bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Process-of-Care Aware Emergency Department Information Systems
Authors: Ceglowski Andrzej S. , Churilov Leonid
Published: May 2011

The critical role of emergency departments (EDs) as the first point of contact for ill and injured patients has presented significant challenges for the elicitation of detailed process models. Patient complexity has limited the ability of ED information systems (EDIS) in prediction of patient treatment and patient movement. This article formulates a novel approach to building EDIS Activity Views that paves the way for EDIS that can predict patient workflow. The resulting Activity View pertains to “what is being done,” rather than “what experts think is being done.” The approach is based on analysis of data that is routinely recorded during patient treatment. The practical significance of the proposed approach is clinically acceptable, verifiable, and statistically valid process-oriented clusters of ED activities that can be used for targeted process elicitation, thus informing the design of EDIS. Its theoretical significance is in providing the new “middle ground” between existing “soft” and “computational” process elicitation methods.
Key Management Protocols in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Elboukhari Mohamed , Azizi Mostafa , Azizi Abdelmalek
Published: May 2011

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) have received tremendous attention in recent years because of their self-organization and self-maintenance capabilities. MANETs are networks that do not have an underlying fixed infrastructure. However, these networks tend to be vulnerable to a number of attacks. They don’t obey a centralized network management functionality; furthermore, the network topology changes dynamically. Therefore, security has become a primary concern in MANETs. The major problem in providing security services in such networks is how to manage cryptography keys, making key management a central component in MANETs. This chapter gives an overview of security in this kind of network and presents a number of MANETs key management protocols according to recent literature.
Open Content in Libraries
Authors: Kapellakou Galateia , Markellou Marina , Vagena Evangelia
Published: May 2011

The basic issue examined in this chapter is how can open access be achieved through the instrument of contracts. In the digital environment right holders have the power to restrict access to works by using restrictive contractual terms enforced by means of technical measures. As a counterbalance to the extended authority of the right holder, open access movements have appeared which express the users’ need to have open access to creative content. It is put forward that the terms used in contractual forms that have been standardized and express the ideology of open content are not always compatible with the existing copyright law contractual provisions and the way in which collective management functions.
Participant Observation in Online Multiplayer Communities
Authors: Siitonen Marko
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses participant observation as a method of data collection for studying social interaction in online multiplayer games and the communities within them. Participant observation has its roots in the social sciences, and especially in the field of anthropology. True to a natural inquiry approach, studies utilizing participant observation try to understand the actual habitat or “lifeworld” of those participating in the study. This chapter looks at various practical issues connected to conducting participant observation in online multiplayer communities. Examples of data collection are presented, including saving log files, capturing images and video, and writing field notes. Participant observation seems well suited for studying online communities since it can respond well to the challenges of the ever-changing technology and social situations, the need to take into account multiple channels of communication, and the complex and sometimes hidden nature of computer-mediated social interaction.
JFeature
Authors: Chen Xin , Xu Hangyang
Published: May 2011

Prediction of various functional properties of proteins has long been a central theme of bioinformatics in the post-genomic era. Statistical learning, in addition to analysis based on sequence similarity, was proven successful to detect complex sequence-function associations in many applications. JFeature is an integrated Java tool to facilitate extraction of global sequence features and preparation of example sets, in statistical learning studies of sequence-function relationships. With a user-friendly graphical interface, it computes the composition, distribution, transition and auto-correlation features from sequence. It also helps to assemble a negative example set based on the most-dissimilar principle. The Java package and supplementary documentations are available at http://www.cls.zju.edu.cn/rlibs/software/jfeature.html.
A New Approach for DNA Sequence Similarity Analysis based on Triplets of Nucleic Acid Bases
Authors: Wei Dan , Jiang Qingshan , Li Sheng
Published: May 2011

Similarity analysis of DNA sequences is a fundamental research area in Bioinformatics. The characteristic distribution of L-tuple, which is the tuple of length L, reflects the valuable information contained in a biological sequence and thus may be used in DNA sequence similarity analysis. However, similarity analysis based on characteristic distribution of L-tuple is not effective for the comparison of highly conservative sequences. In this paper, a new similarity measurement approach based on Triplets of Nucleic Acid Bases (TNAB) is introduced for DNA sequence similarity analysis. The new approach characterizes both the content feature and position feature of a DNA sequence using the frequency and position of occurrence of TNAB in the sequence. The experimental results show that the approach based on TNAB is effective for analysing DNA sequence similarity.
Ad Avoidance and Distance Education Marketing
Authors: Ispir N. Bilge
Published: May 2011

