bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adoption of PBL to Online Environments
Authors: Gursul Fatih , Keser Hafize , Gulsecen Sevinc
Published: July 2010

This study’s aim is to find out student’s perspectives on online and face-to-face problem-based learning approaches. The study was conducted at the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technologies, Faculty of Education, Hacettepe University. Participants were 42 freshman students attending the department during fall of 2006-2007. These students were put into two groups—the online problem-based learning group and the face-to-face problem-based learning group. The research was conducted on Mathematics-I while implementing the topic of ‘derivation’. The content analysis statistical technique is used, as well as a questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions, which perform as a data collection tool to find out the views of the students in context to the process.
User Acceptance of Location-Based Mobile Advertising
Authors: Zolfaghar Kiyana , Khoshalhan Farid , Rabiei Mohammad
Published: July 2010

Location-based advertising (LBA) opens up new frontiers for marketers to place their advertisements in front of consumers. LBA is a new form of marketing communication that uses location-tracking technology in mobile networks to target consumers with location-specific advertising on their cell phones. It provides more targeted communication and interaction between the marketer and its potential customers. This paper reviews different aspects of LBA advertising and investigates the drivers of consumer acceptance toward it. Achieving this, a research framework is developed to explore the factors influencing consumer intention for using LBA in Iran. Individuals’ responses to questions about intention to accept/use of LBA advertising were collected and analyzed with various factors modified from UTAUT with main constructs of utility expectancy, trust, effort expectancy, and control. While the model confirms the classical role of utility expectancy and effort expectancy as the key factors in technology acceptance, the results also show that users’ behavioral intentions are influenced by trust and their control on ads flow.
Effects of e-CRM Value Perceptions on Website Loyalty
Authors: Jih Wen-Jang , Lee Su-Fang
Published: July 2010

Web-enabled customer relationship management, or e-CRM, holds the promise to simultaneously achieve the conflicting goals of strategic flexibility and operational efficiency in developing and executing innovative e-commerce marketing strategies. A new multi-disciplinary field involving such diverse areas as marketing, information systems, and consumer behavior, e-CRM seeks to strengthen customer relationship via a portfolio of trust-building practices with the support of powerful information technologies. While most literature in e-CRM has focused on how firms formulate and implement e-CRM initiatives, there is a dearth of literature on viewing the overall quality of an e-commerce firm’s e-CRM practices from the consumer point of view. This research proposes such a consumer-oriented concept, e-CRM value, based on existing e-CRM research literature and examines the effect of e-CRM value on website loyalty. It was found that customers’ perception of e-CRM value has a positive causal effect on their website loyalty. The implications of this finding for the theory-building of e-CRM and marketing practices of e-commerce firms are discussed.
Privacy Challenges in the Use of eHealth Systems for Public Health Management
Authors: Raychaudhuri Karpurika , Ray Pradeep
Published: July 2010

Privacy is a major issue in information management for public health needs. For example, the surveillance of infectious diseases, such as HIV, is an important function of public health and it presents major privacy concerns for affected people. While their privacy must be protected, privacy concerns should not come in the way of effective data collection and surveillance. In this paper, the authors present a survey of published work covering privacy challenges in the use of eHealth systems, especially in the context of public health management. The authors identify and present the major privacy challenges, their effects on personal patient privacy and public health management based on the review of research in electronic data privacy and eHealth privacy. The authors also present a survey of privacy-preserving technologies and solutions that address these challenges.
Web 2.0 Teacher Community in a National Health E-learning Network
Authors: Su Mei-Ju , Lin Jia-Wei , Chen Yen-Ting , Lin Yaw-Jen , Su Yu-Huei , Chen Sao-Jie , Chen Heng-Shuen
Published: July 2010

To create the best e-learning environment, the project of Ministry of Education Taiwan, one of the e-Generation projects, established the digital e-learning web that includes Health, Life, Natural, Science, Arts and Cultural e-learning Networks. The health e-Learning Network combines experts in the field of health and physical education and primary and secondary school teachers to develop practical and high quality e-learning content, while also developing lesson plans and related activities. They can be divided into three areas including health education, medical care and sports and leisure which encompass the “Health e-Learning Network” (HeN). The curriculum of HeN (Chen, 2006) covers seven thematic strands and has lesson plans, material, knowledge, and multimedia learning modules for teachers to utilize during class time. Web2.0 is used to lead into the HeN website, enabling teachers the initiative to participate in e-learning, while also giving users their own initiative to build development, two-way interaction, fast response, and so forth (HeN website: http://health.edu.tw).
A Semantic-Based Dynamic Search Engine Design and Implementation for Electronic Medical Records
Authors: Yu Weider D. , Yilayavilli Seshadri K.
Published: July 2010

