bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Decentralisation and Health Systems Performance in Developing Countries
Authors: Anifalaje Adebusoye A.
Published: May 2011

This article attempts to elucidate the intricacies of primary health care delivery in Nigeria. Among myriad complexities, the central proposition made herein is that the absence of an effective regulatory and enforcement framework in developing countries results in a prominent informal decision space. The findings show that the prominence of an informal decision space compromises the objectives of an information-based public health system. The article concludes that decentralisation in developing countries must have a coordinated top-down and bottom-up development component for it to be effective in improving the performance of primary health systems. One of the implications of the study is that researching decentralised healthcare delivery requires analytical models which are able to illuminate the complexities of local accountability in developing countries. The study also reveals the need to further research the dynamics of democratic decentralisation in developing countries as this goes beyond administrative structures but involve socio-cultural institutions.
Wireless Technology and Clinical Influences in Healthcare Setting
Authors: Baig Abdul Hafeez , Gururajan Raj
Published: May 2011

This chapter argues that current techniques used in the domain of Information Systems is not adequate for establishing determinants of wireless technology in a clinical setting. Using data collected from India, this chapter conducted a first order regrssion modeling (factor analysis) and then a second order regression modeling (SEM) to establish the determinants of clinical influences as a result of using wireless technology in healthcare settings. As information systems professionals, the authors conducted a qualitative data collection to understand the domain prior to employing a quantitative technique, thus providing rigour as well as personal relevance. The outcomes of this study has clearly established that there are a number of influences such as the organisational factors in determining the technology acceptance and provides evidence that trivial factors such as perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are no longer acceptable as the factors of technology acceptance.
Physician Characteristics and EMR Attitudes
Authors: Meinert David , Peterson Dane K.
Published: May 2011

Despite the numerous purported benefits of Electronic Medical Records (EMR), the medical profession has been extremely reluctant to embrace the technology. One of the barriers believed to be responsible for the slow adoption of EMR technology is resistance by many physicians who are not convinced of the advantages of using EMR systems. This study examined potential characteristics of physicians that might help identify those individuals that are most likely to pose a threat to the successful implementation of an EMR system in a multi-specialty clinic. The results demonstrated that older physicians and physicians with only minimal computer skills are more likely to have negative attitudes regarding EMR technology. Medical specialists were most likely to have positive attitudes with respects to the use of EMR systems, while primary care physicians were most likely to have doubts regarding the purported benefits of EMR technology. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Multi-Dimensional Criteria for the Evaluation of E-Health Services
Authors: Hamid Alalwany , Sarmad Alshawi
Published: May 2011

E-health is an emerging field in the intersection of information systems, healthcare and business, referring mainly to healthcare services delivered and enhanced through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). An important area of research is the evaluation of e-health services. A holistic e-health evaluation framework should address the aspects that are hampering healthcare services from embracing the full potential of ICT towards successful e-health initiatives. In order to build a holistic evaluation framework for e-health services, this article suggests framework characteristics for the appropriate evaluation for e-health services. The article argues that e-health services evaluation framework should be criteria based. The criteria have to be multi-dimensional that grounded in, or derived from, one or more specific perspectives or theories. The proposed evaluation criteria in this article can serve as part of an e-health evaluation framework, improve our understanding of the role of information systems in health care, and develop our ability to deliver high quality services. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]
Medical Data Visualization via a Pervasive Multi-Agent Platform
Authors: Coronato Antonio , Gallo Luigi , De Pietro Giuseppe
Published: May 2011

Pervasive healthcare is the field of application emerging from the combination of healthcare with pervasive computing, which is the computing paradigm that provides users with access to services in a transparent way, wherever they are and whichever their interacting device is. In this paper, a software infrastructure for pervasive healthcare is presented. Such an infrastructure aims at supporting medical practitioners with advanced pervasive access to medical data, which is also context-aware in the sense that the modality to fruit data depends on the device used by the operator and on his or her physical position within the environment. The paper also describes a service for high quality 3D rendering of medical volume data, which takes advantage of the software infrastructure to distribute the computational load upon the devices available in the environment in a completely transparent way to users.
Seamless Access to Healthcare Folders with Strong Privacy Guarantees
Authors: Allard Tristan , Anciaux Nicolas , Bouganim Luc , Pucheral Philippe , Thion Romuald
Published: May 2011

