bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Model for Meaningful E-Learning at Canadian Universities
Authors: Carter Lorraine , Salyers Vince
Published: July 2017

There is no questioning the growth of e-learning in universities around the world. Whether or not we are doing it effectively and meaningfully is where the uncertainty lies. In this chapter, two e-learning researchers from Canada offer their perspective on e-learning in that country. This perspective includes a snapshot of the Canadian e-learning landscape as well as the results of a multi-university research study called the Meaningful E-Learning or MEL project. The authors explore four themes derived from the MEL project and represented by the acronym HIDI (human interaction, IT support, design, and institutional support) in relation to three e-learning scenarios. While each element of HIDI is recognized as important, the criticality of institutional support and design cannot be overemphasized in the pursuit of excellence in e-learning.
Transformative Curriculum Design
Authors: Halupa Colleen M.
Published: July 2017

This chapter discusses the principles of transformative curriculum design to include: curriculum models, objective outcome creation, scaffolding of curriculum, curriculum mapping, linkage of assessment to objectives and objectives to program outcomes, program evaluation and strategies for curriculum design including technology. In addition, some recent best practices in health program curriculum design are presented as well as emerging models. Last, some specific designs related to health sciences curriculum and programs are presented.
Designing a cMOOC for Lecturer Professional Development in the 21st Century
Authors: Cochrane Thomas , Narayan Vickel , Burcio-Martin Victorio
Published: July 2017

This chapter explores the design of a framework for up-scaling a lecturer professional development strategy based upon communities of practice from pockets of excellence to span across a university utilizing a cMOOC framework. The framework links global experts into an authentic professional development experience via the integration of a range of mobile social media learning technologies. The framework includes a series of triggering events designed to support the development of participants' personal eportfolios and pedagogical practice that can then be optionally validated by external CMALT accreditation. We believe the framework provides a transferable professional development model for other institutions to explore.
Creating an EdD Structure, Program, and Process Fulfilling the Needs of Doctoral Candidates and the Communities They Will Serve
Authors: Israel Marla Susman , Sostak Susan , Stewart Felicia P. , Bazzi-Moughania Ahlam
Published: July 2017

This chapter describes the program redesign, development and essential components of Loyola University Chicago's EdD principal preparation program for the Chicago Leadership Collaborative (CLC) providing a pipeline of candidates to be transformational principals within the Chicago Public Schools. This redesigned EdD focuses on creating communities of positive practice comprised of scholar- practitioners who create disciplines of inquiry that positively impact student, faculty, parent, and community outcomes while contributing to the knowledge base of preparing future educational leaders. In its third year of implementation with 30 candidates in the program, lessons learned from this program redesign will be detailed. Using the foundational principles from this new program redesign process, in conjunction with dissertation completion and graduate outcome data from Loyola's traditional EdD program, this article will explore next steps in the EdD program development process within the reality of rising expectations and continuous legislative change within the state of Illinois.
Re-Framing the Formation of Rural Educational Leaders
Authors: Halsey R. John
Published: July 2017

The primary purpose of this chapter is to present a rationale for reframing the formation of educational leaders1 that is distinctively rural in its purpose, its character, its ontology, and how it might be progressed. Firstly, understandings of rural and rurality are considered, followed by a discussion of sustainability because of its profound importance to there “being future.” Next, selected critical dimensions and challenges associated with reframing the preparation of rural educational leaders are discussed, including data from an Australia-wide survey. A section on privileging the constructs of rural, space, and spatiality, plus contextual intelligence, relational leadership, and extended leadership field placements completes the chapter.
Teachers' Use of Social Networking Sites for Continuing Professional Development
Authors: Xerri Daniel
Published: July 2017

On the basis of the results of a study conducted amongst secondary school teachers of English in Malta, this chapter explores the use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) for professional development purposes. In the digital era, SNS provide teachers with the opportunity of creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN), which is an increasingly significant way of acquiring new knowledge and enhancing pedagogical skills while also having the capacity of making teachers feel they belong to a Community of Practice (CoP). This chapter shows how despite their regular use of SNS for personal reasons, teachers do not always exploit these sites to achieve professional development. It is argued that training is a necessary means of not only enabling teachers to learn how to use such tools for such a purpose but also of redefining the way they think about the process of acquiring and sharing knowledge and skills in the 21st century.
Supporting the Enactment of Standards-Based Mathematics Pedagogies
Authors: Polly Drew , Martin Christie S. , Wang Chuang , Lambert Richard G. , Pugalee David
Published: July 2017