All distance education institutions need inform their target audience (in this case, target students) about their education programs. In order to do this, distance education institutions apply some marketing communication activities including advertising. Distance education institutions have to use media to send their messages to target audiences. But target audiences are already in an ad-cluttered media environment and find ads irritating, boring, and offensive. Because of this, audiences try to avoid ads with different ways. On the other hand, audiences’ ad avoidance behavior is affected by some factors including attitudes toward an ad, ad clutter, and communication problems. This study aims to understand ad avoidance behavior and factors that affect ad avoidance. In the light of this understanding, distance education institutions may develop effective marketing communication programs and may manage ad avoidance.
Defining the Role of Online Education in Today’s World
Authors: Mapuva Jephias
Published: May 2011

This section of the book is going to provide a definition and the role of online education in today’s world. In this section, online education is going to be used interchangeably with similar-minded terms as e-learning, Internet, e-pedagogy, and the application of technology in education and the corporate world. The author will go beyond the role of online education in formal educational institutions and will inculcate the vital role of the Internet in learning, herein referred of to as e-learning, and e-pedagogy, the latter being the renewed interest, and innovative way of incorporation of ICTs in enhancing learning and communication among global players as well as poverty alleviation in rural livelihoods. In essence, the section will deal with the interplay between ICTs and information dissemination, with special emphasis on education provision and the enhancement of communication in an increasingly globalised world.
Leadership and Distance Learning
Authors: Stumpf Don S.
Published: May 2011

Distance learning programs have influenced nearly all aspects of higher education. Extended campus locations at many colleges and universities have been assigned administrative responsibility for distance learning programs. The merger of these highly visible programs creates an educational leadership paradigm shift that draws attention to itself. This merger requires a re-evaluation of the current educational leadership practices associated with efficient operation of the extended campus location.
Communication and Group Performance
Authors: Li Shu-Chu Sarrina , Huang Lin-Mei , Liu Yi-Ching
Published: May 2011

This study applied functional theory and media-capacity theory to compare face-to-face (FTF) groups with computer-mediated communication (CMC) groups in terms of their group communication and group performance. This study used a field experiment that was integrated into two classes of a communication course at a private university in northern Taiwan, in which 21 groups of 4 to 6 members worked on final group projects. The researchers randomly assigned one class, which had 11 groups (60 persons), to perform the task via CMC, and the other class, which had 10 groups (49 persons), to perform the task via FTF communication. The findings of this study in general support the functional theory and the media-capacity theory. However, some findings are not congruent with those of past studies. For example, previous studies have indicated that the function of criteria establishment was a significant predictor of group performance, while this study found this function to have no effect on the group outcomes. Furthermore, past studies found that the function of social talk had a negative effect on group performance, but this study discovered this function to have a positive effect on group outcomes.
Distributed Collaborations and the Effect of Sociometric Feedback
Authors: Kim Taemie
Published: May 2011

Distributed collaborations tend to have different communication patterns and performances compared to co-located collaborations. This chapter proposes using sociometric feedback to understand and help distributed collaborations. The proposed system uses sociometric badges to automatically detect communication behaviors of groups and uses the information to provide real-time visual feedback. The goal of the feedback system is to encourage cooperation and furthermore improve the performance of both individuals and groups. This system could allow distributed collaborations to be more similar to co-located collaborations since it can sense and reintroduce the social signals lost in computer mediated communication. The chapter presents the results of two experimental laboratory studies that examine the effectiveness of the system. Results show that real-time sociometric feedback changes not only the communication patterns of distributed groups but also their performance, making it similar to that of co-located groups.
Virtual Social Networks
Authors: Sangwan Sunanda , Guan Chong , Siguaw Judy A.
Published: May 2011

Multi-user virtual communities have become an accepted fundamental component of communication whereby community members share information and knowledge for mutual learning or problem solving.Virtual communities in a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) have evolved into active social networks, formulating an alternative social existence and this phenomenon warrants further investigations. In these virtual social networks (VSNs), member participation is essential for their success. Therefore, developing knowledge on how to manage and sustain participation of members in VSNs fills a gap in our academic understanding of the dynamics underpinning the processes of virtual community development. This article aims to address these issues by extending the theory of sense of community into a virtual context (SOVC) and by integrating it with other communication theory of U&G.
Simulating Social Network Formation
Authors: Gilles Robert , James Tabitha , Barkhi Reza , Diamantaras Dimitrios
Published: May 2011

