bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Experience of Acupuncture Care from the Perspective of People with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Grounded Theory Study
Authors: Stomski N J , Mackintosh S F , Stanley M
Published: May 2014

Objectives

To explore the experience of acupuncture care from the perspective of people with chronic low back pain.

Methods

A grounded theory, qualitative study using indepth interviews was undertaken with 11 people who had received acupuncture care for chronic low back pain. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Initial, focused and theoretical coding were used to identify a core category and several other categories.

Results

The core category, Reclaiming Control, was related to the sense of well-being experienced by most of the participants as a result of undergoing acupuncture care. The other categories were Gaining Sanctuary, Gaining Trust and Working Together. These categories reflected the processes of participants entering an aesthetically appealing, calm and relaxing space; developing confidence in the acupuncturists’ ability to care for them; and negotiating strategies and sharing decision-making with acupuncturists about their care.

Conclusions

Clinicians using acupuncture as a management strategy for low back pain may elicit an immediate sense of calmness in patients with subsequent well-being benefits. A sense of calmness may also be enhanced through providing a relaxing physical environment. The transactional and interpersonal processes of establishing trust and rapport, and shared decision-making are important for clients. Shared decision-making can be improved by clinicians carefully considering the explanation of issues and plans to a particular patient, especially by developing an understanding of each patient's worldview and using language that the suits each individual's healthcare orientation. Our findings should be interpreted cautiously as the results may be generalisable only to private practice in affluent countries, and whether the findings are representative beyond this setting remains unclear.
Unilateral striatal CT and MRI changes secondary to non-ketotic hyperglycaemia
Authors: Johari Bushra , Hanafiah Mohammad , Shahizon Azura Mohamed Mukhari , Koshy Marymol
Published: May 2014

A 62-year-old man presented with a right-sided hemichorea-hemiballismus secondary to underlying non-ketotic hyperglycaemia. This condition is recognised to have a unique finding of unilateral basal ganglia lesion, which is hyperdense on CT and hyperintense on T1-weighted MRI. The clinical course of this condition is benign and has a good prognosis with early correction of the hyperglycaemia.
Carotid I's, L's and T's: collaterals shape the outcome of intracranial carotid occlusion in acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Liebeskind David S , Flint Alexander C , Budzik Ronald F , Xiang Bin , Smith Wade S , Duckwiler Gary R , Nogueira Raul G
Published: May 2014

Background

Collaterals may affect revascularization, ischemic severity, and clinical outcomes in acute stroke owing to internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion.

Objective

To examine the hypothesis that morphology of occlusive thrombus and collateral flow patterns may influence the outcome of ICA occlusions after mechanical thrombectomy.

Methods

Pooled analyses of ICA occlusions in the MERCI and Multi-MERCI trials employed central angiography review readings to categorize lesions as I, L, or T clots and functional lesions based on collateral flow patterns. Demographic variables, procedural details, and clinical outcomes were compared across ICA lesion types.

Results

A total of 72 subjects (mean age 67 years (SD 16), 51% female, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 20 (range 8–35)) were included, with 90-day modified Rankin score ≤2 in 28% and 51% mortality. Clots were categorized as an I lesion in 9/72 (12.5%), L lesion in 12/72 (16.7%), and T lesion in 51/72 (70.8%). Based on collateral flow patterns, cases were categorized as having a functional I lesion in 7/72 (9.7%), functional L in 38/72 (52.8%), and functional T in only 27/72 (37.5%). Multivariate analyses showed that a functional T lesion, with insufficient collateral flow to ipsilateral anterior cerebral arteries via the contralateral ICA, was a strong predictor of both revascularization success and subsequent clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Collateral flow patterns distinguish the nature and impact of ICA occlusions on expected revascularization and subsequent clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. The nomenclature of terminal ICA occlusions introduced here (carotid I's, L's, and T's) may enhance future endovascular trials targeting such proximal occlusions.

Trial registration number

NCT00318071 (http://clinicaltrials.gov). MERCI was not registered because enrollment began before July 1, 2005.
Health professionals’ knowledge of driving restrictions following stroke and TIA: experience from a hyperacute stroke centre
Authors: Batool Saiqa , Roberts Adele Pryce , Kalra Lalit , Manawadu Dulka
Published: May 2014

Background and purpose

Assessment of fitness to drive (FTD) is important after stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA) to ensure that neither patients nor public are at risk. This is particularly important in patients with TIAs or minor stroke as many are discharged directly from emergency departments by a range of health professionals. We assessed stroke-related FTD knowledge among physicians’ and allied health professionals’ (AHPs) treating patients with stroke at a hyperacute stroke centre.