In order for professional development in the STEM fields to be effective, teachers need worthwhile experiences to simultaneously develop their knowledge of content, pedagogy, and understanding of how students' learn the content. In this chapter we provide an overarching framework of learner-centered professional development and describe the implementation of two mathematics professional development projects designed to support elementary school teachers' mathematics teaching. We follow our description by highlighting some of the findings from our line of professional development research and provide implications for the design of learner-centered professional development programs in mathematics.
Analyzing the Role of Health Information Technology in Global Health Care
Authors: Kasemsap Kijpokin
Published: July 2017

This chapter explains the perspectives on global health, the overview of health information technology (health IT), the applications of electronic health record (EHR), and the importance of health IT in global health care. Health IT is the area of IT involving the design, development, creation, utilization, and maintenance of information systems for the health care industry. Health IT makes it possible for health care providers to better manage patient care through the secure use and sharing of health information. Effective health IT can lower costs, improve efficiency, and reduce medical error, while providing better patient care and service. The chapter argues that utilizing health IT has the potential to enhance health care performance and reach strategic goals in global health care.
Cross-Border Collaborative Learning in the Professional Development of Teachers
Authors: Davidson Rafi , Glassner Amnon
Published: July 2017

The goal of this chapter is to present a theoretical and practical frame for PD of teachers at the digital age. The main question we ask is how to develop life competencies and skills of teachers in order to change their learning and teaching in a way that enables school graduates to acquire relevant skills for life. The chapter inquires this issue by a qualitative methodology case study . The case is an online course for teachers' professional development. The chapter presents evidence from reflective diaries, interviews and scripts of students' and teachers' discussions, focusing on identification of the effects of the course's learning environments on the development of the teachers' self determination learning and skills. The findings indicate the useful effects of the combination between LMS environments and social media, such as Web 2.0 tools. The conclusions suggest new directions for teachers' professional development that encourage the design of a flexible fractal net which enable fostering teachers' leadership and innovation.
Assessing the Performance of a Cohort-Based Model Using Domestic and International Practices
Authors: Sabina Lou L. , Curry Katherine A. , Harris Edward L. , Krumm Bernita L. , Vencill Vallory
Published: July 2017

This chapter discusses the successes, strengths, and lessons learned during a five-year international Ed.D. program, which took place from 2007 to 2012 in Belize through a partnership with the Consortium for Belize Educational Cooperation. The objectives of the chapter are to (1) provide a brief history and explanation of the program including an overview of the Belize educational system, (2) explain how the program filled a need for both our institution and the country of Belize, (3) discuss the strengths and lessons learned in this cohort model for international educators, (4) offer a framework for other educational leadership preparation programs that might attempt international cohort-model doctoral programs, and (5) suggest implications for improving domestic practices through faculty and student participation in an international doctoral program.
Using a Literacy-Based Classroom Partnership to Prepare Teacher Candidates for the edTPA
Authors: Hunzicker Jana Lynn , Arquette Cecile M. , Olson Peter , Atkins Douglas
Published: July 2017

This chapter chronicles the progression of one university's efforts to create authentic learning experiences and performance-based assessments for teacher candidates through an established school-university partnership. The chapter focuses on one particular professional development school (PDS) initiative: an ongoing classroom partnership between Bradley University's ETE 313: Methods of Literacy I course and kindergarten through second grade classrooms at neighboring Whittier Primary School. Opening and closing with vignettes illustrating Bradley's ETE 313/Whittier classroom partnership, the chapter presents detailed descriptions of two different professors' efforts to provide authentic learning experiences and prepare teacher candidates for state licensure, including successful completion of the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), over four years' time. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the evolving classroom partnership in terms of student learning outcomes, the need for ongoing curricular modifications, and strategies for sustaining classroom partnerships.
A Comparative Evaluation of E-Learning Adoption in Private and Public Higher Education Institutions
Authors: Mwamahusi Mpe Paulo , Tossy Titus
Published: July 2017

