Sample records for evaluating web systems

  1. Development and Evaluation of an Interactive WebQuest Environment: "Web Macerasi"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gulbahar, Yasemin; Madran, R. Orcun; Kalelioglu, Filiz

    2010-01-01

    This study was conducted to develop a web-based interactive system, Web Macerasi, for teaching-learning and evaluation purposes, and to find out the possible effects of this system. The study has two stages. In the first stage, a WebQuest site was designed as an interactive system in which various Internet and web technologies were used for…

  2. Evaluation Criteria for the Educational Web-Information System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seok, Soonhwa; Meyen, Edward; Poggio, John C.; Semon, Sarah; Tillberg-Webb, Heather

    2008-01-01

    This article addresses how evaluation criteria improve educational Web-information system design, and the tangible and intangible benefits of using evaluation criteria, when implemented in an educational Web-information system design. The evaluation criteria were developed by the authors through a content validation study applicable to…

  3. Quality evaluation on an e-learning system in continuing professional education of nurses.

    PubMed

    Lin, I-Chun; Chien, Yu-Mei; Chang, I-Chiu

    2006-01-01

    Maintaining high quality in Web-based learning is a powerful means of increasing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of distance learning. Many studies have evaluated Web-based learning but seldom evaluate from the information systems (IS) perspective. This study applied the famous IS Success model in measuring the quality of a Web-based learning system using a Web-based questionnaire for data collection. One hundred and fifty four nurses participated in the survey. Based on confirmatory factor analysis, the variables of the research model fit for measuring the quality of a Web-based learning system. As Web-based education continues to grow worldwide, the results of this study may assist the system adopter (hospital executives), the learner (nurses), and the system designers in making reasonable and informed judgments with regard to the quality of Web-based learning system in continuing professional education.

  4. 'Televaluation' of clinical information systems: an integrative approach to assessing Web-based systems.

    PubMed

    Kushniruk, A W; Patel, C; Patel, V L; Cimino, J J

    2001-04-01

    The World Wide Web provides an unprecedented opportunity for widespread access to health-care applications by both patients and providers. The development of new methods for assessing the effectiveness and usability of these systems is becoming a critical issue. This paper describes the distance evaluation (i.e. 'televaluation') of emerging Web-based information technologies. In health informatics evaluation, there is a need for application of new ideas and methods from the fields of cognitive science and usability engineering. A framework is presented for conducting evaluations of health-care information technologies that integrates a number of methods, ranging from deployment of on-line questionnaires (and Web-based forms) to remote video-based usability testing of user interactions with clinical information systems. Examples illustrating application of these techniques are presented for the assessment of a patient clinical information system (PatCIS), as well as an evaluation of use of Web-based clinical guidelines. Issues in designing, prototyping and iteratively refining evaluation components are discussed, along with description of a 'virtual' usability laboratory.

  5. Development of Web-based Distributed Cooperative Development Environmentof Sign-Language Animation System and its Evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuizono, Takaya; Hara, Kousuke; Nakayama, Shigeru

    A web-based distributed cooperative development environment of sign-language animation system has been developed. We have extended the system from the previous animation system that was constructed as three tiered system which consists of sign-language animation interface layer, sign-language data processing layer, and sign-language animation database. Two components of a web client using VRML plug-in and web servlet are added to the previous system. The systems can support humanoid-model avatar for interoperability, and can use the stored sign language animation data shared on the database. It is noted in the evaluation of this system that the inverse kinematics function of web client improves the sign-language animation making.

  6. Evaluating Student Response to WeBWorK, a Web-Based Homework Delivery and Grading System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roth, Vicki; Ivanchenko, Volodymyr; Record, Nicholas

    2008-01-01

    As the use of web-based homework delivery and checking systems expands, we have greater need to evaluate how students engage with these systems and how changes in the systems influence student behavior. Reported here is the assessment of WeBWorK, an open-source web-based homework program used largely in postsecondary math and science courses, with…

  7. A Generic Evaluation Model for Semantic Web Services

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shafiq, Omair

    Semantic Web Services research has gained momentum over the last few Years and by now several realizations exist. They are being used in a number of industrial use-cases. Soon software developers will be expected to use this infrastructure to build their B2B applications requiring dynamic integration. However, there is still a lack of guidelines for the evaluation of tools developed to realize Semantic Web Services and applications built on top of them. In normal software engineering practice such guidelines can already be found for traditional component-based systems. Also some efforts are being made to build performance models for servicebased systems. Drawing on these related efforts in component-oriented and servicebased systems, we identified the need for a generic evaluation model for Semantic Web Services applicable to any realization. The generic evaluation model will help users and customers to orient their systems and solutions towards using Semantic Web Services. In this chapter, we have presented the requirements for the generic evaluation model for Semantic Web Services and further discussed the initial steps that we took to sketch such a model. Finally, we discuss related activities for evaluating semantic technologies.

  8. Usability Evaluation of a Web-Based Learning System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nguyen, Thao

    2012-01-01

    The paper proposes a contingent, learner-centred usability evaluation method and a prototype tool of such systems. This is a new usability evaluation method for web-based learning systems using a set of empirically-supported usability factors and can be done effectively with limited resources. During the evaluation process, the method allows for…

  9. Self-Evaluated Effects of Web-Based Portfolio Assessment System for Various Student Motivation Levels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Chi-Cheng

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the self-evaluated effects of a web-based portfolio assessment system on various categories of students of motivation. The subjects for this study were the students of two computer classes in a Junior High School. The experimental group used the web-based portfolio assessment system whereas the control…

  10. Web Mining for Web Image Retrieval.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Zheng; Wenyin, Liu; Zhang, Feng; Li, Mingjing; Zhang, Hongjiang

    2001-01-01

    Presents a prototype system for image retrieval from the Internet using Web mining. Discusses the architecture of the Web image retrieval prototype; document space modeling; user log mining; and image retrieval experiments to evaluate the proposed system. (AEF)

  11. Web Mining: Machine Learning for Web Applications.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Hsinchun; Chau, Michael

    2004-01-01

    Presents an overview of machine learning research and reviews methods used for evaluating machine learning systems. Ways that machine-learning algorithms were used in traditional information retrieval systems in the "pre-Web" era are described, and the field of Web mining and how machine learning has been used in different Web mining…

  12. Web-Based Evaluation System for Learning Management Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Momani, Alaa

    2010-01-01

    E-learning systems have become an issue in recent years. A learning management system (LMS) is an electronic environment helps the educational society to communicate, exchange information, manage, and schedule the learning process. This study has provided a web-based evaluation system that may help the users to choose the convenient system…

  13. Evaluating a Web-Based Interface for Internet Telemedicine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lathan, Corinna E.; Newman, Dava J.; Sebrechts, Marc M.; Doarn, Charles R.

    1997-01-01

    The objective is to introduce the usability engineering methodology, heuristic evaluation, to the design and development of a web-based telemedicine system. Using a set of usability criteria, or heuristics, one evaluator examined the Spacebridge to Russia web-site for usability problems. Thirty-four usability problems were found in this preliminary study and all were assigned a severity rating. The value of heuristic analysis in the iterative design of a system is shown because the problems can be fixed before deployment of a system and the problems are of a different nature than those found by actual users of the system. It was therefore determined that there is potential value of heuristic evaluation paired with user testing as a strategy for optimal system performance design.

  14. The evaluation of a web-based incident reporting system.

    PubMed

    Kuo, Ya-Hui; Lee, Ting-Ting; Mills, Mary Etta; Lin, Kuan-Chia

    2012-07-01

    A Web-based reporting system is essential to report incident events anonymously and confidentially. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Web-based reporting system in Taiwan. User satisfaction and impact of system use were evaluated through a survey answered by 249 nurses. Incident events reported in paper and electronic systems were collected for comparison purposes. Study variables included system user satisfaction, willingness to report, number of reports, severity of the events, and efficiency of the reporting process. Results revealed that senior nurses were less willing to report events, nurses on internal medicine units had higher satisfaction than others, and lowest satisfaction was related to the time it took to file a report. In addition, the Web-based reporting system was used more often than the paper system. The percentages of events reported were significantly higher in the Web-based system in laboratory, environment/device, and incidents occurring in other units, whereas the proportions of reports involving bedsores and dislocation of endotracheal tubes were decreased. Finally, moderate injury event reporting decreased, whereas minor or minimal injury event reporting increased. The study recommends that the data entry process be simplified and the network system be improved to increase user satisfaction and reporting rates.

  15. AWSCS-A System to Evaluate Different Approaches for the Automatic Composition and Execution of Web Services Flows

    PubMed Central

    Tardiole Kuehne, Bruno; Estrella, Julio Cezar; Nunes, Luiz Henrique; Martins de Oliveira, Edvard; Hideo Nakamura, Luis; Gomes Ferreira, Carlos Henrique; Carlucci Santana, Regina Helena; Reiff-Marganiec, Stephan; Santana, Marcos José

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a system named AWSCS (Automatic Web Service Composition System) to evaluate different approaches for automatic composition of Web services, based on QoS parameters that are measured at execution time. The AWSCS is a system to implement different approaches for automatic composition of Web services and also to execute the resulting flows from these approaches. Aiming at demonstrating the results of this paper, a scenario was developed, where empirical flows were built to demonstrate the operation of AWSCS, since algorithms for automatic composition are not readily available to test. The results allow us to study the behaviour of running composite Web services, when flows with the same functionality but different problem-solving strategies were compared. Furthermore, we observed that the influence of the load applied on the running system as the type of load submitted to the system is an important factor to define which approach for the Web service composition can achieve the best performance in production. PMID:26068216

  16. AWSCS-A System to Evaluate Different Approaches for the Automatic Composition and Execution of Web Services Flows.

    PubMed

    Tardiole Kuehne, Bruno; Estrella, Julio Cezar; Nunes, Luiz Henrique; Martins de Oliveira, Edvard; Hideo Nakamura, Luis; Gomes Ferreira, Carlos Henrique; Carlucci Santana, Regina Helena; Reiff-Marganiec, Stephan; Santana, Marcos José

    2015-01-01

    This paper proposes a system named AWSCS (Automatic Web Service Composition System) to evaluate different approaches for automatic composition of Web services, based on QoS parameters that are measured at execution time. The AWSCS is a system to implement different approaches for automatic composition of Web services and also to execute the resulting flows from these approaches. Aiming at demonstrating the results of this paper, a scenario was developed, where empirical flows were built to demonstrate the operation of AWSCS, since algorithms for automatic composition are not readily available to test. The results allow us to study the behaviour of running composite Web services, when flows with the same functionality but different problem-solving strategies were compared. Furthermore, we observed that the influence of the load applied on the running system as the type of load submitted to the system is an important factor to define which approach for the Web service composition can achieve the best performance in production.

  17. Evaluation of a new website design for iwantthekit for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomonas screening.

    PubMed

    Kuder, Margaret; Goheen, Mary Jett; Dize, Laura; Barnes, Mathilda; Gaydos, Charlotte A

    2015-05-01

    The www.iwantthekit.org provides Internet-based, at-home sexually transmitted infection screening. The Web site implemented an automated test result access system. To evaluate potential deleterious effects of the new system, we analyzed demographics, Web site usage, and treatment. The post-Web site design captured more participant information and no decrease in requests, kit return, or treatment adherence.

  18. Development and Implementation of a Web-based Evaluation System for an Internal Medicine Residency Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenberg, Mark E.; Watson, Kathleen; Paul, Jeevan; Miller, Wesley; Harris, Ilene; Valdivia, Tomas D.

    2001-01-01

    Describes the development and implementation of a World Wide Web-based electronic evaluation system for the internal medicine residency program at the University of Minnesota. Features include automatic entry of evaluations by faculty or students into a database, compliance tracking, reminders, extensive reporting capabilities, automatic…

  19. Development, implementation and pilot evaluation of a Web-based Virtual Patient Case Simulation environment – Web-SP

    PubMed Central

    Zary, Nabil; Johnson, Gunilla; Boberg, Jonas; Fors, Uno GH

    2006-01-01

    Background The Web-based Simulation of Patients (Web-SP) project was initiated in order to facilitate the use of realistic and interactive virtual patients (VP) in medicine and healthcare education. Web-SP focuses on moving beyond the technology savvy teachers, when integrating simulation-based education into health sciences curricula, by making the creation and use of virtual patients easier. The project strives to provide a common generic platform for design/creation, management, evaluation and sharing of web-based virtual patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate if it was possible to develop a web-based virtual patient case simulation environment where the entire case authoring process might be handled by teachers and which would be flexible enough to be used in different healthcare disciplines. Results The Web-SP system was constructed to support easy authoring, management and presentation of virtual patient cases. The case authoring environment was found to facilitate for teachers to create full-fledged patient cases without the assistance of computer specialists. Web-SP was successfully implemented at several universities by taking into account key factors such as cost, access, security, scalability and flexibility. Pilot evaluations in medical, dentistry and pharmacy courses shows that students regarded Web-SP as easy to use, engaging and to be of educational value. Cases adapted for all three disciplines were judged to be of significant educational value by the course leaders. Conclusion The Web-SP system seems to fulfil the aim of providing a common generic platform for creation, management and evaluation of web-based virtual patient cases. The responses regarding the authoring environment indicated that the system might be user-friendly enough to appeal to a majority of the academic staff. In terms of implementation strengths, Web-SP seems to fulfil most needs from course directors and teachers from various educational institutions and disciplines. The system is currently in use or under implementation in several healthcare disciplines at more than ten universities worldwide. Future aims include structuring the exchange of cases between teachers and academic institutions by building a VP library function. We intend to follow up the positive results presented in this paper with other studies looking at the learning outcomes, critical thinking and patient management. Studying the potential of Web-SP as an assessment tool will also be performed. More information about Web-SP: PMID:16504041

  20. Development, implementation and pilot evaluation of a Web-based Virtual Patient Case Simulation environment--Web-SP.

    PubMed

    Zary, Nabil; Johnson, Gunilla; Boberg, Jonas; Fors, Uno G H

    2006-02-21

    The Web-based Simulation of Patients (Web-SP) project was initiated in order to facilitate the use of realistic and interactive virtual patients (VP) in medicine and healthcare education. Web-SP focuses on moving beyond the technology savvy teachers, when integrating simulation-based education into health sciences curricula, by making the creation and use of virtual patients easier. The project strives to provide a common generic platform for design/creation, management, evaluation and sharing of web-based virtual patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate if it was possible to develop a web-based virtual patient case simulation environment where the entire case authoring process might be handled by teachers and which would be flexible enough to be used in different healthcare disciplines. The Web-SP system was constructed to support easy authoring, management and presentation of virtual patient cases. The case authoring environment was found to facilitate for teachers to create full-fledged patient cases without the assistance of computer specialists. Web-SP was successfully implemented at several universities by taking into account key factors such as cost, access, security, scalability and flexibility. Pilot evaluations in medical, dentistry and pharmacy courses shows that students regarded Web-SP as easy to use, engaging and to be of educational value. Cases adapted for all three disciplines were judged to be of significant educational value by the course leaders. The Web-SP system seems to fulfil the aim of providing a common generic platform for creation, management and evaluation of web-based virtual patient cases. The responses regarding the authoring environment indicated that the system might be user-friendly enough to appeal to a majority of the academic staff. In terms of implementation strengths, Web-SP seems to fulfil most needs from course directors and teachers from various educational institutions and disciplines. The system is currently in use or under implementation in several healthcare disciplines at more than ten universities worldwide. Future aims include structuring the exchange of cases between teachers and academic institutions by building a VP library function. We intend to follow up the positive results presented in this paper with other studies looking at the learning outcomes, critical thinking and patient management. Studying the potential of Web-SP as an assessment tool will also be performed. More information about Web-SP: http://websp.lime.ki.se.

  1. Creating adaptive web recommendation system based on user behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walek, Bogdan

    2018-01-01

    The paper proposes adaptive web recommendation system based on user behavior. The proposed system uses expert system to evaluating and recommending suitable items of content. Relevant items are subsequently evaluated and filtered based on history of visited items and user´s preferred categories of items. Main parts of the proposed system are presented and described. The proposed recommendation system is verified on specific example.

  2. System Testing of Desktop and Web Applications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slack, James M.

    2011-01-01

    We want our students to experience system testing of both desktop and web applications, but the cost of professional system-testing tools is far too high. We evaluate several free tools and find that AutoIt makes an ideal educational system-testing tool. We show several examples of desktop and web testing with AutoIt, starting with simple…

  3. Web-Based Search and Plot System for Nuclear Reaction Data

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Otuka, N.; Nakagawa, T.; Fukahori, T.

    2005-05-24

    A web-based search and plot system for nuclear reaction data has been developed, covering experimental data in EXFOR format and evaluated data in ENDF format. The system is implemented for Linux OS, with Perl and MySQL used for CGI scripts and the database manager, respectively. Two prototypes for experimental and evaluated data are presented.

  4. Knowledge bases built on web languages from the point of view of predicate logics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vajgl, Marek; Lukasová, Alena; Žáček, Martin

    2017-06-01

    The article undergoes evaluation of formal systems created on the base of web (ontology/concept) languages by simplifying the usual approach of knowledge representation within the FOPL, but sharing its expressiveness, semantic correct-ness, completeness and decidability. Evaluation of two of them - that one based on description logic and that one built on RDF model principles - identifies some of the lacks of those formal systems and presents, if possible, corrections of them. Possibilities to build an inference system capable to obtain new further knowledge over given knowledge bases including those describing domains by giant linked domain databases has been taken into account. Moreover, the directions towards simplifying FOPL language discussed here has been evaluated from the point of view of a possibility to become a web language for fulfilling an idea of semantic web.

  5. The Formative Evaluation of a Web-based Course-Management System within a University Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maslowski, Ralf; Visscher, Adrie J.; Collis, Betty; Bloemen, Paul P. M.

    2000-01-01

    Discussion of Web-based course management systems (W-CMSs) in higher education focuses on formative evaluation and its contribution in the design and development of high-quality W-CMSs. Reviews methods and techniques that can be applied in formative evaluation and examines TeLeTOP, a W-CMS produced at the University of Twente (Netherlands). (LRW)

  6. Mining Formative Evaluation Rules Using Web-Based Learning Portfolios for Web-Based Learning Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Chih-Ming; Hong, Chin-Ming; Chen, Shyuan-Yi; Liu, Chao-Yu

    2006-01-01

    Learning performance assessment aims to evaluate what knowledge learners have acquired from teaching activities. Objective technical measures of learning performance are difficult to develop, but are extremely important for both teachers and learners. Learning performance assessment using learning portfolios or web server log data is becoming an…

  7. Multidisciplinary eHealth Survey Evaluation Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karras, Bryant T.; Tufano, James T.

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes the development process of an evaluation framework for describing and comparing web survey tools. We believe that this approach will help shape the design, development, deployment, and evaluation of population-based health interventions. A conceptual framework for describing and evaluating web survey systems will enable the…

  8. The Tutor-Web: An Educational System for Classroom Presentation, Evaluation and Self-Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stefansson, Gunnar

    2004-01-01

    A general Web-based system for use in education, the tutor-web, has been developed for storage and presentation of electronic slides for classroom use, along with reference material, examples and quizzes. The primary novelty of the system is the structured linkage between the various pieces of information, to maintain coherence and focus on the…

  9. Silicon Web Process Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Hopkins, R. H.; Mchugh, J. P.; Hill, F. E.; Heimlich, M. E.; Driggers, J. M.

    1978-01-01

    Progress in the development of techniques to grow silicon web at 25 wq cm/min output rate is reported. Feasibility of web growth with simultaneous melt replenishment is discussed. Other factors covered include: (1) tests of aftertrimmers to improve web width; (2) evaluation of growth lid designs to raise speed and output rate; (3) tests of melt replenishment hardware; and (4) investigation of directed gas flow systems to control unwanted oxide deposition in the system and to improve convective cooling of the web. Compatibility with sufficient solar cell performance is emphasized.

  10. Development and Evaluation of Mechatronics Learning System in a Web-Based Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shyr, Wen-Jye

    2011-01-01

    The development of remote laboratory suitable for the reinforcement of undergraduate level teaching of mechatronics is important. For the reason, a Web-based mechatronics learning system, called the RECOLAB (REmote COntrol LABoratory), for remote learning in engineering education has been developed in this study. The web-based environment is an…

  11. Factors that affect implementation of web-based faculty evaluation forms: residents' perspectives from a developing country.

    PubMed

    Ibrahim, S H; Ali, S K; Sadaf, S

    2010-08-01

    A web-based evaluation system for residents to provide feedback on faculty was piloted in four training programs at the Aga Khan University prior to institution-wide implementation. Of the four programs, less than 50% of forms were submitted by residents of three programs while more than 70% of forms were submitted by the residents of one program. This study was conducted to identify reasons for the varying participation rates of the four programs with a view to improving the system. A qualitative approach was employed using focus group discussions (FGDs). Volunteers were invited and three groups of eight to ten residents each were formed. Participants for FGDs were selected from all residency years. FGDs were used to identify residents' perceptions regarding the web-based faculty evaluation system and to identify residents' problems and concerns with completing the web-based faculty evaluating forms. Technical issues in completing and submitting the forms online were identified to be the main deterrents to completing the evaluation forms. Non-accessibility of a resource person for resolving technical problems with the software and the burden of taking time out to complete the forms were considered as limiting factors by many residents. Residents recommended a focused orientation session to the new system within the departments. Residents' confidence and support are key to promoting adequate participation in web-based evaluations. Focused orientation sessions, reinforcement, reminders, assurances of confidentiality, and removal of technical glitches should help to improve resident participation.

  12. Multi-Criteria Evaluation of the Web-Based E-Learning System: A Methodology Based on Learner Satisfaction and Its Applications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shee, Daniel Y.; Wang, Yi-Shun

    2008-01-01

    The web-based e-learning system (WELS) has emerged as a new means of skill training and knowledge acquisition, encouraging both academia and industry to invest resources in the adoption of this system. Traditionally, most pre- and post-adoption tasks related to evaluation are carried out from the viewpoints of technology. Since users have been…

  13. A Semantic Web-based System for Mining Genetic Mutations in Cancer Clinical Trials.

    PubMed

    Priya, Sambhawa; Jiang, Guoqian; Dasari, Surendra; Zimmermann, Michael T; Wang, Chen; Heflin, Jeff; Chute, Christopher G

    2015-01-01

    Textual eligibility criteria in clinical trial protocols contain important information about potential clinically relevant pharmacogenomic events. Manual curation for harvesting this evidence is intractable as it is error prone and time consuming. In this paper, we develop and evaluate a Semantic Web-based system that captures and manages mutation evidences and related contextual information from cancer clinical trials. The system has 2 main components: an NLP-based annotator and a Semantic Web ontology-based annotation manager. We evaluated the performance of the annotator in terms of precision and recall. We demonstrated the usefulness of the system by conducting case studies in retrieving relevant clinical trials using a collection of mutations identified from TCGA Leukemia patients and Atlas of Genetics and Cytogenetics in Oncology and Haematology. In conclusion, our system using Semantic Web technologies provides an effective framework for extraction, annotation, standardization and management of genetic mutations in cancer clinical trials.

  14. SU-D-BRD-02: A Web-Based Image Processing and Plan Evaluation Platform (WIPPEP) for Future Cloud-Based Radiotherapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chai, X; Liu, L; Xing, L

    Purpose: Visualization and processing of medical images and radiation treatment plan evaluation have traditionally been constrained to local workstations with limited computation power and ability of data sharing and software update. We present a web-based image processing and planning evaluation platform (WIPPEP) for radiotherapy applications with high efficiency, ubiquitous web access, and real-time data sharing. Methods: This software platform consists of three parts: web server, image server and computation server. Each independent server communicates with each other through HTTP requests. The web server is the key component that provides visualizations and user interface through front-end web browsers and relay informationmore » to the backend to process user requests. The image server serves as a PACS system. The computation server performs the actual image processing and dose calculation. The web server backend is developed using Java Servlets and the frontend is developed using HTML5, Javascript, and jQuery. The image server is based on open source DCME4CHEE PACS system. The computation server can be written in any programming language as long as it can send/receive HTTP requests. Our computation server was implemented in Delphi, Python and PHP, which can process data directly or via a C++ program DLL. Results: This software platform is running on a 32-core CPU server virtually hosting the web server, image server, and computation servers separately. Users can visit our internal website with Chrome browser, select a specific patient, visualize image and RT structures belonging to this patient and perform image segmentation running Delphi computation server and Monte Carlo dose calculation on Python or PHP computation server. Conclusion: We have developed a webbased image processing and plan evaluation platform prototype for radiotherapy. This system has clearly demonstrated the feasibility of performing image processing and plan evaluation platform through a web browser and exhibited potential for future cloud based radiotherapy.« less

  15. [Designing and implementation of a web-based quality monitoring system for plasma glucose measurement in multicenter population study].

