Search

We use a dynamic, global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to capture the economic impacts of internet adoption, modeled through reduced demand in the newsprint and printing and writing paper (pulp and paper) industries. Global newsprint consumption is estimated to fall dramatically by 2030. We rely on estimates from another study that captures the change in global pulp and paper consumption using the global forest products model (GFPM), based on two scenarios: ( i) full per capita internet adoption by 2100 and ( ii) more rapid full internet adoption by 2050. We incorporate reductions in pulpwood consumption into a global multiregional dynamic CGE model to estimate economy-wide impacts in Canadian provinces, the United States, and the rest of the world. Results indicated that the year 2050 internet adoption scenario would result in a reduction in cumulative discounted gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as 17% in some regions of Canada, reduce GDP by 5.8% in the United States, and increase GDP by 3.3% in the rest of the world from 2006 to 2030. These findings highlight the costs of internet adoption, leaving net benefit analysis of adoption to future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The use of patient-reported outcome measures in electronic format has been increasing. However, these formats are usually not validated or compared with the original paper-based formats, so there is no evidence that they are completed in the same way. Objectives To compare the conventional paper version with a web-based application ( iPad®) version of the Dermatology Life Quality Index ( DLQI) to assess equivalence of scores. Methods The study employed a randomized crossover design using a within-subjects comparison of the two formats of the questionnaire. International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research ( ISPOR) guidelines were followed. Participants aged over 18 years with any confirmed skin condition were recruited from a teaching hospital dermatology outpatient clinic. Expected intraclass correlation coefficient ( ICC) was 0·9 (α = 0·05). Results A total of 104 patients were recruited, median age 53·5 years (interquartile range 37·3-67·8; 43% male). The ICC showed high concordance between the total DLQI scores from paper and iPad versions ( ICC 0·98; 95% confidence interval 0·97-0·99). Patients took a median of 78 s to complete the electronic version and 73 s for paper ( P = 0·008): 76% preferred the electronic version and perceived completion to take a shorter time. Conclusions There is high concordance and thus equivalence between the iPad and paper versions of the DLQI, with an ICC of 0·98, and a clear patient preference for the iPad version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of unproctored Internet-based testing (IBT) for personality assessment is increasingly popular, especially in personnel selection. Previous studies on its equivalence to traditional proctored paper-and-pencil testing (PPT) have used between-subjects designs, which makes it difficult to separate intergroup effects from format effects, and have shown mixed results. The aim of the present study was to assess the quantitative, qualitative, and auxiliary equivalence of unproctored IBT and proctored PPT of personality, using a within-sample design. Undergraduate students ( n = 407) completed both an Internet and a paper-and-pencil version of a measure of the Big Five, with a 1 to 3 week interval. The proctored paper-and-pencil assessment was completed in class and the unproctored Internet assessment was completed at the time and place chosen by the participants. Results showed effect sizes for mean differences to vary from null to small. Skewness and kurtosis indices, reliability coefficients, intercorrelations magnitudes, as well as factor solutions, were highly similar across formats. Respondents did not prefer IBT over PPT on a series of statement about their perceptions and reactions to IBT. In conclusion, results suggest that IBT and PPT of the Big Five personality traits are equivalent, and that the data obtained are comparable across formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The writing process has traditionally been seen ‘as a lonely journey’ to typify the lack of support that students experience for writing outside the classroom. This paper examines an attempt of The Writing Portal (TWP), a supplementary online writing platform, to support students’ writing needs throughout the five stages of the writing process, viz., planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Social constructivist principles underpin TWP, which was designed to engender collaboration amongst its student participants. Not only does TWP provide links to evaluated Internet resources and a writing portfolio, but it also features collaboration tools such as the Group Forum, chat, a writing portfolio, a private messaging system, and a comment function for pages or articles created. Thus, it is very much akin to a ‘one-stop centre’ for academic writing within a flexible and supportive environment. In this qualitative case study, 16 third-year TESL pre-service teachers at a Malaysian Teacher Education Institute embarked on a 12-week writing course using TWP. Qualitative data in the form of students’ online discourses, task reflections, log files, and digital artefacts were captured to explore how TWP's affordances supported students’ writing needs. In addition, Soller's collaborative learning conversation skills (CLCS) taxonomy was used as an analytical framework to investigate the collaborative learning engendered in the online environment. The findings indicate that TWP served its purpose by addressing students’ writing needs at all stages of the writing process as they accomplished multiple writing tasks. Additionally, evidence of collaborative learning is evident in three functions of TWP: the Group Forum, chat, and the comments for pages/articles. However, there are differences between the frequencies of the specific skills used for each function. To conclude, TWP appears to be a successful tool at supporting students at all stages of the writing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduced a barcode-like design into a paper-based blood typing device by integrating with smartphone-based technology. The concept of presenting a paper-based blood typing assay in a barcode-like pattern significantly enhanced the adaptability of the assay to the smartphone technology. The fabrication of this device involved the use of a printing technique to define hydrophilic bar channels which were, respectively, treated with Anti-A, -B, and -D antibodies. These channels were then used to perform blood typing assays by introducing a blood sample. Blood type can be visually identified from eluting lengths in bar channels. A smartphone-based analytical application was designed to read the bar channels, analogous to scanning a barcode, interpret this information, and then report results to users. The proposed paper-based blood typing device is rapidly read by smartphones and easy for the user to operate. We envisage that the adaptation of paper-based devices to the widely accepted smartphone technology will increase the capability of paper-based diagnostics with rapid assay result interpretation, data storage, and transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although China has a long history of cartography and map collections, the condition of China's map collections and accessibility to geographic and digital data is still unknown to world counterparts. This paper discusses the paper and digital map collections situation in China from the perspective of multiple collections and from sharing services. Paper map collections are introduced through a survey and analysis of the National Library of China, Peking University Library, and Beijing Normal University Library. Dynamic map service Web sites and the related Web infrastructure are introduced as being representative of digital map collections in China. The Data Sharing Platform of Earth System Science (DSPESS) of the National Science and Technology Infrastructure of China, which has operated for more than