Connecting to the future : a guide for building a network infrastructure for education /

""Complements the video, Connecting to the future"--P. [i].

U.S. Geological Survey bulletin.

Description based on: 1539.

Federal Trade Commission decisions.

Latest issue consulted: Vol. 121 (Jan. 1, 1996 to June 30, 1996).

Accessible Internet training package helps people with aphasia cross the digital divide

Background : The Internet is a source of information, communication, and leisure opportunities for people with aphasia. However, accessible training is one of several barriers for people with aphasia in using the Internet. Aims : This study developed and trialled special aphasia-friendly Internet training materials for people with aphasia. Methods & Procedures : A total of 20 people with aphasia were matched with volunteer tutors. The tutor-student pairs met for six lessons. Pre- and post-test Internet skills assessments were conducted and attitudinal questionnaires were completed. The training materials were based on Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and consisted of a tutor's manual and a manual for the Internet student with aphasia. These materials are available as a free download from: http://www.shrs.uq.edu.au/cdaru/aphasiagroups/ Outcomes & Results : Significant differences between pre and post scores were found and participants reached a range of levels of independence following the training. The majority reported favourable outcomes. Conclusions. Results indicated that it was possible for people with aphasia to learn to use the Internet when they were taught in a one-to-one teaching situation with the use of accessible training manuals.

Managing ontologies: A comparative study of ontology servers

An ontology is increasingly becoming an essential tool for solving problems in many research areas. The ontology is a complex information object. It can contain millions of concepts in complex relationships. When we want to manage complex information objects, we generally turn to information systems technology. An information system intended to manage ontology is called an ontology server. The ontology server technology is at the time of writing quite immature. Therefore, this paper reviews and compares the main ontology servers that have been reported in the literatures. As a result, we point out several research questions related to server technology

Instant messaging: A cross-country comparison of factors affecting adoption

This research-in-progress paper utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to determine whether differences exist in the adoption of Instant Messaging (IM) Technologies in Australia, China, Mexico and the USA. Despite significant differences in the technology needed to implement IM (e.g., software supporting Chinese language characters), few barriers exist to the adoption of IM given the environment is in place. We postulate that language interface technology, infrastructure, and culture affect the adoption of IM technology.

Understanding mobile phone usage while driving:mini-bus and taxi drivers' experiences in Istanbul

In emerging markets, the amount of mobile communication and the number of occasions mobile phones are used are increasing. More and more settings appropriate or not for mobile phone usage are being exposed. Although prohibited by many governments, there is evidence that use of new mobile devices while driving are somehow becoming current everyday practice, hence legitimatizing usage for many users. Dominant dangerous behavior in the absence of enforced legal framework is being deployed and has become routine for many m-users. This chapter adopts a qualitative case study approach (20 cases) to examine the public transport drivers' motives, logic and legitimacy processes. The question which these issues raise in the light of advancing m-technologies is: How do, in the context of emerging market, undesired emerging routines enactment get to be reflected upon and voluntarily disregarded to maximize the benefits of m-technologies while minimizing their drawbacks? Findings point out at multiple motives for usage including external social pressure through the ubiquitous 24/7 usage of mtechnology, lack of alternative communication protocol, real time need for action and from an internal perspectives boredoms, lack of danger awareness, blurring of the boundaries between personal and business life and lack of job fulfillment are uncovered as key factors. As secondary dynamic factors such as education, drivers work' histories, impunity, lack of strong consumer opposition appear central in shaping the development of the routines. © 2011, IGI Global.

Two-phases control of DSRC Vehicle networks for road intersection coexisting safety applications

In this paper we propose a two phases control method for DSRC vehicle networks at road intersection, where multiple road safety applications may coexist. We consider two safety applications, emergency safety application with high priority and routine safety applications with low priority. The control method is designed to provide high availability and low latency for emergency safety applications while leave as much as possible bandwidth for routine applications. It is expected to be capable of adapting to changing network conditions. In the first phase of the method we use a simulation based offline approach to find out the best configurations for message rate and MAC layer parameters for given numbers of vehicles. In the second phase we use the configurations identified by simulations at roadside access point (AP) for system operation. A utilization function is proposed to balance the QoS performances provided to multiple safety applications. It is demonstrated that the proposed method can largely improve the system performance when compared to fixed control method.