    PubMed

    Liu, Yong; Wang, Limin; Pang, Richard; Mo, Nanxun; Hu, Yan; Deng, Qian; Hu, Zhaohui

    2015-05-01

    The aim of this paper is to describe the designing and implementation of a web-based plasma glucose measurement quality monitoring system to assess the analytical quality of plasma glucose measurements in multicenter population study and provide evidence for the future studies. In the chronic non-communicable disease and related factor surveillance in China, a web based quality monitoring system for plasma glucose measurement was established to conduct evaluation on plasma glucose monitoring quality and effectiveness in 302 surveillance centers, including quality control data entry, transmission and feedback. The majority of the surveillance centers met the quality requirements and passed the evaluation of reproducibility and precision of plasma glucose measurement, only a few centers required intensive training and re-assessment. In order to ensure the completeness and reliability of plasma glucose measurement in the surveillance centers, the establishment of web-based plasma glucose measurement quality control system can facilitate the identification of the qualified surveillance centers and evaluation of plasma glucose measurement quality in different regions. Communication and training are important in ensuring plasma glucose measurement quality. It is necessary to further improve this web-based plasma glucose measurement quality monitoring system in the future to reduce the method specific plasma glucose measurement bias.

  16. Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Secure Web Browsers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grier, Christopher L.

    2009-01-01

    Web browsers are plagued with vulnerabilities, providing hackers with easy access to computer systems using browser-based attacks. Efforts that retrofit existing browsers have had limited success since modern browsers are not designed to withstand attack. To enable more secure web browsing, we design and implement new web browsers from the ground…

  17. Use of Electronic Surveys in Course Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moss, Jaclyn; Hendry, Graham

    2002-01-01

    Reviews evidence for the effectiveness of electronic surveys as evaluation methods for electronic courses and discusses issues in email and Web survey methodologies. Describes the successful use of Web-based surveys in the evaluation system of the University of Sydney Medical Program and includes recommendations for online survey use in course…

  18. REopt Lite Web Tool Evaluates Photovoltaics and Battery Storage

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Building on the success of the REopt renewable energy integration and optimization platform, NREL has developed a free, publicly available web version of REopt called REopt Lite. REopt Lite evaluates the economics of grid-connected photovoltaics (PV) and battery storage at a site. It allows building owners to identify the system sizes and battery dispatch strategy that minimize their life cycle cost of energy. This web tool also estimates the amount of time a PV and storage system can sustain the site's critical load during a grid outage.

  19. Knowledge management impact of information technology Web 2.0/3.0. The case study of agent software technology usability in knowledge management system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sołtysik-Piorunkiewicz, Anna

    2015-02-01

    How we can measure the impact of internet technology Web 2.0/3.0 for knowledge management? How we can use the Web 2.0/3.0 technologies for generating, evaluating, sharing, organizing knowledge in knowledge-based organization? How we can evaluate it from user-centered perspective? Article aims to provide a method for evaluate the usability of web technologies to support knowledge management in knowledge-based organizations of the various stages of the cycle knowledge management, taking into account: generating knowledge, evaluating knowledge, sharing knowledge, etc. for the modern Internet technologies based on the example of agent technologies. The method focuses on five areas of evaluation: GUI, functional structure, the way of content publication, organizational aspect, technological aspect. The method is based on the proposed indicators relating respectively to assess specific areas of evaluation, taking into account the individual characteristics of the scoring. Each of the features identified in the evaluation is judged first point wise, then this score is subject to verification and clarification by means of appropriate indicators of a given feature. The article proposes appropriate indicators to measure the impact of Web 2.0/3.0 technologies for knowledge management and verification them in an example of agent technology usability in knowledge management system.

  20. Web-Based Interactive System for Analyzing Achievement Gaps in Public Schools System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Kening; Mulvenon, Sean W.; Stegman, Charles; Xia, Yanling

    2010-01-01

    The National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) at the University of Arkansas developed a web-based interactive system to provide information on state, district, and school level achievement gaps between white students and black students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and non-disadvantaged students, male…

  1. Toward a Web Based Environment for Evaluation and Design of Pedagogical Hypermedia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trigano, Philippe C.; Pacurar-Giacomini, Ecaterina

    2004-01-01

    We are working on a method, called CEPIAH. We propose a web based system used to help teachers to design multimedia documents and to evaluate their prototypes. Our current research objectives are to create a methodology to sustain the educational hypermedia design and evaluation. A module is used to evaluate multimedia software applied in…

  2. Design and evaluation of web-based image transmission and display with different protocols

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tan, Bin; Chen, Kuangyi; Zheng, Xichuan; Zhang, Jianguo

    2011-03-01

    There are many Web-based image accessing technologies used in medical imaging area, such as component-based (ActiveX Control) thick client Web display, Zerofootprint thin client Web viewer (or called server side processing Web viewer), Flash Rich Internet Application(RIA) ,or HTML5 based Web display. Different Web display methods have different peformance in different network environment. In this presenation, we give an evaluation on two developed Web based image display systems. The first one is used for thin client Web display. It works between a PACS Web server with WADO interface and thin client. The PACS Web server provides JPEG format images to HTML pages. The second one is for thick client Web display. It works between a PACS Web server with WADO interface and thick client running in browsers containing ActiveX control, Flash RIA program or HTML5 scripts. The PACS Web server provides native DICOM format images or JPIP stream for theses clients.

  3. Evaluating the quality of Internet information for femoroacetabular impingement.

    PubMed

    Lee, Simon; Shin, Jason J; Haro, Marc S; Song, Sang H; Nho, Shane J

    2014-10-01

    The Internet has become a ubiquitous source of medical information for both the patient and the physician. However, the quality of this information is highly variable. We evaluated the quality of Internet information available for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). Four popular search engines were used to collect 100 Web sites containing information on FAI. Web sites were evaluated based on authorship, various content criteria, and the presence of Health On the Net Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification. By use of a novel evaluation system for quality, Web sites were also classified as excellent, high, moderate, poor, or inadequate and were subsequently analyzed. Web sites were evaluated as a group, followed by authorship type, by HONcode certification, and by quality level. Of the Web sites, 73 offered the ability to contact the author, 91 offered a considerable explanation of FAI, 54 provided surgical treatment options, 58 offered nonsurgical treatment options, 27 discussed possible complications, 11 discussed eligibility criteria, 31 discussed rehabilitation, 67 discussed a differential diagnosis, and 48 included peer-reviewed citations. We categorized 40 Web sites as academic, 33 as private, 9 as industry, 9 as public education, and 9 as blogs. Our novel quality evaluation system classified 16 Web sites as excellent, 18 as high, 17 as moderate, 18 as poor, and 31 as inadequate. Only 8% of all evaluated Web sites contained HONcode certification. We found that the quality of information available on the Internet about FAI was dramatically variable. A significantly large proportion of Web sites were from academic sources, but this did not necessarily indicate higher quality. Sites with HONcode certification showed as much variability in quality as noncertified sites. This study increases clinician competence in the available Internet information about FAI and helps them to confidently guide patients to formulate appropriate medical decisions based on high-quality information. Copyright © 2014 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Expert Advisor (EA) Evaluation System Using Web-based ELECTRE Method in Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Satibi; Widodo, Catur Edi; Farikhin

    2018-02-01

    This research aims to optimize forex trading profit automatically using EA but its still keep considering accuracy and drawdown levels. The evaluation system will classify EA performance based on trading market sessions (Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York) to determine the right EA to be used in certain market sessions. This evaluation system is a web-based ELECTRE methods that interact in real-time with EA through web service and are able to present real-time charts performance dashboard using web socket protocol communications. Web applications are programmed using NodeJs. In the testing period, all EAs had been simulated 24 hours in all market sessions for three months, the best EA is valued by its profit, accuracy and drawdown criteria that calculated using web-based ELECTRE method. The ideas of this research are to compare the best EA on testing period with collaboration performances of each best classified EA by market sessions. This research uses three months historical data of EUR/USD as testing period and other 3 months as validation period. As a result, performance of collaboration four best EA classified by market sessions can increase profits percentage consistently in testing and validation periods and keep securing accuracy and drawdown levels.

  5. Quicker, slicker, and better? An evaluation of a web-based human resource management system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gibb, Stephen; McBride, Andrew

    2001-10-01

    This paper reviews the design and development of a web based Human Resource Management (HRM) system which has as its foundation a 'capability profiler' tool for analysing individual or team roles in organisations. This provides a foundation for managing a set of integrated activities in recruitment and selection, performance and career management, and training and development for individuals, teams, and whole organisations. The challenges of representing and processing information about the human side of organisation encountered in the design and implementation of such systems are evident. There is a combination of legal, practical, technical and philosophical issues to be faced in the processes of defining roles, selecting staff, monitoring and managing the performance of employees in the design and implementation of such systems. The strengths and weaknesses of web based systems in this context are evaluated. This evaluation highlights both the potential, given the evolution of broader Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and strategies in manufacturing, and concerns about the migration of HRM processes to such systems.

  6. Usability of American Nurses Association State Web Sites: A Follow-up Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Koch, Gina; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Alexander, Gregory L; Wilson, Melissa A; Becker, Colleen

    2016-05-01

    The American Nurses Association supports professional nurses through Web sites administered by state nursing associations, providing important information for current and potential members. Optimal usability of these Web sites is critical for nurses to obtain the information they seek. Heuristic evaluations are general criteria used to evaluate the usability of technology such as Web sites. A study published in 2014, using heuristic criteria from Nielsen's 10 principles and Health on The Web, evaluated 27 state nursing Web sites to identify usability concerns that could prevent nurses from obtaining accurate information regarding state nursing practice. The purpose of this study is to conduct a second heuristic evaluation to assess for changes in a subset of 12 Web sites. The analysis comparing the evaluation from 2012 to 2014 found that mean scores increased and variance decreased; however, no statistically significant difference was found between the two studies. Scores increased in 2014 for "help users to diagnose, and recover from errors," "match between the system and real world," and "consistency and standards." Scores decreased due to absence of mission statements and identification of intended audience. Ideally, Web site designers will use the feedback from this study and make changes that improve their usability to provide information to nurses.

  7. 75 FR 20850 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-21

    ... in the efforts to make system changes. Grantees will complete systems web-based data entry on goals... grantee and key staff-partner interview 249 2 1.60 797 guide EBHV grantee systems web-based data entry... prevent child maltreatment. An evaluation study will address four domains: (1) Systems change to develop...

  8. Development and Evaluation of a Thai Learning System on the Web Using Natural Language Processing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dansuwan, Suyada; Nishina, Kikuko; Akahori, Kanji; Shimizu, Yasutaka

    2001-01-01

    Describes the Thai Learning System, which is designed to help learners acquire the Thai word order system. The system facilitates the lessons on the Web using HyperText Markup Language and Perl programming, which interfaces with natural language processing by means of Prolog. (Author/VWL)

  9. Silicon dendritic web growth

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, S.

    1984-01-01

    Technological goals for a silicon dendritic web growth program effort are presented. Principle objectives for this program include: (1) grow long web crystals front continuously replenished melt; (2) develop temperature distribution in web and melt; (3) improve reproductibility of growth; (4) develop configurations for increased growth rates (width and speed); (5) develop new growth system components as required for improved growth; and (6) evaluate quality of web growth.

  10. WebAlchemist: a Web transcoding system for mobile Web access in handheld devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whang, Yonghyun; Jung, Changwoo; Kim, Jihong; Chung, Sungkwon

    2001-11-01

    In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of WebAlchemist, a prototype web transcoding system, which automatically converts a given HTML page into a sequence of equivalent HTML pages that can be properly displayed on a hand-held device. The Web/Alchemist system is based on a set of HTML transcoding heuristics managed by the Transcoding Manager (TM) module. In order to tackle difficult-to-transcode pages such as ones with large or complex table structures, we have developed several new transcoding heuristics that extract partial semantics from syntactic information such as the table width, font size and cascading style sheet. Subjective evaluation results using popular HTML pages (such as the CNN home page) show that WebAlchemist generates readable, structure-preserving transcoded pages, which can be properly displayed on hand-held devices.

  11. Developing the E-Delphi System: A Web-Based Forecasting Tool for Educational Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chou, Chien

    2002-01-01

    Discusses use of the Delphi technique and describes the development of an electronic version, called e-Delphi, in which questionnaire construction and communication with panel members was accomplished using the Web. Explains system function and interface and discusses evaluation of the e-Delphi system. (Author/LRW)

  12. Evaluation of the Kloswall longwall mining system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guay, P. J.

    1982-04-01

    A new longwal mining system specifically designed to extract a very deep web (48 inches or deeper) from a longwall panel was studied. Productivity and cost analysis comparing the new mining system with a conventional longwall operation taking a 30 inch wide web is presented. It is shown that the new system will increase annual production and return on investment in most cases. Conceptual drawings and specifications for a high capacity three drum shearer and a unique shield type of roof support specifically designed for very wide web operation are reported. The advantages and problems associated with wide web mining in general and as they relate specifically to the equipment selected for the new mining system are discussed.

  13. A Case Study of Web-Based Instruction (WBI): The Effectiveness of Using Frontpage Feedback System (FFS) as Metacognition Strategy for Freshmen Biology Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Tzu-Hua; Wang, Wei-Lung; Wang, Kuo-Hua; Huang, Hsih-Chieh

    2004-01-01

    This research aims to develop a Metacognition strategy for Web-Based Instruction (WBI) to stimulate reflective questions in biology learning to run Frontpage Feedback System (FFS) embedded in web pages, and thus to evaluate the influence of this internet-teaching style on biology learning among freshmen. According to the questionnaire survey, we…

  14. Web-video-mining-supported workflow modeling for laparoscopic surgeries.

    PubMed

    Liu, Rui; Zhang, Xiaoli; Zhang, Hao

    2016-11-01

    As quality assurance is of strong concern in advanced surgeries, intelligent surgical systems are expected to have knowledge such as the knowledge of the surgical workflow model (SWM) to support their intuitive cooperation with surgeons. For generating a robust and reliable SWM, a large amount of training data is required. However, training data collected by physically recording surgery operations is often limited and data collection is time-consuming and labor-intensive, severely influencing knowledge scalability of the surgical systems. The objective of this research is to solve the knowledge scalability problem in surgical workflow modeling with a low cost and labor efficient way. A novel web-video-mining-supported surgical workflow modeling (webSWM) method is developed. A novel video quality analysis method based on topic analysis and sentiment analysis techniques is developed to select high-quality videos from abundant and noisy web videos. A statistical learning method is then used to build the workflow model based on the selected videos. To test the effectiveness of the webSWM method, 250 web videos were mined to generate a surgical workflow for the robotic cholecystectomy surgery. The generated workflow was evaluated by 4 web-retrieved videos and 4 operation-room-recorded videos, respectively. The evaluation results (video selection consistency n-index ≥0.60; surgical workflow matching degree ≥0.84) proved the effectiveness of the webSWM method in generating robust and reliable SWM knowledge by mining web videos. With the webSWM method, abundant web videos were selected and a reliable SWM was modeled in a short time with low labor cost. Satisfied performances in mining web videos and learning surgery-related knowledge show that the webSWM method is promising in scaling knowledge for intelligent surgical systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Students Using a Novel Web-Based Laboratory Class Support System: A Case Study in Food Chemistry Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Kolk, Koos; Beldman, Gerrit; Hartog, Rob; Gruppen, Harry

    2012-01-01

    The design, usage, and evaluation of a Web-based laboratory manual (WebLM) are described. The main aim of the WebLM is to support students while working in the laboratory by providing them with just-in-time information. Design guidelines for this electronic manual were derived from literature on cognitive load and user interface design. The WebLM…

  16. A food web modeling analysis of a Midwestern, USA eutrophic lake dominated by non-native Common Carp and Zebra Mussels

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Colvin, Michael E.; Pierce, Clay; Stewart, Timothy W.

    2015-01-01

    Food web modeling is recognized as fundamental to understanding the complexities of aquatic systems. Ecopath is the most common mass-balance model used to represent food webs and quantify trophic interactions among groups. We constructed annual Ecopath models for four consecutive years during the first half-decade of a zebra mussel invasion in shallow, eutrophic Clear Lake, Iowa, USA, to evaluate changes in relative biomass and total system consumption among food web groups, evaluate food web impacts of non-native common carp and zebra mussels on food web groups, and to interpret food web impacts in light of on-going lake restoration. Total living biomass increased each year of the study; the majority of the increase due to a doubling in planktonic blue green algae, but several other taxa also increased including a more than two-order of magnitude increase in zebra mussels. Common carp accounted for the largest percentage of total fish biomass throughout the study even with on-going harvest. Chironomids, common carp, and zebra mussels were the top-three ranking consumer groups. Non-native common carp and zebra mussels accounted for an average of 42% of the total system consumption. Despite the relatively high biomass densities of common carp and zebra mussel, food web impacts was minimal due to excessive benthic and primary production in this eutrophic system. Consumption occurring via benthic pathways dominated system consumption in Clear Lake throughout our study, supporting the argument that benthic food webs are significant in shallow, eutrophic lake ecosystems and must be considered if ecosystem-level understanding is to be obtained.

  17. Evaluation of a web based informatics system with data mining tools for predicting outcomes with quantitative imaging features in stroke rehabilitation clinical trials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ximing; Kim, Bokkyu; Park, Ji Hoon; Wang, Erik; Forsyth, Sydney; Lim, Cody; Ravi, Ragini; Karibyan, Sarkis; Sanchez, Alexander; Liu, Brent

    2017-03-01

    Quantitative imaging biomarkers are used widely in clinical trials for tracking and evaluation of medical interventions. Previously, we have presented a web based informatics system utilizing quantitative imaging features for predicting outcomes in stroke rehabilitation clinical trials. The system integrates imaging features extraction tools and a web-based statistical analysis tool. The tools include a generalized linear mixed model(GLMM) that can investigate potential significance and correlation based on features extracted from clinical data and quantitative biomarkers. The imaging features extraction tools allow the user to collect imaging features and the GLMM module allows the user to select clinical data and imaging features such as stroke lesion characteristics from the database as regressors and regressands. This paper discusses the application scenario and evaluation results of the system in a stroke rehabilitation clinical trial. The system was utilized to manage clinical data and extract imaging biomarkers including stroke lesion volume, location and ventricle/brain ratio. The GLMM module was validated and the efficiency of data analysis was also evaluated.

  18. Are Integrated Portfolio Systems the Answer? An Evaluation of a Web-Based Portfolio System to Improve Preservice Teachers' Reflective Thinking Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oner, Diler; Adadan, Emine

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effectiveness of an integrated web-based portfolio system, namely the BOUNCE System, which primarily focuses on improving preservice teachers' reflective thinking skills. BOUNCE©, the software component of the system, was designed and developed to support a teaching practice model including a cycle of activities to be…

  19. 75 FR 14165 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-24

    ..., telephone interviews, and a Web-based indicator reporting system. Web-based surveys are intended to collect... Project: Evaluation of the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Grant (ECCS) Program: New HRSA's... Comprehensive Systems Grant (ECCS) Program. The purpose of the ECCS Program is to assist States and Territories...

  20. Web-based continuing medical education. (II): Evaluation study of computer-mediated continuing medical education.

    PubMed

    Curran, V R; Hoekman, T; Gulliver, W; Landells, I; Hatcher, L

    2000-01-01

    Over the years, various distance learning technologies and methods have been applied to the continuing medical education needs of rural and remote physicians. They have included audio teleconferencing, slow scan imaging, correspondence study, and compressed videoconferencing. The recent emergence and growth of Internet, World Wide Web (Web), and compact disk read-only-memory (CD-ROM) technologies have introduced new opportunities for providing continuing education to the rural medical practitioner. This evaluation study assessed the instructional effectiveness of a hybrid computer-mediated courseware delivery system on dermatologic office procedures. A hybrid delivery system merges Web documents, multimedia, computer-mediated communications, and CD-ROMs to enable self-paced instruction and collaborative learning. Using a modified pretest to post-test control group study design, several evaluative criteria (participant reaction, learning achievement, self-reported performance change, and instructional transactions) were assessed by various qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This evaluation revealed that a hybrid computer-mediated courseware system was an effective means for increasing knowledge (p < .05) and improving self-reported competency (p < .05) in dermatologic office procedures, and that participants were very satisfied with the self-paced instruction and use of asynchronous computer conferencing for collaborative information sharing among colleagues.

  1. Utilizing Web Information Systems for Organizational Knowledge Work: An Investigation of the Information Ecology and Information Behaviors of Users in a Telecommunications Company.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Detlor, Brian

    This paper outlines a detailed research investigation of Web information systems (WIS), such as intranets, extranets, and the World Wide Web, and their capacity to facilitate organizational knowledge work. The objective was to conduct a case study evaluation of WIS usage that examines the information needs and uses of major sets of users and the…

  2. Web-based auditory self-training system for adult and elderly users of hearing aids.

    PubMed

    Vitti, Simone Virginia; Blasca, Wanderléia Quinhoneiro; Sigulem, Daniel; Torres Pisa, Ivan

    2015-01-01

    Adults and elderly users of hearing aids suffer psychosocial reactions as a result of hearing loss. Auditory rehabilitation is typically carried out with support from a speech therapist, usually in a clinical center. For these cases, there is a lack of computer-based self-training tools for minimizing the psychosocial impact of hearing deficiency. To develop and evaluate a web-based auditory self-training system for adult and elderly users of hearing aids. Two modules were developed for the web system: an information module based on guidelines for using hearing aids; and an auditory training module presenting a sequence of training exercises for auditory abilities along the lines of the auditory skill steps within auditory processing. We built aweb system using PHP programming language and a MySQL database .from requirements surveyed through focus groups that were conducted by healthcare information technology experts. The web system was evaluated by speech therapists and hearing aid users. An initial sample of 150 patients at DSA/HRAC/USP was defined to apply the system with the inclusion criteria that: the individuals should be over the age of 25 years, presently have hearing impairment, be a hearing aid user, have a computer and have internet experience. They were divided into two groups: a control group (G1) and an experimental group (G2). These patients were evaluated clinically using the HHIE for adults and HHIA for elderly people, before and after system implementation. A third web group was formed with users who were invited through social networks for their opinions on using the system. A questionnaire evaluating hearing complaints was given to all three groups. The study hypothesis considered that G2 would present greater auditory perception, higher satisfaction and fewer complaints than G1 after the auditory training. It was expected that G3 would have fewer complaints regarding use and acceptance of the system. The web system, which was named SisTHA portal, was finalized, rated by experts and hearing aid users and approved for use. The system comprised auditory skills training along five lines: discrimination; recognition; comprehension and temporal sequencing; auditory closure; and cognitive-linguistic and communication strategies. Users needed to undergo auditory training over a minimum period of 1 month: 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day. Comparisons were made between G1 and G2 and web system use by G3. The web system developed was approved for release to hearing aid users. It is expected that the self-training will help improve effective use of hearing aids, thereby decreasing their rejection.

  3. Integrated Incident Management System (IIMS) web client application development, deployment and evaluation Staten Island (SI) demonstration project : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-09-27

    This evaluation report provides background on the development and findings. The aim of the UTRC project was to develop and : deploy Portable IIMS based on Smartphone web applications. Previously, traditional IIMS was deployed in the field vehicles : ...

  4. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Web-based Climate Resilience Decision Support Tools: Insights from Coastal New Jersey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brady, M.; Lathrop, R.; Auermuller, L. M.; Leichenko, R.

    2016-12-01

    Despite the recent surge of Web-based decision support tools designed to promote resiliency in U.S. coastal communities, to-date there has been no systematic study of their effectiveness. This study demonstrates a method to evaluate important aspects of effectiveness of four Web map tools designed to promote consideration of climate risk information in local decision-making and planning used in coastal New Jersey. In summer 2015, the research team conducted in-depth phone interviews with users of one regulatory and three non-regulatory Web map tools using a semi-structured questionnaire. The interview and analysis design drew from a combination of effectiveness evaluation approaches developed in software and information usability, program evaluation, and management information system (MIS) research. Effectiveness assessment results were further analyzed and discussed in terms of conceptual hierarchy of system objectives defined by respective tool developer and user organizations represented in the study. Insights from the interviews suggest that users rely on Web tools as a supplement to desktop and analog map sources because they provide relevant and up-to-date information in a highly accessible and mobile format. The users also reported relying on multiple information sources and comparison between digital and analog sources for decision support. However, with respect to this decision support benefit, users were constrained by accessibility factors such as lack of awareness and training with some tools, lack of salient information such as planning time horizons associated with future flood scenarios, and environmental factors such as mandates restricting some users to regulatory tools. Perceptions of Web tool credibility seem favorable overall, but factors including system design imperfections and inconsistencies in data and information across platforms limited trust, highlighting a need for better coordination between tools. Contributions of the study include user feedback on web-tool system designs consistent with collaborative methods for enhancing usability and a systematic look at effectiveness that includes both user perspectives and consideration of developer and organizational objectives.

