bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designing Effective Pedagogical Systems for Teaching and Learning with Mobile and Ubiquitous Devices
Authors: Ng Wan , Nicholas Howard , Loke Seng , Torabi Torab
Published: May 2010

The aim of this chapter is to explore issues in effective system design to bring about pedagogically sound learning with mobile devices, including the emerging generation of new devices. The authors review pedagogical models and theories applicable to mobile learning (or m-learning) and ubiquitous learning (or u-learning, also sometimes called pervasive learning, or p-learning), consider the technological support available, and describe scenarios and case studies that exemplify the achievements and challenges for each paradigm. They will also consider possible abstractions that relate ways in which learners can work within varied pedagogical model(s) to make use of relevant supporting technologies, e.g., the notions of “personal learning workflows” and “group learning workflows.”
Text Messaging to Improve Instructor Immediacy and its Role in Multiplatform E-Learning Systems
Authors: Hayes Paul , Weibelzahl Stephan
Published: May 2010

Text messaging has been exploited for supporting learning in a variety of educational settings. However, evidence for its effectiveness and impact is limited. This chapter demonstrates how the use of text messaging can contribute towards enhanced quality of learning. In particular the chapter focuses on the use of text messaging as a means of improving immediacy between instructors and students in third-level education. Immediacy is defined as behaviour which increases psychological closeness between communicators. The results of research in instructional communication suggest that improved immediacy leads to more positive student-instructor relationships engendering positive attitudes, increased interest and motivation by students as well as improved attendance, improved retention, improved student engagement and improved learning. This chapter outlines a theoretical basis for the effect of text messaging on instructor-student relationships, provides empirical evidence for the impact of text messaging on immediacy and discusses the integration of text messaging for improving immediacy in Multiplatform E-Learning Systems.
The Role of Multi-Agent Social Networking Systems in Ubiquitous Education
Authors: Bishop Jonathan
Published: May 2010

Knowledge it could be argued is constructed from the information actors pick up from the environments they are in. Assessing this knowledge can be problematic in ubiquitous e-learning systems, but a method of supporting the critical marking of e-learning exercises is the Circle of Friends social networking technology. Understanding the networks of practice in which these e-learning systems are part of requires a deeper understanding of information science frameworks. The Ecological Cognition Framework (ECF) provides a thorough understanding of how actors respond to and influence their environment. Forerunners to ecological cognition, such as activity theory have suggested that the computer is just a tool that mediates between the actor and the physical environment. Utilising the ECF it can be seen that for an e-learning system to be an effective teacher it needs to be able to create five effects in the actors that use it, with those being the belonging effect, the demonstration effect, the inspiration effect, the mobilisation effect, and the confirmation effect. In designing the system a developer would have to consider who the system is going to teach, what it is going to teach, why it is teaching, which techniques it is going to use to teach and finally whether it has been successful. This chapter proposes a multi-agent e-learning system called the Portable Assistant for Intelligently Guided Education (PAIGE), which is based around a 3D anthropomorphic avatar for educating actors ubiquitously. An investigation into the market for PAIGE was carried out. The data showed that those that thought their peers were the best form of support were less likely to spend more of their free time on homework. The chapter suggests that future research could investigate the usage of systems like PAIGE in educational settings and the effect they have on learning outcomes.
A Method for Generating Multiplatform User Interfaces for E-Learning Environments
Authors: González Calleros Juan Manuel , Guerrero García Josefina , Muñoz Arteaga Jaime , Vanderdonckt Jean , Martínez Ruiz Francisco Javier
Published: May 2010

In this paper the authors present a structured method for automatically generating User Interfaces for e-learning environments. The method starts with a definition of the learning scenario where the different goals, jobs (professor-student/trainer-learner), and tasks are described and stored in a template. After, the description is mapped to FlowiXML, a learning process authoring tool, where graphically trainers or content designers draw the overall process. A learning process is viewed as a workflow and modeled using Petri net notation. From each step in the process model more details are added using user task models; user’s activity interacting with a user interface is stored in such diagrams. Then, a transformational method for developing user interfaces of interactive information systems is used that starts from a task model and a domain model to progressively derive a final user interface. This method consists of three steps: deriving one or many abstract user interfaces from the task model, deriving one or many concrete user interfaces from each abstract interface, and producing the code of the final user interfaces corresponding to each concrete interface. The models and the transformations of these models are all expressed in UsiXML (User Interface eXtensible Markup Language) and maintained in a model repository that can be accessed by the suite of tools. Developing user interfaces in this way facilitates its automated generation over multiple computing platforms while maintaining portability and consistency between the multiple versions. Our approach is illustrated on an open Learning environment using a case study.
Design and Implementation of Multiplatform Mobile-Learning Environment as an Extension of SCORM 2004 Specifications
Authors: Nakabayashi Kiyoshi
Published: May 2010