Social networks depict complex systems as graph theoretic models. The study of the formation of such systems (or networks) and the subsequent analysis of the network structures are of great interest. For information systems research and its impact on business practice, the ability to model and simulate a system of individuals interacting to achieve a certain socio-economic goal holds much promise for proper design and use of cyber networks. We use case-based decision theory to formulate a customizable model of information gathering in a social network. In this model, the agents in the network have limited awareness of the social network in which they operate and of the fixed, underlying payoff structure. Agents collect payoff information from neighbors within the prevailing social network, and they base their networking decisions on this information. Along with the introduction of the decision theoretic model, we developed software to simulate the formation of such networks in a customizable context to examine how the network structure can be influenced by the parameters that define social relationships. We present computational experiments that illustrate the growth and stability of the simulated social networks ensuing from the proposed model. The model and simulation illustrates how network structure influences agent behavior in a social network and how network structures, agent behavior, and agent decisions influence each other.
Desktop Virtual Reality Applications for Training Personnel of Small Businesses
Authors: Garcia-Ruiz Miguel A. , Edwards Arthur , Aquino-Santos Raul , El-Seoud Samir , Vargas Martin Miguel
Published: May 2011

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in most world economies suffer from a series of intense economic pressures from local, regional and international markets. Although these problems are microeconomic to the small and medium-sized business, they are directly related to macro economic factors, particularly in the case of labor. One of the main pressures small and medium-sized businesses suffer from is the lack of worker technical skills. Past research has consistently shown that virtual reality (VR) can be effective for supporting competency-based training skills. The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview on how virtual reality can be used to support technical training in SMBs, including the use of Second Life and DIVE VR platforms. This chapter describes a desktop VR Application for training car mechanics from a small business and highlights advantages and challenges of desktop virtual reality for technical training. Finally, future trends related to the use of VR in training are discussed.
Folksonomy
Authors: Weller Katrin , Peters Isabella , Stock Wolfgang G.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses folksonomies as a novel way of indexing documents and locating information based on user generated keywords. Folksonomies are considered from the point of view of knowledge organization and representation in the context of user collaboration within the Web 2.0 environments. Folksonomies provide multiple benefits which make them a useful indexing method in various contexts; however, they also have a number of shortcomings that may hamper precise or exhaustive document retrieval. The position maintained is that folksonomies are a valuable addition to the traditional spectrum of knowledge organization methods since they facilitate user input, stimulate active language use and timeliness, create opportunities for processing large data sets, and allow new ways of social navigation within document collections. Applications of folksonomies as well as recommendations for effective information indexing and retrieval are discussed.
Like a Poke on Facebook Emergent Semantics in Location-Aware Social Network Services
Authors: Kofod-Petersen Anders , Wegener Rebekah
Published: May 2011

Location-aware social network services are set to be the next generation of social networking services. These services typically allow users to send and receive messages and icons. Iconic signs, which look like what they represent, may be said to have a commonly understood meaning attached to them. However, this is fluid, leaving them open to variation in meaning. More precise meanings are free to emerge within specific contexts and within particular social networks. Within this chapter the authors explore the semantics that emerge for three icons used within a location-aware social network service. Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), focus is given to the dominant speech function attached to each icon and the resultant meanings that emerge within social networks of the systems users. This study allows the authors to better understand how users interact with each other in smart spaces and utilise location information in social network services. By understanding how icons are used to engage others and how the meanings attached to these icons develop, the authors are better placed to create systems that fit naturally and beneficially into the users’ context.
Creating Waves Across Geographical and Disciplinary Divides Through Online Creative Collaboration (OCC)
Authors: Martini Nataly , Harrison Jeff , Bennett Rick
Published: May 2011

Creative Waves: Visualising Issues in Pharmacy (VIP) was a global online project run over 14 weeks during 2007. The project linked over 200 students, educators, mentors and community representatives in a completely online learning environment addressing health promotion. Uniquely, the VIP project brought together the two disciplines of pharmacy and graphic design to collaborate in identifying, researching and designing public health campaigns to tackle significant health issues affecting the people living in the remote Kenyan village of Winam. In this chapter the authors describe the VIP project itself, the Omnium® Software technical platform that facilitated the online collaborations as well as quantitative and qualitative data describing the student experiences and engagement in the project. Many of the lessons learnt during the VIP project are illustrations of the literature surrounding online learning environments; we provide a summary of the key findings from VIP to benefit developers of future online collaborations.
Post-Modern Tribes as a Marketing Tool
Authors: Ripamonti Laura A. , Cirrincione Armando
Published: May 2011

