Search

This paper investigates the impact of Internet infrastructure construction on enterprise transformation and upgrading and the underlying mechanisms using a progressive double difference model based on a quasi-natural experiment of the Chinese government's "broadband China" policy by matching A-share listed companies and city panel data from 2008–2019 in Shanghai and Shenzhen. The conclusions show that the "broadband China" policy can significantly promote the transformation and upgrading of enterprises in pilot cities. However, its effect shows a diminishing marginal contribution, and the policy is more effective for traditional manufacturing industries during the implementation period. Enhancing human capital and reducing internal transaction costs are two important channels for Internet infrastructure construction to help enterprises transform and upgrade. Combined with the life cycle theory, we find that the "broadband China" policy has the most significant impact on changing and upgrading enterprises in the growth and maturity stages, especially those in the manufacturing industry, but not those in the maturity and decline stages of the service industry. Finally, a series of robustness tests using Monte Carlo simulation, entropy balance method, and instrumental variables method, excluding other factors, show that the findings are still robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the actual and potential misuses of the World Wide Web in regard to access to "paper mills" and other information sources that make plagiarism relatively easy. The authors describe their experience accessing such paper mill products and present results of a quasi-experiment in which participants graded three papers: one an actual student submission and two purchased off the internet. Findings suggest reason for concern about student misuse o( the World Wide Web. The authors argue that different strategies for the design of class assignments must be considered by all educational programs to diminish enhanced opportunities for "cybercheating." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-bullying is a recently emerging type of violence, which has gained significant media and research attention. Although research across Europe and the USA has been extensive, in Greece it is sparse and at an elementary level. This paper aimed at reviewing existing research literature on cyber-bullying experiences with Greek subjects. The bibliographical research carried out for this purpose yielded studies conducted between 2005 and 2012. Findings illustrate that to date, most evidence regarding cyber-bullying in Greece is drawn from European-level research projects which mainly provide statistics regarding the prevalence of the phenomenon, but give little information regarding its correlates, while most of the few national studies are conducted with small, non-nationwide samples or have not been published in scholarly papers. In conclusion, cyber-bullying research seems to be at a premature level in Greece, but it is a global issue that sooner or later should be systematically addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the Internet, the agricultural product circulation standard system needs to undergo corresponding changes to adapt to the modern fast-paced social system. Based on the summary of domestic and foreign theoretical research, this paper adopts five methods including literature research, field investigation, case comparison analysis, model construction, qualitative and quantitative methods to study the agricultural product circulation system. Moreover, this paper analyses the connotation of agricultural products and agricultural product circulation system, and takes the agricultural product circulation system as the research object, and uses field investigation as the research method to systematically analyse the contents of the agricultural product circulation subject, circulation channel, and logistics operation mode. In addition, this article combined with examples to quantitatively analyse my country's agricultural product logistics operations. Finally, this article combines the agricultural product logistics system with fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to analyse the product circulation standard under the Internet background and customer needs to put forward several suggestions for improvement, and builds an improved agricultural product circulation standard system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of the digital transformation of agriculture and China’s ‘dual-carbon’ strategy for agriculture is new momentum for developing agriculture, reducing rural income inequality, and improving the subjective well-being of farm households. This paper uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2014, 2016, and 2018 to examine the impact of internet use on rural income inequality at the household level. The results show that internet use can significantly reduce rural income inequality by enhancing information availability and farm households’ nonfarm employment level. The results of a heterogeneity analysis reveal that the internet is more conducive to improving the income inequality of rural burdened families and families in Western China. Further analysis shows that improving income inequality can enhance the subjective wellbeing of farmer households. Accelerating the construction of digital villages, building internet skills cultivation systems, and focusing on the utility of internet use among vulnerable rural groups can reduce rural income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the world, Internet of Things (IoT) have been used in different application areas to assist human beings in numerous activities such as smart buildings and cities via remote sensing-enabled techniques. However, simultaneous transmission of packet(s) by multiple devices Ci, which are interested to start a communication session with a common receiver device, is one of the challenging issues associated with these networks. In the literature, various mechanisms have been presented to resolve the aforementioned issue without changing the technological infrastructures; however, neighbourhood information of sensor nodes is not considered yet. In IoT-enabled remote sensing, neighbourhood information of various devices plays a vital role in developing a reliable communication mechanism specifically for scenarios where multiple devices Ci are interested to start communication with a common destination module. In this paper, a neighbourhood-enabled TDMA scheme is presented for the IoT to ensure the concurrent communication of multiple devices Ci with a common destination device Sj preferably with a minimum possible packet collision ratio (if avoidance is not possible). The proposed scheme bounds each and every member device Ci to assign a dedicated time slot to its neighbouring devices in the operational IoT network. Furthermore, neighbouring devices Ci are forced to communicate within the assigned time slot. Simulation results have verified that the proposed scheme is ideal solution compared to the existing schemes for the IoT and other resource-limited networks particularly in scenarios where the deployment process is