bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information Systems and Small Business
Authors: Hunter M. Gordon
Published: May 2010

The subject area of the application of information systems to small business is a thoroughly interesting, yet relatively under-researched topic. Small business is an important part of any economy. In the United Kingdom, 25% of the gross domestic product is produced by small business, which employs 65% of the nation’s workers (Ballantine et al., 1998). In Canada, 43% of economic output is accounted for by small business, employing 50% of private sector employees (Industry Canada, 1997). Further, governments view the small business sector as that component of the economy that can best contribute to economic growth (Balderson, 2000). Given the importance of this sector of the economy, it is incumbent upon researchers and managers of small business to develop a better understanding of how information systems may contribute to the operation and growth of individual businesses as well as the overall sector. The objective of this article is to provide an overview of information systems used by small business. Research projects are presented that describe the current situation. Recommendations are then proffered for various stakeholders who should contribute to a more effective use of information systems by small business.
Integrating Enterprise Systems
Authors: Hwang Mark I.
Published: May 2010

In the last two decades many organizations installed enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as a means to integrate their back-office operations. The need for integration, however, actually amplified with the advent of ERP. In addition to integrating ERP with legacy systems, consolidating multiple copies of ERP running in different business units posed major challenges. Moreover, recent strategic initiatives such as customer relationships management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM), business to consumer (B2C), and business to business (B2B) all require a free flow of information between ERP and other enterprise systems to be successful. It is, therefore, more critical than ever to plan for and implement integration projects involving ERP properly. Hwang (2005) describes the need for integrating enterprise systems in detail. He also discusses several success factors cited in practitioner journals. Since then a handful of empirical studies have been published in the scholarly literature. This article provides a review of those studies with a special focus on the success factors. A consolidated list of success factors is developed for practitioners. Promising research directions are discussed.
Management Considerations for B2B Online Exchanges
Authors: Archer Norm
Published: May 2010

Information systems that link businesses for the purpose of inter-organizational transfer of business transaction information (inter-organizational information systems, or IOIS) have been in use since the 1970s (Lankford & Riggs, 1996). Early systems relied on private networks, using electronic data interchange (EDI) or United Nations EDIFACT standards for format and content of transaction messages. Due to their cost and complexity, the use of these systems was confined primarily to large companies, but low-cost Internet commercialization has led to much more widespread adoption of IOIS. Systems using the Internet and the World Wide Web are commonly referred to as B2B (business-to-business) systems, supporting B2B electronic commerce. Technological innovations have led to several forms of B2B Internet implementations, often in the form of online exchanges. These are virtual marketplaces where buyers and sellers exchange information about prices, products, and service offerings, and negotiate business transactions. In addition to substituting proprietary lines of communication, emerging technologies and public networks have also facilitated new business models and new forms of interaction and collaboration, in areas such as collaborative product engineering or joint offerings of complex, modularized products. During the years 1999-2001 a number of online exchanges were introduced, but many of these failed (Gallaugher & Ramanathan, 2002), due mainly to an inability to attract participating business partners. Those that have survived are often owned by companies or consortia that are also exchange customers or suppliers. The objective of this overview is to describe the evolution and the characteristics of B2B Internet implementations, and to discuss management considerations, the evaluation and adoption of B2B applications, and the technical infrastructure supporting these systems. We also indicate some of the open issues that remain as the technology and its adoption continues to evolve.
Knowledge Integration Through Inter-Organizational Virtual Organizations
Authors: Boronat Navarro Montserrat
Published: May 2010

In this study we adopt an inter-organizational view to examine virtual organizations. Thus, we understand this phenomenon as a strategic agreement between organizations that collaborate and coordinate their work through information technologies. This dimension adds greater flexibility to the strategic alliance, which in turn is beneficial for the integration of knowledge. In high technology industries, inter- organizational virtual organizations add further advantages to this option of knowledge integration through strategic alliances because of the importance of speed and flexibility. We put forward a series of propositions, following an initial approximation to this phenomenon through the combination of the strategic alliances, virtual organizations and the knowledge-based view literatures.
Enabling the Virtual Organization with Agent Technology
Authors: Guimaraes Tor
Published: May 2010

