bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Discursive Practices and Creation of Identity Using the Mobile Phone
Authors: Lloyd Clare , Gillard Patricia
Published: May 2010

This chapter investigates the use of mobile phones in Australia by 18 to 35 year olds in the Hunter region; more particularly how the social construction of mobile phone use is revealed in discourse and related to identity formation. Interviews, collected cultural artifacts and a Research Journal provided the primary material, and the method of Discourse Analysis was used to consider each source of information and to compare them. Choices of phone, wallpaper and ringtone are consciously used to express aspects of individual identity, adapting functions of the mobile phone and engaging with broader discourses such as fashion and sound. Many of these discursive practices with the mobile phone are adopted for pleasure as well as utility.
The Sociolinguistics of SMS Ways to Identify Gender Boundaries
Authors: Rafi Muhammad Shaban
Published: May 2010

The chapter aims to observe sociolinguistic aspects of SMS with a view to identifying gender boundaries. Ever growing text-based communication through mobile phone triggers an important question: Do we need to review the parameters – phonological variations, stylistic range e.g. discourse analysis and conversational interaction – for gender identification? Having suggested a new parameter to gender identification, the study draws on: (a) SMS varieties between female to female, male to male, male to female texter (b) SMS varieties to identify gender variations, and (c) the sociolinguistics of SMS for gender identification. A corpus of over 300 SMS messages was collected from students of different age groups spread over educational institutions in Pakistan. The data were enlisted under five variables: compressions, abbreviations, symbols, tenses and punctuation to investigate variations among male and female texters on the former variables. Two more factors, use of mother tongue and second language, were also analyzed to address the research questions (a-c). The data analysis reveals that SMS texting identifies gender boundaries and the evolution of some sociolinguistic variations among the texters.
Communication in Construction Design Teams
Authors: Sherratt Sue , Sher William , Williams Anthony , Gameson Rod
Published: May 2010

Construction design involves communication and interaction between individuals and groups in complex social settings. Therefore, the social character of design activity cannot be separated from the technical results (Minneman, 1991). The challenge of collaborating within design teams has been intensified by increased globalization and the trend towards virtual teamwork, using information and communication technology. Although these virtual teams have resulted in increased client satisfaction, specific communication skills may be needed for team members to function efficiently and effectively in these environments. Using two analyses, derived from Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004), communication in design teams operating in three environments was examined. Tensions between the efficient exchange of information and effective collaboration between team members were highlighted by these analyses; using these findings, specific strategies which facilitate communication and collaboration in these differing environments may be developed.
Digital Communication in Indigenous Languages
Authors: Olúbòdé-Sàwè Fúnmi O.
Published: May 2010

This chapter looks at how the demands of modern day discourse behavior may impact upon and/or transform the use of indigenous African languages, as their speakers try to cope with and/or utilize computer-based communication gadgets and access/publish information on the information superhighway. It also presents a critique of one such effort at translating information on one brand of cell phone into major Nigerian languages. Drawing from the Yorùbá option, the authors show that new terminology has been created using the strategies of Terminologization, composition and translingual borrowing, but there are problems of inaccurate translation, use of non-standard orthography and non-indigenization of loan words. The chapter therefore proposes further refinement in subsequent terminology projects, especially the possibility of producing one-key symbols to represent the distinctive graphological symbols of indigenous African languages.
Information and Communication Technology As Key Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities
Authors: Kusakabe Motoo
Published: May 2010

The ‘Sustainable cities’ initiative has been widely accepted as a participatory development initiative to achieve environmental and social goals. In the cities in developing countries with a severe constraint in their capacity for participatory planning, a potentially effective way to build ‘sustainable city’ initiative is to use an e-government portal designed to support citizens’ participation in planning and monitoring processes and knowledge sharing among participating cities. In the Nigeria Delta region, 23 local governments were chosen to pilot this initiative. This region has been suffering from weak local governance and protracted youth unemployment caused by ‘youth bulge’ that led to severe social unrest. In such circumstances, this pilot had a strong focus on enhancing local governance and job-creation among young people in knowledge-intensive industries, particularly using information and communication technologies. This chapter investigates positive and negative sides of this approach using the cross-country and city-level survey data.
The Ethics of Regional Water Planning
Authors: Lacey Justine , Heywood Phil
Published: May 2010

