bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Nigerian e-Government Strategies (NeGST)
Authors: Ayo Charles K. , Fatudimu I.T.
Published: September 2010

Nigeria has made frantic efforts towards achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) as spelt out in the United Nations’ Agenda for the world. A critical assessment of the e-Government strategies in Nigeria is important being responsible for 20% of the population of the entire African continent. This paper presents a review of the e-Government strategies in Nigeria; the human capital development initiatives; the information and communications technology (ICT) diffusion and e-Inclusion. The global and continental ranking of the country is presented as well as recommendations to accelerate developments towards achieving the MDGs. Findings revealed that there are ongoing efforts in Nigeria to address the issue of poverty. The various initiatives of government include: the National/State Economic Empowerment Strategies (NEEDS/SEEDS), the Vision 2020, the National e-Government Strategy (NeGST) and a well-formulated National IT policy to mention a few. The little hindrance encountered in the research is that the available data was only up to the year 2005 and 2006 in some cases. However, based on the human capital development indices such as: economic empowerment and poverty reduction, education, health, employment generation, etc, it was observed that the adult literacy level of 64.2% is satisfactory and better results are expected before 2015. The life expectancy level is constant (54 years) from 2002 to 2007, which is the one of the lowest in Africa. On school enrolment, the major problem is access and poverty. It was observed that only 25% of primary school leavers made it to the secondary school level, while about 14% of the students at this level made it to the tertiary level. Similarly, the average percentage of female enrolment in schools is 45%. The health facilities are under-funded and are grossly inadequate both in quality and quantity. There is an average of 1,700 persons per hospital bed and the ratio of physicians to the populace is about 1:6000. This calls for a state of emergency in this sector. One major sector of the economy that is experiencing a boost is the ICT and Telecoms. The sector had brought about a teledensity growth of 0.73 to 37.05 from 2001 to 2007. Consequently, Nigeria has been named the fastest growing Telecoms nation in Africa and the third in the world, with a number of direct and indirect jobs created. Similarly, the rate of Internet diffusion is encouraging bearing in mind that the level was almost nonexistent in 1999. It is obvious that Nigeria would be able to bridge the divide by 2015. Generally, there are some meaningful developments in the country arising from the various poverty eradication schemes but the resultant effect has not imparted positively on unemployment. This is the opinion of the populace and hence the need for government to restrategize, otherwise, fulfilling MDGs by 2015 may not be realistic.
Factors Affecting the Citizens’ Trust in E-Government
Authors: Alsaghier Hisham M. , Ford Marilyn , Nguyen Anne , Hexel Rene
Published: September 2010

In e-government context, trust plays a vital role in helping citizens overcome perceived risks. Trust makes citizens comfortable sharing personal information, make online government transaction, and acting on e-Government advices. Thus, trust is a significant notion that should be critically investigated to help both researchers and practitioners to understand citizens’ acceptance to e-Government. Prior research in trust has focused mainly on consumer’s trust in e-Commerce. Most of existing literatures on trust in e-government focus on technical perspective such as PKI. This paper contributes by proposing a conceptual model of citizens’ trust in e-Government. The proposed conceptual model of citizens’ trust in e-government is integrated constructs from multiple disciplines: psychology, sociology, e-commerce, and HCI. The research is aimed also to develop items in order to measure the theoretical constructs in the proposed model. The pool of items is generated based on literature review. Q-Methodology has been utilised to validate the generated measurement items. The outcome of two Q-sorting rounds resulted in developing a survey instrument for proposed model with an excellent validity and reliability statistical results.
An SMS-Based e-Government Model
Authors: Susanto Tony Dwi , Goodwin Robert
Published: September 2010

Delivering public services through SMS (SMS-based e-government) is becoming popular in developed and developing countries as a strategy to engage more citizens in using e-government services. Current advances in SMS-based e-government applications by local authorities in developed and developing countries are investigated to determine what extent SMS-based e-government could deliver existing Internet-based e-government services and whether these services can fulfil the actual needs of e-government services users. The currently available SMS-based e-government services are presented as a model with six levels: Listen, Notification, Pull-based Information, Communication, Transaction, and Integration levels. The model classifies the SMS-based e-government services into levels based on the direction of communication, the complexity of the services and the benefits received by citizens; the higher the level the more complex the services and the more benefits received by citizens. The SMS-based e-government model is compared to Internet-based e-government models and typical e-government use to show SMS-based e-government can deliver almost all of the service offerings of Internet-based e-government and meet the requirements of e-government users except for downloading forms. The outcome justifies the development of SMS-based e-government services.
E-Services and the Digital Divide
Authors: Gordon Neil Andrew
Published: September 2010

