bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Organizational Culture to the Management of Telecommunication Companies
Authors: Kargas Antonios D. , Varoutas Dimitris
Published: May 2011

This chapter explains what organizational culture is and analyzes its importance for the management of any company. Organizational culture must not be ignored during the decision-making process and managers must understand the existing culture of their organization in order to achieve their targets and to meet their goals. This chapter presents the theoretical link between organizational culture and a variety of variables, which affect organizational performance and efficiency, directly and indirectly. Such variables are knowledge management, organizational climate, leadership, quality, innovation and entrepreneurship, human resource management, and employee behavior. This chapter creates the starting point to study the link between culture and organizational strategy, enterprising practices and change management.
Telecommunication Investments Analysis
Authors: Angelou Georgios N. , Economides Anastasios A.
Published: May 2011

Recognizing the inadequacy of traditional quantitative cost-benefits analysis for evaluating telecommunications investments, researchers suggest real options (ROs) for controlling and valuating telecommunications business activities. However, ROs are based on the concept to delay investment for collecting more information and learning more about business conditions and during this delay another competitor may act gaining significant competition advantage. In addition, RO models are strictly quantitative and very often telecommunications investments may contain qualitative factors, which cannot be quantified in monetary terms. In addition, ROs analysis results in some factors that can be treated more efficiently when taken qualitatively. This work deals with quantitative and qualitative analysis and integrates ROs and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) into a common decision analysis framework providing a multicriteria model, for analyzing telecommunication investments in the deregulated business field.
Agent Based Product Negotiation Models in Mobile Commerce
Authors: Manvi S. S. , Bhajantri L. B.
Published: May 2011

This chapter brings out various issues in M-Commerce and describes various agent-based product negotiation models in mobile commerce environment. The negotiation models discussed are based on auctions, trade off, argumentation, contract Net, bilateral and game theory. Mobile commerce (M-Commerce) is an emerging manifestation of Internet electronic commerce that bridges the domains of Internet, mobile computing and wireless telecommunications in order to provide an array of sophisticated services to mobile users. The usages of M-Commerce services in commercial activities are expected to dominate the world. Commercial activities through wireless are gradually changing the daily practice and future possibilities. This opens many new possibilities, opportunities and challenges in mobile commerce. Using software agent technology by providing intelligence, autonomous, customized, adaptable and flexible services, can enhance M-Commerce activities. The agent technology supports Component Based Software Engineering (CBSE) thereby allowing software developers to create dynamic software architecture for m-commerce applications.
Addressing the E-Learning Contradiction
Authors: MacDonald Colla J. , Stodel Emma J. , Thompson Terrie Lynn , Muirhead Bill , Hinton Chris
Published: May 2011

In 1997, Drucker suggested that due to the availability of the Internet for delivering university courses and programs, traditional higher education was in deep crisis. He claimed that university buildings were about to become “hopelessly unsuited and totally unneeded” (Drucker, 1997, p. 127). Yet in spite of this, and the technological advances that support the design, development, and delivery of alternative pedagogical approaches, many universities and university professors have resisted integrating educational technology into their teaching practices. A look at today’s university campuses, over a decade after Drucker’s prediction that university buildings are “totally unneeded,” suggests that the “brick and mortar growth” within universities is thriving. Part of what has prevented the proliferation of e-learning and other educational technologies is resistance on the part of teachers and professors to adopt it.
Assessment Tasks in Online Courses
Authors: Liu Shijuan
Published: May 2011

Assessment tasks refer to tasks that an instructor requires students to complete and that counts towards their final grades in a course. Assessment tasks, in the relevant literature, are also called assessment (e.g., Dirks, 1998), assessment methods (e.g., Flinders University, 2002), assignments (e.g., Arend, 2006), or assessment tools (e.g., Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2002). While there is a plethora of literature on assessment tasks in traditional environments, there is a paucity of discussions on assessment tasks in online environments (Comeaux, 2005). This short chapter discusses (1) importance of assessment tasks in online courses, (2) opportunities and challenges that online environments bring to assessment tasks, and (3) principles and strategies in design and use of assessment tasks in online courses.
Corporate - Higher Education Alliance
Authors: Guillotte François , Gaumond Jacques
Published: May 2011