Providing water infrastructure in times of accelerating climate change presents interesting new problems. Expanding demands must be met or managed in contexts of increasingly constrained sources of supply, raising ethical questions of equity and participation. Loss of agricultural land and natural habitats, the coastal impacts of desalination plants and concerns over re-use of waste water must be weighed with demand management issues of water rationing, pricing mechanisms and inducing behavior change. This case study examines how these factors impact on infrastructure planning in South East Queensland, Australia: a region with one of the developed world’s most rapidly growing populations, which has recently experienced the most severe drought in its recorded history. Proposals to match forecast demands and potential supplies for water over a 20 year period are reviewed by applying ethical principles to evaluate practical plans to meet the water needs of the region’s activities and settlements.
Value For Money
Authors: Bridge Adrian J. , Tiong Robert Lee Kong , Wang Shou Qing
Published: May 2010

Australia is just one of many developed countries facing the challenge of delivering value for money in the provision of a substantial infrastructure pipeline amidst severe construction and private finance constraints. To help address this challenge, this chapter focuses on developing an understanding of the determinants of value at key procurement decision points that range from the make-or-buy decision, to buying in the context of market structures, including the exchange relationship and contractual arrangement decision. This understanding is based on theoretical pluralism and illustrated by research in the field of construction and maintenance, and in public-private partnerships.
Identifying the Emerging e-Health Technologies To Ubiquity 2.0 and Beyond
Authors: Mohammed Sabah , Fiaidhi Jinan
Published: May 2010

Achieving improvements and optimum healthcare delivery has become a bipartisan top priority for several governments and institutions. The ability to meet this goal depends on the exchange of information within and across healthcare communities. The real challenge for any healthcare initiative is at the application level, where patient data may be stored on hundreds of different clinical systems such as lab, radiology, or pharmacy systems, and various clinical applications such as electronic medical record (EHRs), that use different protocols and schemas. In an attempt to overcome these challenges, many organizations have used enterprise-oriented integration platforms to transform and translate information so that disparate systems could exchange information internally and externally. However, the development and ongoing maintenance of such healthcare systems has become extremely expensive due to the growing complexity of healthcare organizations as they acquire more systems to meet clinical and business needs. As a result, healthcare communities continue to face the same challenge: how to achieve a level of interoperability for accessing all relevant information about a patient from a single point, which is universally becoming the Web, as well as to ensure accuracy, security, and privacy of all the relevant data. This chapter provides a roadmap solution based on the emerging web technologies that hold great promise for addressing these challenges. The roadmap is termed as the “ubiquity 2.0 trend.” This chapter also highlights the security challenges and the emerging web-oriented identity management technologies to provide a single, common user credential that is trusted, secure, and widely supported across the Web and within the healthcare enterprises.
Semantic Web Architecture to Provide E-Health Content and Services
Authors: Tara Mahmood
Published: May 2010

This chapter is aimed at introducing the Semantic Web, the related common languages, and the Semantic Web Services Architecture as a hope for future information services architecture on the Web. In particular, the chapter will focus on the current and prospective (or practical and potential) contributions of the Semantic Web technologies in providing e-Health content and services to its potential users worldwide. To stay health-focused and to illustrate the potentials of the health related services, a real-life journey of a health consumer seeking health information services has been used as the context throughout this chapter. This consumer’s journey will help the readers to comprehend the superior aspects of the Semantic Web technologies as an emerging upgrade to the current physical architecture.
Managing E-Health in the Age of Web 2.0 The Impact on E-Health Evaluation
Authors: Hughes Benjamin
Published: May 2010

The use of Web 2.0 internet tools for healthcare is noted for its great potential to address a wide range of healthcare issues or improve overall delivery. However, there have been various criticisms of Web 2.0, including in its application to healthcare where it has been described as more marketing and hype than a real departure from previous medical internet or eHealth trends. Authors have noted that there is scant evidence demonstrating it as a cost efficient mechanism to improve outcomes for patients. Moreover, the investments in Web 2.0 for health, or the wider concept of eHealth, are becoming increasingly significant. Hence given the uncertainty surrounding its value, this chapter aims to critically examine the issues associated with emerging use of Web 2.0 for health. The authors look at how it not only distinguishes itself from previous eHealth trends but also how it enhances them, examining the impact on eHealth investment and management from a policy perspective, and how research can aid this management.
The K4Care Platform Design and Implementation
Authors: Isern David , Sánchez David , Solé-Ribalta Albert , Moreno Antonio , Varga László Z.
Published: May 2010

