bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and Development of Standards (HL7 V3) Based Enterprise Architecture for Public Health Programs Integration at the County of Los Angeles
Authors: Shakir Abdul-Malik , Cardenas David , Datta Gora , Mittra Debashish , Basu Arindam , Verma Rini
Published: May 2011

Public Health (PH) applications in County of Los Angeles (LAC), Department of PH have been developed to meet individual PH program’s goals. This resulted in lack of county-wide PH data integration, efficiency, and usefulness. LAC encouraged the development of web-based applications utilizing standards-based PH Information Network interoperable service-oriented architecture (SOA). The goal was to stop the evolution of fragmented health data systems which place limitations on the PH mission of safeguarding and improving the health of the community as well as responding to large-scale threats to PH. PH Nursing case management is one example of LAC’s initiative for promotion of web-based tools which will be utilized within this SOA. This PH architecture is capable of supporting electronic data exchange from PH partners using a HL7 integration hub. It promotes the development of management tools and applications to assist PH response and recovery activities while providing resources to support departmental integration.
QoS Provisioning in Sensor Enabled Telemedicine Networks
Authors: Chigan Chunxiao , Oberoi Vikram
Published: May 2011

Enabled by the advances of the wireless sensor network technologies, wireless LANs will play a critical role in providing ubiquitous connectivity for future telemedicine applications. This paper focuses on how to provide QoS over the wireless channel between the Body Sensor Network (BSN) Gateway and the wireless Access Points (AP). Telemedicine applications require the periodic report data and the emergency messages transmitted to the remote health care center in a timely manner. However, unlike the voice and multimedia applications which can be supported by traditional QoS techniques, the sporadic nature of the emergency data in telemedicine systems makes it nontrivial to provide sufficient QoS. This article investigates several alternative schemes for QoS support in the telemedicine systems, and an express dual channel (EDC) based QoS mechanism is proposed. Not only is the proposed mechanism simple and resource efficient, but also it provides the bounded maximum delay guarantee for the unpredictable emergency data transmission for telemedicine applications.
Image Mining for the Construction of Semantic-Inference Rules and for the Development of Automatic Image Diagnosis Systems
Authors: Perner Petra
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces image mining as a method to discover implicit, previously unknown and potentially useful information from digital image and video repositories. It argues that image mining is a special discipline because of the special type of data and therefore, image-mining methods that consider the special data representation and the different aspects of image mining have to be developed. Furthermore, a bridge has to be established between image mining and image processing, feature extraction and image understanding since the later topics are concerned with the development of methods for the automatic extraction of higher-level image representations. We introduce our methodology, the developed methods and the system for image mining which we successfully applied to several medical image-diagnostic tasks.
Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Medicine and Healthcare
Authors: Begg Rezaul
Published: May 2011

Now-a-days, researchers are increasingly looking into new and innovative techniques with the help of information technology to overcome the rapid surge in healthcare costs facing the community. Research undertaken in the past has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) tools and techniques can aid in the diagnosis of disease states and assessment of treatment outcomes. This has been demonstrated in a number of areas, including: help with medical decision support system, classification of heart disease from electrocardiogram (ECG) waveforms, identification of epileptic seizure from electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, ophthalmology to detect glaucoma disease, abnormality in movement pattern (gait) recognition for rehabilitation and potential falls risk minimization, assisting functional electrical stimulation (FES) control in rehabilitation setting of spinal cord injured patients, and clustering of medical images (Begg et al., 2003; Garrett et al., 2003; Masulli et al., 1998; Papadourokis et al., 1998; Silva & Silva, 1998). Recent developments in information technology and AI tools, particularly in neural networks, fuzzy logic and support vector machines, have provided the necessary support to develop highly efficient automated diagnostic systems. Despite plenty of future challenges, these new advances in AI tools hold much promise for future developments in AI-based approaches in solving medical and health-related problems. This article is organized as follows: Following an overview of major AI techniques, a brief review of some of the applications of AI in healthcare is provided. Future challenges and directions in automated diagnostics are discussed in the summary and conclusion sections.
Immersive Image Mining in Cardiology
Authors: Liu Xiaoqiang , Koppelaar Henk , Hamers Ronald , Bruining Nico
Published: May 2011