This chapter considers aspects relating to the role of tertiary (i.e. higher) education in improving the engagement of the public with government provided E-services. Some of the issues considered include those of tackling the digital divide – which can exist because of technical issues in provision of the actual infrastructure, financial issues limiting access to available provision and educational barriers – as well as how to develop trust in online technologies. The challenges of the networked society include a number that can be best addressed through education. These include: 1) Engagement with new technologies and new paradigms; 2) Trust in a virtual environment; 3) Understanding of processes and engagement with online services;4) Mapping of existing personal paradigms to the virtual world. Education itself faces challenges in the networked world. Tertiary education in particular is potentially vulnerable to the changes that the modern networked world brings; however, it can also gain through some of the new opportunities. Of particular note is the potential to unlock students’ research skills and enable true inquiry by students within their studies – skills which should prepare them as active participants in the knowledge rich and information easy society within which they will be developing.
Building Security Awareness Culture to Serve E-Government Initiative
Authors: Maqousi Ali , Balikhina Tatiana
Published: September 2010

Recently, many countries have adopted E-Government initiatives for providing public E-Services to their citizens. These initiatives, together with the existing and emerging private initiatives which offer E-Services, lead to a dramatic increase in the number of Internet users. This will form what is now known as E-Society. All E-Government initiatives consider citizen-centered approach, where user‘s security and privacy is a major issue. The level of citizen‘s engagement in these initiatives will depend on the extent of his/her confidence in the security system used by these initiatives. This imposes the need for developing computer security packages. These packages are intended to help users protect their assets such as information, databases, programs, and computer services from any harm or damage. The level of harm or damage that could happen to assets varies from one user to another. This variation depends on: users’ awareness of possible threats, their knowledge of the source of threats, and if they are applying security controls or not. This paper aims to analyze current users’ level of awareness and to propose possible methods in order to increase the level of users’ awareness i.e. education, continues education, and training. This chapter is organized as follows: the first section presents an introduction, where the importance of security awareness to E-Government initiatives is highlighted and also it presents a research idea, the second section introduces the experimental design for a more comprehensive research that we are looking to carry on in later stages and specifies the objective of this stage, the third section presents results and discussions where we provide our own proposal of methods to increase the level of users awareness; finally, a conclusion is presented.
E-Business
Authors: Dabbagh Raid Al
Published: September 2010

This chapter outlines the important of e-business in today‘s world and how one thinks it affects decision making. In today‘s world e-business is extremely important for many reasons, some of which are due to the fact that it can speed up the whole process of ordering. This means that the lead time can be decreased because the ordering of products can be done much more quickly because the Internet is a fast running wide area network. This chapter shows how better procurement and supply chains make sales teams more effective. The ability to outsource functions such as, accounting, remote access to systems, linking management teams in different locations, being able to locate the lowest cost supplier improve customer services, improved collection of customer information for databases and more effective management of remote manufacturing sites.
Building Open Learning Environment for Software Engineering Students
Authors: Khoroshilov Alexey , Kuliamin Victor , Petrenko Alexander , Petrenko Olga , Rubanov Vladimir
Published: September 2010

The chapter discusses principles of open education and possibilities of implementing these principles for software engineering education on the base of open source software development projects. A framework of practical courses for software engineering students built on these ideas is presented. Experience of building courses on the base of this framework is discussed on the example of “Software Engineering” course provided to students of the System Programming departments of the two Russian top-ranked universities, Moscow State University and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Benefits of CSCL for Learners with Disabilities
Authors: Tennyson Robert D. , Jorczak Robert L.
Published: September 2010

Perhaps contrary to expectations, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), particularly asynchronous text discussion, has characteristics that may be beneficial to learners with disabilities. CSCL seeks to bring the benefits of classroom-based collaborative and cooperative learning to the online environment. Collaborative and cooperative learning, and particularly its online form, CSCL, is a learning methodology with characteristics that may mask or compensate for specific disabilities. For example, in addition to the generally improved access offered by online learning, the slowed pace and anonymity of asynchronous text discussion has shown to improve social interaction for learners with communication and learning disabilities. This chapter suggests how learners with specific disabilities may benefit from CSCL discussion in postsecondary courses.
Learning Applications for Disabled People
Authors: Drigas Athanasios , Kouremenos Dimitris , Vrettaros John
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents e-learning practices and applications, which target people with visual and hearing disabilities. The first part discusses an e-learning application, which targets visually impaired people while the second part presents an e-learning application for the teaching of the English language to deaf and hearing impaired people. The final part presents a study about the relationship of the deaf and hearing impaired with new technologies in Greece. The chapter stresses the importance of the thorough exploitation of ICTs together with e-learning technologies towards the effective improvement of educative methods for this target group. The objectives of this chapter are to support the distance and lifelong education and training of the target group, to guarantee their equal access to information, knowledge, education and employment and finally, to minimize the digital divide through the use of assistive technologies and contemporary, easily navigable and user-friendly e-learning environments.
Supports for and Barriers to Implementing Assistive Technology in Schools
Authors: Croasdaile Susanne , Jones Sharon , Ligon Kelly , Oggel Linda , Pruett Mona
Published: September 2010