random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on the work of critical toponymy, this paper provides an example of the active contestation of a place name. Since the early 1990s, successive Korean governments have argued that the singular use of "Sea of Japan" is a colonial legacy. We provide a brief historical context for this dispute. We identify the array of names currently used in newspapers, journals, educational texts, and internet sites and show that a dual naming is now a more common usage, especially in international English-language newspapers, atlases, educational textbooks and internet materials. A colonial naming practice has been challenged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Development Index of industrial Internet from 2009 to 2018 of 31 provinces in China was obtained by using the entropy method for the article. This paper analyzes the impact of industrial Internet on high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry by building a fixed effect model, and also studies the intermediary role of intelligence and greening on this basis. The results indicate that, Industrial Internet has significantly promoted the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry, of which intelligence and green play an intermediary role between the Industrial Internet and the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, and the impact of industrial Internet on the development of manufacturing industry in the Eastern region is significantly higher than that in the Central and Western regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the modern challenges hindering access to sexual health resources in the age of Big Tech and their impact on public health. Research data from sexual health organizations, Internet experts, and corporate financial documents shows instances of conflict between Big Tech's business model and the sexual health organizations' efforts to provide accurate information about sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy prevention to the youth. Results show that as younger generations turn to the internet for sexual health resources, they are met with misinformation and roadblocks, enabled by the dominant corporations in the market. Sexual pleasure, for instance, remains an overlooked dimension of these resources despite the fact that it is important to people. In conclusion, given the rise in popularity of tech platforms, and the youth's reliance on them as basic information resources, Big Tech must be held accountable for its role and impact on public health, and collaborative closely and actively with sexual health experts to establish appropriate content moderation policies for sexual health content online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and public health emergencies have severely threatened world food security. In response, the Chinese government has actively promoted sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) and emphasized the importance of integrated packages to enhance the development of high-quality agriculture. However, due to information failure, farmers' adoption rate of SAPs is still very low. Meanwhile, internet use can effectively reduce the cost of information barriers and catalyze farmers to promote the joint adoption of SAPs. This paper aims to theoretically elucidate the logic of how internet use impacts farmers' joint adoption of SAPs. Empirical analysis based on data from 844 rice farmers in southern China reveals that internet use can significantly promote the joint adoption of SAPs, and adoption behaviours are complementary across multiple technologies. Furthermore, internet use in the group of rice farmers with more farmlands or those receiving subsidies is more inclined to adopt SAPs jointly. These findings suggest that developing countries should prioritize public investment in rural internet infrastructure to facilitate joint adoption of SAPs through farmers' internet use. The moderate scale of farmland usage and targeted agricultural subsidy policies can further enhance the effectiveness of ICT-based joint adoption of SAPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information-Centric Networks (ICNs) have become a promising paradigm for the future Internet instead of host-based communication. In this network, contentoriented data and in-network caching are two key properties, which have brought tremendous benefits to many challenging networks by improving the distribution and retrieval of content. The content is cached along the reversed delivery path, on-path caching and off-path caching. Generally, the existing caching approaches in Information-Centric Networks mainly consider the key characteristics of the content (to decide which content is to be cached), the network (to determine the appropriate time for caching), the nodes (to determine where content should reside), etc. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of in-network caching of ICN schemes (also known as ICN-based caching) in many network applications. Thus, a detailed analysis of the existing caching approaches in several network applications, such as MANET, VANET, IoT, and WSN, is given. This survey also provides a taxonomy for caching policies according to some feature-based approaches and highlights the trends and evaluation problems in these areas. Finally, the challenging research directions in different applications are also pointed out in this subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Vehicles is deployed in an open environment, and protecting its security and data privacy is the challenge. Carrying out the Internet of Vehicles secure authentication before interaction of information is an important part of ensuring the security foundation. Therefore, this article designs a safe and reliable Internet of Vehicles authentication and key agreement schemeassisted by blockchain. This article uses a multi-TA network model to improve the efficiency of authentication. Because of the rapid movement of vehicles, it will continue to appear cross-RSU and TA certification. Considering the disadvantages of most centralised authentication protocols using a single TA, this paper uses the multi-TA model to improve the efficiency of authentication. By usingblockchain technology to store the authentication information of vehicles, the cross-domain authentication of vehicles and the protection of user privacy information can be well realised. At the same time, in order to reduce the time of vehicle authentication, this scheme uses a lightweight calculation operation to complete the whole process of authentication. Through security analysis and results of Proverif simulation, the security of the solution is well proved, our scheme can resist various common attacks. Compared with some existing Internet of Vehicles security authentication protocols, the proposed scheme has a lower cost of computation, communication, and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India’s experience with the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is notable on account of nationally formalising – at scale – community action in service delivery,monitoring, and planning of health services. A study was undertaken to document and create a historical record of NRHM’s ‘communitization’ processes. The oral history method of the Witness Seminar was adopted and two virtual seminars with five and nine participants, respectively, were conducted, and supplemented with 4 in depth interviews. Analysis of transcripts was done using ATLAS.ti 22 with the broad themes of emergence, evolution, and evaluation and impact of ‘communitization’ under NRHM. This paper engages with the theme of ‘emergence’ and adopts the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) conceptualised by John Kingdon for analysis. Key findings include the pioneering role of boundary spanning decision makers and the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA) in advocacy and design of ‘communitization’ structures, and the legacy of rights based social mobilizations and state-civil society partnerships in health during the 1990s influencing the ethos underlying ‘communitization’. Democracy, leadership from the civil society in policy design and implementation, and state-civil society partnerships are linked to the positive results witnessed as part of ‘communitization’ in NRHM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes trends, patterns, and rigorousness in research studies about the Internet through a content analysis of published Internet-related papers in 15 major journals in communications, marketing, and advertising between 1994 and 2003. Five hundred thirty seven papers of 4,050 total papers in the 15 journals (13.3%) were about the Internet. The results of this study demonstrate a definite pattern of increase in Internet research, the existence of a wide dispersion of individual and institutional contributors, a need for a more explicit theoretical framework, and a need for better methodological rigors in Internet research. In terms of topical coverage, this study concludes that Internet research deals with diverse research topics, but has not quite reached the last phase of Wimmer and Dominick's (2002) media developmental model (i.e., how we can improve the Internet). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of Internet technology, due to the uneven distribution of information, poor stability of various links, low product quality and standards, and immature development of cold chain logistics network, China's agricultural products e-commerce omnichannel supply chain cannot match the diversified needs of consumers. Based on the background of Internet technology, on the basis of exploring the reverse integration value demands of agricultural products e-commerce omnichannel supply chain, this paper constructs three modes of consumption leading business process, service leading organisation and linear value creation, and puts forward the specific implementation path, so as to realise the standardisation and modern operation of agricultural products e-commerce omnichannel supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper concerns difficulties with excessive food intake, sexual activities, romantic relationships, gambling, Internet use, shopping, and exercise--behaviors that might cause considerable suffering. Excessive behaviors are seen as expressions of underlying difficulties that often co-occur with other psychological difficulties, and behaviors may accompany or replace each other. Moreover, they might pass unnoticed in clinical practice. Given the complexity of excessive behaviors, integrated and individualized treatment has been recommended. This paper presents an overview of the terminology concerning excessive behaviors, and the impact of naming is acknowledged. Thereafter, methods for identification and assessment, as well as treatment needs are discussed. Because identification, assessment, and treatment occur in an interaction between client and practitioner, this paper presents a discussion of the need to empower practitioners to identify and assess excessive behaviors and provide an integrated treatment. Moreover, the need to support practitioners' capacity to handle and tolerate the overwhelming suffering and the negative consequences connected to excessive behaviors is discussed. Qualitative studies are suggested in order to understand the meaning of excessive behaviors, treatment needs, and the interaction between client and practitioner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been associated with development programmes for many decades. A theme of Lamberton’s commentary on such initiatives focuses on the lack of attention given to information as a key factor in the development process. His writing reiterated a number of arguments that he saw as being fundamental to the application of an information perspective to development issues. With a focus on agricultural development policy in the Pacific region, the paper uses a number of propositions that are suggested by Lamberton to analyse contemporary development initiatives in Pacific Island agriculture. These propositions focus attention on information costs that can influence the transfer of information and development of knowledge. Document analysis of selected published sources from a Pacific Island development programme are reviewed to illustrate the significance of information costs for development processes. The paper addresses the contention between traditional authority and knowledge and its significance for development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sample surveys are increasingly being used to measure electronic commerce activities. They often play a key role in efforts to describe and understand e-commerce phenomena, particularly in respect to attitudes, motives, and intentions. This paper studies establishment surveys of e-commerce, focusing especially on the sensitivity of the results to the measurement instrument. Several survey modes are compared, with special attention to the Web as a possible alternative to more expensive telephone and mail data-collection techniques. Controlled experiments show that e-commerce survey topics are sensitive to the measurement instrument, and especially to the Web questionnaire. In consequence, precise elaboration of the methodology is important when interpreting survey findings related to e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper combination with the Internet + environment, constructed an evaluation index system for Pu'er tea price impact mechanism from five dimensions including economic development level, national tea supply-demand, Yunnan tea supply, Pu'er tea supply-demand and Yunnan Internet development level factors during 2012–2019, and using technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution method (TOPSIS) to have an empirical research. The results show that economic development factors and Yunnan Internet development level factors have a great influence on price. The influence of national tea supply-demand factors, Pu'er tea supply-demand factors and Yunnan Internet development level factors on the price increased year by year. Therefore, enhance product competitiveness, plan production and business activities reasonably and using internet thought are important work for the industry future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology & Society is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article provides information about "Global Health Action (GHA)," an international, peer-reviewed Open Access journal affiliated to the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research (CGH) at Umeå University in Sweden. All the articles published in GHA will be accessible online after these articles are accepted for publication and they can also be linked, downloaded and stored by anybody with a computer and access to the internet. The journal is inclined to establish what is needed to be implemented in order to address the public health challenges. In addition, it also envisions to provide a more concrete and practical approach to global health challenges.