  5. Spatially Referenced Educational Achievement Data Exploration: A Web-Based Interactive System Integration of GIS, PHP, and MySQL Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mulvenon, Sean W.; Wang, Kening; Mckenzie, Sarah; Anderson, Travis

    2006-01-01

    Effective exploration of spatially referenced educational achievement data can help educational researchers and policy analysts speed up gaining valuable insight into datasets. This article illustrates a demo system developed in the National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems (NORMES) for supporting Web-based interactive…

  6. Knowledge-driven enhancements for task composition in bioinformatics.

    PubMed

    Sutherland, Karen; McLeod, Kenneth; Ferguson, Gus; Burger, Albert

    2009-10-01

    A key application area of semantic technologies is the fast-developing field of bioinformatics. Sealife was a project within this field with the aim of creating semantics-based web browsing capabilities for the Life Sciences. This includes meaningfully linking significant terms from the text of a web page to executable web services. It also involves the semantic mark-up of biological terms, linking them to biomedical ontologies, then discovering and executing services based on terms that interest the user. A system was produced which allows a user to identify terms of interest on a web page and subsequently connects these to a choice of web services which can make use of these inputs. Elements of Artificial Intelligence Planning build on this to present a choice of higher level goals, which can then be broken down to construct a workflow. An Argumentation System was implemented to evaluate the results produced by three different gene expression databases. An evaluation of these modules was carried out on users from a variety of backgrounds. Users with little knowledge of web services were able to achieve tasks that used several services in much less time than they would have taken to do this manually. The Argumentation System was also considered a useful resource and feedback was collected on the best way to present results. Overall the system represents a move forward in helping users to both construct workflows and analyse results by incorporating specific domain knowledge into the software. It also provides a mechanism by which web pages can be linked to web services. However, this work covers a specific domain and much co-ordinated effort is needed to make all web services available for use in such a way, i.e. the integration of underlying knowledge is a difficult but essential task.

  7. A Data Management System Integrating Web-based Training and Randomized Trials: Requirements, Experiences and Recommendations.

    PubMed

    Muroff, Jordana; Amodeo, Maryann; Larson, Mary Jo; Carey, Margaret; Loftin, Ralph D

    2011-01-01

    This article describes a data management system (DMS) developed to support a large-scale randomized study of an innovative web-course that was designed to improve substance abuse counselors' knowledge and skills in applying a substance abuse treatment method (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapy; CBT). The randomized trial compared the performance of web-course-trained participants (intervention group) and printed-manual-trained participants (comparison group) to determine the effectiveness of the web-course in teaching CBT skills. A single DMS was needed to support all aspects of the study: web-course delivery and management, as well as randomized trial management. The authors briefly reviewed several other systems that were described as built either to handle randomized trials or to deliver and evaluate web-based training. However it was clear that these systems fell short of meeting our needs for simultaneous, coordinated management of the web-course and the randomized trial. New England Research Institute's (NERI) proprietary Advanced Data Entry and Protocol Tracking (ADEPT) system was coupled with the web-programmed course and customized for our purposes. This article highlights the requirements for a DMS that operates at the intersection of web-based course management systems and randomized clinical trial systems, and the extent to which the coupled, customized ADEPT satisfied those requirements. Recommendations are included for institutions and individuals considering conducting randomized trials and web-based training programs, and seeking a DMS that can meet similar requirements.

  8. MIIP: a web-based platform for medical image interpretation training and evaluation focusing on ultrasound

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lindseth, Frank; Nordrik Hallan, Marte; Schiller Tønnessen, Martin; Smistad, Erik; Vâpenstad, Cecilie

    2017-03-01

    Introduction: Medical imaging technology has revolutionized health care over the past 30 years. This is especially true for ultrasound, a modality that an increasing amount of medical personal is starting to use. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a platform for improving medical image interpretation skills regardless of time and space and without the need for expensive imaging equipment or a patient to scan. Methods, results and conclusions: A stable web application with the needed functionality for image interpretation training and evaluation has been implemented. The system has been extensively tested internally and used during an international course in ultrasound-guided neurosurgery. The web application was well received and got very good System Usability Scale (SUS) scores.

  9. Web-Based versus Paper-Based Data Collection for the Evaluation of Teaching Activity: Empirical Evidence from a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lalla, Michele; Ferrari, Davide

    2011-01-01

    The collection of teaching evaluation questionnaires in the traditional paper-and-pencil format is a costly and time-consuming process and yet it is a common assessment practice in many university systems. Web-based data collection would reduce costs and significantly increase the efficiency of the overall evaluation process in numerous ways.…

  10. Interactive Web-based Floodplain Simulation System for Realistic Experiments of Flooding and Flood Damage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demir, I.

    2013-12-01

    Recent developments in web technologies make it easy to manage and visualize large data sets with general public. Novel visualization techniques and dynamic user interfaces allow users to create realistic environments, and interact with data to gain insight from simulations and environmental observations. The floodplain simulation system is a web-based 3D interactive flood simulation environment to create real world flooding scenarios. The simulation systems provides a visually striking platform with realistic terrain information, and water simulation. Students can create and modify predefined scenarios, control environmental parameters, and evaluate flood mitigation techniques. The web-based simulation system provides an environment to children and adults learn about the flooding, flood damage, and effects of development and human activity in the floodplain. The system provides various scenarios customized to fit the age and education level of the users. This presentation provides an overview of the web-based flood simulation system, and demonstrates the capabilities of the system for various flooding and land use scenarios.

  11. Web-services-based spatial decision support system to facilitate nuclear waste siting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, L. Xinglai; Sheng, Grant

    2006-10-01

    The availability of spatial web services enables data sharing among managers, decision and policy makers and other stakeholders in much simpler ways than before and subsequently has created completely new opportunities in the process of spatial decision making. Though generally designed for a certain problem domain, web-services-based spatial decision support systems (WSDSS) can provide a flexible problem-solving environment to explore the decision problem, understand and refine problem definition, and generate and evaluate multiple alternatives for decision. This paper presents a new framework for the development of a web-services-based spatial decision support system. The WSDSS is comprised of distributed web services that either have their own functions or provide different geospatial data and may reside in different computers and locations. WSDSS includes six key components, namely: database management system, catalog, analysis functions and models, GIS viewers and editors, report generators, and graphical user interfaces. In this study, the architecture of a web-services-based spatial decision support system to facilitate nuclear waste siting is described as an example. The theoretical, conceptual and methodological challenges and issues associated with developing web services-based spatial decision support system are described.

  12. Evaluation of the Relevance of a Web-Based "Ask an Expert" Feature: StratSoy and Soy and Human Health Queries.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wool, D. L.; Kanfer, A. G.; Michaels, J.; Thompson, S.; Morris, S. A.; Hasler, C. M.

    2000-01-01

    A study of the "Ask an Expert" feature of StratSoy, a Web-based information system, surveyed 50 users and 48 using it for the first time. Topic areas of interest and web site features desired by respondents were identified. (JOW)

  13. Web-Based Quiz-Game-Like Formative Assessment: Development and Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Tzu-Hua

    2008-01-01

    This research aims to develop a multiple-choice Web-based quiz-game-like formative assessment system, named GAM-WATA. The unique design of "Ask-Hint Strategy" turns the Web-based formative assessment into an online quiz game. "Ask-Hint Strategy" is composed of "Prune Strategy" and "Call-in Strategy".…

  14. Feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of an online alternative to face-to-face consultation in general practice: a mixed-methods study of webGP in six Devon practices

    PubMed Central

    Carter, Mary; Fletcher, Emily; Sansom, Anna; Warren, Fiona C; Campbell, John L

    2018-01-01

    Objectives To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of webGP as piloted by six general practices. Methods Mixed-methods evaluation, including data extraction from practice databases, general practitioner (GP) completion of case reports, patient questionnaires and staff interviews. Setting General practices in NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group’s area approximately 6 months after implementing webGP (February–July 2016). Participants Six practices provided consultations data; 20 GPs completed case reports (regarding 61 e-consults); 81 patients completed questionnaires; 5 GPs and 5 administrators were interviewed. Outcome measures Attitudes and experiences of practice staff and patients regarding webGP. Results WebGP uptake during the evaluation was small, showing no discernible impact on practice workload. The completeness of cross-sectional data on consultation workload varied between practices. GPs judged 41/61 (72%) of webGP requests to require a face-to-face or telephone consultation. Introducing webGP appeared to be associated with shifts in responsibility and workload between practice staff and between practices and patients. 81/231 patients completed a postal survey (35.1% response rate). E-Consulters were somewhat younger and more likely to be employed than face-to-face respondents. WebGP appeared broadly acceptable to patients regarding timeliness and quality/experience of care provided. Similar problems were presented by all respondents. Both groups appeared equally familiar with other practice online services; e-consulters were somewhat more likely to have used them. From semistructured staff interviews, it appeared that, while largely acceptable within practice, introducing e-consults had potential for adverse interactions with pre-existing practice systems. Conclusions There is potential to assess the impact of new systems on consultation patterns by extracting routine data from practice databases. Staff and patients noticed subtle changes to responsibilities associated with online options. Greater uptake requires good communication between practice and patients, and organisation of systems to avoid conflicts and misuse. Further research is required to evaluate the full potential of webGP in managing practice workload. PMID:29449293

  15. Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Multi-Service Operational Test and Evaluation-2 Report (with Classified Annex)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    an effective system monitoring and display capability. The SOM, C-SSE, and resource managers access MUOS via a web portal called the MUOS Planning...and Provisioning Application (PlanProvApp). This web portal is their window into MUOS and is designed to provide them with a shared understanding of...including page loading errors, partially loaded web pages, incomplete reports, and inaccurate reports. For example, MUOS reported that there were

  16. Evaluation of Quality, Content, and Use of the Web Site Prepared for Family Members Giving Care to Stroke Patients.

    PubMed

    Demir, Yasemin; Gozum, Sebahat

    2015-09-01

    This study was designed to evaluate the quality, content, usability, and efficacy of a Web site prepared for the purpose of improving the caregiving capability of family members who provide care for stroke survivors at home. The DISCERN score for the Web site was found to be 4.35 over 5. The first section that assesses reliability of the Web site was 4.38 over 5; mean score of the second section that measures the quality of the provided information on treatment/care options was 4.30, and mean score of the third section that gives a general evaluation of the material was 4.1. The Web site content achieved an average score of 3.47 over 4 after evaluation by experts. The Web site system usability score was found to be 79.4 over 100. The Web site was utilized mostly for exercises in bed (76.3%; n = 29), use of medications, and patient safety (68.4%; n = 26). It was determined that those who were younger and employed and had no previous experience of nursing any patient utilized relatively more from the section of patient nutrition and oral care and married family caregivers from the body hygiene section. The Web site quality and content were judged to be good and reliable to use. The Web site was efficiently used by caregivers.

  17. Supporting online learning with games

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yao, JingTao; Kim, DongWon; Herbert, Joseph P.

    2007-04-01

    This paper presents a study on Web-based learning support systems that is enhanced with two major subsystems: a Web-based learning game and a learning-oriented Web search. The Internet and theWeb may be considered as a first resource for students seeking for information and help. However, much of the information available online is not related to the course contents or is wrong in the worse case. The search subsystem aims to provide students with precise, relative and adaptable documents about certain courses or classes. Therefore, students do not have to spend time to verify the relationship of documents to the class. The learning game subsystem stimulates students to study, enables students to review their studies and to perform self-evaluation through a Web-based learning game such as a treasure hunt game. During the challenge and entertaining learning and evaluation process, it is hoped that students will eventually understand and master the course concepts easily. The goal of developing such a system is to provide students with an efficient and effective learning environment.

  18. Web-based triage in a college health setting.

    PubMed

    Sole, Mary Lou; Stuart, Patricia L; Deichen, Michael

    2006-01-01

    The authors describe the initiation and use of a Web-based triage system in a college health setting. During the first 4 months of implementation, the system recorded 1,290 encounters. More women accessed the system (70%); the average age was 21.8 years. The Web-based triage system advised the majority of students to seek care within 24 hours; however, it recommended self-care management in 22.7% of encounters. Sore throat was the most frequent chief complaint (14.2%). A subset of 59 students received treatment at student health services after requesting an appointment via e-mail. The authors used kappa statistics to compare congruence between chief complaint and 24/7 WebMed classification (kappa = .94), between chief complaint and student health center diagnosis (kappa = .91), and between 24/7 WebMed classification and student health center diagnosis (kappa = .89). Initial evaluation showed high use and good accuracy of Web-based triage. This service provides education and advice to students about their health care concerns.

  19. A novel web-enabled healthcare solution on health vault system.

    PubMed

    Liao, Lingxia; Chen, Min; Rodrigues, Joel J P C; Lai, Xiaorong; Vuong, Son

    2012-06-01

    Complicated Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems have created problems in systems regarding an easy implementation and interoperability for a Web-enabled Healthcare Solution, which is normally provided by an independent healthcare giver with limited IT knowledge and interests. An EMR system with well-designed and user-friendly interface, such as Microsoft HealthVault System used as the back-end platform of a Web-enabled healthcare application will be an approach to deal with these problems. This paper analyzes the patient oriented Web-enabled healthcare service application as the new trend to delivery healthcare from hospital/clinic-centric to patient-centric, the current e-healthcare applications, and the main backend EMR systems. Then, we present a novel web-enabled healthcare solution based on Microsoft HealthVault EMR system to meet customers' needs, such as, low total cost, easily development and maintenance, and good interoperability. A sample system is given to show how the solution can be fulfilled, evaluated, and validated. We expect that this paper will provide a deep understanding of the available EMR systems, leading to insights for new solutions and approaches driven to next generation EMR systems.

  20. Rebooting Kirkpatrick: Integrating Information System Theory Into the Evaluation of Web-based Continuing Professional Development Interventions for Interprofessional Education.

    PubMed

    Shen, Nelson; Yufe, Shira; Saadatfard, Omid; Sockalingam, Sanjeev; Wiljer, David

    2017-01-01

    Information system research has stressed the importance of theory in understanding how user perceptions can motivate the use and adoption of technology such as web-based continuing professional development programs for interprofessional education (WCPD-IPE). A systematic review was conducted to provide an information system perspective on the current state of WCPD-IPE program evaluation and how current evaluations capture essential theoretical constructs in promoting technology adoption. Six databases were searched to identify studies evaluating WCPD-IPE. Three investigators determined eligibility of the articles. Evaluation items extracted from the studies were assessed using the Kirkpatrick-Barr framework and mapped to the Benefits Evaluation Framework. Thirty-seven eligible studies yielded 362 evaluation items for analysis. Most items (n = 252) were assessed as Kirkpatrick-Barr level 1 (reaction) and were mainly focused on the quality (information, service, and quality) and satisfaction dimensions of the Benefits Evaluation. System quality was the least evaluated quality dimension, accounting for 26 items across 13 studies. WCPD-IPE use was reported in 17 studies and its antecedent factors were evaluated in varying degrees of comprehensiveness. Although user reactions were commonly evaluated, greater focus on user perceptions of system quality (ie, functionality and performance), usefulness, and usability of the web-based platform is required. Surprisingly, WCPD-IPE use was reported in less than half of the studies. This is problematic as use is a prerequisite to realizing any individual, organizational, or societal benefit of WCPD-IPE. This review proposes an integrated framework which accounts for these factors and provides a theoretically grounded guide for future evaluations.

  1. Detecting the Norovirus Season in Sweden Using Search Engine Data – Meeting the Needs of Hospital Infection Control Teams

    PubMed Central

    Edelstein, Michael; Wallensten, Anders; Zetterqvist, Inga; Hulth, Anette

    2014-01-01

    Norovirus outbreaks severely disrupt healthcare systems. We evaluated whether Websök, an internet-based surveillance system using search engine data, improved norovirus surveillance and response in Sweden. We compared Websök users' characteristics with the general population, cross-correlated weekly Websök searches with laboratory notifications between 2006 and 2013, compared the time Websök and laboratory data crossed the epidemic threshold and surveyed infection control teams about their perception and use of Websök. Users of Websök were not representative of the general population. Websök correlated with laboratory data (b = 0.88-0.89) and gave an earlier signal to the onset of the norovirus season compared with laboratory-based surveillance. 17/21 (81%) infection control teams answered the survey, of which 11 (65%) believed Websök could help with infection control plans. Websök is a low-resource, easily replicable system that detects the norovirus season as reliably as laboratory data, but earlier. Using Websök in routine surveillance can help infection control teams prepare for the yearly norovirus season. PMID:24955857

  2. Detecting the norovirus season in Sweden using search engine data--meeting the needs of hospital infection control teams.

    PubMed

    Edelstein, Michael; Wallensten, Anders; Zetterqvist, Inga; Hulth, Anette

    2014-01-01

    Norovirus outbreaks severely disrupt healthcare systems. We evaluated whether Websök, an internet-based surveillance system using search engine data, improved norovirus surveillance and response in Sweden. We compared Websök users' characteristics with the general population, cross-correlated weekly Websök searches with laboratory notifications between 2006 and 2013, compared the time Websök and laboratory data crossed the epidemic threshold and surveyed infection control teams about their perception and use of Websök. Users of Websök were not representative of the general population. Websök correlated with laboratory data (b = 0.88-0.89) and gave an earlier signal to the onset of the norovirus season compared with laboratory-based surveillance. 17/21 (81%) infection control teams answered the survey, of which 11 (65%) believed Websök could help with infection control plans. Websök is a low-resource, easily replicable system that detects the norovirus season as reliably as laboratory data, but earlier. Using Websök in routine surveillance can help infection control teams prepare for the yearly norovirus season.

  3. Design and Empirical Evaluation of Search Software for Legal Professionals on the WWW.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dempsey, Bert J.; Vreeland, Robert C.; Sumner, Robert G., Jr.; Yang, Kiduk

    2000-01-01

    Discussion of effective search aids for legal researchers on the World Wide Web focuses on the design and evaluation of two software systems developed to explore models for browsing and searching across a user-selected set of Web sites. Describes crawler-enhanced search engines, filters, distributed full-text searching, and natural language…

  4. Effects of an Intelligent Web-Based English Instruction System on Students' Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jia, J.; Chen, Y.; Ding, Z.; Bai, Y.; Yang, B.; Li, M.; Qi, J.

    2013-01-01

    This research conducted quasi-experiments in four middle schools to evaluate the long-term effects of an intelligent web-based English instruction system, Computer Simulation in Educational Communication (CSIEC), on students' academic attainment. The analysis of regular examination scores and vocabulary test validates the positive impact of CSIEC,…

  5. First results of the wind evaluation breadboard for ELT primary mirror design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reyes García-Talavera, Marcos; Viera, Teodora; Núñez, Miguel

    2010-07-01

    The Wind Evaluation Breadboard (WEB) is a primary mirror and telescope simulator formed by seven aluminium segments, including position sensors, electromechanical support systems and support structures. WEB has been developed to evaluate technologies for primary mirror wavefront control and to evaluate the performance of the control of wind buffeting disturbance on ELT segmented mirrors. For this purpose WEB electro-mechanical set-up simulates the real operational constrains applied to large segmented mirrors. This paper describes the WEB assembly, integration and verification, the instrument characterisation and close loop control design, including the dynamical characterization of the instrument and the control architecture. The performance of the new technologies developed for position sensing, acting and controlling is evaluated. The integration of the instrument in the observatory and the results of the first experiments are summarised, with different wind conditions, elevation and azimuth angles of incidence. Conclusions are extracted with respect the wind rejection performance and the control strategy for an ELT. WEB has been designed and developed by IAC, ESO, ALTRAN and JUPASA, with the integration of subsystems of FOGALE and TNO.

  6. Issues in implementing services for a wireless web-enabled digital camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venkataraman, Shyam; Sampat, Nitin; Fisher, Yoram; Canosa, John; Noel, Nicholas

    2001-05-01

    The competition in the exploding digital photography market has caused vendors to explore new ways to increase their return on investment. A common view among industry analysts is that increasingly it will be services provided by these cameras, and not the cameras themselves, that will provide the revenue stream. These services will be coupled to e- Appliance based Communities. In addition, the rapidly increasing need to upload images to the Internet for photo- finishing services as well as the need to download software upgrades to the camera is driving many camera OEMs to evaluate the benefits of using the wireless web to extend their enterprise systems. Currently, creating a viable e- appliance such as a digital camera coupled with a wireless web service requires more than just a competency in product development. This paper will evaluate the system implications in the deployment of recurring revenue services and enterprise connectivity of a wireless, web-enabled digital camera. These include, among other things, an architectural design approach for services such as device management, synchronization, billing, connectivity, security, etc. Such an evaluation will assist, we hope, anyone designing or connecting a digital camera to the enterprise systems.

  7. WebCT: A Major Shift of Emphasis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morningstar, Barbara; Schubert, Jeremy; Thibeault, Kristine

    2004-01-01

    The evaluation reports in this series usually feature several products at once. The current review, however, comes at a time when one of the most widely used (and expensive) online learning management systems is undergoing a major change in its marketing strategy and corporate focus. "WebCT" is currently evolving to a new version ("WebCT Vista"),…

  8. Qualitative evaluation of a mobile phone and web-based collaborative care intervention for patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Lyles, Courtney Rees; Harris, Lynne T; Le, Tung; Flowers, Jan; Tufano, James; Britt, Diane; Hoath, James; Hirsch, Irl B; Goldberg, Harold I; Ralston, James D

    2011-05-01

    Drawing on previous web-based diabetes management programs based on the Chronic Care Model, we expanded an intervention to include care management through mobile phones and a game console web browser. The pilot intervention enrolled eight diabetes patients from the University of Washington in Seattle into a collaborative care program: connecting them to a care provider specializing in diabetes, providing access to their full electronic medical record, allowing wireless glucose uploads and e-mail with providers, and connecting them to the program's web services through a game system. To evaluate the study, we conducted qualitative thematic analysis of semistructured interviews. Participants expressed frustrations with using the cell phones and the game system in their everyday lives, but liked the wireless system for collaborating with a provider on uploaded glucoses and receiving automatic feedback on their blood sugar trends. A majority of participants also expressed that their participation in the trial increased their health awareness. Mobile communication technologies showed promise within a web-based collaborative care program for type 2 diabetes. Future intervention design should focus on integrating easy-to-use applications within mobile technologies already familiar to patients and ensure the system allows for sufficient collaboration with a care provider.

  9. Prospective analysis of the quality of Spanish health information web sites after 3 years.

    PubMed

    Conesa-Fuentes, Maria C; Hernandez-Morante, Juan J

    2016-12-01

    Although the Internet has become an essential source of health information, our study conducted 3 years ago provided evidence of the low quality of Spanish health web sites. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of Spanish health information web sites now, and to compare these results with those obtained 3 years ago. For the original study, the most visited health information web sites were selected through the PageRank® (Google®) system. The present study evaluated the quality of the same web sites from February to May 2013, using the method developed by Bermúdez-Tamayo et al. and HONCode® criteria. The mean quality of the selected web sites was low and has deteriorated since the previous evaluation, especially in regional health services and institutions' web sites. The quality of private web sites remained broadly similar. Compliance with privacy and update criteria also improved in the intervening period. The results indicate that, even in the case of health web sites, design or appearance is more relevant to developers than quality of information. It is recommended that responsible institutions should increase their efforts to eliminate low-quality health information that may further contribute to health problems.

  10. A review of CDC's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS™): Planning for the future of injury surveillance✩

    PubMed Central

    Ballesteros, Michael F.; Webb, Kevin; McClure, Roderick J.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARSTM) to meet the data needs of injury practitioners. In 2015, CDC completed a Portfolio Review of this system to inform its future development. Methods Evaluation questions addressed utilization, technology and innovation, data sources, and tools and training. Data were collected through environmental scans, a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, a web search, and stakeholder interviews. Results Review findings led to specific recommendations for each evaluation question. Response CDC reviewed each recommendation and initiated several enhancements that will improve the ability of injury prevention practitioners to leverage these data, better make sense of query results, and incorporate findings and key messages into prevention practices. PMID:28454867

  11. Interactive Learning Environment: Web-based Virtual Hydrological Simulation System using Augmented and Immersive Reality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demir, I.

    2014-12-01

    Recent developments in internet technologies make it possible to manage and visualize large data on the web. Novel visualization techniques and interactive user interfaces allow users to create realistic environments, and interact with data to gain insight from simulations and environmental observations. The hydrological simulation system is a web-based 3D interactive learning environment for teaching hydrological processes and concepts. The simulation systems provides a visually striking platform with realistic terrain information, and water simulation. Students can create or load predefined scenarios, control environmental parameters, and evaluate environmental mitigation alternatives. The web-based simulation system provides an environment for students to learn about the hydrological processes (e.g. flooding and flood damage), and effects of development and human activity in the floodplain. The system utilizes latest web technologies and graphics processing unit (GPU) for water simulation and object collisions on the terrain. Users can access the system in three visualization modes including virtual reality, augmented reality, and immersive reality using heads-up display. The system provides various scenarios customized to fit the age and education level of various users. This presentation provides an overview of the web-based flood simulation system, and demonstrates the capabilities of the system for various visualization and interaction modes.