Buried within the human body, the heart prohibits direct inspection, so most knowledge about heart failure is obtained by autopsy (in hindsight). Live immersive inspection within the human heart requires advanced data acquisition, image mining and virtual reality techniques. Computational sciences are being exploited as means to investigate biomedical processes in cardiology. IntraVascular UltraSound (IVUS) has become a clinical tool in recent several years. In this immersive data acquisition procedure, voluminous separated slice images are taken by a camera, which is pulled back in the coronary artery. Image mining deals with the extraction of implicit knowledge, image data relationships, or other patterns not explicitly stored in the image databases (Hsu, Lee, & Zhang, 2002). Human medical data are among the most rewarding and difficult of all biological data to mine and analyze, which has the uniqueness of heterogeneity and are privacy- sensitive (Cios & Moore, 2002). The goals of immersive IVUS image mining are providing medical quantitative measurements, qualitative assessment, and cardiac knowledge discovery to serve clinical needs on diagnostics, therapies, and safety level, cost and risk effectiveness etc.
Organizational Factors in Health Informatics
Authors: Brear Michelle
Published: May 2011

There is a general recognition that numerous organizational factors will influence the success of an informatics intervention. This is supported by a body of evidence from multi-disciplinary and health-specific research. Organizational factors are highly interrelated and the exact nature and contribution of each to the success of an intervention is not clear. A health-specific understanding and recognition of these factors is necessary if informatics applications are to reach their potential in healthcare settings.
Web Services in National Healthcare
Authors: Guah Matthew W.
Published: May 2011

The implementation of a national programme for information technology into the complex environment of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) system is only the first step in a system modernisation journey for this multifaceted organisation. This article reports the findings of a two-year research study on the decline of the ASP (application service provision) industry, from which the current move to Web services was born. It combines the case of the NHS with existing literature on disparate research perspectives to explore the effects of the ‘Not Invented Here’ syndrome on an IS implementation journey. The article also suggests ways that project leaders can redirect such strong feelings about a new system to increase the chances for a successful outcome. Information systems (IS) is “an instantiation of information technology (IT), where the same information technology is instantiated in different ways” (Lee, 1999). A rich organizational and political process is required for a given set of IT to be instantiated, relying greatly upon the continual managing, maintaining, and changing of technology to sustain the instantiation. Within a rather diverse NHS environment, IS may include relational aspects like the effectiveness of system design, the timely delivery of such systems, an appropriately obtained usability training by all users, and future impact of IT in the organisational and entire society.
Assisting Users Seeking Medical Information through Government Portals
Authors: Moon Jane
Published: May 2011

There has been an explosion in the number of different types of portals in the last decade, and at the same time there has been a lot of confusion with them, especially in relation to the enormous number of portals and their differences from Web sites or Web-pages. This coincides with increased use by consumers seeking medical information on the Internet, and with the important role played by medical portals for evidence based medicine. This article explores current portal technology available from an evaluation of market leaders in the industry and identifies important functional components that are necessary in building an intelligent portal to assist users seeking information on the Internet. The emphasis will be on government to consumer portals (G2C) and uses two reputable government portals Betterhealth and Healthinsite as examples to discuss issues involved with those.
Outsourcing in the Healthcare Industry
Authors: Gupta Amar , Goyal Raj K. , Joiner Keith A. , Saini Sanjay
Published: May 2011

The healthcare industry is being impacted by advances in information technology in four major ways: first, a broad spectrum of tasks that were previously done manually can now be performed by computers; second, some tasks can be outsourced to other countries using inexpensive communications technology; third, longitudinal and societal healthcare data can now be analyzed in acceptable periods of time; and fourth, the best medical expertise can sometimes be made available without the need to transport the patient to the doctor or vice versa. The healthcare industry will increasingly use a portfolio approach comprised of three closely-coordinated components seamlessly interwoven together: healthcare tasks performed by humans on-site; healthcare tasks performed by humans off-site, including tasks performed in other countries; and healthcare tasks performed by computers without direct human involvement. Finally, this paper deals with intellectual property and legal aspects related to the three-pronged healthcare services paradigm.
Mobile Business Process Reengineering
Authors: Hertweck Dieter , Rashid Asarnusch
Published: May 2011

There is an ongoing debate about the value of mobile applications for the optimization of business processes in European hospitals. Thus finding satisfying methods to measure the profitability of mobile applications seems to be of great importance. Prior research had its focus mainly on general value dimensions concerning the medical sector or the usability and design aspects of hospital information systems. Conterminous to that, the authors chose a strictly process-oriented approach. They modeled the requirements of future mobile systems as an output of a profitability analysis based on activity-based costing. The cost savings defined as the difference between former and future business processes were used as an incoming payment for an ROI analysis. In a nutshell, the authors present a case study that highlights the value of their analyzing method as well as the enormous benefit of mobile applications in the area of food and medical supply processes in German hospitals.
Access Control for Healthcare
Authors: Shen Yifeng
Published: May 2011