During the past decade, many countries launched ambitious Electronic Health Record (EHR) programs with the objective to increase the quality of care while decreasing its cost. Pervasive healthcare aims itself at making healthcare information securely available anywhere and anytime, even in disconnected environments (e.g., at patient home). Current server-based EHR solutions badly tackle disconnected situations and fail in providing ultimate security guarantees for the patients. The solution proposed in this paper capitalizes on a new hardware device combining a secure microcontroller (similar to a smart card chip) with a large external Flash memory on a USB key form factor. Embedding the patient folder as well as a database system and a web server in such a device gives the opportunity to manage securely a healthcare folder in complete autonomy. This paper proposes also a new way of personalizing access control policies to meet patient’s privacy concerns with minimal assistance of practitioners. While both proposals are orthogonal, their integration in the same infrastructure allows building trustworthy pervasive healthcare folders.
DNA Hash Pooling and its Applications
Authors: Shasha Dennis , Amos Martyn
Published: May 2011

In this article we describe a new technique for the comparison of populations of DNA strands. Comparison is vital to the study of ecological systems, at both the micro and macro scales. Existing methods make use of DNA sequencing and cloning, which can prove costly and time consuming, even with current sequencing techniques. Our overall objective is to address issues such as whole genome detection, fragment detection and sample similarity. Because our method is similar in spirit to hashing in computer science, we call it DNA hash pooling. To illustrate this method, we describe protocols using pairs of restriction enzymes. The in silico empirical results we present reflect a sensitivity to experimental error. Our method, performed as a filtering step prior to sequencing, may reduce the amount of sequencing required (generally by a factor of 10 or more). Even as sequencing becomes cheaper, an order of magnitude remains important.
An Advanced Architecture of a Massive Parallel Processing Nano Brain Operating 100 Billion Molecular Neurons Simultaneously
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Anirban , Ghosh Subrata , Fujita Daisuke , Pati Ranjit , Sahu Satyajit
Published: May 2011

Molecular machines (MM, Badjic, 2004; Collier, 2000; Jian & Tour, 2003; Koumura & Ferringa, 1999; Ding & Seeman, 2006) may resolve three distinct bottlenecks of scientific advancement (Bandyopadhyay, Fujita, Pati, 2008). Nanofactories (Phoenix, 2003) composed of MM may produce atomically perfect products spending negligible amount of energy (Hess, 2004) thus alleviating the energy crisis. Computers made by MM operating thousands of bits at a time may match biological processors mimicking creativity and intelligence (Hall, 2007), thus far considered as the prerogative of nature. State-of-the-art brain surgeries are not yet fatal-less, MMs guided by a nano-brain may execute perfect bloodless surgery (Freitas, 2005). Even though all three bottlenecks converge to a single necessity of nano-brain, futurists and molecular engineers have remained silent on this issue. Our recent invention of 16 bit parallel processor is a first step in this direction (Bandyopadhyay, 2008). However, the device operates inside ultra-high vacuum chamber. For practical application, one needs to design a 3 D standalone architecture. Here, we identify the minimum nano-brain functions for practical applications and try to increase the size from 2 nm to 20 µm. To realize this, three major changes are made. First, central control unit (CCU) and external execution units (EU) are modified so that they process information independently, second, CCU instructs EU the basic rules of information processing; third, once rules are set CCU does not hinder EU-computation. The basic design of the proposed nano-brain is a dendrimer (Hawker, 2005; Galliot, 1997; Devadoss, 2001; Quintana, 2002; Peer, 2007), with a control unit at its core and a molecular cellular neural network (m-CNN, Rosca, 1993; Chua, 2005) or Cellular Automata (CA, Wolfram, 1983) on its outer surface (EU). Each CNN/CA cell mimics the functionality of neurons by processing multiple bits reversibly (Rozenberg, 2004; Li, 2004; Bandyopadhyay, 2004). We have designed a megamer (Tomalia, 2005) consisting of dendrimer (~10 nm) as its unit CNN cell for building the giant 100 billion neuron based nano brain architecture. An important spontaneous control from 10 nm to 20 µm is achieved by an unique potential distribution following , where r is the co-ordinate of doped neuron cluster, k is the branch number, ? is the angle of deviation and a is a constant typical of the megamer architecture.
Single-Electron Devices and Circuits Utilizing Stochastic Operation for Intelligent Information Processing
Authors: Morie Takashi
Published: May 2011

The single-electron circuit technology should aim at developing information processing systems using the intrinsic properties of single-electron devices. The operation principles of single-electron devices are completely different from that of conventional CMOS devices, but both devices should co-exist in the information processing systems. In this paper, according to a scenario for achieving large-scale integrated systems of single-electron devices, some single-electron devices and circuits utilizing stochastic operation for associative processing and a spiking neuron model are described.
Dynamics of Particle-Based Reaction-Diffusion Computing
Authors: Jones Jeff
Published: May 2011