As a form of Corporate – Higher Education Alliance (“Alliance”), Bridge-eLearning (www.bridge-elearning. com) is a consortium (“Consortium”) that was created in May 2004. Its purpose is the advancement of e-learning content and practices within the corporate and higher education worlds. The project design intent was to build a more effective bridge between these two worlds and to foster high value by assembling a small number of members from Europe and North America. The ambition of this not-for-profit consortium was moderate. Pragmatic and attainable objectives were set for the initial three-year plan. A balanced collaborative business model is based on investment from each of the consortium members; and common values such as fairness, trust, collaboration and risk sharing are fostered among all members.
Designing a Distributed Learning Experience
Authors: Ketelhut Diane Jass , Whitehouse Pamela , Dede Chris , Brown-L’Bahy Tara
Published: May 2011

With the availability of Internet and digital technologies, many universities are integrating new interactive media into course curricula, both to enhance conventional classroom-based learning and to enable remote students to overcome barriers of time and distance. Although the focus of computer-mediated communication in teaching and learning has traditionally been on distance education—delivering courses to students in remote locations—colleges are increasingly using interactive media to enhance on-campus courses, with positive outcomes. “Distributed learning” describes educational experiences that combine face-to-face teaching with synchronous and asynchronous mediated interaction (Dede, Brown-L’Bahy, Ketelhut, & Whitehouse, 2004). This instructional strategy distributes learning across a variety of geographic settings, across time, and across various interactive media. This study extends prior research findings on the design and educational outcomes of a Harvard Graduate School of Education course, Learning Media that Bridge Distance and Time, as a prototypical distributed learning experience.
Hypermedia Modules for Distance Education and Beyond
Authors: Sala Nicoletta
Published: May 2011

The rapid evolution of digital, networked multimedia technology such as the Internet, e-mail, and computer based and video conferencing can open new educational opportunities. This article describes the use of hypermedia modules inside the distance learning, in particular, in the field of computer based training in electronic instrumentation and measurements. This educational experience has been developed by the Department of Electronic (Dipartimento di Elettronica) - Politecnico of Torino (Italy), where the author participated to control the educational process. This project is a part of an Italian research of distance education named “Consorzio Nettuno” which involves different undergraduate courses (Electronic Engineering, Information Technology, Economic Science). Several modules have been developed, using multimedia technologies, to assist the students to acquire the fundamentals of the basic electronic instrumentation. A client-server system has been designed in order to allow the students to operate on a remote laboratory for experimental training. The courseware includes lessons, exercises, and a training on virtual instruments which emulate actual instruments. The students can also carry out several real laboratory experiments without actually being in the laboratory, by using a client-server structure based on the Internet.
Millennium Teachers in a Global Context
Authors: Kissock Craig
Published: May 2011

When preparing for a race, the coach will advise, “Do not look back at your competition; look forward to your goal.” Educators integrating technology into instruction often take this same view; they look ahead to win the race in preparing students to be effective in the use of technology in learning and in life. Our educators need to be conscious of their role in a world of people who have access to technology as an educational and life resource and those who do not. And, they need to take action to assure that children and citizens in all of the world’s societies can make effective use of appropriate technology to enhance learning and living. While the world does not have a history of assuring equal educational opportunity for all, the disparity is, and will become all the greater, as technological literacy becomes a requirement for success in educational and life achievement.
Postgraduate Degree by Distance Learning
Authors: Kung-Ming Tiong
Published: May 2011

Distance learning provides a wide opportunity for learners to access postgraduate qualifications. With the establishment of such open and distance learning (ODL) institutions like open universities and e-learning programs by higher learning institutions around the world, more learners are getting into postgraduate degree programs. In the United Kingdom, for example, a group of reputable institutions have established the UKeU (UK e-Universities). This article looks at the types of programs offered (master’s and doctorate) and their characteristics in contrast to traditional on-campus study. We will look into the challenges and issues faced by distance learning postgraduate-degree providers, as well as those faced by the learners. Among the issues are accreditation and recognition, curriculum and assessment, instructional methods, factors influencing learners’ choice of postgraduate programs, and institutional support for learners. Finally, we discuss the effects of postgraduate distance learning programs in the education landscape as a whole.
Student Retention in Online Education
Authors: Adkins Mac , Nitsch Wanda B.
Published: May 2011

Successful program completion in an online education context is a combination of learner attributes, the university’s focus on meeting the needs of the students, and providing a quality educational product. This article focuses on the needs of the online student and how a program can provide the educational services that promote student retention. By recognizing distance education student needs and putting strategies into place to best meet those needs, programs can have a high course and program completion rate to meet accreditation standards and provide financial stability for the institution.
Using Assistive Technologies in Millennium Teaching
Authors: Knicker Carol
Published: May 2011