A learner-adaptive self-learning environment has been developed in which both mobile phones and personal computers can be used as client terminals. The learner-adaptive function has been implemented using SCORM 2004 specifications. The specifications were extended to enable offline learning using mobile phones. Because the application-programming environment of mobile phones varies from carrier to carrier, a common content format was specified for the learning content and content-execution mechanisms were developed for each carrier’s environment to maximize content-platform interoperability. The latest learning results achieved by using mobile phones were synchronized with the latest ones on the server-side sequencing engine so that the learner-adaptive function was available from personal computers as well. The system can provide adaptive courses such that the results of a pre-test taken on mobile phones can modify the lecture content on personal computers, fitting them to each learner’s level of knowledge and understanding. The functionality and usability of the system was evaluated through two trial experiments, the first of which involved adult learners and the second with small children and their parents.
SMART
Authors: Byrne Peter , Tangney Brendan
Published: May 2010

Animation shares many of the educational advantages of digital video production. However, both activities can be time consuming, are non-trivial to implement as whole class activities and there are aspects of the process that are not well scaffolded by currently available software tools. The design, implementation, and evaluation of a mobile learning application called the Stop-Motion Animation and Reviewing Tool (SMART) are described. The application enables users to create animations on a mobile phone and is part of a larger generic suite of open-system software we are developing to facilitate the development of cross platform applications in the area of digital narrative production.
A Multiplatform E-learning System for Collaborative Learning
Authors: Kong Siu Cheung
Published: May 2010

A multiplatform e-learning system called the “Graphical Partitioning Model (GPM)”, with the separate versions for desktop computers and mobile devices, was developed for learning knowledge of fraction equivalence. This chapter presents a case study on the use of the mobile version GPM for the learning of the targeted topic in a mobile technology supported environment. The interactions between a dyad of Primary 5 students and the GPM were analyzed in order to understand the feasibility of the design of the mobile version e-learning system. The results show that the interactions between the students and the GPM have the potential to enhance the learning effectiveness of the targeted topic. The mobile version GPM demonstrated a possibility to integrate with collaborative learning strategies such as reciprocal tutoring and peer discussion. The case study also reveals that there is a potential for the flexible use of the dual-version GPM to foster deep learning.
The "Trigger" Experience
Authors: Richardson Joan , Lenarcic John
Published: May 2010

This case study chapter will outline the results of a 2006 pilot test into the use of Short Message Service (SMS) to augment the provision of student administrative services currently available through a university website. The pilot conducted utilised an SMS Prototype Tool Trigger that enabled dynamic information transfer between staff and students. Trigger facilitated live update reminders that assisted students to schedule their time and better organise themselves. Specifically, SMS technology was used to deliver physical class locations, availability and web addresses of iPod resources, important events, alerts for multimedia, examination schedules, and, assessment feedback by ‘pushing’ information to students. Trigger also provided students with pull access to study schedules and requirements. The aim of the test was to evaluate student response to the use of Trigger to improve the learning environment. The case study will identify student responses to the 2006 pilot and describe a current project that has extended the number of students participating in the study.
Use of Mobile Technology at Montclair State University
Authors: Kahn Patricia , Chapel Edward
Published: May 2010

Educators strive to develop innovative teaching strategies to meet the expectations of digital natives that are accustomed to social networking environments. The Campus Connect project at Montclair State University, which began in the fall 2005 semester, provided an innovative mobile technology service, in order to meet these expectations. The program, which included a custom designed, high speed, rich media and GPS (location based services) capable cellular network as well as a rich array of cell phone based applications enabled students to customize their mobile phone for 24/7 access to the University’s teaching and learning, information, and administrative resources. This chapter will describe the growth and evolution of the Campus Connect program and the applications that were frequented by the student population on mobile technology through this innovative program. In addition, a description of how these applications enhanced the learning environment will be provided as well as the changes the program underwent in order to best suit the demands of the changing population of students. Quantitative and qualitative survey results are offered to describe the student’s reaction to using mobile technology in a learning environment as well as identify those applications that students utilized most often. Based on these results, recommendations for future iterations of the Campus Connect program will be provided, which can be used as a guide for administrators who may be contemplating comparable mobile technology programs at their institutions.
Development of a Museum Exhibition System Combining Interactional and Transmissional Learning
Authors: Hisamatsu Shinichi
Published: May 2010

