Global regulation of the knowledge-based economy: The rise of standards in educational services

This article examines the extent and limits of non-state forms of authority in international relations. It analyses how the information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure for the tradability of services in a global knowledge-based economy relies on informal regulatory practices for adjustment of ICT-related skills. Companies and associations provide training and certification programmes as part of a growing market for educational services setting their own standards. The existing literature on non-conventional forms of authority in the global political economy has emphasised that the consent of actors subject to informal rules and explicit or implicit state recognition remains crucial for the effectiveness of those new forms of power. However, analyses based on a limited sample of actors tend toward a narrow understanding of the issues and fail to fully explore the differentiated space in which non-state authority is emerging. This paper examines the form of authority underpinning the global knowledge-based economy within the broader perspective of the issues likely to be standardised by technical ICT specification, the wide range of actors involved, and the highly differentiated space where standards become authoritative. The empirical findings highlight the role of different private actors in establishing international educational norms in this field. They also pinpoint the limits of profit-oriented standard-settings, notably with regard to generic norms.

A context-based methodology for integrating Web 2.0 services in learning scenarios

The emergence of the Web 2.0 technologies in the last years havechanged the way people interact with knowledge. Services for cooperation andcollaboration have placed the user in the centre of a new knowledge buildingspace. The development of new second generation learning environments canbenefit from the potential of these Web 2.0 services when applied to aneducational context. We propose a methodology for designing learningenvironments that relates Web 2.0 services with the functional requirements ofthese environments. In particular, we concentrate on the design of the KRSMsystem to discuss the components of this methodology and its application.

Towards a User-Friendly Platform for Building Language Resources based on Web Services

This paper presents the platform developed in the PANACEA project, a distributed factory that automates the stages involved in the acquisition, production, updating and maintenance of Language Resources required by Machine Translation and other Language Technologies. We adopt a set of tools that have been successfully used in the Bioinformatics field, they are adapted to the needs of our field and used to deploy web services, which can be combined to build more complex processing chains (workflows). This paper describes the platform and its different components (web services, registry, workflows, social network and interoperability). We demonstrate the scalability of the platform by carrying out a set of massive data experiments. Finally, a validation of the platform across a set of required criteria proves its usability for different types of users (non-technical users and providers).

Feature Extraction from Whole-Sky Ground-Based Images for Cloud-Type Recognition

Several features that can be extracted from digital images of the sky and that can be useful for cloud-type classification of such images are presented. Some features are statistical measurements of image texture, some are based on the Fourier transform of the image and, finally, others are computed from the image where cloudy pixels are distinguished from clear-sky pixels. The use of the most suitable features in an automatic classification algorithm is also shown and discussed. Both the features and the classifier are developed over images taken by two different camera devices, namely, a total sky imager (TSI) and a whole sky imager (WSC), which are placed in two different areas of the world (Toowoomba, Australia; and Girona, Spain, respectively). The performance of the classifier is assessed by comparing its image classification with an a priori classification carried out by visual inspection of more than 200 images from each camera. The index of agreement is 76% when five different sky conditions are considered: clear, low cumuliform clouds, stratiform clouds (overcast), cirriform clouds, and mottled clouds (altocumulus, cirrocumulus). Discussion on the future directions of this research is also presented, regarding both the use of other features and the use of other classification techniques

County-Funded Treatment Services for Mentally Ill Offenders Under Community-Based Corrections Supervision, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, June 2008

In a previous Data Download, we reported that about 27% of offenders under CBC field supervision and 42.6% of offenders in residential facilities are in need of mental health treatment services. In addition,more than 35% of offenders needing mental health treatment are not receiving services.

Brain injury program to ensure greater access to community-based services, July 2006

More than 2,200 Iowans each year experience a traumatic brain injury that requires hospitalization. Of those, more than 750 will experience long-term disability as a result. According to a 2000 CDC report, there are an estimated 50,000 such individuals living in Iowa – a number similar to the population of Ames.