ten years, is used as a case study to analyze digital map data sets sharing and services. Digital map data collection characteristics, the data sharing policy, user distribution, and the stewardship staff of DSPESS are analyzed. We also present challenges and potential demands facing China's map data collection and sharing services from the perspectives of a sharing mechanism, financial support, technical challenges, and allocation of professional staff resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study investigates the effect of mode of administration of the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices test on distribution, accuracy, and meaning of raw scores. A random sample of high school students take counterbalanced paper-and-pencil and computer-based administrations of the test and answer a questionnaire surveying preferences for computer-delivered test administrations. Administration mode effect is studied with repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance, internal consistency reliability estimates, and confirmatory factor analysis approaches. Results show a lack of test mode effect on distribution, accuracy, and meaning of raw scores. Participants indicate their preferences for the computer-delivered administration of the test. The article discusses findings in light of previous studies of the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the potential benefits of computer-based records have been identified in different areas of the healthcare environment, in many settings paper-based records and computer-based records are still used in parallel. In this article, emergency department (ED) staff perspectives about the use of paper- or computer-based records are presented. This was a qualitative study in which data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews with the ED staff. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using framework analysis. In total, 34 interviews were undertaken. The study identified a number of factors which might encourage or discourage the use of paper-based and computer-based records in the ED. Users also expressed their concerns and expectations. Although there is a tendency towards computerizing healthcare settings, user acceptance of technology should not be underestimated. To improve user acceptance, users' concerns should be investigated and addressed appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on note taking in pedagogical settings has received considerable attention. However, the awkwardness of integrating information across different media formats may present physical and cognitive barriers that prevent students from effectively organizing annotations from both printed and digital content while studying paper textbooks. The purpose of this paper is to develop a cross-media annotation system that incorporates a paper textbook with a computer as an integrated whole to facilitate the question-driven organization of annotations. While taking notes, students can digitally extract printed text and organize the copied passages based on guiding questions, all by using digital pens. Students can also link Internet-based learning resources to printed content to supplement their print-based studies. A user-based formative evaluation was conducted to assess the new functions of the cross-media annotation system and to explore their influence on students' notetaking behavior and performance. The results show that the new functions may facilitate the retention of key concepts of the paper textbooks and may improve knowledge construction based on explicit learning goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health status questionnaires are important, especially with the growing interest in outcome studies. However, these questionnaires continue to be administered in their original paper format. We hypothesized that total hip arthroplasty outcome data derived with computer-based questionnaires do not differ significantly from those derived with established paper-based formats. Methods: From January 2006 to January 2007, the clinic schedules of four attending arthroplasty surgeons were screened weekly to identify patients who could potentially be included in the study. Charts were reviewed for subjects who were scheduled for or had received primary total hip arthroplasty. Patients were recruited during their office visit or when they attended a preoperative educational class, and five health status questionnaires (the Harris hip score, WOMAC [Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index], SF-36 [Short Form-36], EQ-5D [EuroQol-5D], and UCLA [University of California at Los Angeles] activity score) were administered in three formats: paper, touch screen, and web-based. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Pearson correlations were used to compare the questionnaire modes for the Harris hip score (normally distributed data), and the Friedman test and Spearman correlations were used to compare the modes for the other health status scores (non-normally distributed data). The study was designed with 90% power for detecting 10% differences between modes in the entire series of sixty-one patients and with 82% and 87% power in preoperative and postoperative subgroups, respectively. Results: The mean age was sixty-three years, with thirty-seven male and twenty-four female patients in the study. Forty- seven hips (77%) had osteoarthritis as the primary diagnosis. No significant differences were detected, for any of the five health outcome systems, among the paper, touch screen, and web-based modes, and there were highly significant correlations among all questionnaire modes in the entire series of patients and in the preoperative and postoperative subgroups (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The scores obtained with the paper, touch screen, and web-based modes of the five questionnaires demonstrated excellent agreement. Thus, touch screen and web-based formats can be used to collect and track patient outcome data. Use of electronic formats of these questionnaires will facilitate a more efficient and reliable data collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kim White and Sarah Townsend created the End[of] Paper blog while preparing for their panel on "Electronic Book Technologies." In their blog they discussed innovations in creative-critical works, reference works; mass market publications; electronic textbooks; ephemera; and collaborative constructions. They also discussed issues of preservation; standardization; and literacy. Fittingly, their paper was presented in blog format. Exemplary texts from each category were presented. Links to many of these texts as well as the text of the presentation itself can he found on the blog website "End [of] Paper" www. endofpaper. blogspot.com. To accompany your web journey, we are including a bibliography of related electronic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of empirical research in the use of computers in assessment. A study was conducted to compare student performance in computerized and paper-and-pen multiple-choice tests and assess the extent and effect of 'computer anxiety'. The LXR.TEST 5.1 software was used for the computerized test. A validated rating scale was used to assess computer anxiety. Most students had little computer experience other than in word processing. Only about a third of the students had moderate to mild computer anxiety. Neither computer experience nor anxiety correlated significantly with performance in the computer test. Whereas students performed significantly better in the paper test than in the computer test, there was no statistical difference in ranking in the two assessments formats. This suggests that computer-based assessment could be used with confidence for the purposes of ranking students, but care should be taken in using it for grading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the Manuscript Division of the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington D.C. which is largest collection of original papers of the first U.S. president George Washington and suggests visiting online Library of Congress located at "www.memory.loc. gov."