“Hands-on” exhibitions, which not only present objects for viewing but also stimulate learning by allowing visitors actually able to touch them, is gaining increasing popularity at museums. By actually handling an exhibited object, the visitor can get a better understanding of the characteristics of the object that cannot be fully grasped by just looking it, such as the object’s underlying structure and hidden aspects, as well as tactile information like the object’s weight, hardness, and so on. The experience also arouses curiosity and interest and becomes a learning opportunity for the viewer. The author has developed an interactive exhibition system for museums, which combines learning based on the interaction with physical objects and knowledge transmission. In this system, the user handles and looks at an actual physical object, which appears just like the original object and talks directly to the user. This “conversation” with the object as the user “grasps” (in both senses) the object deepens the user’s understanding of and interest in the object. This “narrative” feedback to the user is achieved through the active linkage between, in the case presented here, a fossil in real space and three-dimensional computer graphics employing Augmented Reality (AR). The system uses RF-ID technology to determine the level of the user’s “grasping” state and to feed back information to the user. In this chapter, the author presents the actual implementation of this interactive system at a museum and a school. The system was tested with elementary and junior high school students and I present results of the trials that show the convenience of the system and its beneficial effect on learning.
Multimodal Genetic Algorithms for Craniofacial Superimposition
Authors: Ibáñez Óscar , Cordón Oscar , Damas Sergio , Santamaría José
Published: May 2010

Craniofacial superimposition is a forensic process that aims to identify a missing person by overlaying a photograph and a model of the skull. This process is usually carried out manually by forensic anthropologists, thus being very time consuming and presenting several difficulties when trying to find a good fit between the 3D model of the skull and the 2D photo of the face. This contribution aims to provide both a detailed description of the problem and the proposal of two different designs of a multimodal (clearing) genetic algorithm to tackle it. The new proposals will be tested on superimpositions for different real-world identification cases from the Physical Anthropology lab at the University of Granada in Spain, including positive and negative cases, taking the manual and the basic genetic algorithm solutions as baselines for their quality.
An Explorative Study of Dynamic Influences on ICT-Led Developmental Impact at Community Level
Authors: Ashraf Mahfuz , Hanisch Jo , Swatman Paul
Published: May 2010

While there is hope that ICT interventions will lead to socio-economic development in developing countries, there is a dearth of research concerning ICT-led impact studies aiming to identify either potential or actual development at the community (individual/family/group) level in rural areas. This chapter presents an exploratory and interpretive study that investigates the human development perspective at the centre of the research. The authors present data gathered from a village in rural Bangladesh where an ICT intervention; namely Gonokendra (multi-purpose community access centre), has been incepted. From a thematic analysis of the data, issues such as access to technology/information; skills building; income opportunity; health/legal awareness; and gender implications, have emerged. This chapter concludes that development at the community level is a dynamic process emerging from the complex social interaction of actors’ (for eg individual, family/group and society) interests. The authors uncover that the interactions are further influenced by other dominant forces, including social constraints over individuals or family interests and decision making.
Tracking the Digital Divide
Authors: Holzer Marc , Manoharan Aroon
Published: May 2010

The chapter is based on a study of global municipal Web portals conducted through a collaboration between the E-Governance Institute at Rutgers-Newark, USA, and the Global e-Policy e-Government Institute at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. The joint study ranked municipalities worldwide based on their scores in five e-governance categories of security and privacy, usability, content, services and citizen participation. Crucial trends in the development of the municipal Web portal indicate a growing digital divide between cities belonging to the OECD and non-OECD nations. This chapter attempts to understand the correlates of this divide, by exploring the association of this digital divide to other divides - social, political, economic and literacy divides among nations, particularly those between OECD and non-OECD nations.
Making ICT more Meaningful for Governance in the Rural Areas
Authors: Malhotra Charru , Chariar V.M. , Das L.K.
Published: May 2010

