A web-based approach to data imputation

In this paper, we present WebPut, a prototype system that adopts a novel web-based approach to the data imputation problem. Towards this, Webput utilizes the available information in an incomplete database in conjunction with the data consistency principle. Moreover, WebPut extends effective Information Extraction (IE) methods for the purpose of formulating web search queries that are capable of effectively retrieving missing values with high accuracy. WebPut employs a confidence-based scheme that efficiently leverages our suite of data imputation queries to automatically select the most effective imputation query for each missing value. A greedy iterative algorithm is proposed to schedule the imputation order of the different missing values in a database, and in turn the issuing of their corresponding imputation queries, for improving the accuracy and efficiency of WebPut. Moreover, several optimization techniques are also proposed to reduce the cost of estimating the confidence of imputation queries at both the tuple-level and the database-level. Experiments based on several real-world data collections demonstrate not only the effectiveness of WebPut compared to existing approaches, but also the efficiency of our proposed algorithms and optimization techniques.

Going online : young children and teachers accessing knowledge through web interactions

Children accessing and using internet-connected technology is a relatively recent phenomenon, and rapidly having an impact on their experiences and activities in homes and early childhood classrooms. Technology refers to devices such as computers, smart phones and tablets - many capable of being connected to the internet - and the products, such as websites, games, and interactive stories (Plowman and McPake, 2013). These activities can be played, created, watched, listened to and read, and incorporated into traditional everyday activities. This article provides suggestions for strategies for teachers to consider when incorporating technology into early childhood education.

Cross-cultural web user interface design for Indigenous internet users

This project investigated 1) Australian web designers’ cultural perceptions towards Australian Indigenous users and 2) Australian Indigenous cultural features in terms of user interface design. In doing so, it reviews the literature of cross-cultural user interface design by focusing on feasible models and arguments to articulate and integrate Australian Indigenous Internet users’ cultural needs of web user interface. The online survey results collected from 101 Indigenous users and 126 Web designers showed a distinctive difference between them on the integration of Indigenous users' cultural in Web sites. The interview data collected from 14 Indigenous users and 14 web designers suggested practical approaches to the design implications of Indigenous culture.

Literacies on the Web : Co-Production of Literary Texts on Fan Fiction Sites

In this chapter the authors discuss and informal learning settings such as fan fiction sites and their relations to teaching and learning within formal learning settings. Young people today spend a lot of time with social media built on user generated content. These media are often characterized by participatory culture which offers a good environment for developing skills and identity work. In this chapter the authors problematize fan fiction sites as informal learning settings where the possibilities to learn are powerful and significant. They also discuss the learning processes connected to the development of literacies. Here the rhetoric principle of “imitatio” plays a vital part as well as the co-production of texts on the sites, strongly supported by the beta reader and the power of positive feedback. They also display that some fans, through the online publication of fan fiction, are able to develop their craft in a way which previously have been impossible.

Web based surveillance systems could improve disease detection and the response to emerging disease events

The Chinese government should be commended for its open, concerted, and rapid response to the recent H7N9 influenza outbreak. However, the first known case was not reported until 48 days after disease onset.1 Although the difficulties in detecting the virus and the lack of suitable diagnostic methods have been the focus of discussion,2 systematic limitations that may have contributed to this delay have hardly been discussed. The detection speed of surveillance systems is limited by the highly structured nature of information flow and hierarchical organisation of these systems. Flu surveillance usually relies on notification to a central authority of laboratory confirmed cases or presentations to sentinel practices for flu-like illness. Each step in this pathway presents a bottleneck at which information and time can be lost; this limitation must be dealt with...

Designing Web 2.0 ePortfolios for music postgraduate study : A practice-led enquiry

This article examines the design of ePortfolios for music postgraduate students utilizing a practice-led design iterative research process. It is suggested that the availability of Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs and social network software potentially provide creative artist with an opportunity to engage in a dialogue about art with artefacts of the artist products and processes present in that discussion. The design process applied Software Development as Research (SoDaR) methodology to simultaneously develop design and pedagogy. The approach to designing ePortfolio systems applied four theoretical protocols to examine the use of digitized artefacts to enable a dynamic and inclusive dialogue around representations of the students work. A negative case analysis identified a disjuncture between university access and control policy, and the relative openness of Web2.0 systems outside the institution that led to the design of an integrated model of ePortfolio.