Thanks to the rapid development in the field of information technology, healthcare providers rely more and more on information systems to deliver professional and administrative services. There are high demands for those information systems that provide timely and accurate patient medical information. High-quality healthcare services depend on the ability of the healthcare provider to readily access the information such as a patient’s test results and treatment notes. Failure to access this information may delay diagnosis, resulting in improper treatment and rising costs (Rind et al., 1997). Compared to paper-based patient data, computer-based patient data has more complex security requirements as more technologies are involved. One of the key drivers to systematically enhance the protection of private health information within healthcare providers is compliance with the healthcare information system security standard framework and related legislation. Security standards and legislation of the healthcare information system are critical for ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of private health information (Amatayakul, 1999). Privacy determines who should have access, what constitutes the patient’s rights to confidentiality, and what constitutes inappropriate access to health records. Security is embodied in standards and technology that ensure the confidentiality of healthcare information and enable health data integrity policies to be carried out.
Knowledge Discovery in Biomedical Data Facilitated by Domain Ontologies
Authors: Sidhu Amandeep S. , Kennedy Paul J. , Simoff Simeon , Dillon Tharam S. , Chang Elizabeth
Published: May 2011

In some real-world areas, it is important to enrich the data with external background knowledge so as to provide context and to facilitate pattern recognition. These areas may be described as data rich but knowledge poor. There are two challenges to incorporate this biological knowledge into the data mining cycle: (1) generating the ontologies; and (2) adapting the data mining algorithms to make use of the ontologies. This chapter presents the state-of-the-art in bringing the background ontology knowledge into the pattern recognition task for biomedical data.
Documents and Topic Maps
Authors: Laforest Frédérique
Published: May 2011

Medical records have been used for a long time with different forms, aims, and usages. This heterogeneity is the result of different professions, ways of working, and needs. It is but prejudicial to querying and sharing data and documents. Moreover, we consider that the system must be as close as possible to a more classical, noncomputerized way of working, such as paper-based medical record, and should thus manage documents. Medical records are often loosely or semistructured documents, impeding easy retrieval. In our approach, a medical record is considered as a set of documents and a set of data. In this article, we propose a software system useful for extracting data from loosely-structured documents coming from different sources and for querying them in a hybrid way. Querying can be done in a navigation space which represents extracted data or entire documents. Two main parts are described: the extraction of data in loosely-structured documents and the navigation in a unified view of documents and data.
Biotechnology Portals in Medicine
Authors: Cader Yoosuf
Published: May 2011

The 2005 global revenues of publicly traded biotechnology companies have grown by 18.1% to $63.1 billion (Donn, 2006). Many countries are now investing in research and development in the biotechnology industry as it is believed this 30 year-old industry is moving toward profitability. The stock value in this industry has outperformed the average stock value in many countries. In the pre-genomic era, a typical life sciences company would have marketed diagnostic kits, assays, chemicals, measuring equipment, and research products to name a few. In the genomic era, a new range of products is marketed focusing on molecular medicine. Among these new products are bioinformatics software solutions, storage systems, biotechnology systems, and solutions researching into genes and proteins, tools for analysis of genetic sequence data, integrated systems and solutions for disease research, and new drug discovery (Cader, 2004). The need for biotechnology portals is now more than justified and will be a useful information and knowledge source. A biotechnology portal is a gateway of comprehensive source of information and knowledge to those interested in knowing about biotechnology and the benefits this industry is offering. It should be considered as the first point of reference for those seeking reliable, quality, and current information and knowledge about issues in biotechnology. In addition, it should be interactive and have the appropriate tools to enable a community of users to share information and knowledge among them. There should also be a commercial component to the biotechnology portal, which should be to generate revenue through advertisements and offers to its target visitors. This revenue is essential to ensure the maintenance and survival of the portal and offer value to all its stakeholders. A biotechnology portal will not be complete unless it provides information on biotechnology stocks to potential investors seeking insights into this industry. A biotechnology portal is like any online business with various objectives such as profits, growth, market share, and innovation.
Soft Statistical Decision Fusion for Distributed Medical Data on Grids
Authors: Tang Yu
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces the decision fusion as a means of exploring information from distributed medical data. It proposes a new method of applying soft data fusion algorithm on the grid to analyze massive data and discover meaningful and valuable information. It could potentially help to better understand and process medical data and provide high-quality services in patient diagnosis and treatment. It allows incorporation of multiple physicians into one single case to recover and resolve problems, and integration of distributed data sources overcome some limitations of geographical locations to share knowledge and experience based on the soft data and decision fusion approach.
Evolution of Mobile Commerce Applications
Authors: Lalopoulos George K. , Chochliouros Ioannis P. , Spiliopoulou-Chochliourou Anastasia S.
Published: May 2011