This chapter describes the technological challenges faced during the design and implementation of the K4Care system, an agent-based Web-accessible platform that helps medical practitioners to deliver Home Care services in an efficient way. The system incorporates a Knowledge Layer, with an explicit representation of the required medico-organizational knowledge. The administrative and care actions are performed by the coordinated operation of intelligent agents, that represent the human users of the system. Users can access the platform by means of a Web interface. Several Web 2.0 technologies have been used in order to provide a rich interaction, putting an especial care on connecting the Web browser with the multi-agent system in an efficient manner. An intermediate Data Abstraction Layer has been incorporated in order to allow agents to transparently retrieve the appropriate knowledge when needed. The separation of the knowledge from its actual use has allowed the development of a very dynamic, flexible and adaptable system. The platform also includes several techniques to personalize the interaction with the user both from the visual and functional points of view.
Electronic Environments for Integrated Care Management Case of Depression Treatment
Authors: Meglic Matic , Brodnik Andrej
Published: May 2010

This chapter provides a basic overview of care process management and active patient engagement principles. It builds upon these principles to describe in more detail the way information and communication technology can provide support for them. It later discusses their impact on quality and cost-efficiency of care. The authors specify care models suitable for ICT support, specific process support characteristics related to health care, standards and communication devices that are being used. The chapter also provides a description of development and implementation of such an environment to support treatment of patients with depression.
Building Virtual Communities for Health Promotion Emerging Best Practices through an Analysis of the International Health Challenge & Related Literature in Second Life
Authors: Siddiqi Sameer , Lee Rebecca E.
Published: May 2010

Contemporary Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) allow health educators, researchers, and practitioners (ERPs) to engage students, participants, and patients through innovative and uniquely rewarding methods. The technology’s value lies in its access to non-traditional participant pools, novel forms of social interaction, and cost-effective improvements to existing methods. These benefits are built on key Web 2.0 principles, namely social networking, community synthesis, and collaborative content generation. In light of ongoing dynamic development of virtual platforms, advancements in networking and immersion technology, and sustained consumer interest, the appeal of these environments will likely increase. Linden Lab’s Second Life (SL), a widely recognized and heavily populated MUVE, illustrates the technology’s broad spectrum of possibilities through the documented efforts of early adopters involved in health promotion, research, and therapy. However, ERPs must be mindful of the medium’s complexities, technological and social parameters, and weaknesses before considering development within virtual worlds (in-world). As these environments operate independently of the real world in some aspects, knowledge of gathering and creating relevant in-world and real-world resources, attracting and retaining project interest, and addressing common obstacles is essential. Through an analysis of the Texas Obesity Research Center at the University of Houston’s International Health Challenge in SL and the documented findings of past and existing health-related programs in SL, the authors seek to provide best practices to overcome these challenges and establish realistic parameters for program design and implementation.
Transnational Postgraduate Study for Development Workers
Authors: Beckmann Elizabeth A. , Kilby Patrick
Published: May 2010

This case describes social, technological, economic and political factors impacting on transnational learning in the Master of Applied Anthropology and Participatory Development program at the Australian National University. Using the experiences of students working in areas of conflict, poverty and injustice across the world, this case shows how flexible delivery of postgraduate education not only allows development workers to continue their career progression while remaining fully active in the field, but also enables them to engage in stimulating high-level discourse with their development practitioner peers as they apply theory to practice. Giving development workers the opportunity to engage in advanced study in a stimulating and peer-supported learning environment without leaving home both enriches their career functionality and long-term prospects, and enhances their day-to-day work activities. As a bonus, host communities benefit from a development worker with greater access to expertise, experience and support, and a reduced sense of professional and/or cultural isolation.
QoS in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Shah Ghalib A. , Sohail Shaleeza , Hussain Faisal B.
Published: May 2010

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have been envisioned as a new and effective means for creating and deploying previously unimaginable applications. These networks generally have the capabilities of observing the physical phenomena, communication, data processing and dissemination. Limited resources of sensor nodes like energy, bandwidth and processing abilities, make these networks excellent candidates for incorporating QoS framework. The possible applications of WSNs are numerous while being diverse in nature which makes analyzing and designing QoS support for each application a non-trivial task. At the same time, these applications require different type of QoS support from the network for optimum performance. A single layer cannot address all these issues, hence, numerous researchers have proposed protocols and architectures for QoS support at different network layers. In this chapter, the authors identify the generic QoS parameters which are usually supported at different layers of WSNs protocol stack and investigate their importance in different application models. A brief overview of significant research contribution at every network layer is provided. It is worthwhile to mention that same QoS parameter may be supported at multiple layers, hence, adequate selection of suitable mechanism would be application’s choice. On the other hand, it is quite possible that a single QoS parameter, such as energy conservation or real-time delivery, can be efficiently supported through interaction of multiple layers. It is difficult, if not impossible to optimize multi layer QoS architecture. Hence, a number of researchers have also proposed the idea of cross layer architecture for providing QoS support for a number of sensor applications, which is also discussed in this chapter. At the end, the authors highlight the open research issues that might be the focus of future research in this area.
Quality of Service Provisioning in Wireless Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Marwaha Shivanajay , Indulska Jadwiga , Portmann Marius
Published: May 2010