In the current technology driven world, information retrieval activities are in almost every aspect of daily, as society uses popular web search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Live Search, Ask, and so forth to obtain helpful information. Often, these popular search engines look for and obtain key information; however, not all of the retrieved items are relevant in context to the search target a. Thus, it is left for the user to filter out unwanted information, using only a few information items left from the search results. These popular web search engines use a first generation search service based on “static keywords”, which require the users to know exactly what they want to search and enter the right keywords. This approach puts the user at a disadvantage. In this paper, the authors investigate and design a dynamic, question-answer search engine that enables searching by attributes for more precise and relevant information in Electronic Medical Record (EMR) field.
Wee Wii
Authors: Bryant J. Alison , Akerman Anna , Drell Jordana
Published: July 2010

In this paper, the authors specifically focus on the opportunities and challenges presented by the Nintendo Wii to preschoolers in context to three key objectives in order to facilitate game development: First, to understand the range of physical and cognitive abilities of preschoolers in motion-based game play; Second, to understand how preschoolers interact with the Wii; Third, to understand the expectations of the parents of preschoolers with regard to these new gaming platforms and the purchase and play contexts within which game play occurs. In addition to reporting challenges and advantages of the motion-based play for preschoolers, the authors also discuss how the findings of this research were then implemented by the game producers to develop the first preschool-targeted game on the market in the United States.
Effects of Playing a History-Simulation Game
Authors: Wang Shiang-Kwei
Published: July 2010

Studies on game-based learning usually investigate at least one of three subjects: the effects of gaming on learning performance, the effects of gaming on cognitive skills and attitudes, and learners’ game-design experiences. Whether gaming relates positively to learning outcomes is still under investigation. This study examines the components contributing to the development of a literate game player and how players could cognitively grasp the design of a game scenario based on real history (namely, the game Romance of the Three Kingdoms). This study surveyed 497 participants in Taiwan on their knowledge of Chinese history (the Three Kingdoms period). The participants constituted two groups: participants who had years of gaming experience and participants who did not. The study examined test performance by using an independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA and Pearson-correlation methods. The results revealed that the game players were more knowledgeable about the history of the Three Kingdoms period, had greater motivation to learn history, and were more motivated to learn history by playing the game than was the case with the non-game players.
Cultural Impacts on Acceptance and Adoption of Information Technology in a Developing Country
Authors: Baker Elizabeth White , Al-Gahtani Said S. , Hubona Geoffrey S.
Published: July 2010

This study investigates technology adoption behavior of Saudi Arabian knowledge workers using desktop computers within the context of TAM2, and the unique effects of Saudi culture on IT adoption within the developing, non-Western, country. Following the guidelines of the etic-emic research tradition, which encourages cross-cultural theory and framework testing, the study findings reveal that the TAM2 model accounts for 40.3% of the variance in behavioral intention among Saudi users, which contrasts Venkatesh and Davis’ (2000) explained 34-52% of the variance in usage intentions among U.S. users. The model’s explanatory power differs due to specific Saudi Arabian emic constructs, including its collectivist culture and the worker’s focus on the managerial father figure’s influence on individual performance, a stark difference from TAM findings in more individualistic societies. The authors’ findings contribute to understanding the effects of cultural contexts in influencing technology acceptance behaviors, and demonstrate the need for research into additional cultural factors that account for technology acceptance.
A Fuzzy-Neural Approach with Collaboration Mechanisms for Semiconductor Yield Forecasting
Authors: Chen Toly
Published: July 2010

Yield forecasting is critical to a semiconductor manufacturing factory. To further enhance the effectiveness of semiconductor yield forecasting, a fuzzy-neural approach with collaboration mechanisms is proposed in this study. The proposed methodology is modified from Chen and Lin’s approach by incorporating two collaboration mechanisms: favoring mechanism and disfavoring mechanism. The former helps to achieve the consensus among multiple experts to avoid the missing of actual yield, while the latter shrinks the search region to increase the probability of finding out actual yield. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, it was applied to some real cases. According to experimental results, the proposed methodology improved both precision and accuracy of semiconductor yield forecasting by 58% and 35%, respectively.
An Approach to Using Ontologies for the Development of High Quality Disaster Recovery Plans
Authors: Rao Lila , McNaughton Maurice , Osei-Bryson Kweku-Muata , Haye Manley
Published: July 2010