Global demand for capacity building has increased interest for eLearning. As eLearning resources become more common, effective implementation is required to scale up utilization in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This paper describes the process of implementing a malnutrition eLearning course, effectiveness of course delivery models devised, factors affecting course completion, and cost comparison between the models and face-to-face training at healthcare and academic institutions in Ghana. Four delivery models: Mobile Training Centre (MTC), Online Delivery (OD), Institutional Computer Workstation (ICW) and Mixed Delivery (MD) – a combination of OD and ICW – were determined. Participants were enabled to access the course using one of the four models where contextually appropriate. Pre and post-assessments and questionnaires were administered to compare participants' course completion status and knowledge gain between delivery models. The effect of access to computer and Internet at home and relevance of course to job and academic progression on course completion were further investigated. Comparison of delivery model costs against face-to-face training was also undertaken. Of 7 academic and 9 healthcare institutions involving 915 people, 9 used MTC (34.8%), 3 OD (18.8%), 3 ICW (34.2%) and 1 MD (12.2%). Course completion was higher among institutions where the course was relevant to job or implemented as part of required curriculum activities. Knowledge gain was significant among most participants, but higher among those who found the course relevant to job or academic progression. The implementation costs per participant for training with MTC were £51.0, OD £2.2, ICW £1.2 and MD £1.1, compared with a face-to-face training estimate of £105.0 (1 GHS = 0.14 GBP). The malnutrition eLearning course makes global capacity building in malnutrition management achievable. Adopting contextually appropriate delivery models and ensuring training is relevant to job/academic progression can enhance eLearning effectiveness in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth and new development of internet technologies have provided many significant opportunities for cost reduction and service improvement for the supply chain. However, the adoption of the interact technologies in agribusiness supply chains (SC), especially the flesh produce supply chain, is still slow and far behind other sectors. This paper is about the EU funded project VEGNET (Enhancing Vegetable Supply Chain Management with internet Technologies) which aims to accelerate the speed of internet adoption among fresh produce supply chains involving small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The paper first introduces the project's objectives and approaches. It then presents some key findings from a survey conducted with United Kingdom SMEs in fresh produce supply chains. These findings provide actual insights into the current internet and software usage of the United Kingdom SMEs and help to reveal gaps between Europe and China. Findings and implications from the project's other activities, such as case studies and surveys in China are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to develop a conceptual framework for analysing the impacts of the Internet and e-commerce upon industrial sectors. While a great deal has been written about the so-called 'new economy' much of it has been either speculative and hyperbolic, as in the 'boom' years of the late 1990s, or cynical and dismissive, as in the period since the collapse of 'dot.com' stocks in Spring 2000. We seek to move beyond and between these positions by providing a means to determine what difference the Internet and e-commerce might make to industrial organization through a consideration of the retail financial services industry. We do this through a critical evaluation of the concept of disintermediation that, as we argue in the paper, is better understood as reintermediation. We argue that the potential impacts of the Internet and e-commerce upon retail financial services are non-trivial, and they are consistent with the individualization of risk and reward that have characterized wider processes of financial inclusion and exclusion over the past decade or so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pedagogical literature, asynchronous, computer-mediated courses have been promoted as an interactive mode of course delivery. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different teaching strategies in this medium. In this paper, I describe the development of my asynchronous course and outline the fundamental dilemmas in attempting to achieve interactivity in this medium of course delivery. I discuss issues of pacing the course, grading, monitoring discussions, and incorporating Internet-based material into the course. Each of these considerations should be addressed in future research on asynchronous courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial ecology is a new approach to production that entails redesigning and zoning industrial processes in order to recover or eliminate waste, thereby increasing profitability and competitiveness while reducing environ mental problems. Although the approach has its genesis in high-income industrial countries, the approach may offer solutions to many of the problems facing developing countries. However, its implementation requires addressing some issues about innovation and the dissemination and uptake of new management concepts and technologies. This paper describes an attempt to adapt an Internet-based market mechanism to support the preliminary stages of the development of an industrial ecosystem in a relatively poor country, namely Jamaica. The software was developed in Australia but had to be extensively adapted to the Jamaican environment via an iterative process of user-requirement capture. The paper describes the various stages required in the specification and establishment of an electronic web-based waste exchange in a relatively poor economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most authors analysing the 'New Economy' study it as an isolated phenomenon. This approach, however, misses the continued significance of structural economic and socio-political fundamentals, both domestically and within the world economy. This paper examines the current changes in the global economic environment in a historical and structural context and identifies change as a pattern constantly discernible in at least the past 1,000 years. The changes leading to the New Economy are neither unique in a historical context, nor do they