The speed and outreach enabled by information and communication technologies (ICT) have improved mechanisms of delivery of information, services and products to the public. ICT as an enabler of governance, christened as e-governance, is seen as means of attaining good governance. The millennium development goals (MDG) of targeting the poor, listening to the poor and learning from the poor seem to be more within the reach through the use of ICT. However the sustainability of majority of rural ICT interventions has not been very encouraging. The study of literature attributes this negligible success rate to several factors including neglect of traditional indigenous knowledge in the projects designed for rural masses. Authors of this study propose that by defining a proper framework and by use of proper methodologies, community knowledge systems (CKS) of a rural region, when incorporated in an e-governance initiative can assist various actors and processes of governance to attain good governance. Projects based on the proposed CKS based G2C2G framework are expected to be more sustainable and effective for ushering development in the rural areas. However, implementation of such projects would however require synergistic efforts between the government functionaries, aid agencies, non-profit organizations and the rural citizens. The prime hypothesis is that the assimilation, improvisation and dissemination of the traditional community knowledge systems (CKS) using ICT initiatives for rural governance, would help to liberate local ingenuity to catalyse sustainable rural development.
Impact of E-Government Implementation on Poverty Reduction in Rural India
Authors: Kaur Sandeep , Mathiyalagan N.
Published: May 2010

ICTs in general and e-governance in particular offer tremendous opportunities for improving demand-driven transparent and accountable service delivery targeting the underprivileged. The objective of this chapter is to examine the effects of E-government implementation in the context of widespread poverty in India through an extensive secondary data analysis on selected pro-poor initiatives in reducing poverty and improving rural livelihoods. Analysis also includes various contexts in which these ICT based interventions operate. Specific recommendations are made to involve the socially excluded groups in the design, implementation and access to e-government services. Governments to design appropriate public policies in implementing socially inclusive e-government strategies in the emerging information society draw the conclusion.
Technology Acceptance of Free Wireless Internet Park Initiatives
Authors: Al-Shafi Shafi , Weerakkody Vishanth
Published: May 2010

This chapter examines the adoption of free wireless internet parks (iPark) by Qatari citizens as means of accessing electronic services from public parks. The Qatari government has launched free wireless internet parks concept under their national electronic government (e-government) initiative with a view of providing free internet access for all citizens while enjoying the outdoors. By offering free wireless internet access, the Qatari government hopes to increase accessibility of e-government services and encourage their citizens to actively participate in the global information society with a view of bridging the digital divide. The adoption and diffusion of iPark services will depend on user acceptance and availability of wireless technology. This chapter examines an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) that proposes individual differences and technology complexity to determine perceived usefulness and perceived ease of the iPark initiative by using a survey based study. The chapter provides a discussion on the key findings, research implications, limitations, and future directions for the iPark initiative in Qatar.
A Bibliometric Analysis of Electronic Government Research
Authors: Dwivedi Yogesh K.
Published: May 2010

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide readers an exhaustive list of references focused upon electronic government related issues.The chapter also presents information on a series of variables which were extracted after conducting a bibliometric analysis of 1,037 articles on various aspects of electronic government research, published in 19 peer reviewed journals between 1986 and 2008. Results of this research may have implications for authors/researchers, journal and book editors, reviewers and universities.
E-Halli
Authors: Tribhuvananda H.V. Swamy , K. Gopakumar
Published: May 2010

ICTs are increasingly being recognized by the people across the globe as essential tools of development – tools that can empower them, enhance skills and increase productivity. Today, the realities have changed. The world is not what it was during their times. Technology, science and other aspects of affluence have widened the gulf between rich and poor. On the other hand, they have also brought the world closer, in terms of connectivity. This has resulted in stupendous growth in terms of information exchange, business, education, agriculture, infotainment, inventions and better contact between places and people. The concept that the authors are about to present represents this very dream of bringing villages, towns, and cities closer, in more ways than tying them by technology. This chapter mainly reviews the conceptual frame work of e-halli. The second section deals with the e-halli as a business perspective.
E-Government Implementation in Oman
Authors: Al-Busaidy Moaman , Weerakkody Vishanth
Published: May 2010

With the advancement of the Internet and supporting information and communication technologies, e-government has emerged as an effective means of delivering government services to citizens. In the recent past, e-government has become popular in many developing countries. Most notably are the Middle Eastern countries that have continued to invest significantly into e-government initiatives in the last five years. The aim of this chapter is to examine e-government activities in the Sultanate of Oman and to identify factors that are currently impeding e-government development and implementation in this country. While issues such as lack of legal frameworks, strategy, project plans, usability issues and information quality are identified in the published literature as impeding e-government progress in Oman, this research suggests that factors such as web accessibility and integration of various government agencies also pose a major challenge for e-government implementation in Oman.
Model-Driven Design and ASM-Based Validation of Embedded Systems
Authors: Gargantini Angelo , Riccobene Elvinia , Scandurra Patrizia
Published: May 2010