This study examines practitioners’ perceptions of the factors impacting the implementation of assistive technology (AT) for students with disabilities in five public school divisions. Participants were five members of division-wide AT facilitation teams. Interview data indicated barriers including lack of stakeholder buy-in with a focus on administrative support. Important supports included the development and maintenance of relationships with instructional staff and technology coordinators. The ongoing need to build stakeholder awareness of and skill in implementing assistive technology was a common theme. Participants perceived that, if empowered to do so, an AT facilitation team can overcome existing barriers to implementation.
Toward What End?
Authors: Harter Nathan
Published: September 2010

Ethics as a distinct line of inquiry dates back to antiquity. Historically, the professions in particular have taken ethics seriously, since by means of ethical behavior a profession earns trust from the community it serves. The emerging profession of information assurance and security can engage in ethical deliberation using a variety of existing theories. The following chapter begins by answering whether there is really any point engaging in ethical theory. We argue there is such a purpose. Following this section, the chapter outlines three classic theories of Western ethics, namely utilitarian ethics, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics. We offer three of the most enduring theories for use in this book. Before we reach them, however, we must first explain why professionals in information assurance and security might want to learn them.
Balancing Policies, Principles, and Philosophy in Information Assurance
Authors: Hawks Val D. , Ekstrom Joseph J.
Published: September 2010

Laws, codes, and rules are essential for any community and society, public or private, to operate in an orderly and productive manner. Without laws and codes, anarchy and chaos abound and the purpose and role of the organization is lost. However, there is a potential for serious long-term problems when individuals or organizations become so focused on rules, laws, and policies that basic principles are ignored. We discuss the purpose of laws, rules, and codes, how these can be helpful to, but not substitute for, an understanding of basic principles of ethics and integrity. We also examine how such an understanding can increase in the level of ethical and moral behavior without imposing increasingly detailed rules.
Social/Ethical Issues in Predictive Insider Threat Monitoring
Authors: Greitzer Frank L. , Frincke Deborah , Zabriskie Mariah
Published: September 2010

Combining traditionally monitored cybersecurity data with other kinds of organizational data is one option for inferring the motivations of individuals, which may in turn allow early prediction and mitigation of insider threats. While unproven, some researchers believe that this combination of data may yield better results than either cybersecurity or organizational data would in isolation. However, this nontraditional approach yields inevitable conflicts between security interests of the organization and privacy interests of individuals. There are many facets to debate. Should warning signs of a potential malicious insider be addressed before a malicious event has occurred to prevent harm to the organization and discourage the insider from violating the organization’s rules? Would intervention violate employee trust or legal guidelines? What about the possibilities of misuse? Predictive approaches cannot be validated a priori; false accusations may harm the career of the accused; and collection/monitoring of certain types of data may adversely affect employee morale. In this chapter, we explore some of the social and ethical issues stemming from predictive insider threat monitoring and discuss ways that a predictive modeling approach brings to the forefront social and ethical issues that should be considered and resolved by stakeholders and communities of interest.
Ethics, Privacy, and the Future of Genetic Information in Healthcare Information Assurance and Security
Authors: Springer John A. , Beever Jonathan , Morar Nicolae , Sprague Jon E. , Kane Michael D.
Published: September 2010

The risks associated with the misuse and abuse of genetic information are high, as the exploitation of an individual’s genetic information represents the ultimate example of identity theft. Hence, as the frontline of defense, information assurance and security (IAS) practitioners must be intimately familiar with the multidimensional aspects surrounding the use of genetic information in healthcare. To achieve that aim, this chapter addresses the ethical, privacy, economic, and legal aspects of the future uses of genetic information in healthcare and discusses the impact of these uses on IAS. The reader gains an effective ethical framework in which to understand and evaluate the competing demands placed upon the IAS practitioners by the transformative utility of genomics.
Development of a Web-Based Educational Platform to Interact with Remote Mobile Robots
Authors: Payá Luis , Reinoso Oscar , Úbeda David , Jiménez Luis M. , Marín José M.
Published: September 2010

