Interoperable Resource Brokering with Policy-based Provisioning and Job Allocation

The increasing needs for computational power in areas such as weather simulation, genomics or Internet applications have led to sharing of geographically distributed and heterogeneous resources from commercial data centers and scientific institutions. Research in the areas of utility, grid and cloud computing, together with improvements in network and hardware virtualization has resulted in methods to locate and use resources to rapidly provision virtual environments in a flexible manner, while lowering costs for consumers and providers. However, there is still a lack of methodologies to enable efficient and seamless sharing of resources among institutions. In this work, we concentrate in the problem of executing parallel scientific applications across distributed resources belonging to separate organizations. Our approach can be divided in three main points. First, we define and implement an interoperable grid protocol to distribute job workloads among partners with different middleware and execution resources. Second, we research and implement different policies for virtual resource provisioning and job-to-resource allocation, taking advantage of their cooperation to improve execution cost and performance. Third, we explore the consequences of on-demand provisioning and allocation in the problem of site-selection for the execution of parallel workloads, and propose new strategies to reduce job slowdown and overall cost.

Literacia da informação em contexto universitário: Tendências e expectativas

O presente capítulo apresenta o que os estudos atuais sobre a literacia da informação em contexto universitário revelam sobre as principais tendências para esta área. O estudo procura dar uma visão abrangente destas tendências e das expectativas daí decorrentes a partir de três aspetos: a relação entre a educação, a aprendizagem e o ensino superior; as bibliotecas, as tecnologias e os ambientes virtuais e, por fim, reflete-se sobre a interação entre literacia da informação, emoções e cognição, num contexto social e individual.

‘Please leave your mobile phone on’ : Social educational networking in a social society : Encouraging in-class engagement at QUT across physical and virtual learning environments

Though stadium style seating in large lecture theatres may suggest otherwise, effective teaching and learning is a not a spectator sport. A challenge in creating effective learning environments in both physical and virtual spaces is to provide optimal opportunity for student engagement in active learning. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) has developed the Open Web Lecture (OWL), a new web-based student response application, which seamlessly integrates a virtual learning environment within the physical learning space. The result is a blended learning experience; a fluid collaboration between academic and students connected to OWL via the University’s Wi-Fi using their own laptop or mobile web device. QUT is currently piloting the OWL application to encourage student engagement. OWL offers opportunities for participants to: • Post comments and questions • Reply to comments
 • "Like" comments
 • Poll students and review data • Review archived sessions. Many of these features instinctively appeal to student users of social networking media, yet avail the academic of control within the University network. Student privacy is respected through a system of preserving peer-peer anonymity, a functionality that seeks to address a traditional reluctance to speak up in large classes. The pilot is establishing OWL as an opportunity for engaging students in active learning opportunities by enabling • virtual learning in physical spaces for large group lectures, seminar groups, workshops and conferences • live collaborative technology connecting students and the academic via the wireless network using their own laptop or mobile device • an non- intimidating environment in which to ask questions • promotion of a sense of community • instant feedback • problem based learning. The student and academic response to OWL has been overwhelmingly positive, crediting OWL as an easy to use application, which creates effective learning opportunities though interactivity and immediate feedback. This poster and accompanying online presentation of the technology will demonstrate how OWL offers new possibilities for active learning in physical spaces by: • providing increased opportunity for student engagement • supporting a range of learners and learning activities • fostering blended learning experiences. The presentation will feature visual displays of the technology, its various interfaces and feedback including clips from interviews with students and academics participating in the early stages of the pilot.

Internal and external motivation factors in virtual and collocated project environments : a principal component investigation

In this study, we explore motivation in collocated and virtual project teams. The literature on motivation in a project set.,ting reveals that motivation is closely linked to team performance. Based on this literature, we propose a set., of variables related to the three dimensions of ‘Nature of work’, ‘Rewards’, and ‘Communication’. Thirteen original variables in a sample size of 66 collocated and 66 virtual respondents are investigated using one tail t test and principal component analysis. We find that there are minimal differences between the two groups with respect to the above mentioned three dimensions. (p= .06; t=1.71). Further, a principal component analysis of the combined sample of collocated and virtual project environments reveals two factors- ‘Internal Motivating Factor’ related to work and work environment, and ‘External Motivating Factor’ related to the financial and non-financial rewards that explain 59.8% of the variance and comprehensively characterize motivation in collocated and virtual project environments. A ‘sense check’ of our interpretation of the results shows conformity with the theory and existing practice of project organization

Virtual business role-play : leveraging familiar environments to prime stakeholder memory during process elicitation

Business process models have traditionally been an effective way of examining business practices to identify areas for improvement. While common information gathering approaches are generally efficacious, they can be quite time consuming and have the risk of developing inaccuracies when information is forgotten or incorrectly interpreted by analysts. In this study, the potential of a role-playing approach for process elicitation and specification has been examined. This method allows stakeholders to enter a virtual world and role-play actions as they would in reality. As actions are completed, a model is automatically developed, removing the need for stakeholders to learn and understand a modelling grammar. Empirical data obtained in this study suggests that this approach may not only improve both the number of individual process task steps remembered and the correctness of task ordering, but also provide a reduction in the time required for stakeholders to model a process view.