In the embedded system and System-on-Chip (SoC) design area, the increasing technological complexity coupled with requests for more performance and shorter time to market have caused a high interest for new methods, languages and tools capable of operating at higher levels of abstraction than the conventional system level. This chapter presents a model-driven and tool-assisted development process of SoCs, which is based on high-level UML design of system components, guarantees SystemC code generation from graphical models, and allows validation of system behaviors on formal models automatically derived from UML models. An environment for system design and analysis is also presented, which is based on a UML profile for SystemC and the Abstract State Machine formal method.
Abstract and Concrete Data Type Optimizations at the UML and C/C++ Level for Dynamic Embedded Software
Authors: Baloukas Christos , Temmerman Marijn , Keller Anne , Mamagkakis Stylianos , Catthoor Francky , Soudris Dimitrios , Demeyer Serge
Published: May 2010

An embedded system is a special-purpose system that performs predefined tasks, usually with very specific requirements. Since the system is dedicated to a specific task, design engineers can optimize it by exploiting very specialized knowledge, deriving an optimally customized system. Low energy consumption and high performance are both valid optimization targets to increase the value and mobility of the final system. Traditionally, conceptual embedded software models are built irrespectively of the underlying hardware platform, whereas embedded-system specialists typically start their optimization crusade from the executable code. This practice results in suboptimal implementations on the embedded platform because at the source-code level not all the inefficiencies introduced at the modelling level can be removed. In this book chapter, we describe both novel UML transformations at the modelling level and C/C++ transformations at the software implementation level. The transformations at both design abstraction levels target the data types of dynamic embedded software applications and provide optimizations guided by the relevant cost factors. Using a real life case study, we show how our transformations result in significant improvement in memory footprint, performance and energy consumption with respect to the initial implementation. Moreover, thanks to our holistic approach, we are able to identify new and non-trivial solutions that could hardly be found with the traditional design methods.
Using Timed Automata for Modeling the Clocks of Distributed Embedded Systems
Authors: Rodriguez-Navas Guillermo , Proenza Julian , Hansson Hans , Pettersson Paul
Published: May 2010

Model checking is a widely used technique for the formal verification of computer systems. However, the suitability of model checking strongly depends on the capacity of the system designer to specify a model that captures the real behaviour of the system under verification. For the case of real-time systems, this means being able to realistically specify not only the functional aspects, but also the temporal behaviour of the system. This chapter is dedicated to modeling clocks in distributed embedded systems using the timed automata formalism. The different types of computer clocks that may be used in a distributed embedded system and their effects on the temporal behaviour of the system are introduced, together with a systematic presentation of how the behaviour of each kind of clock can be modeled. The modeling is particularized for the UPPAAL model checker, although it can be easily adapted to other model checkers based on the theory of timed automata.
Model Checking of Multitasking Real-Time Applications Based on the Timed Automata Model Using One Clock
Authors: Wasziwoski Libor , Hanzalek Zdenek
Published: May 2010

The aim of this chapter is to show how a multitasking real-time application running under a real-time operating system can be modeled by timed automata. The application under consideration consists of several preemptive tasks and interrupts service routines that can be synchronized by events and can share resources. A real-time operating system compliant with an OSEK/VDX standard is considered for demonstration. A model checking tool UPPAAL is used to verify time and logical properties of the proposed model. Since the complexity of the model-checking verification exponentially grows with the number of clocks used in a model, the proposed model uses only one clock for measuring execution time of all modeled tasks.
Engineering Embedded Software
Authors: Ferreira Ronaldo , Brisolara Lisane , Mattos Julio C.B. , Spech Emilena , Cota Erika
Published: May 2010

Since 1965, with Moore’s law statement, industry is continually aggregating complex services into their products, enhancing people’s life quality with decreasing prices. Despite the advances towards hardware integration, current electronic products are relying even more on software to offer distinguished functionalities to users. Hence, the embedded system industry is facing a paradigm shift from its old fashioned hardware driven development to a strong software based one, exposing to the embedded systems domain unforeseen software design challenges. Indeed, this domain must devise its own and very specialized software engineering techniques, in order to achieve sustainable market growth with quality in the scheduled time. Embedded software is distinct from the standard one, fundamentally in the sense that its development is driven by physical properties such as memory footprint and energy consumption. Furthermore, embedded systems are developed within a very tight time-to-market window, pushing design and development practices to their limit. In this chapter, we discuss the use of software specifications at higher abstraction levels and the need to provide tools for software automation, because reliability and safety are important criteria present in several embedded applications, as well as time-to-market. This chapter discusses the design flow for embedded software, from its modeling to its deployment in the embedded platform.
Reconfiguration of Industrial Embedded Control Systems
Authors: Khalgui Mohamed , Hanisch Hans-Michael
Published: May 2010