Introduction. Report of a study to discover and describe job vacancies for information professionals available online at specific sites and discussion lists between January 2005 and February 2008. Method. The study uses Bardin's content analysis technique and the following analysis criteria: information source, institutional type, professional type, location, qualifications, job description, experience and foreign language requirements. Analysis. The results are compared with national and international studies on the profiles and skills of information professionals. Results. The results show that expansion in Brazil in the field of information and its professionals is still slow and this can be seen from the results presented. Conclusions. The profile for a typical information professional from the job advertisements analysed is for a librarian, with a degree in librarian studies, to perform technical and management functions in a private institution in the city of São Paulo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constraints to knowledge generation and dissemination are particularly acute in developing countries. Access to relevant sources of information for effective planning is often poor, and dissemination from research activities is weak. Indigenous research from developing countries rarely enters the global knowledge base, a situation which tends to further isolate these countries from current dynamic international debate on development research. In turn, this reduces the demand for, and thus the potential role of, national research programmes in helping define national and broader international policies on sustainable development, and on effective measures to achieve livelihood and food security targets. oneFish (http://www.onefish.org) is a Web based knowledge management system that contributes towards addressing this problem. oneFish draws together a broad cross section of stakeholders within the fisheries and aquatic research community. The primary aim of oneFish is to raise the profile of fisheries and aquatic research and reinforce its impact on responsible fisheries development. oneFish represents a fundamental advance in devolved management information systems. It responds to long sought-after information, communication and networking needs of many organisations engaged in promoting more responsive fisheries as well as aquatic resources research and development. The design of oneFish has been demand-led in that it integrates many of the communication ideas and needs articulated by these organisations into one interactive system. oneFish allows users to contribute information in electronic form to specific subject areas, and to search for and retrieve information, files and other linkages from the whole oneFish domain. Institutions and special interest groups are able to use oneFish to develop discussion groups and create virtual offices. Subject-specialist topic editors assist in the administration of specialised topics by editing and adding information submitted to them. The software underlying oneFish has been developed by Support Unit for International Fisheries and Aquatic Research (SIFAR) and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Since early 2000, a series of prototypes have been undergoing intensive testing with the co-operation of a small group of fisheries specialists. Version 1.0 of oneFish was released to the public in February/March 2001. The need to improve communication, information flow and networking in the field of fisheries and aquatic research and development has been widely recognised for a considerable time, and has been highlighted in all recent major international policy instruments related to fisheries development. It is recognised that the problem is particularly acute in developing countries where access to information relevant to effective research planning is often poor, and where dissemination from research activities is weak. Indigenous developing country research rarely enters the global knowledge base, a situation which tends to isolate these groups further from current dynamic international debate on development research. This in turn reduces the potential for effective collaboration and co-operation. Prerequisites for fisheries research achieving useful impact on sustainable development are active participation in debate and congruence between the knowledge systems of 'North' and 'South'. This enables both sides to recognise, learn and benefit from each other's rich knowledge. The relatively recent advent of Internet technologies offers a new opportunity to overcome this problem. In fact, the Internet has been rapidly assimilated in the 'North' rather than the 'South'. This has led to growing concern about its potential for widening the information gap- the so-called 'digital divide'. The problem is made even more difficult by the fact that infrastructures and abilities required are often inaccessible to the vast majority of people in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the web site the Papers of George Washington Digital Edition, which can be found at http://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu:8080/pgwde, and the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799, which is available at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html.