Emerging agent-based systems offer new means of effectively addressing complex decision processes and enabling solutions to business requirements associated with virtual organizations. Intelligent agents can provide more flexible intelligence/expertise and help the smooth integration of a variety of system types (i.e., Internet applications, customer relationship management, supplier network management, enterprise resources management, expert systems). This chapter presents an overview of expert systems as the most widely-used approach for domain Knowledge Management today as well as agent technology, and shows the latter as a superior systems development vehicle providing flexible intelligence/expertise and the integration of a variety of system types. To illustrate, a system developed first by using an expert system approach and then by an agent-based approach is used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the agent-based approach. Last, the practical implications of a company adoption of agent-based technology for systems development are addressed.
E-Dating
Authors: Whitty Monica T.
Published: May 2010

Online dating continues to grow in popularity as a way for individuals to locate a potential romantic partner. Researchers have examined how people present themselves on these sites, which presentations are more likely to lead to success, the effectiveness of the matchmaking tools that some companies employ, the stigma attached to using these sites and the types of people who are drawn to online dating. However, there is an absence of scholarly work on how these relationships progress compared to traditional models of courtship. This chapter sets out a model for the phases of online dating and compares this model with Givens’ (1979) work on a traditional model of courtship. It is argued here the phases of online dating are very different to other courtship models. These differences pose new challenges and create new benefits to those who elect to find a partner via one of these sites.
Formal Methods in Cross Layer Modeling and Optimization of Wireless Networks
Authors: Kliazovich Dzmitry , Devetsikiotis Michael , Granelli Fabrizio
Published: May 2010

The layering principle has been long identified as a way to increase the interoperability and to improve the design of telecommunication protocols, where each layer offers services to adjacent upper layers and requires functionalities from adjacent lower ones. In the past, layering has enabled fast development of interoperable systems, but at the same time limited the performance of the overall architecture, due to the lack of coordination among layers. This issue is particularly relevant for wireless networks, where the very physical nature of the transmission medium introduces several performance limitations for protocols designed for wired networks. To overcome these limitations, a modification of the layering paradigm has been proposed, namely, cross-layer design, or “cross-layering.” Several cross-layering approaches have been proposed in the literature so far. Nevertheless, little formal characterization of the cross-layer interaction among different levels of the protocol stack is available yet. A clear need exists for identifying approaches able to analyze and provide quantitative guidelines for the design of cross-layer solutions, and, more importantly, to decide, in each case, whether cross-layering represents an effective solution or not. This chapter provides a detailed survey of the state-of-the-art and future directions in the usage of formal methods for cross-layer modeling and optimization of wireless networks. The text starts by detailing the principles of layered (ISO/OSI and TCP/IP) protocol stacks as well as the cross-layer paradigm. An overview of the architectures of existing and perspective wireless networks is presented along with an analysis of the potential limitations deriving from the layering approach and detailed description of possible optimization solutions enabled by cross-layer design. Subsequent sections are devoted to the issues of modeling and optimization of wireless networks. The remaining sections cover performance optimization as well as architecture optimization (specifically in terms of signaling). The chapter ends with a summary and outlines about future directions of research on the topic.
An Alternative Model of Information Security Investment
Authors: Orondo Peter O.
Published: May 2010

Most companies would agree that securing their information assets is worth some investment. It is thus plausible to assume that low levels of IT security investment indicate that only a small portion of the firm’s business is IT asset value driven. It could also point to a misaligned corporate investment policy. Conversely, some firms may be investing more than is warranted given the value of their information asset holdings, thereby wasting shareholder resources. The question then becomes: What level of IT security investment is enough? Several models exist to help companies set their IT spending in general and Information Security spending in particular. The leading model out there is the Information Technology Portfolio Management (ITPM) model. This is really nothing more than financial portfolio management theory applied to the information technology realm. Thus ITPM tries to optimize IT spending based on a number of factors like business value, efficiency and cost reduction among others. Despite current vigorous research at esteemed institutions like the Center for Information Systems Research (CISR) at MIT and at the Free University of Amsterdam, ITPM is still in its infancy and the field would benefit from alternative models. In this chapter, we propose an alternative model of IT security spending that firms may readily apply when setting their Information Security budgets. The model is analytical and starts by developing a model for the business value of information. It then develops a model for the cost of an information security breach. Finally, we find the relationship between the value model and the cost model from.
Multi-Agent Architecture for Knowledge-Driven Decision Support
Authors: Singh Rahul
Published: May 2010