In 1994, Peters (1994) claimed that we are experiencing crazy times and that calls for crazy organizations. As a matter of fact, we are embedded into a complex and “transitional” historical phase, that philosophers and social scientists define “post-modernity.” This phase is characterized by a progressive skepticism towards the exasperated individualism generated by the liberation movements and towards the rationalism of the modern period. This shifting of perspective does not crystallize in any specific movement, but, on the contrary, it is a mosaic composed by a plurality of different ideologies.
Sharing Knowledge in Virtual Communities
Authors: Reychav Iris , Weisberg Jacob
Published: May 2011

The ongoing expansion of organizations’ international activities has led to a search for solutions to assist in the creation and transfer of knowledge among them, in an attempt to increase their profits (Laurie, 2002). Knowledge sharing solutions describe three frameworks where knowledge sharing occurs: virtual communities, knowledge communities, and virtual knowledge communities.
Removing Space and Time
Authors: McDaniel Christie L.
Published: May 2011

Virtual teams are become more and more popular as the world becomes more connected; furthermore, research is suggesting that virtual teams are as effective as face-to-face teams (Baker, 2002). This chapter compares and contrasts virtual teams with face-to-face teams in order to determine what differences exist as the workplace become virtual. It investigates how relationships between team members change when geographic boundaries are removed and how managers should adjust managerial styles when leading a virtual team. Also, a discussion of team dynamics—including the development of trust, team cohesion, and communication barriers—is included. Tips and techniques for developing an effective team are provided for virtual team managers.
Social Activism in the ‘Blackosphere’
Authors: Kvasny Lynette , Payton Fay Cobb , Hales Kayla D.
Published: May 2011

Using Denning’s model of Internet activism as a sensitizing framework, this chapter describes the manner in which Black bloggers (referred to as the ‘Blackosphere’) express and negotiate their ethnic identity online. We analyze discussions in the Blackosphere in response to the Jena 6 case to illustrate how the Internet has empowered Black people, changed media publicity, and served as a means of collaborative activities that support social activism. It is our hope that this chapter will encourage researchers to explore further how and why historically underserved groups engage in social activism on the Internet, and the various technologies and social practices they use to do so.
The Internet and Adolescent Sexual Identity
Authors: Paul Bryant , Samson Lelia
Published: May 2011

This chapter considers the potential role of the Internet in the process of adolescent sexual identity construction. It starts by providing evidence of the ever-increasing role the Internet is playing in the lives of adolescents and by considering the potential impact such a technology is likely to have given the transitional nature of the adolescent brain. A consideration of theoretical approaches for understanding the role the Internet is likely to play in individuals’ sexual self-identity development is then undertaken. A review of the specific role Internet communication technologies have come to play in the process of adolescent sexual socialization is then carried out. In doing so the authors argue that future research addressing the role of the Internet in the process of adolescent sexual socialization and identity development must consider both the specific structure of the adolescent brain and the unique nature of the Internet as a source of information and an opportunity for social networking.
The Value of Storytelling in Product Design
Authors: Bernabei Rina , Freeman Kelly , Power Jacqueline
Published: May 2011

Contemporary product designers are increasingly attempting to utilize the latent potential of the product narrative and the impact it can have on the end-user and their relationship with products. Storytelling in product design allows a dialogue and conceptual exchange to be established between products and end-users. This chapter will consider the end-user’s relationship with products and the designer’s role in this emotional and conceptual exchange of storytelling in product design. This will be outlined through a framework defined by the authors as Narrative; Manufacture; History; and Interaction and will consider the work of contemporary designers Philippe Starke, Hella Jongerius, Dick Van Hoff, Ron Arad, Tokujin Yoshioka, Peter Jagt and Frank Tjepkema. The paper will be supported by a main case study of the work of Bernabeifreeman, the award winning industrial design practice of the authors.
Interoperability Among Heterogeneous Services
Authors: Tsalgatidou Aphrodite , Athanasopoulos George , Pantazoglou Michael
Published: May 2011

