bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agile Software System Development and Customisation Using Business Rules
Authors: Smaizys Aidas  , Vasilecas Olegas
Published: February 2025

Flexible customization and adaptation of the software before deployment into the information systems of separate organizations challenge large requirement conformity, project and specification management, design and architecture complexity, code integration, compatibility and interoperability issues, frequently causing the need of reengineering through the entire all the system development lifecycle. In this paper, we focus on these criteria and propose the use of decision tables as alternative business logic visualization formalism, used for business rule representation, which leads building a model of business logic and implementing it using software configuration parameters stored in the database and automatically generated methods of business objects implemented into the classes of business logic tier of n-Tier architecture.
Domain Ontology Based Support to Navigation in Distance Study Course Structure
Authors: Tankeleviciene Lina  , Dzemydiene Dale
Published: February 2025

We explore the possibility to improve typical Learning management system (LMS) by integrating modern achievements in the fields of semantic web, and especially, ontology engineering. Ontologies gain its popularity due to ability 1) to implement reuse on knowledge level; and 2) to enhance information retrieval processes. Automatically conducted information retrieval allows to increase effectiveness of human-computer interaction processes, which is also important in e-Learning processes. In this article, we analyse the possibilities and types of reasoning over different ontology elements. Then we explore a theoretically proposed framework for conceptual linking of educational resources, which is intended to support learners' navigation in Distance Study Course (DSC). We demonstrate the application of the proposed framework by the means of a designed scenario with real domain ontology and concrete pedagogical goals in mind: to automatically form a dynamical navigational menu in order to foster predictable learning paths.
The Formal Model for Multiversion Data Warehouse Evolution
Authors: Solodovnikova Darja
Published: February 2025

Schemata of data warehouses often need to be adapted because of evolving business requirements or changes in data sources. To accumulate the history of schemata and data, it is possible to maintain multiple versions of data warehouse schemata. We propose the formal model to store the data about data warehouse logical and physical schemata and their versions. For each modification of a data warehouse schema, we outline the changes that need to be made to the formal model. We present the data warehouse framework that is able to track evolution process and adapt data warehouse schemata and data extraction, transformation and loading (ETL) processes.
LKIF Core: Principled Ontology Development for the Legal Domain
Authors: Hoekstra Rinke  , Breuker Joost  , Di Bello Marcello  , Boer Alexander
Published: February 2025

In this paper we describe a legal core ontology that is part of the Legal Knowledge Interchange Format: a knowledge representation formalism that enables the translation of legal knowledge bases written in different representation formats and formalisms. A legal (core) ontology can play an important role in the translation of existing legal knowledge bases to other representation formats, in particular as the basis for articulate knowledge serving. This requires that the ontology has a firm grounding in commonsense and is developed in a principled manner. We describe the theory and methodology underlying the LKIF core ontology, compare it with other ontologies, introduce the concepts it defines, and discuss its use in the formalisation of an EU directive.
Study on the Structure of Argumentation in Case Law
Authors: Mochales Raquel  , Moens Marie-Francine
Published: February 2025

This paper investigates natural-language argumentation in the case law domain. The starting point is a study on the discoursive and argumentative characteristiques of ten legal documents from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Then, a generalization of this study allows to formalize the structure of argumentation in the ECHR documents as a context-free grammar. The paper concludes with the evaluation of the grammar and a discussion of its main limitations.
Argument Based Moderation of Benefit Assessment
Authors: Wardeh Maya  , Bench-Capon Trevor J.M.  , Coenen Frans
Published: February 2025

Error rates in the assessment of routine claims for welfare benefits have been found to be very high in Netherlands, USA and UK. This is a significant problem both in terms of quality of service and financial loss through over payments. These errors also present challenges for machine learning programs using the data. In this paper we propose a way of addressing this problem by using a process of moderation, in which agents argue about the classification on the basis of data from distinct groups of assessors. Our agents employ an argument based dialogue protocol (PADUA) in which the agents produce arguments directly from a database of cases, with each agent having their own separate database. We describe the protocol and report encouraging results from a series of experiments comparing PADUA with other classifiers, and assessing the effectiveness of the moderation process.
Police Investigation Management System Based on the Workflow Technology
Authors: Cybulka Jolanta  , Jędrzejek Czesław  , Martinek Jacek
Published: February 2025

We report on the research aimed at the creation of the system intended to support the investigators in their teamwork against the economic offenses. To achieve the goal, the workflow technology was employed. It enables the on-line management of the investigation processes carried out in practice. We propose to use the event calculus for modeling the crime processes, and we mention the accompanying research aimed at a creation of the core ontology of investigative and criminal processes.
Managing Co-reference Knowledge for Data Integration
Authors: Meghini Carlo  , Doerr Martin  , Spyratos Nicolas
Published: February 2025