Organizations use knowledge-driven systems to deliver problem-specific knowledge over Internet-based distributed platforms to decision-makers. Increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for knowledge representation are being used to deliver knowledge-driven decision support in multiple forms. In this chapter, we present an Architecture for knowledge-based decision support, delivered through a Multi-Agent Architecture. We illustrate how to represent and exchange domain-specific knowledge in XML-format through intelligent agents to create exchange and use knowledge to provide intelligent decision support. We show the integration of knowledge discovery techniques to create knowledge from organizational data; and knowledge repositories (KR) to store, manage and use data by intelligent software agents for effective knowledge-driven decision support. Implementation details of the architecture, its business implications and directions for further research are discussed.
Creating an Analytical Lens for Understanding Digital Networks in Urban South Africa
Authors: Odendaal Nancy
Published: May 2010

Recent literature on African cities examines the way in which social networks function as critical livelihood arteries in the ongoing survival strategies of the poor. An understanding of livelihood strategies is not new, but these transactions cannot be defined in space or frozen in time. This terrain comprises a divergent range of intentions, communications and movements exchanged between a multiplicity of actors making sense of their life worlds; negotiating, scheming and bargaining. Urban life continues to be reinvented at the margins, despite prevailing exclusionary economic and social forces. The potential exists for harnessing these strategies for developmental aims—building on the social capital created despite the absence of, or in addition to, the usual resources available for survival. One of these resources is Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Clearly the “real-time” communication, information transfer and exchange functions facilitated by mobile phones, e-mail and the Internet create the potential for informed decision making around the use and distribution of scarce resources. However, this chapter begins with the premise that ICT can only be considered a meaningful development tool if it is appropriated as ongoing input into the day to day decision-making of the poor. It is at this scale—the local, the individual, the social—that the appropriation of digital technologies is examined. The social appropriation of technology is considered in tandem with the network strategies people employ to manage and access resources. A conceptual bridge between the theoretical foundations of actor-network theory and the more contemporary writings on the African city is constructed to posit a theoretical lens for understanding digital networks in South African cities. The chapter concludes with a number of methodological implications with regards to future research into ICT and social networks in developmental contexts.
A New Conceptual Framework for Greater Success with Integration of E-CRM
Authors: Letaifa Soumaya Ben
Published: May 2010

This chapter examines how e-CRM has affected both organizational and individual behavior in a leading Canadian bank. The innovative and customer-driven culture of this bank pushed it toward early adoption of e-CRM technology. The findings emphasize the role played by many strategic and organizational dimensions in the success of e-CRM implementation. In fact, to make e-CRM efforts pay off, new business processes are required to achieve more effective and closer interactions with customers. The shift toward customer orientation needs to be supported by a shift in organizational objectives and processes. The results indicate that employees’ individual behavior successfully changed from a transactional to a relational perspective, and that training and coaching ensured a successful integration of e-CRM technology. Nevertheless, the employee reward and evaluation system, which should have been changed to leverage CRM impact, has surprisingly been forgotten. This deficiency is addressed by proposing a new framework for enhancing e-CRM effectiveness.
Investigation into the Impact of Integration of Mobile Technology Applications into Enterprise Architecture
Authors: Curtis David , Wu Ming-Chien (Mindy)
Published: May 2010

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a role or function that primarily ensures the Information Technology strategy and implementation within an organization is correctly aligned with its business strategy and objectives. An EA function focuses on the collection and analysis of information including software applications, business processes, business information (data), technology, and governance (people). The result of this analysis delivers the technology strategy and the roadmap required to support what the organization is trying to achieve. Mobile Technology (MT) integration into the EA function creates the opportunities to deliver and respond to rapidly growing organizations that require immense flexibility from a technology perspective. This is so because mobility can overcome the boundaries of time and location in the dealings of the organization. The result of this extension is the creation of a Mobility Enterprise Architecture (M-EA) model, which will provide the organization with advantages of realtime business processing, better customer and end-user services, and the addition of increased control across the entire organization. This chapter brings together the experience of an Enterprise Architect with a Ph.D research candidate to investigate the M-EA model and its implementation. The chapter includes an overview of EA and M-EA models and also includes investigations of the advantages; limitations and blueprint overcome those challenges of M-EA implementation.
Activity-Based Costing in the Portuguese Telecommunications Industry
Authors: Major Maria , Hopper Trevor
Published: May 2010