Disasters have the potential to cripple a country and those countries that are particularly susceptible to disasters must have effective disaster recovery plans (DRP) in place to ensure that the country can return to normalcy as soon as possible after the devastation. However, for the plan to be effective it must be of high quality, which is often viewed as a multidimensional concept containing essential factors for DRP, such as consistency, completeness, reliability and feasibility. Therefore, any methodology for the development of DRP must take these dimensions into account as their affect on quality is considerable. In this regard, the authors describe a quality based methodology for the development of DRP, including a methodology that makes use of ontologies containing properties that are suited to the development of these high quality plans. The applicability of the proposed methodology will be demonstrated through a case study of an electric utility company in Jamaica.
Network Analyzer Development Comparison with Independent Data and Benchmark Products
Authors: Ismail Mohd Nazri , Zin Abdullah Mohd
Published: July 2010

This paper presents complete network analyzer development for heterogeneous services in a campus environment. The purpose of this study is to define the accuracy of network analyzer development with independent data, real networks and OPNET simulation tools. The tests for network analyzer software are based on traffic and utilization performance. The reliability of this network analyzer will test with web service. The results show that this software is accurate with independent data, real networks and OPNET simulation tools. Finally, this software measures network resources during the preparation, proposal and planning phases.
Users' Perceptions of Wireless Networks Usage
Authors: Saluja Arleen , Mahatanankoon Pruthikrai , Gyires Tibor
Published: July 2010

Wireless networks provide the most convenient way to access the Internet. This paper determines how the preliminary and advanced knowledge of wireless networks affect users’ perception and usage. Based on their knowledge, users develop certain emotional responses, which could affect their wireless network usage. This study identifies the effect of these emotional responses on users’ degree of use of wireless networks. Using data collected from 143 respondents, regression analyses reveal that wireless network usage is affected less by advanced wireless network knowledge and more by preliminary knowledge. The findings also show that the degree of usage depends on users’ ability to understand basic wireless network functionality and security. To motivate wireless usage, developers and designers of future wireless technologies do not need to overwhelm users with technical detail.
Tracking Values in Web based Student Teacher Exchanges
Authors: Hansson Thomas
Published: July 2010

When vocational student teachers communicate on a virtual platform in a combined campus and web based university course they focus on the contents of teaching and learning. However, in communicating professional teacher knowledge they implicitly express their personal values too. Without giving it much thought, they embed values in their verbal entries and they assess embedded values in their peers’ texts. This article introduces a soft systems model for categorizing the influence of values on web based interactions.
The Importance of Systems Methodologies for Industrial and Scientific National Wealthy and Development
Authors: Kljajic Miroljub
Published: July 2010

The relationship between industrial and scientific knowledge and systems methodologies is discussed in this paper. As the measure of the former on the macro level, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is assumed to be the consequence of systems’ Research and Development (R&D), which is estimated indirectly by the number of articles published in academic journals in the last 40 years. It is assumed that Production, Management and Information Systems (IS) can be considered suitable main representatives of the quality of organizational processes and that GDP is their consequence. In turn, the Systems Approach (SA), Systems Engineering (SE), Operational Research (OR), Information Systems Development (ISD) and Simulation represent the methodology set for coping with organizational complex processes. We looked for the articles containing the aforementioned variables as topic keywords in core scientific databases. Results show a sufficient correlation between the number of publications and the GDP.
Ripple Effect in Web Applications
Authors: Mansour Nashat , Baba Nabil
Published: July 2010

The number of internet web applications is rapidly increasing in a variety of fields and not much work has been done for ensuring their quality, especially after modification. Modifying any part of a web application may affect other parts. If the stability of a web application is poor, then the impact of modification will be costly in terms of maintenance and testing. Ripple effect is a measure of the structural stability of source code upon changing a part of the code, which provides an assessment of how much a local modification in the web application may affect other parts. Limited work has been published on computing the ripple effect for web application. In this paper, the authors propose, a technique for computing ripple effect in web applications. This technique is based on direct-change impact analysis and dependence analysis for web applications developed in the .Net environment. Also, a complexity metric is proposed to be included in computing the ripple effect in web applications.
The Impact of Supporting Organizational Knowledge Management through a Corporate Portal on Employees and Business Processes
Authors: Al-Busaidi Kamla Ali
Published: July 2010

Due to corporate portal playing a major role on organizational knowledge management (KM), this study was conducted to assess the impact of supporting KM processes through a corporate portal on business processes and employees at an academic institution. This paper specifically assesses the impact of knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion, knowledge application and knowledge protection on business processes’ effectiveness, efficiency and innovation, and employees’ learning, adaptability, and job satisfaction. Findings suggest that the ending KM process, knowledge application, produces the highest impact on business processes and employees. First, supporting knowledge application through a corporate portal was positively associated with business processes’ effectiveness and innovation and employees’ learning, adaptability, and job satisfaction. Second, supporting knowledge conversion was positively associated with business processes’ effectiveness and employees’ learning, whereas supporting knowledge protection was positively associated with business processes’ effectiveness and efficiency but negatively associated with employees’ learning. Finally, supporting knowledge acquisition was positively associated with only business processes’ innovation.
Using Social Networks in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
Authors: Deed Craig , Edwards Anthony
Published: July 2010