What are assistive technologies (ATs) and how will millennium teachers use ATs to assist all learners? Assistive technologies can be defined as services or devices which allow students to meet their maximum potential. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires this provision for all students with disabilities as part of its mandate to provide learners with a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). ATs have been available and used by students with disabilities, but have been, at times, problematic for the education community. For the most part, the purpose of ATs has been misunderstood to apply only to those students with severe disabilities. School personnel often remain uninformed regarding the range of assistive technology services and products available to them. Too often the use of these technologies has set students with disabilities farther apart from the rest of the class. ATs have been perceived to provide even inappropriate or inequitable assistance to the learning process, and have made students without disabilities wonder why some of their peers get “special treatment.” Teachers of the new millennium should be sensitive to these issues as they learn the wide range of technologies available to all learners.
Videoconferencing for Supervision of Graduate Students
Authors: Dudding Carol C.
Published: May 2011

This article describes the use of two-way videoconferencing for providing live clinical supervision of graduate students. It includes the rationale and description of a method of supervision as it has been implemented within a distance education program. The reader is provided with research findings and implications for policymaking within institutions of higher education and professional organizations overseeing the clinical training of future professionals.
Virtual Organizations in Post-Graduate Education in Egypt
Authors: Kamel Sherif
Published: May 2011

New online learning techniques lead to improved ways to investing in larger numbers of people and optimizing the use of resources. Respectively, virtual organizations are gaining grounds in the education sector with its vehicle capable of closing the digital divide and spreading knowledge that can help improve the literacy rate. This article covers the case of the Regional IT Institute (RITI), an institute located in Cairo, Egypt, that specializes in providing quality education in the fields of information and communication technology and management. The institute’s goal is to educate more students while overcoming the challenge of scarce resources, trying to meet the needs of 30% of the population (70 million) enrolled in education programs (Economic News Bulletin). The model used by the institute in delivering its programs is a hybrid model that combines traditional with unconventional techniques, capitalizing on normal class settings as well as advanced information and communication technology tools. In 1985, information technology was prioritized on the national agenda by the government of Egypt, so information technology became one of the building blocks of the development process. Moreover, in 1999, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology was established to accelerate the build up of the nation’s information and communications infrastructure and the creation of a mechanism for knowledge acquisition and dissemination to bridge the gap between “the haves and the have-nots,” both internally and with the developed world.
Interpolation Procedures
Authors: Ciulla Carlo
Published: May 2011

The intent of the present chapter is to expand the treatise that concerns with the presentation of the current literature in signal-image interpolation with specific focus on the classification of the procedures and the relevant applications of interpolation, in relationship to the various scientific disciplines. Also, the present chapter expands on the importance of the error bounds existing in literature for the characterization and quantification of the interpolation error. The discussion is interleaved with the characteristics features of the unifying theory that the book presents such to place the SRE-based interpolation functions within the context of the larger framework that the scientific literature has conceived so far.
Privacy-Preserving Transactions Protocol Using Mobile Agents with Mutual Authentication
Authors: Han Song , Potdar Vidyasagar , Chang Elizabeth , Dillon Tharam
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a new transaction protocol using mobile agents in electronic commerce. The authors first propose a new model for transactions in electronic commerce – mutual authenticated transactions using mobile agents. They then design a new protocol by this model. Furthermore, the authors analyse the new protocol in terms of authentication, construction and privacy. The aim of the protocol is to guarantee that the customer is committed to the server, and the server is committed to the customer. At the same time, the privacy of the customer is protected.
Towards Simulating Cognitive Agents in Public Transport Systems
Authors: Timpf Sabine
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, the authors present a methodology for simulating human navigation within the context of public, multi-modal transport. They show that cognitive agents, that is, agents that can reason about the navigation process and learn from and navigate through the (simulated physical) environment, require the provision of a rich spatial environment. From a cognitive standpoint, human navigation and wayfinding rely on a combination of spatial models (“knowledge in the head”), (default) reasoning processes, and knowledge in the world. Spatial models have been studied extensively, whereas the reasoning processes and especially the role of the “knowledge in the world” have been neglected. The authors first present an overview of research in wayfinding and then envision a model that integrates existing concepts and models for multi-modal public transport illustrated by a case study.
Group Support Systems as Collaborative Learning Technologies
Authors: Lim John , Yang Yin Ping , Zhong Yingqin
Published: May 2011