This chapter examines an implementation of an Activity-based Costing (ABC) system in a Portuguese telecommunications firm called Marconi. It is argued that they changed its management accounting system due to efficiency and institutional pressures from its constituencies following the liberalisation of the Portuguese and European Union telecommunications market. The replacement of Marconi’s “old” management cost accounting system by an ABC system popularised by the business mass media and consultants as a “progressive” management accounting tool, helped display expectations of dynamism and efficiency to important external institutions, such as regulators. Whilst it was used and welcomed by managers dealing with commercial matters, operational managers were more unconvinced and contributed to technical problems affecting its accuracy and operation. The divided reactions of the managers give support to both advocates of ABC and its critics who claim it is beset with problems of economic measurement, behavioural issues during implementation and operation, and questionable cost-benefit returns.
Telecommunication Customer Detainment Management
Authors: Qi Jiayin , Li Yuanquan , Li Chen , Zhang Yingying
Published: May 2010

This chapter proposes an integrated methodological system of telecommunication customer detainment management, including telecommunication customer churn prediction and strategy formulation of customer detainment management. The formulation of churn customer detainment management strategy includes customer detainment value assessment, customer detainment level determination, enterpriseattribution approach based on customer detainment strategy analysis, evaluation and implementation, and so forth. Future research in this field is discussed at the end of this chapter.
Basics of Telecommunication Management
Authors: Tarnay Katalin
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a simple understandable approach to the basics of telecommunications management. This chapter is composed of four logically interlaced parts: the background information, the main components of telecommunications management, the future trends, and the conclusion. The background information section reviews the literature. The main part discusses management notions together with a short explanation of basic management systems. These systems include the management functions, the managed objects, the management information base, and the management protocols. The future trends section provides solutions most likely to appear in the future. The conclusion summarizes the fundamental mechanisms of this field.
Game Theory for PHY Layer and MAC Sublayer in Wireless Telecommunications
Authors: Escudero-Garzás J. Joaquín , García-Armada Ana
Published: May 2010

The aim of this chapter is to address the role of a novel concept in wireless telecommunications: Game theory. Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics, which has recently drawn attention as a powerful tool to solve complex problems in wireless environments. To fulfil the intended goal, this chapter introduces the most relevant concepts of game theory such as game, player, and strategy, and give an overview of the applications of game theory in wireless networks.
Facilitating Connected Knowing Through Virtual Learning Communities
Authors: McCracken Holly
Published: May 2010

Generally believed critical to facilitating multi-dimensional instructional experiences for participants in a range of educational environments (for example, as accessed through academic institutions, corporate staff development, professional organizations, and so forth), the use of learning communities as an important instructional method is widely recognized across academic disciplines, teaching approaches, and delivery media. In fact, Lave and Wenger (in McPherson & Nunes, 2004) argued that learning is, by nature, an activity by which one engages knowledge in many forms, through which one becomes a “member of the community of knowledge” (p. 305). As such, communication, collaboration, and interaction become essential methods in facilitating instructional partnerships. Extending beyond a social context, the ongoing relationship building, advising, and mentoring generated through participation in learning communities provide a foundation for continued cognitive development and knowledge construction (Rovai, 2002; Wegerif, 1998).
Measuring Effectiveness in Online Instruction
Authors: Swartz Louis B. , Cole Michele T. , Shelley Daniel J.
Published: May 2010

To remain competitive, expand access to education, and meet the needs of students, institutions of higher education are offering larger numbers of online courses. As online instruction increases, educational institutions, students and society need to make sure that online courses and programs are as effective as traditional classroom courses and educational programs. To address this need, this paper focuses on the question, “Are online courses and programs as effective as those taught in the classroom?” Numerous authors have addressed the question of the effectiveness of online classes (Keegan, D., 1996; Russell, T., 1999; Schulman, A.H. and Sims, R.L., 1999; Harasim, L. 2000; Ryan, R.C. 2000; Rivera, J.C. and Rice, M.L., 2002; Bernard, R.M., et al, 2004; Frantz, P.L. and Wilson, A.H., 2004; Suanpang, P., Petocz, P. and Kalceff, W., 2004; Fjermestad, Hiltz, S. and Zhang, Y. 2005; Weaver-Kaulis, A. and Crutsinger, C., 2006). Most studies center on student satisfaction and/or student learning. The studies have produced mixed results. This paper provides a summary of a number of important studies on the effectiveness of online courses and educational programs. It synthesizes the results from the studies and presents possible reasons for the differences in findings. It concludes with a discussion of future trends and suggestions for areas of further study.
Digital Rights Management for Untrusted Peer-to-Peer Networks
Authors: Priyadarshini Pallavi , Stamp Mark
Published: May 2010