  12. [Nursing on the Web: the creation and validation process of a web site on coronary artery disease].

    PubMed

    Marques, Isaac Rosa; Marin, Heimar de Fátima

    2002-01-01

    The World Wide Web is an important health information research source. A challenge for the Brazilian Nursing Informatics area is to use its potential to promote health education. This paper aims to present a developing and validating model used in an educational Web site, named CardioSite, which subject is Coronary Heart Disease. In its creation it was adopted a method with phases of conceptual modeling, development, implementation, and evaluation. In the evaluation phase, the validation was performed through an online informatics and health experts panel. The results demonstrated that information was reliable and valid. Considering that national official systems are not available to that approach, this model demonstrated effectiveness in assessing the quality of the Web site content.

  13. Using Work Action Analysis to Identify Web-Portal Requirements for a Professional Development Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nickles, George

    2007-01-01

    This article describes using Work Action Analysis (WAA) as a method for identifying requirements for a web-based portal that supports a professional development program. WAA is a cognitive systems engineering method for modeling multi-agent systems to support design and evaluation. A WAA model of the professional development program of the…

  14. Usability of a Web-Based School Experience System: Opinions of IT Teachers and Teacher Candidates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Genç, Zülfü

    2015-01-01

    With advances in information and communication technologies, the classical nature of educational institutions has changed. One innovative effort within teacher training is the Web-Based School Experience System (WBSES) developed by the researcher. In this study, the usability of an existing WBSES is evaluated from both teachers' (n = 13) and…

  15. Lamprey: tracking users on the World Wide Web.

    PubMed

    Felciano, R M; Altman, R B

    1996-01-01

    Tracking individual web sessions provides valuable information about user behavior. This information can be used for general purpose evaluation of web-based user interfaces to biomedical information systems. To this end, we have developed Lamprey, a tool for doing quantitative and qualitative analysis of Web-based user interfaces. Lamprey can be used from any conforming browser, and does not require modification of server or client software. By rerouting WWW navigation through a centralized filter, Lamprey collects the sequence and timing of hyperlinks used by individual users to move through the web. Instead of providing marginal statistics, it retains the full information required to recreate a user session. We have built Lamprey as a standard Common Gateway Interface (CGI) that works with all standard WWW browsers and servers. In this paper, we describe Lamprey and provide a short demonstration of this approach for evaluating web usage patterns.

  16. Occlusion assessment of intracranial aneurysms treated with the WEB device.

    PubMed

    Caroff, Jildaz; Mihalea, Cristian; Tuilier, Titien; Barreau, Xavier; Cognard, Christophe; Desal, Hubert; Pierot, Laurent; Arnoux, Armelle; Moret, Jacques; Spelle, Laurent

    2016-09-01

    The Woven EndoBridge (WEB) system is an innovative device under evaluation for its capacity to treat wide-neck bifurcation intracranial aneurysms. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of the different occlusion scales available in clinical practice. Seven WEB-experienced neurointerventionalists were provided with 30 angiographic follow-up data sets and asked to grade each evaluation point according to the Bicêtre Occlusion Scale Score (BOSS), firstly based on DSA images only then using additional C-Arm VasoCT analysis. This BOSS evaluation was then converted into the WEB Occlusion Scale (WOS) and into a dichotomized scale (complete occlusion or not). To estimate the inter-rater agreement among the seven raters, an overall kappa coefficient [1] and its standard error (SE) were computed. Using the five-grade BOSS, raters showed "moderate" agreement (kappa = 0.56). Using the three-grade WOS, agreement appeared slightly better (kappa = 0.59). Strongest inter-rater agreement was observed with a dichotomized version of the scale (complete occlusion or not), which enabled an "almost perfect" agreement (kappa = 0.88). VasoCT consistently enhanced the agreement particularly with regards depicting intra-WEB residual filling. The WOS is a consistent means to angiographically evaluate the WEB device efficiency. But the five-grade BOSS scale allows to identify aneurysm subgroups with differing risks of recurrence and/or rehemorrhage, which needs to be separated especially at the initial phase of evaluation of this innovative device. The additional use of VasoCT allows better inter-rater agreement in evaluating occlusion and specially in depicting intra-WEB persistent filling.

  17. Using a web-based system for the continuous distance education in cytopathology.

    PubMed

    Stergiou, Nikolaos; Georgoulakis, Giannis; Margari, Niki; Aninos, Dionisios; Stamataki, Melina; Stergiou, Efi; Pouliakis, Abraam; Karakitsos, Petros

    2009-12-01

    The evolution of information technologies and telecommunications has made the World Wide Web a low cost and easily accessible tool for the dissemination of information and knowledge. Continuous Medical Education (CME) sites dedicated in cytopathology field are rather poor, they do not succeed in following the constant changes and lack the ability of providing cytopathologists with a dynamic learning environment, adaptable to the development of cytopathology. Learning methods including skills such as decision making, reasoning and problem solving are critical in the development of such a learning environment. The objectives of this study are (1) to demonstrate on the basis of a web-based training system the successful application of traditional learning theories and methods and (2) to effectively evaluate users' perception towards the educational program, using a combination of observers, theories and methods. Trainees are given the opportunity to browse through the educational material, collaborate in synchronous and asynchronous mode, practice their skills through problems and tasks and test their knowledge using the self-evaluation tool. On the other hand, the trainers are responsible for editing learning material, attending students' progress and organizing the problem-based and task-based scenarios. The implementation of the web-based training system is based on the three-tier architecture and uses an Apache Tomcat web server and a MySQL database server. By December 2008, CytoTrainer's learning environment contains two courses in cytopathology: Gynaecological Cytology and Thyroid Cytology offering about 2000 digital images and 20 case sessions. Our evaluation method is a combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore how the various parts of the system and students' attitudes work together. Trainees approved of the course's content, methodology and learning activities. The triangulation of evaluation methods revealed that the training program is suitable for the continuous distance education in cytopathology and that it has improved the trainees' skills in diagnostic cytopathology. The web-based training system can be successfully involved in the continuous distance education in cytopathology. It provides the opportunity to access learning material from any place at any time and supports the acquisition of diagnostic knowledge.

  18. Integrating DXplain into a clinical information system using the World Wide Web.

    PubMed

    Elhanan, G; Socratous, S A; Cimino, J J

    1996-01-01

    The World Wide Web(WWW) offers a cross-platform environment and standard protocols that enable integration of various applications available on the Internet. The authors use the Web to facilitate interaction between their Web-based Clinical Information System and a decision-support system-DXplain, at the Massachusetts General Hospital-using local architecture and Common Gateway Interface programs. The current application translates patients laboratory test results into DXplain's terms to generate diagnostic hypotheses. Two different access methods are utilized for this model; Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and TCP/IP function calls. While clinical aspects cannot be evaluated as yet, the model demonstrates the potential of Web-based applications for interaction and integration and how local architecture, with a controlled vocabulary server, can further facilitate such integration. This model serves to demonstrate some of the limitations of the current WWW technology and identifies issues such as control over Web resources and their utilization and liability issues as possible obstacles for further integration.

  19. Web-based infectious disease surveillance systems and public health perspectives: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Choi, Jihye; Cho, Youngtae; Shim, Eunyoung; Woo, Hyekyung

    2016-12-08

    Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are a significant public health concern, and early detection and immediate response is crucial for disease control. These challenges have led to the need for new approaches and technologies to reinforce the capacity of traditional surveillance systems for detecting emerging infectious diseases. In the last few years, the availability of novel web-based data sources has contributed substantially to infectious disease surveillance. This study explores the burgeoning field of web-based infectious disease surveillance systems by examining their current status, importance, and potential challenges. A systematic review framework was applied to the search, screening, and analysis of web-based infectious disease surveillance systems. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases to extensively review the English literature published between 2000 and 2015. Eleven surveillance systems were chosen for evaluation according to their high frequency of application. Relevant terms, including newly coined terms, development and classification of the surveillance systems, and various characteristics associated with the systems were studied. Based on a detailed and informative review of the 11 web-based infectious disease surveillance systems, it was evident that these systems exhibited clear strengths, as compared to traditional surveillance systems, but with some limitations yet to be overcome. The major strengths of the newly emerging surveillance systems are that they are intuitive, adaptable, low-cost, and operated in real-time, all of which are necessary features of an effective public health tool. The most apparent potential challenges of the web-based systems are those of inaccurate interpretation and prediction of health status, and privacy issues, based on an individual's internet activity. Despite being in a nascent stage with further modification needed, web-based surveillance systems have evolved to complement traditional national surveillance systems. This review highlights ways in which the strengths of existing systems can be maintained and weaknesses alleviated to implement optimal web surveillance systems.

  20. Two year experience with Web connectivity to PACS at a community-based hospital

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wadley, Brian D.; Hayward, Ulrike; Trambert, Michael; Kywi, Alberto; Hartzman, Steven

    2002-05-01

    Referring physician web based access to a PACS is evaluated at a community-based hospital. Survey results show 100% perceived improvement in referring physician productivity, and 97% perceived improvement in patient care. Overall satisfaction and perception of ease of use is greater than 90%.Web connectivity to PACS is perceived by 97% to result in decreased visits and calls to the radiology department due to the availability of virtual results, with high value placed on the voice clip summary results by 94% of respondents (the voice clip is a recording made by the radiologist at the time of reading the exam, which summarizes the results of the study).The availability of exams and virtual results via web-based connectivity is perceived to result in increase referrals by 58% of respondents. Web log audit trails are analyzed to evaluate the use of the system by referring physicians. The gross number of cases retrieved over the web for a two-week period is assessed. The number of times a voice clip was played is also evaluated. The results overall show a very positive experience with web connectivity to PACS.

  1. Quality in Web-Supported Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fresen, Jill

    2002-01-01

    Discusses quality assurance for Web-based courses, based on experiences at the University of Pretoria. Topics include evaluation of courseware; the concept of quality, including quality control, quality assurance, and total quality management; implementing a quality management system; measurement techniques; and partnerships. (LRW)

  2. Evaluating Web-Based Learning Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pergola, Teresa M.; Walters, L. Melissa

    2011-01-01

    Accounting educators continuously seek ways to effectively integrate instructional technology into accounting coursework as a means to facilitate active learning environments and address the technology-driven learning preferences of the current generation of students. Most accounting textbook publishers now provide interactive, web-based learning…

  3. Feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of an online alternative to face-to-face consultation in general practice: a mixed-methods study of webGP in six Devon practices.

    PubMed

    Carter, Mary; Fletcher, Emily; Sansom, Anna; Warren, Fiona C; Campbell, John L

    2018-02-15

    To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of webGP as piloted by six general practices. Mixed-methods evaluation, including data extraction from practice databases, general practitioner (GP) completion of case reports, patient questionnaires and staff interviews. General practices in NHS Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group's area approximately 6 months after implementing webGP (February-July 2016). Six practices provided consultations data; 20 GPs completed case reports (regarding 61 e-consults); 81 patients completed questionnaires; 5 GPs and 5 administrators were interviewed. Attitudes and experiences of practice staff and patients regarding webGP. WebGP uptake during the evaluation was small, showing no discernible impact on practice workload. The completeness of cross-sectional data on consultation workload varied between practices.GPs judged 41/61 (72%) of webGP requests to require a face-to-face or telephone consultation. Introducing webGP appeared to be associated with shifts in responsibility and workload between practice staff and between practices and patients.81/231 patients completed a postal survey (35.1% response rate). E-Consulters were somewhat younger and more likely to be employed than face-to-face respondents. WebGP appeared broadly acceptable to patients regarding timeliness and quality/experience of care provided. Similar problems were presented by all respondents. Both groups appeared equally familiar with other practice online services; e-consulters were somewhat more likely to have used them.From semistructured staff interviews, it appeared that, while largely acceptable within practice, introducing e-consults had potential for adverse interactions with pre-existing practice systems. There is potential to assess the impact of new systems on consultation patterns by extracting routine data from practice databases. Staff and patients noticed subtle changes to responsibilities associated with online options. Greater uptake requires good communication between practice and patients, and organisation of systems to avoid conflicts and misuse. Further research is required to evaluate the full potential of webGP in managing practice workload. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  4. Usability evaluation of a web-based support system for people with a schizophrenia diagnosis.

    PubMed

    van der Krieke, Lian; Emerencia, Ando C; Aiello, Marco; Sytema, Sjoerd

    2012-02-06

    Routine Outcome Monitoring (ROM) is a systematic way of assessing service users' health conditions for the purpose of better aiding their care. ROM consists of various measures used to assess a service user's physical, psychological, and social condition. While ROM is becoming increasingly important in the mental health care sector, one of its weaknesses is that ROM is not always sufficiently service user-oriented. First, clinicians tend to concentrate on those ROM results that provide information about clinical symptoms and functioning, whereas it has been suggested that a service user-oriented approach needs to focus on personal recovery. Second, service users have limited access to ROM results and they are often not equipped to interpret them. These problems need to be addressed, as access to resources and the opportunity to share decision making has been indicated as a prerequisite for service users to become a more equal partner in communication with their clinicians. Furthermore, shared decision making has been shown to improve the therapeutic alliance and to lead to better care. Our aim is to build a web-based support system which makes ROM results more accessible to service users and to provide them with more concrete and personalized information about their functioning (ie, symptoms, housing, social contacts) that they can use to discuss treatment options with their clinician. In this study, we will report on the usability of the web-based support system for service users with schizophrenia. First, we developed a prototype of a web-based support system in a multidisciplinary project team, including end-users. We then conducted a usability study of the support system consisting of (1) a heuristic evaluation, (2) a qualitative evaluation and (3) a quantitative evaluation. Fifteen service users with a schizophrenia diagnosis and four information and communication technology (ICT) experts participated in the study. The results show that people with a schizophrenia diagnosis were able to use the support system easily. Furthermore, the content of the advice generated by the support system was considered meaningful and supportive. This study shows that the support system prototype has valuable potential to improve the ROM practice and it is worthwhile to further develop it into a more mature system. Furthermore, the results add to prior research into web applications for people with psychotic disorders, in that it shows that this group of end users can work with web-based and computer-based systems, despite the cognitive problems they experience.

  5. JANIS 4: An Improved Version of the NEA Java-based Nuclear Data Information System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soppera, N.; Bossant, M.; Dupont, E.

    2014-06-01

    JANIS is software developed to facilitate the visualization and manipulation of nuclear data, giving access to evaluated data libraries, and to the EXFOR and CINDA databases. It is stand-alone Java software, downloadable from the web and distributed on DVD. Used offline, the system also makes use of an internet connection to access the NEA Data Bank database. It is now also offered as a full web application, only requiring a browser. The features added in the latest version of the software and this new web interface are described.

  6. JANIS 4: An Improved Version of the NEA Java-based Nuclear Data Information System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Soppera, N., E-mail: nicolas.soppera@oecd.org; Bossant, M.; Dupont, E.

    JANIS is software developed to facilitate the visualization and manipulation of nuclear data, giving access to evaluated data libraries, and to the EXFOR and CINDA databases. It is stand-alone Java software, downloadable from the web and distributed on DVD. Used offline, the system also makes use of an internet connection to access the NEA Data Bank database. It is now also offered as a full web application, only requiring a browser. The features added in the latest version of the software and this new web interface are described.

  7. Physicians' choice in using Internet and fax for patient recruitment and follow-up in a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Rahman, M; Morita, S; Fukui, T; Sakamoto, J

    2004-01-01

    To examine the physicians' preference between Web and fax-based remote data entry (RDE) system for an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Japan. We conducted a survey among all the collaborating physicians (n = 512) of the CASE-J (Candesartan Antihypertensive Survival Evaluation in Japan) trial, who have been recruiting patients and sending follow-up data using the Web or a fax-based RDE system. The survey instrument assessed physicians' choice between Web and fax-based RDE systems, their practice pattern, and attitudes towards these two modalities. A total of 448 (87.5%) responses were received. The proportions of physicians who used Web, fax, and the combination of these two were 45.9%, 33.3% and 20.8%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that physicians 55 years or younger [odds ratio (OR) = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1-3.3] and regular users of computers (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 2.1-8.2) were more likely to use the Web-based RDE system. This information would be useful in designing an RCT with a Web-based RDE system in Japan and abroad.

  8. CUNY+ Web: Usability Study of the Web-Based GUI Version of the Bibliographic Database of the City University of New York (CUNY).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oulanov, Alexei; Pajarillo, Edmund J. Y.

    2002-01-01

    Describes the usability evaluation of the CUNY (City University of New York) information system in Web and Graphical User Interface (GUI) versions. Compares results to an earlier usability study of the basic information database available on CUNY's wide-area network and describes the applicability of the previous usability instrument to this…

  9. Engaging Local Communities in Arctic Observing Networks: A Collaborative Shoreline Change Risk WebGIS for Alaska's Arctic Slope Region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brady, M.

    2017-12-01

    This study engaged local community stakeholders in Alaska's Arctic Slope Region to develop a web-based shoreline change risk geographic information system (WebGIS) in collaboration with the North Slope Borough and its residents. The value of the effort includes rich spatial documentation of local risks across the vast, remote, and rapidly changing shoreline, and identification of local manager information needs to direct WebGIS development. The study advances our understanding of shoreline change problems from the perspective of local Arctic communities beyond municipal impacts while building decision support. Over fifty local residents in three communities with collective coastal knowledge that extends across the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge shared their perspectives on hard copy maps. Sixteen managers provided usability perceptions of a beta WebGIS with shoreline change susceptibility information summarized at relevant asset locations such as subsistence camps. The hard copy maps with 300 "problem places" were digitized for analysis, which revealed problems across the coastline, especially challenges to boating for subsistence hunting such as shoaling cutting off access and creating hazards. The usability workshop revealed specific information needs including the need to monitor impacts at decommissioned national defense radar sites repurposed by locals to centralize oil and gas activity. These results were analyzed using an Instructional Systems Design (ISD) framework consisting of front-end and formative WebGIS evaluation phases. The front-end evaluation is the local input on hard copy maps, which provided local verification of coastal risks. The formative evaluation is the usability workshop with managers, which informed WebGIS development while promoting user buy-in. In terms of product and process, the local knowledge and information needs collected are significant because they establish local engagement with the WebGIS. The engagement is significant because the WebGIS can link local communities with Arctic Observing Networks (AON) that monitor the environmental factors used in the system. This engagement is important for advancing the dual role of AONs for providing both environmental understanding and stakeholder decision support.

  10. Interactive web-based learning modules prior to general medicine advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

    PubMed

    Isaacs, Alex N; Walton, Alison M; Nisly, Sarah A

    2015-04-25

    To implement and evaluate interactive web-based learning modules prior to advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) on inpatient general medicine. Three clinical web-based learning modules were developed for use prior to APPEs in 4 health care systems. The aim of the interactive modules was to strengthen baseline clinical knowledge before the APPE to enable the application of learned material through the delivery of patient care. For the primary endpoint, postassessment scores increased overall and for each individual module compared to preassessment scores. Postassessment scores were similar among the health care systems. The survey demonstrated positive student perceptions of this learning experience. Prior to inpatient general medicine APPEs, web-based learning enabled the standardization and assessment of baseline student knowledge across 4 health care systems.

  11. Evaluation Of The Advanced Operating System Of The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority : AATA Web Survey

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-01-01

    During 1997, visitors to the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Transportation Authority's worldwide web site were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire about their experience with the site. Eighty surveys were collected, representing a non-scientific se...

  12. A virtual university Web system for a medical school.

    PubMed

    Séka, L P; Duvauferrier, R; Fresnel, A; Le Beux, P

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes a Virtual Medical University Web Server. This project started in 1994 by the development of the French Radiology Server. The main objective of our Medical Virtual University is to offer not only an initial training (for students) but also the Continuing Professional Education (for practitioners). Our system is based on electronic textbooks, clinical cases (around 4000) and a medical knowledge base called A.D.M. ("Aide au Diagnostic Medical"). We have indexed all electronic textbooks and clinical cases according to the ADM base in order to facilitate the navigation on the system. This system base is supported by a relational database management system. The Virtual Medical University, available on the Web Internet, is presently in the process of external evaluations.

  13. Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer Web Service System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Pan, L.; Zhai, C.; Tang, B.; Kubar, T. L.; Li, J.; Zhang, J.; Wang, W.

    2015-12-01

    Both the National Research Council Decadal Survey and the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Report stressed the need for the comprehensive and innovative evaluation of climate models with the synergistic use of global satellite observations in order to improve our weather and climate simulation and prediction capabilities. The abundance of satellite observations for fundamental climate parameters and the availability of coordinated model outputs from CMIP5 for the same parameters offer a great opportunity to understand and diagnose model biases in climate models. In addition, the Obs4MIPs efforts have created several key global observational datasets that are readily usable for model evaluations. However, a model diagnostic evaluation process requires physics-based multi-variable comparisons that typically involve large-volume and heterogeneous datasets, making them both computationally- and data-intensive. In response, we have developed a novel methodology to diagnose model biases in contemporary climate models and implementing the methodology as a web-service based, cloud-enabled, provenance-supported climate-model evaluation system. The evaluation system is named Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer (CMDA), which is the product of the research and technology development investments of several current and past NASA ROSES programs. The current technologies and infrastructure of CMDA are designed and selected to address several technical challenges that the Earth science modeling and model analysis community faces in evaluating and diagnosing climate models. In particular, we have three key technology components: (1) diagnostic analysis methodology; (2) web-service based, cloud-enabled technology; (3) provenance-supported technology. The diagnostic analysis methodology includes random forest feature importance ranking, conditional probability distribution function, conditional sampling, and time-lagged correlation map. We have implemented the new methodology as web services and incorporated the system into the Cloud. We have also developed a provenance management system for CMDA where CMDA service semantics modeling, service search and recommendation, and service execution history management are designed and implemented.

  14. Web Based GIS System For Monitoring the Implementation of County Integrated Development Plan a Case Study of Nandi County, Kenya.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurui, P. K.; Mutua, F.

    2016-12-01

    The paper seek to propose a conceptual framework of a way of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the projects listed in the county integrated development plan by applying the use of the geospatial technologies with the focus being developing a web based GIS system in which the public can be able to track and monitor the progress of implementation of the projects in various parts of the county , although the guidelines developed by the ministry of devolution provides for the inclusion of the implementation monitoring and evaluation framework specifying projects to be implemented during the plan period and specification of veriable indicators it does not provide mechanisms for public participation during implementation and monitoring stage. This calls for a system that the public can interact with. The web based GIS system has been developed using the free open source softwares. Development projects have been categorized into; ongoing, completed and planned It can also be shown that a web based GIS system can be used as an important tool for monitoring the implementation of the CIDP due to its easy to use nature and supported by the fact that internet is easily accessed by the majority of the public making it a powerful tool for public participation.

  15. Landfill Gas Energy Cost Model Version 3.0 (LFGcost-Web V3 ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    To help stakeholders estimate the costs of a landfill gas (LFG) energy project, in 2002, LMOP developed a cost tool (LFGcost). Since then, LMOP has routinely updated the tool to reflect changes in the LFG energy industry. Initially the model was designed for EPA to assist landfills in evaluating the economic and financial feasibility of LFG energy project development. In 2014, LMOP developed a public version of the model, LFGcost-Web (Version 3.0), to allow landfill and industry stakeholders to evaluate project feasibility on their own. LFGcost-Web can analyze costs for 12 energy recovery project types. These project costs can be estimated with or without the costs of a gas collection and control system (GCCS). The EPA used select equations from LFGcost-Web to estimate costs of the regulatory options in the 2015 proposed revisions to the MSW Landfills Standards of Performance (also known as New Source Performance Standards) and the Emission Guidelines (herein thereafter referred to collectively as the Landfill Rules). More specifically, equations derived from LFGcost-Web were applied to each landfill expected to be impacted by the Landfill Rules to estimate annualized installed capital costs and annual O&M costs of a gas collection and control system. In addition, after applying the LFGcost-Web equations to the list of landfills expected to require a GCCS in year 2025 as a result of the proposed Landfill Rules, the regulatory analysis evaluated whether electr

  16. A Hybrid Evaluation System Framework (Shell & Web) with Standardized Access to Climate Model Data and Verification Tools for a Clear Climate Science Infrastructure on Big Data High Performance Computers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadow, C.; Illing, S.; Kunst, O.; Cubasch, U.