represent the end of the nation state and its role in the global economy. Instead, the changes represent a common pattern observed over an extended period of time. A convincing framework to study and explain the question of economic and political global leadership in the course of history is the leadership long cycle paradigm. The paper identifies the Internet as the new leading sector of the nineteenth K-wave and the US as the country most likely to be the old and new leading economy in the world economic and political system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous growth of e-commerce makes it critical for firms to understand consumers' search behavior so that e-commerce Web sites and the underlying information systems can be designed to better cater to consumers' needs. This paper extends the classic search model to analyze online consumer search behavior. The analytical results suggest how consumers' search depth is influenced by a variety of factors such as search cost, individual consumer difference, and product characteristics. Evidence is provided using clickstream data of online searches and purchases of music CDs, computer hardware, and airline tickets during the period from July 2002 to December 2002 collected by an Internet marketing company, ComScore Inc. Compared with the search depth reported in previous works, this study finds that consumers are searching more intensely before purchasing online. This reflects the evolution of Internet users and the growth of online retail business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper extends the limits-to-value model of Davern and Kauffman to explore market and process-level factors that impact value flows to firms for their information technology (IT) investments. We characterize IT value in terms of potential value and realized value, and show how each is subject to different effects-- limits to value--that diminish the benefits of the investment. Our typology identifies barriers specific to the valuation process (industry and organizational barriers), and to the conversion process (resource, knowledge and usage barriers). Following the development of our analytical framework from existing economic and organizational theories of IT valuation and technology adoption and diffusion, we analyze a series of case studies of Internet-based travel reservation systems in electronic commerce (EC). These cases provide evidence in support of the usefulness of the framework, and illustrate the extent of the difficulties faced by organizations in making their investments in EC systems pay off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet traffic pricing is necessary for the vitality of electronic commerce because uncontrolled congestion creates a detrimental effect on quality of the Internet services. Pricing approaches based on negative externality have potential to address the issue of congestion. However, most externality-based pricing approaches require the knowledge of consumers' private demand characteristics, and this requirement is often pointed out as the single most important shortcoming of these mechanisms. The fact that the Internet is a "public good" presents challenging information extraction problems for network managers in implementing any pricing mechanism. Ideally, we seek an incentive-compatible mechanism--a means of extracting the required information that provides no incentives for users to alter their behavior in an attempt to manipulate the information extraction and price setting processes. The authors present a solution based on a new nonparametric statistical technique that was developed for this purpose. While the results in this paper are presented in the context of our prior research on pricing, the approach presented here applies to information extraction and implementation in other resource pricing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational use of the Internet forms one of the cornerstones of Labour government policy, primarily via the construction of the 'National Grid for Learning' which aims to connect every school in the UK to the Internet by 2002. In this paper we report on the extent to which schools are already buying into information and communications technology (ICT) and in particular the Internet, effectively examining the foundations upon which the Learning Grid is being constructed. Via an empirical study of 150 current school websites we will argue that schools adopt a variety of approaches to the Internet and Worldwide Web depending upon the technological and institutional capital of the school, and that far from being utilised solely for educational purposes, the Internet provides an additional tool through which schools seek to reaffirm or reconstruct their existing institutional identities with varying levels of success. The paper concludes by adopting a semiotic framework for analysing the differential use of the Internet by educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet and mobile communication has transformed the manner of conventionally interacting with cultural heritage, creating dynamic networks for all those involved. It provides opportunities to experiment with innovative mobile applications that, valorizing historical and environmental resources, complement the broader context of smart cities/regions. This paper aims to study an advanced virtual on-site fruition of cultural heritage by users--consumers, applied in the region of Sardinia, through the simulation of computer-based relational augmented reality (AR) applications. This case study, which is a unique regional attempt at promoting regional cultural heritage using AR technologies, is interesting because of its tourist offerings that today remain fragmented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most economic literature on the internet views the internet through the lens of private markets. However, the internet, concretely, as a collection of software protocols, is intrinsically a public good, as economists define them. The article reviews a selection of conventional approaches to the internet; the focus of which, on markets, is an example of Alfred North Whitehead's fallacy of misplaced concreteness. On closer analysis, these markets turn out to be traditional business activities enabled by internet applications, which are themselves not market "goods." An alternative analogy is that of a virtual public square, the walls of which are used as a communal bulletin board. This image is actually a close representation of the way that the early internet was developed. A number of policy conclusions are drawn from this contrasting approach. The public good character of the internet needs to be protected against private interests, including the current group of internet oligarchs. In line with Thomas Piketty's work on the extreme levels of income and wealth inequality that have evolved in the global economy, some small measure of correction can be assisted by making the private appropriators of the public good pay for the services that the internet provides to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To estimate the effects of an interactive web-based support system via mobile phone on preference-based patient participation in patients with hypertension treated in primary care (compared with standard hypertensive care only). A parallel group, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial, conducted October 2018–February 2021. Besides standard hypertensive care, the intervention group received eight weeks of support via mobile phone to facilitate self-monitoring and self-management, tentatively providing for augmented patient engagement. 