Reaction-diffusion computing utilises the complex auto-catalytic and diffusive interactions underlying self-organising systems for practical computing tasks – developing variants of classical logical computing devices, or direct spatial embodiments of problem representations and solutions. We investigate the concept of passive and active approaches to reaction-diffusion computing. Passive approaches use front propagation as a carrier signal for information transport and computation. Active approaches can both sense and modify the propagation of the underlying carrier signal. We also consider the differences in attraction and repulsion behaviour for both passive and active approaches. Using particle approximations of reaction-diffusion behaviour in chemical systems, and the plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum, we demonstrate the similarities and differences between the passive and active approaches using both attraction and repulsion behaviour. We provide examples of how the approaches can be used for complex spatially represented computational tasks. We note that the active approach results in second-order emergent behaviour, exhibiting complex quasi-physical properties such as apparent surface tension effects and network minimisation which may have utility in future physical implementations of reaction-diffusion computing devices.
Organization-Oriented Chemical Programming of Distributed Artifacts
Authors: Matsumaru Naoki , Hinze Thomas , Dittrich Peter
Published: May 2011

The construction of molecular-scale machines requires novel paradigms for their programming. Here, we assume a scenario of distributed devices that process in-formation by chemical reactions and that communicate by exchanging molecules. Programming such a distributed system requires specifing reaction rules as well as exchange rules. Here, we present an approach that helps to guide the manual construction of distributed chemical programs. We show how chemical organization theory can assist a programmer in predicting the behavior of the program. The basic idea is that a computation should be understood as a movement between chemical organizations, which are closed and self-maintaining sets of molecular species. When sticking to that design principle, fine-tuning of kinetic laws becomes less important. We demonstrate the approach by a novel chemical program that solves the maximal independent set problem on a distributed system without any central control—a typical situation in ad-hoc networks. We show that the computational result, which emerges from many local reaction events, can be explained in terms of chemical organizations, which assures robustness and low sensitivity to the choice of kinetic parameters.
Random Dynamical Network Automata for Nanoelectronics
Authors: Teuscher Christof , Gulbahce Natali , Rohlf Thimo , Goudarzi Alireza
Published: May 2011

It is generally expected that future and emerging nanoscale computing devices will be built in a bottom-up way from vast numbers of simple, densely arranged components that exhibit high failure rates, are relatively slow, and connected in an unstructured way. Other than that, there is little to no consensus on what type of technology and computing architecture holds most promises to go far beyond today’s top-down engineered silicon devices. Highly structured crossbar-like and cellular automata architectures have been proposed as possible alternatives to the von Neumann computing architecture, which is not generally well suited for emerging, massively parallel and fine-grained nanoscale electronics. While the top-down engineered semi-conducting technology favors regular and locally interconnected structures, emerging bottom-up self-assembled devices tend to have to be unstructured and heterogeneous because of the current lack of precise control over these processes. In this paper, we survey and assess two types of random dynamical networks, namely Random Boolean Networks (RBNs) and Random Threshold Networks (RTNs), as candidates for alternative computing architectures and models for future nanoscale information processing devices. In a high-level approach that is based on previous work, we illustrate that they have the potential to offer superior properties over highly structured crossbar- or mesh-like cellular automata architectures, such as an inherent and scale-invariant robustness, more efficient communication capabilities, manufacturing benefits for bottom-up self-assembled devices, and the ability to learn and solve tasks successfully. We also show that RBNs can learn and generalize. Our investigation is driven by the need for alternative computing and manufacturing paradigms to mitigate some of the challenges traditional approaches face.
In-Image Advertising
Authors: Li Lusong , Hua Xian-Sheng
Published: May 2011

The daunting volumes of images on the Web have become one of the primary sources for online advertising. This work presents a contextual in-image advertising strategy driven by images, which automatically associates relevant ads with an image and seamlessly inserts the ads in the nonintrusive areas within each individual image. In in-image advertising platform, the ads are selected based on not only textual relevance but also visual similarity. The ad insertion positions are detected based on image salience, as well as face detection, to minimize intrusiveness to the user. In addition to general in-image advertising, we also provide a special game-like in-image advertising model dedicated to image on the basis of gaming form, called GameSense, which supports creating a game from an online image and associates relevant ads within the game. We evaluate in-image advertising model on a large-scale real-world images, and demonstrate the effectiveness of in-image advertising platform.
Adapting Online Advertising Techniques to Television
Authors: Dorai-Raj Sundar , Interian Yannet , Naverniouk Igor , Zigmond Dan
Published: May 2011