    2014-12-01

    The project 'Integrated Data and Evaluation System for Decadal Scale Prediction' (INTEGRATION) as part of the German decadal prediction project MiKlip develops a central evaluation system. The fully operational hybrid features a HPC shell access and an user friendly web-interface. It employs one common system with a variety of verification tools and validation data from different projects in- and outside of MiKlip. The evaluation system is located at the German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ) and has direct access to the bulk of its ESGF node including millions of climate model data sets, e.g. from CMIP5 and CORDEX. The database is organized by the international CMOR standard using the meta information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets. Apache Solr is used for indexing the different data projects into one common search environment. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy to handle search tool supports users, developers and their tools to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. Facilitating the provision and usage of tools and climate data increases automatically the number of scientists working with the data sets and identify discrepancies. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a MySQL database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web-system. Therefore, plugged-in tools gain automatically from transparency and reproducibility. Furthermore, when configurations match while starting a evaluation tool, the system suggests to use results already produced by other users-saving CPU time, I/O and disk space. This study presents the different techniques and advantages of such a hybrid evaluation system making use of a Big Data HPC in climate science. website: www-miklip.dkrz.de visitor-login: guest password: miklip

  17. A Hybrid Evaluation System Framework (Shell & Web) with Standardized Access to Climate Model Data and Verification Tools for a Clear Climate Science Infrastructure on Big Data High Performance Computers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadow, Christopher; Illing, Sebastian; Kunst, Oliver; Ulbrich, Uwe; Cubasch, Ulrich

    2015-04-01

    The project 'Integrated Data and Evaluation System for Decadal Scale Prediction' (INTEGRATION) as part of the German decadal prediction project MiKlip develops a central evaluation system. The fully operational hybrid features a HPC shell access and an user friendly web-interface. It employs one common system with a variety of verification tools and validation data from different projects in- and outside of MiKlip. The evaluation system is located at the German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ) and has direct access to the bulk of its ESGF node including millions of climate model data sets, e.g. from CMIP5 and CORDEX. The database is organized by the international CMOR standard using the meta information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets. Apache Solr is used for indexing the different data projects into one common search environment. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy to handle search tool supports users, developers and their tools to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. Facilitating the provision and usage of tools and climate data increases automatically the number of scientists working with the data sets and identify discrepancies. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a MySQL database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web-system. Therefore, plugged-in tools gain automatically from transparency and reproducibility. Furthermore, when configurations match while starting a evaluation tool, the system suggests to use results already produced by other users-saving CPU time, I/O and disk space. This study presents the different techniques and advantages of such a hybrid evaluation system making use of a Big Data HPC in climate science. website: www-miklip.dkrz.de visitor-login: click on "Guest"

  18. Design of Web-based Fuzzy Input Expert System for the analysis of serology laboratory tests.

    PubMed

    Başçiftçi, Fatih; Incekara, Hayri

    2012-08-01

    In this study, it is aimed, using the Web-based Expert System with Fuzzy Input (WESFI), to convert the patients' (users') Serology Laboratory Tests (SLT) results to linguistic statements (low, normal, high) and analyzing those, give a feedback to the user (patient) of the potential signs of disease. The feedbacks given to the patients are the existing interpretations in the database, which were prepared by doctors before. Furthermore, the SLT terms (Brucella Coombs, Ama, P-Protein etc.) are explained in a way that the user can understand. The WESFI is published with an interface on the web environment. In order to determine the rate of the success of the WESFI, users evaluated the system answering the "How do you find the evaluation?" question. The question has been answered by 461 users. As a result it is observed that 90% of female users, 92% of male users and 91% of all users found the system useful.

  19. System Issues Related to Implementing on the Internet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackey, William; Bagg, Thomas C., III

    1999-01-01

    Implementing capabilities on the World Wide Web should never be taken lightly. A good systems engineer is able to examine such implementations from all points of view, including political, legal, security, access, technical deployment, and quality. The evacuation discussed in this paper was conducted to ensure that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was proceeding in a correct direction by implementing RECALL a Lessons Learned System on the Web and, subsequently, did so successfully. The systems approach extended well beyond technical implementation to several issue that are not often addressed by an implementation team. The resulting evaluation increased the team's sensitivity to such issues and, in fact, the authors believe that the evaluation provided as much benefit as the system itself.

  20. [Utilization and coverage of a Food and Nutritional Surveillance System in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil].

    PubMed

    Jung, Natália Miranda; Bairros, Fernanda de Souza; Neutzling, Marilda Borges

    2014-05-01

    This article seeks to describe the utilization and coverage percentage of the Nutritional and Food Surveillance System (SISVAN-Web) in the Regional Health Offices of Rio Grande do Sul in 2010 and to assess its correlation with socio-economic, demographic and health system organization variables at the time. It is an ecological study that used secondary data from the SISVAN-Web, the Department of Primary Health Care, the IT Department of the Unified Health System and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The evaluation of utilization and coverage data was restricted to nutritional status. The percentage of utilization of SISVAN-Web refers to the number of cities that fed the system. Total coverage was defined as the percentage of individuals in all stages of the life cycle monitored by SISVAN-Web. It was found that 324 cities fed the application, corresponding to a utilization percentage of 65.3%. Greater system coverage was observed in all Regional Health Coordination (RHC) Units for ages 0 to 5 years and 5-10 years. There was a significant association between the percentage of utilization of SISVAN-Web and Family Health Strategy coverage in each RHC Unit. The results of this study indicated low percentages of utilization and coverage of SISVAN-Web in Rio Grande do Sul.

  1. A user-centred evaluation framework for the Sealife semantic web browsers

    PubMed Central

    Oliver, Helen; Diallo, Gayo; de Quincey, Ed; Alexopoulou, Dimitra; Habermann, Bianca; Kostkova, Patty; Schroeder, Michael; Jupp, Simon; Khelif, Khaled; Stevens, Robert; Jawaheer, Gawesh; Madle, Gemma

    2009-01-01

    Background Semantically-enriched browsing has enhanced the browsing experience by providing contextualised dynamically generated Web content, and quicker access to searched-for information. However, adoption of Semantic Web technologies is limited and user perception from the non-IT domain sceptical. Furthermore, little attention has been given to evaluating semantic browsers with real users to demonstrate the enhancements and obtain valuable feedback. The Sealife project investigates semantic browsing and its application to the life science domain. Sealife's main objective is to develop the notion of context-based information integration by extending three existing Semantic Web browsers (SWBs) to link the existing Web to the eScience infrastructure. Methods This paper describes a user-centred evaluation framework that was developed to evaluate the Sealife SWBs that elicited feedback on users' perceptions on ease of use and information findability. Three sources of data: i) web server logs; ii) user questionnaires; and iii) semi-structured interviews were analysed and comparisons made between each browser and a control system. Results It was found that the evaluation framework used successfully elicited users' perceptions of the three distinct SWBs. The results indicate that the browser with the most mature and polished interface was rated higher for usability, and semantic links were used by the users of all three browsers. Conclusion Confirmation or contradiction of our original hypotheses with relation to SWBs is detailed along with observations of implementation issues. PMID:19796398

  2. A user-centred evaluation framework for the Sealife semantic web browsers.

    PubMed

    Oliver, Helen; Diallo, Gayo; de Quincey, Ed; Alexopoulou, Dimitra; Habermann, Bianca; Kostkova, Patty; Schroeder, Michael; Jupp, Simon; Khelif, Khaled; Stevens, Robert; Jawaheer, Gawesh; Madle, Gemma

    2009-10-01

    Semantically-enriched browsing has enhanced the browsing experience by providing contextualized dynamically generated Web content, and quicker access to searched-for information. However, adoption of Semantic Web technologies is limited and user perception from the non-IT domain sceptical. Furthermore, little attention has been given to evaluating semantic browsers with real users to demonstrate the enhancements and obtain valuable feedback. The Sealife project investigates semantic browsing and its application to the life science domain. Sealife's main objective is to develop the notion of context-based information integration by extending three existing Semantic Web browsers (SWBs) to link the existing Web to the eScience infrastructure. This paper describes a user-centred evaluation framework that was developed to evaluate the Sealife SWBs that elicited feedback on users' perceptions on ease of use and information findability. Three sources of data: i) web server logs; ii) user questionnaires; and iii) semi-structured interviews were analysed and comparisons made between each browser and a control system. It was found that the evaluation framework used successfully elicited users' perceptions of the three distinct SWBs. The results indicate that the browser with the most mature and polished interface was rated higher for usability, and semantic links were used by the users of all three browsers. Confirmation or contradiction of our original hypotheses with relation to SWBs is detailed along with observations of implementation issues.

  3. MISESS: Web-Based Examination, Evaluation, and Guidance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanrikulu, Zuhal

    2006-01-01

    Many universities are reevaluating their traditional educational methods and providing pedagogical material through the Internet. Some Web-based systems offer a constructionist learning environment, for example, where students can learn by designing their own objects. Providing effective, convenient technology to support learning is important, and…

  4. Web-Based Administrative Supports for University Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McClelland, Robert J.

    2001-01-01

    Evaluates development and effectiveness of a Web-based administration support for business students at Liverpool John Moores University. Considers whether the strategic planning and individual school developments have influenced the development and usefulness of the campus-wide information system. Discusses action research findings on student…

  5. A quality evaluation methodology of health web-pages for non-professionals.

    PubMed

    Currò, Vincenzo; Buonuomo, Paola Sabrina; Onesimo, Roberta; de Rose, Paola; Vituzzi, Andrea; di Tanna, Gian Luca; D'Atri, Alessandro

    2004-06-01

    The proposal of an evaluation methodology for determining the quality of healthcare web sites for the dissemination of medical information to non-professionals. Three (macro) factors are considered for the quality evaluation: medical contents, accountability of the authors, and usability of the web site. Starting from two results in the literature the problem of whether or not to introduce a weighting function has been investigated. This methodology has been validated on a specialized information content, i.e., sore throats, due to the large interest such a topic enjoys with target users. The World Wide Web was accessed using a meta-search system merging several search engines. A statistical analysis was made to compare the proposed methodology with the obtained ranks of the sample web pages. The statistical analysis confirms that the variables examined (per item and sub factor) show substantially similar ranks and are capable of contributing to the evaluation of the main quality macro factors. A comparison between the aggregation functions in the proposed methodology (non-weighted averages) and the weighting functions, derived from the literature, allowed us to verify the suitability of the method. The proposed methodology suggests a simple approach which can quickly award an overall quality score for medical web sites oriented to non-professionals.

  6. Web-based applications for building, managing and analysing kinetic models of biological systems.

    PubMed

    Lee, Dong-Yup; Saha, Rajib; Yusufi, Faraaz Noor Khan; Park, Wonjun; Karimi, Iftekhar A

    2009-01-01

    Mathematical modelling and computational analysis play an essential role in improving our capability to elucidate the functions and characteristics of complex biological systems such as metabolic, regulatory and cell signalling pathways. The modelling and concomitant simulation render it possible to predict the cellular behaviour of systems under various genetically and/or environmentally perturbed conditions. This motivates systems biologists/bioengineers/bioinformaticians to develop new tools and applications, allowing non-experts to easily conduct such modelling and analysis. However, among a multitude of systems biology tools developed to date, only a handful of projects have adopted a web-based approach to kinetic modelling. In this report, we evaluate the capabilities and characteristics of current web-based tools in systems biology and identify desirable features, limitations and bottlenecks for further improvements in terms of usability and functionality. A short discussion on software architecture issues involved in web-based applications and the approaches taken by existing tools is included for those interested in developing their own simulation applications.

  7. Online Reflective Writing Mechanisms and Its Effects on Self-Regulated Learning: A Case of Web-Based Portfolio Assessment System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liang, Chaoyun; Chang, Chi-Cheng; Shu, Kuen-Ming; Tseng, Ju-Shih; Lin, Chun-Yu

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the present study was to design reflective writing mechanisms in a web-based portfolio assessment system and evaluate its effects on self-regulated learning. Participants were two classes of juniors majoring in data processing and taking a course called "Website design" at a vocational high school in Taiwan. One class was…

  8. Validation of Web-Based Physical Activity Measurement Systems Using Doubly Labeled Water

    PubMed Central

    Yamaguchi, Yukio; Yamada, Yosuke; Tokushima, Satoru; Hatamoto, Yoichi; Sagayama, Hiroyuki; Kimura, Misaka; Higaki, Yasuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

    2012-01-01

    Background Online or Web-based measurement systems have been proposed as convenient methods for collecting physical activity data. We developed two Web-based physical activity systems—the 24-hour Physical Activity Record Web (24hPAR WEB) and 7 days Recall Web (7daysRecall WEB). Objective To examine the validity of two Web-based physical activity measurement systems using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method. Methods We assessed the validity of the 24hPAR WEB and 7daysRecall WEB in 20 individuals, aged 25 to 61 years. The order of email distribution and subsequent completion of the two Web-based measurements systems was randomized. Each measurement tool was used for a week. The participants’ activity energy expenditure (AEE) and total energy expenditure (TEE) were assessed over each week using the DLW method and compared with the respective energy expenditures estimated using the Web-based systems. Results The mean AEE was 3.90 (SD 1.43) MJ estimated using the 24hPAR WEB and 3.67 (SD 1.48) MJ measured by the DLW method. The Pearson correlation for AEE between the two methods was r = .679 (P < .001). The Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement ranged from –2.10 to 2.57 MJ between the two methods. The Pearson correlation for TEE between the two methods was r = .874 (P < .001). The mean AEE was 4.29 (SD 1.94) MJ using the 7daysRecall WEB and 3.80 (SD 1.36) MJ by the DLW method. The Pearson correlation for AEE between the two methods was r = .144 (P = .54). The Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement ranged from –3.83 to 4.81 MJ between the two methods. The Pearson correlation for TEE between the two methods was r = .590 (P = .006). The average input times using terminal devices were 8 minutes and 10 seconds for the 24hPAR WEB and 6 minutes and 38 seconds for the 7daysRecall WEB. Conclusions Both Web-based systems were found to be effective methods for collecting physical activity data and are appropriate for use in epidemiological studies. Because the measurement accuracy of the 24hPAR WEB was moderate to high, it could be suitable for evaluating the effect of interventions on individuals as well as for examining physical activity behavior. PMID:23010345

  9. Cloud Computing Trace Characterization and Synthetic Workload Generation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    measurements [44]. Olio is primarily for learning Web 2.0 technologies, evaluating the three implementations (PHP, Java EE, and RubyOnRails (ROR...Add Event 17 Olio is well documented, but assumes prerequisite knowledge with setup and operation of apache web servers and MySQL databases. Olio...Faban supports numerous servers such as Apache httpd, Sun Java System Web, Portal and Mail Servers, Oracle RDBMS, memcached, and others [18]. Perhaps

  10. iDEAS: A web-based system for dry eye assessment.

    PubMed

    Remeseiro, Beatriz; Barreira, Noelia; García-Resúa, Carlos; Lira, Madalena; Giráldez, María J; Yebra-Pimentel, Eva; Penedo, Manuel G

    2016-07-01

    Dry eye disease is a public health problem, whose multifactorial etiology challenges clinicians and researchers making necessary the collaboration between different experts and centers. The evaluation of the interference patterns observed in the tear film lipid layer is a common clinical test used for dry eye diagnosis. However, it is a time-consuming task with a high degree of intra- as well as inter-observer variability, which makes the use of a computer-based analysis system highly desirable. This work introduces iDEAS (Dry Eye Assessment System), a web-based application to support dry eye diagnosis. iDEAS provides a framework for eye care experts to collaboratively work using image-based services in a distributed environment. It is composed of three main components: the web client for user interaction, the web application server for request processing, and the service module for image analysis. Specifically, this manuscript presents two automatic services: tear film classification, which classifies an image into one interference pattern; and tear film map, which illustrates the distribution of the patterns over the entire tear film. iDEAS has been evaluated by specialists from different institutions to test its performance. Both services have been evaluated in terms of a set of performance metrics using the annotations of different experts. Note that the processing time of both services has been also measured for efficiency purposes. iDEAS is a web-based application which provides a fast, reliable environment for dry eye assessment. The system allows practitioners to share images, clinical information and automatic assessments between remote computers. Additionally, it save time for experts, diminish the inter-expert variability and can be used in both clinical and research settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Smart Cities Intelligence System (SMACiSYS) Integrating Sensor Web with Spatial Data Infrastructures (sensdi)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhattacharya, D.; Painho, M.

    2017-09-01

    The paper endeavours to enhance the Sensor Web with crucial geospatial analysis capabilities through integration with Spatial Data Infrastructure. The objective is development of automated smart cities intelligence system (SMACiSYS) with sensor-web access (SENSDI) utilizing geomatics for sustainable societies. There has been a need to develop automated integrated system to categorize events and issue information that reaches users directly. At present, no web-enabled information system exists which can disseminate messages after events evaluation in real time. Research work formalizes a notion of an integrated, independent, generalized, and automated geo-event analysing system making use of geo-spatial data under popular usage platform. Integrating Sensor Web With Spatial Data Infrastructures (SENSDI) aims to extend SDIs with sensor web enablement, converging geospatial and built infrastructure, and implement test cases with sensor data and SDI. The other benefit, conversely, is the expansion of spatial data infrastructure to utilize sensor web, dynamically and in real time for smart applications that smarter cities demand nowadays. Hence, SENSDI augments existing smart cities platforms utilizing sensor web and spatial information achieved by coupling pairs of otherwise disjoint interfaces and APIs formulated by Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) keeping entire platform open access and open source. SENSDI is based on Geonode, QGIS and Java, that bind most of the functionalities of Internet, sensor web and nowadays Internet of Things superseding Internet of Sensors as well. In a nutshell, the project delivers a generalized real-time accessible and analysable platform for sensing the environment and mapping the captured information for optimal decision-making and societal benefit.

  12. Creation and utilization of a World Wide Web based space radiation effects code: SIREST

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Singleterry, R. C. Jr; Wilson, J. W.; Shinn, J. L.; Tripathi, R. K.; Thibeault, S. A.; Noor, A. K.; Cucinotta, F. A.; Badavi, F. F.; Chang, C. K.; Qualls, G. D.; hide

    2001-01-01

    In order for humans and electronics to fully and safely operate in the space environment, codes like HZETRN (High Charge and Energy Transport) must be included in any designer's toolbox for design evaluation with respect to radiation damage. Currently, spacecraft designers do not have easy access to accurate radiation codes like HZETRN to evaluate their design for radiation effects on humans and electronics. Today, the World Wide Web is sophisticated enough to support the entire HZETRN code and all of the associated pre and post processing tools. This package is called SIREST (Space Ionizing Radiation Effects and Shielding Tools). There are many advantages to SIREST. The most important advantage is the instant update capability of the web. Another major advantage is the modularity that the web imposes on the code. Right now, the major disadvantage of SIREST will be its modularity inside the designer's system. This mostly comes from the fact that a consistent interface between the designer and the computer system to evaluate the design is incomplete. This, however, is to be solved in the Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) program currently being funded by NASA.

  13. Surfing for mouth guards: assessing quality of online information.

    PubMed

    Magunacelaya, Macarena B; Glendor, Ulf

    2011-10-01

    The Internet is an easily accessible and commonly used source of health-related information, but evaluations of the quality of this information within the dental trauma field are still lacking. The aims of this study are (i) to present the most current scientific knowledge regarding mouth guards used in sport activities, (ii) to suggest a scoring system to evaluate the quality of information pertaining to mouth guard protection related to World Wide Web sites and (iii) to employ this scoring system when seeking reliable mouth guard-related websites. First, an Internet search using the keywords 'athletic injuries/prevention and control' and 'mouth protector' or 'mouth guards' in English was performed on PubMed, Cochrane, SvedMed+ and Web of Science to identify scientific knowledge about mouth guards. Second, an Internet search using the keywords 'consumer health information Internet', 'Internet information public health' and 'web usage-seeking behaviour' was performed on PubMed and Web of Science to obtain scientific articles seeking to evaluate the quality of health information on the Web. Based on the articles found in the second search, two scoring systems were selected. Then, an Internet search using the keywords 'mouth protector', 'mouth guards' and 'gum shields' in English was performed on the search engines Google, MSN and Yahoo. The websites selected were evaluated for reliability and accuracy. Of the 223 websites retrieved, 39 were designated valid and evaluated. Nine sites scored 22 or higher. The mean total score of the 39 websites was 14.2. Fourteen websites scored higher than the mean total score, and 25 websites scored less. The highest total score, presented by a Public Institution Web site (Health Canada), was 31 from a maximum possible score of 34, and the lowest score was 0. This study shows that there is a high amount of information about mouth guards on the Internet but that the quality of this information varies. It should be the responsibility of health care professionals to suggest and provide reliable Internet URL addresses to patients. In addition, an appropriate search terminology and search strategy should be made available to persons who want to search beyond the recommended sites. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  14. Experimental evaluation of the impact of packet capturing tools for web services.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Choe, Yung Ryn; Mohapatra, Prasant; Chuah, Chen-Nee

    Network measurement is a discipline that provides the techniques to collect data that are fundamental to many branches of computer science. While many capturing tools and comparisons have made available in the literature and elsewhere, the impact of these packet capturing tools on existing processes have not been thoroughly studied. While not a concern for collection methods in which dedicated servers are used, many usage scenarios of packet capturing now requires the packet capturing tool to run concurrently with operational processes. In this work we perform experimental evaluations of the performance impact that packet capturing process have on web-based services;more » in particular, we observe the impact on web servers. We find that packet capturing processes indeed impact the performance of web servers, but on a multi-core system the impact varies depending on whether the packet capturing and web hosting processes are co-located or not. In addition, the architecture and behavior of the web server and process scheduling is coupled with the behavior of the packet capturing process, which in turn also affect the web server's performance.« less

  15. Macroscopic characterisations of Web accessibility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lopes, Rui; Carriço, Luis

    2010-12-01

    The Web Science framework poses fundamental questions on the analysis of the Web, by focusing on how microscopic properties (e.g. at the level of a Web page or Web site) emerge into macroscopic properties and phenomena. One research topic on the analysis of the Web is Web accessibility evaluation, which centres on understanding how accessible a Web page is for people with disabilities. However, when framing Web accessibility evaluation on Web Science, we have found that existing research stays at the microscopic level. This article presents an experimental study on framing Web accessibility evaluation into Web Science's goals. This study resulted in novel accessibility properties of the Web not found at microscopic levels, as well as of Web accessibility evaluation processes themselves. We observed at large scale some of the empirical knowledge on how accessibility is perceived by designers and developers, such as the disparity of interpretations of accessibility evaluation tools warnings. We also found a direct relation between accessibility quality and Web page complexity. We provide a set of guidelines for designing Web pages, education on Web accessibility, as well as on the computational limits of large-scale Web accessibility evaluations.

  16. OnlineTED.com--a novel web-based audience response system for higher education. A pilot study to evaluate user acceptance.

    PubMed

    Kühbeck, Felizian; Engelhardt, Stefan; Sarikas, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Audience response (AR) systems are increasingly used in undergraduate medical education. However, high costs and complexity of conventional AR systems often limit their use. Here we present a novel AR system that is platform independent and does not require hardware clickers or additional software to be installed. "OnlineTED" was developed at Technische Universität München (TUM) based on Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) with a My Structured Query Language (MySQL)-database as server- and Javascript as client-side programming languages. "OnlineTED" enables lecturers to create and manage question sets online and start polls in-class via a web-browser. Students can participate in the polls with any internet-enabled device (smartphones, tablet-PCs or laptops). A paper-based survey was conducted with undergraduate medical students and lecturers at TUM to compare "OnlineTED" with conventional AR systems using clickers. "OnlineTED" received above-average evaluation results by both students and lecturers at TUM and was seen on par or superior to conventional AR systems. The survey results indicated that up to 80% of students at TUM own an internet-enabled device (smartphone or tablet-PC) for participation in web-based AR technologies. "OnlineTED" is a novel web-based and platform-independent AR system for higher education that was well received by students and lecturers. As a non-commercial alternative to conventional AR systems it may foster interactive teaching in undergraduate education, in particular with large audiences.

  17. Freva - Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework for Scientific Infrastructures in Earth System Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadow, Christopher; Illing, Sebastian; Kunst, Oliver; Schartner, Thomas; Kirchner, Ingo; Rust, Henning W.; Cubasch, Ulrich; Ulbrich, Uwe

    2016-04-01

    The Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva - freva.met.fu-berlin.de) is a software infrastructure for standardized data and tool solutions in Earth system science. Freva runs on high performance computers to handle customizable evaluation systems of research projects, institutes or universities. It combines different software technologies into one common hybrid infrastructure, including all features present in the shell and web environment. The database interface satisfies the international standards provided by the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Freva indexes different data projects into one common search environment by storing the meta data information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets in a database. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy-to-handle search tool supports users, developers and their plugins to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. Facilitation of the provision and usage of tools and climate data automatically increases the number of scientists working with the data sets and identifying discrepancies. The integrated web-shell (shellinabox) adds a degree of freedom in the choice of the working environment and can be used as a gate to the research projects HPC. Plugins are able to integrate their e.g. post-processed results into the database of the user. This allows e.g. post-processing plugins to feed statistical analysis plugins, which fosters an active exchange between plugin developers of a research project. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web system. Therefore, plugged-in tools benefit from transparency and reproducibility. Furthermore, if configurations match while starting an evaluation plugin, the system suggests to use results already produced by other users - saving CPU/h, I/O, disk space and time. The efficient interaction between different technologies improves the Earth system modeling science framed by Freva.