31 primary healthcare centers in Sweden. 949 patients treated for hypertension. The effects on preference-based patient participation, that is, the match between a patient's preferences for and experiences of patient participation in their health and healthcare. This was measured with the 4Ps (Patient Preferences for Patient Participation) tool at baseline, after 8 weeks, and at 12 months. Data were registered electronically and analyzed with multilevel ordinal regression. At baseline, 43–51% had a complete match between their preferences for and experiences of patient participation. There was an indication of a positive effect by a higher match for 'managing treatment myself' at 8-weeks in the intervention group. Such preference-based participation in their health and healthcare was reversed at 12 months, and no further effects of the intervention on preference-based patient participation persisted after 12 months. The interactive web-based support system via mobile phone had a wavering effect on preference-based patient participation. There is a prevailing need to better understand how person-centered patient participation can be facilitated in primary care. Although patient participation is essential when having a long-term condition, interventions optimizing individuals' engagement have not been fully identified. About half of the patients with hypertension in this study did not experience participation in the manner and extent they preferred. A web-based support system via mobile phone improved some aspects of patient participation in the short- but not long term. Strategies to better identify patients' preferences for patient participation are needed, to evaluate and improve the outcome of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trainees or medical residents' experiences of hospital rotations and training have not been sufficiently studied. More empirical holistic studies of experiences of General Practice/Family Medicine (GP/FM) residents in Sweden are needed. The purpose of this study was to describe experiences of hospital rotation during residency. Empirical-holistic study. GP/FM residents were invited by email to participate in the study. They could describe their experiences anonymously by answering two questions via an esMaker internet survey. Analyses of the responses were carried out with content analysis as the analytical methodology. Both manifest and latent responses were analyzed. Fifty-nine GP/FM residents participated in the study. The results identified four main topics: structure, resources, effects, and constructive supervision. GP/FM residents experienced hospital rotations as effective when there was a structured schedule and adequate time allotted for introduction and meeting patients. Hospital rotations that lacked, or had unstructured, supervision caused uncertainty and insecurity, which led to rotations being experienced as less beneficial, which was, from a GP/FM perspective, not constructive. The study suggests that family medicine residents required a structured and planned schedule during hospital rotations. This study may contribute to increased quality of hospital rotations during residency as a family physician. Swedish family medicine residents' experiences of hospital rotations have not been sufficiently studied. Hospital rotations with a structured schedule, which included introduction, supervision and feedback, were considered the most beneficial according to residents. However, family medicine residents were often treated as part of the clinic's work force without sufficiently structured supervision or feedback. This experience could have led to uncertainty and insecurity during hospital rotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The importance of tackling economic, social and health-related inequities is increasingly accepted as a core concern for the post-Millennium Development Goal framework. However, there is a global dearth of high-quality, policy-relevant and actionable data on inequities within populations, which means that development solutions seldom focus on the people who need them most. INTREC (INDEPTH Training and Research Centres of Excellence) was established with this concern in mind. It aims to provide training for researchers from the INDEPTH network on associations between health inequities, the social determinants of health (SDH), and health outcomes, and on presenting their findings in a usable form to policy makers. Objective: As part of a baseline situation analysis for INTREC, this paper assesses the current status of SDH training in three of the African INTREC countries - Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa - as well as the gaps, barriers, and opportunities for training. Methods: SDH-related courses from the three countries were identified through personal knowledge of the researchers, supplemented by snowballing and online searches. Interviews were also conducted with, among others, academics engaged in SDH and public health training in order to provide context and complementary material. Information regarding access to the Internet, as a possible INTREC teaching medium, was gathered in each country through online searches. Results: SDH-relevant training is available, but 1) the number of places available for students is limited; 2) the training tends to be public-health-oriented rather than inclusive of the broader, multi-sectoral issues associated with SDH; and 3) insufficient funding places limitations on both students and on the training institutions themselves, thereby affecting participation and quality. We also identified rapidly expanding Internet connectivity in all three countries, which opens up opportunities for e-learning on SDH, though the current quality of the Internet services remains mixed. Conclusions: SDH training is currently in short supply, and there is a clear role for INTREC to contribute to the training of a critical mass of African researchers on the topic. This work will be accomplished most effectively by building on pre-existing networks, institutions, and methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticide-use recording systems (PURs) operating in New Zealand were reviewed to identify their purpose, components, and the functions they offer users. Paper-based spray diaries are still used by some producers, but numerous internet-based and computer software recording systems are now available. These largely meet the minimum requirements of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 in New Zealand. Electronic PURs are used mainly by horticultural industries to approve clearance for crop harvest and collate data on pesticide use to satisfy the quality assurance and traceability demands of international markets for pesticide residues in food. Some horticultural industries have developed databases for