Searching for a social democratic narrative in criminal justice

Paul Keating recently noted that what the Rudd Government lacked was an overall narrative or story. I would like to argue that Paul Keating is correct and suggest a narrative: that of retrieving and defending aspects of our social democratic heritage from some of the damaging effects wrought by neo-liberalism. Moreover I want to argue that criminal justice policy needs to be seen as a part of this broader narrative, which requires it being prised from its current site, where it is wedged firmly in the narrative of law and order.

Effects of joint thickness, adhesion and web shells to the face shell bedded concrete masonry loaded in compression

The Australian masonry standard allows either prism tests or correction factors based on the block height and mortar thickness to evaluate masonry compressive strength. The correction factor helps the taller units with conventional 10 mm mortar being not disadvantaged due to size effect. In recent times, 2-4 mm thick, high-adhesive mortars and H blocks with only the mid-web shell are used in masonry construction. H blocks and thinner and higher adhesive mortars have renewed interest of the compression behaviour of hollow concrete masonry and hence is revisited in this paper. This paper presents an experimental study carried out to examine the effects of the thickness of mortar joints, the type of mortar adhesives and the presence of web shells in the hollow concrete masonry prisms under axial compression. A non-contact digital image correlation technique was used to measure the deformation of the prisms and was found adequate for the determination of strain fi eld of the loaded face shells subjected to axial compression. It is found that the absence of end web shells lowers the compressive strength and stiffness of the prisms and the thinner and higher adhesive mortars increase the compressive strength and stiffness, while lowering the Poisson's ratio. © Institution of Engineers Australia, 2013.

Creation of a new evaluation benchmark for information retrieval targeting patient information needs

Searching for health advice on the web is becoming increasingly common. Because of the great importance of this activity for patients and clinicians and the effect that incorrect information may have on health outcomes, it is critical to present relevant and valuable information to a searcher. Previous evaluation campaigns on health information retrieval (IR) have provided benchmarks that have been widely used to improve health IR and record these improvements. However, in general these benchmarks have targeted the specialised information needs of physicians and other healthcare workers. In this paper, we describe the development of a new collection for evaluation of effectiveness in IR seeking to satisfy the health information needs of patients. Our methodology features a novel way to create statements of patients’ information needs using realistic short queries associated with patient discharge summaries, which provide details of patient disorders. We adopt a scenario where the patient then creates a query to seek information relating to these disorders. Thus, discharge summaries provide us with a means to create contextually driven search statements, since they may include details on the stage of the disease, family history etc. The collection will be used for the first time as part of the ShARe/-CLEF 2013 eHealth Evaluation Lab, which focuses on natural language processing and IR for clinical care.

All the worldwide web's a stage : teenage girls' self-presentation and identities formation through status updates

This study investigates grade eight girls’ use of status updates on Facebook in order to create identities online. Using sociologist Erving Goffman’s theory of self-presentation as a framework, Jones and Pittman’s subsequent strategies of self-presentation are used to discover the ways in which teenage girls use status updates in order to create identities online and manage audience impressions. Using a mixed methods design, the results showed that, while existing self-presentation strategies persist, social networking has created new means of self-presentation. This study adds to a growing pool of research regarding teens’ engagement with social networking websites to form identities.