As a result of a legal mechanism called discovery, the authors accumulated millions of internal corporate and trade association documents related to the introduction of new products and chemicals into workplaces and commerce. What did these private entities discuss among themselves and with their experts? The plethora of documents, both a blessing and a curse, opened new sources and interesting questions about corporate and regulatory histories. But they also posed an almost insurmountable challenge to historians. Thus emerged ToxicDocs, possible only with a technological innovation known as "Big Data." That refers to the sheer volume of new digital data and to the computational power to analyze them. Users will be able to identify what firms knew (or did not know) about the dangers of toxic substances in their products-and when. The database opens many areas to inquiry including environmental studies, business history, government regulation, and public policy. ToxicDocs will remain a resource free and open to all, anywhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the findings of a study that the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have not changed their operation of online news services. Availability of Internet news from newspapers in the United States; Comparison of on-line news and the hard copy of the newspaper; Information on on-site newsrooms; Comments on the modifications of newsroom product.

Focuses on Nancy McCall and Lisa Mix, archivists at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Efforts to preserve research electronically; Development of a conference site on the World Wide Web; Details on the preservation of scientific papers published by psychobiologist Curt P. Richter.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including anatomised computer-assisted language learning, use of the Writing Portal online writing platform by language students, and teaching English language to Korean students.