This paper examines e-learning adoption in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper examines whether there is a difference between the Private and public HEIs e-learning adoption. The rationale for the examination stands from the fact that scholars are of option that there is different between private and public HEIs e-learning adoption. From an empirical survey conducted in Tanzania, this paper evaluates both staffs and students on the current situations, factors affecting, similarities and differences of e-learning adoption between private and public HEIs. The research reveals that, despite of the government efforts to support e-learning initiative by introducing national ICT polices to boost the level of adoption; very few private HEIs have adopted e-learning compared to public HEIs. The limited initial investment, lack of expertize, lack of guaranteed electrical power, poor strategic change management plans, and lack of innovative ideas are the barriers to e-learning adoption.
User Design
Authors: Jordan Robert Anthony , Carr-Chellman Alison
Published: July 2017

This case describes how a federal government agency engaged in a user design process to design, develop, and implement a workplace learning curriculum to be implemented throughout several agency offices. While several offices had developed their own training program, there were inconsistencies and a lack of standardization. The authors describe how a user design process was utilized in the development of a standardized curriculum. User design shifts the responsibility of design from expert designers to frontline users and stakeholders. Several user-driven tools are available to organizations that adopt user design processes. Potential advantages of a curriculum developed through user design include better adoption and diffusion of the curriculum and improved engagement of the users in the workplace.
Primary Grades Teachers' Fidelity of Teaching Practices during Mathematics Professional Development
Authors: Martin Christie S. , Polly Drew , Wang Chuang , Lambert Richard G. , Pugalee David
Published: July 2017

This chapter shares the findings from a study that examined primary grades teachers' fidelity of implementation during a year-long professional development program on formative assessment in mathematics. The project provided over 80 hours of professional development to elementary school teachers regarding their use of an internet-based formative assessment system for their students' mathematics achievement. This study examined teachers' online reflections and data in the internet-based assessment system to identify themes that lead to either a high fidelity or low fidelity of implementation. High fidelity teachers expressed beliefs that formative assessment supported their mathematics teaching, improved their students' learning, and was feasible to carry out in their classrooms. Low fidelity teachers' reflections were associated with numerous barriers to implementation as well as a lack of buy-in that the formative assessment system could benefit their teaching.
The Role of Teacher Leadership for Promoting Professional Development Practices
Authors: Dickenson Patricia , Montgomery Judith L.
Published: July 2017

This chapter examines the status of teacher professional development in mathematics and explores the role of teacher leadership to promote innovative professional development strategies that sustain the growth and development of an organization. Survey data was collected from teacher leader participants of one mathematics professional development organization to understand how participants' growth and development as a teacher leader not only shaped their mathematics instructional practices, but influenced their choices in leadership roles. Further the authors share how the learning environment and pedagogical choices of the project director supported a teacher-driven professional development approach. Recommendations as well as a model for developing a teacher-driven professional development organization are provided for replication.
Self-Directed Learning and Adult Education
Authors: Bryan Valerie C. , Brittain Kristin , Swann Elizabeth
Published: July 2017

Patients are increasingly being asked to take more responsibility for self-care in a complex healthcare system; this can be a challenge for even the most educated individual. Learning is central to health, health decisions, and self-care. Adult educators' insights regarding lifelong, self-directed learning are critical in helping adults learn about their disease and make informed decisions. This chapter presents documentation of self-directed learning in health education through a series of case studies with reflections. The authors draw attention to self-directed learning in the context of one's own personal health management and propose self-directed learning as a solution to the numerous barriers to personal health education. Ideas for increasing a self-directed approach when seeking health information are offered based on the case studies reviewed. Ideas regarding future research needs are included.
Understanding of Leadership in Distance Education Management
Authors: Ekren Gülay , Karataş Serçin , Demiray Uğur
Published: July 2017

Today, distance education institutions are different from other traditional organizational structures because they require a virtual structuring. Therefore, the concept and practice of educational leadership is considered as a special area in distance education management process. As a requirement of 21st century, distance education leadership has been seen as a matter or necessity to be developed and to be investigated in the management of distance education. In this chapter, it is aimed to bring the insights of various researchers to define characteristics or qualifications of leadership in distance education, which are or should be different from traditional educational leadership through a literature review relevant to leadership and theories in leadership, educational leadership, and distance education leadership.
Are Adult Women or Men Who Use the Internet as a Health Information Resource More Health Literate?
Authors: Yildirim Filiz , Çakir Metin
Published: July 2017