Wireless networks such as Bluetooth, WLAN and WiMax have transformed the way we access information and communicate seamlessly whether we are at home, in the office, or on the move on a train, bus or even aircraft. As mobile and embedded computing devices become more omnipresent, it will become increasingly difficult to interconnect them via wires and single-hop wireless links limited by radio transmission range. This has given rise to mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) where far away nodes communicate by requesting intermediate nodes to relay their information in order to reach the destination. MANETs self-organize, self-configure and self-heal themselves. MANETs are being used in many applications ranging from emergency response situations to wireless vehicular ad hoc networks. Many applications of MANETs such as Emergency Response and First Responders have strict Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for their communications systems, making MANET QoS provisioning mechanisms very crucial for supporting multimedia communications such as real-time audio and video. However, QoS provisioning in MANETs is quite tough in comparison to QoS provisioning in wireline IP networks. This is due to numerous reasons such as the dynamic network topology, unpredictable communication medium and limited battery power of mobile devices forming the network. This chapter describes the challenges and the current state of the art of QoS protocols and mechanisms in MANETs.
Exploiting the Inter-Domain Hierarchy for the QoS Network Management
Authors: Weisser Marc-Antoine , Tomasik Joanna , Barth Dominique
Published: May 2010

The Internet is an interconnection of multiple networks called domains. Inter-domain routing is ensured by BGP which preserves each domain’s independence and announces routes arbitrarily chosen by domains. BGP messages carry no information concerning quality parameters of announced routes. The authors’ goal is to provide domains with information regarding the congestion state of other domains without any changes in BGP. A domain, which is aware of heavily congested domains, can choose a bypass instead of a route exhibiting possible problems with QoS satisfaction. They propose a mechanism which sends alert messages in order to notify domains about the congestion state of other domains. The major difficulty consists in avoiding flooding the Internet with signaling messages. The authors’ solution limits the number of alerts by taking advantage of the hierarchical structure of the Internet set by P2C and P2P relationships. Their algorithm is distributed and heuristic because it is a solution to an NP-complete and inapproximable problem. They prove these properties by reducing the Steiner problem in directed acyclic graphs to our problem of alert diffusion. The simulations show that our mechanism significantly diminishes the number of unavailable domains and routes compared to those obtained with BGP routing and with a theoretical centralized mechanism.
Why Virtual Worlds Matter
Authors: Adrian Angela
Published: May 2010

To return to the quote which began this book, what is man? He has existence. He uses his faculties to improve his existence. He assimilates the world around him. Bastiat labelled these personality, liberty and property. What is an avatar but a manifestation of self beyond the realm of the physical? He has existence in a virtual world. He has a distinct personality. The avatar must use his faculties to improve his existence. He must level himself into a more powerful character to survive in his virtual world. He must have the liberty to become what he wants or needs to become. The avatar assimilates the world around him. By questing and click slavery, an avatar can acquire property. Personality, liberty and property are intrinsic traits of avatars as well as men. And they exist whether laws have been passed by governments or game companies. If there is a world to exist in, then these traits exist and men will want to set limits on them. Gaming identities are becoming indistinguishable from ‘real’ identities – just as e-commerce has become indistinguishable from ‘commerce’. Control over these online avatar identities has real-world consequences. As soon as something is valuable and persistent, people seek to associate rights and duties with it. The questions posed in this book revolved around the ideas of personality (personhood, identity), liberty (freedom v servitude), and property (copyright and intangible property).
From MARTE to Reconfigurable NoCs
Authors: Quadri Imran Rafiq , Elhaji Majdi , Meftali Samy , Dekeyser Jean-Luc
Published: May 2010