The availability of precise data on TV ad consumption fundamentally changes this advertising medium, and allows many techniques developed for analyzing online ads to be adapted for TV. This chapter looks in particular at how results from the emerging field of online ad quality analysis can now be applied to TV.
Contextual In-Stream Video Advertising
Authors: Mei Tao , Li Shipeng
Published: May 2011

With Internet delivery of video content surging to an unprecedented level, online video advertising is becoming increasingly pervasive. In this chapter, we present a new advertising paradigm for online video, called contextual in-stream video advertising, which automatically associates the most relevant video ads with online videos and seamlessly inserts the ads at the most appropriate spatiotemporal positions within each individual video. Different from most current video-oriented sites that only display the ads at the predefined locations in a video, this advertising paradigm aims to embed more contextually relevant ads at less intrusive positions within the video stream nonlinearly. We introduce the following key techniques in this paradigm: video processing for ad location detection, text analysis for ad selection, and optimization for ad insertion. We also describe two recently developed systems as showcases, i.e., VideoSense and AdOn which support in-stream inline and overlay advertising, respectively.
Behavioral Targeting Online Advertising
Authors: Yan Jun , Shen Dou , Mah Teresa , Liu Ning , Chen Zheng , Li Ying
Published: May 2011

With the rapid growth of the online advertising market, Behavioral Targeting (BT), which delivers advertisements to users based on understanding of their needs through their behaviors, is attracting more attention. The amount of spend on behaviorally targeted ad spending in the US is projected to reach $4.4 billion in 2012 (Hallerman, 2008). BT is a complex technology, which involves data collection, data mining, audience segmentation, contextual page analysis, predictive modeling and so on. This chapter gives an overview of Behavioral Targeting by introducing the Behavioral Targeting business, followed by classic BT research challenges and solution proposals. We will also point out BT research challenges which are currently under-explored in both industry and academia.
Managing Granularity in Design and Implementation of Geospatial Web Services
Authors: Ioup Elias Z. K. , Sample John T.
Published: May 2011

Granularity is often ignored when designing geospatial Web services. Choices relating to granularity affect service interfaces, data storage and organization, and XML format design. This chapter highlights the importance of analyzing usage and performance requirements when deciding on granularity choices in the design of geospatial Web services. Often, instead of making design decisions based on these requirements, geospatial services are implemented using default, commonly used techniques which may reduce performance, increase complexity, or fail to fully meet user needs. This chapter discusses the importance of granularity in designing and implementing geospatial Web services and provides common examples that highlight the different approaches to granularity which are available.
OOSTethys/Oceans IE Service Registry Based on Catalog Service for Web
Authors: Maskey Manil , Conover Helen , Keiser Ken , Bermudez Luis , Graves Sara
Published: May 2011

Service registries can play a big role in helping developers, collaborators and agencies find deployed resources without difficulty. A service registry is especially useful if it follows a well-known, predefined specification that allows for automatic machine interactions and interoperability, such as the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) specification for Catalog Services for the Web (CSW). This chapter discusses a CSW-compliant registry developed as part of an OGC-sponsored interoperability experiment involving the ocean sciences community. The development approach for selecting, adapting and enhancing an open source implementation of the CSW is described. Implementation goals for the registry included support for OGC Sensor Observation Services (SOS) and additional functionality to minimize requirements on service providers and maximize the robustness of the registry. The registry’s role in the OGC Ocean Science Interoperability Experiment is also discussed.
Geospatial Web Services for Distributed Processing
Authors: Foerster Theodor , Schäffer Bastian , Baranski Bastian , Brauner Johannes
Published: May 2011

This chapter provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art approach of distributed geoprocessing by describing the related concepts, such as the OGC Web Processing Service, workflows, Quality of Service and legacy system integration. Furthermore, the chapter demonstrates different applications for distributed geoprocessing. Finally, this chapter examines the introduced concepts by two scenarios.
A SOA-Based System for Territory Monitoring
Authors: Roglia Elena , Meo Rosa
Published: May 2011

Next is a presentation of the complete system architecture, followed by a discussion of the details of the various services. Amongst these services, management and simulation of tactical planning, management of data and streaming video, the system also presents a service for the annotation of the interested spatial objects. Annotation deploys the web services (Alonso, Casati, Kuno, & Machiraju, 2004) exported by OpenStreetMap (OpenStreetMap) with the purpose to exploit the on-line information sources continuously updated by the social networks communities.
A Taxonomy of Educational Games
Authors: O’Brien Dan
Published: May 2011