  18. Freva - Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework for Scientific HPC Infrastructures in Earth System Modeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadow, C.; Illing, S.; Schartner, T.; Grieger, J.; Kirchner, I.; Rust, H.; Cubasch, U.; Ulbrich, U.

    2017-12-01

    The Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva - freva.met.fu-berlin.de) is a software infrastructure for standardized data and tool solutions in Earth system science (e.g. www-miklip.dkrz.de, cmip-eval.dkrz.de). Freva runs on high performance computers to handle customizable evaluation systems of research projects, institutes or universities. It combines different software technologies into one common hybrid infrastructure, including all features present in the shell and web environment. The database interface satisfies the international standards provided by the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Freva indexes different data projects into one common search environment by storing the meta data information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets in a database. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy-to-handle search tool supports users, developers and their plugins to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. The integrated web-shell (shellinabox) adds a degree of freedom in the choice of the working environment and can be used as a gate to the research projects HPC. Plugins are able to integrate their e.g. post-processed results into the database of the user. This allows e.g. post-processing plugins to feed statistical analysis plugins, which fosters an active exchange between plugin developers of a research project. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web system. Furthermore, if configurations match while starting an evaluation plugin, the system suggests to use results already produced by other users - saving CPU/h, I/O, disk space and time. The efficient interaction between different technologies improves the Earth system modeling science framed by Freva.

  19. Semantic Web Services Challenge, Results from the First Year. Series: Semantic Web And Beyond, Volume 8.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrie, C.; Margaria, T.; Lausen, H.; Zaremba, M.

    Explores trade-offs among existing approaches. Reveals strengths and weaknesses of proposed approaches, as well as which aspects of the problem are not yet covered. Introduces software engineering approach to evaluating semantic web services. Service-Oriented Computing is one of the most promising software engineering trends because of the potential to reduce the programming effort for future distributed industrial systems. However, only a small part of this potential rests on the standardization of tools offered by the web services stack. The larger part of this potential rests upon the development of sufficient semantics to automate service orchestration. Currently there are many different approaches to semantic web service descriptions and many frameworks built around them. A common understanding, evaluation scheme, and test bed to compare and classify these frameworks in terms of their capabilities and shortcomings, is necessary to make progress in developing the full potential of Service-Oriented Computing. The Semantic Web Services Challenge is an open source initiative that provides a public evaluation and certification of multiple frameworks on common industrially-relevant problem sets. This edited volume reports on the first results in developing common understanding of the various technologies intended to facilitate the automation of mediation, choreography and discovery for Web Services using semantic annotations. Semantic Web Services Challenge: Results from the First Year is designed for a professional audience composed of practitioners and researchers in industry. Professionals can use this book to evaluate SWS technology for their potential practical use. The book is also suitable for advanced-level students in computer science.

  20. Large area sheet task: Advanced dendritic web growth development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Mchugh, J. P.; Hopkins, R. H.; Meier, D.; Schruben, J.

    1981-01-01

    The growth of silicon dendritic web for photovoltaic applications was investigated. The application of a thermal model for calculating buckling stresses as a function of temperature profile in the web is discussed. Lid and shield concepts were evaluated to provide the data base for enhancing growth velocity. An experimental web growth machine which embodies in one unit the mechanical and electronic features developed in previous work was developed. In addition, evaluation of a melt level control system was begun, along with preliminary tests of an elongated crucible design. The economic analysis was also updated to incorporate some minor cost changes. The initial applications of the thermal model to a specific configuration gave results consistent with experimental observation in terms of the initiation of buckling vs. width for a given crystal thickness.

  1. Role of C-arm VasoCT in the use of endovascular WEB flow disruption in intracranial aneurysm treatment.

    PubMed

    Caroff, J; Mihalea, C; Neki, H; Ruijters, D; Ikka, L; Benachour, N; Moret, J; Spelle, L

    2014-07-01

    The WEB aneurysm embolization system is still under evaluation but seems to be a promising technique to treat wide-neck bifurcation aneurysms. However, this device is barely visible using conventional DSA; thus, high-resolution contrast-enhanced flat panel detector CT (VasoCT) may be useful before detachment to assess the sizing and positioning of the WEB. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the interest of VasoCT during WEB procedures. From March 2012 to July 2013, twelve patients (10 women and 2 men; age range, 44-55 years) were treated for 13 intracranial aneurysms with the WEB device. DSA and VasoCT were used and compared to depict any protrusion of the device in parent arteries before detachment. Two neuroradiologists reviewed each VasoCT scan, and the quality was graded on a subjective quality scale. The mesh of the WEB was very well-depicted in all cases, allowing a very good assessment of its deployment. Device protrusion was clearly detected with VasoCT in 5 cases, leading to WEB repositioning or size substitution. During follow-up, VasoCT also allows good assessment of eventual residual blood flow inside the aneurysm or the WEB device. Unlike DSA, VasoCT is an excellent tool to assess WEB deployment and positioning. In our experience, it allowed a precise evaluation of the WEB sizing and its relation to the parent vessel. Such information very likely enhances the ability to safely use this device, avoiding potential thromboembolic events in cases of protrusion in the parent arteries. © 2014 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

  2. An Exploratory Study of Student Satisfaction with University Web Page Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gundersen, David E.; Ballenger, Joe K.; Crocker, Robert M.; Scifres, Elton L.; Strader, Robert

    2013-01-01

    This exploratory study evaluates the satisfaction of students with a web-based information system at a medium-sized regional university. The analysis provides a process for simplifying data interpretation in captured student user feedback. Findings indicate that student classifications, as measured by demographic and other factors, determine…

  3. Scalability Issues for Remote Sensing Infrastructure: A Case Study.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yang; Picard, Sean; Williamson, Carey

    2017-04-29

    For the past decade, a team of University of Calgary researchers has operated a large "sensor Web" to collect, analyze, and share scientific data from remote measurement instruments across northern Canada. This sensor Web receives real-time data streams from over a thousand Internet-connected sensors, with a particular emphasis on environmental data (e.g., space weather, auroral phenomena, atmospheric imaging). Through research collaborations, we had the opportunity to evaluate the performance and scalability of their remote sensing infrastructure. This article reports the lessons learned from our study, which considered both data collection and data dissemination aspects of their system. On the data collection front, we used benchmarking techniques to identify and fix a performance bottleneck in the system's memory management for TCP data streams, while also improving system efficiency on multi-core architectures. On the data dissemination front, we used passive and active network traffic measurements to identify and reduce excessive network traffic from the Web robots and JavaScript techniques used for data sharing. While our results are from one specific sensor Web system, the lessons learned may apply to other scientific Web sites with remote sensing infrastructure.

  4. The Evaluation of the Cognitive Learning Process of the Renewed Bloom Taxonomy Using a Web Based Expert System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goksu, Idris

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to develop the Web Based Expert System (WBES) which provides analyses and reports based on the cognitive processes of Renewed Bloom Taxonomy (RBT), and to put forward the impact of the supportive education provided in line with these reports, on the academic achievement and mastery learning state of the students. The study…

  5. Machine learning approach for automatic quality criteria detection of health web pages.

    PubMed

    Gaudinat, Arnaud; Grabar, Natalia; Boyer, Célia

    2007-01-01

    The number of medical websites is constantly growing [1]. Owing to the open nature of the Web, the reliability of information available on the Web is uneven. Internet users are overwhelmed by the quantity of information available on the Web. The situation is even more critical in the medical area, as the content proposed by health websites can have a direct impact on the users' well being. One way to control the reliability of health websites is to assess their quality and to make this assessment available to users. The HON Foundation has defined a set of eight ethical principles. HON's experts are working in order to manually define whether a given website complies with s the required principles. As the number of medical websites is constantly growing, manual expertise becomes insufficient and automatic systems should be used in order to help medical experts. In this paper we present the design and the evaluation of an automatic system conceived for the categorisation of medical and health documents according to he HONcode ethical principles. A first evaluation shows promising results. Currently the system shows 0.78 micro precision and 0.73 F-measure, with 0.06 errors.

  6. Creating and sharing clinical decision support content with Web 2.0: Issues and examples.

    PubMed

    Wright, Adam; Bates, David W; Middleton, Blackford; Hongsermeier, Tonya; Kashyap, Vipul; Thomas, Sean M; Sittig, Dean F

    2009-04-01

    Clinical decision support is a powerful tool for improving healthcare quality and patient safety. However, developing a comprehensive package of decision support interventions is costly and difficult. If used well, Web 2.0 methods may make it easier and less costly to develop decision support. Web 2.0 is characterized by online communities, open sharing, interactivity and collaboration. Although most previous attempts at sharing clinical decision support content have worked outside of the Web 2.0 framework, several initiatives are beginning to use Web 2.0 to share and collaborate on decision support content. We present case studies of three efforts: the Clinfowiki, a world-accessible wiki for developing decision support content; Partners Healthcare eRooms, web-based tools for developing decision support within a single organization; and Epic Systems Corporation's Community Library, a repository for sharing decision support content for customers of a single clinical system vendor. We evaluate the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to enable collaborative development and sharing of clinical decision support systems through the lens of three case studies; analyzing technical, legal and organizational issues for developers, consumers and organizers of clinical decision support content in Web 2.0. We believe the case for Web 2.0 as a tool for collaborating on clinical decision support content appears strong, particularly for collaborative content development within an organization.

  7. Survey Software Evaluation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-01-01

    Oracle 9i, 10g  MySQL  MS SQL Server MS SQL Server Operating System Supported Windows 2003 Server  Windows 2000 Server (32 bit...WebStar (Mac OS X)  SunOne Internet Information Services (IIS) Database Server Supported MS SQL Server  MS SQL Server  Oracle 9i, 10g...challenges of Web-based surveys are: 1) identifying the best Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Web-based survey packages to serve the particular

  8. Evaluation of a Web-based Error Reporting Surveillance System in a Large Iranian Hospital.

    PubMed

    Askarian, Mehrdad; Ghoreishi, Mahboobeh; Akbari Haghighinejad, Hourvash; Palenik, Charles John; Ghodsi, Maryam

    2017-08-01

    Proper reporting of medical errors helps healthcare providers learn from adverse incidents and improve patient safety. A well-designed and functioning confidential reporting system is an essential component to this process. There are many error reporting methods; however, web-based systems are often preferred because they can provide; comprehensive and more easily analyzed information. This study addresses the use of a web-based error reporting system. This interventional study involved the application of an in-house designed "voluntary web-based medical error reporting system." The system has been used since July 2014 in Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The rate and severity of errors reported during the year prior and a year after system launch were compared. The slope of the error report trend line was steep during the first 12 months (B = 105.727, P = 0.00). However, it slowed following launch of the web-based reporting system and was no longer statistically significant (B = 15.27, P = 0.81) by the end of the second year. Most recorded errors were no-harm laboratory types and were due to inattention. Usually, they were reported by nurses and other permanent employees. Most reported errors occurred during morning shifts. Using a standardized web-based error reporting system can be beneficial. This study reports on the performance of an in-house designed reporting system, which appeared to properly detect and analyze medical errors. The system also generated follow-up reports in a timely and accurate manner. Detection of near-miss errors could play a significant role in identifying areas of system defects.

  9. Evaluation Framework Based on Fuzzy Measured Method in Adaptive Learning Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ounaies, Houda Zouari; Jamoussi, Yassine; Ben Ghezala, Henda Hajjami

    2008-01-01

    Currently, e-learning systems are mainly web-based applications and tackle a wide range of users all over the world. Fitting learners' needs is considered as a key issue to guaranty the success of these systems. Many researches work on providing adaptive systems. Nevertheless, evaluation of the adaptivity is still in an exploratory phase.…

  10. Supporting Reflective Activities in Information Seeking on the Web

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saito, Hitomi; Miwa, Kazuhisa

    Recently, many opportunities have emerged to use the Internet in daily life and classrooms. However, with the growth of the World Wide Web (Web), it is becoming increasingly difficult to find target information on the Internet. In this study, we explore a method for developing the ability of users in information seeking on the Web and construct a search process feedback system supporting reflective activities of information seeking on the Web. Reflection is defined as a cognitive activity for monitoring, evaluating, and modifying one's thinking and process. In the field of learning science, many researchers have investigated reflective activities that facilitate learners' problem solving and deep understanding. The characteristics of this system are: (1) to show learners' search processes on the Web as described, based on a cognitive schema, and (2) to prompt learners to reflect on their search processes. We expect that users of this system can reflect on their search processes by receiving information on their own search processes provided by the system, and that these types of reflective activity helps them to deepen their understanding of information seeking activities. We have conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of our system. The experimental results confirmed that (1) the system actually facilitated the learners' reflective activities by providing process visualization and prompts, and (2) the learners who reflected on their search processes more actively understood their own search processes more deeply.

  11. Internet-based peer support for Ménière's disease: a summary of web-based data collection, impact evaluation, and user evaluation.

    PubMed

    Pyykkő, Ilmari; Manchaiah, Vinaya; Levo, Hilla; Kentala, Erna; Juhola, Martti

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents a summary of web-based data collection, impact evaluation, and user evaluations of an Internet-based peer support program for Ménière's disease (MD). The program is written in html-form. The data are stored in a MySQL database and uses machine learning in the diagnosis of MD. The program works interactively with the user and assesses the participant's disorder profile in various dimensions (i.e., symptoms, impact, personal traits, and positive attitude). The inference engine uses a database to compare the impact with 50 referents, and provides regular feedback to the user. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The impact evaluation was based on 740 cases and the user evaluation on a sample of 75 cases of MD respectively. The web-based system was useful in data collection and impact evaluation of people with MD. Among those with a recent onset of MD, 78% rated the program as useful or very useful, whereas those with chronic MD rated the program 55%. We suggest that a web-based data collection and impact evaluation for peer support can be helpful while formulating the rehabilitation goals of building the self-confidence needed for coping and increasing social participation.

  12. [Evaluation of the Andalusia Public Health System hospital websites in the period 2010-2012].

    PubMed

    de la Torre Barbero, M J; Estepa Luna, M J; López-Pardo Martínez, M; León Márquez, M; Sánchez Laguna, F; Toledano Redondo, S

    2014-01-01

    Evaluate the quality, accessibility and presence of Web 2.0 tools in the Andalusia Public Health System hospitals websites Observational, descriptive study carried out between 2010 and 2012. The variables analyzed were: quality, accessibility and innovation. The quality was evaluated using a Bermudez-Tamayo questionnaire. Accessibility was measured using the Web Accessibility Test (TAW) tool. Web 2.0 tools were identified by direct observation. A total of 31 of the 45 hospitals (68.9%) had a website in the year 2010, increasing to 34 (75.5%) in 2012. The average score+standard deviation (SD) of the Bermudez-Tamayo quality questionnaire was 11.1+3.8 points in 2010, and 12.3+3.9 points in 2012, observing a statistically significant difference of 0.25 being observed between the means (P=.007), 95% CI; 0.00 to 0.50) In the accessibility evaluation only 7 websites (n=31) in 2010, and 10 (n=34) in 2012, fulfilled the legal criteria for accessibility. The use of Web 2.0 tools has increased throughout the study. In 2010, 19.4% (n=6) of the hospital websites had this type of tool, in comparison to 58.8% (n=20) in 2012. In general, the quality of the websites studied is good. However, current legislation regarding accessibility is not fulfilled and must be revised and adapted to the current legal rules. There is an incipient use of Web 2.0 resources as education and communication strategies with regard to health. Copyright © 2013 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  13. Design and Implementation of High Interaction Client Honeypot for Drive-by-Download Attacks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akiyama, Mitsuaki; Iwamura, Makoto; Kawakoya, Yuhei; Aoki, Kazufumi; Itoh, Mitsutaka

    Nowadays, the number of web-browser targeted attacks that lead users to adversaries' web sites and exploit web browser vulnerabilities is increasing, and a clarification of their methods and countermeasures is urgently needed. In this paper, we introduce the design and implementation of a new client honeypot for drive-by-download attacks that has the capacity to detect and investigate a variety of malicious web sites. On the basis of the problems of existing client honeypots, we enumerate the requirements of a client honeypot: 1) detection accuracy and variety, 2) collection variety, 3) performance efficiency, and 4) safety and stability. We improve our system with regard to these requirements. The key features of our developed system are stepwise detection focusing on exploit phases, multiple crawler processing, tracking of malware distribution networks, and malware infection prevention. Our evaluation of our developed system in a laboratory experiment and field experiment indicated that its detection variety and crawling performance are higher than those of existing client honeypots. In addition, our system is able to collect information for countermeasures and is secure and stable for continuous operation. We conclude that our system can investigate malicious web sites comprehensively and support countermeasures.

  14. SU-E-T-220: A Web-Based Research System for Outcome Analysis of NSCLC Treated with SABR.

    PubMed

    Le, A; Yang, Y; Michalski, D; Heron, D; Huq, M

    2012-06-01

    To establish a web-based software system, an electronic patient record (ePR), to consolidate and evaluate clinical data, dose delivery and treatment outcomes for non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with hypofractionated stereotactic ablative radiation therapy (SABR) across institutions. The new trend of information technology in medical imaging and informatics is towards the development of an electronic patient record (ePR), in which all health and medical information of each patient are organized under the patient's name and identification number. The system has been developed using the Wamp Server, a package of Apache web server, PHP and MySQL database to facilitate patient data input and management, and evaluation of patient clinical data and dose delivery across institution using web technology. The data of each patient to be recorded in the database include pre-treatment clinical data, treatment plan in DICOM-RT format and follow-up data. The pre-treatment data include demographics data, pathology condition, cancer staging. The follow-up data include the survival status, local tumor control condition and toxicity. The clinical data are entered to the system through the web page while the treatment plan data will be imported from the treatment planning system (TPS) using DICOM communication. The collection of data of NSCLC patients treated with SABR stored in the ePR is always accessible and can be retrieved and processed in the future. The core of the ePR is the database which integrates all patient data in one location. The web-based DICOM RT ePR system utilizes the current state-of-the-art medical informatics approach to investigate the combination and consolidation of patient data and outcome results. This will allow clinically-driven data mining for dose distributions and resulting treatment outcome in connection with biological modeling of the treatment parameters to quantify the efficacy of SABR in treating NSCLC patients. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  15. Implementation of an Embedded Web Server Application for Wireless Control of Brain Computer Interface Based Home Environments.

    PubMed

    Aydın, Eda Akman; Bay, Ömer Faruk; Güler, İnan

    2016-01-01

    Brain Computer Interface (BCI) based environment control systems could facilitate life of people with neuromuscular diseases, reduces dependence on their caregivers, and improves their quality of life. As well as easy usage, low-cost, and robust system performance, mobility is an important functionality expected from a practical BCI system in real life. In this study, in order to enhance users' mobility, we propose internet based wireless communication between BCI system and home environment. We designed and implemented a prototype of an embedded low-cost, low power, easy to use web server which is employed in internet based wireless control of a BCI based home environment. The embedded web server provides remote access to the environmental control module through BCI and web interfaces. While the proposed system offers to BCI users enhanced mobility, it also provides remote control of the home environment by caregivers as well as the individuals in initial stages of neuromuscular disease. The input of BCI system is P300 potentials. We used Region Based Paradigm (RBP) as stimulus interface. Performance of the BCI system is evaluated on data recorded from 8 non-disabled subjects. The experimental results indicate that the proposed web server enables internet based wireless control of electrical home appliances successfully through BCIs.

  16. On Information Retrieval (IR) Systems: Revisiting Their Development, Evaluation Methodologies, and Assumptions (SIGs LAN, ED).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stirling, Keith

    2000-01-01

    Describes a session on information retrieval systems that planned to discuss relevance measures with Web-based information retrieval; retrieval system performance and evaluation; probabilistic independence of index terms; vector-based models; metalanguages and digital objects; how users assess the reliability, timeliness and bias of information;…

  17. A web-enabled system for integrated assessment of watershed development

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dymond, R.; Lohani, V.; Regmi, B.; Dietz, R.

    2004-01-01

    Researchers at Virginia Tech have put together the primary structure of a web enabled integrated modeling system that has potential to be a planning tool to help decision makers and stakeholders in making appropriate watershed management decisions. This paper describes the integrated system, including data sources, collection, analysis methods, system software and design, and issues of integrating the various component models. The integrated system has three modeling components, namely hydrology, economics, and fish health, and is accompanied by descriptive 'help files.' Since all three components have a related spatial aspect, GIS technology provides the integration platform. When completed, a user will access the integrated system over the web to choose pre-selected land development patterns to create a 'what if' scenario using an easy-to-follow interface. The hydrologic model simulates effects of the scenario on annual runoff volume, flood peaks of various return periods, and ground water recharge. The economics model evaluates tax revenue and fiscal costs as a result of a new land development scenario. The fish health model evaluates effects of new land uses in zones of influence to the health of fish populations in those areas. Copyright ASCE 2004.

  18. Sensor Webs as Virtual Data Systems for Earth Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moe, K. L.; Sherwood, R.

    2008-05-01

    The NASA Earth Science Technology Office established a 3-year Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) development program in late 2006 to explore the technical challenges associated with integrating sensors, sensor networks, data assimilation and modeling components into virtual data systems called "sensor webs". The AIST sensor web program was initiated in response to a renewed emphasis on the sensor web concepts. In 2004, NASA proposed an Earth science vision for a more robust Earth observing system, coupled with remote sensing data analysis tools and advances in Earth system models. The AIST program is conducting the research and developing components to explore the technology infrastructure that will enable the visionary goals. A working statement for a NASA Earth science sensor web vision is the following: On-demand sensing of a broad array of environmental and ecological phenomena across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, from a heterogeneous suite of sensors both in-situ and in orbit. Sensor webs will be dynamically organized to collect data, extract information from it, accept input from other sensor / forecast / tasking systems, interact with the environment based on what they detect or are tasked to perform, and communicate observations and results in real time. The focus on sensor webs is to develop the technology and prototypes to demonstrate the evolving sensor web capabilities. There are 35 AIST projects ranging from 1 to 3 years in duration addressing various aspects of sensor webs involving space sensors such as Earth Observing-1, in situ sensor networks such as the southern California earthquake network, and various modeling and forecasting systems. Some of these projects build on proof-of-concept demonstrations of sensor web capabilities like the EO-1 rapid fire response initially implemented in 2003. Other projects simulate future sensor web configurations to evaluate the effectiveness of sensor-model interactions for producing improved science predictions. Still other projects are maturing technology to support autonomous operations, communications and system interoperability. This paper will highlight lessons learned by various projects during the first half of the AIST program. Several sensor web demonstrations have been implemented and resulting experience with evolving standards, such as the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) among others, will be featured. The role of sensor webs in support of the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations' Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) will also be discussed. The GEOSS vision is a distributed system of systems that builds on international components to supply observing and processing systems that are, in the whole, comprehensive, coordinated and sustained. Sensor web prototypes are under development to demonstrate how remote sensing satellite data, in situ sensor networks and decision support systems collaborate in applications of interest to GEO, such as flood monitoring. Furthermore, the international Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) has stepped up to the challenge to provide the space-based systems component for GEOSS. CEOS has proposed "virtual constellations" to address emerging data gaps in environmental monitoring, avoid overlap among observing systems, and make maximum use of existing space and ground assets. Exploratory applications that support the objectives of virtual constellations will also be discussed as a future role for sensor webs.

  19. Web platform using digital image processing and geographic information system tools: a Brazilian case study on dengue.

    PubMed

    Brasil, Lourdes M; Gomes, Marília M F; Miosso, Cristiano J; da Silva, Marlete M; Amvame-Nze, Georges D

    2015-07-16

    Dengue fever is endemic in Asia, the Americas, the East of the Mediterranean and the Western Pacific. According to the World Health Organization, it is one of the diseases of greatest impact on health, affecting millions of people each year worldwide. A fast detection of increases in populations of the transmitting vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is essential to avoid dengue outbreaks. Unfortunately, in several countries, such as Brazil, the current methods for detecting populations changes and disseminating this information are too slow to allow efficient allocation of resources to fight outbreaks. To reduce the delay in providing the information regarding A. aegypti population changes, we propose, develop, and evaluate a system for counting the eggs found in special traps and to provide the collected data using a web structure with geographical location resources. One of the most useful tools for the detection and surveillance of arthropods is the ovitrap, a special trap built to collect the mosquito eggs. This allows for an egg counting process, which is still usually performed manually, in countries such as Brazil. We implement and evaluate a novel system for automatically counting the eggs found in the ovitraps' cardboards. The system we propose is based on digital image processing (DIP) techniques, as well as a Web based Semi-Automatic Counting System (SCSA-WEB). All data collected are geographically referenced in a geographic information system (GIS) and made available on a Web platform. The work was developed in Gama's administrative region, in Brasília/Brazil, with the aid of the Environmental Surveillance Directory (DIVAL-Gama) and Brasília's Board of Health (SSDF), in partnership with the University of Brasília (UnB). The system was built based on a field survey carried out during three months and provided by health professionals. These professionals provided 84 cardboards from 84 ovitraps, sized 15 × 5 cm. In developing the system, we conducted the following steps: i. Obtain images from the eggs on an ovitrap's cardboards, with a microscope. ii. Apply a proposed image-processing-based semi-automatic counting system. The system we developed uses the Java programming language and the Java Server Faces technology. This is a framework suite for web applications development. This approach will allow a simple migration to any Operating System platform and future applications on mobile devices. iii. Collect and store all data into a Database (DB) and then georeference them in a GIS. The Database Management System used to develop the DB is based on PostgreSQL. The GIS will assist in the visualization and spatial analysis of digital maps, allowing the location of Dengue outbreaks in the region of study. This will also facilitate the planning, analysis, and evaluation of temporal and spatial epidemiology, as required by the Brazilian Health Care Control Center. iv. Deploy the SCSA-WEB, DB and GIS on a single Web platform. The statistical results obtained by DIP were satisfactory when compared with the SCSA-WEB's semi-automated eggs count. The results also indicate that the time spent in manual counting has being considerably reduced when using our fully automated DIP algorithm and semi-automated SCSA-WEB. The developed georeferencing Web platform proves to be of great support for future visualization with statistical and trace analysis of the disease. The analyses suggest the efficiency of our algorithm for automatic eggs counting, in terms of expediting the work of the laboratory technician, reducing considerably its time and error counting rates. We believe that this kind of integrated platform and tools can simplify the decision making process of the Brazilian Health Care Control Center.