The tremendous growth in mobile communications has affected our lives significantly. The mobile phone is now pervasive and used in virtually every sector of human activity—private, business, and government. Its usage is not restricted to making basic phone calls; instead, digital content, products, and services are offered. Among them, mobile commerce (m-commerce) holds a very important and promising position. M-commerce can be defined as: using mobile technology to access the Internet through a wireless device such as a cell phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), in order to sell or buy items (products or services), conduct a transaction, and perform supply-chain or demand-chain functions (Adams, 2001). Within the context of the present study, we shall examine widespread used and emerging m-commerce services, from early ones (i.e., SMS [Short Message Service]) to innovative (i.e., mobile banking and specific products offered by known suppliers). We shall also investigate some important factors for the development of m-commerce, as well as some existing risks. Particular emphasis is given to the issue of collaboration among the key-players for developing standardization, interoperability, and security, and for obtaining market penetration.
Anywhere, Anytime Learning Using Highly Mobile Devices
Authors: van ‘t Hooft Mark , Brown-Martin Graham , Swan Karen
Published: May 2011

In a world that is increasingly mobile and connected, the nature of information resources is changing. The new information is networked, unlimited, fluid, multimodal, and overwhelming in quantity. Digital technologies, such as mobile phones, wireless handheld devices, and the Internet, provide access to a wide range of resources and tools, anywhere and anytime. This type of access and connectivity has also had an impact on how we collaborate on projects and share media and therefore, greatly increases opportunities to learn inside and outside institutionalized school systems. Learners now have the tools to take learning beyond classrooms and the school day. The development of handheld devices can be traced back to Alan Kay’s vision of the Dynabook. As early as the 1970s, Kay envisioned a mobile, kid-friendly, notebook-sized computer with arti- ficial-intelligence capabilities that would support children’s learning inside and outside of school. Similar ideas soon followed in the form of devices such as the Psion I (1984), the GRiDPaD (1988), Amstrad’s PenPad, and Tandy’s Zoomer (1993), the Apple Newton (1993-1995), and the eMate (1997-1998). During the 1990s and early 2000s, Palm developed a series of handheld devices that defined the handheld market in North America, while Microsoft developed several versions of its Windows Mobile software that could be found on mobile devices made by such companies as HP, Dell, and more recently, Fujitsu Siemens (Bayus, Jain, & Rao, 1997; HPC Factor, 2004; Williams, 2004). There are also many devices whose primary function is entertainment or communication, including media players such as Apple iPods, portable gaming devices like the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS, and, of course, mobile phones. These types of devices are becoming increasingly popular and multifunctional, with iPods being able to store and play music, pictures, and video; portable gaming devices sporting wireless capabilities for interaction between devices (and in the case of the PSP, Internet access); and mobile phones being used to shoot pictures and video, upload content to the Web or e-mail it elsewhere, do text messaging, and make phone calls. Whatever the device, convergence seems to be increasingly important, and growing numbers of young people are using these mobile, digital, and connected tools daily, whenever and wherever they need them, and this includes schools.
Current Status of Mobile Wireless Technology and Digital Multimedia Broadcasting
Authors: Shim J. P. , Ahn Kyungmo , Shim Julie M.
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of wireless mobile technology, its applications, with a focus on digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) technology. The chapter also explores the research methodology regarding users’ perception on DMB cellular phones and presents empirical findings. Implications for future research are presented. The report attempts to provide stimulating answers by investigating the following questions: (1) Do users perceive easy access to DMB applications as a satisfactory service offered by DMB service providers? (2) Do users perceive high-quality DMB program content as a satisfactory service offered by the DMB service providers? (3) Are there differences between different age groups in terms of their perception of DMB phone prices, phone usage time, program content, and services?
The M-Health Reference Model
Authors: Olla Phillip , Tan Joseph
Published: May 2011