Digital games are a relatively new tool for educators, who often misunderstand their value for education. This is partly since they perceive many very different types of games in the same way. The authors propose a taxonomy of digital games in education based on the features that are relevant to instructional design and educational research. The taxonomy outlines four genres into which games fall, depending on the cognitive functions and skills they engage. The theoretical basis for the taxonomy the authors develop draws from R. M. Gagne’s Five Categories of Learning Outcomes, Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, and D. H. Jonassen’s Typology of Problem Solving. The links between these theories and the educational games taxonomy will allow educators and researchers to understand games in the light of their educational affordances. Instructional design based on these theories can more effectively integrate games into the classroom.
An Overview of Gaming Terminology
Authors: Aldrich Clark , DiPietro Joseph C.
Published: May 2011

This appendix introduces and defines commonly used terms and phrases from the world of video gaming. It seeks to bridge the gaps between researchers, gamers, and educators so that a more thoughtful and productive conversation may be had. The authors hope that this appendix adds to the understanding of and appreciation for both consumer-based and educational video games, furthers academic research within this field, and serves as a valuable tool for anyone interested in learning more about video games and related terminology. Fifty-two entries are discussed within this appendix serving as a solid, yet not all-encompassing, foundation for future inquiry and discussion.
Gaming in Adult Education
Authors: Farmer Lesley S. J.
Published: May 2011

Egames have drawn attention in adult education, particularly as the majority of adults play egames. Adult education is increasingly incorporating serious games, mainly simulation games, but other forms such as RPGs are being considered. In addition, adult education is also incorporating game design into curricula. In terms of learning theory, gaming as a learning mechanism is usually associated with activity theory. Many commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) game combine solid content and concept along with good game play that engages adult learners. The gaming industry has increased focus on developing games for mobile instruments, mainly smart phones. Specific applications of egames for engineering education are discussed. Recreational aspects of gaming impact educational us of egames. Future trends of adult education use of egames are noted: platform, workplace gaming, and industry development.
Mobility, Games, and Education
Authors: Evans Michael A.
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes that the convergence of mobile devices and digital game-based learning may have profound implications for educational transformation. Key issues to be addressed in the chapter are: (1) the pervasiveness of mobile and shared technologies, (2) contemporary accounts of learning theory in terms of mobility, (3) unique qualities of mobile learning and technologies, (4) successful applications for mobile learning, and (5) implications for future research and practice. Commuters play Sudoku on smart phones on the subway. High school freshman swap downloaded music across digital media devices in the parking lot. Elementary students debate strategies and “cheats” for handheld consoles on the bus ride home. For educational researchers, practitioners, and administrators, it is critical to examine these identified trends in mobile technology and digital game adoption and use to develop creative strategies and applications, and effective policies that lead to innovative instructional and learning environments.
Simulation Games for the Learning and Teaching of Mathematics
Authors: Piu Angela
Published: May 2011

The chapter presents the educational perspective within which the simulation games for learning mathematics are presented, as well as a number of considerations on the implementation of teaching course and environments. The main decisions taken for the design of simulation games are introduced, whereas the methodological aspects will be studied in greater depth in later chapters.
The Path between Pedagogy and Technology
Authors: Price Colin
Published: May 2011

The power of computer game technology is currently being harnessed to produce “serious games”. These “games” are targeted at the education and training marketplace, and employ various key game-engine components such as the graphics and physics engines to produce realistic “digital-world” simulations of the real “physical world”. Many approaches are driven by the technology and often lack a consideration of a firm pedagogical underpinning. The authors believe that an analysis and deployment of both the technological and pedagogical dimensions should occur together, with the pedagogical dimension providing the lead. This chapter explores the relationship between these two dimensions, and explores how “pedagogy may inform the use of technology”, how various learning theories may be mapped onto the use of the affordances of computer game engines. Autonomous and collaborative learning approaches are discussed. The design of a serious game is broken down into spatial and temporal elements. The spatial dimension is related to the theories of knowledge structures, especially “concept maps”. The temporal dimension is related to “experiential learning”, especially the approach of Kolb. The multi-player aspect of serious games is related to theories of “collaborative learning” which is broken down into a discussion of “discourse” versus “dialogue”. Several general guiding principles are explored, such as the use of “metaphor” (including metaphors of space, embodiment, systems thinking, the internet and emergence). The topological design of a serious game is also highlighted. The discussion of pedagogy is related to various serious games we have recently produced and researched, and is presented in the hope of informing the “serious game community”.
Virtual Modeling and Prototyping in Collaborative Product Design
Authors: Simões Ricardo
Published: May 2011

Computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering (CAD/CAE) tools are a valuable resource in today’s product development process. Among other features, these tools enable collaborative development, reduce costs, and improve the efficiency of the development process (McGrath, 2004). Virtual and networked organizations should explore these computational tools to the utmost. Among CAD/CAE tools, virtual modeling and rapid prototyping are very pertinent for virtual and networked organizations due to the large impact those tools can have here (Wright, 2001). Adequately used, virtual modeling allows collaborative development to its full extent, either among team members inside a company or between companies involved in the development of a specific product. It is necessary to emphasize that CAD/CAE tools, particularly those for simulation of virtual models (either process simulation or structural modeling), can be very dangerous when used as a black box; a sensible analysis of results is a prerequisite to prevent complications in later stages of the process. This article starts by describing the main stages of product design and engineering. The concept of virtual modeling and a comparative overview to traditional product development methods are provided. The current rapid prototyping techniques and their advantages and disadvantages are described. Last, some of today’s main applications for CSCW within the framework of product design methodologies are analyzed.
Cognitive Apprenticeship Inspired Simulations
Authors: Seo Kay Kyeongju , Byk Aimee , Collins Chris
Published: May 2011

How can one bring cognitive apprenticeship into the virtual world? This chapter addresses how to construct a 3D online digital environment that supports the methods of cognitive apprenticeship. As technology rapidly evolves, there has been an increased demand for more interactive and more flexible simulated learning environments that can go beyond the limits of conventional instruction. When carefully designed, a 3D online digital simulation can allow teachers and learners to share and compare their cognitive techniques. By gaining access to experts’ “hidden” skills, learners can better develop thinking and learning strategies that are applicable to real-world situations. This chapter discusses how to design cognitive apprenticeship tasks in a 3D online digital world.
Considerations and Methodology for Designing a Virtual World
Authors: Bauer Brian
Published: May 2011

This chapter centers on a publically traded Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical company based in the United States. With over 100,000 employees spread across many countries, physical separation of the workforce is an everyday reality. In the author’s case, it was not the goal to attempt to unite the entire company; rather, it was the author’s goal to provide a means to overcome the obstacles that present themselves when physically disparate coworkers must perform seamlessly to complete a business process.In the following case study, the author determined that although users were open minded to trying Virtual Worlds and other types of Immersive technologies, the solutions delivered needed to provide task oriented functionality that was directly in line with everyday business process. Using this basic requirement, the author developed a Virtual Corporate Environment Business Tool (VCEBT©) box.The VCEBT© philosophy is grounded on the principal that business process is accomplished by following a set of business methods each performed using a set of business tools. While it may sound like a rigid and inflexible way to describe a knowledge-worker environment, the author finds that the process-method-tools definition applies to most environments quite well. The goal is to introduce new tools that increase the effectiveness of this process in terms of its ability to meet clearly defined business objectives.The VCEBT© framework does not attempt to change people or the work that they do. VCEBT©’s do augment the business tool box, providing highly efficient tools designed to solve real world challenges that can restrict a business’s ability to maximize business performance.
A Simulation for Improving Teachers’ Motivational Skills
Authors: Cheong Donguk , Kim Bokyeong
Published: May 2011

A computer simulation for improving teaching is expected to remove the potential negative effects on real students while creating an environment that combines academic theories in an abstracted world of the classroom. simClass II is a teaching simulation which was designed to allow pre-service and in-service teachers to develop and exercise their motivational skills as they work within a Web-based, simulated classroom environment. This chapter aims to provide background knowledge and the basic logic for developing a simulation to help teachers enhance their skills in motivating students, with simClass II serving as a concrete example. In addition, three phases—knowledge acquisition, exercise, and debriefing— are proposed for cyclical practice of these skills.
BioSimGrid Biomolecular Simulation Database
Authors: Tai Kaihsu , Sansom Mark
Published: May 2011

BioSimGrid is a distributed biomolecular simulation database. It is a general-purpose database for trajectories from molecular dynamics simulations. Though initially designed as a distributed data grid, BioSimGrid allows for installation as a stand-alone instance. This can later be integrated into a wider, networked system. This presentation of BioSimGrid follows a scenario in biological research to demonstrate how to install the system, and how to deposit, query, and analyze trajectories in this system, with real Python code examples for each step. What then follow are explanations of the underlying concepts in the implementation of BioSimGrid: relational database, distributed computing, and the input/output (deposit and analysis) modules. Finishing the presentation is a discussion of the emerging trends and concerns in the further development of BioSimGrid and similar biological databases. This discussion touches on quality-assurance issues and the use of BioSimGrid as a back-end for other speciality databases. The experience of developing BioSimGrid compels the conclusion: In the development and maintenance of biomolecular simulation databases, it is essential that sustainability be asserted as a key principle.
Design and Evaluation of Embodied Conversational Agents for Educational and Advisory Software
Authors: André Elisabeth
Published: May 2011