Due to the continuous exponential rise in SoC’s design complexity, there is a critical need to find new seamless methodologies and tools to handle the SoC co-design aspects. We address this issue and propose a novel SoC co-design methodology based on Model Driven Engineering and the MARTE (Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time and Embedded Systems) standard proposed by Object Management Group, to raise the design abstraction levels. Extensions of this standard have enabled us to move from high level specifications to execution platforms such as reconfigurable FPGAs. In this chapter, we present a high level modeling approach that targets modern Network on Chips systems. The overall objective: to perform system modeling at a high abstraction level expressed in Unified Modeling Language (UML); and afterwards, transform these high level models into detailed enriched lower level models in order to automatically generate the necessary code for final FPGA synthesis.
Reliability Aware Performance and Power Optimization in DVFS-Based On-Chip Networks
Authors: Yanamandra Aditya , Eachempati Soumya , Narayanan Vijaykrishnan , Irwin Mary Jane
Published: May 2010

Recently, chip multi-processors (CMP) have emerged to fully utilize the increased transistor count within stringent power budgets. Transistor scaling has lead to more error-prone and defective components. Static and run-time induced variations in the circuit lead to reduced yield and reliability. Providing reliability at low overheads specifically in terms of power is a challenging task that requires innovative solutions for building future integrated chips. Static variations have been studied previously. In this proposal, we study the impact of run-time variations on reliability. On-chip interconnection network that forms the communication fabric in the CMP has a crucial role in determining the performance, power consumption and reliability of the system. We manage protecting the data in a network on chip from transient errors induced by voltage fluctuations. Variations in operating conditions result in a significant variation in the reliability of the system, motivating the need to provide tunable levels of data protection. For example, the use of Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) technique used in most CMPs today results in voltage variation across the chip, giving rise to variable error rates across the chip. We investigated the design of a dynamically reconfigurable error protection scheme in a NoC to achieve a desired level of reliability. We protect data at the desired reliability while minimizing the power and performance overhead incurred. We obtain a maximum of 55% savings in the power expended for error protection in the network with our proposed reconfigurable ECC while maintaining constant reliability. Further, 35% reduction in the average message latency in the network is observed, making a case for providing tunability in error protection in the on-chip network fabric.
Using Evolutionary Based Approaches to Estimate Software Development Effort
Authors: Ferrucci Filomena , Gravino Carmine , Oliveto Rocco , Sarro Federica
Published: May 2010

Software development effort estimation is a critical activity for the competitiveness of a software company; it is crucial for planning and monitoring project development and for delivering the product on time and within budget. In the last years, some attempts have been made to apply search-based approaches to estimate software development effort. In particular, some genetic algorithms have been defined and some empirical studies have been performed with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of the proposed approaches for estimating software development effort. The results reported in those studies seem to be promising. The objective of this chapter is to present a state of the art in the field by reporting on the most significant empirical studies undertaken so far. Furthermore, some suggestions for future research directions are also provided.
The Application of Genetic Algorithms to the Evaluation of Software Reliability
Authors: Kuri-Morales Angel Fernando
Published: May 2010

The evaluation of software reliability depends on a) The definition of an adequate measure of correctness and b) A practical tool that allows such measurement. Once the proper metric has been defined it is needed to estimate whether a given software system reaches its optimum value or how far away this software is from it. Typically, the choice of a given metric is limited by the ability to optimize it: mathematical considerations traditionally curtail such choice. However, modern optimization techniques (such as Genetic Algorithms [GAs]) do not exhibit the limitations of classical methods and, therefore, do not limit such choice. In this work the authors describe GAs, the typical limitations for measurement of software reliability (MSR) and the way GAs may help to overcome them.
Application of Artificial Immune Systems Paradigm for Developing Software Fault Prediction Models
Authors: Catal Cagatay , Banerjee Soumya
Published: May 2010

Artificial Immune Systems, a biologically inspired computing paradigm such as Artificial Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, and Swarm Intelligence, embody the principles and advantages of vertebrate immune systems. It has been applied to solve several complex problems in different areas such as data mining, computer security, robotics, aircraft control, scheduling, optimization, and pattern recognition. There is an increasing interest in the use of this paradigm and they are widely used in conjunction with other methods such as Artificial Neural Networks, Swarm Intelligence and Fuzzy Logic. In this chapter, we demonstrate the procedure for applying this paradigm and bio-inspired algorithm for developing software fault prediction models. The fault prediction unit is to identify the modules, which are likely to contain the faults at the next release in a large software system. Software metrics and fault data belonging to a previous software version are used to build the model. Fault-prone modules of the next release are predicted by using this model and current software metrics. From machine learning perspective, this type of modeling approach is called supervised learning. A sample fault dataset is used to show the elaborated approach of working of Artificial Immune Recognition Systems (AIRS).
Exploring a Self Organizing Multi Agent Approach for Service Discovery
Authors: Mellah Hakima , Banerjee Soumya , Hassas Salima , Drias Habiba
Published: May 2010