Estimation of light interception in research environments: A joint approach using directional light sensors and 3D virtual plants applied to sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and Arabidopsis thaliana in natural and artificial conditions

Light interception is a major factor influencing plant development and biomass production. Several methods have been proposed to determine this variable, but its calculation remains difficult in artificial environments with heterogeneous light. We propose a method that uses 3D virtual plant modelling and directional light characterisation to estimate light interception in highly heterogeneous light environments such as growth chambers and glasshouses. Intercepted light was estimated by coupling an architectural model and a light model for different genotypes of the rosette species Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh and a sunflower crop. The model was applied to plants of contrasting architectures, cultivated in isolation or in canopy, in natural or artificial environments, and under contrasting light conditions. The model gave satisfactory results when compared with observed data and enabled calculation of light interception in situations where direct measurements or classical methods were inefficient, such as young crops, isolated plants or artificial conditions. Furthermore, the model revealed that A. thaliana increased its light interception efficiency when shaded. To conclude, the method can be used to calculate intercepted light at organ, plant and plot levels, in natural and artificial environments, and should be useful in the investigation of genotype-environment interactions for plant architecture and light interception efficiency. This paper originates from a presentation at the 5th International Workshop on Functional–Structural Plant Models, Napier, New Zealand, November 2007.

Evaluating the development of virtual learning environments in higher and further education

Urquhart, C., Spink, S., Thomas, R., Yeoman, A., Durbin, J., Turner, J., Fenton, R. & Armstrong, C. (2004). Evaluating the development of virtual learning environments in higher and further education. In J. Cook (Ed.), Blue skies and pragmatism: learning technologies for the next decade. Research proceedings of the 11th Association for Learning Technology conference (ALT-C 2004), 14-16 September 2004, University of Exeter, Devon, England (pp. 157-169). Oxford: Association for Learning Technology Sponsorship: JISC

The four I-model for scaffolding the professional development of experienced teachers in the use of virtual learning environments for classroom teaching.

Models of professional development for teachers have been criticized for not being embedded in the context in which teachers are familiar, namely their own classrooms. This paper discusses an adapted-Continuous Practice Improvement model, which qualitative findings indicate was effective in facilitating the transfer of creative and innovative teaching approaches from the expert or Resident Teacher’s school to the novice or Visiting Teachers’ classrooms over the duration of the project. The cultural shift needed to embed and extend the use of online teaching across the school was achieved through the positive support and commitment of the principals in the Visiting Teachers’ schools, combined with the success of the professional development activities offered by the Visiting Teachers to their school-based colleagues.

REVERIE: Natural Human Interaction in Virtual Immersive Environments

REVERIE (REal and Virtual Engagement in Realistic Immersive Environments [1]) targets novel research to address the demanding challenges involved with developing state-of-the-art technologies for online human interaction. The REVERIE framework enables users to meet, socialise and share experiences online by integrating cutting-edge technologies for 3D data acquisition and processing, networking, autonomy and real-time rendering. In this paper, we describe the innovative research that is showcased through the REVERIE integrated framework through richly defined use-cases which demonstrate the validity and potential for natural interaction in a virtual immersive and safe environment. Previews of the REVERIE demo and its key research components can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/REVERIEFP7.

Assembly Guidance in Augmented Reality Environments Using a Virtual Interactive Tool

The application of augmented reality (AR) technology for assembly guidance is a novel approach in the traditional manufacturing domain. In this paper, we propose an AR approach for assembly guidance using a virtual interactive tool that is intuitive and easy to use. The virtual interactive tool, termed the Virtual Interaction Panel (VirIP), involves two tasks: the design of the VirIPs and the real-time tracking of an interaction pen using a Restricted Coulomb Energy (RCE) neural network. The VirIP includes virtual buttons, which have meaningful assembly information that can be activated by an interaction pen during the assembly process. A visual assembly tree structure (VATS) is used for information management and assembly instructions retrieval in this AR environment. VATS is a hierarchical tree structure that can be easily maintained via a visual interface. This paper describes a typical scenario for assembly guidance using VirIP and VATS. The main characteristic of the proposed AR system is the intuitive way in which an assembly operator can easily step through a pre-defined assembly plan/sequence without the need of any sensor schemes or markers attached on the assembly components.

Investigating the use of Virtual Learning Environments by teachers in schools and colleges

Investigating the use of Virtual Learning Environments by teachers in schools and colleges

Una aproximación documental para la creación e integración de juegos digitales en entornos virtuales de enseñanza. A documental approach to the creation and integration of digital videogames in virtual learning environments

Desde el campo de la informática educativa, varios autores exponen el posible efecto positivo de incorporar videojuegos y simulaciones con elementos de juego en los procesos educativos. Esta postura continúa siendo objeto de debate y sus detractores identifican, dos problemas fundamentales, por un lado el excesivo coste de estas iniciativas y, por otro, su carácter limitado que obliga a que formen parte de variados procesos educativos.. En este trabajo se estudia cómo abordar estos dos problemas desde un punto de vista tecnológico. Se propone una plataforma menor que e-adventure, un entorno de desarrollo para juegos educativos. Esta plataforma aborda el primer problema planteando, un modelo de proceso de desarrollo inspirado en la aproximación documental al desarrollo de software. El modelo de proceso incluye la propuesta de un lenguaje de marcado extendido, XML, específico del dominio de las aventuras gráficas educativas. Este lenguaje es sencillo de utilizar y facilita la creación de este tipo de juegos e incluye construcciones específicamente educativas que dan soporte a la evaluación de la actividad del alumno y a patrones de aprendizaje adaptativo. El segundo problema se aborda proponiendo la integración de dichos juegos con plataformas de tele-enseñanza, LMS, que se emplean tanto en la enseñanza a través de internet como en aproximaciones del aprendizaje electrónico, e-learning, combinadas con la enseñanza tradicional.. Se incluye la implementación de un prototipo de la plataforma propuesta y varios juegos educativos desarrollados con ella, en colaboración con investigadores e instructores de otros campos..