Statistical Office. The purpose was to illustrate the construction of indicators, their predicative value and modeling potential.
Modeling the Effects of the Quality of the Environment on the Health of a Selected Population
Authors: Jirava Pavel , Obršálová Ilona
Published: May 2011

This chapter is focused on the modeling and analysis of the relation between environment and health. Many research papers have found links between environment and the health of a population and our starting point are these articles. The chapter is divided into three main parts and is focused on the regional level, Pardubice region. In the background basic concepts associated with the selected theme are described and defined. A description of the selected region, methods, calculations, modeling and analysis are included in the Experiments and Analysis section. Four methods were used for computations – correlation analysis, regression analysis, cluster analysis and association rules learning. The last part, Future Research and Conclusion, summarizes the output of our work and main recommendations.
Quality of Life Modeling at the Regional Level
Authors: Krupka Jirí , Kašparová Miloslava , Jirava Pavel , Mandys Jan
Published: May 2011

The chapter presents the problem of quality of life modeling in the Czech Republic based on classification methods. It concerns a comparison of methodological approaches; in the first case the approach of the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic was used, the second case is concerning a project of the civic association Team Initiative for Local Sustainable Development. On the basis of real data sets from the institute and team initiative the authors synthesized and analyzed quality of life classification models. They used decision tree classification algorithms for generating transparent decision rules and compare the classification results of decision tree. The classifier models on the basis of C5.0, CHAID, C&RT and C5.0 boosting algorithms were proposed and analyzed. The designed classification model was created in Clementine.
Introduction
Authors: Cropf Robert A. , Krummenacher Scott
Published: May 2011

As the second decade of the twenty-first century begins, information and communication technology has brought about significant changes in the way that people participate in political discourse and engage in civil society. This has led to a surge in scholarly interest in virtual public spheres, or the deployment of network structures to advance public discourse with the goal to influence political outcomes. This book brings together international scholars to analyze the impact of ICT on civil society, and in particular, the transition from e-government to e-democracy that is facilitated by virtual public spheres. Contributions to this book address several important issues ranging from the conceptual development of virtual public spheres to the challenges facing e-participation and e-government efforts. Several contributors to this book touch upon the conditions needed to facilitate e-democracy and the challenges confronting e-democracy efforts in developing countries. A little explored area of e-government, e-administration, is correctly identified by several chapters as potentially making contributions to e-democracy and virtual public spheres.
Issues of Digital Disempowerment and New Media Networking (NMN) in Relation to E-Government
Authors: Hacker Kenneth L. , Morgan Eric L.
Published: May 2011

Emerging media technologies are increasingly reconfiguring the public sphere by creating new spaces for political dialogue. E-democracy (digital democracy) and e-government can be usefully served by these emerging technologies; however, their existence does not automatically equate to increased political participation. There is still a need to develop specific and theoretically-oriented approaches to a newly reconfigured public sphere. Employing a structurational perspective, this essay addresses the relationship between political participation, emerging media, new media networking, and e-democracy. While new media networking increases the potential for political participation, depending on various factors such as access, usage and skills, the potential exists for increasing disempowerment as well. The chapter concludes with recommendations for the use of new media networking in ways that enhance e-democracy.
‘Videoblogging’ Human Rights on YouTube
Authors: Gimeno Jacques DM , Freeman Bradley C.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses what happens when, instead of co-existing, our online and offline worlds clash. In an age where the difference between virtual reality and real life becomes almost impossible to distinguish, a re-examination of core values and ethics becomes a necessity to ensure that human decency is not abandoned and that ethical standards become a core part of virtual public spheres. This chapter discusses a fundamental theme of modern human communication that involves a shift from traditional face-to-face interaction to one that is heavily mediated. Specifically, this chapter focuses on the role of different websites in providing a virtual public sphere, one exemplified by YouTube, where anonymity and immediacy greatly influence human communication in ways that may result in either fomenting greater divisions among societies and propagating a culture of carelessness and disregard for human rights, or one where human rights abuses are exposed, but victims’ identities are concealed and carefully protected.
Perspectives on E-Government in Europe
Authors: Archmann Sylvia , Iglesias Just Castillo
Published: May 2011