This paper presents a novel model of co-reference knowledge, which is based on the distinction of (i) a model of a common reality, (ii) a model of an agent's opinion about reality, and (iii) a model of agents' opinions if they talk about the same object or not. Thereby it is for the first time possible to describe consistently the evolution of the agent's knowledge and its relative consistency, and to formally study algorithms for managing co-reference knowledge between multiple agents if they have the potential to lead to higher states of consistency, independent from the particular mechanism to recognize co-reference. As an example, a scalable algorithm is presented based on monitoring atomic knowledge increments and an abstract notion of belief ranking. The presented approach has a wide potential to study the formal properties of current methods to find co-reference, and to lead to new methods for the global management of co-reference knowledge.
A Common Framework for Board Games and Argumentation Games
Authors: Eriksson Lundström Jenny  , Fischer Nilsson Jørgen  , Hamfelt Andreas
Published: February 2025

In this paper we discuss models of formal argumentation games. We argue that the tactics and strategies of board-games like chess provide a useful analogy for adversarial argumentation games. The objective of this study is to elaborate on a common model for board games and argumentation dialogues. In particular we strive at making analogies between tactical and strategic chess game notions and notions in adversarial argumentation games.
Development and Testing of a Tactile Feedback System for Robotic Surgery
Authors: Grundfest Warren S.  , Culjat Martin O.  , King Chih-Hung  , Franco Miguel L.  , Wottawa Christopher  , Lewis Catherine E.  , Bisley James W.  , Dutson Erik P.
Published: February 2025

A tactile feedback system has been developed using silicone-based pneumatic balloon actuators and piezoelectric force sensors, paired with a pneumatic control system. This system has been fitted directly onto the da Vinci surgical robotic system, allowing the forces applied at the robotic end-effectors to be felt on the fingers of surgeons or other system operators. Preliminary system tests have been performed to evaluate the efficacy of the system and to validate the tactile feedback approach. The actuators and pneumatic system had a sufficiently low footprint such that they did not hinder movements during surgical task performance. Preliminary studies using a pressure-indicating phantom suggested that grip force may be reduced with direct tactile-to-tactile feedback. An additional study found that a six element tactile sensing array can effectively provide spatial information to the fingers. The results of these studies are summarized in this paper.
VR PTSD Exposure Therapy Results with Active Duty OIF/OEF Combatants
Authors: Rizzo Albert A.  , Difede JoAnn  , Rothbaum Barbara O.  , Johnston Scott  , McLay Robert N.  , Reger Greg  , Gahm Greg  , Parsons Thomas  , Graap Ken  , Pair Jarrell
Published: February 2025

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be caused by traumatic events that are outside the range of usual human experience including military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage and terrorist attacks. Reports indicate that at least 1 out of 6 Iraq War veterans are exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Virtual Reality exposure therapy has been previously used for PTSD with reports of positive outcomes. This paper will present a brief description of the USC/ICT Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan PTSD therapy application and present clinical outcome data from active duty patients treated at the Naval Medical Center-San Diego (NMCSD) as of October 2009. Initial outcomes from the first twenty patients to complete treatment indicate that 16 no longer meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD at post treatment. Research and clinical tests using the Virtual Iraq/Afghanistan software are also currently underway at Weill Cornell Medical College, Emory University, Fort Lewis and WRAMC along with 20 other test sites.
Cost Effective Ultrasound Imaging Training Mentor for Use in Developing Countries
Authors: ap Cenydd Llyr  , John Nigel W.  , Vidal Franck P.  , Gould Derek A.  , Joekes Elizabeth  , Littler Peter
Published: February 2025

This paper reports on a low cost system for training ultrasound imaging techniques. The need for such training is particularly acute in developing countries where typically ultrasound scanners remain idle due to the lack of experienced sonographers. The system described below is aimed at a PC platform but uses interface components from the Nintendo Wii games console. The training software is being designed to support a variety of patient case studies, and also supports remote tutoring over the internet.
Optimality Theory and Vector Semirings
Authors: Seeker Wolfgang  , Quernheim Daniel
Published: February 2025

As [1] and [2] have shown, some applications of Optimality Theory can be modelled using finite state algebra provided that the constraints are regular. However, their approaches suffered from an upper bound on the number of constraint violations. We present a method to construct finite state transducers which can handle an arbitrary number of constraint violations using a variant of the tropical semiring as its weighting structure. In general, any Optimality Theory system whose constraints can be represented by regular relations, can be modelled this way. Unlike [3], who used roughly the same idea, we can show, that this can be achieved by using only the standard (weighted) automaton algebra.
The Kleene Language for Weighted Finite-State Programming
Authors: Beesley Kenneth R.
Published: February 2025