This research work deals with the development of safety reconfigurable embedded control systems following the international industrial component-based standard IEC61499. According to this standard, a function block (FB) is a functional unit of software and a control application a FB network that has to meet functional and temporal properties described in user requirements. We define in the book chapter a new semantic of the reconfiguration where a crucial criterion to consider is the automatic improvement of the system performance at run-time. If a reconfiguration scenario is applied at run-time, then the FB network implementing the system is totally changed or modified. To handle all possible reconfiguration forms, we propose thereafter an agent-based architecture that applies automatic reconfigurations to adapt the system according to well defined conditions and we model this agent with nested state machines according to the formalism of net condition/event systems which is an extension of the Petri net formalism. In order to satisfy user requirements, we specify the functional and temporal properties with the temporal logic CTL (as well as its extensions ECTL and TCTL) and we apply the model checker SESA to check the whole system behavior. To assign this reconfigurable system into the execution environment, we define thereafter an approach based on the exploration of reachability graphs to construct feasible OS tasks that encode the FB network corresponding to each reconfiguration scenario. Therefore, the system is implemented with sets of OS tasks where each set is to load in memory when the corresponding scenario is applied by the Agent. We developed the tool X-Reconfig to support these contributions that we apply on the FESTO and EnAS benchmark production systems available in our research laboratory.
Model-Based Testing of Embedded Systems Exemplified for the Automotive Domain
Authors: Zander Justyna , Schieferdecker Ina
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the test methods applied for embedded systems addressing selected problems in the automotive domain. Model-based test approaches are reviewed and categorized. Weak points are identified and a novel test method is proposed. It is called model-in-the-loop for embedded system test (MiLEST) and is realized in MATLAB®/Simulink®/Stateflow® environment. Its main contribution refers to functional black-box testing based on the system and test models. It is contrasted with the test methods currently applied in the industry that form dedicated solutions, usually specialized in a concrete testing context. The developed signal-feature-oriented paradigm developed herewith allows the abstract description of signals and their properties. It addresses the problem of missing reference signal flows and allows for a systematic and automatic test data selection. Processing of both discrete and continuous signals is possible, so that the hybrid behavior of embedded systems can be handled.
Definitions and Basic Conceptual Notions
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

Given the multi- and inter-disciplinary nature of computer-mediated communication in an era that is often referred to as the Information Age or even the Knowledge Society, it is necessary to carefully delineate the key terms and concepts of this complex area of study in this first chapter. In this age and society we constantly witness a massive explosion of new types and styles of communications gadgets such as computers of all types (including desktops and laptops), PDAs, mobile phones, Blackberries, etc; and media like the internet, emails, ICQ, chat, text messaging and others. We can expect that new ones will be invented. All these types and styles of communication gadgets lead to new terms and concepts that can potentially have differing interpretations from context to context.
TeLCU
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

In line with our theme of investigating the relationship between new communications technology and the way we process (i.e. speak, read, and write) natural language, in chapter 2 I outlined different views about language forms and language use in the context of new technologies, and in chapter 3, I looked at new ways of reading and accessing reading materials with the advent of new computer-mediated communication platforms that promote the production of e-materials. We found in chapter 2 that there were two main views about the relationship between CMC technology and language. One was that CMC technologies cannot actually change language and that whatever transformations we observe are part of a larger social transformation; indeed that technology itself is part of social transformation. The second view was that technology actually has a causal effect on language structures and use, leading to the idea that new forms of language and new ways of using and processing language arise from the introduction of new communications technologies.
New Forms of Reading and Writing
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

“This is the story of Rita, who carries a vital piece of information on which depends the future of India. It is written by RoGue, but controlled by you. The author keeps landing her in trouble and only you can save her. After each chapter, predict what RoGue’s going to do next and upset his plans. Suggest an alternate course for the story, via comments, and fight the author. Download Chapters I-XV and start playing.” The above quotation is an online introduction to a novel titled Cloakroom at the following website: http://cloakroom.blogspot.com/2004/11/cloakroom-chapter-11. html (retrieved, July 7, 2008). Cloakroom is widely regarded as India’s first cell phone novel or mobile phone novel, a kind of writing that seems to have been largely ignored by the established literary world but that has been gaining widespread popularity among the youth, especially young users of the internet in places like Japan, China, and India.
New Languages, New Literacies and the School Curriculum
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