The paper presents the results of a quasi-experimental study which was conducted with a view to determining the effect of an intervention in the form of the application of teacher-designed Internet-based resources (i.e., websites, podcasts, movie clips) that students could use autonomously on the development of pronunciation of the English regular past tense -ed ending. The sample consisted of 45 Polish secondary school learners. Participants were divided into three groups, two treatment and one control. The intervention spanned two weeks. The lessons in treatment group 1 were conducted by means of online resources and those in treatment group 2 were carried out in a traditional way (i.e., without autonomous recourse to computer-assisted pronunciation teaching). The students in the control group did not receive any instruction related to the pronunciation feature in question over that time. The data were gathered by means of perception and production tests administered before (pretest) and after (immediate and delayed posttests) the treatment, and subjected to quantitative analysis. The results, supported by the participants' evaluation of the two types of pedagogic intervention, indicate that although the effects of the experimental treatments proved to be comparable, the use of online resources produced more durable gains and was more favorably evaluated by learners. This provides a rationale for using computer technology as a tool for enhancing traditional teaching of English pronunciation in secondary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Social Science Research Network is a depository for academic scholarship. SSRN allows academic papers and abstracts to be accessible worldwide. Most papers may be downloaded from the SSRN database free of charge, but some links are to commercial sites. Posting papers to SSRN and subscribing to its site are not inherently complicated. However, it is possible for academic departments, particularly law schools, to use SSRN more efficiently and more flexibly than SSRN's architects envisaged. For instance, one can establish a faculty working paper series with archived issues that are forever easily accessible, a much cheaper manner of establishing a working paper series than traditional ways, and a more permanent format than envisaged by standard SSRN systems. This article explains how SSRN works and how it can be used more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of teaching informatization indicates the arrival of big data era of digital teaching resource.Facing on massive digital resources, this study uses distributed processing technology to design a HDFS storage scheme for large file resources and a DFS storage scheme for small file resources. This paper analyzes the working principle of HDFS and DFS in detail, introduces the storage scheme for large files and small file resources, and analyzes the transmission rates of the file, respectively, in teaching practice. It proves the availability of storage scheme, and provides references for other colleges and universities to store digital teaching resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the retraction of a scientific paper that was published in an August 31, 2009 online issue of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)," before the data could be analyzed by the researcher Laura Bierut. Bierut's data had been deposited into the U.S. National Institutes of Health's (NIH) genomic database called dbGaP and was part of Beirut and colleagues addiction research known as SAGE (Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment).

Focuses on the advantages of using Web-based systems for the clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry. Barriers encountered during the transition; Cost effectiveness of Web-based trials; Comparison between the application of paper-based and Web-based tools in the trials.

A call for papers on topics concerning network testing series to evaluate the defects in design and implementation of a system is presented.

A call for papers on several topics including video abstracts, online articles, and comments on abstracts is presented.

This paper introduces WikiWikiWeb software, also known as Wiki, for use in library and information management contexts. Wikis provide an environment for Web-based collaboration and can also be used for Web site content management. The article includes an overview of the history and development of Wiki, as well as discussing basic and advanced Wiki features. It compares three Wiki engines and describes seven case studies of real-world library and library-related Wiki applications. The paper concludes with a discussion of factors that can contribute to a successful Wiki project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on efforts to create a web-based repository of biomedical information which will be hosted by the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH). Details of E-biosci; Use of previously reviewed articles; Questions regarding what benefits publishers will see from contributing to the site; Publications which may contribute such as `Molecular Biology of the Cell'; Involvement of Donald Varmus, NIH director.

Focuses on research publications from the department of general practice at Glasgow University in Scotland. Importance of publications in learning; Use of proper key words for computer reference systems; Tips to help contributors of medical journals.