Kleene is a high-level programming language for building, manipulating and testing weighted finite-state acceptors and transducers. It allows users to define networks using regular expressions and right-linear phrase-structure grammars, and it provides variables, functions and familiar control structures. Pre-edited Kleene scripts can be run from the command line, and a graphical user interface is provided for interactive programming and testing. The Kleene parser is implemented in JavaCC/JJTree, and the interpreter calls functions in the OpenFst library via the Java Native Interface (JNI). The design, implementation, development status and future plans for Kleene are described.
CLARIN and Free Open Source Finite-State Tools
Authors: Koskenniemi Kimmo  , Yli-Jyrä Anssi
Published: February 2025

A new emerging European research infrastructure called CLARIN and a related project called HFST are briefly described. HFST has built a programming interface on top of some existing open source finite-state packages such as SFST and OpenFST. In order to verify its utility, HFST has built open source tools on top of this HFST interface. These tools create lexical transducers, compile morphophonological two-level rules and combine them into a transducer lexicon. The tools have been tested against independently created with full-scale lexicons and rules for Northern Sámi and Lule Sámi languages which have more complicated lexical and morphophonological structure than most other European languages.
Large-Scale Statistical Machine Translation with Weighted Finite State Transducers
Authors: Blackwood Graeme  , de Gispert Adrià  , Brunning Jamie  , Byrne William
Published: February 2025

The Cambridge University Engineering Department phrase-based statistical machine translation system follows a generative model of translation and is implemented by the composition of component models of translation and movement realised as Weighted Finite State Transducers. Our flexible architecture requires no special purpose decoder and readily handles the large-scale natural language processing demands of state-of-the-art machine translation systems. In this paper we describe the CUED system's participation in the NIST 2008 Arabic-English machine translation evaluation task.
Implementing an Interdisciplinary Electronic Documentation System at Two Pilot Units within an Acute Care Setting
Authors: van der WAL Rena  , Dalzel Shelley  , Kitzul Marianne
Published: February 2025

An electronic interdisciplinary clinical documentation system that includes assessments and some clinical interventions was designed and implemented on two pilot units. This paper describes the procedures for designing the screens, implementing the system, and integrating the electronic documentation system with the workflow of nursing staff. The results of this pilot project are outlined and implications for future efforts are examined.
The Development of a Risk Identification Screening Framework for Healthcare Information Systems
Authors: Keay Elizabeth  , Kushniruk Andre
Published: February 2025

Health information systems are costly, especially when they are not used or when they impede workflow. Risk assessment is used to identify and remedy problem areas so that systems are safe. While there are discussions of design project risk management, for example, see McConnell [1], there is little information about screening the fit of a system with respect to its users, the task and the healthcare organization. Such analyses could be important in improving the fit of information systems in healthcare, thereby decreasing risk of system and project failure. A risk-screening framework for health informatics is presented.
Analysis of Acuity Trends Using Resource Intensity Weights Via the CIHI Portal
Authors: Sarnecki Liesje  , Gordon Lisa
Published: February 2025

One key to revolutionizing health care with informatics is the ability of decision-makers to access and analyze relevant data in a timely and efficient manner. Inspired by the demand for timely access to hospitalization data in Canada, CIHI Portal is an innovative web-based analytical tool which combines leading technology and data for decision support analysis. Hospitals, regional health authorities and ministries of health can use CIHI Portal to access comparable, pan-Canadian healthcare data for health data analysis, collaboration and dissemination. The goal of CIHI Portal is to support health care decision-makers in their local and regional health care planning and to answer service delivery questions.
A Flexible Natural Gradient Approach to Blind Separation of Complex Signals
Authors: Scarpiniti Michele  , Vigliano Daniele  , Parisi Raffaele  , Uncini Aurelio
Published: February 2025

In this paper a natural gradient approach to blind source separation in complex environment is presented. It is shown that signals can be successfully reconstructed by a network based on the so called generalized splitting activation function (GSAF). This activation function, whose shape is modified during the learning process, is based on a couple of bi-dimensional spline functions, one for the real and one for the imaginary part of the input, thus avoiding the restriction due to the Louiville's theorem. In addition recent learning metrics are compared with the classical ones in order to improve the speed convergence.
Use of ASTER-data for a soil erosion risk model application, Chios island (Greece)
Authors: Veraverbeke S.  , Goossens R.  , Vanderstraete T.
Published: February 2025