Realising the potential for web-based communication in learning and teaching is challenging for educators. In this paper, the authors examine students’ attitudes toward active learning when using an unrestricted blog in an academic context and whether this can be used to support reflective and critical discussion, leading to knowledge construction. The authors collected data using an online survey with questions on student perceptions of the type, frequency and effectiveness of their strategy. Analysis of the data was conducted using Bloom’s revised taxonomy. The research indicates that students must have prior familiarity with this form of communication technology to construct knowledge in an academic context. The authors conclude that effective learning will only emerge if informed by the student experience and perspective.
The Study of Educative Network Organizations in the City of Barcelona
Authors: Gibson Jordi Díaz , Zaragoza Mireia Civís , Mayayo Jordi Longás , Murat López
Published: July 2010

This paper describes the inside organization of Educative Networks (ENs) and the aspects that allowed their growth and success in the city of Barcelona, Spain. ENs emerged over the past ten years in Catalonia, Spain, as a way to incorporate social and educative challenges in the territory. These educative proposals are based on the connection between the different educative institutions in the community to tackle social and education challenges in cooperation through transversality and a common project. The intent of ENs is to create synergies between cooperating organizations and coordinate community action to avoid overlap and redundant work. This study shows how these educative structures use context possibilities to improve educative impact and develop a new vision of organizing and conceiving education.
The Knowledge CORE
Authors: Griffiths David A. , Koukpaki Serge , Martin Brian Yan
Published: July 2010

This paper derives from a research project, which sets out to address practitioner dissatisfaction in the area of Knowledge Management. The author discusses common weaknesses in existing thinking about Knowledge Management and in prevailing models in particular. Modelling processes are considered and underlying assumptions that are required to be addressed in any attempt to create a Knowledge Management Model are examined. An overview is provided of the initial stages in the development of a new, synthetic and general model, The Knowledge Core©, with assumptions underlying this signposted and their influences upon modelling are discussed.
Expert Mining and Traditional Chinese Medicine Knowledge
Authors: Jifa Gu , Wuqi Song , Zhengxiang Zhu , Gao Rui , Liu Yijun
Published: July 2010

Expert mining is an emergent theory and technique that is useful for collecting the ideas, experiences, knowledge and wisdom from experts. Thus, in this paper, the authors have applied expert mining to solve problems related to social system and knowledge systems pertaining to specific types of information. TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) masters accumulated useful knowledge in medicine from ancient China paying close attention to collecting and maintaining the ideas, experiences, knowledge and wisdom from famous elder masters in TCM. In collecting this information, a large project was conducted from 100 famous elder masters in TCM supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Due to the enormity of this project, subprojects have been established using advanced IT technology, Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge Science and Systems Science to analyze and express these masters’ experiences and theories. One of the subprojects uses expert mining and other techniques to analyze both individual and group ideas and knowledge. This paper will describe results and future planning in how this subproject will be conducted while introducing methods and tools used for expert mining.
Enhancing On-Line Conferencing Ba with Human-Machine Interaction CorMap Analysis
Authors: Luo Bin , Tang Xijin
Published: July 2010

Recently, information is being used to enhance supporting technologies in conference management systems, which greatly improves the efficiency of conference organizing affairs and promotes extensive communication and cooperation between researchers. The on-line conferencing ba (OLCB) serves as a conference management system and provides an environment for knowledge creation. CorMap analysis is a technique for qualitative meta-synthesis, which can carry out series mining from qualitative data. The early OLCB system pushes the visualized results of CorMap analysis to users by images. In this paper, the authors introduce an interactive CorMap analysis to enhance the OLCB system, which enables users to conduct the conference mining process directly and acquire more clear and structured information. The working process of interactive CorMap analysis is shown with the application of the 7th International Workshop on Meta-synthesis and Complex Systems (MCS’2007).
Impact of Programming Language Fragmentation on Developer Productivity
Authors: Krein Jonathan L. , MacLean Alexander C. , Knutson Charles D. , Delorey Daniel P. , Eggett Dennis L.
Published: July 2010

Programmers often develop software in multiple languages. In an effort to study the effects of programming language fragmentation on productivity—and ultimately on a developer’s problem-solving abilities—the authors present a metric, language entropy, for characterizing the distribution of a developer’s programming efforts across multiple programming languages. This paper presents an observational study examining the project contributions of a random sample of 500 SourceForge developers. Using a random coefficients model, the authors find a statistically (alpha level of 0.001) and practically significant correlation between language entropy and the size of monthly project contributions. Results indicate that programming language fragmentation is negatively related to the total amount of code contributed by developers within SourceForge, an open source software (OSS) community.
Understanding Human Factors in Systems Selection and Implementation
Authors: Peszynski Konrad
Published: July 2010