Brain injury program to ensure greater access to community-based services, July 2006

More than 2,200 Iowans each year experience a traumatic brain injury that requires hospitalization. Of those, more than 750 will experience long-term disability as a result. According to a 2000 CDC report, there are an estimated 50,000 such individuals living in Iowa – a number similar to the population of Ames.

Brain injury program to ensure greater access to community-based services, July 11, 2006

More than 2,200 Iowans each year experience a traumatic brain injury that requires hospitalization. Of those, more than 750 will experience long-term disability as a result. According to a 2000 CDC report, there are an estimated 50,000 such individuals living in Iowa – a number similar to the population of Ames. As part of an enterprise-wide effort to ensure that all Iowans, including those with brain injuries, have access to quality healthcare, Governor Tom Vilsack signed the Brain Injury Services program bill on May 23. The bill will allow the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to implement a one-of-a-kind program to help those with brain injuries and their families in navigating and maximizing the Iowa community-based service system.

Retrieving Cloud Characteristics from Ground-Based Daytime Color All-Sky Images

A discussion is presented of daytime sky imaging and techniques that may be applied to the analysis of full-color sky images to infer cloud macrophysical properties. Descriptions of two different types of skyimaging systems developed by the authors are presented, one of which has been developed into a commercially available instrument. Retrievals of fractional sky cover from automated processing methods are compared to human retrievals, both from direct observations and visual analyses of sky images. Although some uncertainty exists in fractional sky cover retrievals from sky images, this uncertainty is no greater than that attached to human observations for the commercially available sky-imager retrievals. Thus, the application of automatic digital image processing techniques on sky images is a useful method to complement, or even replace, traditional human observations of sky cover and, potentially, cloud type. Additionally, the possibilities for inferring other cloud parameters such as cloud brokenness and solar obstruction further enhance the usefulness of sky imagers

Low utilization of health care services following screening for hypertension in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania): a prospective population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Drug therapy in high-risk individuals has been advocated as an important strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease in low income countries. We determined, in a low-income urban population, the proportion of persons who utilized health services after having been diagnosed as hypertensive and advised to seek health care for further hypertension management. METHODS: A population-based survey of 9254 persons aged 25-64 years was conducted in Dar es Salaam. Among the 540 persons with high blood pressure (defined here as BP >or= 160/95 mmHg) at the initial contact, 253 (47%) had high BP on a 4th visit 45 days later. Among them, 208 were untreated and advised to attend health care in a health center of their choice for further management of their hypertension. One year later, 161 were seen again and asked about their use of health services during the interval. RESULTS: Among the 161 hypertensive persons advised to seek health care, 34% reported to have attended a formal health care provider during the 12-month interval (63% public facility; 30% private; 7% both). Antihypertensive treatment was taken by 34% at some point of time (suggesting poor uptake of health services) and 3% at the end of the 12-month follow-up (suggesting poor long-term compliance). Health services utilization tended to be associated with older age, previous history of high BP, being overweight and non-smoking, but not with education or wealth. Lack of symptoms and cost of treatment were the reasons reported most often for not attending health care. CONCLUSION: Low utilization of health services after hypertension screening suggests a small impact of a patient-centered screen-and-treat strategy in this low-income population. These findings emphasize the need to identify and address barriers to health care utilization for non-communicable diseases in this setting and, indirectly, the importance of public health measures for primary prevention of these diseases.

Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Elderly Waiver Program

The Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Elderly Waiver program provides assistance to qualified individuals who are 65 or older and prefer to stay in their own home or another community setting when needing long-term health care services. The Elderly Waiver program provides services and support to older Iowans who are medically qualified for the level of care provided at a nursing facility but do not wish to live in a nursing home. The program allows older Iowans to age in environments that are familiar and comfortable, while saving money from expensive nursing home costs.

Context-based services for mobile devices

The subject of this master’s thesis was developing a context-based reminder service for mobile devices. Possible sources of context were identified and analyzed. One such source is geographical location obtained via a GPS receiver. These receivers consume a lot of power and techniques and algorithms for reducing power consumptions were proposed and analyzed. The service was implemented as an application on a series 60 mobile phone. The application requirements, user interface and architecture are presented. The end-user experiences are discussed and possible future development and research areas are presented.