The reference model presented in this article encourages the breakdown of M-Health systems into the following five key dimensions: (1) Communication Infrastructure: a description of mobile telecommunication technologies and networks; (2) Device Type: the type of device being used, such as PDA, sensor, or tablet PC; (3) Data Display: describes how the data will be displayed to the user and transmitted, such as images, email, and textual data; (4) Application Purpose: identification of the objective for the M-Health system; (5) Application Domain: definition of the area in which the system will be implemented. Healthcare stakeholders and system implementer can use the reference model presented in this article to understand the security implications of the proposed system and to identify the technological infrastructure, business requirements, and operational needs of the M-Health systems being implemented. A reference model that encapsulates the emerging M-Health field is needed for cumulative progress in this field. Currently, the M-Health field is disjointed, and it is often unclear what constitutes an M-Health system. In the future, M-Health applications will take advantage of technological advances such as device miniaturizations, device convergence, high-speed mobile networks, and improved medical sensors. This will lead to the increased diffusion of clinical M-Health systems, which will require better understanding of the components that constitute the M-Health system.
Distribution Patterns for Mobile Internet Applications
Authors: Wagner Roland , Gruber Franz , Hartmann Werner
Published: May 2011

After the enormous success of the internet and mobile networks, the next upcoming boost for information technology will be the combination of both. But developing applications for this domain is challenging, because first, most mobile devices provide only small memory and processor footprints, prohibiting resource intensive code at client side and second, mobile networks offer only limited bandwidth, and the probability to connection losses is relatively high compared to wired networks. Selecting the appropriate software architecture in terms of distributing the functionality of the system between server and client device is crucial. Application distribution patterns, known from conventional system development, are analysed for their applicability for the mobile environment. After the more abstract analysis of the patterns, the IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) which is part of the current specification of 3G mobile networks is introduced and its support for different application distribution patterns is examined.
Web-Based Seamless Migration for Task-Oriented Mobile Distance Learning
Authors: Zhang Degan , Li Yuan-chao , Zhang Huaiyu , Zhang Xinshang , Zeng Guangping
Published: May 2011

As a new kind of computing paradigm, pervasive computing will meet the requirements of human being that anybody maybe obtain services in anywhere and at anytime, task-oriented seamless migration is one of its applications. Apparently, the function of seamless mobility is suitable for mobile services, such as mobile Web-based learning. In this article, under the banner of seamless mobility, we propose a kind of approach supporting task-oriented mobile distance learning paradigm. Web-based seamless migration, which has the capability that task for mobile distance learning (MDL) dynamically follows the learner from place to place and machine to machine without learner’s awareness or intervention by active service. Our key idea is this capability can be achieved by architecture of component smart platform and agent-based migrating mechanism. In order to clarify the approach, firstly, a description of the task for mobile distance learning and migrating granularity of task has been suggested. Then, the mechanism of seamless migration has been described, including solving several important sub-problems, such as transferring delay, transferring failure, residual computation dependency. Finally, our implemented platform for Web-based seamless migration has been explained, the validity comparison and evaluation of this kind of mobile distance learning paradigm is shown by an experimental demo. Suggested Web-based learning paradigm by seamless migration is convenient to distance learn during mobility and is useful for the busy or mobile distance learner.
A Design Framework for Mobile Collaboration
Authors: Antunes Pedro
Published: May 2011

Mobile collaboration involves people working together and moving in space. Research in mobile collaboration has primarily focused on technical issues like connectivity support or remote information access. We argue there is a lack of research on many nontechnical issues vital to design mobile collaboration systems, disentangling the relationships between collaboration, work context, and mobility. Our fundamental concern is to go beyond the technical issues towards the assimilation of the mobility dimension in all processes shaping collaborative work, including information sharing, context awareness, decision making, conflict management, learning, etc. This article aims to codify into a design framework: • Some fundamental human factors involved in mobile collaboration. • Several guidelines for developing mobile collaboration systems. The design framework provides general constructs identifying phenomena of interest necessary to inquire about the work context, human activities, and system functionality. The framework identifies what information may interest designers, bounding their relationships with the other stakeholders. The framework also guides the design process, identifying how user requirements may be applied during the implementation phase. The framework has been validated in several real-world design cases. Two cases will be briefly described. This research contributes to the design of mobile collaborative systems. The most significant contributions are related to artifacts and emphasize that designers shall explore the potential of artifacts to support concerted work and sensemaking activities.
Mobility Management in Mobile Computing and Networking Environments
Authors: Pierre Samuel
Published: May 2011