This study examines the role of power and politics in systems implementation. Current literature misses the complexities involved in systems implementation through human factors and the political nature of systems implementation and is simplistic in nature. The concept of power relations, as proposed by Foucault (1977, 1978), has been utilised by the authors to identify the dynamic nature of power and politics. A case study of the implementation of an enterprise-wide learning management system at Newlands University is presented and analysed using social dramas to distinguish between the front stage issues of power and hidden discourses. Challenges for power are acted out in the front stage, or public forums between various actors. The social dramas, as they have been described here, are superfluous to the discourse underpinning the front stage. Furthermore, the enactment of policy legitimises power and establishes the discourse, limiting resistance.
Interview
Authors: Mora Manuel , Kljajic Miroljub
Published: July 2010

In this short article, we present an e-interview to a well-recognized system scientist Barry G. Silverman, who is Professor of Systems Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Ackoff Collaboratory for Advancement of the Systems Approach (ACASA) in the same university. In this e-interview, Professor Silverman, teach us on the origins, and still applicability and need of the Systems Approach, but now focused on the present complex social systems. A Systems Approach must and can provide a white-box research approach and advance on the limitations of the reductionist black-box research approaches. Professor Silverman, also alert us on the scarcity of PhD academic programs covering these systems approaches and makes a call for continuing the “difficult missionary effort” of teaching and doing research on the Systems Approach .
Knowledge Extraction from a Computational Consumer Model Based on Questionnaire Data Observed in Retail Service
Authors: Ishigaki Tsukasa , Motomura Yoichi , Dohi Masako , Kouchi Makiko , Mochimaru Masaaki
Published: July 2010

In service industries, matching the level of demand of the consumer and the level of service of the provider is important because it requires the service provider to have knowledge of consumer-related factors. Therefore, an intelligent model of the consumer is needed to estimate such factors because they cannot be observed directly by the service provider. This paper describes a method for computational modeling of the consumer by understanding his or her behavior based on datasets observed in real services. The proposed method constructs a probabilistic structure model by integrating questionnaire data and a Bayesian network, which incorporates nonlinear and non-Gaussian variables as conditional probabilities. The proposed method is applied to an analysis of the requested function from customers regarding the continued use of an item of interest. The authors obtained useful knowledge for function design and marketing from the constructed model by a simulation and sensitivity analysis.
Non-Monotonic Modeling for Personalized Services Retrieval and Selection
Authors: Lau Raymond Y. K. , Zhang Wenping
Published: July 2010

With growing interest in Semantic Web services and emerging standards, such as OWL, WSMO, and SWSL in particular, the importance of applying logic-based models to develop core elements of the intelligent Semantic Web has been more closely examined. However, little research has been conducted in Semantic Web services on issues of non-mono-tonicity and uncertainty of Web services retrieval and selection. In this paper, the authors propose a non-monotonic modeling and uncertainty reasoning framework to address problems related to adaptive and personalized services retrieval and selection in the context of micro-payment processing of electronic commerce. As intelligent payment service agents are faced with uncertain and incomplete service information available on the Internet, non-monotonic modeling and reasoning provides a robust and powerful framework to enable agents to make service-related decisions quickly and effectively with reference to an electronic payment processing cycle.
Electronic Training Methods
Authors: Sinniah Veeriah , Kaur Sharan
Published: July 2010

This study comparatively examines the relative effectiveness and frequency of use of modern and conventional training methods, as much rhetoric has surrounded the use of techniques like distance learning and computer-based training methods. The responses from 200 employees suggest that no significant difference exists with respect to frequency of use, but a significant difference exists in terms of effectiveness. The result shows that on-the-job training (OJT) methods are widely used and are perceived as the most effective method, whereas distance learning is not widely used because it is perceived as less effective. This study also reveals that a significant difference exists between modern training methods and conventional training methods in terms of attaining training objectives. OJT is given the highest rating for attaining training objectives.
Sustainable e-Recruiting Portals
Authors: Furtmüller Elfi , Wilderom Celeste , van Dick Rolf
Published: July 2010

Since most e-recruiting portals suffer from outdated applicant profiles and receive little user return as soon as applicants have found a new job, in this study, the authors explore how to motivate applicants to keep their profiles up-to-date and stay connected with one specific recruiting portal throughout their careers. The authors interviewed applicants, system analysts and programmers of an Austrian e-recruiting portal. Narratives showing striking differences between these three stakeholders’ interpretation of system requirements for long-term usage are discussed. The identified requirements point to niche recruiting: integrating social network and community features for specified user segments sharing a similar social identity and fostering pre-existing offline ties among users for career purposes. Implications are sketched for more sustainable e-recruiting research, design and development.
Theorizing HR Intranets
Authors: Guilloux Véronique , Laval Florence , Kalika Michel
Published: July 2010