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have proliferated and become ubiquitous. A school of thought has emerged that harnessing the established user-base and ease of content dissemination of such networks presents a potentially lucrative opportunity. However, content creators have been reluctant to adopt P2P networks as a distribution vehicle since these networks are plagued with piracy. This chapter focuses on developing a solution for distributing digital content in P2P networks in a way that established businesses and amateur artists alike can profit. We propose a content distribution system that employs Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies and is independent of the underlying P2P network. Our system relies on innovative uses of security technologies to deter piracy. In addition, we include various non-technical features that encourage users to “play by the rules”.
Digitizing Healthcare
Authors: Ozcelik Yasin , Carter Claire H. , Clark Maryann , Martinez Alejandro
Published: May 2010

Proliferation of the Internet and Information Technology (IT) has led to many innovations in the healthcare industry. Among such innovations are the Electronic Medication Administration Record (eMAR) and the Bedside Medication Verification (BMV), both of which have been widely implemented by hospitals around the world. In this regard, the goal of this chapter is three-fold. It first describes the underlying work-flow utilized in these systems by comparing it with traditional methods of medication administration. Then it investigates the adoption and implementation of eMAR and BMV in hospitals in the United States, the conversion from traditional medication administration to eMAR documentation, and how utilization of eMAR and BMV can promote patient safety. The chapter concludes with the exploration of future trends in medication administration through the utilization of eMAR and BMV, and highlights future research directions in the field.
The Use of Laboratory Test Results in Health Care Management
Authors: Prematilleke M. Nanda
Published: May 2010

Laboratory test results used in health care management can be qualitative or quantitative. These cover several disciplines, the four major disciplines being histopathology, haematology, medical microbiology and chemical pathology. Histopathology and medical microbiology are mainly qualitative assessments, while chemical pathology is predominantly based on quantitative analysis of chemical constituents in blood or other body fluids. Haematology encompasses both quantitative and qualitative assessments, the blood cell parameters being quantitative while blood film reports and bone marrow reports are qualitative. The application of such results to healthcare management includes screening for disease as well as in making a diagnosis and for monitoring response to treatment of a known disease. This necessitates the availability of normal ranges to compare with and decide whether the results are normal or not. Normal means the individual is in a state of good health and a deviation from normal is interpreted as implying ill-health. Data used in these tests are taken from previous studies of Sri Lankan Adults carried out from May 2005 to July 2006.
Development of an Online Sleep Diary
Authors: Blake Jacqui , Kerr Don
Published: May 2010

Sleep disorders causing excessive daytime sleepiness are estimated to affect six percent of the population and has traditionally been under diagnosed. Sleep disorders symptoms may lead to an increased likelihood of suffering work and vehicle related accidents as well as affecting the physical and mental well being of the sufferer. A sleep diary documenting sleep hygiene habits over a period of time is an important tool in the diagnoses of sleep disorders. This project was to develop an online sleep diary, bringing benefits of presenting the information earlier to the physician in a format which allows the quick assimilation of information from the diary. The information is also in an electronic format facilitating the transmission to an electronic health record and the building of a database of sleep patterns. An online sleep diary allows a patient to self-monitor their condition allowing them to assess treatment and lifestyle changes on sleep patterns.
A Top-Level Categorization of Types of Granularity
Authors: Keet C. Maria
Published: May 2010

Multiple different understandings and uses exist of what granularity is and how to implement it, where the former influences success of the latter with regards to storing granular data and using granularity for automated reasoning over the data or information, such as granular querying for information retrieval. We propose taxonomy of types of granularity and discuss for each leaf type how the entities or instances relate within its granular level and between levels. Such distinctions give guidelines to a modeller to better distinguish between the types of granularity in the design phase and the software developer to improve on implementations of granularity. Moreover, these foundational semantics of granularity provide a basis from which to develop a comprehensive theory of granularity.
Granular Computing in Object-Oriented Software Development Process
Authors: Han Jianchao
Published: May 2010