The chapter presents a Multi Agent System (MAS) approach, for service discovery process to consider the user in the service discovery process involoving his interactions under constraints. The service discovery has become an emerging phenomena in software engineering and process engineering as well. The proposed MAS has demonstrated significant self oranizining potential. This feature is very crucial for assuring a correct service delivery, to avoid failures or mal-function for the service discovery environment. The requirement for self organizing choreographed services have been well realized, in case of operational, functional and behavioral faults. Self organization within the MAS is adopted by the recourse to a self organizing protocol conceived from bacteria colony and evolutionary computation paradigm.
Assessment of Software Quality
Authors: Srivastava Praveen Ranjan , Singh Ajit Pratap , V. Vageesh K.
Published: May 2010

Software Quality Assurance consists of monitoring the software engineering processes and ensuring the highest quality. But, the software quality attributes that we deal with are not explicit in the outset and cannot be easily measured. The same attribute has multiple significance and importance in multiple contexts. The user, the developer and the manager of a software product may have different stands regarding the significance of a quality attribute. A software quality engineer, while measuring the total software quality should provide appropriate weight to each of the decision makers. This chapter proposes a fuzzy multi-criteria approach to measure the total software quality and to identify the best alternative from a set of software products.
Women in Computer Science in Afghanistan
Authors: Hoffmann Eva Maria
Published: May 2010

In Afghanistan, the development of information technology (IT) as an industry and an educational field is still quite young, but this provides the country with an opportunity – especially for women - to participate actively in the process of rebuilding, and to strengthen their role in Afghan society. This chapter gives an overview of the situation at Afghan universities and the women who are studying Computer Science there. Afghan female computer science students are young, open minded and very motivated. Nevertheless they are often limited by social boundaries within Afghan society. The situations and circumstances of these female students are largely unknown; hence a survey has been done to discover more about these women’s world. Female students from Kabul and from Herat University have been interviewed and the data from these interviews is presented here as a foundation for designing measures aimed at integrating Afghan women into the world of IT in the near future.
Disclosure Decisions in Existing Relationships Online
Authors: Greene Kathryn , Magsamen-Conrad Kate
Published: May 2010

Use of mediated channels of communication, such as email and instant messenger, is rapidly increasing, especially with adolescents and college-aged populations. This increase may alter interpersonal relationship maintenance strategies and communication patterns. The role of mediated channels of communication in some types of relationship initiation is well documented however, research investigating use within existing relationships is more limited. Self-disclosure is an important part of relationship maintenance, both in the initial stages of development as well as in existing relationships. This chapter explores motivations for disclosure through computer mediated communication (CMC) in pre-existing relationships and describes theoretical perspectives to advance examination of this area. Examples presented indicate four primary motivations for disclose through computer mediated communication: self, other, relationship, and situational/environmental. Further, we propose several codes within each primary reason, many of which diverged from traditional motivations for FtF disclosure. Implications and future directions for interpersonal CMC research are discussed.
Relationship Development and Maintenance in a Mediated World
Authors: Moore Jessica L. , Craig Elizabeth A.
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents a review of contemporary scholarship on relational communication, particularly as it relates to interpersonal relationship development and maintenance. Throughout the chapter, special attention is given to the role new technologies play in the communication process. This chapter draws together a wide array of communication research findings ranging from attraction and initial interactions to relational routines and social support. Consideration is also given to some of the methodological and conceptual issues that face contemporary communication researchers. Fundamentally, the function of this multifaceted chapter is to provide an accessible and informed introduction to relational communication and computer-mediated scholarship for both an academic and general audience. A list of recommended readings on communication scholarship concludes this chapter.
"Is it a Boy or a Girl?" Anonymity and Gender in Computer-Mediated Interactions
Authors: Maguire Katheryn C.
Published: May 2010

This chapter examines the research on sex differences and gender identification in computer-mediated interaction (CMI), and presents a pilot study of synchronous, anonymous, one-to-one interactions, to understand the extent to which a person’s “real life” sex can be identified in CMIs as well as the stylistic and linguistic cues that “mark” someone as “male” or “female.” Although previous research has reported sex differences in a number of different variables (e.g., number of words, disagreements), analysis of the transcripts in this study revealed only one significant difference, in that men corrected themselves more often than women. Furthermore, participants correctly guessed the sex of their partner 62.5% of the time, felt approximately 65% sure of their guess, and used gender stereotypes to make their assessments. Implications for anonymity and CMI research are discussed, focusing on the conditions under which sex differences and gender stereotypes become relevant in on-line interactions.
Learning to Work Virtually
Authors: Markman Kris M.
Published: May 2010