This paper presents the results of a longitudinal exploratory survey based on a sample of French firms. Different contexts of Intranet, as well as introduction, development stages, performance and Intranet content are presented. Three approaches are in existence: corporate Intranet, specialized Intranet and HR Intranet. These can be linked to different stages of development: communication, functional support, and knowledge management. The HR Function will be successful if it integrates Intranet in its management process, if the players are aware of the stakes and they behave as “real change agents”. Research shows the importance of strategic alignment between human resource management (HRM) and Intranet as well as the relevance of technological infusion, therefore, this paper’s result in showing a configurative approach that allows the integration of more variables and in turn leads to a systemic model contains great significance.
Acceptance and Appropriation of Videoconferencing for E-training
Authors: Fallery Bernard , Taddei Roxana , Gerbaix Sylvie
Published: July 2010

The purpose of this paper is to explore the acceptance and the appropriation of videoconferencing-mediated training during real training situations in a French company. The authors compare the acceptance and appropriation by 60 employees of two videoconferencing-mediated training systems: the virtual class (desktop videoconferencing) and the remote class (where learners are gathered together in the same room while the trainer is located at distance). In considering the acceptance of these videoconferencing-mediated training systems, a link was confirmed between perceived usefulness and the intention to use, but no relationship was established between the levels of acceptance and the required effort. The intention to use videoconferencing was associated with the expected benefits and not with the expected effort. Regarding appropriation, learners did not report a perception of technological distance. Moreover, this paper shows that learners and the trainer preferred the virtual class rather than the more classical remote class. The authors’ findings contradict the media richness theory, according to which the remote class, which is the “richer” medium in their research, should have been preferred.
Enhancing the Portal Experience
Authors: Lamantia Joe
Published: July 2010

This article presents strategies for enhancing the long-term business and user value of portals as the third in a series of articles describing a Portal Design Framework. This article identifies essential Enterprise 2.0 functionality for collaboration and dialog—capabilities that support emerging Social Business practices—included in the Building Blocks Design Framework. The author discusses portal management and governance best practices and describes strategies for maintaining and enhancing the user experience of portals designed using the Building Blocks Framework.
How I Learned My ABCs: Action, Back to Basics, Collaboration, Discovery
Authors: Sole Mary Lou
Published: July 2010

Background Research is essential to generate the scientific evidence for critical care nursing practice, but it is challenging to conduct research in the busy critical care environment. The challenges are even greater in a setting with limited resources for research and where nurses have not typically conducted independent clinical studies.

Objectives To detail a successful research trajectory for studying the ABCs of patient care in the critically ill: airway, breathing, and circulation.

Methods After initial studies on circulation were conducted, the research was narrowed to focus on airway management. Airway management may be a key factor in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia because aspiration of colonized oral, gastric, and tracheal secretions is the primary cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Multiple descriptive, pilot, and interventional studies have been conducted; findings from each have contributed to future studies.

Results Other ABCs were critical to this research success: action, back to basics, collaboration, and discovery. It is important for researchers to be self-motivated and to take initiative to develop skills and resources for conducting clinical studies. Several guiding principles help to promote success in research: (1) generate research ideas grounded in observation and clinical practice, (2) collaborate with others, and (3) establish affiliations and partnerships. Discovery occurs in many ways: new findings to guide practice and research, resources to conduct the study, and self-discovery.

Conclusions Nursing research is not easy. However, determination and resources help nursing researchers achieve success.
Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Pediatric Patients in Lima, Perú
Authors: Medina Anicia M. , Rivera Fulton P. , Romero Liliana M. , Kolevic Lenka A. , Castillo Maria E. , Verne Eduardo , Hernandez Roger , Mayor Yovanna E. , Barletta Francesca , Mercado Erik , Ochoa Theresa J.
Published: July 2010

We conducted a prospective study in three hospitals in Lima in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) children to determine the frequency of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. Five E. coli colonies/patients were studied by a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction to identify the six currently recognized groups of diarrhea-associated E. coli. We have analyzed 70 HIV-associated diarrheal and 70 control samples from HIV-infected children without diarrhea. Among the diarrheal episodes 19% were persistent, 3% dysenteric, and 33% were associated with moderate or severe dehydration. The diarrheagenic E. coli were the most commonly isolated pathogens in diarrhea (19%) and control samples (26%) (P = 0.42), including enteroaggregative (6% versus 10%), enteropathogenic (6% versus 10%), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (4% versus 3%), respectively. The HIV-infected children with diarrhea had the worse age-related immunosuppression, higher viral loads, and were on highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) less often than HIV-infected children without diarrhea. Diarrheagenic E. coli were highly resistant to ampicillin (74%) and cotrimoxazole (70%).
Intravenous Ibuprofen (IV-ibuprofen) Controls Fever Effectively in Adults with Acute Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria but Prolongs Parasitemia
Authors: Krudsood Srivicha , Tangpukdee Noppadon , Wilairatana Polrat , Pothipak Nantaporn , Duangdee Chatnapa , Warrell David A. , Looareesuwan Sornchai
Published: July 2010