Computer-based systems have been widely applied to support group-related activities such as collaborative learning and training. The various terms accorded to this research stream include virtual teams, e-collaboration, computer-supported collaborative work, distributed work, electronic meetings, and so forth. A notable and well-accepted aspect in the information system field is group support systems (GSS), the focus of this chpater. The numerous GSS studies have reported findings which may not be altogether consistent. An overall picture is much in want which attends to the synthesizing of the findings accumulated over decades. This chapter presents a meta-analysis study aimed at gaining a general understanding of GSS effects. We investigate 6 important moderators in GSS experimental research: group outcomes, namely group size, task type, anonymity, time and proximity, level of technology, and the existence of facilitation. The results point to important conclusions about the phenomenon of interest; in particular, their implications vis-à-vis computer-supported collaborative learning technologies and use are discussed and highlighted along each dimension of the studied variables.
MDD Approach for Maintaining Integrity Constraints in Databases
Authors: Al-Jumaily Harith T. , Cuadra Dolores , Martínez Paloma
Published: May 2011

In the context of database, we believe that MDD (Model-Driven Development) (OMG, 2006) is a very ambitious task because we find that when applying database development methodologies such as (Elmasri, et al., 2007), there are processes devoted to transforming conceptual into logical schemata. In such processes, semantic losses are produced since logical elements are not coincident with conceptual elements. A correct constraints transformation is necessary to preserve the semantics that reflects the Universe of Discourse. The multiplicity constraint, also called cardinality constraint, is one of these constraints that can be established in a conceptual schema. It has dynamic aspects that are transformed into the logical model as certain conditions to verify the insertion, deletion, and update operations. The verification of these constraints is a serious and complex problem because currently database systems are not able to preserve the multiplicity constraints of their objects. To solve the modeling problem, CASE tools have been introduced to automate the life cycle of database development. These platforms try to help the database developers in different design phases. Nevertheless, these tools are frequently simple graphical interfaces and do not completely carryout the design methodology that they are should to support.
Query Processing in Spatial Databases
Authors: Corral Antonio , Vassilakopoulos Michael
Published: May 2011

Spatial data management has been an active area of intensive research for more than two decades. In order to support spatial objects in a database system several important issues must be taken into account such as: spatial data models, indexing mechanisms and efficient query processing. A spatial database system (SDBS) is a database system that offers spatial data types in its data model and query language and supports spatial data types in its implementation, providing at least spatial indexing and efficient spatial query processing (Güting, 1994). The main reason that has caused the active study of spatial database management systems (SDBMS) comes from the needs of the existing applications such as geographical information systems (GIS), computer-aided design (CAD), very large scale integration design (VLSI), multimedia information systems (MIS), data warehousing, multi-criteria decision making, location-based services, etc.
Indices in XML Databases
Authors: Mahboubi Hadj , Darmont Jérôme
Published: May 2011

Since XML (eXtensible Markup Language) (Bray, Paoli, Sperberg-McQueen, Maler & Yergeau, 2004) emerged as a standard for information representation and exchange, storing, indexing, and querying, XML documents have become major issues in database research. Query processing and optimization are very important in this context, and indices are data structures that help enhance performances substantially. Though XML indexing concepts are mainly inherited from relational databases, XML indices bear numerous specificities. The aim of this chapter is to present an overview of state-of-the-art XML indices and to discuss the main issues, trade-offs, and future trends in XML indexing. Furthermore, since XML is gaining importance for representing business data for analytics (Beyer, Chamberlin, Colby, Özcan, Pirahesh & Xu, 2005), we also present an index we developed specifically for XML data warehouses.
A Survey of Approaches to Database Replication
Authors: Muñoz-Escoí F. D. , Decker H. , Armendáriz J. E. , González de Mendívil J. R.
Published: May 2011

Databases are replicated in order to get two complementary features: performance improvement and high availability. Performance can be improved when a database is replicated since each replica can serve read-only accesses without requiring any coordination with the rest of replicas. Thus, when most of the application accesses to the data are read-only, they can be served locally and without preventing accesses in the same or other replicas. Moreover, with a careful management, the failure of one or more replicas does not compromise the availability of the database.
Maximizing Value for Customers
Authors: Al-Shammari Minwir
Published: May 2011

