bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of IT in Global Health Disparities and Human Rights
Authors: Kershaw Josephine
Published: May 2011

In a global environment, a key challenge of health care and information technology (IT) management involves increasing the knowledge of human rights issues and addressing the health disparities that result when human rights are violated. This chapter aims to promote the awareness and protection of basic human rights as a 21st century imperative. Drawing upon the human rights conceptual framework, the chapter focuses on the following objectives: First, the chapter highlights direct and indirect linkages between health and human rights, with an introduction to the principles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other health-related human rights documents. Second, the relevance of the globalization and the human rights framework for health care and IT management will be discussed. Third, the chapter presents initiatives in IT management solutions and policies with promising potential to enhance the health care and human rights situations of people around the world.
Linking Self-Directed Lifelong Learning and E-Learning
Authors: Inoue Yukiko
Published: May 2011

An important task of higher education is to assist students in participating in an increasingly global economy. This global economy is transforming into a knowledge economy. Individuals need to develop the necessary competencies to be able to participate in a working life that is mainly based on knowledge productivity. The competencies include self-directed lifelong learning, in particular, through e-learning. E-learning refers to using electronic applications and processes to learn. Such applications and processes include Internet-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. The traditional classroom-based approaches to education will not provide the learning environment that is required for student-directed learning. The digital revolution makes new approaches to higher education — approaches which do foster lifelong learning — practical. The current chapter therefore examines the importance of linking e-learning to current knowledge in general, and to self-directed lifelong learning specifically. Higher education today must commit to new roles: providing educational communities such as virtual campuses; and increasing capacities to produce knowledge available to all.
Dynamic Network Optimization for Effective Qos Support in Large Grid Infrastructures
Authors: Palmieri Francesco , Fiore Ugo
Published: May 2011

In the past decade there has been a remarkable change from mainframe-based centralized computing to a distributed client/server approach. In the coming decade this trend is likely to continue with further shifts towards network centric collaborative computing. At the state of the art, the key technology in collaborative computing is the computational grid paradigm. Like an electrical power grid, the computational Grid will aim to provide a steady, reliable source of computing power. More precisely, the term grid is now adopted to designate a common computational and/or data processing infrastructure built on distributed resources, highly heterogeneous (in their role, computing power and architecture), interconnected by heterogeneous communication networks and communicating through some basic services realized by a middleware stratum that offers a reliable, simple, uniform and often transparent interface to its resources such that an unaware user can submit jobs to the Grid just as if he/she was facing a large virtual supercomputer, so that large computing endeavors, consisting of one or more related jobs or tasks, are then transparently distributed over the network on the available computing resources. Such a workload distribution strategy, that is, to balance the tasks on different idle computers on the underlying networks, is the most important functionality in computational Grids, usually provided at the service level of the grid software infrastructure.
Leveraging the Power of the Grid with Opal
Authors: Krishnan Sriram , Clementi Luca , Ding Zhaohui , Li Wilfred
Published: May 2011

Grid systems provide mechanisms for single sign-on, and uniform APIs for job submission and data transfer, in order to allow the coupling of distributed resources in a seamless manner. However, new users face a daunting barrier of entry due to the high cost of deployment and maintenance. They are often required to learn complex concepts relative to Grid infrastructures (credential management, scheduling systems, data staging, etc). To most scientific users, running their applications with minimal changes and yet getting results faster is highly desirable, without having to know much about how the resources are used. Hence, a higher level of abstraction must be provided for the underlying infrastructure to be used effectively. For this purpose, we have developed the Opal toolkit for exposing applications on Grid resources as simple Web services. Opal provides a basic set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that allows users to execute their deployed applications, query job status, and retrieve results. Opal also provides a mechanism to define command-line arguments and automatically generates user interfaces for the Web services dynamically. In addition, Opal services can be hooked up to a Metascheduler such as CSF4 to leverage a distributed set of resources, and accessed via a multitude of interfaces such as Web browsers, rich desktop environments, workflow tools, and command-line clients.
A Grid Paradigm for e-Science Applications
Authors: Torterolo Livia , Corradi Luca , Canesi Barbara , Fato Marco , Barbera Roberto , Scifo Salvatore , Calanducci Antonio
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes a Grid oriented platform -the Bio Med Portal- as a new tool to promote collaboration and cooperation among scientists and healthcare research groups, enabling the remote use of resources integrated in complex software platform services forming a virtual laboratory. In fact, nowadays many biomedicine studies are dealing with large, distributed, and heterogeneous repositories as well as with computationally demanding analyses, and complex integration techniques are more often required to handle this complexity. The Bio Med Portal is designed to host several medical services and it is able to deploy several analysis algorithms. The scope of this chapter is both to present a Grid application with its own medical use case and to emphasize the benefit that a new Design Paradigm based on Grid could provide to research groups spread in geographically distributed sites.
Citizens, Not Consumers
Authors: Heidelberger Cory Allen
Published: May 2011