Service-oriented computing (SOC) has been marked as the technology trend that caters for interoperability among the components of a distributed system. However, the emergence of various incompatible instantiations of the SOC paradigm, e.g. Web or peer-to-peer services (P2P), and the divergences encountered within each of these instantiations state clearly that interoperability is still an open issue, mainly due to its multi-dimensional nature. In this paper we address the interoperability problem by first presenting its multiple dimensions and then by describing a conceptual model called generic service model (GeSMO), which can be used as a basis for the development of languages, tools and mechanisms that support interoperability. We then illustrate how GeSMO has been utilized for the provision of a P2P service description language and a P2P invocation mechanism which leverages interoperability between heterogeneous P2P services and between P2P services and Web services.
Pattern-Based Translation of BPMN Process Models to BPEL Web Services
Authors: Ouyang Chun , Dumas Marlon , ter Hofstede Arthur H.M. , van der Aalst Wil M.P.
Published: May 2011

The business process modeling notation (BPMN) is a graph-oriented language primarily targeted at domain analysts and supported by many modeling tools. The business process execution language for Web services (BPEL) on the other hand is a mainly block-structured language targeted at software developers and supported by several execution platforms. Translating BPMN models into BPEL code is a necessary step towards standards-based business process development environments. This translation is challenging since BPMN and BPEL represent two fundamentally different classes of languages. Existing BPMN-to-BPEL translations rely on the identification of block-structured patterns in BPMN models that are mapped onto structured BPEL constructs. This article advances the state of the art in BPMN-to-BPEL translation by defining methods for identifying not only perfectly block-structured fragments in BPMN models, but quasi-structured fragments that can be turned into perfectly structured ones and flow-based acyclic fragments that can be mapped onto a combination of structured constructs and control links. Beyond its direct relevance in the context of BPMN and BPEL, this article addresses issues that arise generally when translating between graph-oriented and block-structured flow definition languages.
Kernel Parameter Selection for SVM Classification
Authors: Bala Manju , Agrawal R. K.
Published: May 2011

The choice of kernel function and its parameter is very important for better performance of support vector machine. In this chapter, the authors proposed few new kernel functions which satisfy the Mercer’s conditions and a robust algorithm to automatically determine the suitable kernel function and its parameters based on AdaBoost to improve the performance of support vector machine. The performance of proposed algorithm is evaluated on several benchmark datasets from UCI repository. The experimental results for different datasets show that the Gaussian kernel is not always the best choice to achieve high generalization of support vector machine classifier. However, with the proper choice of kernel function and its parameters using proposed algorithm, it is possible to achieve maximum classification accuracy for all datasets.
The Causes of Developing a Wireless City
Authors: Hu Mei-Chih , Liu Chien-Hung , Wu Ching-Yan
Published: May 2011

This study examines the causes of developing a wireless city, with Singapore and Taipei taken as examples. The examination is extended to include consideration of how the factors influencing consumer usage behavior have variable impacts on the development of wireless cities with diverse resource bases. The empirical results show that the internal and external influencing factors are related to each other and to the innovation adoption intentions during the development of a wireless city. From the cases of Singapore and Taipei, it is evident that the factors influencing innovation adoption intentions have varying impacts on the development of a wireless city given the diverse resource bases available.
Knowledge Super Corridors in Developing Countries
Authors: Han Chun Kwong
Published: May 2011

Developing countries in Asia are in the process of transitioning from a production economy to a knowledge-based economy (k-economy). Various new knowledge and information communications technology (ICT) mega-projects aimed at pervasive computing are being designed and executed at the international, national, state and industry levels to sustain competitiveness. The structures and processes by which these so-called “knowledge super corridors” are developed and implemented are complex economic-social-political decisions. An in-depth understanding is illustrated and assessed using two case studies concerned with formulating and implementing a k-economy blueprint and decision making to develop a knowledge portal in emerging k-economies in Southeast Asia. From analyses based on the structurational framework, practical implications are drawn for success strategies and implementation of pervasive computing.
India’s Dalits Search for a Democratic Opening in the Digital Divide
Authors: Thirumal P. , Tartakov Gary Michael
Published: May 2011