Climate change and children’s health : a call for research on what works to protect children

Climate change is affecting and will increasingly influence human health and wellbeing. Children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. An extensive literature review regarding the impact of climate change on children’s health was conducted in April 2012 by searching electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, as well as relevant websites, such as IPCC and WHO. Climate change affects children’s health through increased air pollution, more weather-related disasters, more frequent and intense heat waves, decreased water quality and quantity, food shortage and greater exposure to toxicants. As a result, children experience greater risk of mental disorders, malnutrition, infectious diseases, allergic diseases and respiratory diseases. Mitigation measures like reducing carbon pollution emissions, and adaptation measures such as early warning systems and post-disaster counseling are strongly needed. Future health research directions should focus on: (1) identifying whether climate change impacts on children will be modified by gender, age and socioeconomic status; (2) refining outcome measures of children’s vulnerability to climate change; (3) projecting children’s disease burden under climate change scenarios; (4) exploring children’s disease burden related to climate change in low-income countries, and ; (5) identifying the most cost-effective mitigation and adaptation actions from a children’s health perspective.

Protecting web 2.0 services from botnet exploitations

Recently, botnet, a network of compromised computers, has been recognized as the biggest threat to the Internet. The bots in a botnet communicate with the botnet owner via a communication channel called Command and Control (C & C) channel. There are three main C & C channels: Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and web-based protocols. By exploiting the flexibility of the Web 2.0 technology, the web-based botnet has reached a new level of sophistication. In August 2009, such botnet was found on Twitter, one of the most popular Web 2.0 services. In this paper, we will describe a new type of botnet that uses Web 2.0 service as a C & C channel and a temporary storage for their stolen information. We will then propose a novel approach to thwart this type of attack. Our method applies a unique identifier of the computer, an encryption algorithm with session keys and a CAPTCHA verification.

Development of Mobile Web App "ESP" for DeepBlue to interrogate how an audience is thinking

DeepBlue is much more than just an orchestra. Their innovative approach to audience engagement led it to develop ESP, their Electronic Show Programme web app which allows for real-time (synchronous) and delayed (asynchronous) audience interaction, customer feedback and research. The show itself is driven invisibly by a music technology operating system (currently QUT's Yodel) that allows them to adapt to a wide range of performance venues and varied types of presentation. DeepBlue's community engagement program has enabled over 5,500 young musicians and community choristers to participate in professional productions, it is also a cornerstone of DeepBlue's successful business model. You can view the ESP mobile web app at m.deepblue.net.au if you view this and only the landing page is active, there is not a show taking place or imminent. ESP prototype has already been used for 18 months. Imagine knowing what your audience really thinks – in real time so you can track their feelings and thoughts through the show. This tool has been developed and used by the performing group DeepBlue since late 2012 in Australia and Asia (even translated into Vietnamese). It has mostly superseded DeepBlue's SMS realtime communication during a show. It enables an event presenter or performance group to take the pulse of an audience through a series of targeted questions that can be anonymous or attributed. This will help build better, long-lasting, and more meaningful relationships with groups and individuals in the community. This can take place on a tablet, mobile phone or future platforms. There are three organisations trialling it so far.

Web crippling tests of hollow flange channel beams – end one flange and interior one flange load cases

LiteSteel beam (LSB) is a new cold-formed steel hollow flange channel section produced using a patented manufacturing process involving simultaneous cold-forming and dual electric resistance welding. The LSBs were commonly used as floor joists and bearers with web openings in residential, industrial and commercial buildings. Due to the unique geometry of LSBs, as well as its unique residual stress characteristics and initial geometric imperfections resultant of manufacturing processes, much of the existing research for common cold-formed steel sections is not directly applicable to LSBs. Many research studies have been carried out to evaluate the behaviour and design of LSBs subject to pure bending actions, predominant shear and combined actions. However, to date, no investigation has been conducted into the web crippling behaviour and strength of LSB sections. Hence detailed experimental studies were conducted to investigate the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LSBs under EOF (End One Flange) and IOF (Interior One Flange) load cases. A total of 26 web crippling tests was conducted and the results were compared with current AS/NZS 4600 design rules. This comparison showed that AS/NZS 4600 (SA, 2005) design rules are very conservative for LSB sections under EOF and IOF load cases. Suitable design equations have been proposed to determine the web crippling capacity of LSBs based on experimental results. This paper presents the details of this experimental study on the web crippling behaviour and strengths of LiteSteel beams under EOF and IOF load cases.