In this chapter the authors approach the problem that hand-on experiments may present in engineering studies and how Internet has become a powerful tool to improve the students’ motivation, interaction and degree of learning. Also, the authors address some challenges that must be taken into account in order to improve the effectiveness of the remote laboratories. They have implemented an interactive tool so that students can monitor and control the evolution of a team of mobile robots through Internet. This platform is designed for a subject whose contents are computer vision and robotics, and it allows students to learn and practice the basic concepts on those fields and their relationship. In this chapter they present the architecture and basic features of the platform and the experiences collected during the use of it.
Patterns of Interaction in Online Learning
Authors: Downing Kevin , Shin Kristina , Ning Flora
Published: September 2010

This chapter describes a case study which examines detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first semester associate degree course in applied psychology, and identifies ‘what works’ in relation to discussion board use. The case demonstrates how students gradually create an online community, but only if they are prompted in a timely and appropriate way by the course and assessment structure. Three distinct phases in online interaction are identified, and the case suggests these might be largely mediated by assessment tasks.
Usability of Interoperable Educational Tools in Language Teacher Education
Authors: Maduekwe A.N , Adeosun A.O
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents a survey aimed at identifying the level of usability and applicability of interoperable educational tools in Nigeria language teacher education. The background summarizes the benefits of e-technologies in learning process. It then explores the different types of interoperable tools and e-competencies required by pre-service teachers in a second language context. Utilising one Nigerian University as a case study, the survey sampled one hundred teacher trainees selected from 300 level English Education students’ of the Department of Arts and Social Science Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Two research questions were posited while two instruments- the Internet Application Competence Assignment (IACA) and the Internet Literacy Competency Questionnaire (ILCQ) were used in data sourcing. Analysis of data involved descriptive and inferential statistics. On the whole, findings show that 39% of the pre-service teachers operated within low level Internet skills, 49% were able to operate within higher competency level while the consolidated level skills posed the most difficult area of competency in usability of interoperable educational tools in language teacher education. The chapter ends with proposed solutions and recommendations for futuristic research directions within the context of global e-learning support.
Climate Change and Supply Chain Operations
Authors: Pappis Costas P.
Published: September 2010

In the previous chapter 3 the focus of the presentation has been on the implications of climate change, as felt globally, for the environment and human societies in developing as well as in developed countries. As noticed there, the Stern Review’s conclusion that “climate change will have increasingly severe impacts on people around the world, with a growing risk of abrupt and large-scale changes at higher temperatures” (Stern Review, 2006) is shared by most scientists and governments. The Review warns that “a warmer world with a more intense water cycle and rising sea levels will influence many key determinants of wealth and well-being, including water supply, food production, human health, availability of land, and the environment” (Stern Review, p. 84).
Frameworks of Policy Making Under Climate Change
Authors: Pappis Costas P.
Published: September 2010

How can decision-makers ensure that their policies will be robust enough to cope with the challenges of a climate, which is changing dramatically? How best to adapt to climate variability and extreme events? Which are the best practices for understanding, analysing and finally managing the risks that are associated with climate change and face business entities, communities, individual countries and the whole planet? Are there appropriate frameworks and methods available, capable to assist in systematically carrying out the decision-making and policy process? Questions such as these have not only a theoretical scope, but a great practical significance as well. Decision makers have been seeking for appropriate guidance and analytical frameworks to deal with these questions.
Policing of Movie and Music Piracy
Authors: Nhan Johnny , Garbagnati Alesandra
Published: September 2010

Ongoing skirmishes between mainstream Hollywood entertainment conglomerates and Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file-sharing networks recently reached a crescendo when a Swedish court convicted members of the world’s largest BitTorrent, The Pirate Bay, and handed out the stiffest sentence to date.1 Four operators of The Pirate Bay received one year imprisonments and fines totaling $30 million, including confiscation of equipment. While this verdict sent shockwaves amongst P2P networks, piracy remains rampant, and this incident further exacerbated relations between file sharers and Hollywood. In retaliation, supporters of P2P file-sharing attacked websites of the law firms representing the Hollywood studios (Johnson, 2009). This victory by Hollywood studios may be a Pyrrhic defeat in the long run if the studios do not soften their antagonistic relations with the public. This chapter explores structural and cultural conflicts amongst security actors that make fighting piracy extremely difficult. In addition, it considers the role of law enforcement, government, industries, and the general public in creating long-term security models.
Control Systems Security
Authors: Brodsky Jake , Radvanovsky Robert
Published: September 2010