This chapter seeks to recognize and read the marginal presence on the Internet of India’s most oppressed and stigmatized community, the Dalits, simultaneously as acts of resistance and acts of constituting both self and community. It is an exploratory exercise in writing the social history of technological media in general, and the Internet in particular. The medium of Internet, unlike most associated with script and print that preceded it, offers emerging users access without the censorship of either established authorities or canons of authoritative formal regulation. More significantly, it provides the Dalit community, heretofore excluded from all but the most marginal voice in civil society, with an entrance into the national discourse. And quite as important, it furnishes them with their first meaningful media platform for a nationwide internal discourse, which they have previously been denied.
State Model Diagrams
Authors: Maj S
Published: May 2011

The Internet is an integral part of business communications, however it was based on open standards without due regard to security issues consequently security threats are not only persistent but also increasing. The Computer Security Institute (CSI) 2007 reported a doubling of average annual loss by US companies. There are three primary network security threats: policy, technology, and configuration. This chapter is primarily concerned with the configuration and management of network devices. There are a number of different network management tools currently available, however typically it is problematic to concurrently display configuration data from devices and protocols whilst maintaining a navigational context. This chapter demonstrates how the State Model Diagram method is not only a universal model-driven network tool but also useful for the configuration and management of complex security protocols and devices.
Design and Development of a Reusable Digital Learning Resource
Authors: Marcus-Quinn Ann , Geraghty Barbara
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the collaborative design and development process of a digital learning object in terms of roles, resources and user requirements. The example used to illustrate this process is a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) adaptation of a colour-based method of teaching one of the phonetic Japanese writing systems to zero beginners. This learning object combines as many of the positive features as possible of previous teaching methods with the advantages of mobile learning, facilitating autonomous learning on demand. It is time and cost effective and contains additional resources best supplied by a digital resource. The chapter also discusses the role and development of digital repositories in higher education.
Conflict Analysis Using Fuzzy Decision Support System
Authors: Giordano R. , Passarella G.
Published: May 2011

In the real world, environmental decision-making takes place in a highly interconnected environment, in which neither the decisional ramifications of a management action, nor the complexity of its impact, can be neglected. Thus, the role of decision support systems is changing. They are now required to facilitate the debate among the different actors, and to support knowledge and information sharing as a basis for achieving a consensus. In this work, a multi-agent system is proposed, which was developed to support the debate concerning the management of a river basin. The system, based on the sequential implementation of knowledge structuring and analysis methods, is able to support decision-makers in identifying other actors with whom to cooperate and/or negotiate in order to increase the effectiveness of management actions. Moreover, it is also designed to support the negotiation process itself and the achievement of an acceptable consensus, and to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge, contributing to the collective learning process. The system was implemented to support the process by which a consensus was achieved concerning the reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation in the Apulia region (South Italy).
Tailor-Made Distance Education as a Retention Strategy
Authors: Hongsranagon Prathurng
Published: May 2011

In rural areas of Thailand, health center personnel are responsible for primary health care. The opportunity for continuing education is imperative in the attraction and retention of these workers at their primary locations. The provision of continuing education also increases the quality and spectrum of health care available for the local people leading to better health outcomes for the Thai population. Distance education is one promising form of continuing education involving the use of advanced communication technologies to allow health center staff to continue to work and study off-campus. This chapter describes a tailor-made “Learning at the Workplace” distance education program provided to Thai rural health center personnel through the College of Public Health Sciences at Chulalongkorn University. Focus group discussions and selected quantitative research methods are recommended to evaluate the effectiveness of this learning model and determine the educational needs of health workers. Learning at the Workplace is expected to make a new contribution to the local needs of continuing education among the health care workforce in Thailand. This chapter emphasizes the potential that distance education offers to attract and retain health care personnel as well as the importance of providing a tailor-made curriculum in response to different regional and epidemiological factors.
Automatic Arrhythmia Detection
Authors: Travieso Carlos M. , Alonso Jesús B. , Ferrer Miguel A. , Corsino Jorge
Published: May 2011

In the present chapter, the authors have developed a tool for the automatic arrhythmias detection, based on time-frequency features and using a Support Vector Machines (SVM) as classifier. Arrhythmia Database Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been used in the work in order to detect eight different states, seven are pathologies and one is normal. The unions of different blocks and its optimization have found success rates of 99.82% for RR’ interval detection from electrocardiogram (PQRST waves), and 99.23% for pathologic detection. In particular, the authors have used wavelet transform in order to characterize the wave of electrocardiogram (ECG), based on Biorthogonal family, achieving the most discriminative coefficients. A discussion on arrhythmia ECG classification methods is also presented in this paper.
M-Learning
Authors: alZahir Saif
Published: May 2011