The e-government scene in the EU is undergoing profound changes. The gradual increase in online availability of services has now reached a point where new challenges are appearing, such as trust-building, increasing citizens’ confidence and the use of existing services, as well as the need for new more efficient e-inclusion policies. Citizens of today have new demands which require new responses, also in terms of enhancing the participatory process. ICT and e-government have an important role to play in this respect.
Setting the Foundation for E-Democracy in Botswana
Authors: Bwalya Kelvin Joseph , Du Plessis Tanya , Rensleigh Chris
Published: May 2011

The process of establishing appropriate institutional frameworks and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure backbones to support future development of e-democracy is not an easy task. Botswana has started building its e-democracy institutions as it accords citizens the opportunity to participate in the democratic process using appropriate ICT platforms out of the realization that participatory democracy is crucial in placing a country at a competitive edge in the contemporary global socio-economic value chains. Towards this goal, the first initiative has been the establishment of the e-government taskforce team, which has been mandated with the development of an e-government strategy commensurate with Botswana’s local context. The establishment of the e-government taskforce team has been done in tandem with putting in place appropriate ICT infrastructures and legal, institutional, or regulatory frameworks. This chapter presents an exploratory study that aims to discuss the different interventions that are being put in place by the Botswana government and its co-operating partners as setting the foundation for implementing full-scale e-democracy applications such as e-forums and e-voting. The chapter also presents obstacles and challenges that have not been met, insofar as building virtual public spheres in the realm of participatory e-democracy in Botswana is concerned. Attention is given to how virtual public spheres should be used as collaboration and networking platforms both in the private and public sectors of Botswana. It is anticipated that the different approaches that have been employed by Botswana towards this course may prove useful to other emerging nations who may have intentions of implementing ICT infrastructure and encouraging virtual public spheres as a means to building viable e-democracy.
Quality Enhancing the Continued Use of E-Government Web Sites
Authors: Wangpipatwong Sivaporn , Chutimaskul Wichian , Papasratorn Borworn
Published: May 2011

This study empirically examines Web site quality toward the enhancement of the continued use of e-government Web sites by citizens. The web site quality under examination includes three main aspects, which are information quality, system quality, and service quality. The participants were 614 country-wide e-citizens of Thailand. The data were collected by means of a web-based survey and analyzed by using multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that the three quality aspects enhanced the continued use of e-government Web sites, with system quality providing the greatest enhancement, followed by service quality and information quality.
Aviation-Related Expertise and Usability
Authors: Friedman-Berg Ferne , Allendoerfer Kenneth , Pai Shantanu
Published: May 2011

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Human Factors Team - Atlantic City conducted a usability assessment of the www.fly.faa.gov Web site to examine user satisfaction and identify site usability issues. The FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center uses this Web site to provide information about airport conditions, such as arrival and departure delays, to the public and the aviation industry. The most important aspect of this assessment was its use of quantitative metrics to evaluate how successfully users with different levels of aviation-related expertise could complete common tasks, such as determining the amount of delay at an airport. The researchers used the findings from this assessment to make design recommendations for future system enhancements that would benefit all users. They discuss why usability assessments are an important part of the process of evaluating e-government Web sites and why their usability evaluation process should be applied to the development of other e-government Web sites.
Acceptability of ATM and Transit Applications Embedded in Multipurpose Smart Identity Card
Authors: Yeow Paul H.P. , Loo W.H.
Published: May 2011