The purpose of this study was to compare health literacy of adult men and women who use the internet for health purposes. It was conducted on 229 adults, who live in Bursa, Turkey, aged 30-69. As data collecting tool, personal along with health information (seeking) forms and 14-item health literacy scale were used. The results showed that although statistically not significant, men used the internet for health purposes more when compared with women. However, it was also calculated that health literacy scores of women who used the internet as a health information resource were higher than those of men in the same category. It can be inferred in this study that women are more health literate compared to men.
Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age
Authors: Coleman Howard V. , Dickerson Jeremy , Dotterer Dennis
Published: July 2017

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.
Taking Making into the Schools
Authors: Crichton Susan E. , Carter Deb
Published: July 2017

This chapter introduces professional learning (PL) challenges in a Digital Age and makes a case for an immersive, sustained, experiential approach including diverse groups of professionals. It explores how this approach informed novice and experienced educators to incorporate design thinking and making into their current practice. After providing background on the Maker Movement, an immersive PL model is explored. This model comprises an integrated series of PL experiences designed to encourage participants to actively engage in four distinct yet related elements. Drawing on a qualitative, iterative process, initial research findings and experiences suggest that such a model may support good PL and professional development for educators designing and developing 21st century learning environments. These findings suggest this model may allow for collaborative re-thinking of established course and curricular designs, while addressing significant social issues, encouraging participants to become thoughtful contributors in an increasingly complex, globalized economy.
Data-Driven Approaches for Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines
Authors: Zhang Yiye , Padman Rema
Published: July 2017

This chapter discusses clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and their incorporation into healthcare IT (HIT) applications. CPGs provide guidance on treatment options based on evidence. This chapter provides a brief background on challenges in CPG development and adherence, and offers examples of data-driven approaches to improve usability of CPGs and their applications in HIT. A focus is given to clinical pathways, which translate CPG recommendations into actionable plans for patient management in community practices. Approaches for developing data-driven clinical pathways from electronic health record data are presented, including statistical, process mining, and machine learning algorithms. Further, efforts on using CPGs for decision support through visual analytics, and deployments of CPGs into mobile applications are described. Data-driven approaches can facilitate incorporation of practice-based evidence into CPG development after validation by clinical experts, potentially bridging the gap between available CPGs and changing clinical needs and workflow management.
Evolving Pedagogy and Practice
Authors: Hennessey Susan , Olofson Mark W. , Swallow Meredith J. C. , Downes John M.
Published: July 2017

This chapter presents qualitative research describing the pedagogy of middle grades mathematics teachers who participated in professional development in conjunction with classroom integration of 1:1 technology. Through a multiple-case study design, the expression and development of teacher pedagogy that occurred as teachers created self-designed action research projects grounded in pedagogical goals is illustrated. The use of action research in these four case studies as a vehicle for professional growth and as a reflective evaluation tool is discussed. When viewed through the lens of the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006), data suggest a technology-mediated shift in pedagogy in the area of differentiation in instruction and assessment in mathematics classrooms. Future implications regarding technology integration, professional development programs, and the use of the TPACK as a descriptive tool are considered.
Teachers' Professional Development in the Digitized World
Authors: Ozdemir Emsal Ates , Dikilitaş Kenan
Published: July 2017

Professional development for in-service English language teachers has increasingly become a need in higher education not only in Turkey but across the world. Due to the limited time teachers have and the distance between the source of service and the potential participants, using digitized activities and materials have naturally become a necessity. The purpose of this research is to report the potential impact of the course described below and discuss the role of blended learning experience of professional development on the participating teachers. The theoretical background of the study is experiential learning initiated by Kolb and socio-constructivist learning theory by Vygotsky in that both theories highlight the role of experiencing the change and focus on personal meanings and learning with and from others in real and online environments.
Online Well-Being Focused Curriculums
Authors: D'Abundo Michelle Lee , Firsing III Stephen L. , Sidman Cara Lynn
Published: July 2017

Education and health are among the most salient issues facing Americans today. The field of public health has moved away from a physical health medical model to a more well-being focused quality-of-life perspective. K-20 curriculums in the United States need to reflect this ideological shift. In this chapter, content-focused curriculums with process-focused health behavior change-oriented learning are proposed as a strategy to promote well-being. Other issues that need to be addressed in the current education system are that the delivery of health-related curriculums is often inconsistent and taught by untrained personnel. Well-being-focused curriculums delivered online can provide consistency to improve the quality of health courses. This innovative approach has the potential to improve educational and health outcomes for K-20 curriculums while addressing public health issues by promoting well-being and quality-of-life for children and adults throughout the United States.
Preparing Teachers in the Age of Equity and Inclusion
Authors: Anderson Kelly M.
Published: July 2017