With recent news media discussions highlighting the safety and integrity of the U.S. national power grid, questions have been raised by both political and executive-level management, specifically, as to the risks associated with our critical infrastructures. More specifically, the issue of concern is dealing with and addressing cyber vulnerability issues, threats and risks associated with an extremely complex and inter-twining series of dependencies arising from legacy industries established almost 100 years ago. Equally as important are the growing threats and risks to these environments resulting from their exposure to outside networks (such as the Internet), exposing critically vital and important cyber systems to just about everyone and anyone globally. This chapter highlights the importance of preventing hack attacks against SCADA systems, or Industrial Control Systems (abbreviated as ICS), as a means of protecting our critical infrastructures.
ICT Applications in U.S. Higher Education
Authors: Crosby-Nagy Michelle O. , Carfora John M.
Published: September 2010

This chapter examines applications of information and communications technologies (ICTs) for education, including multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) and their returns to teaching and learning in U.S. higher education. ICT applications are most valuable when used in the context of courses with a team-based approach to learning or collaboration opportunities. Some drivers of ICT integration are discussed including the internationalization of higher education and the Millennial generation as the new customers of higher education. Recommendations for the fundamentals of positive ICT applications and integration are provided, as well as a discussion about the future of ICT applications such as MUVEs.
The Affordances of Second Life for Education
Authors: Cunningham Craig A. , Harrison Kimball
Published: September 2010

In this chapter, the authors discuss some of the possibilities of Second Life for education from both theoretical and practical standpoints. First, they outline a general theory of meaningful learning using technology that can be applied to Second Life as well as other technologies. Then, the authors discuss some of the particular aspects of Second Life that might support meaningful learning. Next, the authors outline some of the practical realities, or obstacles, that exist to using it in the environment. Finally, they make some recommendations about how educators who are interested in exploring the possibilities of Second Life might proceed. While the chapter focuses its discussion on Second Life, the theoretical framework and even many of the examples apply to any virtual world that allows users to build persistent objects and utilize scripts.
The Benefits and Unanticipated Challenges in the Use of 3D Virtual Learning Environments in the Undergraduate Media Arts Curriculum
Authors: Wood Denise
Published: September 2010

This chapter describes the benefits as well as the unanticipated challenges in engaging undergraduates in immersive experiences within the 3D virtual environment, Second Life. The chapter draws on trials of three undergraduate courses in which students attended virtual classes and undertook media-related activities in Second Life. International experts conducted synchronous virtual guest presentations in all three courses. Media arts students designed immersive games using Second Life tools and the final-year students created virtual portfolios. The findings from student evaluations suggest both benefits and challenges in the use of 3D virtual environments in the undergraduate curriculum. In discussing these findings, the author challenges assumptions about the readiness of ‘Generation Y’ students to adapt easily to such learning environments. The final section of thechapter outlines proposed strategies for addressing the identified challenges.
Task Design for Language Learning in an Embodied Environment
Authors: Sweeney Paul , Palomeque Cristina , González Dafne , Speck Chris , Canfield Douglas W. , Guerrero Suzanne , MacKichan Pete
Published: September 2010

3D voice-enabled MUVEs are increasingly being used in education and in the area of language learning, and teaching is no exception. In this chapter, the authors will examine the affordances that MUVEs offer in this field, starting with a brief overview of the various theoretical frameworks underpinning successful teaching and learning of languages in general and how they apply to MUVEs. The authors then highlight a range of issues arising from a team’s extensive practical experience in material design in the embodied environment of Second Life. These considerations include many possible avenues for follow up by researchers. Finally, they provide some examples of task design to bring these issues into focus.
Multi-User Virtual Environments
Authors: Sykes Julie M.
Published: September 2010

Various features of multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) make them promising and, potentially transformational, contexts for the development of second language (L2) skills. While there has been a surge of interest in the use of MUVEs for language learning, there is still a relatively small body of empirical evidence that supports our understanding of how these immersive spaces can best be utilized for second language education. After a brief introduction to relevant research on MUVEs and language learning, this chapter is divided into two primary sections. The first section describes one component of a larger empirical study of the first MUVE built specifically for learning Spanish pragmatics. The following section utilizes the empirical findings, combined with lessons learned from classroom implementation, to suggest design considerations for those wishing to implement MUVEs in the language classroom. While the specific focus of the chapter is language learning, the findings are intended to be generally applicable in other disciplines as well.
ISO 151892007-Implementation in a Laboratory Information System
Authors: Archondakis Stavros , Stathopoulou Aliki , Sitaras Ioannis
Published: September 2010