This chapter presents an analysis of interaction in computer-mediated group meetings. Five undergraduate students used a quasi-synchronous chat interface to conduct four virtual team meetings. Using the framework of conversation analysis, I describe how self-initiated self repair of minor errors such as typos was used by team members as a vehicle for group norm development. The norms for typing style (punctuation, correcting typos and spelling mistakes) vary widely across computer-mediated communication (CMC) contexts. I show how the main function of the repair attempts was not to clarify meaning, but rather to help team members, particularly in their first meeting, work out an agreed-upon set of typing conventions for their subsequent interactions, thus contributing to the development of a norm of informality.
The Representation of National Political Freedom on Web Interface Design
Authors: Li Rowena
Published: May 2010

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the representation of national political freedom on Web interface design by using power distance, one of the culture dimensions identified by Geert Hofstede, as a measurement. It also aims to determine if there are any differences between government-based Web sites and business-oriented Web sites in representing national political freedom. This study applied seven indicators validated from previous study (Li, 2009) in coding 312 Web sites selected from 39 countries and analyzed national political freedom represented on these Web sites with content analysis method. The result of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that large differences exist in Web interface design, which in turn reflects the aforementioned national political freedom. The research showed that the mean effect of freedom level between free-country group, partly-free-country group and not-free-country group was statistically significant (p = .003). So was the mean effect of Web site type between government-based and business-oriented Web sites (p = .000). Furthermore, the interaction between the freedom level and Web site type was also significant (p = .041). Therefore, we conclude that Web interface design correlates with a country’s political freedom level and government-based Web sites embody more of a nation’s authority and supremacy than business-oriented Web sites do. It is expected that this study furthers our exploration in culture dimensions on Web interface design and advances our knowledge in sociological and cultural studies of the Web.
Justification Based on Rational Training
Authors: Remtulla Karim  A.
Published: May 2010

This chapter produces a socio-cultural critique of the ‘rational training’ workplace e-learning scenario. In this workplace e-learning scenario, workplace e-learning for workplace adult education training is used to justify the workforce through standards, categories, and measures. The alienating effects that arise out of this rush towards technocentric rationalization of the workforce through workplace e-learning are also discussed. These are the unintended and paradoxically opposite outcomes to the effects actually anticipated. An exploratory case study problematizes the unquestioned acceptance of the technological artefacts of workplace e-learning within organizations as credible sources to provide a rationale to justify workforces within workplaces. This approach critiques the presumption of infallibility of the technological artefacts of workplace e-learning; considers the short-comings of the conceiving of workplace e-learning as ‘finished’; and, reveals the ‘underdetermined’ nature of workplace e-learning technological artefacts. Socio-cultural insensitivity from workplace e-learning, in this scenario, comes from the basic, unquestioned assumption that workers are essentially socially flawed and culturally inferior; accountable for overcoming their sociocultural flaws and inferiorities; and, need to be justified by workplace e-learning, through standards, categories, and measures, to meet the expectations of the infallible and commodified workplace. A workplace e-learning that is deployed to justify the workforce, through standardization, categorization, and measurement, all result in a workforce being alienated from: (a) each other (worker-worker alienation); (b) their work (worker-work alienation); and, (c) their personal identities and sense of self (worker-identity alienation). Social rationalization is not the means to social justice in the workplace when it comes to workplace adult education and training, workplace e-learning, and the diverse and multicultural learning needs of a global cohort of adult learners.
On the Design of Self-Organizing Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Figueiredo Carlos M. S. , Loureiro Antonio Alfredo F.
Published: May 2010

Self-organization concept has become very important to the vision of pervasive and ubiquitous systems because such systems are expected to be composed by lots of interconnected computing devices immersed in the environments. In particular, general Mobile Ad hoc networks, and their specializations such as Sensor and Vehicular networks can be seen as the main technologies for pervasive infra-structures. These networks were conceived under the self-organization paradigm due to many characteristics such as a high number of devices, dynamic network topology and the need of autonomous operation. Although several mechanism and techniques for achieving self-organizing behavior are already applied, there is still the lack of general methodologies for the design of new self-organizing functions. Thus, this chapter will present an overview of self-organizing networks introducing important functions and techniques, and it will focus on important design aspects that can be useful to new designs.
Open Synchronicity for Online Class Support
Authors: Shah-Nelson Clark
Published: May 2010