Efforts to improve the experience of customers do little to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty if they fail to connect with customers and anticipate their needs. The first chapter of this last part of the book deals with the CKM harvesting phase. A process-oriented customer-centric enterprise needs to know its customers and to be resilient and vibrant towards them and their preferences by creating and delivering superior value offerings that suit their desired needs and/or preferences. Doing good things for customers reciprocates good things for business. As the long-term objective of a competitive business strategy is to build SCA, focus should be on ‘difficult-to-imitate’ resource-based capabilities (Salck et al., 2006). The CKM strategy is adopted in order to leverage business DCCs, i.e. CK, to deliver highest value-adding (VA) products and/or services to customers, and achievement of SCA for organizations.
Copyright Protection of A/V Codec for Mobile Multimedia Devices
Authors: Kwon Goo-Rak , Ko Sung-Jea
Published: May 2011

The objective of this chapter introduces an advanced encryption of MP3 and MPEG-4 coder with a quality degradation-based security model. For the MP3 audio, the magnitude, and phase information of modified discrete cosine transform (MDCT) coefficients is encrypted. DCT coefficients and motion vectors (MVs) are used for the scrambling of the MPEG-4 video. This encryption scheme has a level of security, secures in perception, keeps format compliance, and obtains high time efficiency though reducing the encrypted the volumes of multimedia contents. These properties make it practical to incorporate encryption and decryption process into compression and decompression process, and thus suitable for secure A/V transmission or sharing.
Pattern Languages for CMC Design
Authors: Dixon Dan
Published: May 2011

Three decades ago the concept of pattern languages were introduced in the field of architecture and they have since become widely used in object-oriented programming and HCI. However their use in computing is divergent from Alexander’s original goals on two main points. Firstly, they were largely intended to describe the spaces formed by or for human activities and events. Secondly, they were intended as a way for professionals and lay people to communicate whilst designing buildings. This chapter suggests that the socio-technical design of social software should rediscover both these principles, firstly in a fuller appreciation of the wider human angle, and secondly in the participative design approach. Indeed, a pattern language approach within a socio-technical framework seems the ideal way to design the next generation of computer-mediated communication applications, as it will do so in a social context and in partnership with end users.
Enabling Adaptive Process-Aware Information Systems with ADEPT2
Authors: Reichert Manfred , Dadam Peter
Published: May 2011

In dynamic environments it must be possible to quickly implement new business processes, to enable ad-hoc deviations from the defined business processes on-demand (e.g., by dynamically adding, deleting or moving process activities), and to support dynamic process evolution (i.e., to propagate process schema changes to already running process instances). These fundamental requirements must be met without affecting process consistency and robustness of the process-aware information system. In this chapter the authors describe how these challenges have been addressed in the ADEPT2 process management system. Their overall vision is to provide a next generation technology for the support of dynamic processes, which enables full process lifecycle management and which can be applied to a variety of application domains.
An Adaptable Context Management Framework for Pervasive Computing
Authors: Zebedee Jared , Martin Patrick , Wilson Kirk , Powley Wendy
Published: May 2011

Pervasive computing presents an exciting realm where intelligent devices interact within the background of our environments to create a more intuitive experience for their human users. Context-awareness is a key requirement in a pervasive environment because it enables an application to adapt to the current situation. Context-awareness is best facilitated by a context management system that supports the automatic discovery, retrieval and exchange of context information by devices. Such a system must perform its functions in a pervasive computing environment that involves heterogeneous mobile devices which may experience intermittent connectivity and resource and power constraints. The objective of the chapter is to describe a robust and adaptable context management system. We achieve an adaptable context management system by adopting the autonomic computing paradigm, which supports systems that are aware of their surroundings and that can automatically react to changes in them. A robust context management system is achieved with an implementation based on widely accepted standards, specifically Web services and the Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) standard.
Including Online Discussions Within Campus-Based Students' Learning Environments
Authors: Gerbic Philippa
Published: May 2011

Online discussions are now available as a pedagogical option in blended learning environments in universities. Much of the research to date has focused on the characteristics of this computer-mediated environment and its potential for learning and there has been less examination of wider contextual factors. This chapter presents case study research which investigates online discussions as they occur within the broader framework of the learning design or curriculum within a blended environment in a campus-based degree programme. The chapter provides insights into influential factors for undergraduate student learning and makes recommendations for teachers who wish to advance the educational potential of the new communication medium.
Ontology-Based User Competencies Modeling for E-Learning Recommender Systems
Authors: Brut Mihaela , Sedes Florence , Zayani Corinne
Published: May 2011