This chapter analyzes and proposes some mobility management models and schemes by taking into account their capability to reduce search and location update costs in wireless mobile networks. The first model proposed is called the built-in memory model; it is based on the architecture of the IS-41 network and aims at reducing the home-location-register (HLR) access overhead. The performance of this model was investigated by comparing it with the IS-41 scheme for different call-to-mobility ratios (CMRs). Experimental results indicate that the proposed model is potentially beneficial for large classes of users and can yield substantial reductions in total user-location management costs, particularly for users who have a low CMR. These results also show that the cost reduction obtained on the location update is very significant while the extra costs paid to locate a mobile unit simply amount to the costs of crossing a single pointer between two location areas. The built-in memory model is also compared with the forwarding pointers’ scheme. The results show that this model consistently outperforms the forwarding pointers’ strategy. A second location management model to manage mobility in wireless communications systems is also proposed. The results show that significant cost savings can be obtained compared with the IS-41 standard location-management scheme depending on the value of the mobile units’ CMR.
Market Configuration and the Success of Mobile Services
Authors: Vesa Jarkko
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a novel analytical framework called Mobile Services Matrix (MOSIM), which is used as the basis of a comparative analysis between the Japanese and the Finnish mobile services markets. The results indicate that as the mobile industry shifts from highly standardized voice services towards more complex mobile data services, the vertical/integrated market configuration (i.e., the Japanese model) appears to be more successful than the horizontal/modular configuration (i.e., the Finnish model). A brief overview of the UK market shows that the leading UK mobile network operators are transforming the industry towards a more vertical, operator-driven market configuration. The role of national regulatory framework in this industry evolution process is discussed.
Mobile Technology and its Applications in Instructional Conversation
Authors: Caudill Jason
Published: May 2011

Mobile learning (m-learning) is the most recently developed category of electronic learning (e-learning), both of which are valuable tools in instructional conversation. What makes m-learning unique, and thus deserving of its study as an independent concept, is mobility; learners have the opportunity to go not just beyond the classroom, but beyond the limits of desktop and even laptop computers to engage in instructional environments. As an independent concept, m-learning has its own hardware and network technology, as well as a relationship with and difference from e-learning. As a component of instructional conversation, m-learning provides learners with opportunities to engage in discussion from almost any location at any time, making the conversations much more natural and beneficial to the group. M-learning technology is, to support the uniqueness of the discipline, mobile. Devices that people carry on a regular basis and can access at almost any location are what drive m-learning practice. Working in concert with these devices is mobile networking technology, which provides the mobile learner with access to instructional material from a wide variety of locations and frees them from being tied to a cabled network connection at a static location. Given that m-learning is using modern technology to achieve its goals, it is reasonable to associate m-learning with e-learning, and this is entirely correct. M-learning can in many ways be viewed either as an extension of e-learning or as a specific component of e-learning. While a discussion of detailed definitions will come later, it is important to recognize that entering into m-learning is not a departure from e-learning; the practitioner is simply adding new tools to their box. There are four main objectives of this chapter, all of which relate to preparing instructional conversation practitioners to integrate m-learning into their teaching. The first of these objectives is to gain knowledge of m-learning hardware. As with any technical application, learning the available tools is a critical first step in applying them. Second, readers should gain knowledge of m-learning networking. As will be explored, hardware mobility is of little use without a mobility of information, and information mobility is enabled by mobile networking. Third, readers will gain an understanding of the relationship of m-learning to e-learning which will provide them with a base from which to launch their own mlearning applications. Fourth, readers will review current applications of m-learning technology in the field of instructional conversation to provide examples of how to apply their new knowledge of m-learning to their own instructional conversation environments.
DRM Technology for Mobile Multimedia
Authors: Kwok Sai Ho
Published: May 2011

Mobile multimedia has been promoted as a promising service and application in mobile e-commerce (m-commerce) by many mobile operators and mobile service providers, when high-speed mobile networks are expected to take off in the near future. However, at present, mobile multimedia is still in its infancy, accessed by relatively lowend mobile devices with limited bandwidth and resources. A typical example is Orange in Hong Kong which launched a low-grade multimedia service in 2000 to test the market with current mobile technologies. Due to the physical constraints of a 2.5G mobile network, audio broadcast is the best service that the network can offer up to date. However, in the near future, when advanced mobile networks and technologies become available, higher demands will be placed on the quality of mobile multimedia services. Such services support both audio and video data, for example, video conferencing, music video, video-on-demand and so on. Rights management deserves more serious concern because intellectual property of distributed multimedia content is as valuable as a company’s physical assets (Doherty, 2002). This will become even more important when mobile multimedia services become marketable and an essential part of the business. The purpose of a digital rights management (DRM) system is to allow owners of digital assets (movies, songs) to distribute their products/services/contents electronically in a controlled way (Peinado, 2002). DRM technology makes various online payment schemes possible, such as pay-per-view, pay-perdownload, pay-per-game and so on. Hence, mobile service providers are able to control end users’ use of, and accessibility to, their products, and stand to gain huge profits from this capability with the DRM technology (Foroughi, Albin, & Gillard, 2002). A successful DRM system should address both business and technical issues (Grab, 2002), but this chapter only addresses and presents issues in the technical side due to the nature of this book. We present some critical issues of mobile DRM for mobile multimedia. A proposal of mobile DRM framework is presented to meet mobile technology. This chapter is concluded by presenting future directions of mobile DRM for mobile multimedia.
Wireless Technologies for Mobile Computing and Commerce
Authors: Wright David
Published: May 2011