Preparing high quality teachers for practice in P-12 schools has been an extensively debated and controversial topic for many years. Today, with the changing demographics of students in our public schools, topics such as teacher preparation and overall quality of teachers in the U.S. has gained even greater scrutiny from policymakers, private agencies, professional organizations, accreditation boards, and politicians. This chapter explores historical to more recent perspectives of teacher education and related issues surrounding the absence of a universally accepted profile of teacher quality. The chapter also includes illustrations of contemporary teacher preparation programs that have thoughtfully redesigned traditional models into integrated extensive clinical based approaches to preparing teachers. The chapter concludes with a discussion of exemplary teacher preparation practices that align with equitable and inclusive learning environments currently found in public schools.
Establishing Governance for Hybrid Cloud and the Internet of Things
Authors: Wolfe Martin
Published: July 2017

This chapter is focused on the current and future state of operating a Hybrid Cloud or Internet of Things (IoT) environment. This includes tools, data, and processes which allow an organization to use these assets to serve business goals. Examining governance in this context shows how it works today and how it should change, using some real-world examples to show the impacts and advantages of these changes. It is a high level overview of those important topics with prescriptive detail left for a future and follow-on analysis. Finally, all of the lessons learned, when combined together form a governance fabric, resulting in a set of techniques and actions which tie together into a supporting framework and set of processes. The important questions include: Why does governance matter in the deployment and operation of Hybrid Cloud and IoT? If governance already exists how must it change? What are the important and salient characteristics of governance which need special focus? Thus, this analysis gives a context of how today's governance approach should change when moving to a Hybrid Cloud or IoT model.
Factors Influencing Consumer Acceptance of Internet of Things Technology
Authors: Liew Chung Sim , Ang Ju Min , Goh Yee Teen , Koh Wai Kin , Tan Shy Yin , Teh Ru Yi
Published: July 2017

The aim of this research is to examine factors influencing consumer acceptance of Internet of Things Technology (IoT) guiding by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This quantitative research involves 204 respondents approached via convenience sampling at a public higher learning institution. Data was analyzed using multiple regression and results revealed that the dimension of perceived usefulness is the most influencing factor on the consumers' acceptance of IoT technology and consumers' behavioural intention to use. In the Malaysian context, this research provides additional information in narrowing the research gap with regard to understanding behavioural intention to use the IoT technology. Next, the framework will be used for future exploration to address the issue of people who have never utilized an IoT innovation react.
An Internet of Things Governance Architecture with Applications in Healthcare
Authors: Copie Adrian , Manațe Bogdan , Munteanu Victor Ion , Fortiș Teodor-Florin
Published: July 2017

The astonishing expansion of Internet of Things has opened a lot of opportunities for related domains to employ strategies that were successfully used for the “things” governance. Furthermore, because of the technology blending in the most common household devices and wearable items, it becomes very easy for the computers to sense the surrounding environment and to collect information about the inhabitants, therefore transforming the intelligent house in a Home Care System (HCS). For medical conditions like dementia and its associated diseases, it is very convenient to monitor the patients in their living space because the patient will benefit from their home comfort. In addition, the costs for in hospital monitoring will decrease. This chapter proposes an Internet of Things Governance Architecture that can be used to sustain and monitor a complex e-health system, with application especially for patients with dementia and its associated diseases.
The Internet of Things and Assistive Technologies for People with Disabilities
Authors: Lee Hwa
Published: July 2017

With the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the past two decades have seen a proliferation of Assistive Technology (AT) and its enabling impact on the lives of people with disabilities in the areas of accessing information, communication, and daily living activities. Due to recent emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), the fields of rehabilitation, healthcare, and education are challenged to incorporate the IoT applications into current AT services. While IoT applications continue to be developed and integrated into AT, they are still at a primitive stage where clear guidelines are yet to be developed and benefits are yet to be substantiated to ensure the quality of lives of people with disabilities. This chapter provides an overview of the IoT and AT integrated applications based on the building blocks of the IoT, along with recent trends and issues relevant to accessing technology for people with disabilities.
A Study on M2M (Machine to Machine) System and Communication
Authors: Ahmad Rami Haidar , Pathan Al-Sakib Khan
Published: July 2017