Measuring mobile WAP protocol based services

WAP tulee olemaan tulevaisuudessa tärkeässä roolissa, kun etsitään sopivaa tiedonsiirtoprotokollaa uusille mobiilipalveluille. Vaikka WAP jollain tavalla epäonnistui ensimmäisessä tulemisessaan sen suosio varmasti tulevaisuudessa tulee kasvamaan. WAP:in heikko suosio ei johtunut niinkään protokollan tiedonsiirto ominaisuuksista, vaan WAP-palveluiden kehittymättömyydestä. Tulevaisuuden palvelut kuitenkin ovat kehittyneempiä ja WAP:in suosio tulee kasvamaan. Viimeisimpänä WAP:ia käyttävänä palveluna on esitelty MMS. Kun uudet WAP:iin pohjautuvat palvelut yleistyvät, asettaa se uusia vaatimuksia myös WAP gateway:lle. Työssä tarkastellaan erilaisia mahdollisuuksia mitata mobiilisti WAP palvelujen palvelun tasoa. Työssä myös toteutetaan mobiili WAP palveluiden mittauskomponentti, joka toimii osana laajempaa ohjelmistoa. Tarkoituksena on toteuttaa mittauskomponentti, joka emuloi mahdollisimman hyvin todellista loppukäyttäjää.

Scenario Analysis of the Location Based Services Industry

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli luoda erilaisia skenaariota paikka riippuvaisten palveluiden toimialan tulevaisuudesta. Tunnistamalla nykyisiä sekä tulevia alaa edistäviä ja rajoittavia tekijöitä kolme skenaariota luotiin, jotka mahdollisesti kuvaisivat paikka riippuvaisten palveluiden toimialaa viiden vuoden päästä: "Massa spämmaus", "Raju operaattori kilpailu - nousevia yksityisyyden huolia" sekä "Nokian ajama kolmannen sukupolven verkot tulevat ennen odotettua" Skenaarioiden luomiseksi ensimmäinen osa tutkimuksesta keskittyi erilaisiin skenaarioiden kirjoitus prosesseihin ja niissä huomioitaviin asioihin. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksiin sopiva skenaarion kirjoitusprosessi esiteltiin, minkä jälkeen| paikkariippuvaisten palveluiden toimialaa käsiteltiin. Lopuksi itse skenaariot esiteltiin ja nimettiin skenaarioiden teemojen mukaan. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, ettei toimialan tulevaisuutta voida ennustaa riittävällä varmuudella. Tutkimuksen arvo kuitenkin piilee sen antamassa ymmärryksessä liittyen tekijöihin, jotka tulevat päättämään alan tulevaisuuden sekä skenaariossa, joita nämä tekijät voivat muodostaa.

Innovation process management of complex consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm – case location based business

Innovation is the word of this decade. According to innovation definitions, without positive sales impact and meaningful market share the company’s product or service has not been an innovation. Research problem of this master thesis is to find out what is the innovation process of complex new consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm. The objective is to get answers to two research questions: 1) What are the critical success factors what company should do when it is implementing the paradigm change in mass markets consumer business with complex products and services? 2) What is the process or framework one firm could follow? The research problem is looked from one company’s innovation creation process, networking and organization change management challenges point of views. Special focus is to look the research problem from an existing company perspective which is entering new business area. Innovation process management framework of complex new consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm has been created with support of several existing innovation theories. The new process framework includes the critical innovation process elements companies should take into consideration in their daily activities when they are in their new business innovation implementing process. Case company location based business implementation activities are studied via the new innovation process framework. This case study showed how important it is to manage the process, look how the target market and the competition in it is developing during company’s own innovation process, make decisions at right time and from beginning plan and implement the organization change management as one activity in the innovation process. In the end this master thesis showed that all companies need to create their own innovation process master plan with milestones and activities. One plan does not fit all, but all companies can start their planning from the new innovation process what was introduced in this master thesis.