ASTER-satellite data provide useful information for a soil erosion risk model application. An orthorectified FCC and a DEM are the results of a digital photogrammetric restitution. An elevation model can be used to calculate slope angles and the drainage area of each location. So the sensitivity for erosion due to the topographic situation is estimated. In the Mediterranean, rainfall is often of an orographic origin. A linear regression equation taken from literature with the height above sea level as independent variable, and the mean annual rainfall as dependent variable has been adapted for the Chios island. Then the erosivity of the rainfall is estimated. The orthorectified bands are used to make a LULC-classification by means of the maximum likelihood classifier. Before classifying, the image is corrected for differential illumination effects to improve the classification. The different LULC classes have a different sensitivity towards erosion. One non-satellite based information source has been added to the dataset, namely a generalised lithologic map. This map allows tracking of the parent material, which is an important factor determining the soil formation. Different lithologic formations have different erodibility characteristics. When the rainfall erosivity and the sensitivity for erosion due to the topographic situation and the lithology are combined, the potential soil erosion risk is estimated. The potential soil erosion risk is the erosion risk in a virtual world without vegetation. When the sensitivity for erosion of the land cover is taken in account, the actual soil erosion risk is estimated; this is the current soil erosion risk like. At the island of Chios a high potential soil erosion risk is prevalent for most of the land. However the actual soil erosion risk is relatively low for most parts of the island. Vegetation tempers soil erosion. Nevertheless the Mount Epos area is badly degraded and has high actual soil erosion risks.
Selection criteria of training set for optimal land cover discrimination with a view to automatic segmentation
Authors: Marcheggiani Ernesto  , Galli Andrea  , Bernardini Annamaria  , Malinverni Eva S.  , Zingaretti Primo
Published: February 2025

This work is part of a wider project whose general objective is to develop an automatic classification methodology, congruent with the CORINE land-cover thematic legend, by high resolution multi-spectral IKONOS images datasets. The imagery were provided by Regione Marche institution thanks to a research agreement signed together with the Technical University of Marche jointed departments (DARDUS, DIIGA and DiSASC).
Seismic hazard in Vrancea area, Romania, inferred from satellite, GPS and geophysical data
Authors: Zoran M.
Published: February 2025

Placed at conjunction of four tectonic blocks which lie on the edge of the Eurasian plate, Vrancea zone in Romania is considered one of the most seismically active area in Europe, being characterized by strong intermediate depth seismicity in a very limited and well defined hypocentral region.The joint analysis of geodetic, seismological, geological and time-series satellite data (LANDSAT MSS, TM and ETM, SAR-ERS 1/2, ASTER, MODIS) is revealing new insights in the understanding of the kinematics and dynamics of the complex plate boundary system and long-term deformation in relation with earthquake activity. Multispectral and multitemporal satellite images over a period 1975–2005 have been analyzed for recognizing the continuity and regional relationships of active faults as well as for geologic and seismic hazard mapping. Seismic hazard maps and classifications of different geologic features and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) generation from SAR ERS1/2, Landsat TM, ETM, and ASTER data are highly correlated with in-situ ground data. GPS measurements provide information on the rate of strain accumulation on active faults (coseismic, postseismic, and interseismic deformation; plate motion and crustal deformation at plate boundaries). Based on GPS Romanian network stations data was revealed a displacement of about 5 or 6 millimeters per year in horizontal direction relative motion, and a few millimeters per year in vertical direction. Future use of long-term InSAR data will be a useful tool in active tectonic investigation for this region.
Learning to Interpret Cognitive States from fMRI Brain Images
Authors: Sona Diego  , Olivetti Emanuele  , Avesani Paolo  , Veeramachaneni Sriharsha
Published: February 2025

In the last few years, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has emerged as a new and powerful method to map the cognitive states of a human subject to specific functional areas of the brain. Although fMRI has been widely used to determine average activation in different brain regions, the problem of automatically decoding the cognitive state from instantaneous brain activations has only recently been investigated. We argue that machine learning might be an effective approach to deal with fMRI image interpretation when data are collected through a free design stimulation protocol. The brain decoding task can be shaped as a classification problem. Given in input the fMRI signal of the brain, a trained model can predict the corresponding cognitive state. This study investigates the use of recurrent neural network to interpret fMRI brain images. We present the results of an empirical analysis on PBAIC data. PBAIC, namely Pittsburgh Brain Activity Interpretation Contest, proposes a brain decoding problem based on free design protocol of stimuli.
A Comparative Analysis between Experts and Novices Interacting with a Virtual Patient with PTSD
Authors: Kenny Patrick G.  , Parsons Thomas D.  , Rizzo Albert
Published: February 2025

Virtual patients will provide a means to train the next generation of clinical residents. Interacting and engaging with virtual characters portraying standardized patients can have meaningful outcomes. As a cumulative set of data analysis, we investigate the comparison of how well novices, subjects without any clinical interviewing background, with experts, clinicians, or resident student clinicians with interviewing skills to assess if they could elicit the proper information from verbal interactions with a virtual character.
Mobile Serious Games for Collaborative Problem Solving
Authors: Sanchez Jaime  , Mendoza Claudia  , Salinas Alvaro
Published: February 2025