The increase of the applications of numerous innovative technologies and associated devices has brought forward various new concepts like Cyber-Physical System (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), Smart environment, Smart cities, and so on. While the boundary lines between these concepts and technologies are often kind of blur and perhaps, each one's development is helping the development of the other, M2M (Machine to Machine) communication would surely play a great role as a key enabler of all these emerging scenarios. When we see the same smart concept from different angles; for instance, from the participating device, or human being's angle, we get different definitions and concept-specific standards. In this chapter, our objective is to study M2M system and communication along with its security issues and intrusion detection systems. We have also proposed our framework in line with the standardization efforts for tackling security issues of M2M.
Internet of Things Research Challenges
Authors: Elkhodr Mahmoud , Shahrestani Seyed , Cheung Hon
Published: July 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to revolute communications on the Internet. The IoT enables numerous business opportunities in fields as diverse as e-health, smart cities, smart homes, among many others. It incorporates multiple long-range, short-range, and personal area wireless networks and technologies into the designs of IoT applications. This will result in the IoT being pervasive in many areas which raise many challenges. This chapter reviews the major research issues challenging the IoT with regard to security, privacy, and management.
Internet of Things Applications
Authors: Elkhodr Mahmoud , Shahrestani Seyed , Cheung Hon
Published: July 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings connectivity to about every objects found in the physical space. It extends connectivity not only to computer and mobile devices but also to everyday objects. From connected fridges, cars and cities, the IoT creates opportunities in numerous domains. This chapter briefly surveys some IoT applications and the impact the IoT could have on societies. It shows how the various application of the IoT enhances the overall quality of life and reduces management and costs in various sectors.
Big Data Analysis in IoT
Authors: Rehman Aqeel-ur , Ullah Rafi , Abdullah Faisal
Published: July 2017

In IoT, data management is a big problem due to the connectivity of billions of devices, objects, processes generating big data. Since the Things are not following any specific (common) standard, so analysis of such data becomes a big challenge. There is a need to elaborate about the characteristics of IoT based data to find out the available and applicable solutions. Such kind of study also directs to realize the need of new techniques to cope up with such challenges. Due to the heterogeneity of connected nodes, different data rates and formats it is getting a huge challenge to deal with such variety of data. As IoT is providing processing nodes in quantity in form of smart nodes, it is presenting itself a good platform for big data analysis. In this chapter, characteristics of big data and requirements for big data analysis are highlighted. Considering the big source of data generation as well as the plausible suitable platform of such huge data analysis, the associated challenges are also underlined.
City Data Fusion
Authors: Wang Meisong , Perera Charith , Jayaraman Prem Prakash , Zhang Miranda , Strazdins Peter , Shyamsundar R.K. , Ranjan Rajiv
Published: July 2017

Internet of Things (IoT) has gained substantial attention recently and play a significant role in smart city application deployments. A number of such smart city applications depend on sensor fusion capabilities in the cloud from diverse data sources. The authors introduce the concept of IoT and present in detail ten different parameters that govern our sensor data fusion evaluation framework. They then evaluate the current state-of-the art in sensor data fusion against our sensor data fusion framework. The authors' main goal is to examine and survey different sensor data fusion research efforts based on our evaluation framework. The major open research issues related to sensor data fusion are also presented.
Sensing as a Service in Cloud-Centric Internet of Things Architecture
Authors: Kantarci Burak , Mouftah Hussein T.
Published: July 2017

Sensing-as-a-Service (S2aaS) is a cloud-inspired service model which enables access to the Internet of Things (IoT) architecture. The IoT denotes virtually interconnected objects that are uniquely identifiable, and are capable of sensing, computing and communicating. Built-in sensors in mobile devices can leverage the performance of IoT applications in terms of energy and communication overhead savings by sending their data to the cloud servers. Sensed data from mobile devices can be accessed by IoT applications on a pay-as-you-go fashion. Efficient sensing service provider search techniques are emerging components of this architecture, and they should be accompanied with effective sensing provider recruitment algorithms. Furthermore, reliability and trustworthiness of participatory sensed data appears as a big challenge. This chapter provides an overview of the state of the art in S2aaS systems, and reports recent proposals to address the most crucial challenges. Furthermore, the chapter points out the open issues and future directions for the researchers in this field.
The Access of Things
Authors: Hawrylak Peter J. , Reed Steven , Butler Matthew , Hale John
Published: July 2017