Methods

Knowledge of FTD restrictions following a stroke or TIA for domestic and commercial use was assessed in 195 physicians and 45 AHPs using a multiple-choice questionnaire between January and December 2009. The effect of discipline, seniority, previous instruction in FTD restrictions and experience in stroke medicine on FTD was assessed.

Results

The correct driving restriction following stroke with domestic and commercial license was known to 29% and 73% of physicians, respectively. For AHPs, these figures were 36% and 20%. For TIA with domestic and commercial license, this was 37% and 43% for physicians, and 44% and 11% for AHPs. 25% of physicians and 11% of AHPs believed that no driving restrictions applied after a TIA. The correct office for reporting FTD was known to 180 (92%) doctors and 31 (69%) AHPs (p=0.0001); 160 (82%) physicians and 27 (60%) AHPs correctly identified that reporting was the patients’ responsibility (p=0.001). FTD knowledge correlated with post in stroke (OR 3.2 (95% CI 1.6 to 6.2, p=0.001)) but not with seniority or previous FTD education.

Conclusions

Health professionals providing stroke care showed limited knowledge of FTD regulations after minor stroke or TIA. Imparting accurate information on driving restrictions is an important but neglected part of stroke management.
OBJECT-SHAPE RECOGNITION BY TACTILE IMAGE ANALYSIS USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE
Authors: KHASNOBISH ANWESHA , JATI ARINDAM , SINGH GARIMA , KONAR AMIT , TIBAREWALA D. N.
Published: May 2014

The sense of touch is important to human to understand shape, texture, and hardness of the objects. An object under grip, i.e. object exploration by enclosure, provides a unique pressure distribution on the different regions of palm depending on its shape. This paper utilizes the above experience for recognition of object shapes by tactile image analysis. The high pressure regions (HPRs) are segmented and analyzed for object shape recognition rather than analyzing the entire image. Tactile images are acquired by capacitive tactile sensor while grasping a particular object. Geometrical features are extracted from the chain codes obtained by polygon approximation of the contours of the segmented HPRs. Two-level classification scheme using linear support vector machine (LSVM) is employed to classify the input feature vector in respective object shape classes with an average classification accuracy of 93.46% and computational time of 1.19 s for 12 different object shape classes. Our proposed two-level LSVM reduces the misclassification rates, thus efficiently recognizes various object shapes from the tactile images.
UNSUPERVISED ENSEMBLE CLASSIFICATION FOR BIOMETRIC APPLICATIONS
Authors: CERNEA ANA , FERNÁNDEZ-MARTÍNEZ JUAN. LUIS.
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we propose different ensemble learning algorithms and their application to the face recognition problem. Three types of attributes are used for image representation: statistical, spectral, and segmentation features and regional descriptors. Classification is performed by nearest neighbor using different p-norms defined in the corresponding spaces of attributes. In this approach, each attribute together with its corresponding type of the analysis (local or global) and the distance criterion (norm or cosine), define a different classifier. The classification is unsupervised since no class information is used to improve the design of the different classifiers. Three different versions of ensemble classifiers are proposed in this paper: CAV1, CAV2, and CBAG, being the main differences among them the way the image candidates that perform the consensus are selected. The main results shown in this paper are the following: 1. The statistical attributes (local histogram and percentiles) are the individual classifiers that provided the higher accuracies, followed by the spectral methods (DWT), and the regional features (texture analysis). 2. No single attribute is able to provide systematically 100% accuracy over the ORL database. 3. The accuracy and stability of the classification is increased by consensus classification (ensemble learning techniques). 4. Optimum results are obtained by reducing the number of classifiers taking into account their diversity, and by optimizing the parameters of these classifiers using a member of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) family. These results are in accord with the conclusions that are presented in the literature using ensemble learning methodologies, that is, it is possible to build strong classifiers by assembling different weak (or simple) classifiers based on different and diverse image attributes. Due to these encouraging results, future research will be devoted to the use of supervised ensemble techniques in face recognition and in other important biometric problems.
Hidden entanglement, system-environment information flow and non-Markovianity
Authors: D'Arrigo Antonio , Benenti Giuliano , Lo Franco Rosario , Falci Giuseppe , Paladino Elisabetta
Published: May 2014

It is known that entanglement dynamics of two non-interacting qubits, locally subjected to classical environments, may exhibit revivals. A simple explanation of this phenomenon may be provided by using the concept of hidden entanglement (HE), which signals the presence of entanglement that may be recovered without the help of nonlocal operations. Here we discuss the link between HE and the (non-Markovian) flow of classical information between the system and the environment.
Using solitons for manipulating qubits
Authors: Cuccoli Alessandro , Nuzzi Davide , Vaia Ruggero , Verrucchi Paola
Published: May 2014