This paper presents the results obtained from the implementation of a series of learning activities based on mobile serious games (MSG) for the development of problem-solving and collaborative skills in Chilean 8th grade students. Three MSGs were developed and played by teams of four students, who had to solve the problems posed by the game collaboratively. The data shows that the experimental group had a higher perception of their own skills of collaboration and of the plan execution dimension of problem solving than the control group, providing empirical evidence regarding the contribution of MSGs to the development of collaborative problem-solving skills.
Cyberspace Psychopathology
Authors: Cantelmi Tonino  , Talli Massimo
Published: February 2025

The authors, after a initial description of the “Internet phenomenon” and more specifically concerning the psychological and psychopathological risks related to its use, propose a series of unpublished papers on this theme, developed during the last year.
Virtual Worlds as a Healing Modality for Returning Soldiers and Veterans
Authors: Morie Jacquelyn Ford  , Antonisse Jamie  , Bouchard Sean  , Chance Eric
Published: February 2025

Those who have served in recent conflicts face many challenges as they reintegrate into society. In addition to recovering from physical wounds, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorders, many soldiers also face basic psychological issues about who they are and how to find their place in a society that has not shared their experiences. To address these challenges, we have created a space that provides ongoing opportunities for healing activities, personal exploration and social camaraderie in an online virtual world, Second Life. In such worlds, where each avatar is controlled by a live individual, experiences can be unintuitive, uninviting, considered boring, or difficult to control. To counter this, we are implementing autonomous intelligent agent avatars that can be “on duty” 24/7, serving as guides and information repositories, making the space and activities easy to find and even personalized to the visitor's needs. We report the results of usability testing with an in-world veterans' group. Tests comparing soldiers who use this space as part of their reintegration regimen compared to those who do not are being scheduled as part of the Army's Warriors in Transition program.
Interreality: A New Paradigm for E-health
Authors: Riva Giuseppe
Published: February 2025

“Interreality” is a personalized immersive e-therapy whose main novelty is a hybrid, closed-loop empowering experience bridging physical and virtual worlds. The main feature of interreality is a twofold link between the virtual and the real world: (a) behavior in the physical world influences the experience in the virtual one; (b) behavior in the virtual world influences the experience in the real one. This is achieved through: (1) 3D Shared Virtual Worlds: role-playing experiences in which one or more users interact with one another within a 3D world; (2) Bio and Activity Sensors (From the Real to the Virtual World): They are used to track the emotional/health/activity status of the user and to influence his/her experience in the virtual world (aspect, activity and access); (3) Mobile Internet Appliances (From the Virtual to the Real One): In interreality, the social and individual user activity in the virtual world has a direct link with the users' life through a mobile phone/digital assistant. The different technologies that are involved in the interreality vision and its clinical rationale are addressed and discussed.
Addiction to Internet Replies
Authors: Lee Ook
Published: February 2025

This research introduces a new addictive behavior in cyberspace, which is called Internet Reply Addiction. This phenomenon was found and empirically investigated in Korea where addictive behavior on Internet reply is common. This research suggests that the cause of this kind of addiction can be inferred from the Confucian cultural tradition that oppresses free expressions of individuals in real life settings.
Assessment and Treatment of the Upper Limb by Means of Virtual Reality in Post-Stroke Patients
Authors: Piron Lamberto  , Turolla Andrea  , Agostini Michela  , Zucconi Carla  , Tonin Paolo  , Piccione Francesco  , Dam Mauro
Published: February 2025

The disability deriving from stroke impacts heavily on the economic and social aspects of western countries because stroke survivors commonly experience various degrees of autonomy reduction in the activities of daily living. Recent developments in neuroscience, neurophysiology and computational science have led to innovative theories about the brain mechanisms of the motor system. Thereafter, innovative, scientifically based therapeutic strategies have initially arisen in the rehabilitation field. Promising results from the application of a virtual reality based technique for arm rehabilitation are reported.
The Utilization of Electronic Patient Record in Pain Management from the Perspective of Nursing Management
Authors: Kesänen Jukka  , Asteljoki Sara  , Pykälämäki Helena  , Korpela Sini-Vuokko  , Montin Liisa
Published: February 2025

The electronic patient record is becoming more common in Finland. Structured and classified documentation methods make it possible to utilize different reports from EPR in the nursing management.
Sociotechnical Analyis of a Neonatal ICU
Authors: Currie Leanne  , Sheehan Barbara  , Graham III Phillip L.  , Stetson Peter  , Cato Kenrick  , Wilcox Adam
Published: February 2025