Learning aims at interconnecting social classes, reducing poverty, and accepting diversity of all forms. This chapter presents technology enhanced learning for people with disabilities. At first, the author scans the phases of learning progression and proposes a learning model to represent their interrelationships. Then he explains the various types of disabilities within the learning reference of context and map available technologies to their corresponding learning disabilities. A special emphasis will be exerted on mobile-learning software, hardware, and systems that meet the requirements for learners with disabilities. In this research, the author find that although m-learning has several limitations and shortcomings to deliver to users, it is a promising learning technology for people with disabilities and its technological constraint and limitations are likely to be addressed and mostly eliminated in the near future.
Augmenting Collaboration with Personalization Services
Authors: Evangelou Christina E. , Tzagarakis Manolis , Karousos Nikos , Gkotsis George , Nousia Dora
Published: May 2011

Collaboration is considered as an essential element for effective learning since it enables learners to better develop their points of view and refine their knowledge. Our aim being to facilitate communities of practice members as learners, we argue that collaboration tools should provide personalization features and functionalities in order to fit the specific individual and community learning requirements. More specifically, we propose a framework ofservices supporting personalization that being embedded in collaboration tools, can act as catalysts for individual and community learning. The proposed set of services has derived after the careful consideration of a generic learner profile, developed to formalize human actors in settings where learning takes place.
The Blended Learning Classroom
Authors: García Karen , Suzuki Renata
Published: May 2011

This blended learning classroom (BLC) case study identifies and describes successful procedures and methodologies that widen the use of online tools in virtual environments. It provides a systematic and organized access to theplethora of free social software available online for thedevelopment of collaborative learning activities. The goal of this particular BLC professional development activity was to offer a face-to-face group of English teachers in Venezuelathe opportunity to meet members of an international community of practice (CoP) and together review a packaged learning course material online. Blendedtechnology, the mix and match of available tools, served to display the wide use of resources and each person’s skills. By exploring online tools, participants gained an opportunity for learning about both educational theory andthe use of technology. The experience described here shows a prototype of future pathways towards educational content use and development.
Collaborative Work in Online Learning Environments
Authors: Yukselturk Erman , Cagiltay Kursat
Published: May 2011

The focus of this study is on issues that impact the success of collaborative working online learning groups. The issues of how such groups work collaboratively, how to facilitate them, and what makes work in such groups satisfactoryand successful were explored. The data were collected by semi-structured interviews from the participants in anonline, project-based course. Hackman and Morris (1975)’s model was used as an analysis framework while interpreting the data. According to the results, it is found that group homogeneity plays a major role on successful group work. The second major finding is the importance of face-to-face communication among online teams. The findings of this study are especially important for those people who are planning to organize activities which involve collaborative learning groups.
Did We Become a Community? Multiple Methods for Identifying Community and Its Constituent Elements in Formal Online Learning Environments
Authors: Schwier Richard A. , Daniel Ben
Published: May 2011

To understand the nature of formal virtual learningcommunities in higher education, we are employing a variety of user-centred evaluation approaches to examinemethods for determining whether a community exists, andif it does, to isolate and understand interactions among itsconstituent elements, and ultimately to build a model offormal virtual learning communities. This chapter presents the methods we are employing to answer these seemingly simple questions, including user perceptions of community(Sense of Community Index, Classroom Community Scale), interaction analysis (density, reciprocity,) content analysis (transcript analysis, interviews, focus groups), paired-comparison analysis (Thurstone scaling) and communitymodeling techniques (Bayesian Belief Network analysis).
E-Learning 2.0
Authors: Chaka Chaka
Published: May 2011

This chapter contends that both Web 2.0 and the SemanticWeb (the SW) serve as critical enablers for e-learning 2.0. It also maintains that the SW has the potential to take e-learning 2.0 to new frontiers of advancement. Most significantly, the chapter argues that Web 2.0 and the SW provide an ideal platform for harnessing collectiveintelligence, collective knowledge, the power of thegroundswell, the network effect, and the collective powerof simulation for higher education institutions (HEIs) in thearea of elearning 2.0. Against this backdrop, the chapter provides, first, a short overview of e-learning 2.0, Web 2.0and the SW. Second, it characterises the way in which Web2.0 social software technologies (e.g., blogs, wikis, social networks and virtual worlds) can be deployed in HEIs for delivering e-learning 2.0 for educational purposes. In addition, it outlines the manner in which the SW (in theform of semantic blogs, semantic wikis, semantic social networks and semantic virtual worlds) can enhance each ofthese Web 2.0 technologies for deploying e-learning 2.0 in HEIs.
A Context-Based and Policy-Driven Method to Design and Develop Composite Web Services
Authors: Maamar Zakaria , Benslimane Djamal
Published: May 2011