  20. Promoting Assessment Efficacy through an Integrated System for Online Clinical Assessment of Practical Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hay, Peter J.; Engstrom, Craig; Green, Anita; Friis, Peter; Dickens, Sue; Macdonald, Doune

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents evaluation outcomes from an externally funded research project involving the online clinical assessment of practical skills (eCAPS) using web-based video technologies within a university medical programme. eCAPS was implemented to trial this web-based approach for promoting the efficacy of "practical" skills…

  1. The Web-Database Connection Tools for Sharing Information on the Campus Intranet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thibeault, Nancy E.

    This paper evaluates four tools for creating World Wide Web pages that interface with Microsoft Access databases: DB Gateway, Internet Database Assistant (IDBA), Microsoft Internet Database Connector (IDC), and Cold Fusion. The system requirements and features of each tool are discussed. A sample application, "The Virtual Help Desk"…

  2. The WEB 2.0 induced paradigm shift in the e-learning and the role of crowdsourcing in dental education.

    PubMed

    Thurzo, A; Stanko, P; Urbanova, W; Lysy, J; Suchancova, B; Makovnik, M; Javorka, V

    2010-01-01

    Authors evaluated the effect of the WEB 2.0 environment on dental education and estimated the difference in retention of knowledge by cephalometric analysis in orthodontics between conventional education and off-line e-learning. Five years of experience with complex web-based e-learning system allowed the evaluation by retrospective analysis and on-line questionnaire. The results revealed the current trends in on-line behavior of students based on the WEB 2.0 innovative technologies like Ajax. Results confirmed an increasing number of resources with a rising frequency of e-learning materials. The study confirmed that e-learning of the same subject is more efficient in immediate examination after the lecture with even better results after 12 and 24 months against the control group (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 26).

  3. MED31/437: A Web-based Diabetes Management System: DiabNet

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, N; Roudsari, A; Carson, E

    1999-01-01

    Introduction A web-based system (DiabNet) was developed to provide instant access to the Electronic Diabetes Records (EDR) for end-users, and real-time information for healthcare professionals to facilitate their decision-making. It integrates portable glucometer, handheld computer, mobile phone and Internet access as a combined telecommunication and mobile computing solution for diabetes management. Methods: Active Server Pages (ASP) embedded with advanced ActiveX controls and VBScript were developed to allow remote data upload, retrieval and interpretation. Some advisory and Internet-based learning features, together with a video teleconferencing component make DiabNet web site an informative platform for Web-consultation. Results The evaluation of the system is being implemented among several UK Internet diabetes discussion groups and the Diabetes Day Centre at the Guy's & St. Thomas' Hospital. Many positive feedback are received from the web site demonstrating DiabNet is an advanced web-based diabetes management system which can help patients to keep closer control of self-monitoring blood glucose remotely, and is an integrated diabetes information resource that offers telemedicine knowledge in diabetes management. Discussion In summary, DiabNet introduces an innovative online diabetes management concept, such as online appointment and consultation, to enable users to access diabetes management information without time and location limitation and security concerns.

  4. Ultrafast web inspection with hybrid dispersion laser scanner.

    PubMed

    Chen, Hongwei; Wang, Chao; Yazaki, Akio; Kim, Chanju; Goda, Keisuke; Jalali, Bahram

    2013-06-10

    We report an ultrafast web inspector that operates at a 1000 times higher scan rate than conventional methods. This system is based on a hybrid dispersion laser scanner that performs line scans at nearly 100 MHz. Specifically, we demonstrate web inspection with detectable resolution of 48.6 μm/pixel (scan direction) × 23 μm (web flow direction) within a width of view of 6 mm at a record high scan rate of 90.9 MHz. We demonstrate the identification and evaluation of particles on silicon wafers. This method holds great promise for speeding up quality control and hence reducing manufacturing costs.

  5. OnlineTED.com − a novel web-based audience response system for higher education. A pilot study to evaluate user acceptance

    PubMed Central

    Kühbeck, Felizian; Engelhardt, Stefan; Sarikas, Antonio

    2014-01-01

    Background and aim: Audience response (AR) systems are increasingly used in undergraduate medical education. However, high costs and complexity of conventional AR systems often limit their use. Here we present a novel AR system that is platform independent and does not require hardware clickers or additional software to be installed. Methods and results: “OnlineTED” was developed at Technische Universität München (TUM) based on Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) with a My Structured Query Language (MySQL)-database as server- and Javascript as client-side programming languages. “OnlineTED” enables lecturers to create and manage question sets online and start polls in-class via a web-browser. Students can participate in the polls with any internet-enabled device (smartphones, tablet-PCs or laptops). A paper-based survey was conducted with undergraduate medical students and lecturers at TUM to compare "OnlineTED" with conventional AR systems using clickers. "OnlineTED" received above-average evaluation results by both students and lecturers at TUM and was seen on par or superior to conventional AR systems. The survey results indicated that up to 80% of students at TUM own an internet-enabled device (smartphone or tablet-PC) for participation in web-based AR technologies. Summary and Conclusion: “OnlineTED” is a novel web-based and platform-independent AR system for higher education that was well received by students and lecturers. As a non-commercial alternative to conventional AR systems it may foster interactive teaching in undergraduate education, in particular with large audiences. PMID:24575156

  6. Checking an integrated model of web accessibility and usability evaluation for disabled people.

    PubMed

    Federici, Stefano; Micangeli, Andrea; Ruspantini, Irene; Borgianni, Stefano; Corradi, Fabrizio; Pasqualotto, Emanuele; Olivetti Belardinelli, Marta

    2005-07-08

    A combined objective-oriented and subjective-oriented method for evaluating accessibility and usability of web pages for students with disability was tested. The objective-oriented approach is devoted to verifying the conformity of interfaces to standard rules stated by national and international organizations responsible for web technology standardization, such as W3C. Conversely, the subjective-oriented approach allows assessing how the final users interact with the artificial system, accessing levels of user satisfaction based on personal factors and environmental barriers. Five kinds of measurements were applied as objective-oriented and subjective-oriented tests. Objective-oriented evaluations were performed on the Help Desk web page for students with disability, included in the website of a large Italian state university. Subjective-oriented tests were administered to 19 students labeled as disabled on the basis of their own declaration at the University enrolment: 13 students were tested by means of the SUMI test and six students by means of the 'Cooperative evaluation'. Objective-oriented and subjective-oriented methods highlighted different and sometimes conflicting results. Both methods have pointed out much more consistency regarding levels of accessibility than of usability. Since usability is largely affected by individual differences in user's own (dis)abilities, subjective-oriented measures underscored the fact that blind students encountered much more web surfing difficulties.

  7. Web Mapping for Promoting Interaction and Collaboration in Community Land Planning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veenendaal, B.; Dhliwayo, M.

    2013-10-01

    There is an inherent advantage of geographic information Systems (GIS) and mapping in facilitating dialogue between experts and non-experts during land use plan development. Combining visual mapping information and effective user interaction can result in considerable benefits for developing countries like Botswana. Although the adoption of information and communication technologies has lagged behind that for developed countries, initiatives by the Botswana government in providing suitable information infrastructures, including internet and web based communications, are enabling multiple users to interact and collaborate in community land planning. A web mapping application was developed for the Maun Development Plan (MDP) in the Okavango Delta region in Botswana. It was designed according to requirements of land planners and managers and implemented using ArcGIS Viewer for Flex. Land planners and managers from two organisations in Maun involved in the development of the MDP were asked to evaluate the web mapping tools. This paper describes the results of implementation and some preliminary results of the web mapping evaluation.

  8. Virtual patients on the semantic Web: a proof-of-application study.

    PubMed

    Dafli, Eleni; Antoniou, Panagiotis; Ioannidis, Lazaros; Dombros, Nicholas; Topps, David; Bamidis, Panagiotis D

    2015-01-22

    Virtual patients are interactive computer simulations that are increasingly used as learning activities in modern health care education, especially in teaching clinical decision making. A key challenge is how to retrieve and repurpose virtual patients as unique types of educational resources between different platforms because of the lack of standardized content-retrieving and repurposing mechanisms. Semantic Web technologies provide the capability, through structured information, for easy retrieval, reuse, repurposing, and exchange of virtual patients between different systems. An attempt to address this challenge has been made through the mEducator Best Practice Network, which provisioned frameworks for the discovery, retrieval, sharing, and reuse of medical educational resources. We have extended the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring and deployment platform to facilitate the repurposing and retrieval of existing virtual patient material. A standalone Web distribution and Web interface, which contains an extension for the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring system, was implemented. This extension was designed to semantically annotate virtual patients to facilitate intelligent searches, complex queries, and easy exchange between institutions. The OpenLabyrinth extension enables OpenLabyrinth authors to integrate and share virtual patient case metadata within the mEducator3.0 network. Evaluation included 3 successive steps: (1) expert reviews; (2) evaluation of the ability of health care professionals and medical students to create, share, and exchange virtual patients through specific scenarios in extended OpenLabyrinth (OLabX); and (3) evaluation of the repurposed learning objects that emerged from the procedure. We evaluated 30 repurposed virtual patient cases. The evaluation, with a total of 98 participants, demonstrated the system's main strength: the core repurposing capacity. The extensive metadata schema presentation facilitated user exploration and filtering of resources. Usability weaknesses were primarily related to standard computer applications' ease of use provisions. Most evaluators provided positive feedback regarding educational experiences on both content and system usability. Evaluation results replicated across several independent evaluation events. The OpenLabyrinth extension, as part of the semantic mEducator3.0 approach, is a virtual patient sharing approach that builds on a collection of Semantic Web services and federates existing sources of clinical and educational data. It is an effective sharing tool for virtual patients and has been merged into the next version of the app (OpenLabyrinth 3.3). Such tool extensions may enhance the medical education arsenal with capacities of creating simulation/game-based learning episodes, massive open online courses, curricular transformations, and a future robust infrastructure for enabling mobile learning.

  9. Implementation of a web-based medication tracking system in a large academic medical center.

    PubMed

    Calabrese, Sam V; Williams, Jonathan P

    2012-10-01

    Pharmacy workflow efficiencies achieved through the use of an electronic medication-tracking system are described. Medication dispensing turnaround times at the inpatient pharmacy of a large hospital were evaluated before and after transition from manual medication tracking to a Web-based tracking process involving sequential bar-code scanning and real-time monitoring of medication status. The transition was carried out in three phases: (1) a workflow analysis, including the identification of optimal points for medication scanning with hand-held wireless devices, (2) the phased implementation of an automated solution and associated hardware at a central dispensing pharmacy and three satellite locations, and (3) postimplementation data collection to evaluate the impact of the new tracking system and areas for improvement. Relative to the manual tracking method, electronic medication tracking allowed the capture of far more data points, enabling the pharmacy team to delineate the time required for each step of the medication dispensing process and to identify the steps most likely to involve delays. A comparison of baseline and postimplementation data showed substantial reductions in overall medication turnaround times with the use of the Web-based tracking system (time reductions of 45% and 22% at the central and satellite sites, respectively). In addition to more accurate projections and documentation of turnaround times, the Web-based tracking system has facilitated quality-improvement initiatives. Implementation of an electronic tracking system for monitoring the delivery of medications provided a comprehensive mechanism for calculating turnaround times and allowed the pharmacy to identify bottlenecks within the medication distribution system. Altering processes removed these bottlenecks and decreased delivery turnaround times.

  10. A usability evaluation exploring the design of American Nurses Association state web sites.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Gregory L; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Anbari, Allison B; Lyons, Vanessa; Prentice, Donna; Shepherd, Marilyn; Strecker, E Bradley; Weston, Marla J

    2014-08-01

    National leaders are calling for opportunities to facilitate the Future of Nursing. Opportunities can be encouraged through state nurses association Web sites, which are part of the American Nurses Association, that are well designed, with appropriate content, and in a language professional nurses understand. The American Nurses Association and constituent state nurses associations provide information about nursing practice, ethics, credentialing, and health on Web sites. We conducted usability evaluations to determine compliance with heuristic and ethical principles for Web site design. We purposefully sampled 27 nursing association Web sites and used 68 heuristic and ethical criteria to perform systematic usability assessments of nurse association Web sites. Web site analysis included seven double experts who were all RNs trained in usability analysis. The extent to which heuristic and ethical criteria were met ranged widely from one state that met 0% of the criteria for "help and documentation" to states that met greater than 92% of criteria for "visibility of system status" and "aesthetic and minimalist design." Suggested improvements are simple yet make an impact on a first-time visitor's impression of the Web site. For example, adding internal navigation and tracking features and providing more details about the application process through help and frequently asked question documentation would facilitate better use. Improved usability will improve effectiveness, efficiency, and consumer satisfaction with these Web sites.

  11. Delivery of laboratory data with World Wide Web technology.

    PubMed

    Hahn, A W; Leon, M A; Klein-Leon, S; Allen, G K; Boon, G D; Patrick, T B; Klimczak, J C

    1997-01-01

    We have developed an experimental World Wide Web (WWW) based system to deliver laboratory results to clinicians in our Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Laboratory results are generated by the clinical pathology section of our Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and stored in a legacy information system. This system does not interface directly to the hospital information system, and it cannot be accessed directly by clinicians. Our "meta" system first parses routine print reports and then instantiates the data into a modern, open-architecture relational database using a data model constructed with currently accepted international standards for data representation and communication. The system does not affect either of the existing legacy systems. Location-independent delivery of patient data is via a secure WWW based system which maximizes usability and allows "value-added" graphic representations. The data can be viewed with any web browser. Future extensibility and intra- and inter-institutional compatibility served as key design criteria. The system is in the process of being evaluated using accepted methods of assessment of information technologies.

  12. Developing a Web 2.0-Based System with User-Authored Content for Community Use and Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cifuentes, Lauren; Sharp, Amy; Bulu, Sanser; Benz, Mike; Stough, Laura M.

    2010-01-01

    We report on an investigation into the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an informational and instructional Website in order to generate guidelines for instructional designers of read/write Web environments. We describe the process of design and development research, the problem addressed, the theory-based solution, and the…

  13. Integrating hydrologic modeling web services with online data sharing to prepare, store, and execute models in hydrology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gan, T.; Tarboton, D. G.; Dash, P. K.; Gichamo, T.; Horsburgh, J. S.

    2017-12-01

    Web based apps, web services and online data and model sharing technology are becoming increasingly available to support research. This promises benefits in terms of collaboration, platform independence, transparency and reproducibility of modeling workflows and results. However, challenges still exist in real application of these capabilities and the programming skills researchers need to use them. In this research we combined hydrologic modeling web services with an online data and model sharing system to develop functionality to support reproducible hydrologic modeling work. We used HydroDS, a system that provides web services for input data preparation and execution of a snowmelt model, and HydroShare, a hydrologic information system that supports the sharing of hydrologic data, model and analysis tools. To make the web services easy to use, we developed a HydroShare app (based on the Tethys platform) to serve as a browser based user interface for HydroDS. In this integration, HydroDS receives web requests from the HydroShare app to process the data and execute the model. HydroShare supports storage and sharing of the results generated by HydroDS web services. The snowmelt modeling example served as a use case to test and evaluate this approach. We show that, after the integration, users can prepare model inputs or execute the model through the web user interface of the HydroShare app without writing program code. The model input/output files and metadata describing the model instance are stored and shared in HydroShare. These files include a Python script that is automatically generated by the HydroShare app to document and reproduce the model input preparation workflow. Once stored in HydroShare, inputs and results can be shared with other users, or published so that other users can directly discover, repeat or modify the modeling work. This approach provides a collaborative environment that integrates hydrologic web services with a data and model sharing system to enable model development and execution. The entire system comprised of the HydroShare app, HydroShare and HydroDS web services is open source and contributes to capability for web based modeling research.

  14. Modernizing the Regulatory System for Biotechnology Products

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This Web page describes the continuing effort to modernize the federal regulatory system for biotechnology products as well as clarify various roles of EPA, FDA and USDA in evaluating new biotechnology products.

  15. Computer-aided diagnosis workstation and teleradiology network system for chest diagnosis using the web medical image conference system with a new information security solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Satoh, Hitoshi; Niki, Noboru; Eguchi, Kenji; Ohmatsu, Hironobu; Kaneko, Masahiro; Kakinuma, Ryutaro; Moriyama, Noriyuki

    2010-03-01

    Diagnostic MDCT imaging requires a considerable number of images to be read. Moreover, the doctor who diagnoses a medical image is insufficient in Japan. Because of such a background, we have provided diagnostic assistance methods to medical screening specialists by developing a lung cancer screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected lung cancers in helical CT images, a coronary artery calcification screening algorithm that automatically detects suspected coronary artery calcification and a vertebra body analysis algorithm for quantitative evaluation of osteoporosis. We also have developed the teleradiology network system by using web medical image conference system. In the teleradiology network system, the security of information network is very important subjects. Our teleradiology network system can perform Web medical image conference in the medical institutions of a remote place using the web medical image conference system. We completed the basic proof experiment of the web medical image conference system with information security solution. We can share the screen of web medical image conference system from two or more web conference terminals at the same time. An opinion can be exchanged mutually by using a camera and a microphone that are connected with the workstation that builds in some diagnostic assistance methods. Biometric face authentication used on site of teleradiology makes "Encryption of file" and "Success in login" effective. Our Privacy and information security technology of information security solution ensures compliance with Japanese regulations. As a result, patients' private information is protected. Based on these diagnostic assistance methods, we have developed a new computer-aided workstation and a new teleradiology network that can display suspected lesions three-dimensionally in a short time. The results of this study indicate that our radiological information system without film by using computer-aided diagnosis workstation and our teleradiology network system can increase diagnostic speed, diagnostic accuracy and security improvement of medical information.

  16. Addressing mental health epidemic among university students via web-based, self-screening, and referral system: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Kim, Eung-Hun; Coumar, Anil; Lober, William B; Kim, Yongmin

    2011-03-01

    The prevalence and severity of mental health problems in college and university communities are alarming. However, the majority of students with mental disorders do not seek help from professionals. To help students assess their mental conditions and encourage them to take an active role in seeking care, we developed a web-based self-screening, referral, and secure communication system and evaluated it at the University of Washington for 17 months. The system handled more than 1000 screenings during the study period. Of the subjects who used the system, 75% noted that the system helped them to make a decision to receive help from professionals. The system was able to provide outreach to students with mental health concerns effectively, allow them to self-screen their conditions, and encourage them to receive professional assistance. The system provided students with 24/7 web-based access to the clinic, and more than 50% of the system use was made during off-hours. The system was well received by patients, referral managers, and care providers, and it was transferred to the clinic for daily clinical use. We believe that a web-based system like ours could be used as one way to tackle the growing epidemic of mental health problems among college and university students.

  17. Hermetic and Web Plagiarism Detection Systems for Student Essays--An Evaluation of the State-of-the-Art

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kakkonen, Tuomo; Mozgovoy, Maxim

    2010-01-01

    Plagiarism has become a serious problem in education, and several plagiarism detection systems have been developed for dealing with this problem. This study provides an empirical evaluation of eight plagiarism detection systems for student essays. We present a categorical hierarchy of the most common types of plagiarism that are encountered in…

  18. Web-based information and support for patients with a newly diagnosed neuroendocrine tumor: a feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Bouma, Grietje; de Hosson, Lotte D; van Woerkom, Claudia E; van Essen, Hennie; de Bock, Geertruida H; Admiraal, Jolien M; Reyners, Anna K L; Walenkamp, Annemiek M E

    2017-07-01

    Patients with a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) frequently experience physical and psychosocial complaints. Novel strategies to provide information to optimize supportive care in these patients are of interest. The aim of this study was to examine whether the use of a web-based system consisting of self-screening of problems and care needs, patient education, and self-referral to professional health care is feasible in NET patients and to evaluate their opinion on this. Newly diagnosed NET patients were randomized between standard care (n = 10) or intervention with additional access to the web-based system (n = 10) during 12 weeks. Patients completed questionnaires regarding received information, distress, quality of life (QoL), and empowerment. The intervention group completed a semi-structured interview to assess patients' opinion on the web-based system. The participation rate was 77% (20/26 invited patients) with no dropouts. The use of the web-based system had a negative effect on patients' perception and satisfaction of received information (range Cohen's d -0.88 to 0.13). Positive effects were found for distress (Cohen's d 0.75), global QoL (subscale European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30, Cohen's d 0.46), resolving problems with social functioning and finding information (subscales EORTC QLQ-GINET 21, Cohen's d 0.69, respectively, 1.04), and feeling informed (subscale empowerment questionnaire, Cohen's d 0.51). The interview indicated that the web-based system was of additional value to standard care. Use of this web-based system is feasible. Contradictory effects on informing and supporting NET patients were found and should be subject of further research. NCT01849523.

  19. A Web-based searchable system to confirm magnetic resonance compatibility of implantable medical devices in Japan: a preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Fujiwara, Yasuhiro; Fujioka, Hitoshi; Watanabe, Tomoko; Sekiguchi, Maiko; Murakami, Ryuji

    2017-09-01

    Confirmation of the magnetic resonance (MR) compatibility of implanted medical devices (IMDs) is mandatory before conducting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. In Japan, few such confirmation methods are in use, and they are time-consuming. This study aimed to develop a Web-based searchable MR safety information system to confirm IMD compatibility and to evaluate the usefulness of the system. First, MR safety information for intravascular stents and stent grafts sold in Japan was gathered by interviewing 20 manufacturers. These IMDs were categorized based on the descriptions available on medical package inserts as: "MR Safe," "MR Conditional," "MR Unsafe," "Unknown," and "No Medical Package Insert Available". An MR safety information database for implants was created based on previously proposed item lists. Finally, a Web-based searchable system was developed using this database. A questionnaire was given to health-care personnel in Japan to evaluate the usefulness of this system. Seventy-nine datasets were collected using information provided by 12 manufacturers and by investigating the medical packaging of the IMDs. Although the datasets must be updated by collecting data from other manufacturers, this system facilitates the easy and rapid acquisition of MR safety information for IMDs, thereby improving the safety of MRI examinations.