Sociotechnical theory has been used to inform the development of computer systems in the complex and dynamic environment of healthcare. The key components of the sociotechnical system are the workers, their practices, their mental models, their interactions, and the tools used in the work process. We conducted a sociotechnical analysis of a neonatal intensive care unit towards the development of decision support for antimicrobial prescribing. We found that the core task was to save the baby in the face of complex and often incomplete information. Organizational climate characteristics were pride in clinical and educational practice. In addition, the structure of work identified interdisciplinary teamwork with some communication breakdown and interruptive work environment. Overall, sociotechnical analysis provided a solid method to understand work environment during the decision support development process.
Using Second Life to Enhance ACCEL an Online Accelerated Nursing BSN Program
Authors: Stewart Stephanie  , Pope Dawn  , Duncan Debra
Published: February 2025

To create a presence in Second Life (SL) the university college of nursing (CON) purchased four virtual islands in December 2007. The intent was to enhance distance education with immersion learning experiences for nursing students in SL. The Pollock Alumni House, classrooms, faculty offices, a library, a student welcome center, a public health office, a disaster scenario, a clinic, a hospital, and several patient avatars were created. Houses are being built for nursing students to experience different patient care scenarios during home visits. At least 20 nursing faculty and academic staff and three cohorts of accelerated nursing students (77) have avatars and have experienced class sessions. Faculty and students schedule office hours, engage in synchronous chats, and utilize the public health department and SL support groups for class exercises. Current exercises in the public health department include a module in which the student learns the role of the sanitarian. Students use a checklist to inspect restaurants and bars in SL. They are also able to view a video of an interview with a sanitarian. Another module introduces them to the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program. Future student activities related to public health include disaster planning, bioterrorism, evacuations, community assessment, windshield surveys, fund raising, and health education as well as other activities suggested by public health nurses and students. The possibilities are limitless because of the resources that exist in the virtual world, SL. The purchase of the first two islands, the initial buildings, and the creation of the public health department was funded by a research grant. Virtual environments offer many advantages for nursing education. Many nursing students say they learn best when they actually “do something,” which indicates that they often prefer experiential learning. Rare but life-threatening patient situations can be experienced since the clinical environment can be realistically simulated. The student has the opportunity to practice repeatedly without causing harm to patients. During these simulations, active learning takes place, immediate feedback can be given for both correct and incorrect actions, errors can be corrected, and consistent experiences can be reproduced for all students. This technology is revolutionizing education and will meet the needs of the media savvy generations to come. It can also provide virtual experiences that nursing students may encounter in the clinical setting which are high risk and low volume, thus enhancing patient safety.
The Finnish National eHealth Archive and the New Research Possibilities
Authors: Virtanen Teemupekka
Published: February 2025

Medical research requires information. Now this information is collected from various sources and the quality of information is often poor because of different coding and collection methods. In Finland we are now building the national archive to store all the patient information from both public and private service providers. We have started to design a medical research based on this archive taking, however, care of the privacy needs in the same time.
A Study of Staffs Satisfaction and Documentation Completeness on using a Nursing Information System
Authors: Chang Min  , Lee Ting-Ting  , Lin Kuan-Chia  , Jiang Wey-Wen  , Lin Juin-Shu  , Chang Yanmay  , Tang Shen-Yueh
Published: February 2025

Due to the information technologies the fast development of many information devices were implemented to health care environments. There are many studies about documentation time spent, documentation completeness and nurses' attitude and satisfaction reported abroad. But there are few literatures about personal digital assistant applications and satisfaction about using the system. The purpose of this study is to explore staffs' satisfaction and documentation completeness after a nursing information system was implemented. Data were explored by use of descriptive and multivariate analysis. There were 389 nurses answered the questionnaire, 200 charts for documentation completeness were audited. The results of this study are as followed. Nurses who were older or worked in ICU, had lower satisfaction, and with N4 position had higher satisfaction. Overall, the completeness of documentations were not related to technology use. This study suggests that organizations have to provide the information equipments, the information personnel revise the system design and the user proposed the usage feedback, in order to solve the clinical usage problems.
Development of Educational Software for Teaching Nursing Management
Authors: Évora Yolanda Dora Martinez  , Melo Marcia Regina A.C.  , Bernardes Andréa  , Seixas Carlos Alberto
Published: February 2025

In Brazil, the first experiences using informatics in nursing education was in 1985. In spite of the time, this area still continues lacking in relation to initiatives using the computer as a pedagogic instrument. This study aim to demonstrate the development of an educational software for teaching nursing management using interactive multimedia. The methodology was based in the three stages Model for development of CAI system. The software was developed in four modules using the Macromedia® Authorware Professional v.7. As conclusion, the educational software was well accepted by the faculty members, emerging positive comments on the developed product. The texts, graphs, sound and images favoring the teach-learning process. Since the educational software is developed for educating nursing students, the next step will be to sample students to mesure their satisfaction.
From Vision to Implementation: The Illinois Rural Health Initiative (IRHI)
Authors: Ross Kraft Margaret  , Kraus Alan  , Power Doug
Published: February 2025