At the time of writing (1Q06) most countries have a small number (2-6) of major cellular operators offering competing 2.5G and 3G cellular services. In addition, there is a much larger number of operators of WiFi networks. In some cases, a major cellular operator, for example, Deutsche Telekomm and British Telecom, also offers a WiFi service. In other cases, WiFi services are provided by a proliferation of smaller network operators, such as restaurants, laundromats, airports, railways, community associations and municipal governments. Many organizations offer WiFi free of charge as a hospitality service, for example, restaurants. Cellular services offer ubiquitous, low data rate communications for mobile computing and commerce, whereas WiFi offers higher data rates, but less ubiquitous coverage, with limitations on mobility due to business as opposed to technology reasons. Emerging networks for mobile computing and commerce include WiMAX and WiMobile (Wright, 2006), which offer higher data rates, lower costs and city-wide coverage with handoff of calls among multiple base stations. These new technologies may be deployed by the organizations that currently deploy cellular and WiFi networks, and also may give rise to a new group of competitive wireless network operators. This article identifies the capabilities needed for mobile computing and commerce and assesses their technology and business implications. It identifies developments in the wireless networks that can be used for mobile computing and commerce, together with the services that can be provided over such networks. It provides a business analysis indicating which network operators can profitably deploy new networks, and which network operators need to establish business and technology links with each other so as to better serve their customers. The resulting range of next generation service, technologies and network operators available for mobile computing and commerce is identified.
Mobile Handheld Devices for Mobile Commerce
Authors: Hu Wen-Chen , Yeh Jyh-haw , Yang Hung-Jen , Lee Chung-wei
Published: May 2011

With the introduction of the World Wide Web, electronic commerce has revolutionized traditional commerce and boosted sales and exchanges of merchandise and information. Recently, the emergence of wireless and mobile networks has made possible the extension of electronic commerce to a new application and research area: mobile commerce (MC), which is defined as the exchange or buying and selling of commodities, services, or information on the Internet through the use of mobile handheld devices. In just a few years, mobile commerce has emerged from nowhere to become the hottest new trend in business transactions. Despite a weak economy, the future of mobile commerce is bright according to the latest predictions (Juniper Research Ltd., 2004). Internet-enabled mobile handheld devices are one of the core components of a mobile commerce system, making it possible for mobile users to directly interact with mobile commerce applications. Much of a mobile user’s first impression of the application will be formed by his or her interaction with the device, therefore the success of mobile commerce applications is greatly dependent on how easy they are to use. This article first explains the role of handheld devices in mobile commerce systems and then discusses the devices in detail. A mobile handheld device includes six major components: (a) a mobile operating system (OS), (b) a mobile central processor unit (CPU), (c) a microbrowser, (d) input and output (I/O) devices, (e) memory, and (f) batteries. Each component is described, and technologies for the components are given.
Mobile Clinical Learning Tools Using Networked Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)
Authors: Garrett Bernard Mark
Published: May 2011

The School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia has more than 300 nursing students engaged in supervised clinical practice in hospital and community settings around Vancouver. Likewise, the Faculty of Medicine has more than 200 medical students undertaking supervised clinical experience locally and remotely in the Prince George and Vancouver Island regions. The management of these clinical experiences and the promotion of learning while in an active clinical setting is a complex process.
Using Mobile Phones and PDAs in Ad Hoc Audience Response Systems
Authors: Jones Matt , Marsden Gary , Gruijters Dominic
Published: May 2011

This chapter investigates how to create ad hoc audience response systems using nonspecialist devices. The chapter revolves around two case studies: one involving the use of mobile phones, and the other based on PDAs. Both case studies are carried out in tertiary education institutions, showing how these devices can be used to facilitate audience participation using devices that students might, themselves, bring to lectures. Both are evaluated from the perspective of the student and the educator, using a mixture of observational and interview-based techniques.
Adoption of Mobile Technology in the Supply Chain
Authors: Doolin Bill , Haj Ali Eman Al
Published: May 2011