Many proposals for quantum devices are based on qubits that are physically realized by the spin magnetic moment of some quantum object. In this case, one of the most often adopted strategies for manipulating qubits is that of using external magnetic fields. However, selectively applying a field just to one qubit may be a practically unattainable goal, as it is, for instance, in most solid-state based setups. In this work, we present a proposal for using nonlinear excitations of solitonic type to accomplish the above task. Our scheme entails the generation of a dynamical soliton in a classical spin-chain which is locally coupled with one qubit: as the soliton runs through, the qubit behaves, due to its interaction with the chain, as if it were subject to a magnetic field with a time dependence that follows from the soliton's features. We here present results for the time evolution of the qubit density-matrix induced by the overall dynamics of the above scheme.
Enhanced Sealing Project (ESP): evolution of a full-sized bentonite and concrete shaft seal
Authors: Dixon D. A. , Priyanto D. G. , Martino J. B. , De Combarieu M. , Johansson R. , Korkeakoski P. , Villagran J.
Published: May 2014

A full-scale shaft seal was designed and installed in the 5 m-diameter access shaft at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL's) Underground Research Laboratory at the point where the shaft intersects an ancient water-bearing, low-angle thrust fault at a depth of
c.
275 m in granitic rock. The seal consists of a 6 m-thick bentonite-based component sandwiched between 3 m-thick, keyed upper and lower concrete components. This design was adopted in order to limit the mixing of saline groundwater from the deeper regime with the fresher, near-surface groundwater regime. Construction of the shaft seal was done as part of Canada's Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program. A jointly funded monitoring project, called the Enhanced Sealing Project (ESP), was developed by AECL (Canada) and jointly funded by NWMO (Canada), SKB (Sweden), Posiva Oy (Finland), and ANDRA (France), and since mid 2009 the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical evolution of the seal has been constantly monitored. The evolution of the type of seal being monitored in the ESP is of relevance to repository closure planning by demonstrating the functionality of shaft seals. Although constructed in a crystalline rock medium, the results of the ESP are relevant to the performance of seals in a variety of host rock types.
Introducing chat into business organizations
Authors: Muller Michael J. , Raven Mary Elizabeth , Kogan Sandra , Millen David R. , Carey Kenneth
Published: May 2014

We provide the first study of instant messaging (IM) based on large samples of users' self reports. Previous studies have relied on ethnographic methods or analysis of server logs. Our self-report approach has its own strengths (large-sample; focus on attitudes, beliefs, and value attributions), as well as weaknesses (self-selection by respondents). We describe the introduction of Lotus Sametime™, an IM product, into three business organizations. Across the three organizations, we found substantially similar patterns in savings (reduced use of other communications channels), attitudes, and social networks. In one organization, we made a detailed study of the maturation of IM over a 24-month period, showing early and stable savings accompanied by much more gradual developments in chat behaviors, control of visibility and awareness, social networks, and attitudes. We conclude with a methodological self-critique, and an outline of an Instant Messaging Maturity Model.
Motorcycling and social interaction
Authors: Esbjörnsson Mattias , Juhlin Oskar , Östergen Mattias
Published: May 2014

We report an ethnographic fieldwork that reveals the importance of social interaction, and especially traffic encounters, for the enjoyment of motorcycling. Motorcyclists spend an appreciable amount of time on the roads to meet other bikers. During the brief traffic encounters, they interact visually by means of their driving, their choice of bike and personal equipment. We uncover problematic issues in this practice and how these are currently addressed. The activities on the roads are partly arranged, and partly complemented by the use of a public message-board on the web. The findings are summarized as a set of implications informing the development of the Hocman prototype. Hocman is a mobile HTTP peer-to-peer application, which supports social interaction between motorcyclists.
How push-to-talk makes talk less pushy[19] (abstract only)
Authors: Woodruff Allison , Aoki Paul M.
Published: May 2014

This paper presents an exploratory study of college-age students using two-way, push-to-talk cellular radios. We describe the observed and reported use of cellular radio by the participants. We discuss how the half-duplex, lightweight cellular radio communication was associated with reduced interactional commitment, which meant the cellular radios could be used for a wide range of conversation styles. One such style, intermittent conversation, is characterized by response delays. Intermittent conversation is surprising in an audio medium, since it is typically associated with textual media such as instant messaging. We present design implications of our findings.
Communities of action
Authors: Zacklad Manuel
Published: May 2014