The study investigates the user acceptance of automated teller machine (ATM) and transit applications (Touch ‘n Go) which are embedded in Malaysian multipurpose smart identity card named as MyKad. A research framework was developed based on a well known user acceptance model i.e. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. Five hundred questionnaires were randomly distributed in the Multimedia Super Corridor, Malaysia. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that Malaysians do not have strong intentions of using the two applications. This can be explained by factors shown in the research framework: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived credibility, and anxiety. Malaysians have little understanding of their benefits and the efforts needed to use them. In addition, they have the misconception that there are insufficient facilities to support the usage of the applications. Consequently, there is no social support to use the applications. Moreover, they perceive that the applications do not have credibility. Besides, they are unsure if they use of the applications would cause anxieties. As a result, few Malaysians have intentions of using the applications. Recommendations were given to increase the acceptance and to resolve the discovered issues. The present research can be replicated to study user acceptance of other applications in MyKad/smart identity cards in other countries (e.g. Hong Kong, India and the sultanate of Oman).
Digital Disempowerment in a Network Society
Authors: Hacker Kenneth L. , Mason Shana M. , Morgan Eric L.
Published: May 2011

The objective of this article is to examine how the inequalities of participation in network society governmental systems affect the extent that individuals are empowered or disempowered within those systems. By using published data in conjunction with theories of communication, a critical secondary data analysis was conducted. This critical analysis argues that the Digital Divide involves issues concerning how democracy and democratization are related to computer-mediated communication (CMC) and its role in political communication. As the roles of CMC/ICT systems expand in political communication, existing Digital Divide gaps are likely to contribute to structural inequalities in political participation. These inequalities work against democracy and political empowerment for some people, while at the same time producing expanded opportunities of political participation for others. This raises concerns about who benefits the most from electronic government in emerging network societies.
A Multi-level Relational Risk Assessment Model for Secure E-Government Projects
Authors: Kefallinos Dionysis , Lambrou Maria A. , Sykas Efstathios D.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the authors propose a model for a risk assessment tool directed towards and tailored specifically for e-government projects. The authors’ goal is to cover the particular threats pertinent to the e-government project context and provide an interface between the broader philosophy of IT governance frameworks and the technical risk assessment methodologies, thus aiding in the successful and secure implementation and operation of e-government infrastructures. The model incorporates a wide range of applicable risk areas, grouped into eleven levels, as well as seven accompanying dimensions, assembled into a checklist-like matrix, along with an application algorithm and associated indices, which an evaluator can use to calculate risk for one or for multiple interacting projects.
Integrating Public and Private Services
Authors: Klievink Bram , Janssen Marijn
Published: May 2011

The advent and widespread use of the Internet enables governments to connect directly to citizens and businesses. This results in a decrease of the transaction costs and a reduction of the administrative burden for governments, citizens and businesses. One consequence of this is the bypassing of existing parties that are interacting as intermediaries between the clients and provider. Based on intermediation theory, two case studies are analyzed which counter the argument of the bypassing of intermediaries. It is possible to adopt a re-intermediation strategy, in which intermediaries are used as a value-adding service delivery channel. The empirical evidence shows that private sector intermediaries can be employed for service innovation. The intermediaries provide service delivery channels that are closer to the natural interaction patterns of the users of public services than direct service delivery channels. Furthermore, the intermediaries can bundle public services with their own. For governments, this implies that only adopting a direct interaction strategy, which is often motivated by a desire to reduce transaction costs, is too narrow an approach from the point of view of demand-driven government. As such, direct interaction strategies need to be complimented by a re-intermediation strategy employing private sectors intermediaries in order to advance towards a truly demand-driven and client centered government.
Metagoverning Policy Networks in EGovernment
Authors: Löfgren Karl , Sørensen Eva
Published: May 2011

Since the late 1990s, an explicit goal of most industrialized states has been to integrate electronic access to government information and service delivery, examples being ‘the 24/7 agency’ or ‘Joined-up governance’ . This aim, which goes beyond the establishment of ‘single’ governmental websites, calls for both horizontal, as well as vertical integration of otherwise separate public agencies and authorities who are supposed to collaborate towards ‘joint’ and ‘needs-based’ electronic solutions to the benefit of citizens. While many authors have described this implementation of a policy aim in purely technical interoperability terms, the authors frame this development as a policy process of metagoverning self-regulating networks. This chapter is primarily a theoretical think piece in which we will present a systematic framework for the analysis of meta-governing the policy process of electronic government. In addition to the value of framing the process as a metagovernance process, they wish to discuss how the metagovernance approach also sheds light on whether or not the on-going process of vertical and horizontal integration leads to more or less centralization, and whether it may contribute to a more democratic process. Their arguments will be supported by empirical illustrations mainly adopted from Scandinavian research.
Cognitive Robotics and Multiagency in a Fuzzy Modeling Framework
Authors: Trajkovski Goran , Stojanov Georgi , Collins Samuel , Eidelman Vladimir , Harman Chris , Vincenti Giovanni
Published: May 2011