ISO 15189:2007 constitutes an international certification standard, based upon ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001, which can be used by medical laboratories wishing to improve their quality standards. The requirements of this standard form a group of general guidelines that will help laboratories establish and enhance their quality systems. Although direct references to the use of computer systems are made in only 7 cases, through the mandatory section of the ISO 15189:2007, many more clauses of the standard include indirect references to electronic medical records handling. The chapter analyzes the guidelines concerning the use of laboratory information systems for medical records storage and retrieval. Furthermore, the authors discuss challenging difficulties that may be detected during implementation of ISO 15189:2007 in the field of electronic laboratory medical records.
Dynamics in a Non-Scale R&D Endogenous Economic Growth for Chinese Development
Authors: He Qiong
Published: September 2010

By introducing nonlinear technology gap into Jones (1995b), this chapter constructs an R&D non-scale growth model that includes endogenous human capital and technological progress. The goal is to take the model’s implications to the data to explaining the Chinese economic development experiences at period 1979-2004. Our model suggests that the technology gap has the block neck effect on the economic development. The market competitive equilibrium solution shows that R&D and technology spillover can enhance the steady state growth rate. The mode’s transitional dynamics is also analyzed on the effects of human capital, capital, technological progress and intersectional labor movements on economic growth, technological progress has the most effect on the economic development, and more human capital shift into R&D sector from final goods sector.
Mobile Phones, Developing Countries and Learning
Authors: Bahamóndez Elba del Carmen Valderrama , Schmidt Albrecht
Published: September 2010

The Internet and computers are accessible to only half of the population in the world. For the other half, computers and the Internet are almost alien concepts. This half has no medium for gathering information, and they are computer illiterate. In addition, it is well-known, that the use of computers and the Internet, directly and indirectly, enhance the learning process. Therefore, students from under privileged areas of developing regions of the world are, clearly, at a disadvantage compared to their peers in developed countries. However, mobile phones could change this situation. In developing countries, mobile phones are far more accessible than computers or Internet access. This high accessibility together with the multiple functionalities of mobile phones, allow for the potential to build feasible educational applications that enhance the learning experiences of students in developing countries. Such opportunities enable the students’ experiences to be made proportionate to the other half of the world, with a real mechanism for gathering information.
A Multidimensional Model for Data Warehouses of Simulation Results
Authors: Mahboubi Hadj , Faure Thierry , Bimonte Sandro , Deffuant Guillaume , Chanet Jean-Pierre , Pinet François
Published: September 2010

This paper examines the multidimensional modeling of a data warehouse for simulation results. Environmental dynamics modeling is used to study complex scenarios like urbanization, climate change and deforestation while allowing decision makers to understand and predict the evolution of the environment in response to potential value changes in a large number of influence variables. In this context, exploring simulation models produces a huge volume of data, which must often be studied extensively at different levels of aggregation due to there being a great need to define tools and methodologies specifically adapted for the storage and analysis of such complex data. Data warehousing systems provide technologies for managing simulation results from different sources. Moreover, OLAP technologies allow one to analyze and compare these results and their corresponding models. In this paper, the authors propose a generic multidimensional schema to analyze the results of a simulation model, which can guide modelers in designing specific data warehouses, and an adaptation of an OLAP client tool to provide an adequate visualization of data. As an example, a data warehouse for the analysis of results produced from a savanna simulation model is implemented using a Relational OLAP architecture.
Application of Support Vector Machines to Melissopalynological Data for Honey Classification
Authors: Aronne Giovanna , De Micco Veronica , Guarracino Mario R.
Published: September 2010

In this paper, the authors address the problem of the discrimination of geographical origin and the selection of marker species of honeys using Support Vector Machines and z-scores. The methodology is based on the elaboration of palynological data with statistical learning methodologies. This innovative solution provides a simple yet powerful tool to detect the origin of honey samples. In case of honeys from Sorrento Peninsula, the discrimination from other Italian honeys is obtained with high accuracy.
Managing Enterprise Service Level Agreement
Authors: Li Yang
Published: September 2010

The continued trend of globalization and technology improvement like the internet and transportation have spawned an increasing number of complex service chains that span across local, regional and national boundaries. Service level agreement (SLA) plays a crucial role in gluing service chains together. In that regard, this paper provides a complete guidance of end-to-end lifecycle management of SLA, including SLA-aware service modelling and terms optimization, contract drafting and compliance tracking. Among these, the author introduces his work in the area of enterprise SLA optimization to address existing deficiencies in this area including a roadmap for industry-strength SLA optimization capability and an initial version of SLA modeling and optimization toolset—code-named SLA-OASIS. Some out-of-box toolsets for SLA contract drafting and compliance tracking are also introduced.
Hospital Supplier Relationship Management
Authors: Rohner Peter , Mettler Tobias
Published: September 2010