Web services are nowadays attracting the attention of both academia and industry. However, a very little has so far been accomplished in terms of design and development methods that assist those who are responsible for specifying and running applications based on Web services. For this purpose, we developed CP4WS that stands for Context and Policy for Web Services. CP4WS is a context-based and policy-driven method for designing and developing composite Web services. Policies manage various aspects related to Web services like participation in composition and adjustment due to changes in the environment, and context provides the necessary information that enables for instance to trigger the appropriate policies and to regulate the interactions between Web services according to the current state of the environment. CP4WS consists of several steps such as user needs identification and Web services behavior specification. Each step has a specific graphical notation that facilitates the representation, description, and validation of the composition operations of Web services. A running scenario that illustrates the use of CP4WS is presented in the article as well.
A Multi-Agent System for Handling Adaptive E-Services
Authors: De Meo Pasquale , Quattrone Giovanni , Terracina Giorgio , Ursino Domenico
Published: May 2011

An Electronic-Service (E-Service) can be defined as a collection of network-resident software programs that collaborate for supporting users in both accessing and selecting data and services of their interest present in a provider site. Examples of e-services are e-commerce, e-learning, e-government, e-recruitment and e-health applications. E-Services are undoubtely one of the engines presently supporting the Internet Revolution. Indeed, nowadays, a large number and a great variety of providers offer their services also or exclusively via the Internet.
Early User Involvement and Participation in Employee Self-Service Application Deployment
Authors: Koopman Gerwin , Batenburg Ronald
Published: May 2011

This chapter theoretically and empirically addresses the notion that user participation and involvement is one of the important factors for IS success. Different models and studies are reviewed to define and classify types of early end-user involvement and participation. Next, five case studies are presented of Dutch governmental organizations (Ministries) that have recently deployed an employee self-service application. Based on interviews with developers, project managers and users it can be showed that the deployment success of such systems is positively related to the extent of early user involvement and participation. In addition, it was found that expectancy management is important to keep users informed about certain deployment decisions. In this way, employees can truly use the self-service applications without much support from the HR-departments.
Using SA for SAM Applications and Design
Authors: Sarma Mahesh , Yen David C.
Published: May 2011

In order to maintain a competitive position in today’s marketplace, companies must demand a greater level of enterprise ef?ciency. In today’s rapidly changing market, experts argue that it is no longer about becoming a powerhouse but simply about remaining competitive. That is why automating and linking the supply chain has become so imperative. Supply chain management systems link all of the company’s customers, suppliers, factories, warehouses, distributors, carriers, and trading partners. These systems integrate all the key business processes across the supply chain of a company. This chapter explains the objectives of sup-ply chain management and how SAP’s supply chain management system helps companies ful?ll these objectives.
A Conceptual Framework for Data Mining and Knowledge Management
Authors: Chowdhury Shamsul I.
Published: May 2011

Over the last decade data warehousing and data mining tools have evolved from research into a unique and popular applications, ranging from data warehousing and data mining for decision support to business intelligence and other kind of applications. The chapter presents and discusses data warehousing methodologies along with the main components of data mining tools and technologies and how they all could be integrated together for knowledge management in a broader sense. Knowledge management refers to the set of processes developed in an organization to create, extract, transfer, store and apply knowledge. The chapter also focuses on how data mining tools and technologies could be used in extracting knowledge from large databases or data warehouses. Knowledge management increases the ability of an organization to learn from its environment and to incorporate knowledge into the business processes by adapting to new tools and technologies. Knowledge management is also about the reusability of the knowledge that is being extracted and stored in the knowledge base. One way to improve the reusability is to use this knowledge base as front-ends to case-based reasoning (CBR) applications. The chapter further focuses on the reusability issues of knowledge management and presents an integrated framework for knowledge management by combining data mining (DM) tools and technologies with CBR methodologies. The purpose of the integrated framework is to discover, validate, retain, reuse and share knowledge in an organization with its internal users as well as its external users. The framework is independent of application domain and would be suitable for uses in areas, such as data mining and knowledge management in e-government.