Fuzzy algebraic structures are a useful and flexible tool for modeling cognitive agents and their societies. In this article we propose a fuzzy algebraic framework where the valuating sets are other than the unit interval (lattices, partially ordered sets or relational structures) . This provides for a flexible organization of the information gathered by the agent (via interactions with the environment and/or other agents) and enables its selected use when different drives are active. Agents (Petitagé, ANNA, POPSICLE and Izbushka), which are instantiations of our model, are also given in order to illustrate the use of this framework, as well as its possible extensions.
A Multi-Agent Machine Learning Framework for Intelligent Energy Demand Management
Authors: Guo Ying , Li Rongxin
Published: May 2011

In order to cope with the unpredictability of the energy market and provide rapid response when supply is strained by demand, an emerging technology, called energy demand management, enables appliances to manage and defer their electricity consumption when price soars. Initial experiments with our multi-agent, power load management simulator, showed a marked reduction in energy consumption when price-based constraints were imposed on the system. However, these results also revealed an unforeseen, negative effect: that reducing consumption for a bounded time interval decreases system stability. The reason is that price-driven control synchronizes the energy consumption of individual agents. Hence price, alone, is an insufficient measure to define global goals in a power load management system. In this chapter the authors explore the effectiveness of a multi-objective, system-level goal which combines both price and system stability. The authors apply the commonly known reinforcement learning framework, enabling the energy distribution system to be both cost saving and stable. They test the robustness of their algorithm by applying it to two separate systems, one with indirect feedback and one with direct feedback from local load agents. Results show that their method is not only adaptive to multiple systems, but is also able to find the optimal balance between both system stability and energy cost.
A Step-By-Step Implementation of a Multi-Agent Currency Trading System
Authors: Barbosa Rui Pedro , Belo Orlando
Published: May 2011

With this chapter the authors intend to demonstrate the potential practical use of intelligent agents as autonomous financial traders. The authors propose an architecture to be utilized in the creation of this type of agents, consisting of an ensemble of classification and regression models, a case-based reasoning system and an expert system. This architecture was used to implement six intelligent agents, each being responsible for trading one of the following currency pairs with a 6-hour timeframe: CHF/JPY, EUR/CHF, EUR/JPY, EUR/USD, USD/CHF and USD/JPY. These agents simulated trades during an out-of-sample period going from February of 2007 till July of 2010, having all achieved an acceptable performance. However, their strategies resulted in relatively high drawdowns, and much of their profit disappeared once the trading costs were factored into the trading simulation. In order to overcome these problems, they integrated the agents in a multi-agent system, in which agents communicate their decisions to each other before sending the market orders, and work together to eliminate redundant trades. This system averaged out the returns of the agents, thus eliminating much of the risk associated with their individual trading strategies, and also originated considerable savings in trading expenses. Their results seem to vindicate the usefulness of the proposed trading agent architecture, and also demonstrate that there is indeed a place for intelligent agents in financial markets.
Multi-Agent–Based Simulation of University Email Communities
Authors: Rodrigues David
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, a study on informal communication network formation in a university environment is presented. The teacher communication network is analyzed through community detection techniques. It is evident that informal communication is an important process that traverses the vertical hierarchical structure of departments and courses in a university environment. A multi-agent model of the case study is presented here, showing the implications of using real data as training sets for multi-agent-based simulations. The influence of the “social neighborhood,” as a mechanism to create assortative networks of contacts without full knowledge of the network, is discussed. It is shown that the radius of this social neighborhood has an effect on the outcome of the network structure and that in a university’s case this distance is relatively small.
Will Comparative Effectiveness Research Lead to Healthcare Rationing?
Authors: Brown Mary
Published: May 2011