Embodied conversational agents may take on a diversity of roles in learning and advisory scenarios including virtual teachers, advisors, learning companions and autonomous actors in educational role play. They promote learner motivation, engagement, and self-confidence, and may help prevent and overcome negative affective states of learners, such as frustration, and fear of failure. The chapter will provide guidelines and approved methods for the development of animated pedagogical agents including the extraction of multimodal tutorial strategies from human-human teaching dialogues as well as the simulation and evaluation of such strategies in computer-mediated learning environments.
Information and Visualization Imagery
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: May 2011

Information and visualization imagery conveys data for more effective learning and comprehension, memory retention; analytic tractability; decision-making and information aesthetics. These types of visualization imagery may be built both in simple and complex ways. Complex and live data streams may be collated and delivered via interactive tools delivered via the Web, with some bolstering simulation learning. This chapter addresses the types of visualizations used in e-learning, strategies for creating these, and the ways to avoid unintended and negative learning.
Social Simulation with Both Human Agents and Software Agents
Authors: Chen Shu-Heng , Tai Chung-Ching , Wang Tzai-Der , Wang Shu G.
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we will present agent-based simulations as well as human experiments in double auction markets. Our idea is to investigate the learning capabilities of human traders by studying learning agents constructed by Genetic Programming (GP), and the latter can further serve as a design platform in conducting human experiments. By manipulating the population size of GP traders, we attempt to characterize the innate heterogeneity in human being’s intellectual abilities. We find that GP traders are efficient in the sense that they can beat other trading strategies even with very limited learning capacity. A series of human experiments and multi-agent simulations are conducted and compared for an examination at the end of this chapter.
Soft-Constrained Linear Programming Support Vector Regression for Nonlinear Black-Box Systems Identification
Authors: Lu Zhao , Sun Jing
Published: May 2011

As an innovative sparse kernel modeling method, support vector regression (SVR) has been regarded as the state-of-the-art technique for regression and approximation. In the support vector regression, Vapnik developed the -insensitive loss function as a trade-off between the robust loss function of Huber and one that enables sparsity within the support vectors. The use of support vector kernel expansion provides us a potential avenue to represent nonlinear dynamical systems and underpin advanced analysis. However, in the standard quadratic programming support vector regression (QP-SVR), its implementation is more computationally expensive and enough model sparsity can not be guaranteed. In an attempt to surmount these drawbacks, this article focus on the application of soft-constrained linear programming support vector regression (LP-SVR) in nonlinear black-box systems identification, and the simulation results demonstrates that the LP-SVR is superior to QP-SVR in model sparsity and computational efficiency
A Policy Game in a Virtual World
Authors: Garcia-Murillo Martha , MacInnes Ian
Published: May 2011

Advances in computing and telecommunications make it possible to take advantage of immersive electronic environments to deliver content. In this chapter we present a policy game to be used in a virtual world. The benefits of this tool are examined using Gee’s learning principles. From this analysis we find that games in virtual worlds enable reflective exploration that helps participants learn from their mistakes. Learning takes place from the content conveyed through the game and through the multimedia immersion that allows students to learn the nuances of these virtual contexts. Because there are no realworld consequences, participants can take risks, provide or receive help from other students, and most importantly, apply this knowledge to a real-world situation. Recommendations are provided to educators to help them exploit the great potential of games while being prepared for the obstacles they will face.
Applied Training in Virtual Environments
Authors: Hudson Ken
Published: May 2011

Virtual worlds hold enormous promise for corporate education and training. From distributed collaboration that facilitates participation at a distance, to allowing trainees to experience dangerous situations first-hand without threat to personal safety, virtual worlds are a solution that offers benefits for a multitude of applications. While related to videogames, virtual worlds have different parameters of interaction that make them useful for specific location or open-ended instructional exchanges. Research suggests that participants identify quickly with roles and situations they encounter in virtual environments, that they experience virtual interactions as real events, and that those experiences carry over into real life. This paper will evaluate the attributes of a successful applied training project, the Canadian border simulation at Loyalist College, conducted in the virtual world Second Life. This simulated border crossing is used to teach port of entry interview skills to students at the college, whose test scores, engagement level, and motivation have increased substantially by utilizing this training environment. The positive results of this training experience led the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to pilot the border environment for agency recruits, with comparable results. By analyzing the various elements of this simulation, and examining the process with which it was used in the classroom, a set of best practices emerge that have wide applicability to corporate training.
Dynamics and Simulation of General Human and Humanoid Motion in Sports
Authors: Potkonjak Veljko , Vukobratovic Miomir , Babkovic Kalman , Borovac Branislav
Published: May 2011