pesticide-use data derived from PURs, and these are used to track trends in industry pesticide use and for a range of other analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet presents an ever-shifting landscape for consumers to navigate. Links that exist one day may be gone the next, only to be replaced by new sets of connections among organizations. This study addresses the question of how an organization's positioning in a particular set of links on the Web might bias consumers' later judgment of its trustworthiness. The study suggests that the particular set of links a consumer faces in navigating toward an organization constitutes a context for the encounter with that organization and may have a significant impact on the way the consumer judges the company after interacting with its Web site. The paper develops and tests hypotheses that argue for the priming effect of context. Results of an experimental study provide evidence that unfamiliar companies may benefit from an overall assimilation effect when a link to their sites is surrounded by links to more familiar organizations, and familiar organizations may benefit from a contrast effect when inexperienced consumers see their company link surrounded by links to unfamiliar companies. The paper extends prior models on the determinants of consumers' on-line trust by examining concepts from priming theory. The conclusions suggest that practitioners should be aware of the context in which links to their sites are placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Culture, Health & Sexuality is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A growing number of libraries have installed wireless data connections as a way of providing access to the Internet for members of the public. Some libraries have used their wireless networks to enable staff to use wireless devices to increase their mobility, effectiveness and responsiveness to client need particularly in providing reference and information services. This paper will look at some of these innovative applications of wireless data technology in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent political reforms in the Gulf Arab countries have been variously understood as regime survival strategies, correlates of economic globalisation, and even the end result of US pressure to democratise. This paper examines the possible role played by the introduction of modern information and communication technologies (icts) in stimulating political liberalisation in the Gulf Arab states. Rather than attempting to quantify their democratising impact, this paper utilises the concept of agency, examining how the range of agents of ict production and diffusion in the region have sought to influence the actual impact upon political space. It concludes that modern icts have demonstrated the potential to expand the existing public sphere, and to create new opportunities for liberal political activity. However, the particular configuration of agency in the countries in question has meant that the state and its allies have retained a significant degree of control over the extent and nature of the political space, a process in which local society may have in some instances collaborated. Thus, while the introduction and diffusion of new icts may have contributed to the pressures which led to some of the political reforms in evidence in the Gulf Arab states, one cannot argue that they amount, at least as yet, to a sustained and effective attack on illiberal political structures. The first part of this paper surveys the existing body of literature in an effort to devise a framework for the subsequent study of two principal contemporary icts (satellite television and the internet) in the Gulf Arab states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an on-line mediation services (OMS) mechanism to alleviate the consequences of asymmetric information for traders in C2C markets. In an adverse-selection setting, the mechanism facilitates on-line transactions by (1) inducing traders to negotiate efficiently in the presence of ex post discrepancy, and (2) enabling sellers with higher probability of selling a high-quality product to signal their superiority and enjoy a price premium. The mechanism con also be implemented as a profitable business model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception that Internet plagiarism by university students is on the rise has alarmed college teachers, leading to the adoption of electronic plagiarism checkers, among other responses. Although some recent studies suggest that estimates of online plagiarism may be exaggerated, cause for concern remains. This article reviews quantitative studies of student plagiarism over the past forty years, as well as academe's generally weak response. It also offers strategies for addressing cyber-plagiarism and argues that faculty should act as educators, rather than as detectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pragmatism's anti-essentialist emphasis on contingency and plurality and its notion of truth-as-created (not discovered) have important implications for the interpretation of archaeological data, and for the 'public presentation' of archaeological research. This paper will examine a pragmatically oriented project in Brazoria, Texas, USA, in which archaeologists and local citizens (including site descendants) have collaborated to create an Internet website to discuss the politically and emotionally charged archaeologies and histories of an eighteenth-century sugar plantation. It will discuss ways in which a pragmatic philosophical framework has given archaeologists new ways of approaching and 'conversing' about their data, and new ways of dealing, openly and non-hierarchically, with the communities most affected by their research. It will also discuss ways in which elements of post-processual archaeological theory – multivocality, interactivity, reflexivity and contextuality – were incorporated within both the content and delivery of the website, and will close with a short discussion about whether these strategies were effective in creating an open, relevant, democratic and multivocal discourse about archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agent-based systems are increasingly used to support business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce and other Internet-based transactions. The design complexity resulting from the multiple interconnected systems in these domains has to be managed in order to reduce costs and time to market. This paper introduces the Role-Algebraic Multi-Agent System Design (RAMASD) approach. RAMASD utilizes role models as reusable system-building blocks and a role algebra to capture the basic relations of roles. A two-sorted algebra is used to define the role algebra's semantics. RAMASD reduces the complexity of designing agent-based B2B e-commerce systems by enabling designers to work at a high level of abstraction and by automatically allocating roles to agents according to applicable role models and design constraints. A case study concerning a B2B electronic market for the automotive industry demonstrates the applicability of RAMASD. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed approach are discussed, and comparisons with relevant work are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-commerce success, especially in the business-to-consumer area, is determined in part by whether consumers trust sellers and products they cannot see or touch, and electronic systems with which they have no previous experience. This paper describes a theoretical model for investigating the four main antecedent influences on consumer trust in Internet shopping, a major form of business-to-consumer e-commerce: trustworthiness of the Internet merchant, trustworthiness of the Internet as a shopping medium, infrastructural (contextual) factors (e.g., security, third-party certification), and other factors (e.g., company size, demographic variables). The antecedent variables are moderated by the individual consumer's degree of trust propensity, which reflects personality traits, culture, and experience. Based on the research model, a comprehensive set of hypotheses is formulated and a methodology for testing them is outlined. Some of the hypotheses are tested empirically to demonstrate the applicability of the theoretical model. The findings indicate that merchant integrity is a major positive determinant of consumer trust in Internet shopping, and that its effect is moderated by the individual consumer's trust propensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More student than ever are turning first to the World Wide Web when conducting research. As you read their papers you become painfully aware that many do not differentiate cybertreasures from cybertrash. Students tend to approach online information the same way they approach the professional literature found in the library. Teaching students to evaluate online information provides an opportunity to sharpen critical thinking skills. Specific criteria include noting a website's domain, sponsorship, authorship, currency, scope, and accuracy. Students should be especially cautious when using information posted on commercial websites because these .com websites promote products. While information may be posted on commercial websites as a public service, this information may only be posted if it does not conflict with product promotion. Students will not be able to tell much about a sponsoring institution that has the network domain. Such websites can be sponsored by a network provider, a commercial, or even a nonprofit organization.

On the basis of the authors' experiences of setting up an NGDC Web site, this paper attempts to present some significant aspects about the security of NGDC based on ASP. They include data storing, database maintenance, new technical support and so on. Firstly, this paper discusses how to provide the security of data which is saved in the hosts of NGDC. The security model of “Networks-DB Server-DB-DB Object” is also presented. In Windows NT Server, Internet Information Server (i. e., IIS) is in charge of transferring message and the management of Web sites. ASP is also based on IIS. The advantages of virtual directory technique provided by IIS are emphasized. An NGDC Web site, at the Research Center of GIS in Wuhan Technical University of Surveying and Mapping is also mentioned in this paper. Because it is only an analoge used for case study, the transmission of digital spatial products is not included in the functions in this NGDC Web site. However, the management of spatial metadata is more important and some functions of metadata query are implemented in it. It is illustrated clearly in the functional diagram of the NGDC Web site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients often search for health-related information on the internet allthough this trend may have some benefits, it also has some risks, such as misinformation. The aim of this study is to evaluate how Internet information seeking affect the level of anxiety in patients with endometriosis. This prospective observational study was conducted at our outpatient clinic between March 2019 and December 2020. We enrolled We enrolled all patients with a confirmed sonographic diagnosis of endometriosis who had sought information about the disease prior to our visit. We divided them into two groups based on the source of information (Internet only vs multiple sources). Before the visit, we asked women to fill-in validated questionnaires about anxiety, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD) and the Spielberg State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI- Y6) and the Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP) − 5. After the visit, the STAI-Y6 was resubmitted to each woman. We enrolled 200 women who filled-in the questionnaires: 46 reported the Internet as the only source of information, 52 sought information also from medically qualified sources, 74 consulted only healthcare professionals, and 28 resorted to medical journals. Women who used the Internet as their exclusive source of information were younger on average and their STAI-Y6 score after the visit was significantly lower compared to other group (34.1 ± 11.5 vs 42.1 ± 14.7, p =.001). Moreover, the difference between the STAI-Y6 scores before and after our assessment was higher in these women (-18.3 ± 14.7 vs −10.3 ± 16.5, p =.003). Women who sought information online were younger, had lower levels of state trait anxiety after our medical evaluation, and a had a greater reduction in anxiety levels after our examination compared to women who consulted other sources to learn more about endometriosis. Women using only Internet are younger than those who use other sources of information. Women who researched symptoms online showed higher pre-examination anxiety levels. Patients with severe pain symptoms consulted both the internet and professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study distinguishes between two dimensions of firm process innovation, namely, quantity and quality, and uses data from the World Bank's China Manufacturing Firm Survey to analyse the differential impact of Internet applications on the quantity and quality of process innovation and their mechanisms of action. Internet applications have a significant facilitating effect on the quantity and quality of process innovation. However, from the perspective of the average marginal effect, the facilitating effect of Internet applications on the quantity of process innovation is greater than that on the quality of process innovation. Further analysing firm size, industry, ownership, and regional heterogeneity shows that in terms of the quantity of process innovation, Internet applications have a greater impact on small- and medium-sized firms, labour-intensive firms, non-state-owned firms, and eastern firms. As for the quality of process innovation, Internet applications have a stronger promoting effect on large firms, technology-intensive firms, and state-owned firms. The mechanism test reveals that open innovation and informatisation capability play a mediating role in the influence of a firm's Internet applications on process innovation. This study provides micro-empirical evidence for firms' Internet applications to promote process innovation and policy insights into China's manufacturing transformation and upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]