Instant messaging and text chat, online collaborative whiteboards, web conferencing and other synchronous Web 2.0 tools are increasingly finding their way into higher education and are available in both commercially-branded and open source varieties. This chapter describes best practices and challenges in using these new tools, focusing on free and open source software for synchronous course delivery, collaboration, learning activities, and technical support, based on the author’s experience in online teaching and online-teaching support. Synchronous tools can provide immediate and efficient communication for instructors, learners and support staff, fostering community and establishing a heightened sense of social presence. An increasing number of practitioners in the field of distance learning are using synchronous tools to reach their learning and support objectives (Murphy and Rodríguez Manzanares, 2008). Today, free and open-source tools offer similar functionality as costly enterprise systems. This chapter will describe these new open source tools, the types of needs that drive their use, and strategies for effective use and implementation
Best Practices for Teaching and Designing a Pure Online Science Classroom
Authors: Mena Ricardo Javier Rademacher
Published: May 2010

With the modification of the 50/50 rule by the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005, the purely online university has become increasingly popular and thus so has the purely online science class. In this chapter, the author will use over a decade of teaching physics and math at traditional offline and pure online universities to compare the two. In the process, the author will uncover what techniques have successfully carried over from the traditional to the online environment and how physics education research and technology are changing the physics classroom. The main purpose of this chapter is to identify best practices in designing and teaching online science courses and to provide recommendations on improving existing online science classrooms. Throughout the chapter, Moodle™, an open source LMS, will be used to showcase and implement the ideas being presented.
Inter-Domain Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks
Authors: Chau Chi-Kin , Crowcroft Jon , Lee Kang-Won , Wong Starsky H.Y.
Published: May 2010

Because of the increasing number of diverse routing protocols proposed to deal with the network dynamics in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), the heterogeneity of MANETs has increased dramatically. While many of these extant proposals only concern enhancing routing in a single domain, little attention has been given to the interoperations among heterogeneous MANETs. Moreover, the existing inter-domain routing protocols (i.e., BGP) that have been designed for the Internet cannot cope with the new challenges derived from the MANETs, such as (1) the rapid dynamic changes of network topology due to mobility, and (2) the larger diversity in intra-domain ad hoc routing protocols. In this chapter, the authors address some of the major challenges and identify new directions to the development of seamless inter-domain routing for enabling end-to-end communications over heterogeneous MANET domains.
Region Coverage and Protection with Sensors
Authors: Brown Ted , Brass Peter , Johnson Matthew P. , Shamoun Simon
Published: May 2010

Covering an area with sensors has been an active research area in recent years. Coverage problems for sensors include the positioning of the sensors in order to cover much or all of a region, once or many times, and using sensors whose coverage abilities vary. Certain problem extensions arise in security applications and when sensors are deployed in hostile environments: it may not be possible to safely enter the area, in which case sensors may be distributed randomly from a distance; even if the positions can be chosen, there may be some minimal placement error which must be compensated for; it may not be possible to provide complete coverage, in which case we may settle for partial coverage or only barrier coverage and position sensors for improved intrusion detection. Another factor to consider when parties are acting in a coalition is that differing types of sensors may be deployed by the different parties, which must be taken into account when choosing positions. This short survey deals with some recent results that are especially applicable to such settings.
Policy Technologies for Federation and Interoperation of Coalition Networks
Authors: Beigi Mandis S. , Calo Seraphin B. , Wood David A. , Zerfos Petros
Published: May 2010

The salient characteristic of a coalition network is that two networks that may have evolved independently are brought together for a common operation. Dynamic communities of interests need to be established among the two networks, and establishing such communities requiring federating the assets and resources available in the disparate networks that make up the coalition. Each coalition partner may have guidelines restricting the operating conditions for working with other partners, and sharing information with the other partners. This chapter presents a life-cycle for policy management in the context of coalition operations which can be used to federate different information assets in a coalition, and allow improved interoperability among different constituents of the network.
Policies to Enable Secure Dynamic Community Establishment
Authors: Schaeffer-Filho Alberto , Lupu Emil , Sloman Morris
Published: May 2010

Many coalition operations require the establishment of secure communities across the different networks that make up a coalition network. These communities are formed dynamically in order to achieve the goals of a specific mission, and frequently consist of mobile entities interconnected into a mobile ad-hoc network. Technologies are needed to create these communities, and manage their operations. In this chapter, the authors show how a framework for self-managed cells can be extended to provide this capability for coalition operations.