Access to resources, both physical and cyber, must be controlled to maintain security. The increasingly connected nature of our world makes access control a paramount issue. The expansion of the Internet of Things into everyday life has created numerous opportunities to share information and resources with other people and other devices. The Internet of Things will contain numerous wireless devices. The level of access each user (human or device) is given must be controlled. Most conventional access control schemes are rigid in that they do not account for environmental context. This solution is not sufficient for the Internet of Things. What is needed is a more granular control of access rights and a gradual degradation or expansion of access based on observed facts. This chapter presents an access control system termed the Access of Things, which employs a gradual degradation of privilege philosophy. The Access of Things concept is applicable to the dynamic security environment present in the Internet of Things.
Discourse and Multimodal Analysis of Netizens' Reactions to the Nigerian 2015 Presidential Elections
Authors: Asakitikpi Aretha Oluwakemi , Adeyeye Samuel Oluwafemi
Published: July 2017

Words and images are channels through which identities and realities are created. In the traditional mass media the power to do this is controlled by management in accordance to prescribed rules and stakeholder desires. This concept shifts with newer media forms like Facebook which transforms the power into the hands of the netizens. This is considered in relation to postings on the Facebook pages of the Osun Political Parrot with regards the Nigerian Presidential Election. The chapter builds its analysis on the liberty netizens have through the internet and the limited monopoly the encoder has over their uploaded comments. It examines the quality of comments netizens make based on their application of intertextually derived knowledge from other media texts. Using Discourse Analysis and Multimodal Methods, examinations of word and image associations in uploaded posts and comments made on March 22-28, a week to the Nigerian 2015 Presidential Elections is done.
Portrayal of Women in Nollywood Films and the Role of Women in National Development
Authors: Usaini Suleimanu , Chilaka Ngozi M. , Okorie Nelson
Published: July 2017

This study investigates how women are portrayed in Nollywood films, as well as the interpretation of their representations. It aims at understanding how the images of women are reflected in films, with a focus on investigating the influence of such portrayals on their role in national development. The methods adopted were Quantitative Content Analysis (five Nollywood films were content analysed) and Focus Group Discussion (three sessions of FGD were organised). Data collected and analysed show that over two-thirds of major female characters analysed were portrayed as dependent, 80% were depicted in such situations of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, while only 30% of the major female characters were portrayed as career professionals and intellectuals. It was observed from the analyses that portrayals and representations of women have negative influences on their contributions towards national development. The study concludes, therefore, that positive portrayal of women in Nollywood films should be encouraged. This can only be made possible through changing the narrative style of the film scripts. This is a call for more female script writers and directors to be involved in charting the narratives that will adequately give women a voice, new roles, and the right representation in Nollywood films.
Broadcasting Policy in Botswana
Authors: Mosanako Seamogano
Published: July 2017

The media has been considered an essential tool in propelling social change. Nonetheless, in Botswana, while the media is expected to play a role in the country's development, there exists a broadcasting policy vacuum in that there is no formal media policy to guide the operations of the media. A national television service, Botswana Television (Btv), is used as a case study in this chapter to demonstrate that the lack of media policy in Botswana and possibly other developing countries is generally responsible for poor performance of the broadcast media regarding its role in national development. Such poor performance of the media is reflected by domination of government originated content, domination of foreign content on local television, state control of the media as well as increasing pressure on the media to be more accessible to opposition political parties.
Examining Sexuality in the Context of HIV/AIDS Knowledge among Students of the North-West University Mafikeng Campus
Authors: Bigala Paul
Published: July 2017

The study investigated gender differences in attitudes towards sexuality in the context of HIV/AIDS among undergraduate students. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,498 randomly selected students. The majority of the students interviewed were females at 53.9% (M= 20.24, SD=2.98) compared to 46.1% males (M=21.67, SD=3.35). More Males (16%) responded in the affirmative with regard to having more than one sexual partner than female students (10%). Also, more male students (32.7%) than female students (18.6%) indicated that using condom reduces sexual pleasure and over 40% of both sets of respondents indicated that sexual intercourse should only be done between married couples. This study underscores the need to strengthen HIV/AIDS programmes to include issues on sexuality and encourage undergraduate students to attend these programmes.
Hierarchical Fuzzy Rule Interpolation and its Application for Hotels Location Selection
Authors: Jiang Yanling , Jin Shangzhu , Peng Jun
Published: July 2017