The Illinois Rural Health Network (IRHN) Consortium is a partnership of public universities and health care providers overseeing development of a statewide telehealth and telemedicine program to improve the quality of health and medical care available in rural portions of Illinois. The Consortium successfully pursued funding for a high-speed fiber optic network to connect rural Illinois hospitals and clinics with specialists in all corners of the st ate. The use of high speed broadband technology provides the opportunity to improve access to healthcare services that allow patients to be diagnosed and treated at their rural health care locations by allowing for specialists in urban hospitals to be brought into active, virtual real-time consultation. This will reduce costs, reduce stress on patients and their families, and in some cases, will save lives. In addition, the new network will provide access to continuing education opportunities for both consumers and healthcare professionals.
The Quality Report of National Ever-Awarded Health Websites in Taiwan
Authors: Fang Li-ping  , Chang Polun
Published: February 2025

The Ministry of Health in Taiwan has promoted the award campaign to assure the health web information since 2002. The 98 ever-awarded web sites were reexamined with the new set of quality indicators in 2007. The results show that the overall quality only at an acceptance level and much work needs to be done in credibility and site interaction.
Economic Performance and Sustainability of HealthGrids: Evidence from Two Case Studies
Authors: Dobrev Alexander  , Scholz Stefan  , Zegners Dainis  , Stroetmann Karl A.  , Semler Sebastian C.
Published: February 2025

Financial sustainability is not a driving force of HealthGrids today, as a previous desk research survey of 22 international HealthGrid projects has showed. The majority of applications are project based, which puts a time limit of funding, but also of goals and objectives. Given this situation, we analysed two initiatives, WISDOM and MammoGrid from an economic, cost-benefit perspective, and evaluated the potential for these initiatives to be brought to market as self-financing, sustainable services. We conclude that the topic of HealthGrids should be pursued further because of the substantial potential for net gains to society at large. The most significant hurdle to sustainability – the discrepancy between social benefits and private incentives – can be solved by sound business models.
Using Task-Based Modeling to Generate Scaffolding in Narrative-Guided Exploratory Learning Environments
Authors: Thomas James M.  , Young R. Michael
Published: February 2025

A description of a novel domain-independent framework that automatically generates and fades scaffolding supports for task-oriented learning within exploratory environments. Both student knowledge and tutorial assistance is modeled through plan-based interactive narrative.
Adapting to Student Uncertainty Improves Tutoring Dialogues
Authors: Forbes-Riley Kate  , Litman Diane
Published: February 2025

This study shows that affect-adaptive computer tutoring can significantly improve performance on learning efficiency and user satisfaction. We compare two different student uncertainty adaptations which were designed, implemented and evaluated in a controlled experiment using four versions of a wizarded spoken dialogue tutoring system: two adaptive systems used in two experimental conditions (basic and empirical), and two non-adaptive systems used in two control conditions (normal and random). In prior work we compared learning gains across the four systems; here we compare two other important performance metrics: learning efficiency and user satisfaction. We show that the basic adaptive system outperforms the normal (non-adaptive) and empirical (adaptive) systems in terms of learning efficiency. We also show that the empirical (adaptive) and random (non-adaptive) systems outperform the basic adaptive system in terms of user perception of tutor response quality. However, only the basic adaptive system shows a positive correlation between learning and user perception of decreased uncertainty.
Engaging Collaborative Learners with Helping Agents
Authors: Chaudhuri Sourish  , Kumar Rohit  , Howley Iris  , Rosé Carolyn Penstein
Published: February 2025

We present the results of a study in which we contrast alternative forms of collaborative learning support in the midst of a collaborative design task in which students negotiate between increasing power and increasing environmental friendliness. Our research question is whether interactive instructional support in collaborative learning environments is more effective when it is offered as solicited or unsolicited help. The finding from our classroom study is that dialogue-based support is more effective in this collaborative context when invitations for help in the form of pointer hints are offered automatically, but dialogue agents are only provided when the invitation is explicitly accepted.
Educational Software Features that Encourage and Discourage “Gaming the System”
Authors: Baker Ryan S.J.d.  , De Carvalho Adriana M.J.B.  , Raspat Jay  , Aleven Vincent  , Corbett Albert T.  , Koedinger Kenneth R.
Published: February 2025