The Affordable Healthcare for America Bill that was signed into law in March 2010 includes support for activities that come under the heading of ‘comparative effectiveness’ research. The bill attempts to accelerate the conversion to electronic health records by all payers and providers who participate in the healthcare payment data stream. Conversion to electronic health data collection and storage solutions will create a large amount of treatment and payment data that is increasingly standardized by health standards organizations which reduces integration issues between technologies. There are federal advisory committees at work on designing the infrastructure needed to support a National Health Information Network (NHIN) that will support the healthcare data exchange required for comparative effectiveness research. The theory behind this work is that the availability of a large portion of existing health data will make it possible for researchers to identify therapies that lead to superior patient outcomes. It is assumed that the superior therapy would become the ‘best practice’ approach to treating a particular ailment. Supporters of comparative effectiveness see this as a strategy for making the system more effective both in terms of good medicine and also in terms of decreased cost. Opponents of comparative effectiveness see it as healthcare rationing and an inappropriate injection of government into the healthcare decision making process. Supporters and opponents have identified both positive and negative consequences to comparative effectiveness and this chapter will analyze the impact and propose some ways to optimize the results of this work.
eHealth Governance, A Key Factor for Better Health Care
Authors: Beratarbide Elena , Kelsey Tom
Published: May 2011

Importantly, the results presented in relation to perceived eHealth-NHS alignment are preliminary, but significant deviations compared with the results presented in advance on this chapter are not expected.
E-Discovery and Health Care IT
Authors: Vasudevan Vasupradha , Roa H.R.
Published: May 2011

The increase in electronic health records has introduced an increase risk of litigation related to collection, storage and exchange of health information. This chapter explores the issues associated with activities involving legal discovery that can result from failure to properly manage this stored data. It offers insights into strategies that organizations can use to protect against litigation resulting from failure to properly consider and mitigate against unexpected outcomes involving legal discovery involving stored health data.
The Nationwide Health Information Network
Authors: Adeyemo Omotunde
Published: May 2011

The Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN) promises many benefits, but may be prone to a new phenomenon in healthcare fraud now rapidly drawing attention and commonly referred to as medical identity theft. As the medical industry continues down the path towards overall infrastructure digitization, it is anticipated that associated electronic records will become more portable hence facilitating efficient exchange. Problem however is, the enhanced transferability may also open a new vista of advantages to fraudsters. To address this risk, the NHIN implementers must implement stringent access control measures. One such solution is using a biometric cryptosystem-based solution. For defense-in-depth, a security strategy suggesting successive layers of controls, the PKI cryptographic scheme is recommended to intrinsically protect medical records when in use, storage or even in the event they are successfully stolen.
Caught in the Web
Authors: Bauer Keith A.
Published: May 2011

The social consequences of the internet are profound. Evidence of this can easily be found in the enormous body of literature discussing its impact on democracy, globalization, social networking, and education. The implications of the internet for medicine have likewise received a great deal of attention from policy makers, clinicians and technology theorists. Medical privacy, in particular, has garnered the lion’s share of attention. Nevertheless, research in this area has been lacking because it either fails to unpack the conceptual and ethical complexities of privacy or overestimates the power of technology and policy to protect our medical privacy. The aims of this chapter are twofold. The first is to provide a nuanced explication of the concept of privacy, and, second, to argue that e-medicine and the policies supposedly designed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of personal health information fail to do so and in some instances make their violations easier to commit.
Why Doesn’t Information Systems Vision Exist in the Healthcare Sector?
Authors: Guah Matthew
Published: May 2011