Fuzzy rule interpolation offers a useful means for enhancing the robustness of fuzzy models by making inference possible in systems of only a sparse rule base. However in practical applications, as the application domain of fuzzy systems expand to more complex ones, the curse of dimensionality problem of the conventional fuzzy systems became apparent, which makes the already challenging tasks such as inference and interpolation even more difficult. An initial idea of hierarchical fuzzy interpolation is presented in this paper. The proposed approach combines hierarchical fuzzy systems and fuzzy rule interpolation, to overcome the curse of dimensionality problem and the sparse rule base problem simultaneously. Hierarchical fuzzy interpolation is applicable to situations where a multiple multi-antecedent rules system needs to be reconstructed to a multi-layer fuzzy system and the sub-layer rules base is sparse. In order to demonstrate the potential of this approach, a hierarchical fuzzy decision making model for international tourist hotel location selection is provided in this paper. Criteria are acquired from literatures review and practical investigations for selecting the international tourist hotel location. These supportive systems can be directly presented to the tourists requesting a mechanism for selecting the most appropriate hotel, where lack enough information about the important indicators and factors. This model can also support the managers of hotels who are trying to make strategic decisions regarding the most optimized investments on the indicators of selecting a hotel. An empirical study for identifying the international tourist hotel location selection in Chongqing is conducted to demonstrate the computational results and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.
Modified Iterative Methods for Solving Fully Fuzzy Linear Systems
Authors: Edalatpanah S. A.
Published: July 2017

In the present chapter, we give an overview of computational iterative schemes for fuzzy system of linear equations. We also consider fully fuzzy linear systems (FFLS) and demonstrate a class of the existing iterative methods using the splitting approach for calculating the solution. Furthermore, the main aim in this work is to design a numerical procedure for improving this algorithm. Some numerical experiments are illustrated to show the applicability of the methods and to show the efficiency of proposed algorithm, we report the numerical results of large-scaled fuzzy problems.
Constructing Structural Equation Model Rule-Based Fuzzy System with Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Su EnDer , Knowles Thomas W. , Fen Yu-Gin
Published: July 2017

The present study uses the structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the correlations between various economic indices pertaining to latent variables, such as the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD) value, the United States Dollar (USD) value, and USD index. In addition, a risk factor of volatility of currency returns is considered to develop a risk-controllable fuzzy inference system. The rational and linguistic knowledge-based fuzzy rules are established based on the SEM model and then optimized using the genetic algorithm. The empirical results reveal that the fuzzy logic trading system using the SEM indeed outperforms the buy-and-hold strategy. Moreover, when considering the risk factor of currency volatility, the performance appears significantly better. Remarkably, the trading strategy is apparently affected when the USD value or the volatility of currency returns shifts into either a higher or lower state.
Imprecise Knowledge and Fuzzy Modeling in Materials Domain
Authors: Ganguly Subhas , Datta Shubhabrata
Published: July 2017

This chapter highlights the usage of imprecise knowledge of materials systems using fuzzy inference systems. Experts have knowledge of complex materials systems in the imprecise linguistic form. But due to lack of phenomenological relations, material engineers are compelled to depend on empirical models for practical complex systems. This limitation could be overcome to a certain extent through the method of utilizing this imprecise knowledge with the help of fuzzy logic. The case studies presented here have demonstrated that systems with imprecise knowledge but with sparse data could be modeled successfully in this approach.
Assessment of Clinical Decision Support Systems for Predicting Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Mokeddem Sidahmed , Atmani Baghdad
Published: July 2017

The use of data mining approaches in medicine and medical science has become necessary especially with the evolution of these approaches and their contributions medical decision support. Coronary artery disease (CAD) touches millions of people all over the world including a major portion in Algeria. However, much advancement has been done in medical science, but the early detection of CAD is still a challenge for prevention. Although, the early detection of CAD is a prevention challenge for clinicians. The subject of this paper is to propose new clinical decision support system (CDSS) for evaluating risk of CAD called CADSS. In this paper, the authors describe the characteristics of clinical decision support systems CDSSs for the diagnosis of CAD. The aim of this study is to explain the clinical contribution of CDSSs for medical decision-making and compare data mining techniques used for their implementation. Then, they describe their new fuzzy logic-based approach for detecting CAD at an early stage. Rules were extracted using a data mining technique and validated by experts, and the fuzzy expert system was used to handle the uncertainty present in the medical field. This work presents the main risk factors responsible for CAD and presents the designed CASS. The developed CADSS leads to 94.05% of accuracy, and its effectiveness was compared with different CDSS.