E-government and t-government programs too often see government as service provider and citizens as customers. T-government should view government and citizens as one decision-making entity. This chapter (1) critiques the citizen-as-consumer perspective as a cause of citizen alienation, (2) contributes a theoretical model based on citizen participation to guide development of t-government systems to act as social decision support systems, (3) highlights examples of e-government systems that encourage citizen participation, (4) sketches one possible t-government implementation of the model, and (5) addresses challenges the model and systems based on it may face.
The Myth of E-Government
Authors: Lindblad-Gidlund Katarina , Giritli-Nygren Katarina
Published: May 2011

The idea of e-government is spread at a rapid rate. In almost the entire world governments are attempting to adapt to the suggested changes which implies that e-government has become a global phenomenon. We suggest that the idea of e-government is best understood as a mythologised megatrend. It has become a symbol for the modernised government of today. A symbol which, in some sense, has to be demythologized in order to to be able to be realised. It is argued that it is possible to gain further insights into, and tools to cope with, the gap between myth and reality by differentiate between general and specific interpretations of the idea. By analysing these interpretations the myth can be partially unravelled, which is illustrated by a large scale study based on 2,624 employees in public administration. The result indicates a loose coupling between the general and the specific level.
IT Governance in the Public Sector in a Developing Country
Authors: Nfuka Edephonce N. , Rusu Lazar
Published: May 2011

This chapter focuses on IT governance in the public sector organizations in a developing country like Tanzania. Today in many organizations in the public sector, the use of IT has become crucial in sustaining and extending the organizations’ strategies and objectives. This pervasive use of technology has caused a critical dependency on IT that calls for a specific focus on IT governance. In this chapter, we provide its overview and, based on the analysis of five case studies indicate the current practices, problems, and consequences in the Tanzanian public sector environment. Moreover, we reveal twelve key issues to consider for effective IT governance together with the trends and future research in improving ICT-enabled transformational government in public service delivery in this environment. In this context, the chapter contributes to an understanding of the IT governance practices and related ICT-enabled transformational government issues and complexities involved in the transformational phase for better public service delivery in a developing country like Tanzania.
Personalizing Style in Learning
Authors: Rayner Steve
Published: May 2011

The need to personalize Web-based learning environments on individuals is the main argument of this chapter. The activation of a “differential pedagogy” is proposed, by taking advantage of personalization technologies, in contrast to uniform traditional instructional practices. From the perspective of an educationist, the issue of learner diversity is addressed and discussed, substantiating the notion of individualization in learning. In particular, style is considered as a basic parameter of a new e-pedagogy, in order to applicably reform future educational practices.
Integrating Knowledge of Cognitive System and E-Learning Applications
Authors: Spanoudis George , Kyza Eleni A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter outlines key findings of cognitive and developmental psychology which could be used as a theoretical framework to guide the design and research of e-learning applications. The chapter consists of two main sections. The first section presents the basic cognitive mechanisms and their development, while the second part discusses how our knowledge of the cognitive system can guide the design of computer-based learning environments. It is proposed that the human mind is organized in three levels: two of them are general-purpose mechanisms and processes and one consists of domainspecific structures of knowledge representation and problem solving processes. These three levels are associated with an effective learning framework. The suggested framework describes the basic points that any designer of e-learning environments must consider. The second section of the chapter discusses e-learning, connecting it to knowledge about the human cognitive system. In this section, we first present the conceptual bounds of the e-learning construct and discuss how cognitive theories of learning should guide the design of technologically-enhanced learning environments. It is proposed that a synergy between the study of human cognition and the design of e-learning applications is required for effectively understanding both fields.
Enhancing Individuals' Cognition, Intelligence and Sharing Digital/Web-Based Knowledge Using Virtual Reality and Information Visualization Techniques and Tools within K-12 Education and its Impact on
Authors: Franco Jorge Ferreira , Ficheman Irene Karaguilla , Zuffo Marcelo Knörich , Venâncio Valkiria
Published: May 2011