An investigation into the adoption of electronic commerce among Saudi Arabian SMEs

Despite the proliferation of e-commerce adoption by SMEs and the world-wide growth of e-commerce, in general there is a paucity of empirical studies that examine the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in the Middle East. In this paper, the authors provide insights into the salient e-commerce adoption issues by focusing on Saudi Arabian SMEs. This research was designed using a qualitative approach through in-depth case studies selected from firms in Saudi Arabia. The findings contribute toward a better conceptual and practical understanding of the main factors driving SMEs to adopt e-commerce. The authors find that the level of e-commerce implementation has yet to mature and customer readiness for Internet shopping must improve before e-commerce reaches the levels of maturity seen in other regions of the world. This study highlights directions for future inquiry and implications for information and technology managers and policymakers in developing Arab nations.

ICT diffusion and foreign direct investment:a comparative study between Asia-Pacific and the Middle Eastern economies

This chapter investigates the impact of inward and outward FDI on ICT diffusion in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions for the period 1996-2008. The results indicate that while inward FDI has generally had a positive and significant impact on ICT diffusion in Asia-Pacific economies, its impact on the Middle Eastern countries has been detrimental. In contrast, the results of this study also show that outward FDI has had, in general, the inverse effect, it has been in general positive and significant for the Middle East countries but insignificant for Asia-Pacific economies.

Enabling effective user interactions in content-based image retrieval

This paper presents an interactive content-based image retrieval framework—uInteract, for delivering a novel four-factor user interaction model visually. The four-factor user interaction model is an interactive relevance feedback mechanism that we proposed, aiming to improve the interaction between users and the CBIR system and in turn users overall search experience. In this paper, we present how the framework is developed to deliver the four-factor user interaction model, and how the visual interface is designed to support user interaction activities. From our preliminary user evaluation result on the ease of use and usefulness of the proposed framework, we have learnt what the users like about the framework and the aspects we could improve in future studies. Whilst the framework is developed for our research purposes, we believe the functionalities could be adapted to any content-based image search framework.

Comparing dissimilarity measures for content-based image retrieval

Dissimilarity measurement plays a crucial role in content-based image retrieval, where data objects and queries are represented as vectors in high-dimensional content feature spaces. Given the large number of dissimilarity measures that exist in many fields, a crucial research question arises: Is there a dependency, if yes, what is the dependency, of a dissimilarity measure’s retrieval performance, on different feature spaces? In this paper, we summarize fourteen core dissimilarity measures and classify them into three categories. A systematic performance comparison is carried out to test the effectiveness of these dissimilarity measures with six different feature spaces and some of their combinations on the Corel image collection. From our experimental results, we have drawn a number of observations and insights on dissimilarity measurement in content-based image retrieval, which will lay a foundation for developing more effective image search technologies.

Remembering remotely:would video-mediation impair witnesses' memory reports?

Witnesses often experience lengthy delays prior to being interviewed, during which their memories inevitably decay. Video-communication technology - favored by intergovernmental organizations for playing larger roles in judicial processes - might circumvent some of the resourcing problems that can exacerbate such delays. However, whereas video-mediation might facilitate expeditious interviewing, it might also harm rapport-building, make witnesses uncomfortable, and thereby undermine the quality and detail of their reports. Participants viewed a crime film and were interviewed either one day later via video-link, one day later face-to-face, or 1-2 weeks later face-to-face. Video-mediation neither influenced the detail or the accuracy of participants' reports, nor their ratings of the quality of the interviews. However, participants who underwent video-mediated interviews after a short delay gave more accurate, detailed reports than participants who waited longer to be interviewed face-to-face. This study provides initial empirical evidence that video-mediated communication (VMC) could facilitate the expeditious conduct of high-quality investigative interviews. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

Exploring mapping-based visualisations of large remote image databases

Image database visualisations, in particular mapping-based visualisations, provide an interesting approach to accessing image repositories as they are able to overcome some of the drawbacks associated with retrieval based approaches. However, making a mapping-based approach work efficiently on large remote image databases, has yet to be explored. In this paper, we present Web-Based Images Browser (WBIB), a novel system that efficiently employs image pyramids to reduce bandwidth requirements so that users can interactively explore large remote image databases. © 2013 Authors.