Ancient villages are the carrier of a nation's profound history and culture. They are the integration of history, culture, architecture and sculpture, and have many value attributes. With the development of society, the protection of ancient villages is very important. The establishment of digital archives is an important means to protect ancient villages. Because of the large number and wide distribution of ancient villages, crowd sourcing can quickly and widely access the digital resources of ancient villages. Because of the uneven quality and repetition of the images collected from ancient villages, it is necessary to screen the images of ancient villages. Therefore, this paper proposes a screening model of ancient villages based on SIFT and convolution neural network. Firstly, this paper chooses edge gray change rate and NIQE quality score to evaluate the quality of ancient village image; secondly, extracts SIFT features of image for matching, calculates matching similarity to determine whether the matched image is myopic repetition. Finally, the image is filtered or preserved by using convolution neural network with the edge gray change rate, NIQE quality score and some image attributes as features. Experiments show that the ancient village image screening model designed in this paper has higher accuracy and recall rate than other methods, and has better screening effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on how library and information science (LIS) as a field operationalizes the concept of organizational sustainability for managing digital resources, projects and infrastructures such as digital libraries and repositories over time. It introduces a nine dimensional framework for organizational sustainability in the digital cultural heritage community.Design/methodology/approach Content analysis of publications from three LIS databases (2000–2015).Findings Comparing the articles to the nine dimension framework shows that most LIS articles discuss technology, financial or management dimensions. Fewer articles describe disaster planning, assessment or policy dimensions.Research limitations/implications Three LIS databases might not include all relevant journals, conferences, white papers and other materials. The data set also did not include books; library management textbooks might include useful material on organizational sustainability. Claims about the prevalence of themes are subject to methodological limits of content analysis.Practical implications Organizations that steward digital collections need to be clear about what they mean when they are referring to organizational sustainability so that they can make appropriate decisions for future-proofing their collections. The analysis would also suggest for a greater need to consider the full range of dimensions of organizational sustainability.Originality/value By introducing a new nine dimensional framework of organizational sustainability the authors hope to promote more and better conversations within the LIS community about organizational sustainability. The authors hope these conversations will lead to productive action and improvements in the arrangements of people and work necessary to keep digital projects and services going over time, given ongoing challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near threshold computing (NTC) has significant role in reducing the energy consumption of modern very large scale integrated circuits designs. However, NTC designs suffer from functional failures and performance loss. Understanding the characteristics of the functional failures and variability effects is of decisive importance in order to mitigate them, and get the utmost NTC benefits. This paper presents a comprehensive cross-layer reliability analysis framework to assess the effect of soft error, aging, and process variation in the operation of near threshold voltage caches. The objective is to quantify the reliability of different SRAM designs, evaluate voltage scaling potential of caches, and to find a reliability-performance optimal cache organization for an NTC microprocessor. In this paper, the soft error rate (SER) and static noise margin (SNM) of 6T and 8T SRAM cells and their dependencies on aging and process variation are investigated by considering device, circuit, and architecture level analysis. Their experimental results show that in NTC, process variation and aging-induced SNM degradation is $2.5{\boldsymbol \times }$ higher than in the super threshold domain while SER is $8{\boldsymbol \times }$ higher. At NTC, the use of 8T instead of 6T SRAM cells can reduce the system-level SNM and SER by 14% and 22%, respectively. Besides, we observe that we can find the right balance between performance and reliability by using an appropriate cache organization at NTC which is different from the super threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital resources and services have become an essential part of the growing collection of libraries all over the world, and their relevance and importance in the higher academic and research institutions have been increasing day by day. Library users also embrace the electronic resources quite enthusiastically considering their multitude of advantages. On the other hand, the collection, development and management of e-resources demand a lot of financial commitments on the part of the institutions, and as a result, they expect and encourage a fair return on investment. Therefore it has become mandatory on the part of libraries to assess the usage and usability of their procured/subscribed resources. Usage statistics are now considered as one of the most prominent measuring tools that help the libraries to examine the usage of online resources and ensuring their optimum utilization. At the same time, the collection of usage reports from the vast number of e-resources is a challenging task for the librarians. E-resources exist in multiple formats such as e-journals, e-books; aggregated full-text databases, company, industry, statistical databases etc. and the usage data collected for these resources vary from each other. There exist many ways and methods to collect usage reports of e-resources. It can either be downloaded manually from the e-resources website, using administrative credentials provided by the publishers or automatically harvested through SUSHI (Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting Initiative). This paper attempts to draw the attention of information professionals on the enormous potential in the usage of eresources by the libraries. It presents the IIM Kozhikode library’s experience in obtaining the usage statistics of eresources and attempts to examine how these reports are used as a tool to assess the usage of e-resources. This paper puts forth the argument that the e-resources usage statistics acts as an indicator of the knowledge consumption of the organization, as evidenced by the relative growth in its research output, quality of education being imparted and its placement records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile application (app) websites such as Google Play and AppStore allow users to review their downloaded apps. Such reviews can be useful for app users, as they may help users make an informed decision; such reviews can also be potentially useful for app developers, if they contain valuable information concerning user needs and requirements. However, in order to unleash the value of app reviews for mobile app development, intelligent mining tools that can help discern relevant reviews from irrelevant ones must be provided. This paper surveys the state of the art in the development of such tools and techniques behind them. To gain insight into the maturity of the current support mining tools, the paper will also find out what app development information these tools have discovered and what challenges they are facing. The results of this survey can inform the development of more effective and intelligent app review mining techniques and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online subject guides are commonly used by libraries to provide information support to students. LibGuides (a cloud-based commercial product launched in 2007) represents one of the latest incarnations of the traditional subject guide or portal, and are widely used across American academic libraries. In Ireland however, library subject guides of entirely local design and hosted on a local web server still dominate. This paper outlines the project management process involved in implementing a LibGuides pilot at University College Dublin Library, including the planning, design and implementation of a new range of subject-related guides. The pilot nature of the project necessitated a strong focus on evaluation, particularly in assessing the effectiveness and suitability of LibGuides as a platform for delivering information literacy support, both from an administrative and end-user perspective. A two-stranded approach was used in this review process, incorporating quantitative web statistics and analytics alongside qualitative feedback from students, academic staff and Library staff. Feedback that was gathered suggested that the LibGuides subject guides were generally viewed very positively by both staff and students. Notwithstanding this, awareness (as indicated through usage statistics) remained moderate during the pilot, pointing to the importance of the visibility, positioning and promotion of guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on how the Austrian National Library in Vienna, Austria is working on converting historical documents into digital documents, so that they can be published on the internet. The project is focusing on the daily newspapers that were published in the constituent lands of the Austrian Empire during the reign of the House of Habsburg, an Austrian royal ruling family, and is being financed by the ERSTE Stiftung, a foundation of the Erste Bank financial institution.