The increasing utilization of mobile commerce technologies in e-business raises the question of their use in supply chain integration and management. This article presents a multiple case study investigation of the adoption of mobile technology in the supply chain. A technology-organization- environment framework of the contextual influences on technological innovation adoption is used to inform an analysis of three companies’ adoption and use of mobile data solutions for sales automation, freight tracking, and service support. Analysis of the three case studies found that the relative advantage of the technological innovation and the information intensity of the company were the most important factors influencing adoption. Other factors that appeared to influence adoption included the compatibility of the technology with the company’s business approach, the presence of top management support, and the degree of organizational readiness. Environmental factors such as competition within the industry or business partner influence seemed less influential for these pioneers of mobile technology use in supply-side activities.
Mobile Automotive Cooperative Services (MACS)
Authors: Hoffman Holger , Leimeister Jan Marco , Krcmar Helmut
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we describe the systematic development and implementation of mobile services in the automotive sector. This includes a design framework that represents different requirements of automotive service engineering. The framework is used following a corresponding process model which combines iterative service development with classical prototyping. The framework and the process model are applied to a new mobile service MACS MyNews, a personalizeable, interactive news service, allowing the driver to be the editor and end user of his/her newscast at the same time. In order to design this service, we start with designing service scenarios. For these service scenarios a matching value-added network is derived, technologies for service provisioning are chosen, and a prototype is implemented. The service is then evaluated especially concerning driving safety. A final user evaluation helps the designers choose whether or not to include the service in series production before planning the service roll-out.
Identified Customer Requirements in Mobile Video Markets—A Pan-European Case
Authors: Brodt Torsten
Published: May 2011

University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
Secure Collaborative Learning Practices and Mobile Technology
Authors: Isomäki Hannakaisa , Päykkönen Kirsi , Räisänen Hanna
Published: May 2011

During the past few years, mobile technologies have become common in everyday life. Almost everyone carry some kind of mobile technological equipment with him or her, for example a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a multimedia player, such as an iPod, or a laptop computer. The use of these equipments is not limited only to workplaces, schools or homes. Particularly useful information and communication technologies (ICTs) are in educational settings. Especially wireless networks and laptop computers may promote many useful practices of collaborative learning (Cutshall, Changchit, & Elwood, 2006; Jones, Holmfeld, & Lindström, 2006). On the one hand, the use of mobile ICTs may also diminish the fluency of studying. With technology both restricting and enabling different ways of action, even small changes in technology may lead to substantial changes in the way it is used in educational settings (Waycott & Kukulska- Hulme, 2003). The use of mobile devices and wireless networks in studying may even reduce communality, social contacts, and collaboration between students instead of increasing and supporting them (Kreijns & Kirschner, 2004). These kinds of deficiencies can restrain users from making good use of otherwise advantageous technology-supported interaction environments. On the other hand, if mobile technology is utilized successfully, it can engender students’ feelings of belonging to a safe virtual community, which helps to construct shared knowledge when members of the community collaborate and apply information and experiences received from others. In order to successfully implement mobile ICTs for computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) it is important to obtain information how students take into use mobile technologies in their studying and learning. In particular, different features of knowledge sharing and social usability in the virtual learning environment along with issues of data security within the wireless network become crucial with respect to CSCL that is supported by mobile technology. This chapter explores the role of mobility and social usability features in a CSCL environment on a wireless campus. In our analysis we found features that either support or diminish the fluency of CSCL.
Hand Measurements and Gender Effect on Mobile Phone Messaging Satisfaction
Authors: Balakrishnan Vimala , Yeow P. H.P.
Published: May 2011

A total of 110 participants were interviewed to investigate the effect of hand measurements and gender on mobile phone messaging satisfaction. Physical measurements of hand-size and thumbs were recorded. This study focused on mobile phone keypad design factors; namely, key size, shape, texture, space between keys, layout and keypad simplicity. Females were found to be more satisfied with the key size and space between keys, whereas males are more satisfied with key shape. Users with smaller hands and thumbs were found to be more satisfied with key size and space between keys compared to those with larger hands and thumbs. One of the recommended improvements was to have larger keys with more space between them. Results obtained can be used by mobile phone designers to design customized mobile phones, for example, mobile phones that suit users with larger hands and thumbs, especially males.