This chapter addresses an ongoing work strategy for developing and sharing knowledge related to digital/ Web-based technology and multimedia tools, information visualization, computer graphics, desktop virtual reality techniques in combination with art/education. It includes a large body of research about advanced and contemporary technologies and their use for stimulating individuals’ education. These interactive processes of researching, developing and sharing knowledge have been carried out through interdisciplinary and collaborative learning and teaching experiences in the context of k-12 education in a primary public school and its surrounding community. The learning and direct manipulation of advanced and contemporary technologies have improved individuals’ technical skills, stimulated cooperative and collaborative work and innovations in the way of developing school’s curriculum content as well as supported ones’ independent learning. Furthermore, there have been changes on individuals’ mental models, behavior and cultural changes related to reflecting about diverse possibilities of using information and communication technology within collaborative formal and informal sustainable lifelong learning and teaching actions.
MDS-Based Localization
Authors: Ahmed Ahmed A. , Li Xiaoli , Shang Yi , Shi Hongchi
Published: May 2011

The authors present several network node localization methods that are based on multidimensional scaling (MDS) techniques. Four algorithms are introduced: MDS-MAP(C), MDS-MAP(P), MDS-Hybrid, and RangeQ-MDS. MDS-MAP(C) is a centralized algorithm that simply applies MDS to estimate node positions. In MDS-MAP(P), a local map is built at each node of the immediate vicinity, then these maps are merged together to form a global map. MDS-Hybrid uses MDS-MAP(C) to relatively localize Nr reference nodes. Then, an absolute localization method uses these Nr nodes as anchors to localize the rest of the network. Finally, RangeQ-MDS assumes the absence of an RSSI-distance mapping function. It uses a quantized RSSI-based distance estimation technique (called RangeQ) to achieve more precise hop distances than other range-free approaches do. While MDS-MAP(C), MDS-MAP(P), and MDSHybrid can be range-aware or range-free, RangeQ-MDS is partially range-aware.
Machine Learning Based Localization
Authors: Tran Duc A. , Nguyen XuanLong , Nguyen Thinh
Published: May 2011

A vast majority of localization techniques proposed for sensor networks are based on triangulation methods in Euclidean geometry. They utilize the geometrical properties of the sensor network to infer the sensor locations. A fundamentally different approach is presented in this chapter. This approach is based on machine learning, in which the authors work directly on the natural (non-Euclidean) coordinate systems provided by the sensor devices. The known locations of a few nodes in the network and the sensor readings can be exploited to construct signal-strength or hop-count based function spaces that are useful for learning unknown sensor locations, as well as other extrinsic quantities of interest. They discuss the applicability of two learning methods: the classification method and the regression method. They show that these methods are especially suitable for target tracking applications.
Robust Localization Using Identifying Codes
Authors: Laifenfeld Moshe , Trachtenberg Ari , Starobinski David
Published: May 2011

Various real-life environments are exceptionally harsh for signal propagation, rendering well-known trilateration techniques (e.g. GPS) unsuitable for localization. Alternative proximity-based techniques, based on placing sensors near every location of interest, can be fairly complicated to set up, and are often sensitive to sensor failures or corruptions. The authors propose a different paradigm for robust localization based on identifying codes, a concept borrowed from the information theory literature. This chapter describes theoretical and practical considerations in designing and implementing such a localization infrastructure, together with experimental data supporting the potential benefits of the proposed technique.
Discovering Protein-Protein Interaction Sites from Sequence and Structure
Authors: La David , Kihara Daisuke
Published: May 2011

This chapter gives a comprehensive introduction of the sequence/structural features that are characteristic of protein- protein interaction sites and reviews state-of-the-art methodologies for protein-protein binding site prediction. Protein-protein interaction residues are largely responsible for mediating physical binding processes such as inhibitory effects through enzyme-inhibitor interaction, initiating immune response by an antibody-antigen interaction, and regulation of cell signaling proteins. Currently, various methods are available for predicting protein-protein interaction sites, which allow a residue-level understanding of the physical protein binding phenomena presented by the global construction protein-protein interaction networks. The overview of the discussed protein-protein binding site prediction strategies and detailed comparison of their weaknesses and strengths is aimed towards assisting protein researchers in gaining more insight to protein-protein interaction networks.
Protein Interactions for Functional Genomics
Authors: Minguez Pablo , Dopazo Joaquin
Published: May 2011

Here the authors review the state of the art in the use of protein-protein interactions (ppis) within the context of the interpretation of genomic experiments. They report the available resources and methodologies used to create a curated compilation of ppis introducing a novel approach to filter interactions. Special attention is paid in the complexity of the topology of the networks formed by proteins (nodes) and pairwise interactions (edges). These networks can be studied using graph theory and a brief introduction to the characterization of biological networks and definitions of the more used network parameters is also given. Also a report on the available resources to perform different modes of functional profiling using ppi data is provided along with a discussion on the approaches that have typically been applied into this context. They also introduce a novel methodology for the evaluation of networks and some examples of its application.
The Tao To Understanding Enterprise It Project Complexity
Authors: Price Jr. James W. , Dembla Pamila
Published: May 2011