Because some febrile patients are unable to swallow or retain oral antipyretic drugs, we carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which intravenous ibuprofen (IV-ibuprofen) was given to adults hospitalized with fever associated with acute uncomplicated falciparum malaria treated with oral artesunate plus mefloquine. Thirty patients received IV-ibuprofen 400 mg and 30 received placebo every 6 hours for 72 hours. Reduction in the area above 37.0°C versus time curve was significantly greater for IV-ibuprofen than for placebo during the first 72 hours after first administration. No patients developed severe malaria; parasite clearance was delayed in the patients whose fevers were controlled by IV-ibuprofen (median 37.3 hours versus 23.7 hours in the placebo group [P = 0.0024]). This difference did not appear to be clinically important Adverse events, none considered severe, occurred equally in both groups. IV-ibuprofen was effective and well tolerated in reducing fever in febrile inpatients with malaria.
Enhancement of marine phytoplankton blooms by appendicularian grazers
Authors: Fernández Diego , Acuña José Luis
Published: July 2010

Short‐lived blooms of large phytoplankton are the main vector in the atmosphere‐ocean‐sediment carbon flux and are associated with high fish production. A common assumption is that grazing zooplankton can only have a negative effect on the growth of these blooms. We have found that appendicularians, the most abundant microphagous metazoans, strongly stimulate the magnitude of experimentally induced blooms and that this effect can be scaled to any appendicularian density. Moreover, during a postspring bloom cruise in May 2000 off the central Cantabrian coast, we found a high positive correlation between the biomass of large phytoplankton and the abundance of appendicularians. These results suggest that these marine microphagous zooplankton actively catalyze the biological CO2 pump by shifting the size structure of phytoplankton blooms toward large, rapidly sinking particles.
Increased photoreactivity of DOC by acidification: Implications for the carbon cycle in humic lakes
Authors: Anesio Alexandre Magno , Granéli Wilhelm
Published: July 2010

Effects of ultraviolet (UV)‐B radiation and acidification on pelagic carbon flux in a humic lake (dissolved organic carbon [DOC] ~15 mg C L−1) were studied in a mesocosm experiment during the summer of 2000. Triplicate tanks (107 liters volume, 1 m high) were exposed to natural solar radiation, a daily extra dose of UV‐B radiation, or kept dark. One set of tanks was submitted to a decrease in pH (from 5.7 to 4.7), and one set was kept at the natural pH level. During 70 d, water samples were taken regularly from the mesocosms for measurements of DOC, absorbance, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and pH. Additionally, we regularly incubated samples to measure photooxidation rates, primary production, and community respiration. We found an increase in the photooxidation rates in the acidified mesocosms relative to ambient pH. The greater abiotic production of DIC (i.e., photooxidation) in acidified conditions could explain ~27% of the decline in DOC in the same conditions. Laboratory experi ments were done to test the effects of pH on the dissolved organic matter (DOM) photoreactivity. At lower pH values, we found both higher abiotic DIC production and specific absorbance fading, relative to neutral pH values in water from a humic lake. In a separate experiment, samples were exposed to prolonged irradiation under laboratory conditions, resulting in complete loss of absorptivity in the wavelengths between 290 and 400 nm. Decreases in DOC in the long‐term exposure caused by photochemical mineralization were ~45 and 55% of the initial pool for natural pH and acidified samples, respectively, at the end of the experiment. An increase in the dissolved organic matter photoreactivity by acidification could be an important mechanism to explain the increased water transparency and in‐lake DOC removal in acid lakes found in several previous studies.
Major shift in bacterioplankton utilization of enantiomeric amino acids between surfacewaters and the ocean's interior
Authors: Pèrez, Maria T. , Pausz Clemens , Herndl Gerhard J.
Published: July 2010