Granular computing as a methodology of problem solving has been extensively applied in a variety of fields for a long history, but the special research interest in granular computing has only been developed in past decades. So far most granular computing researchers address the mathematical foundation and/or the computation model of granular computing. However, granular computing is not only a computing model for computer-centered problem solving, but also a thinking model for human-centered problem solving. Fortunately, some authors have presented the structures of such kind models and investigated various perspectives of granular computing from different application points of views. In this paper we present the principles, models, components, strategies, and applications of granular computing. Our focus will be on the applications of granular computing in various aspects and phases of the object-oriented software development process, including user requirement specification and analysis, software system analysis and design, algorithm design, structured programming, software testing, and system deployment design. Our objective is to reveal the importance and usefulness of granular computing as a human-centered problem solving strategy in object-oriented software development process.
The Adoption of Information Security Management Standards
Authors: Barlette Yves , Fomin Vladislav V.
Published: May 2010

This chapter introduces major information security management methods and standards, and particularly ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002 standards. A literature review was conducted in order to understand the reasons for the low level of adoption of information security standards by companies, and to identify the drivers and the success factors in implementation of these standards. Based on the findings of the literature review, we provide recommendations on how to successfully implement and stimulate diffusion of information security standards in the dynamic business market environment, where companies vary in their size and organizational culture. The chapter concludes with an identification of future trends and areas for further research.
TinyDDS
Authors: Boonma Pruet , Suzuki Junichi
Published: May 2010

Due to stringent constraints in memory footprint, processing efficiency and power consumption, traditional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) face two key issues: (1) a lack of interoperability with access networks and (2) a lack of flexibility to customize non-functional properties such as event filtering, data aggregation and routing. In order to address these issues, this chapter investigates interoperable publish/subscribe middleware for WSNs. The proposed middleware, called TinyDDS, enables the interoperability between WSNs and access networks by providing programming language interoperability and protocol interoperability based on the standard Data Distribution Service (DDS) specification. Moreover, TinyDDS provides a pluggable framework that allows WSN applications to have fine-grained control over application-level and middleware-level non-functional properties. Simulation and empirical evaluation results demonstrate that TinyDDS is lightweight and efficient on the TinyOS and SunSPOT platforms. The results also show that TinyDDS simplifies the development of publish/subscribe WSN applications.
Event-Based Realization of Dynamic Adaptive Systems
Authors: Appel André , Klus Holger , Niebuhr Dirk , Rausch Andreas
Published: May 2010

Dynamic Adaptive Systems are the envisioned system generation of the future. These systems consist of interacting components from different vendors. As the components may join or leave the system at runtime, we have to provide the possibility to automatically compose the system at runtime. Using Request/Reply interaction among components enables us to compose the system based on the directed dependencies between caller and callee at runtime. However this leads to several problems, e.g. frequent polling. Event-based interaction can solve these problems but is missing explicit directed dependencies, which we need to compose the system at runtime. This paper describes our approach of realizing Dynamic Adaptive Systems using Event-based interaction among the components while maintaining automatic system composition. In addition, the paper presents an illustrative application example within a smart city.
mTrigger
Authors: Liu Ling , Bamba Bhuvan , Doo Myungcheol , Pesti Peter , Weber Matt
Published: May 2010

Location-based triggers are the fundamental capability for supporting location-based advertisements, location-based entertainment applications, personal reminders, as well as presence-based information sharing applications. In this chapter, we describe the design and the implementation of mTrigger, an event-based framework for scalable processing of location-based mobile triggers (location triggers for short). A location trigger is a standing spatial trigger specified with the spatial region over which the trigger is set, the actions to be taken when the trigger conditions are met, and the list of recipients to whom the notification will be sent upon the firing of the location trigger. The mTrigger framework consists of three alternative architectures for supporting location triggers: (1) the client-server architecture, which allows mobile clients to register and install location triggers of interest on the mTrigger server system; the server being responsible for processing location triggers, performing associated actions and sending out notifications upon firing of triggers; (2) the client-centric architecture, which enables mobile users to manage and process location triggers on their own mobile clients; and (3) the decentralized peer-to-peer architecture, which allows mobile users to collaborate with one another in terms of location trigger processing. The server-centric architecture is particularly suitable for supporting public and shared location triggers, enabling effective sharing of location trigger processing among multiple users. The client-centric architecture is more suitable for users possessing mobile clients with high computational capacity and more sensitive to the location privacy of their location triggers. The decentralized peer-to-peer architecture provides on-demand and opportunistic collaboration in terms of location trigger evaluation. Clearly, the performance optimizations for server-centric architecture should focus on efficient and scalable processing of location triggers by reducing the bandwidth consumption and the amount of redundant computation at the server; whereas, the performance optimizations for client-centric architecture and decentralized architecture should also take into account energy efficiency of mobile clients in addition to computational efficiency. In addition, processing of location triggers with moving target of interest requires the knowledge of position information of the moving target and may not be suitable for the client-centric architecture. This chapter will describe the design principles and the performance optimization techniques of the mTrigger framework, including a suite of energy-efficient spatial trigger grouping techniques for optimizing both wake-up times and check times of location trigger evaluations.
Proteomics and Related Applications in Oral Cancer and Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Hu Shen
Published: May 2010