The structural transformation of modern societies (e.g., aging of population, mobility) as well as continuously increasing market dynamics (e.g., mergers, technological advancement) induces health care organizations to reduce their costs while enhancing service delivery. In other industrial sectors this was achieved by optimizing cooperation, coordination, and communication particularly with regard to the supplier base. However, as the pressure to innovate will increase extensively in the next years, similar developments are becoming relevant for the health care supply chain. In this paper, the authors adapt the current findings on supplier relationship management (SRM) to the health care context. The authors analyze theoretical foundations of SRM and explore a particular area of application in health care, namely the ordering of pharmaceuticals by hospitals. Finally, on the basis of a case study, applications of different SRM services are discussed.
Diversity in Career and Technical Education On-Line Classrooms
Authors: Ware Mary C. , Stuck Mary F.
Published: September 2010

Designers and instructors of courses in career and technical education have realized the value of on-line delivery of instruction during the past several decades. Many students enrolled in career and technical education courses are what have been labeled “non-traditional” students. On-line learning is helpful to these students because it provides the flexibility to do coursework from home, or to do schoolwork at hours when brick-and-mortar colleges are not traditionally offering classes. However, it is increasingly being realized that all students may not equally embrace, or equally succeed in the on-line environment. In this paper, the authors examine recent research studies in an effort to see if there have been documented differences in preference for, or success in, on-line learning based on gender, race and/or age.
Expanding TAM and IDT to Understand the Adoption of E-Marketing by Small Business Enterprises
Authors: El-Gohary Hatem
Published: September 2010

This paper aims to explore, analyze and develop a clear understanding of the different factors affecting the adoption of e-marketing by trading industrial UK small business enterprises which will build on the current body of knowledge in the field of e-marketing. This paper systematically reviews and categorises the literature related to e-marketing adoption, the use of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) to understand the adoption of e-marketing by small business enterprises. Based on this review and depending on the Hanson (2001) Internet marketing framework, a three stage methodology was implemented to determine, analyze and review the different factors affecting the adoption of e-marketing from a small businesses perspective by using focus groups and survey research strategies as well as Structure Equation Modelling to analyse the data collected.
Social Networking Sites and Complex Technology Assessment
Authors: Fuchs Christian
Published: September 2010

Social networking sites (SNS) are integrated world wide web-based information, communication and community platforms that allow the creation of personal profiles, the upload and sharing of multimedia data, networking with other users with the help of “friends lists”, communication by tools such as e-mail, guest books, or forums. SNS combine a number of Internet technologies on one platform and are among the most popular Internet and web applications. Young people especially use them, which is why it is important to assess the implications of SNS usage by young people for society. In this paper, foundations of complex and dialectical SNS technology assessment are elaborated by introducing three different approaches of technology assessment: 1) technological determinism; 2) the social construction of technology; and 3) complex dialectical technology assessment. It is argued that technology assessment should be conceived as complex and dialectical and that it should try to identify contradictions of technology and society. An empirical study of SNS usage is presented as an example of complex, dialectical technology assessment.
Automatic Generation of Memory Interfaces for ASIPs
Authors: Kammler David , Witte Ernst Martin , Chattopadhyay Anupam , Bauwens Bastian , Ascheid Gerd , Leupers Rainer , Meyr Heinrich
Published: September 2010

With the growing market for multi-processor system-on-chip (MPSoC) solutions, application-specific instruction-set processors (ASIPs) gain importance as they allow for a wide tradeoff between flexibility and efficiency in such a system. Their development is aided by architecture description languages (ADLs) supporting the automatic generation of architecture-specific tool sets as well as synthesizable register transfer level (RTL) implementations from a single architecture model. However, these generated implementations have to be manually adapted to the interfaces of dedicated memories or memory controllers, slowing down the design-space exploration regarding the memory architecture. To overcome this drawback, the authors extend RTL code generation from ADL models with the automatic generation of memory interfaces. This is accomplished by introducing a new abstract and versatile description format for memory interfaces and their timing protocols. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated in real-life case studies, including a design space exploration for a banked memory system.
G2G
Authors: Chung Wu-Chun , Hsu Chin-Jung , Lin Yi-Hsiang , Lai Kuan-Chou , Chung Yeh-Ching
Published: September 2010