Gaming the system, attempting to succeed in an interactive learning environment by exploiting properties of the system rather than by learning the material (for example, by systematically guessing or abusing hints), is prevalent across many types of educational software. Past research on why students choose to game has focused on student individual differences. Many student individual differences, including attitudes towards mathematics, have been shown to be associated with gaming, but generally with low correlation. In this paper, we investigate how individual differences between learning environments can increase or decrease the probability of gaming. We enumerate ways intelligent tutor lessons vary from each other, and use data mining to discover hypotheses about how differences in software design and content influence the choice to game the system. We discover a set of tutor features that explain 56% of the variance in gaming, over five times the degree of variance explained in any prior study of student individual differences and gaming. These results provide an important step towards developing prescriptions for designing intelligent tutor software that students game significantly less.
Detecting Significant Events in Lecture Video using Supervised Machine Learning
Authors: Brooks Christopher  , Amundson Kristofor  , Greer Jim
Published: February 2025

This paper describes work we are doing to identify significant events in video captures of academic lectures. Unlike other approaches which tend to define per-image comparison threshold values based on intuition or empirically derived results, we use supervised machine learning techniques to automatically determine appropriate image characteristics based on end-users understanding of what constitutes an important event. This makes our approach more adaptable to different kinds of content, and still provides a substantial level of agreement with human experts.
Interaction Preferences and Learning in an Inspectable Learner Model for Language
Authors: Shahrour Gheida  , Bull Susan
Published: February 2025

We present an inspectable learner model to prompt noticing in language learning, considering interaction preferences. Four patterns of model inspection were seen, but most students viewed the same information. Most improved their knowledge during a session, retaining knowledge in a one week delayed post-test.
Virtual Team Members for Team Training
Authors: Miller Michael
Published: February 2025

This paper reports on the use of an intelligent agent framework (called CAST-ITT) for implementing a team training system. CAST (Collaborative Agents Simulating Teamwork) provides the underlying model of teamwork and agents to simulate virtual team members. CAST-ITT (Intelligent Team Trainer) uses CAST to also monitor trainees, and support performance assessment and coaching for the purposes of evaluating the performance of a trainee as a member of a team. We demonstrate that a team training system can be built that uses CAST-ITT with good performance and can be used for achieving real world training objectives.
Eliciting Emotional Thought During Critical Reading for Academic Writing
Authors: Suzuki Satoshi V.  , Shiraishi Aiko  , Suzuki Hiroaki
Published: February 2025

One of the crucial cognitive processes in academic writing is that of problem-finding in the critical reading stage before planning an essay. With the focus of our study being on the process of critical reading—a writer's in-depth reading of an article in order to find issues that are capable of being addressed from her/his viewpoint—we are currently on the way to developing an affective critical reading tool. Further, we had originally predicted that affective clues during the reading of an article would prompt a learner who is writing an essay to engage more effectively in the critical analysis of issues contained in the article. Subsequently, we conducted an experiment to examine this hypothesis, and the results corroborated our assumption of the advantage of using affective clues.
From Cognitive to Pedagogical Knowledge Models in Problem-Solving ITS Frameworks
Authors: Lebeau Jean-François  , Fortin Mikaël  , Paquette Luc  , Mayers André
Published: February 2025

To reduce the prohibitive efforts associated to problem-solving ITS, a domain-independent framework can be developed. In this paper, we compare ASTUS to the MTT architecture with examples drawn from a scatter plot tutor. We show that both approaches are similar, but that an ASTUS tutor can exhibit a more sophisticated tutoring behavior thanks to its “pedagogical knowledge model”.
A VR Environment for Assessing Dental Surgical Expertise
Authors: Rhienmora Phattanapon  , Haddawy Peter  , Suebnukarn Siriwan  , Dailey Matthew N.
Published: February 2025

Traditional methods of dental surgical skills training and assessment are being challenged by complications such as unavailability of expert supervision and the subjective manner of surgical skills assessment. This paper presents a dental surgical skills training system that provides a virtual reality environment with a haptic device for dental students to practice tooth preparation procedures. The system monitors important features of the procedures, objectively assesses the quality of the performed procedure and provides objective feedback on the user's performance for each stage in the procedure. We evaluated the accuracy of the skill assessment with data collected from novice dental students as well as experienced dentists. The experimental results show high accuracy in classifying users into novice and expert. The evaluation of the system's generated feedback also indicated a high acceptance rate.
Utility in hint generation: Selection of hints from a corpus of student work
Authors: Stamper John  , Barnes Tiffany
Published: February 2025

We have developed a tool for generating hints within computer-aided instructional tools based on a corpus of student work. This tool allows us to select source problem solutions that match the current user solution and generate hints based on next problem steps that are most likely to lead to a successful solution. However, within such a tool it is possible to generate hints that did not turn out to be useful in the source problem solution. Therefore, we have proposed a metric to measure and integrate a “utility” function to choose source material for hint generation. In this paper we present our metric and an experiment to investigate its use on real data from a logic proof tutorial.