As exploratory research, the chapter’s aim is to assess if Sun-Tzu’s application of Taoist principles are applicable to the problem domain of Enterprise Resource Planning Management (ERPM). It argues that an ERP’s complexity not only shares conceptually The Art of War’s historical context, but also can be understood to be a disequilibrium force best understood using Taoist principles. Sun-Tsu’s The Art of War (AW) has been adapted successfully to the military domain (MD); and, MD has been adapted to strategic management (SM). If an ERP’s business drivers can be mapped to a firm’s strategic goals, one may conclude Sun-Tzu’s Art of War can be adapted to an ERP implementation (AW?MD?SM?ERP). Therefore, the authors hope to explore the applicability of Sun-Tzu’s Five Factors of Initial Estimation (Five Factors), an Eastern philosophy (a non-linear thought process) to ERP-related Western-oriented project management techniques (a linear thought process).
Project Management 2027
Authors: Gilbert Silvius A. J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes a study into the expected development of the competences of the project manager in the year 2027. The study was performed amongst the members of IPMA-The Netherlands during the summer of 2007. In the study the 46 competences of the International Competence Baseline 3 (ICB 3) were tested against the expectations of the respondents for the development of project management. Based on four scenarios for the future of Europe, the members indicated which of the competences are expected to become more important, equally important or less important than today. The aim of the study was to provide insight in the expected future development of the project management competences. This goal is relevant for both practitioners and educators.The conclusions are that the study shows indications that project management is developing from an ‘occupation’ into a true ”profession”. Part of this development is a broader orientation of the project manager in which especially the competences related to the relationship of the project with its environment grow strongly in importance.
Technology Management by Objectives (TMO)
Authors: Mohammed Jaby
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the concept of technology management by objectives. Technology is one of the fastest moving elements in the 21st Century, which could be well explained using the growth theory. The growth theory is defined on the basis of the economic growth from the increasing returns that is associated with the new knowledge. The knowledge has various dimensions in today’s world, one of which is the technology. The major portion of any improvement or any development in any sector is due to technology or due to a change in technology. Technology in any organization can improve, sustain, and diminish the business based on the approaches used in the model. The ability to connect technology and gain organization advantage depends upon how efficiently and effectively the technology is managed within the organization. Technology has been managed by different means based on the application of the technology. This chapter would discus how the technology could be management by objectives (TBO). Many approaches have been utilized to integrate individual and team goal with the overall goals of the organization of an enterprise. Each group goal would have a set of objectives and satisfying all these objectives is virtually impossible because many of them contradict to each others. Technology by objectives is a process in which the common goals are identified and would define individually the major area of responsibility in terms of the results and objectives expected in detail. The goals would be jointly established by the administrators and the sub-ordinates and would emphasis on the output variables. Every corporation has different technological goals and visions, so based on the enterprise the goals and objectives are set.
Software Quality Assurance
Authors: Owens Dawn M. , Khazanchi Deepak
Published: May 2011

Successful implementation of IT (information technology) projects is a critical strategic and competitive necessity for firms in all industrial sectors today. However, due to cost overruns, schedule delays, unfilled requirements and poor quality, it is reported that less than 30% of IT projects are perceived to be successful. Much has been written about causes of project failure and many have provided best practices and critical success factors for effective management projects, yet projects still continue to fail. As a first step to overcome systemic causes of project failure we propose a unified definition of software quality assurance (SQA). We use this definition to develop and present an approach to SQA that focuses on controlling risks and provide a framework for assuring the development and project management life cycles.
Wiki-enabled Technology Management
Authors: Corb Geoffrey , Hellen Stephen
Published: May 2011

Social networking technologies—such as Wikis, blogs and instant messaging—are increasingly being employed in business settings to support communication, collaboration and knowledge management. In this chapter, the authors discuss how a Wiki was used to facilitate project management in a large system implementation for a decentralized organization. Further, they show how it continues to add value to the organization after the project’s completion, supporting operational management activities while at the same time providing a platform for fostering and promoting innovation. They introduce important implementation considerations for deploying a Wiki in your organization, in addition to sharing observations from our own implementation that saw both successes and failures.
Semantics-Based Classification of Rule Interestingness Measures
Authors: Blanchard Julien , Guillet Fabrice , Kuntz Pascale
Published: May 2011