The nature of healthcare provision has changed dramatically and irreversibly over the past two decades. The focus has shifted from inward-looking supervision of medical care with substantial protection and defensive attitude to globally oriented, patient-centric facilitation of medical care and preventive services. Information technologies are increasingly playing a key role in reforming healthcare globally. How much of this reform addresses the primary goal of healthcare institutions? This chapter questions current expectations that information technology could bring benefits to healthcare sector—for which governments around the world are mandating and increasing investment in IT initiatives. There has been a remarkable expansion of information technology capabilities resulting in many ambitious IT projects in various healthcare institutions. The most sophisticated ones seem to concentrate on relatively simple coordination, resource allocation and documentation aspects of healthcare delivery process. There is little emphasis on the management of treatment process or optimization of resource use because definitive models do not exist for patient treatment processes. The major question being presented for open discussion here is whether these IT projects coincide with the primary goals of healthcare organizations. Is there an overall vision for IT in healthcare? If so, what is it? How does such vision contribute to the primary objectives of healthcare? Finding answers to these questions increases our understanding of current IT initiatives and considers the implications of the organizing vision for further development and diffusion of healthcare IS.
E-Health for Older Adults
Authors: Mitzner Tracy L. , Dijkstra Katinka
Published: May 2011

Health care related technology, or E-health, has the potential to lessen the impact of the growing aging population on the health care system, at the same time supporting aging in place. However, for technologies to be developed that are adopted by older users, research is needed to capture a thorough picture of older adults’ unique health care needs. Specifically directed toward older users, this chapter will demonstrate the need for user centered design, discuss technology acceptance, and describe studies that employed systematic subjective methods such as focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires to provide a rich, detailed depiction of older users’ interactions with E-health.
Personalized Acoustic Interfaces for Human-Computer Interaction
Authors: Rennies Jan , Goetze Stefan , Appell Jens-E.
Published: May 2011

The importance of personalized and adaptable user-interfaces has been extensively discussed (European Ambient Assisted Living Innovation Alliance, 2009; Alexandersson et al., 2009). However, it often remains unclear how to specifically implement such concepts. In the field of acoustic communication, existing models and technologies offer a wide range of possibilities. Based on these technologies, this chapter presents a concrete realization of a model-based interface in the field of acoustic human-computer interaction. The core element of the implementation is a holistic approach towards a hearing perception model, which incorporates information of the acoustic environment, the context and the user himself provides relevant information for control and adjustment of adaptable and personalized acoustic user interfaces. In principle, this way of integrating state-of-the-art technologies and models into user interfaces could be applied to other sensory perceptions as e.g. vision.
Two Case Studies in Human Factors in Healthcare
Authors: Pak Richard , Fink Nicole , Price Margaux , Battisto Dina
Published: May 2011

The delivery and consumption of health care services and information is in rapid change due to the introduction of technology, socio-political considerations (in the United States), and the change in population demographics (i.e., the “baby boom generation”). This chapter discusses some of these trends and their implications for two specific stakeholders in the health care system: the nurse and the older patient. In two case studies the authors report on the application of human factors methods to better understand the role of the built-environment on nursing work and the role of technology acceptance issues in older adult usage of electronic personal health records. The authors hope to show that while the challenges are great, the application of human factors methods can help increase performance, safety, and satisfaction for both nurse and older patient.
Sensor Networks in Pervasive Healthcare Computing
Authors: Tafa Zhilbert
Published: May 2011

Advances in wireless sensor networking (WSN) have opened up new opportunities in distributed informatics. Pervasive healthcare, based on WSN, is an emerging technology area with great potential of future applicability. Small size devices capable of sensing, computing and communicating, enable pervasive platforms; while opening up the large number of technical, medical, social and ethical questions and challenges. Though mostly focused on technical issues, this chapter also addresses some non-technical aspects implied by the technology implementation in medicine. It presents the general philosophy of the pervasive computing and technical design space of wireless sensor networks, mostly highlighting: the energy conservation, communication aspects, security, and software implementation. The state of the art in ubiquitous healthcare, challenges, open questions, as well as the non-technical aspects of the systems implementation are also presented here. As such, this chapter intends to give an insight on most important WSN-based pervasive computing issues, the multidisciplinary application-driven design of these systems, and their position in healthcare pervasive computing.