Most current theories about collective cognitive activities in limited groups apply to structurally closed co-operative situations Here we propose to work in the framework of intellectual transactions and communities of action theory with a view to describing and designing CSCW systems which can be used in more structurally open situations. First we compare this approach with other theories of collective cognition (such as those focusing on situated cognition and communities of practice, distributed cognition and coordination mechanisms). We then present the core concepts involved in defining communities of action, the duality of goals and forms of knowledge and the operational, strategic, integrative and relational categories of collective activity on which the OSIR model is based. We conclude by presenting as an example the application of the model to a research project designed to assist the setting up of a health network.
Managing virtual knowledge networks
Authors: Schrott Gregor , Beimborn Daniel
Published: May 2014

Virtual informal communication networks are widely recognized as an important part of corporate knowledge management (KM). Unfortunately, most practices of community-engineering are characterized by intuitive actions from KM managers rather than systematic network development based on detailed analysis. Therefore, as part of a larger research framework, this paper addresses topological structures as action variable of community-engineering. A dynamic computer-based simulation model is introduced and applied to real-life data from over 800 students and staff of the Economics and Business Administration Department at Frankfurt University, Germany. Several metrics of networks performance are developed and illustrated using different exemplary actions of community-engineering.
Using the transformational approach to build a safe and generic data synchronizer[24] (abstract only)
Authors: Molli Pascal , Oster Gérald , Skaf-Molli Hala , Imine Abdessamad
Published: May 2014

Reconciliating divergent data is an important issue in concurrent engineering mobile computing and software configuration management. Currently, a lot of synchronizers or merge tools perform reconciliations. However, they do not define what is the correctness of their synchronisation. In this paper, we propose to use a transformational approach as the basic model for reasonning about synchronisation. We propose an algorithm and specific transformation functions that realize a file system synchronisation. Unlike classic synchronizers, our synchronizer ensures properties of convergence, causality and intention preservation and is extensible to new data types.
Technology for boundaries[35] (abstract only)
Authors: Bødker Susanne , Kristensen Jannie F. , Nielsen Christina , Sperschneider Werner
Published: May 2014

This paper presents a study of an organisation, which is undergoing a process transforming organisational and technological boundaries. In particular, we shall look at three kinds of boundaries: the work to maintain and change the boundary between the organisation and its customers; boundaries between competencies within the organisation; and boundaries between various physical locations of work, in particular between what is done in the office and what is done on site. Maintaining and changing boundaries are the processes through which a particular community sustains its identity and practice on the one hand, and where it is confronted with the identity and practices on the other. The organisation being studied employs a multitude of IT systems that support and maintain these boundaries in a particular manner that are in many ways inappropriate to the current needs of the organisation. After analysing the history and the current boundary work, the paper will propose new technological support for boundary work. In particular the paper will suggest means of supporting boundaries when these are productive and for changing boundaries when this seems more appropriate. In total, flexible technologies seem a core issue when dealing with technology for boundaries.
Designed for unanticipated use
Authors: Pekkola Samuli
Published: May 2014

Common artefacts have been identified as fundamental characteristics for framing activities in workplaces. Mike Robinson's article 'Design for unanticipated use...' conceptualised and defined the dimensions of common artefacts as consisting of predictability, peripheral awareness, implicit communication, double level language and overview. These dimensions have often been used in explaining unexpected uses of different applications and systems. In this paper, experiences from common artefacts as CSCW application design principles, indicating that unanticipated uses are expected and further supported. are discussed. Two distinct cases, a physical room and a software application, are presented, and some examples of the realisation of different dimensions are elaborated. It is concluded that the support for common artefacts can be designed, to a certain extent, and that such support can make applications more suitable for unanticipated uses.
Can we use a complex systems framework to model community-based learning?
Authors: Charles Elizabeth
Published: May 2014

The classroom is bustling with activity and Miss Lawson calls out, "five more minutes." Scattered throughout the room are groups of four and five students crowded around each of the five low-standing circular work desks. A palpable buzz of enthusiasm fills the air as these groups deliberate amongst themselves before hurriedly filling in the large sheets of poster paper sitting on their work desks.
Pedagogical praxis
Authors: Shaffer David Williamson
Published: May 2014

Over the past decade and a half, work in the field of education on
communities of practice
[20] and/or
communities of learners
[2] has focused on how individual development takes place within the larger context of the norms and activities of a community. Recognizing this, educators working within the sociocultural tradition have focused on documenting the practices of extant communities [12; 18--20; 35] and/or on ways in which the "community of practice" of the classroom can be improved [2; 25]. Broadly speaking, this work looks at how the traditional intellectual disciplines (such as math, science, and history) are mobilized in the context of real-world practices, or how importing more authentic practices into school settings can develop disciplinary understanding more effectively.
Supporting communities of practice in applied computer science studies
Authors: Klamma Ralf , Rohde Markus , Wulf Volker
Published: May 2014