The article reviews the web site Medical Teachers from the medical associations.

In the last few years, the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining remarkable attention in both academic and industrial worlds. The main goal of the IoT is laying on describing everyday objects with different capabilities in an interconnected fashion to the Internet to share resources and to carry out the assigned tasks. Most of the IoT objects are heterogeneous in terms of the amount of energy, processing ability, memory storage, etc. However, one of the most important challenges facing the IoT networks is the energy-efficient task allocation. An efficient task allocation protocol in the IoT network should ensure the fair and efficient distribution of resources for all objects to collaborate dynamically with limited energy. The canonical definition for network lifetime in the IoT is to increase the period of cooperation between objects to carry out all the assigned tasks. The main contribution in this paper is to address the problem of task allocation in the IoT as an optimization problem with a lifetime-aware model. A genetic algorithm is proposed as a task allocation protocol. For the proposed algorithm, a problem-tailored individual representation and a modified uniform crossover are designed. Further, the individual initialization and perturbation operators (crossover and mutation) are designed so as to remedy the infeasibility of any solution located or reached by the proposed genetic algorithm. The results showed reasonable performance for the proposed genetic-based task allocation protocol. Further, the results prove the necessity for designing problem-specific operators instead of adopting the canonical counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at streamlining the grants process, Grants.gov is a new central listing of available awards from all 26 federal agencies that dole out money for research and other programs. The site will eventually allow one to download an application and submit the completed package online, using free software.