Assessing rules with interestingness measures is the cornerstone of successful applications of association rule discovery. However, as numerous measures may be found in the literature, choosing the measures to be applied for a given application is a difficult task. In this chapter, the authors present a novel and useful classification of interestingness measures according to three criteria: the subject, the scope, and the nature of the measure. These criteria seem essential to grasp the meaning of the measures, and therefore to help the user to choose the ones (s)he wants to apply. Moreover, the classification allows one to compare the rules to closely related concepts such as similarities, implications, and equivalences. Finally, the classification shows that some interesting combinations of the criteria are not satisfied by any index.
A Conformity Measure Using Background Knowledge for Association Rules
Authors: Cherfi Hacène , Napoli Amedeo , Toussaint Yannick
Published: May 2011

A text mining process using association rules generates a very large number of rules. According to experts of the domain, most of these rules basically convey a common knowledge, that is, rules which associate terms that experts may likely relate to each other. In order to focus on the result interpretation and discover new knowledge units, it is necessary to define criteria for classifying the extracted rules. Most of the rule classification methods are based on numerical quality measures. In this chapter, the authors introduce two classification methods: the first one is based on a classical numerical approach, that is, using quality measures, and the other one is based on domain knowledge. They propose the second original approach in order to classify association rules according to qualitative criteria using domain model as background knowledge. Hence, they extend the classical numerical approach in an effort to combine data mining and semantic techniques for post mining and selection of association rules. The authors mined a corpus of texts in molecular biology and present the results of both approaches, compare them, and give a discussion on the benefits of taking into account a knowledge domain model of the data.
Multidimensional Model-Based Decision Rules Mining
Authors: Feng Qinrong , Miao Duoqian , Wang Ruizhi
Published: May 2011

Decision rules mining is an important technique in machine learning and data mining, it has been studied intensively during the past few years. However, most existing algorithms are based on flat data tables, from which sets of decision rules mined may be very large for massive data sets. Such sets of rules are not easily understandable and really useful for users. Moreover, too many rules may lead to over-fitting. Thus, a method of decision rules mining from different abstract levels was provided in this chapter, which aims to improve the efficiency of decision rules mining by combining the hierarchical structure of multidimensional model and the techniques of rough set theory. Our algorithm for decision rules mining follows the so called separate-and-conquer strategy. Namely, certain rules were mined beginning from the most abstract level, and supporting sets of those certain rules were removed from the universe, then drill down to the next level to recursively mine other certain rules which supporting sets are included in the remaining objects until no objects remain in the universe or getting to the primitive level. So this algorithm can output some generalized rules with different degree of generalization.
Technologies for Monitoring Human Player Activity Within a Competition
Authors: Burkett Brendan
Published: May 2011

Monitoring of player activity within a competition is currently a reality within some high performance sporting teams, and the demand and level of sophistication for this information will continue to grow as players and coaches seek this knowledge. This new found scientific wisdom can guide the training and preparation of the athlete, with the aim of improving performance and reducing the likelihood of injuries. To date this information has been collected manually, which is time consuming and expensive. The challenges are to validate the accuracy of these systems and once this criterion is satisfied to expedite the analysis process to enable as close to real time feedback as possible. Outside of the coach and player arena there is growing demand from the other associated parties, such as the host broadcast media, referees and the spectator, all of whom are seeking new knowledge on “what is happening” during the play.
Technology to Monitor and Enhance the Performance of a Tennis Player
Authors: Ahmadi Amin , Rowlands David D. , James Daniel A.
Published: May 2011

Tennis is a popular game played and viewed by millions of people around the world. There is a large impetus for players to improve their game and technology is becoming an important tool in doing this. This chapter discusses the current technology used in tennis and also discusses the biomechanics of the various strokes, so that the application of the technology can be better understood. Since the serve is a crucial part of a player’s game, this chapter focuses on the serve, but still discusses the other tennisstrokes. The chapter is divided into 2 parts: the biomechanics of the strokes and the technology used to monitor tennis. The technology section details some of the major tools to monitor and analyze the tennis swing, including high speed digital cameras, marker-based optical systems, and inertial sensors. Examples are provided of how these technologies can be applied. Finally, a small discussion is presented, which gives an idea of future directions in tennis monitoring.
The Market Structure and Characteristics of Electronic Games
Authors: Kuhn Kerri-Ann L.
Published: May 2011