We have in previous chapters undertaken a quite detailed analysis of the features of language and literacy practices within the medium of communication technologies, including email, ICQ, MSN, mobile phone speech, and mobile phone texting. This has given us the opportunity to examine carefully new or peculiar linguistic structures, and new ways of communicating and expressing oneself within these new technological environments.
Evaluating Learning Technologies
Authors: Bodomo Adams B.
Published: May 2010

In this penultimate chapter of the book, I will continue with my discussion of how we can take advantage these youth interests and practices with ICTs for enhancing learning and teaching by actually evolving ways to evaluate these communication and learning environments. As with most chapters in the book, I focus on a case study as a way to give an in-depth study to the subject matter. In this case, interactivity is the subject matter. Interactivity was discussed at length in the previous chapter, leading the creation of a new learning theory, the Conversational Learning Theory, and a new leaning model, the Conversational Learning Community. Rather than explaining the concept and the learning theory and model again in this chapter, I refer the reader back to the previous chapter. Once the basic tenets of these concepts are grasped the reader can now begin to read the discussion about how to increase interactivity in learning environments.
Fluorine-Tagged 5-Hydroxytryptophan to Investigate Amino Acid Metabolism In Vivo
Authors: Gagnon Zofia E. , Dingman Sherry , Thomas Rhys N.
Published: May 2010

Auxin a plant growth hormone, has a metabolic pathway that includes molecules and enzymes like those in animal brains. In this study, tomato plant seedlings (Lycopersicon esculenta) were used to investigate the fate of fluorine-tagged 5-hydroxytryptophan (PF-5-HTP) being developed for fluorine spectroscopy and imaging. Seedlings were treated with high or low concentrations of 5-HTP or PF-5-HTP and compared with controls. Metabolites of the PF-5-HTP were quantified using a custom immunoassay for the tag. Serotonin (5-HT) levels were measured with spectrofluorometry and thin-layer chromatography. Plants in treatment conditions had serotonin levels five to six times higher than controls. PF-5-HTP served as a precursor for serotonin in a biosynthetic pathway in this plant model, providing evidence for the bioavailability of the novel molecule. The increase in serotonin in plants grown in media culture supplemented with 5-HTP or PF-5-HTP might have useful applications in pharmacology.
Approximation by Dilated Averages and K-Functionals
Authors: Ditzian Z. , Prymak A.
Published: May 2010

For a positive finite measure dμ(u ) on ℝd normalized to satisfy , the dilated average of f (x ) is given by

It will be shown that under some mild assumptions on dμ(u ) one has the equivalence

where means , B is a Banach space of functions for which translations are continuous isometries and P(D) is an elliptic differential operator induced by μ. Many applications are given, notable among which is the averaging operator with where S is a bounded convex set in ℝd with an interior point, m(S) is the Lebesgue measure of S, and 𝒳S(u ) is the characteristic function of S. The rate of approximation by averages on the boundary of a convex set under more restrictive conditions is also shown to be equivalent to an appropriate K-functional.
Quality and Certification of Electronic Health Records
Authors: Ammenwerth E. , Hoerbst A.
Published: May 2010

Background: Numerous projects, initiatives, and programs are dedicated to the development of Electronic Health Records (EHR) worldwide. Increasingly more of these plans have recently been brought from a scientific environment to real life applications. In this context, quality is a crucial factor with regard to the acceptance and utility of Electronic Health Records. However, the dissemination of the existing quality approaches is often rather limited.

Objectives: The present paper aims at the description and comparison of the current major quality certification approaches to EHRs.

Methods: A literature analysis was carried out in order to identify the relevant publications with regard to EHR quality certification. PubMed, ACM Digital Library, IEEExplore, CiteSeer, and Google (Scholar) were used to collect relevant sources. The documents that were obtained were analyzed using techniques of qualitative content analysis.

Results: The analysis discusses and compares the quality approaches of CCHIT, EuroRec, IHE, openEHR, and EN13606. These approaches differ with regard to their focus, support of service-oriented EHRs, process of (re-)certification and testing, number of systems certified and tested, supporting organizations, and regional relevance.

Discussion: The analyzed approaches show differences with regard to their structure and processes. System vendors can exploit these approaches in order to improve and certify their information systems. Health care organizations can use these approaches to support selection processes or to assess the quality of their own information systems.