Grid systems integrate distributed resources to form self-organization and self-management autonomies. With the widespread development of grid systems around the world, grid collaboration for large-scale computing has become a prevalent research topic. In this paper, the authors propose a meta-grid framework, named the Grid-to-Grid (G2G) framework, to harmonize autonomic grids in realizing a grid federation. The G2G framework is a decentralized management framework that is built on top of existing autonomic grid systems. This paper further adopts a super-peer network in a separate layer to coordinate distributed grid systems. A super-peer overlay network is constructed for communication among super-peers, thus enabling collaboration among grid systems. This study proposes the G2G framework for use in a Grid-to-Grid federation and implements a preliminary system as a demonstration. Experimental results show that the proposed meta-grid framework can improve system performance with little overhead.
Intelligent Industrial Data Acquisition and Energy Monitoring using Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gupta Sumeet , Verma Shekhar , Tomar G.S. , Abrol Raj Kumar
Published: September 2010

Most of the application-oriented research in the field of Wireless Sensor Networks has been in remote monitoring, including environmental, building automation, and security. However, this paper presents the methodology followed for implementation of a Wireless Sensor Network based solution in a process plant for energy management and leak detection. The sensor network acquires data pertaining to detection of leakage in a plant. The network further serves effectively as a maintenance and diagnostic system that is used to manage the plant and conserve energy in a process plant. The critical design issues, testing methodologies and implementation problems pertaining to the system are also presented. Additionally, special focus has been placed on the calculations pertaining to the network life time.
Exploring Personal Mobile Phones and Digital Display Systems to Support Indoor Navigation by Formative Study Methods
Authors: Taher Faisal , Cheverst Keith , Harding Mike
Published: September 2010

A significant difference exists between wayfinding support services available in outdoor and indoor locations. Users in outdoor locations can access services like Google Maps via a mobile phone and in-car GPS, which allows them to examine unknown locations before arrival as well as receive assistance en-route. In contrast, there is relatively little digital wayfinding support for users in indoor locations, where users are limited to using in-building signage or asking for directions. However, advances in pervasive digital technology allow new possibilities and make this topic increasingly subject to research study. This paper describes three separate formative studies involving 24 participants using personal mobile phones, a situated display deployment and a Person Locator Kiosk. The authors present their findings by gaining feedback and insights from users to develop useful and usable wayfinding support for visitors in an in-building environment.
On Balancing Energy Consumption, Rendering Speed, and Image Quality on Mobile Devices
Authors: Wu Fan , Agu Emmanuel , Lindsay Clifford , Chen Chung-han
Published: September 2010

Mobile games and graphics are popular because un-tethered computing is convenient and ubiquitous entertainment is compelling. However, rendering graphics on mobile devices faces challenges due to limited system resources, such as battery energy, and low memory and disk space. Real time frame rates, low energy consumption and high image quality are all desirable attributes of interactive mobile graphics; however, achieving these objectives is conflicting. For instance, increasing mesh resolutions improves rendered image quality but consumes more battery energy. Therefore, the authors propose a mobile graphics heuristic to minimize energy consumption while maintaining acceptable image quality and interactive frame rates. Over the lifetime of a mobile graphics application, scene complexity, animation paths, user interactivity and other elements all change its CPU and resource demands. In this regard, a heuristic that dynamically changes scene mesh LoDs and amount of CPU timeslices allotted to the mobile graphics application is presented to select optimal operating conditions that balance rendering speed, energy conservation and image quality. Additionally, a workload predict model is proposed so that the heuristic can monitor both application workload and the availability of resources of mobile devices periodically, while adaptively determining how much resources will be allocated to applications.
Effective of International Distance Education in High School between Thailand and Japan
Authors: Pavasajjanant Natcha
Published: September 2010

This paper presents a view of the effectiveness of teaching and learning systems by focusing on how courses using ICT can be designed based on educational theories and evaluated using student feedback. This study analyzes a distance learning project in which Thai and Japanese (grade 10) students studied how to use MX Flash software for the creation of animations. In designing the course prior to implementation, the theoretical framework was examined and the Constructivism theory and the Bloom’s taxonomy were adopted. From these perspectives, effective learning-teaching methods are determined by course content, conditions of teaching processes, and media usage. The teaching processes were classified with the following three stages determined: (1) traditional lecture; (2) self-learning; and (3) collaborative learning. At the end of each class, the students were asked to respond to the course evaluation related to following the three domains: (1) comprehension; (2) cognitive load; and (3) motivation. These evaluations by the students were fully utilized in a regression analysis which examined whether the course design was appropriate for student understanding.