A multi-billion dollar industry, electronic games have been experiencing strong and rapid growth in recent times. The world of games is not only exciting due to the magnificent growth of the industry however, but due to a host of other factors. This chapter explores electronic games, providing an analysis of the industry, key motivators for game play, the game medium and academic research concerning the effects of play. It also reviews the emerging relationship games share with sport, recognizing that they can replicate sports, facilitate sports participation and be played as a sport. These are complex relationships that have not yet been comprehensively studied. The current chapter serves to draw academic attention to the area and presents ideas for future research.
In-Game Advertising
Authors: Lee Mark , Mulye Rajendra , Stavros Constantino
Published: May 2011

This chapter reports a recent research study involving a sports video game which sought to provide an overview on the use of in-game advertising, consumer attitudes towards the practice, and an empirical test to assess its effectiveness in terms of brand recall and recognition. Intervening variables such as attitude towards advertising in general and in-game advertising in particular, brand familiarity, and experience with gaming was also considered. A sample of 32 participants was asked to engage in video game play of a relatively new sports game and complete a series of measures examining attitudes, recall and recognition of in-game advertising. Findings supported all hypotheses with the exception of the hypothesis predicting a positive relationship between attitude toward in-game advertising and advertising effectiveness in terms of recall and recognition. User factors such as age, game experience, game likeability, and item specific factors such as characteristics of the display panel and relevance of the product to the game were found to play an important role in improving advertising effectiveness. Contrary to earlier studies, attitude towards in-game advertising was lower than expected, especially amongst the experienced game players.
Multi-Modal Modeling, Analysis, and Validation of Open Source Software Development Processes
Authors: Scacchi Walt , Jensen Chris , Noll John , Elliott Margaret
Published: May 2011

Understanding the context, structure, activities, and content of software development processes found in practice has been and remains a challenging problem. In the world of free/open source software development, discovering and understanding what processes are used in particular projects is important in determining how they are similar to or different from those advocated by the software engineering community. Prior studies have revealed that development processes in F/OSSD projects are different in a number of ways. In this paper, we describe how a variety of modeling perspectives and techniques are used to elicit, analyze, and validate software development processes found in F/OSSD projects, with examples drawn from studies of the software requirements process found in the NetBeans.org project.
On the Logarithmic Backoff Algorithm for MAC Protocol in MANETs
Authors: Manaseer Saher S. , Ould-Khaoua Mohamed , Mackenzie Lewis M.
Published: May 2011

In wireless communication environments, backoff is traditionally based on the IEEE binary exponential backoff (BEB). Using BEB results in a high delay in message transmission, collisions and ultimately wasting the limited available bandwidth. As each node has to obtain medium access before transmitting a message, in dense networks, the collision probability in the MAC layer becomes very high when a poor backoff algorithm is used. The Logarithmic algorithm proposes some improvements to the backoff algorithms that aim to efficiently use the channel and to reduce collisions. The algorithm under study is based on changing the incremental behavior of the backoff value. The Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) is used by the Local Area Networks standards, IEEE 802.11, Medium Access Control (MAC). BEB uses a uniform random distribution to choose the backoff value; this often leads to reducing the effect of window size increment. This paper carries out a deeper study and analysis of the logarithmic backoff algorithm that uses logarithmic increment instead of exponential extension of window size to eliminate the degrading effect of random number distribution. Results from simulation experiments reveal that the algorithm subject to study achieves higher throughput and less packet loss when in a mobile ad hoc environment.
Tool Support for Model-Driven Development of Web Applications
Authors: Gomez Jaime , Bia Alejandro , Parraga Antonio
Published: May 2011

This paper describes the engineering foundations of VisualWADE, a CASE tool to automate the production of Web applications. VisualWADE follows a model-driven approach focusing on requirements analysis, high level design, and rapid prototyping. In this way, an application evolves smoothly from the first prototype to the final product, and its maintenance is a natural consequence of development. The paper also discusses the lessons learned in the development of the tool and its application to several case studies in the industrial context.
Review of Current ICT Developments
Authors: Koh S.C. Lenny , Maguire Stuart
Published: May 2011