Inside the e-learning platforms, it is important to manage the user competencies profile and to recommend to each user the most suitable documents and persons, according to his or her acquired knowledge, to their long-term interests, but also according to his very current goals. The authors of this chapter explore a Semantic Web-based modeling approach for the document annotations and user competencies profile development, based on the same domain ontology set. The ontologies constitute the binder between the materials and users. For the user profile development and for the personalized recommendations facilities, the authors’ solution propose a hybrid recommender approach: first the user navigation inside the ontology is monitored (instead of user navigation inside the e-learning platform) and the next concept of interest is recommended through a collaborative filtering method; then a content-based recommendation of documents is provided to the user, according the selected concept and his competencies profile. In both phases, a variant of the nearest neighbor algorithm is applied.
A User-Centered Approach to the Retrieval of Information in an Adaptive Web Site
Authors: Gena Cristina , Ardissono Liliana
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes the user-centered design approach we adopted in the development and evaluation of an adaptive Web site. The development of usable Web sites, offering easy and efficient services to heterogeneous users, is a hot topic and a challenging issue for adaptive hypermedia and human-computer interaction. User-centered design promises to facilitate this task by guiding system designers in making decisions, which take the user’s needs in serious account. Within a recent project funded by the Italian Public Administration, we developed a prototype information system supporting the online search of data about water resources. As the system was targeted to different types of users, including generic citizens and specialized technicians, we adopted a user-centered approach to identify their information needs and interaction requirements. Moreover, we applied query analysis techniques to identify further information needs and speed up the data retrieval activity. In this chapter, we describe the requirements analysis, the system design, and its evaluation.
Evolutionary Path Planning for Robot Navigation Under Varying Terrain Conditions
Authors: Fries Terrence P.
Published: May 2011

Path planning is an essential component in the control software for an autonomous mobile robot. Evolutionary strategies are employed to determine optimal paths for their robustness and ability to solve complex problems. However, current evolutionary approaches fail to consider varying terrain conditions when determining an optimal path and offer only path planning without trajectory planning. This chapter presents an approach that determines a near optimal path while incorporating trajectory planning in the solution. Fuzzy linguistic variables are used represent the inherent imprecision and uncertainty in the terrain conditions presented to the robot. Most importantly, the method is computationally efficient and robust, providing real-time response and the ability to operate in a dynamic environment.
Alternate Reality Games as Simulations
Authors: Dondlinger Mary Jo , Warren Scott Joseph
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) as simulated experiences, and presents the conceptual framework that informed the design and development of an institutional capstone course aimed at fostering global thinking and real-world problem-solving skills. The course engages community college sophomores in a capstone experience in which learners design and develop an alternate reality game (ARG) based on the theme of global sustainability and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
An Autocorrelation Methodology for the Assessment of Security Assurance
Authors: Gordon Richard T. , Gehrke Allison S.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes a methodology for assessing security infrastructure effectiveness utilizing formal mathematical models. The goal of this methodology is to determine the relatedness of effects on security operations from independent security events; determine the relatedness of effects on security operations from security event categories; identify opportunities for increased efficiency in the security infrastructure yielding time savings in the security operations; and identification of combinations of security events which compromise the security infrastructure. We focus on evaluating and describing a novel security assurance measure that governments and corporations can use to evaluate the strength and readiness of their security infrastructure. An additional use is as a before and after measure in a security services engagement to quantify infrastructure improvement that can serve as a basis for continuous security assurance.
Enhancing the IMS QTI to Better Support Computer Assisted Marking
Authors: Clark Damien , Baillie-de Byl Penny
Published: May 2011

Computer aided assessment is a common approach used by educational institutions. The benefits range into the design of teaching, learning, and instructional materials. While some such systems implement fully automated marking for multiple choice questions and fill-in-the-blanks, they are insufficient when human critiquing is required. Current systems developed in isolation have little regard to scalability and interoperability between courses, computer platforms, and learning management systems. The IMS Global Learning Consortium’s open specifications for interoperable learning technology lack functionality to make it useful for computer assisted marking. This article presents an enhanced set of these standards to address the issue.
Technology Partner Governance
Authors: Ward Myles
Published: May 2011

This chapter is intended to serve as a guide for those intending to introduce principles supporting the effective governance of Information Technology and Telecommunications (IT&T) outsourcing. The methods outlined are drawn from industry knowledge and experience in governing and resolving complex technology outsourcing relationships. It is not designed as an academic dissertation; however, it does draw on contemporary thought and current practice to support IT vendor governance concepts and methods.
The Philosophies of Software
Authors: Grace Lindsay
Published: May 2011