Proteomics is the study of a complete set of proteins present in a biological system using the technologies of large-scale protein separation and identification. It is a powerful approach for biomedical research because it aims for a comprehensive, quantitative analysis of protein expression and its changes under biological perturbations such as disease or drug treatment. The purpose of this book chapter is to give an overview of proteomics using mass spectrometry and protein microarrays and to discuss related applications of proteomics in oral cancer and Sjögren’s syndrome. Proteomics may significantly accelerate the oral disease research by providing a novel molecular technology to discover protein biomarkers for disease diagnosis/prognosis, to elucidate the molecular determinants underlying the disease mechanism, and to identify novel targets for therapeutic intervention.
HPV Detection and Genotyping Using the Luminex xMAP Technology
Authors: Kambouris Marios , Chini Vasiliki , Daskalaki Andriani
Published: May 2010

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is playing an important role in oral cancer. The molecular detection of HPV is based on the fact that the viral DNA is present in all the epithelial layers of the affected tissue and it can be detected easily with PCR or Real-Time PCR. The major disadvantage of PCR is that it cannot provide genotype information and the Real-Time PCR can only detect very few types in a multiplex assay. Although the HPV typing assays are capable of typing a relatively large spectrum of HPV genotypes, they cannot be automated or deployed in a high-throughput platform. The bead-based technology (Luminex suspension array technology) provides a rapid and cost-effective method to simultaneously detect different HPV genotypes.
Automated Telephone Services in Dentist Appointment Management
Authors: Suomi Reima , Serkkola Ari , Mikkonen Markku
Published: May 2010

Reservation of health care service appointments has traditionally been performed through telephone. This takes a lot of time and resources at both ends of the transaction, and can be error-prone. Especially dentist appointments are standard as compared to many other health service provision activities, and are thus a natural candidate for rationalization through modern information technology. Appointments can of course be made through the Internet, but using phones, especially mobile phones, adds flexibility to the performing of the transaction. In this article we take a look how the middle-sized Finnish city of Lahti has taken a comprehensive approach to develop new innovative services in dentist appointment management.
Ways of Citizen Learning
Authors: Petrizzo-Páez María-Ángela , Palm-Rojas Francisco-Javier
Published: May 2010

Citizens talk, act, relate. In these processes, political deliberation emerges as a citizen exercise tool, and nowadays, also as a phenomenon of learning and training susceptible of being mediated through Web 2.0 tools. For the citizen to practice as such in full, he must, therefore, assume a political training process which contributes to his recognition in a broad and plural institutional context. What actions must be carried out by the institutions to account for the needs and expectations of citizen training? This paper pretends to reveal the pertinence of initiating the debate regarding the training needs of the citizens with the goal of understanding the use of ICT as a tool for deepening citizenship exercise.
Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery
Authors: Zhou Zude , Wang Huaiqing , Lou Ping
Published: May 2010

In Chapters 2 and 3, the knowledge-based system and Multi-Agent system were illustrated. These are significant methods and theories of Manufacturing Intelligence (MI). Data Mining (DM) and Knowledge Discovery (KD) are at the foundation of MI. Humans are immersed in data, but are thirsty for knowledge. With the wider application of database technology, a dilemma has arisen whereby people are ‘rich in data, poor in knowledge’. The explosion of knowledge and information has brought great benefit to mankind, but has also carried with it certain drawbacks, since it has resulted in knowledge and information ‘pollution. Facing a vast but polluted ocean of data, a technical means to discard the bad and retain the good was sought. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery (DMKD) was therefore proposed against the background of rapidly expanding data and databases. It is also the result of the development and fusion of database technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), statistical techniques and visualization technology (Fayyad U., 1998). DMKD has become a research focus and cutting-edge technology in the field of computer information processing (Jef Woksem, 2001). The development background, conception, working process, classification and general application of DM and KD are firstly introduced in this chapter. Secondly, basic functions and assignment such as prediction, description, data clustering, data classification, conception description and visualization processing are discussed. Then the methods and tools for DM are presented, such as the association rule, decision tree, genetic algorithm, rough set and support vector machine. Finally, the application of DMKD in intelligent manufacturing is summarized.
E-Mail Interviews with Senior Legal Professional Women in Australia
Authors: Ragusa Angela , Groves Philip
Published: May 2010