The issues that are currently affecting all managers are similar to those facing managers of ICT. The following is a list, though not exhaustive, of the issues confronting organizations in changing business environments as shown in Figure 1.1. Most organizations are conducting their business in global situations that place extra pressure on their effective usage of ICT. They may have to think in terms of worldwide purchasing of parts and raw materials. Many organizations view their products as being global. Firms will have to ensure that they can provide efficient supply chain management. This may require an integrated customer service where geographical boundaries should not cause loss of business effectiveness. Companies may need to provide rationalised manufacturing as they roll-out products worldwide. All organizations will strive to gain global economies of scale. However, as one can imagine developing an ICT strategy that is able to stand the test of time is well nigh impossible. In 2008 large firms in the ICT sector, such as Google, I.B.M., H.P. and Sun are rolling out major green initiatives to reflect current environmental concerns. It is not too long ago that the ICT sector was monopolised by the United States and the United Kingdom. Increasingly sector pundits are talking of the Chindia phenomenon. ICT research and development spending in China is still behind the U.S. but ahead of Japan. Firms in India, such as Infosys, are increasingly moving into the high value-added part of the sector.
Strategic Alliance Through the Use of ICT
Authors: Koh S.C. Lenny , Maguire Stuart
Published: May 2011

It is important for today’s dynamic organizations to develop a strong and sustainable links with outside organizations and agencies. It may be necessary for your firm to have robust links with your customers and suppliers. It may also be necessary for your firm to set up links with other organizations in what have become known as strategic alliances.
Planning and Managing ICT Change
Authors: Koh S.C. Lenny , Maguire Stuart
Published: May 2011

Information Systems (IS) has borrowed many techniques from other disciplines. However, many of these have been borrowed from areas where the outcome from projects is more certain. Virtually all projects are liable to have changing requirements. In IS there are so many variables that need to be considered before, during, and after a project has been completed. It is one thing to identify what those variables are and another to react to the changing circumstances.
Improving IT-Enabled Sense and Respond Capabilities
Authors: Koh S.C. Lenny , Maguire Stuart
Published: May 2011

Commercial airlines face an extremely challenging operating and competitive environment. To remain in business they must comply with ever-changing regulatory requirements while, at the same time, minimizing their operational costs without sacrificing customer expectations of service levels. Increasingly, airlines are realizing that a “plan-execute” mode of operation must give way to a “sense-respond” mode of operation; in other words they must become a real-time (agile) organization, capable of sensing the occurrence of unforeseen events such as the placement of a last-minute shipping order, flight delays, and cancellations, and respond effectively in real-time to such events. To enable enterprises in general, and the airline industry in particular, to improve their sense-and-respond capabilities and ensure better resource utilization, a number of software vendors are offering event stream processing and Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) solutions. This case examines a longitudinal set of real-world implementation projects using such a solution at a major US airline (referred to as Southern International Airlines) and the results and lessons gained from this deployment.
Experiences in Collaboration in Distance Education from the Caribbean, Looking Beyond Electronic
Authors: Marrett Christine
Published: May 2011

nformation communication technologies (ICTs) have facilitated institutional collaboration in distance education. Based on the study, Institutional collaboration in distance education at the tertiary level in the small, developing countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean: To what extent does it enhance human resource development? (Marrett, 2006), the author examines the experiences in the Caribbean between 1982 and 2002. She explores not only the role played by ICTs, but also some of the issues that arise beyond those presented by the technology, highlighting aspects that need attention in order to ensure successful institutional collaboration in tertiary education, and makes recommendations to overcome the challenges.
Interaction and Context in Service-Oriented E-Collaboration Environments
Authors: Dorn Christoph , Dustdar Schahram , Giuliani Giovanni , Gombotz Robert , Ning Ke , Peray Sébastien
Published: May 2011

As it has been observed in the recent decade, collaborating teams become ever more unstable, less tightly coupled and more distributed and mobile. Workers participate in multiple teams that pursue different goals that need not be related in any way. This radical way in which the workplace is changing for the individual and the team requires highly adaptable groupware and intelligent support for the individual in order to minimize the time lost for management and coordination when switching between different teams, different workspaces, and different contexts. Thus, a service-oriented approach seems promising to provide individual, context-aware building blocks for adaptable groupware.
Reconfiguration of Communities in Cyberspace
Authors: Park Sung Bok , Hwang Ha Sung
Published: May 2011

Since the emergence of new forms of communities in cyberspace, many scholars have attempted to define the nature of those communities—online, cyber, and virtual. Within the social sciences, online, cyber, and virtual communities are used interchangeably as new forms of community in cyberspace. Due to the lack of agreement on the definition of those terms, many studies fail to explain their unique nature (or characteristics).
Engineering for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Authors: Murphy John D. , Davis Alanah J. , Yurkovich Justin M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces Collaboration Engineering as an approach to developing more effective collaborative sessions for interdisciplinary teams. Collaboration is the foundation for success for many academic teams; however, the benefits of collaborative sessions can be lost when group processes are not well understood and the needs of interdisciplinary teams are not met. As such, this chapter will identify key facets of how interdisciplinary teams develop and evaluate potential solutions. Groupthink and disciplinary ethnocentrism are also presented, as these factors can negatively impact interdisciplinary teams, and techniques are proposed that can help teams avoid these potentially negative effects. The central position of this chapter is that Collaboration Engineering based on proven group processes and guided by design recommendations specific for interdisciplinary team collaboration can result in session designs that improve outcomes for interdisciplinary teams.
Closing the Circle
Authors: Pérez Cavana Maria Luisa
Published: May 2011