Software is philosophical. Software is designed by people who have been influenced by a specific understanding of the way objects, people and systems work. These concepts are then transferred to the user, who manipulates that software within the parameters set by the software designer. The use of these rules by the designer reinforces an understanding of the world that is supported by the software they use. The designer then produces works that mimic these same philosophies instead of departing from them. The three axes of these philosophies are analogy, reductivism, and transferred agency. The effects on computer-based artistic expression, the training in digital art production, and the critique of art are evaluated in this chapter. Tensions between the dominant scientific approaches and the dominant artistic approaches are also defined as destructive and constructive practice respectively. The conclusion is a new critical perspective through which one may evaluate computer integrated creative practice and inspire fresh creative composition.
Health Information Standards
Authors: Spyrou Stergiani , Bamidis Panagiotis , Maglaveras Nicos
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an abstract view of the regional health information networks (RHN). A presentation of the architecture and structures of the RHN is included. It also reveals the need for integration of information in the framework of a RHN and key issues for the applicability of health information standards to achieve interoperable health care organizations which are the stakeholders of the RHN are presented. Furthermore, a list of case studies for the implementation of RHN in health systems in European, as well as non-European countries, such as the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Australia are demonstrated. Finally, important areas to focus when evaluating RHN are described. The authors hope that the abstract view of RHN would assist in the understanding of the key areas when building regional health networks.
Anesthesia Information Management Systems (AIMS)
Authors: Riskin Loren , Egger-Halbeis Christoph , Riskin Daniel
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the critical role of anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) in clinical tracking and operating room information management. It begins by reviewing the history and implementation of such systems and examines their current abilities and utilities. The current known benefits of AIMS, as documented by peer-reviewed literature, are examined. Possible additional benefits, both future and current, and the potential role of AIMS in future healthcare information management are discussed. Though AIMS vary greatly between individual systems and will continue to evolve over time, this chapter aims to highlight fundamental system features. The goal of this chapter is to broaden understanding of AIMS and their clinical utility, as they have an essential part of modern operative care.
Designing Medical Research Web Sites
Authors: Grady Jonathan P. , Spring Michael B. , Rotondi Armando J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the design of Web sites to be used as the basis of medical research. It is broken down into three sections: Part 1 discusses the various issues that have to be addressed in the design of a Web site that will be used to assess some intervention based on the Web site. Part 2 discusses the design of such a Web site and the development of a tool to facilitate this process. Part 3 presents the results of preliminary usability analysis for the tool to assist medical researchers in constructing Web sites that can meet the needs and requirements of medical intervention studies. The results of the preliminary interviews, prototype walkthroughs, and preliminary usability studies are presented laying the groundwork for future development and more formal usability studies.
Guiding Principles for Identifying and Promoting Best Practice in Virtual Campuses
Authors: Stansfield Mark , Connolly Thomas
Published: May 2011

This chapter will outline a set of guiding principles underpinning key issues in the promotion of best practice in virtual campuses. The work was conducted as part of the “Promoting Best Practice in Virtual Campuses” (PBP-VC) project that is aimed at identifying underlying issues and examples of best practice in providing a better understanding into virtual campus development and sustainability. The PBP-VC project was a two year European Commission Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) co-financed project running from March 2007 to February 2009. The PBP-VC project team have worked with key stakeholders from virtual campus projects across Europe and globally in identifying and exploring key issues relating to best practice. The importance of developing a practical set of guiding principles for identifying, evaluating and promoting best practice in virtual campuses and e-learning can be demonstrated by the significant number of high profile e-learning and virtual campus failures that have occurred over the last decade both within Europe and globally at great financial cost. This chapter will highlight key enablers and inhibitors to success, provide a description of the different elements comprising the guiding principles in the promotion of best practice, as well as describing a tentative four level model aimed at illustrating different levels of virtual campus maturity in the achievement of sustainability and organisational transformation.
Molecular Structure Determination on the Grid
Authors: Miller Russ , Weeks Charles
Published: May 2011