The development of successful interactions utilizing e-mail, as an asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) technology to conduct qualitative social research, relies upon a host of social norms, symbols and meaning systems well articulated by the micro-sociological theory Symbolic Interactionism. This chapter examines some benefits and consequences of using e-mail interviews to collect data from female senior counsels about contemporary stereotypes of successful barristers in Australia. Despite benefits of cost efficiency, ease of traversing geographical distance and a myriad of claims made by researchers heralding the advantages of e-mail as a data collection tool, this research questions e-mail’s applicability to recruit busy professional participants and elicit in-depth responses to written interview questions when ongoing dialogue is unsolicited. Drawing upon primary data provided by senior counsels, key examples are provided to demonstrate the potential for miscommunication, paucity of communication and inflexibility e-mail may engender when social interactions, beyond the distribution of research instruments, are absent.
Diffusion of Technology in Higher Education Classrooms
Authors: Harrison Jill , Ryan John
Published: May 2010

Technology use is contextual and tends to follow, often invisible, ground rules. Within the situational context of a higher education classroom the rules and sanctions regarding technology use become increasingly complex. Many universities in the United States now require that all incoming students have laptops, with the rationale being that technology is an important tool used to help students organize and catalogue knowledge. Laptops allow students to connect to library and campus resources. Further, requiring laptops on a networked campus creates a sense of digital unity rather than digital divides among students and faculty. The message to students is that personal laptops are important and even required. However, within the context of the higher education classroom, laptop use is often being limited or banned by classroom instructors, a contradiction of the larger university message. As Marcuse (1982) noted, technology is a social process. The diffusion of laptop technology into higher education has altered the modes of producing knowledge and the social relationships organized around that production process. The purpose of this chapter is to highlight how the use of this technology is negotiated between faculty and students and how issues of engagement, the self-production of knowledge, and security influence this negotiation. The authors argue that issues of laptop use in the classroom are rooted in concerns of power, legitimacy, and identity associated with the production of knowledge.
Surveillance in the Virtual Classroom
Authors: Luck Morgan
Published: May 2010

In this chapter the author highlights some of the risks associated with universities establishing surveillance tools within virtual learning environments. Potential problems that may arise from such a move are considered at the student and managerial levels. At the student level the author argues that the adoption of the surveillance tool may result in students, especially the most gifted, feeling pressured to adopt practises that are not best suited to achieving their learning outcomes. At the managerial level the author argues that the surveillance tool provides a means by which subject design could be further influenced by market forces.
Psychological Factors Influencing User Acceptance and Usability
Authors: Phillips J. G. , Jory M. K. , Wijenayake L. , Hii P.
Published: May 2010

Information and communication technologies allow the transmission of audio and video signals in real time, making meetings and interactions with people in remote locations a possibility. For institutions offering education in multiple geographic locations there is a real opportunity to interact with students in a virtual teaching space that supplies text, audio and visual cues. However, technological capability can outstrip availability and adoption. This chapter considers the psychological factors influencing usability and user acceptance of educational technology and associated implications for learning and evaluation. Preference for and effort devoted to educational media may be a function of personality. Preference for online or text-based education may be a function of introversion, and time spent away from study may indicate extraversion or procrastination. Using student surveys, willingness to engage in videoconferencing or to use mobile phones to support teaching and learning was explored. Within an ergonomic framework the authors detail human factors relevant to the use of videoconferencing and mobile phones to support lectures to remote locations.
Integrating Online Group Work into First-Year Music Studies in New Zealand
Authors: November Nancy
Published: May 2010

This chapter explores students’ and instructors’ perspectives on an online group work project in a first-year, general education music course at the University of Auckland. From both perspectives, the project was effective in helping students to understand, experience, and apply the benefits of collaborative research. The project also helped students to feel part of a larger community of university-level learners. Several barriers to effective online group learning, and differences of perception between students and educators, were identified. In particular, students did not necessarily subscribe to the social-constructivist ideologies that underlie much literature examining online group work. Four general guidelines are given to help instructors design online collaborative tasks that are, from all perspectives, clearly appropriate for university-level learners.