Taking into account the complexity and multiplicity of constructivist theories, the first part of this chapter focuses on the relationship between epistemology and pedagogy in constructivism, in particular in the radical constructivist position of von Glasersfeld, which is considered a significant referent in constructivism. To overcome some of the shortcomings of radical constructivism, the author have then explored the origins of constructivist theory and practice in the work of John Dewey, whose ideas could be still a source of inspiration for constructivist educational practice. The second part of this chapter analyses the social constructivist development in different internet-based learning platforms and social software and considers at the end some practical difficulties and benefits of online learning for the implementation of constructivist learning theories for learners as teachers.
The Theory and Practice of Teaching with Technology in Today's Colleges and Universities
Authors: de la Harpe Barbara , Peterson Fiona
Published: May 2011

There is a strong move worldwide for a constructivist theory to underpin the way teaching and learning are viewed in today’s colleges and universities. In this chapter, the authors explore the interconnections (or not) between constructivist theory and mainstream university teachers’ practice, and their use of educational technology. They suggest that at the heart of ongoing transformation of teaching with technology is a supportive context and inspirational leadership that (re)engages the academic heartland with constructivist learning theory, so that teaching with technology is constructivist based. Technology can thus serve as a powerful catalyst for reinvigorating the inter-relationships between theory and practice.
Transformative Potential of Constructivist Blended Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education
Authors: Donnelly Roisin
Published: May 2011

This chapter critically explores the design and implementation of a blended problem-based learning (PBL) module for academic professional development in higher education. A core aspect of the chapter is the overview of the design framework used for the application and specific use of learning technologies in the PBL module. As it would appear that E-Learning courses are often lauded on the basis of their constructivist approach to learning, but in reality sustained inter-student contact and discussion can be difficult, an underlying purpose of the chapter is to show how interactional analysis helps in understanding the potential of transformative pedagogy within blended PBL. This chapter aims to highlight how emerging constructivist theories of learning may be applied to the blend of PBL and E-Learning. It addresses the need for an analysis of the interactions taking place in blended PBL with a specific focus on academic staff who are engaged in professional development in higher education in Ireland. It applies the relevant constructivist theories to the face-to-face PBL tutorials, online discussions, focus group interview texts and reflective papers generated over two years in a professional development module involving 17 academic staff. The chapter concludes with an analysis of the difference that the blended delivery made to both tutors and participants and discusses the design implications of a blended PBL model for the practice of academic development.
The Intersection of Theory, Tools and Tasks in a Postgraduate Learning Environment
Authors: Zellermayer Michal , Mor Nili , Heilweil Ida
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the learning environment that the authors created for veteran teachers, graduate students in Teaching and Learning who are interested in developing professionally as designers and moderators of Information Communication Technology (ICT) learning environments. It is based on the assumption that learners construct knowledge and understanding when they are an integral part of the learning environment, when they are members of local and global communities where learning is conceived as acquiring the necessary skills for participation through participation. The program is structured as three concentric circles in terms of ICT use. In the first, the teachers learn about constructivism and socio-cultural theory while they collaboratively investigate their own school cultures with the support of ICT tools. In the second, they expand their acquaintance with ICT tools and learning environments and further develop their skills for learning and teaching in such environments. In the third, they design and moderate E-Learning environments, document them and reflect on the process. This chapter describes the activities and tasks in each of these circles with illustrations of how the students respond to these tasks both as learners who interpret and evaluate information and theoretical concepts and as teachers of relevant virtual communities who reflect on their practice.
Overview of Amplify-and-Forward Relaying
Authors: Krikidis Ioannis , Thompson John S.
Published: May 2011

Amplify-and-Forward (AF) is a simple cooperative strategy for ad-hoc networks with critical power constraints. It involves an amplification of the received signal in the analogue domain at the relays without further signal processing. This chapter gives an overview of the basic AF protocols in the literature and discuss recent research contributions in this area. Based on some well-defined AF-based cooperative configurations, it focuses on the behaviour of AF in block-fading channels, in power allocation problems, in relay selection, and in cross-layer coordination. Mathematical models and outage probability simulations are used in order to show the enhancements of the presented AF techniques.