Grids represent an emerging technology that allows geographically- and organizationally-distributed resources (e.g., compute systems, data repositories, sensors, imaging systems, and so forth) to be linked in a fashion that is transparent to the user. The New York State Grid (NYS Grid) is an integrated computational and data grid that provides access to a wide variety of resources to users from around the world. NYS Grid can be accessed via a Web portal, where the users have access to their data sets and applications, but do not need to be made aware of the details of the data storage or computational devices that are specifically employed in solving their problems. Grid-enabled versions of the SnB and BnP programs, which implement the Shake-and-Bake method of molecular structure (SnB) and substructure (BnP) determination, respectively, have been deployed on NYS Grid. Further, through the Grid Portal, SnB has been run simultaneously on all computational resources on NYS Grid as well as on more than 1100 of the over 3000 processors available through the Open Science Grid.
gLibrary/DRI
Authors: Barbera Roberto , Calanducci Antonio , Gonzalez Martin Juan Manuel , Prieto Castrillo Fancisco , Pollan Raul Ramos , del Solar Raul Rubio , Tcaci Dorin
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents the gLibrary/DRI (Digital Repositories Infrastructure) platform. The main goal of the platform is to reduce the cost in terms of time and effort that a repository provider spends to get its repository deployed. This is achieved by providing a common infrastructure and a set of mechanisms (APIs and specifications) that repository providers use to define the data model, the access to the content (by navigation trees and filters) and the storage model. It also provides an algorithm launching mechanism. gLibrary/DRI offers a generic way to provide all this functionality; however, providers can add specific behaviours to the default functions for their repositories. The architecture is Grid based. Two use cases are also presented: A mammograms repository example that provides clinicians with a tool that eases diagnostics process and an algorithmic repository based on the Poincare Surface Section.
Transforming Cross-Organisational Processes between European Administrations
Authors: Ziemann Jörg , Loos Peter
Published: May 2011

New legal settings, the need for improved quality of service, and technological advances increase the pressure on public administrations to cooperate in order to modernize and innovate procedures. Thus, the automation of cross-organisational processes is a clear objective. But due to the traditional independence of administrations, as well as the need to minimize modifications of internal systems, a loose coupling rather than tight system integration is desired. In this vein, a method is required that enables public administrations to create comprehensive interfaces they can publish to collaboration partners. This chapter presents the concept for a Business Interoperability Interface that describes the externally visible behaviour of administrations and supports the design and execution of loosely coupled, cross-organisational processes. Requirements for this interface are derived from the Europol-Eurojust collaboration, and the development and application of the Business Interoperability Interface are illustrated with the same scenario.
Production, Publication, and Use of Educational Multimedia Content in Brazil
Authors: Amorim Joni A. , Machado Carlos , Miskulin Rosana G.S. , Miskulin Mauro S.
Published: May 2011

The production of quality educational multimedia content involves both its publication and its use, considering aspects ranging from metadata standards to teachers’ guides. In Brazil, there are many challenges and opportunities in real world technology projects; particularly, in the field of education. Challenges may involve not only strategy and project engineering issues, but also the management of change in the creation of virtual groups focused on multimedia production. This scenario has created a platform from which it was possible to suggest a framework for an educational multimedia factory virtual group interaction. Thus, both software implementation for the proposed framework and the management of change are discussed from the perspective of a large-scale multimedia production, at UNICAMP, Brazil. This chapter intends to bring about some of the complexities involved in a pioneer project that can provide High School students with free content by simply connecting to the Internet.
Computer Supported Collaborative Sports
Authors: Wulf Volker , Mueller Florian ‘Floyd’ , Moritz Eckehard F. , Stevens Gunnar , Gibbs Martin R.
Published: May 2011

Augmenting existing sports experiences with computing technology is increasingly gaining attention due to its potential for performance enhancement. However, most of these approaches focus on existing single-user activities. The authors are presenting the newly emerging field of Computer Supported Collaborative Sports (CSCS) to draw attention to the social aspect of sport and its potential to support novel experiences for players that are not available in traditional sports environments. They discuss important dimensions in the design space of CSCS by detailing two example applications and lay out further research directions for the design of collaborative technologies in computer augmented sports.
Computer-Mediated Communication that Brings Learning into the Present
Authors: Seward Linda , Harvey Vickie , Carranza Joseph
Published: May 2011

A two-part assignment was designed which paired students together using e-mail technology that required them to engage in peer teaching. This allowed us to study computer-mediated communication that was not part of a discussion group or chat room. An analysis of the e-mails revealed that males and females did not differ in frequency, length or use of social incentives. Males sent slightly more status enhancement messages while females sent more status recognition messages. Significant gender differences occurred, however, in the use of apologies and in how personal weaknesses or bad experiences were characterized. Unexpectedly, university affiliation was more significant than gender in the amount of self-disclosure.