The authors discuss the experience of a longitudinal study of the course "High-tech Entrepreneurship and New Media." The course design is based on socio-cultural theories of learning and considers the role of social capital in entrepreneurial networks. By integrating student teams into the communities of practice of local start-ups, we offer learning opportunities to students, companies, and academia. The student teams are connected to each other and to their supervisors in academia and practice through a community system. Moreover, the course is accompanied by a series of lectures and group discussions. So far, the course has been conducted three times at RWTH Aachen and the University of Siegen.
Evaluation of the capability of interaction
Authors: Liu Xingwu
Published: May 2014

Interaction, as an important computing paradigm, is far beyond incremental technological development. Various models such as interaction machines and process algebras have been developed to help design and analyze interaction systems. However, little is reported on the computability theory of interaction, and the design and analysis still have to be performed in an ad hoc way. Hence, the question is: how to uniformly evaluate the power of interaction? Roughly, I plan to explore this question in three steps. The first is to find out a universal formal model for interaction. The second is to abstract the tasks of interaction. The third is to evaluate the capability of interaction in terms of the results of step 1 and 2. The anticipated result may be expressed as a hierarchy that extends Chomsky hierarchy from above. Possible application of the hierarchy is also presented.
Multiple perspectives on online learning
Authors: Kazmer Michelle M. , Haythornthwaite Caroline
Published: May 2014

This paper advocates an approach to the design, use and impact of new learning technologies that incorporates the view from multiple perspectives. This includes considering the questions and goals of students, faculty, administrators and co-workers, as well as social dimensions of learning, professional socialization, family dynamics, career, community formation, and institutional change.
How technology affects students' departures from online learning communities
Authors: Kazmer Michelle M.
Published: May 2014

In online learning communities, graduations are both joyous and sad events when students must "disengage" from their shared experience. Using technologies to interact during online learning means that technologies have an effect on any social process, including disengaging. Even the simplest technology hurdles can affect people's departures from online learning communities. These effects of technology on disengaging have implications for the design of systems that support online communities. This paper explores the technology problems that students encounter in disengaging from online learning communities, and develops design implications for such communities. To set the stage, it provides a discussion of how online learners build and maintain their learning communities.
Using technology to transform communities of practice into knowledge-building communities
Authors: Hoadley Christopher M. , Kilner Peter G.
Published: May 2014

Knowledge and learning exist as byproducts of social processes such as those that take place in communities of practice. We describe two frameworks for understanding and building online knowledge-building communities, or online communities of practice that enhance collective knowledge. First, the C4P framework is described as a way of understanding how knowledge is created and disseminated by participants in a community of practice. Second, we discuss ways in which technology provides added value for learning in these environments using the DDC (Design for Distributed Cognition) framework, and link this to the particular goals of a knowledge-building community. Examples from two large online communities are discussed.
Small pornographies
Authors: Halavais Alexander C.
Published: May 2014

Online pornography has largely been defined by its negative, by the social and regulatory restrictions it engendered. This has helped to obscure the everyday sexual discourse that represents a common and important part of many online communities. A better understanding of the every day sexual discourse, these "small pornographies," may provide the keys to comprehending larger social organization and the links between our virtual online identities and our corporeal existence.
The engine of the underground
Authors: Mollick Ethan
Published: May 2014

Underground innovation communities, such as hackers and computer game modifiers have formed a unique type of information sharing community. As the nature of their communitions evolved to take advantage of new technologies like computer Bulletin Boards and the Internet, the social structure of these communities evolved as well. Understanding how these communities are internally socially divided into innovative "Elites" and follower "Kiddies" can shed important light on these influential, if sometimes destructive, underground electronic communities.
On-Chip Hybrid Power Supply System for Wireless Sensor Nodes
Authors: Liu Wulong , Wang Yu , Ma Yuchun , Xie Yuan , Yang Huazhong
Published: May 2014

With the miniaturization of electronic devices, small-size but high-capacity power supply systems appear to be more and more important. A hybrid power source, which consists of a fuel cell (FC) and a rechargeable battery, has the advantages of long lifetime and good load-following capabilities. In this article, we propose the schematic of a hybrid power supply system that can be integrated on a chip compatible with present CMOS processes. For the on-chip, fuel-cell-based hybrid power system in wireless sensor node design, we propose a two steps optimization: (1) dynamic power management (DPM), and (2) adaptive fuel cell optimal power point tracking (AOPPT). Simulation results demonstrate that the on-chip FC-Bat hybrid power system can be used for wireless sensor nodes under different usage scenarios. Our proposed DPM method can achieve 12.9% more energy savings than the method without DPM. Meanwhile, implementing our AOPPT approach can save about 17% energy compared with the fixed architecture for the fuel cell system. For an on-chip power system with 1cm
2
area consumption, the wafer-level battery can power a typical sensor node for only about five months, while our on-chip hybrid power system will supply the same sensor node for two years steadily.
A Fast Extraction Algorithm for Defect-Free Subcrossbar in Nanoelectronic Crossbar
Authors: Yuan Bo , Li Bin
Published: May 2014