Citation: Hoerbst A, Ammenwerth E. Quality and certification of electronic health records – An overview of current approaches from the US and Europe. Appl Clin Inf 2010; 1: 149–164 http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2010-02-R-0009
Measurement and modelling of tropospheric reactive halogen species over the tropical Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Mahajan A. S. , Plane J. M. C. , Oetjen H. , Mendes L. , Saunders R. W. , Saiz-Lopez A. , Jones C. E. , Carpenter L. J. , McFiggans G. B.
Published: May 2010

Abstract. Although tropospheric reactive halogen chemistry is well studied in coastal and polar environments, the presence of halogens over the open ocean environment has not been widely reported. The impacts of halogens on the tropical open ocean marine boundary layer (MBL), in particular, are not well characterised. This paper describes observations of iodine monoxide (IO) and bromine oxide (BrO) over eight months in the tropical open ocean MBL, on the north-eastern side of São Vicente (Cape Verde Islands, 16.85° N, 24.87° W). The highest BrO mixing ratio observed was 5.6±1 pmol mol−1, while the maximum observed IO mixing ratio was 3.1±0.4 pmol mol−1. The average values seen between 09:00–17:00 GMT were ~2.8 pmol mol−1 for BrO and ~1.5 pmol mol−1 for IO; these averages showed little variability over the entire campaign from November 2006 to June 2007. A 1-dimensional chemistry and transport model is used to study the evolution of iodine species and quantify the combined impact of iodine and bromine chemistry on the oxidising capacity of the MBL. It appears that the measured fluxes of iodocarbons are insufficient to account for the observed levels of IO, and that an additional I atom source is required, possibly caused by the deposition of O3 onto the ocean surface in the presence of solar radiation. Modelling results also show that the O3 depletion observed at Cape Verde cannot be explained in the absence of halogen chemistry, which contributes ~45% of the observed O3 depletion at the height of measurements (10 m) during summer. The model also predicts that halogens decrease the hydroperoxy radical (HO2) concentration by ~14% and increase the hydroxyl radical (OH) concentration by ~13% near the ocean surface. The oxidation of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) by BrO takes place at a comparable rate to oxidation by OH in this environment. Finally, the potential of iodine chemistry to form new particles is explored and conditions under which particle formation could be important in the remote MBL are discussed.
Evaluation of the carbon content of aerosols from the burning of biomass in the Brazilian Amazon using thermal, optical and thermal-optical analysis methods
Authors: Soto-García L. L. , Andreae M. O. , Andreae T. W. , Artaxo P. , Maenhaut W. , Kirchstetter T. , Novakov T. , Chow J. C. , Mayol-Bracero O. L.
Published: May 2010

Abstract. Aerosol samples were collected at a pasture site in the Amazon Basin as part of the project LBA-SMOCC-2002 (Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia – Smoke Aerosols, Clouds, Rainfall and Climate: Aerosols from Biomass Burning Perturb Global and Regional Climate). Sampling was conducted during the late dry season, when the aerosol composition was dominated by biomass burning emissions, especially in the submicron fraction. A 13-stage Dekati low-pressure impactor (DLPI) was used to collect particles with nominal aerodynamic diameters ranging from 0.03 to 0.10 μm. Gravimetric analyses of the DLPI substrates and filters were performed to obtain aerosol mass concentrations. The concentrations of total, apparent elemental, and organic carbon (TC, ECa, and OC) were determined using thermal and thermal-optical analysis (TOA) methods. A light transmission method (LTM) was used to determine the concentration of equivalent black carbon (BCe) or the absorbing fraction at 880 nm for the size-resolved samples. During the dry period, due to the pervasive presence of fires in the region upwind of the sampling site, concentrations of fine aerosols (Dp < 2.5 μm: average 59.8 μg m−3) were higher than coarse aerosols (Dp > 2.5 μm: 4.1 μg m−3). Carbonaceous matter, estimated as the sum of the particulate organic matter (i.e., OC×1.8) plus BCe, comprised more than 90% to the total aerosol mass. Concentrations of ECa (estimated by thermal analysis with a correction for charring) and BCe (estimated by LTM) averaged 5.2±1.3 and 3.1±0.8 μg m−3, respectively. The determination of EC was improved by extracting water soluble organic material from the samples, which reduced the average light absorption Ångström exponent of particles in the size range of 0.1 to 1.0 μm from being greater than 2.0 to approximately 1.2. The size-resolved BCe measured by the LTM showed a clear maximum between 0.4 to 0.6 μm in diameter. The concentrations of OC and BCe varied diurnally during the dry period, and this variation is related to diurnal changes in boundary layer thickness and in fire frequency.