The peptidoglycan layer of the bacterioplankton cell wall contains four major amino acids (alanine, Ala; serine, Ser; aspartic acid, Asp; and glutamic acid, Glu) in a characteristic enantiomeric ratio (D/L ratio). It is assumed that bacterioplankton are the only biological source of significance for these four specific D‐amino acid species in the ocean. The concentrations of these dissolved total enantiomeric amino acids were measured throughout the water column of the Faroe Shetland Channel (North Atlantic). Concurrently, the uptake of D‐ versus L‐Asp and of L‐leucine (as a measure of bacterial production) by bacterioplankton was determined. The D/L ratios of the dissolved total Ala, Asp, Glu, and Ser did not exhibit any particular trend with depth, averaging 0.49 for Ala, 0.42 for Asp, 0.15 for Glu, and 0.09 for Ser. The ratio of D‐/L‐Asp uptake by bacteria, however, increased from surface (D‐/LAsp uptake ratio of ~0.03) to deeper layers reaching a D‐/L‐Asp uptake ratio of close to 1 at 1,000 m depth, indicating that mesopelagic bacteria utilize D‐Asp almost as efficiently as L‐Asp. Subsequent laboratory experiments with surface‐water bacterioplankton assemblages incubated in nutrient‐amended artificial seawater confirmed that bacterioplankton, in the absence of other utilizable organic carbon, efficiently utilize D‐amino acids. In these laboratory experiments, the D‐/L‐Asp uptake ratio increased within 8 d to values similar to those obtained for mesopelagic bacteria. Furthermore, the presence of flagellates stimulated the uptake of D‐Asp probably via enhanced release of D‐amino acids during bacterivory. Thus, our results indicate that dissolved D‐amino acids might be an important substrate for mesopelagic bacterioplankton. The efficient uptake of D‐amino acids in the deeper layers of the ocean might indicate that mesopelagic bacterioplankton are utilizing bacterial cell wall‐derived organic matter efficiently.
Flume observations of enhanced fine‐particle deposition to permeable sediment beds
Authors: Fries J. Stephen , Trowbridge John H.
Published: July 2010

Predictions of the deposition rate of fine particles are integral to the study of the transport of many constituents, including contaminants and organic matter. Generally, fine‐particle deposition rates are assumed to be equivalent to the suspension settling velocity. Deposition rates in excess of settling are considered enhanced. Flume observations of deposition were made using treatments that covered a wide range of flow, particle, and bed conditions. No enhancement was observed to impermeable boundaries. Specific treatments of sand bed experiments demonstrated large enhancements (up to eight times settling). For coarser sediment beds, little to no enhancement was observed. Previously identified mechanisms that could alter deposition rates, such as topography and aggregation, were dismissed using careful flow and particle size distribution measurements. Correlations between drag coefficient and deposition suggest that the mechanisms delivering additional particles to the sediment also reduce the effective drag of the bed on the flow. This is consistent with velocity slip at the sediment‐water interface. Another trend evident in the data is a dependence on the ratio of the bed grain size to particle diameter. Small ratios were associated with large enhancements, consistent with the idea that filtration within the sediment could be retaining delivered particles. In concert, fluid incursions and bed filtration might be capable of increasing the particle flux to the bed. The observation of enhanced deposition to flat sediment beds reinforces the importance of permeable sediments to the transport of particles from the water column to the sediment bed.
Submillimeter life positions of bacteria, protists, and metazoans in laminated sedimentsof the Santa Barbara Basin
Authors: Bernhard Joan M. , Visscher Pieter T. , Bowser Samuel S.
Published: July 2010

To provide insights into the biogeochemistry of environments where steep chemical gradients place anaerobes, microaerophiles, and aerobes in close proximity, it might be necessary to survey biotic distributions on scales that are not possible using conventional ecological approaches. To overcome such limitations, we adapted sedimentological and cell biological methods to examine the life positions of microbes within sediments. This fluorescently labeled embedded core (FLEC) technique was used to survey the submillimeter distributions of eukaryotic nanobiota and meiofauna, plus co‐occurring prokaryotes, inhabiting laminated sediments of the bathyal Santa Barbara Basin (SBB; 34°13'N, 120°02'W). Although SBB sediments were vertically structured on the scale of millimeters (i.e., as laminae), and microelectrode profiles suggested vertically distinct oxygenated and anoxic‐sulfidic layers, the distributions of aerobes, microaerophiles, and sulfide‐tolerant anaerobes were not concomitantly structured. Unprecedented associations were observed among microorganisms. For example, relatively deep in the sediments, where high sulfide concentrations were expected, flagellates were intimately associated with Beggiatoa. Ciliates were typically solitary, whereas flagellates were often aggregated in nearly monomorphotypic swarms of >3 × 104 mm‐3. Such aggregations could significantly affect geochemical pore‐water processes at scales <1 µl. Our observations indicate that a mosaic of chemically heterogeneous microhabitats exist in both vertical and horizontal dimensions, suggesting that biogeochemical processes in the SBB are more complex than predictions based on standard biotic assessments and microelectrode profiling.