Due to the super scale, high defect density, and per-chip designing paradigm of emerging nanoelectronics, the runtime of the algorithms for defect-tolerant design is of vital importance from the perspective of practicability. In this article, an efficient and effective heuristic defect-free subcrossbar extraction algorithm is proposed which improves performance by mixing the heuristics from two state-of-the-art algorithms and then is speeded up significantly by considerably reducing the number of major loops. Compared with the current most effective algorithm that improves the solution quality (i.e., size of the defect-free subcrossbar obtained) at the cost of high time complexity
O
(
n
3
), the time complexity of the proposed heuristic algorithm is proved to be
O
(
n
2
). Using a large set of instances of various scales and defect densities, the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can offer similar high-quality solutions as the current most effective algorithm while consuming much shorter runtimes (reduced to about 1/3 to 1/5) than the current most effective algorithm.
Impact of Process Variations on Speedup and Maximum Achievable Frequency of Extensible Processors
Authors: Kamal Mehdi , Afzali-Kusha Ali , Safari Saeed , Pedram Massoud
Published: May 2014

In this article, we investigate the impact of process variations on the speedup and maximum frequency of the extended ISA processor. First, without considering process variations, a custom functional unit (CFU) is designed based on nominal timing parameters, then the timing variations of critical paths of the extensible processor, including the baseline processor and the CFU, are investigated by considering both systematic and random variations. Next, the maximum frequency of the extensible processor and the speed enhancement factor of the extended ISA for different benchmarks are investigated. Results show that timing variation could reduce the speedup of the extensible processor. However, this reduction is highly dependent on the baseline processor and the CFU structures. Additionally, the impact of process variations in the worst-case design approach is studied. Results show that the speedup of the extensible processor is reduced more than in the case when custom instructions (CIs) are selected without considering process variations. To study the impact of each variation type, speedup variations due to random and systematic variations are investigated separately. The study reveals that random variation has a similar effect on the CFU and the baseline processor, while the impact of systematic variation on the baseline processor is greater than the CFU.
Interpreting Assays with Control Flow on Digital Microfluidic Biochips
Authors: Grissom Daniel , Curtis Christopher , Brisk Philip
Published: May 2014

BioCoder is a C++ library developed at Microsoft Research, India, for the unambiguous specification of biochemical assays. This article describes language extensions to BioCoder along with a compiler and runtime system that translate and execute assays specified using BioCoder on a software simulator. The simulator mimics the behavior of laboratories-on-a-chip (LoCs) based on a droplet actuation technology called electrowetting on dielectric (EWoD). To date, prior compilers targeting similar EWoD devices are limited to assays specified as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and cannot handle arbitrary control flow or feedback from the LoC. The framework presented herein addresses these challenges through dynamic interpretation, thereby enlarging the space of assays that can be compiled onto EWoD devices.
3D vs. 2D Device Simulation of FinFET Logic Gates under PVT Variations
Authors: Chaudhuri Sourindra M. , Jha Niraj K.
Published: May 2014

Recently, multigate transistors have been gaining attention as an alternative to conventional MOSFETs. Superior gate control over the channel, smaller subthreshold leakage, and reduced susceptibility to process variations are some of the key features that give multigate structures a competitive edge over MOSFETs. Among various multigate structures, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) FinFETs are promising, owing to their ease of fabrication. However, characterization of SOI FinFET devices/gates needs immediate attention in order for them to gain greater popularity in this decade. Ideally, 3D device simulation should be done for accurate circuit analysis. However, this is impractical due to the huge CPU time required. As a possible alternative, simulating a 2D crosssection of the device yields 10× to 100× reduction in CPU time. However, this introduces significant error in the range of 7% to 20% when evaluating the on/off current (

I
ON
/I
OFF

) for a single device and leakage current or propagation delay (

I
LEAK
/t
D

) for logic gates.