This chapter relates biomechanics to robotics. The mathematical models are derived to cover the kinematics and dynamics of virtually any motion of a human or a humanoid robot. Benefits for humanoid robots are seen in fully dynamic control and a general simulator for the purpose of system designing and motion planning. Biomechanics in sports and medicine can use these as a tool for mathematical analysis of motion and disorders. Better results in sports and improved diagnostics are foreseen. This work is a step towards the biologically-inspired robot control needed for a diversity of tasks expected in humanoids, and robotic assistive devices helping people to overcome disabilities or augment their physical potentials. This text deals mainly with examples coming from sports in order to justify this aspect of research.
Methodological Considerations in Educational Research Using Serious Games
Authors: Jin Putai
Published: May 2011

The literature on using serious games for learning has been growing exponentially during the last decade. It is time to examine some methodological issues associated with this line of research. There is evidence that research on serious games, if designed with methodological rigor and executed properly, such as the serial studies of prisoners’ dilemma, modality effect in individual interactive learning, and changes in attitude toward mathematics in a computer-based simulation game, can be fruitful and have a profound, positive impact on learning and training. Since adopting serious games as an educational technology tool is by no means cheap, we should ensure that methodological issues are carefully considered before conducting a study on educational games. Whereas there are excellent studies in the existing literature of simulations and games, it is not uncommon for some studies to adopt convenience samples or own-control designs. Studies on serious games tend to be conclusive if they have used true experimentation, well-controlled quasi-experimental design, surveys with representative samples and validated instruments, comprehensive design research, or training programs having a pretest–posttest design with group comparisons. The potential values and informative contributions of using different methodologies for serious game research should be recognized because of the ecological relevance. Future research should pay more attention to randomized sampling, controlled but feasible research design, validity of instruments, appropriate analytical methods, and interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary research to enhance the internal/external validity of various approaches. In regard to analytical methods, both quantitative approaches and qualitative evaluations, if applied appropriately, are considered as valuable, indispensable, and complementary to each other. It is hoped that this chapter can be helpful not only for future researchers in this field to design and execute rigorous projects but also for wider readership to understand and evaluate research outcomes in the discipline of serious games.
Neural Network-Based Process Analysis in Sport
Authors: Perl Juergen
Published: May 2011

Processes in sport like motions or games are influenced by communication, interaction, adaptation, and spontaneous decisions. Therefore, on the one hand, those processes are often fuzzy and unpredictable and so have not extensively been dealt with, yet. On the other hand, most of those processes structurally are roughly determined by intention, rules, and context conditions and so can be classified by means of information patterns deduced from data models of the processes. Self organizing neural networks of type Kohonen Feature Map (KFM) help for classifying information patterns – either by mapping whole processes to corresponding neurons (see Perl & Lames, 2000; McGarry & Perl, 2004) or by mapping process steps to neurons, which then can be connected by trajectories that can be taken as process patterns for further analyses (see examples below). In any case, the dimension of the original data (i.e. the number of contained attributes) is reduced to the dimension of the representing neuron (normally 2 or 3), which makes it much easier to deal with. Additionally, extensions of the KFM-approach are introduced, which are able to flexibly adjust the net to dynamically changing training situations. Moreover, those extensions allow for simulating adaptation processes like learning or tactical behaviour. Finally, a current project is introduced, where tactical processes in soccer are analysed under the aspect of simulation-based optimization.
Soft-Touch Haptics Modeling of Dynamic Surfaces
Authors: Sun Hanqiu , Chen Hui
Published: May 2011

Virtual Reality applications strive to simulate real or imaginary scenes with which users can interact and perceive the effects of their actions in real time. Adding haptic information such as vibration, tactile array, and force feedback enhances the sense of presence in virtual environments. Haptics interfaces present new challenges in the situation where it is crucial for the operators to touch, grasp and manipulate rigid/soft objects in the immersive virtual worlds. Soft-touch haptics modeling is the core component in feeling and manipulating dynamic objects within the virtual environments. For adding the haptic sensations with interactive soft objects, the authors first present multiple force-reflecting dynamics in Loop subdivision surfaces, and further the haptic freeform deformation of soft objects through mass-spring Bezier volume lattice. The haptic constraint modeling based on metaballs is experimented to intuitively control the interactive force distribution within the dynamically constructed constraint, making the soft-touch simulation of objects simple to manipulate with enhanced realism.