In this work, we first present a methodology to obtain optimized 3D device simulation models for SOI FinFETs. Based on these 3D models, we develop adjusted 2D models to capture 3D simulation accuracy with 2D simulation efficiency. We report results for the 22nm SOI FinFET technology node. We adjust gate underlap (

L
UN

) in the 2D cross section of the n/pFinFET devices in order to mimic 3D device behavior. When the adjusted 2D models are employed in mixed-mode simulation of FinFET logic gates, the error in the evaluation of

I
LEAK
/t
D

is very small. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such attempt. We show that 2D device models remain valid even under process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations. We target process variations in gate length (

L
G

), fin thickness (

T
SI

), gate oxide thickness (

T
OX

), and gate workfunction (

Φ
G

), which are the parameters that have been shown to have the most impact on leakage and delay.
Improved Threshold Logic Synthesis Using Implicant-Implicit Algorithms
Authors: Palaniswamy Ashok Kumar , Tragoudas Spyros
Published: May 2014

Existing threshold logic synthesis methods decompose larger input functions into smaller input functions and perform synthesis for them. It is shown that significantly larger input functions can be synthesized by implementing the existing methods in an implicant-implicit manner. Experimental results on the ISCAS 85 benchmarks show that this impacts the synthesis cost, which drops significantly. More specifically, as the size of the functions that can be handled by the synthesis algorithm increases, the number of threshold logic gates required to implement very large input functions decreases. In addition, the total weight decreases and the performance is improved.
MOOCs and Technology to Advance Learning and Learning Research Opening Statement
Authors: Thille Candace
Published: May 2014

MOOCs have fueled both hope and anxiety about the future of higher education. Our objective in this symposium is to surface and explore some of the open questions which have arisen in the MOOC debates. In this symposium, ten authors examine different aspects of MOOCs and technology to advance learning and learning research.
OMC
Authors: Czap Hans , Reiter Joachim
Published: May 2014

In this paper, we present a reference-model to support information processing of business-co-operations. The co-operation of autonomous and heterogeneous partners leads to special demands, which mainly result in increased flexibility with respect to the definition and execution of inter-organisational processes. In the following, a general framework will be established in order to account for the superior flexibility-efficiency. Additionally, this framework will allow the consideration of individual user-preferences.
Development of a library for reusable workflow objects
Authors: Hofmann Andreas
Published: May 2014

In the field of office automation technical machines and methods are used to make the workflows in the office more efficient and simple. One new method sets the focus on the optimization of the whole working process rather than on the optimization of a single function: Business Process Modeling or Workflow Modeling. Such processes, that are influencing the financial result of the whole company can be called "profit critical jobs". To achieve the aim of process optimization some tasks have to be performed: Among these tasks, the appropriate modeling of the business process and underlying organization is the most essential. Support for analysis in order to verify, evaluate and modify processes and organizational structures is also of great importance.
HyperMUD
Authors: Bollmeyer Joern
Published: May 2014

Currently, we are starting to work in a project which is called "Multimedia Supported Communities". Within this project, the interaction between the use of new technologies and the development of social relations are to be studied. The first goal of this project is to find out which forms of virtual communities exist or can be found in literature. After that we try to fin d criteria for characterizing different types of such communities. One criterion could be the ability to create and manipulate a common "external memory" and the quality of this memory. Keil-Slawik explained the roll of artifacts as external memory in creative development processes, especially in software design [cf. Keil-Slawik (1992)]. The external memory reflects the level of development of the virtual community. Based on the artifacts used at any time it is possible to improve them and to measure the improvement with respect to the original, still present artifacts. Thus, there are permanent cycles of learning and developing. Now, our approach is to characterize multimedia supported communities according to the quality of the ability to build and modify a shared external memory. For example, there are classic chat systems such as IRC (Internet Relay Chat) where only texts supplied by the operator (e.g. help texts or recordings of certain discussions) may be stored and accessed by other users. An example for a better quality of creating a shared external memory for a community is given in MUDs (Multi User Dungeons and dragons or Multi User Domains).
Virtual community
Authors: Wellman Barry
Published: May 2014

SIGGROUP is about more than computer supported cooperative work. It is also concerned with how people use computer networks to obtain sociability, support, a sense of belonging, and all kinds of information
1
. That is why

virtual community

has become a new SIGGROUP focus area. This initial column briefly sketches several varieties of virtual community. Experience has taught me that while everyone knows about some types of virtual communities, few know about their many varieties.
Knowledge management at work
Authors: Jones Mark A.
Published: May 2014

Knowledge Management has been embraced by many leading edge corporations and organizations as a way for them to leverage the knowledge that exists within the firm, improve the flow of knowledge among their employees, and foster innovation. In some cases, large scale systems involving thousands of users world-wide have been installed for several years, which makes this an excellent time to reflect on how well current KM approaches and technologies have done to realize their goals.One thing that emerges from the papers is an effort to explain real value for organizations through KM efforts that go well beyond the generic promises of the Learning Organization or Reusing Intellectual Assets. Collectively, the papers give us a sense of how effective solutions are designed around a particular organization's knowledge needs, taking into account human needs. The first two papers discuss Current Approaches in Knowledge Management, while the last three papers relate practitioners' Case Studies in Knowledge Management.
COOP'98
Authors: Giboin Alain
Published: May 2014

COOP'98, the Third International Conference on the Design of Cooperative Systems, was held in Cannes, France, from May 26-29, 1998. It was attended by about 100 people.
NSF workshop on “Distributed information, computation and process management for scientific and engineering environments”
Authors: Patrikalakis Nicholas M.
Published: May 2014

An Invitational Workshop on Distributed Information, Computation, and Process Management for Scientific and Engineering Environments (DICPM 2) was held at the Hyatt Dulles in Hemdon, Virginia, USA, on May 15-16, 1998. The objective of the workshop was to bring together domain scientists involved with the development and utilization of simulations of complex systems and computer scientists working on distributed intelligent repositories and process management. The application of further research efforts along these lines will help to increase the availability, effectiveness, and utilization of large-scale, multidisciplinary distributed scientific and engineering systems. Funding for the workshop was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The 51 participants were drawn from academia, industry, and government, including program managers from NSF, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The final detailed report of the workshop will be available after July 30, 1998, at the workshop web site.
TransIT - investing SME co-operation across borders in Europe
Authors: Stiemerling Oliver , Wulf Volker , Cremers Armin B. , Bancroft Clive , Buelens Christine , Boulliard Gert , Maidhof Martin , Peters Ralph , Fricker Francis , Durand Charles
Published: May 2014

TRANSIT investigates the current challenges and potential of computer supported transnational cooperation of small and medium size engineering firms in Europe. The project is an international initiative supported by the European Social Fund's ADAPT program and involves Universities and private companies in the UK, Belgium, and Germany. The partners from each country are in turn involved in national ADAPT projects which benefit from the experiences made on the transnational level. The project started in January 98 and will end in December 99. In this article we describe the TRANSIT approach to the investigation of transnational SME-cooperation and present findings to date.
Virtual community prescence awareness
Authors: Boyer David G. , Handel Mark J. , Herbsleb James
Published: May 2014

The goal of the work presented in this paper is to identify ways to improve the speed, efficiency and quality with which a distributed development team develops their product and delivers it to market. We are working closely with a distributed product team at Lucent Technologies in order to ensure that our efforts are based on the needs of an existing distributed organization. Interviews have been conducted with members of this organization which have revealed a number of problems which affect distributed groups. Some of the problems identified were: the lack of tools to share data during meetings, insufficient organizational information, lack of knowledge concerning who was responsible for each module of the system, lack of any informal, unplanned, encounters/meetings between the distributed sites, and lack of presence information; e.g. in today or on holiday, for distant colleagues.The focus of the work presented in this paper is to provide tools, which allow this virtual community to have more informal/impromptu encounters based on knowledge of distant colleagues' presence. We believe that this will help the distributed group begin to feel more like a team, and will substantially lower the cost of initiating communication with someone at a remote site. Currently, it is difficult and time consuming to get hold of someone because there is no way to tell if they are available, or if they are momentarily away from their desks, or in the midst of a crisis, or away on vacation, or if the other site is closed for a holiday. For co-located team members, this sort of information is provided by local knowledge and by signals such as closed doors, so it is much easier, and takes much less time, to contact a colleague. Informal communication plays a critical role in project coordination, and facilitating informal communication across sites can be expected to significantly reduce the problems of multi-site development.The tools have two main thrusts -presence detection and communications. Presence cues are primarily detected by computer or telephony activity, as well as information provided directly by the user. Communications capabilities range from text chat, audio conferencing to video conferencing. In addition, these tools attempt to use information stored in disparate places, including the corporate intranet and the software configuration management system. It is hoped that these links to various forms of institutional memory will help to provide not just information about an individual's presence and location, but help to suggest which individual to contact for answers or help.
Using email and WWW in a distributed participatory design project
Authors: Farshchian Babak A. , Divitini Monica
Published: May 2014

In this paper we present our experience from a distributed software development project supported with basic Internet tools. In particular we focus on how these basic tools can be used for supporting the involvement of users in the development process. We sketch some observations, presenting some advantages and disadvantages of using such a basic cooperation infrastructure. Finally we highlight some requirements for lightweight groupware systems overcoming the described drawbacks.
User participation in requirements negotiation
Authors: Herlea Daniela E.
Published: May 2014

This paper discusses the user involvement in the early phases of the software development life-cycle, specifically in the requirements definition. It argues that designing for product quality means enabling an effective communication and involvement of the user factor in the process of defining the requirements for the system to be developed. It addresses the human dimension and the social interaction of the requirements negotiation, and discusses issues involved in designing groupware for user participation in a remote setting. We believe that groupware should not only give technical support to the modeling of requirements, but also to the group social interaction through which the requirements are captured and negotiated.