  20. Developing Models for Synchronizing the Interaction among Users, Systems and Content in Complex Information Spaces

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-10-02

    October. Jansen, B. J., Zhang, M., and Zhang, Y. (2007) Brand Awareness and the Evaluation of Search Results, 16th International World Wide Web...2007) The Effect of Brand Awareness on the Evaluation of Search Engine Results, Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (SIGCHI), Work-in

  1. Developing an electronic system to manage and track emergency medications.

    PubMed

    Hamm, Mark W; Calabrese, Samuel V; Knoer, Scott J; Duty, Ashley M

    2018-03-01

    The development of a Web-based program to track and manage emergency medications with radio frequency identification (RFID) is described. At the Cleveland Clinic, medication kit restocking records and dispense locations were historically documented using a paper record-keeping system. The Cleveland Clinic investigated options to replace the paper-based tracking logs with a Web-based program that could track the real-time location and inventory of emergency medication kits. Vendor collaboration with a board of pharmacy (BOP) compliance inspector and pharmacy personnel resulted in the creation of a dual barcoding system using medication and pocket labels. The Web-based program was integrated with a Cleveland Clinic-developed asset tracking system using active RFID tags to give the real-time location of the medication kit. The Web-based program and the asset tracking system allowed identification of kits nearing expiration or containing recalled medications. Conversion from a paper-based system to a Web-based program began in October 2013. After 119 days, data were evaluated to assess the success of the conversion. Pharmacists spent an average of 27 minutes per day approving medication kits during the postimplementation period versus 102 minutes daily using the paper-based system, representing a 74% decrease in pharmacist time spent on this task. Prospective reports are generated monthly to allow the manager to assess the expected workload and adjust staffing for the next month. Implementation of a BOP-approved Web-based system for managing and tracking emergency medications with RFID integration decreased pharmacist review time, minimized compliance risk, and increased access to real-time data. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Toward Exposing Timing-Based Probing Attacks in Web Applications †

    PubMed Central

    Mao, Jian; Chen, Yue; Shi, Futian; Jia, Yaoqi; Liang, Zhenkai

    2017-01-01

    Web applications have become the foundation of many types of systems, ranging from cloud services to Internet of Things (IoT) systems. Due to the large amount of sensitive data processed by web applications, user privacy emerges as a major concern in web security. Existing protection mechanisms in modern browsers, e.g., the same origin policy, prevent the users’ browsing information on one website from being directly accessed by another website. However, web applications executed in the same browser share the same runtime environment. Such shared states provide side channels for malicious websites to indirectly figure out the information of other origins. Timing is a classic side channel and the root cause of many recent attacks, which rely on the variations in the time taken by the systems to process different inputs. In this paper, we propose an approach to expose the timing-based probing attacks in web applications. It monitors the browser behaviors and identifies anomalous timing behaviors to detect browser probing attacks. We have prototyped our system in the Google Chrome browser and evaluated the effectiveness of our approach by using known probing techniques. We have applied our approach on a large number of top Alexa sites and reported the suspicious behavior patterns with corresponding analysis results. Our theoretical analysis illustrates that the effectiveness of the timing-based probing attacks is dramatically limited by our approach. PMID:28245610

  3. Toward Exposing Timing-Based Probing Attacks in Web Applications.

    PubMed

    Mao, Jian; Chen, Yue; Shi, Futian; Jia, Yaoqi; Liang, Zhenkai

    2017-02-25

    Web applications have become the foundation of many types of systems, ranging from cloud services to Internet of Things (IoT) systems. Due to the large amount of sensitive data processed by web applications, user privacy emerges as a major concern in web security. Existing protection mechanisms in modern browsers, e.g., the same origin policy, prevent the users' browsing information on one website from being directly accessed by another website. However, web applications executed in the same browser share the same runtime environment. Such shared states provide side channels for malicious websites to indirectly figure out the information of other origins. Timing is a classic side channel and the root cause of many recent attacks, which rely on the variations in the time taken by the systems to process different inputs. In this paper, we propose an approach to expose the timing-based probing attacks in web applications. It monitors the browser behaviors and identifies anomalous timing behaviors to detect browser probing attacks. We have prototyped our system in the Google Chrome browser and evaluated the effectiveness of our approach by using known probing techniques. We have applied our approach on a large number of top Alexa sites and reported the suspicious behavior patterns with corresponding analysis results. Our theoretical analysis illustrates that the effectiveness of the timing-based probing attacks is dramatically limited by our approach.

  4. A Web-Based Common Framework to Support the Test and Evaluation Process Any Time, Anywhere, and Anyhow

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Schur, Anne; Brown, James C.; Eaton, Sharon L.

    Test and evaluation (T and E) is an enterprise. For any product, large or small, performance data is desired on many aspects to evaluate the product?s effectiveness for the intended users. Representing the many T and E facets without bewildering the user is challenging when there is a range of people, from the system developers to the manager of the organization, that want specific feedback. A web-based One-Stop Evaluation Center was created to meet these needs for a particular project. The evaluation center is usable at any time in the systems development lifecycle and streamlines the T and E enterprise.more » This paper discusses a common framework that unifies the T and E process with many stakeholders involved and is flexible to accommodate each stakeholders?specific evaluative processes and content. Our success has translated to many cost savings by enabling quick responses to change and a better line of communication between the users, developers, and managers.« less

  5. Implementation and evaluation of a web based system for pharmacy stock management in rural Haiti.

    PubMed

    Berger, Elisabeth J; Jazayeri, Darius; Sauveur, Marcel; Manasse, Jean Joel; Plancher, Inel; Fiefe, Marquise; Laurat, Guerline; Joseph, Samahel; Kempton, Kathryn; Fraser, Hamish S F

    2007-10-11

    Managing the stock and supply of medication is essential for the provision of health care, especially in resource poor areas of the world. We have developed an innovative, web-based stock management system to support nine clinics in rural Haiti. Building on our experience with a web-based EMR system for our HIV patients, we developed a comprehensive stock tracking system that is modeled on the appearance of standardized WHO stock cards. The system allows pharmacy staff at all clinics to enter stock levels and also to request drugs and track shipments. Use of the system over the last 2 years has increased rapidly and we now track 450 products supporting care for 1.78 million patient visits annually. Over the last year drug stockouts have fallen from 2.6% to 1.1% and 97% of stock requests delivered were shipped within 1 day. We are now setting up this system in our clinics in rural Rwanda.

  6. Utilizing Lexical Data from a Web-Derived Corpus to Expand Productive Collocation Knowledge

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Shaoqun; Witten, Ian H.; Franken, Margaret

    2010-01-01

    Collocations are of great importance for second language learners, and a learner's knowledge of them plays a key role in producing language fluently (Nation, 2001: 323). In this article we describe and evaluate an innovative system that uses a Web-derived corpus and digital library software to produce a vast concordance and present it in a way…

  7. Graph-Based Semantic Web Service Composition for Healthcare Data Integration.

    PubMed

    Arch-Int, Ngamnij; Arch-Int, Somjit; Sonsilphong, Suphachoke; Wanchai, Paweena

    2017-01-01

    Within the numerous and heterogeneous web services offered through different sources, automatic web services composition is the most convenient method for building complex business processes that permit invocation of multiple existing atomic services. The current solutions in functional web services composition lack autonomous queries of semantic matches within the parameters of web services, which are necessary in the composition of large-scale related services. In this paper, we propose a graph-based Semantic Web Services composition system consisting of two subsystems: management time and run time. The management-time subsystem is responsible for dependency graph preparation in which a dependency graph of related services is generated automatically according to the proposed semantic matchmaking rules. The run-time subsystem is responsible for discovering the potential web services and nonredundant web services composition of a user's query using a graph-based searching algorithm. The proposed approach was applied to healthcare data integration in different health organizations and was evaluated according to two aspects: execution time measurement and correctness measurement.

  8. Graph-Based Semantic Web Service Composition for Healthcare Data Integration

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Within the numerous and heterogeneous web services offered through different sources, automatic web services composition is the most convenient method for building complex business processes that permit invocation of multiple existing atomic services. The current solutions in functional web services composition lack autonomous queries of semantic matches within the parameters of web services, which are necessary in the composition of large-scale related services. In this paper, we propose a graph-based Semantic Web Services composition system consisting of two subsystems: management time and run time. The management-time subsystem is responsible for dependency graph preparation in which a dependency graph of related services is generated automatically according to the proposed semantic matchmaking rules. The run-time subsystem is responsible for discovering the potential web services and nonredundant web services composition of a user's query using a graph-based searching algorithm. The proposed approach was applied to healthcare data integration in different health organizations and was evaluated according to two aspects: execution time measurement and correctness measurement. PMID:29065602

  9. High throughput web inspection system using time-stretch real-time imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Chanju

    Photonic time-stretch is a novel technology that enables capturing of fast, rare and non-repetitive events. Therefore, it operates in real-time with ability to record over long period of time while having fine temporal resolution. The powerful property of photonic time-stretch has already been employed in various fields of application such as analog-to-digital conversion, spectroscopy, laser scanner and microscopy. Further expanding the scope, we fully exploit the time-stretch technology to demonstrate a high throughput web inspection system. Web inspection, namely surface inspection is a nondestructive evaluation method which is crucial for semiconductor wafer and thin film production. We successfully report a dark-field web inspection system with line scan speed of 90.9 MHz which is up to 1000 times faster than conventional inspection instruments. The manufacturing of high quality semiconductor wafer and thin film may directly benefit from this technology as it can easily locate defects with area of less than 10 microm x 10 microm where it allows maximum web flow speed of 1.8 km/s. The thesis provides an overview of our web inspection technique, followed by description of the photonic time-stretch technique which is the keystone in our system. A detailed explanation of each component is covered to provide quantitative understanding of the system. Finally, imaging results from a hard-disk sample and flexible films are presented along with performance analysis of the system. This project was the first application of time-stretch to industrial inspection, and was conducted under financial support and with close involvement by Hitachi, Ltd.

  10. Prototype development of a web-based participative decision support platform in risk management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aye, Zar Chi; Olyazadeh, Roya; Jaboyedoff, Michel; Derron, Marc-Henri

    2014-05-01

    This paper discusses the proposed background architecture and prototype development of an internet-based decision support system (DSS) in the field of natural hazards and risk management using open-source geospatial software and web technologies. It is based on a three-tier, client-server architecture with the support of boundless (opengeo) framework and its client side SDK application environment using customized gxp components and data utility classes. The main purpose of the system is to integrate the workflow of risk management systematically with the diverse involvement of stakeholders from different organizations dealing with natural hazards and risk for evaluation of management measures through the active online participation approach. It aims to develop an adaptive user friendly, web-based environment that allows the users to set up risk management strategies based on actual context and data by integrating web-GIS and DSS functionality associated with process flow and other visualization tools. Web-GIS interface has been integrated within the DSS to deliver maps and provide certain geo-processing capabilities on the web, which can be easily accessible and shared by different organizations located in case study sites of the project. This platform could be envisaged not only as a common web-based platform for the centralized sharing of data such as hazard maps, elements at risk maps and additional information but also to ensure an integrated platform of risk management where the users could upload data, analyze risk and identify possible alternative scenarios for risk reduction especially for floods and landslides, either quantitatively or qualitatively depending on the risk information provided by the stakeholders in case study regions. The level of involvement, access to and interaction with the provided functionality of the system varies depending on the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders, for example, only the experts (planners, geological services, etc.) can have access to the alternative definition component to formulate the risk reduction measures. The development of such a participative platform would finally lead to an integrated risk management approach highlighting the needs to deal with involved experts and civil society in the decision-making process for evaluation of risk management measures through the active participation approach. The system will be applied and evaluated in four case study areas of the CHANGES project in Europe: Romania, North Eastern Italy, French Alps and Poland. However, the framework of the system is designed in a generic way so as to be applicable in other regions to achieve the high adaptability and flexibility of the system. The research has been undertaken as a part of the CHANGES project funded by the European Commission's 7th framework program.

  11. Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer Web Service System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Pan, L.; Zhai, C.; Tang, B.; Jiang, J. H.

    2014-12-01

    We have developed a cloud-enabled web-service system that empowers physics-based, multi-variable model performance evaluations and diagnoses through the comprehensive and synergistic use of multiple observational data, reanalysis data, and model outputs. We have developed a methodology to transform an existing science application code into a web service using a Python wrapper interface and Python web service frameworks. The web-service system, called Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer (CMDA), currently supports (1) all the observational datasets from Obs4MIPs and a few ocean datasets from NOAA and Argo, which can serve as observation-based reference data for model evaluation, (2) many of CMIP5 model outputs covering a broad range of atmosphere, ocean, and land variables from the CMIP5 specific historical runs and AMIP runs, and (3) ECMWF reanalysis outputs for several environmental variables in order to supplement observational datasets. Analysis capabilities currently supported by CMDA are (1) the calculation of annual and seasonal means of physical variables, (2) the calculation of time evolution of the means in any specified geographical region, (3) the calculation of correlation between two variables, (4) the calculation of difference between two variables, and (5) the conditional sampling of one physical variable with respect to another variable. A web user interface is chosen for CMDA because it not only lowers the learning curve and removes the adoption barrier of the tool but also enables instantaneous use, avoiding the hassle of local software installation and environment incompatibility. CMDA will be used as an educational tool for the summer school organized by JPL's Center for Climate Science in 2014. In order to support 30+ simultaneous users during the school, we have deployed CMDA to the Amazon cloud environment. The cloud-enabled CMDA will provide each student with a virtual machine while the user interaction with the system will remain the same through web-browser interfaces. The summer school will serve as a valuable testbed for the tool development, preparing CMDA to serve its target community: Earth-science modeling and model-analysis community.

  12. Effective Web and Desktop Retrieval with Enhanced Semantic Spaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Daoud, Amjad M.

    We describe the design and implementation of the NETBOOK prototype system for collecting, structuring and efficiently creating semantic vectors for concepts, noun phrases, and documents from a corpus of free full text ebooks available on the World Wide Web. Automatic generation of concept maps from correlated index terms and extracted noun phrases are used to build a powerful conceptual index of individual pages. To ensure scalabilty of our system, dimension reduction is performed using Random Projection [13]. Furthermore, we present a complete evaluation of the relative effectiveness of the NETBOOK system versus the Google Desktop [8].

  13. Mobile cloud-computing-based healthcare service by noncontact ECG monitoring.

    PubMed

    Fong, Ee-May; Chung, Wan-Young

    2013-12-02

    Noncontact electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement technique has gained popularity these days owing to its noninvasive features and convenience in daily life use. This paper presents mobile cloud computing for a healthcare system where a noncontact ECG measurement method is employed to capture biomedical signals from users. Healthcare service is provided to continuously collect biomedical signals from multiple locations. To observe and analyze the ECG signals in real time, a mobile device is used as a mobile monitoring terminal. In addition, a personalized healthcare assistant is installed on the mobile device; several healthcare features such as health status summaries, medication QR code scanning, and reminders are integrated into the mobile application. Health data are being synchronized into the healthcare cloud computing service (Web server system and Web server dataset) to ensure a seamless healthcare monitoring system and anytime and anywhere coverage of network connection is available. Together with a Web page application, medical data are easily accessed by medical professionals or family members. Web page performance evaluation was conducted to ensure minimal Web server latency. The system demonstrates better availability of off-site and up-to-the-minute patient data, which can help detect health problems early and keep elderly patients out of the emergency room, thus providing a better and more comprehensive healthcare cloud computing service.

  14. Mobile Cloud-Computing-Based Healthcare Service by Noncontact ECG Monitoring

    PubMed Central

    Fong, Ee-May; Chung, Wan-Young

    2013-01-01

    Noncontact electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement technique has gained popularity these days owing to its noninvasive features and convenience in daily life use. This paper presents mobile cloud computing for a healthcare system where a noncontact ECG measurement method is employed to capture biomedical signals from users. Healthcare service is provided to continuously collect biomedical signals from multiple locations. To observe and analyze the ECG signals in real time, a mobile device is used as a mobile monitoring terminal. In addition, a personalized healthcare assistant is installed on the mobile device; several healthcare features such as health status summaries, medication QR code scanning, and reminders are integrated into the mobile application. Health data are being synchronized into the healthcare cloud computing service (Web server system and Web server dataset) to ensure a seamless healthcare monitoring system and anytime and anywhere coverage of network connection is available. Together with a Web page application, medical data are easily accessed by medical professionals or family members. Web page performance evaluation was conducted to ensure minimal Web server latency. The system demonstrates better availability of off-site and up-to-the-minute patient data, which can help detect health problems early and keep elderly patients out of the emergency room, thus providing a better and more comprehensive healthcare cloud computing service. PMID:24316562

  15. Online Hydrologic Impact Assessment Decision Support System using Internet and Web-GIS Capability

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, J.; Engel, B. A.; Harbor, J.

    2002-05-01

    Urban sprawl and the corresponding land use change from lower intensity uses, such as agriculture and forests, to higher intensity uses including high density residential and commercial has various long- and short-term environment impacts on ground water recharge, water pollution, and storm water drainage. A web-based Spatial Decision Support System, SDSS, for Web-based operation of long-term hydrologic impact modeling and analysis was developed. The system combines a hydrologic model, databases, web-GIS capability and HTML user interfaces to create a comprehensive hydrologic analysis system. The hydrologic model estimates daily direct runoff using the NRCS Curve Number technique and annual nonpoint source pollution loading by an event mean concentration approach. This is supported by a rainfall database with over 30 years of daily rainfall for the continental US. A web-GIS interface and a robust Web-based watershed delineation capability were developed to simplify the spatial data preparation task that is often a barrier to hydrologic model operation. The web-GIS supports browsing of map layers including hydrologic soil groups, roads, counties, streams, lakes and railroads, as well as on-line watershed delineation for any geographic point the user selects with a simple mouse click. The watershed delineation results can also be used to generate data for the hydrologic and water quality models available in the DSS. This system is already being used by city and local government planners for hydrologic impact evaluation of land use change from urbanization, and can be found at http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~watergen/hymaps. This system can assist local community, city and watershed planners, and even professionals when they are examining impacts of land use change on water resources. They can estimate the hydrologic impact of possible land use changes using this system with readily available data supported through the Internet. This system provides a cost effective approach to serve potential users who require easy-to-use tools.

  16. Electronic construction collaboration system -- phase II.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-06-01

    During the first year of research, work was completed to identify Iowa DOT needs for web-based project management system (WPMS) : and evaluate how commercially available solutions could meet these needs. Researchers also worked to pilot test custom d...

  17. Investigation into the need for ingesting foreign imaging exams into local systems and evaluation of the design challenges of Foreign Exam Management (FEM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milovanovic, Lazar; Agrawal, Arun; Bak, Peter; Bender, Duane; Koff, David

    2015-03-01

    The deployment of regional and national Electronic Health Record solutions has been a focus of many countries throughout the past decade. Most of these deployments have taken the approach of "sharing" imaging exams via portals and web-based viewers. The motivation of portal/web-based access is driven by a) the perception that review of imaging exams via portal methods is satisfactory to all users and b) the perceived complexity of ingesting foreign exams into local systems. This research project set out to objectively evaluate who really needs foreign exams within their local systems, what those systems might be and how often this is required. Working on the belief that Foreign Exam Management (FEM) is required to support clinical workflow, the project implemented a FEM capability within an XDSI. b domain to identify the design challenges and nuances associated with FEM.

  18. Utilization of two web-based continuing education courses evaluated by Markov chain model.

    PubMed

    Tian, Hao; Lin, Jin-Mann S; Reeves, William C

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the web structure of two web-based continuing education courses, identify problems and assess the effects of web site modifications. Markov chain models were built from 2008 web usage data to evaluate the courses' web structure and navigation patterns. The web site was then modified to resolve identified design issues and the improvement in user activity over the subsequent 12 months was quantitatively evaluated. Web navigation paths were collected between 2008 and 2010. The probability of navigating from one web page to another was analyzed. The continuing education courses' sequential structure design was clearly reflected in the resulting actual web usage models, and none of the skip transitions provided was heavily used. The web navigation patterns of the two different continuing education courses were similar. Two possible design flaws were identified and fixed in only one of the two courses. Over the following 12 months, the drop-out rate in the modified course significantly decreased from 41% to 35%, but remained unchanged in the unmodified course. The web improvement effects were further verified via a second-order Markov chain model. The results imply that differences in web content have less impact than web structure design on how learners navigate through continuing education courses. Evaluation of user navigation can help identify web design flaws and guide modifications. This study showed that Markov chain models provide a valuable tool to evaluate web-based education courses. Both the results and techniques in this study would be very useful for public health education and research specialists.

  19. Utilization of two web-based continuing education courses evaluated by Markov chain model

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Jin-Mann S; Reeves, William C

    2011-01-01

    Objectives To evaluate the web structure of two web-based continuing education courses, identify problems and assess the effects of web site modifications. Design Markov chain models were built from 2008 web usage data to evaluate the courses' web structure and navigation patterns. The web site was then modified to resolve identified design issues and the improvement in user activity over the subsequent 12 months was quantitatively evaluated. Measurements Web navigation paths were collected between 2008 and 2010. The probability of navigating from one web page to another was analyzed. Results The continuing education courses' sequential structure design was clearly reflected in the resulting actual web usage models, and none of the skip transitions provided was heavily used. The web navigation patterns of the two different continuing education courses were similar. Two possible design flaws were identified and fixed in only one of the two courses. Over the following 12 months, the drop-out rate in the modified course significantly decreased from 41% to 35%, but remained unchanged in the unmodified course. The web improvement effects were further verified via a second-order Markov chain model. Conclusions The results imply that differences in web content have less impact than web structure design on how learners navigate through continuing education courses. Evaluation of user navigation can help identify web design flaws and guide modifications. This study showed that Markov chain models provide a valuable tool to evaluate web-based education courses. Both the results and techniques in this study would be very useful for public health education and research specialists. PMID:21976027

  20. Wind Evaluation Breadboard electronics and software

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Núñez, Miguel; Reyes, Marcos; Viera, Teodora; Zuluaga, Pablo

    2008-07-01

    WEB, the Wind Evaluation Breadboard, is an Extremely Large Telescope Primary Mirror simulator, developed with the aim of quantifying the ability of a segmented primary mirror to cope with wind disturbances. This instrument supported by the European Community (Framework Programme 6, ELT Design Study), is developed by ESO, IAC, MEDIA-ALTRAN, JUPASA and FOGALE. The WEB is a bench of about 20 tons and 7 meter diameter emulating a segmented primary mirror and its cell, with 7 hexagonal segments simulators, including electromechanical support systems. In this paper we present the WEB central control electronics and the software development which has to interface with: position actuators, auxiliary slave actuators, edge sensors, azimuth ring, elevation actuator, meteorological station and air balloons enclosure. The set of subsystems to control is a reduced version of a real telescope segmented primary mirror control system with high real time performance but emphasizing on development time efficiency and flexibility, because WEB is a test bench. The paper includes a detailed description of hardware and software, paying special attention to real time performance. The Hardware is composed of three computers and the Software architecture has been divided in three intercommunicated applications and they have been implemented using Labview over Windows XP and Pharlap ETS real time operating system. The edge sensors and position actuators close loop has a sampling and commanding frequency of 1KHz.

  1. Virtual Patients on the Semantic Web: A Proof-of-Application Study

    PubMed Central

    Dafli, Eleni; Antoniou, Panagiotis; Ioannidis, Lazaros; Dombros, Nicholas; Topps, David

    2015-01-01

    Background Virtual patients are interactive computer simulations that are increasingly used as learning activities in modern health care education, especially in teaching clinical decision making. A key challenge is how to retrieve and repurpose virtual patients as unique types of educational resources between different platforms because of the lack of standardized content-retrieving and repurposing mechanisms. Semantic Web technologies provide the capability, through structured information, for easy retrieval, reuse, repurposing, and exchange of virtual patients between different systems. Objective An attempt to address this challenge has been made through the mEducator Best Practice Network, which provisioned frameworks for the discovery, retrieval, sharing, and reuse of medical educational resources. We have extended the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring and deployment platform to facilitate the repurposing and retrieval of existing virtual patient material. Methods A standalone Web distribution and Web interface, which contains an extension for the OpenLabyrinth virtual patient authoring system, was implemented. This extension was designed to semantically annotate virtual patients to facilitate intelligent searches, complex queries, and easy exchange between institutions. The OpenLabyrinth extension enables OpenLabyrinth authors to integrate and share virtual patient case metadata within the mEducator3.0 network. Evaluation included 3 successive steps: (1) expert reviews; (2) evaluation of the ability of health care professionals and medical students to create, share, and exchange virtual patients through specific scenarios in extended OpenLabyrinth (OLabX); and (3) evaluation of the repurposed learning objects that emerged from the procedure. Results We evaluated 30 repurposed virtual patient cases. The evaluation, with a total of 98 participants, demonstrated the system’s main strength: the core repurposing capacity. The extensive metadata schema presentation facilitated user exploration and filtering of resources. Usability weaknesses were primarily related to standard computer applications’ ease of use provisions. Most evaluators provided positive feedback regarding educational experiences on both content and system usability. Evaluation results replicated across several independent evaluation events. Conclusions The OpenLabyrinth extension, as part of the semantic mEducator3.0 approach, is a virtual patient sharing approach that builds on a collection of Semantic Web services and federates existing sources of clinical and educational data. It is an effective sharing tool for virtual patients and has been merged into the next version of the app (OpenLabyrinth 3.3). Such tool extensions may enhance the medical education arsenal with capacities of creating simulation/game-based learning episodes, massive open online courses, curricular transformations, and a future robust infrastructure for enabling mobile learning. PMID:25616272

  2. Web-based education in systems-based practice: a randomized trial.

    PubMed

    Kerfoot, B Price; Conlin, Paul R; Travison, Thomas; McMahon, Graham T

    2007-02-26

    All accredited US residency programs are expected to offer curricula and evaluate their residents in 6 general competencies. Medical schools are now adopting similar competency frameworks. We investigated whether a Web-based program could effectively teach and assess elements of systems-based practice. We enrolled 276 medical students and 417 residents in the fields of surgery, medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, and emergency medicine in a 9-week randomized, controlled, crossover educational trial. Participants were asked to sequentially complete validated Web-based modules on patient safety and the US health care system. The primary outcome measure was performance on a 26-item validated online test administered before, between, and after the participants completed the modules. Six hundred forty (92.4%) of the 693 enrollees participated in the study; 512 (80.0%) of the participants completed all 3 tests. Participants' test scores improved significantly after completion of the first module (P<.001). Overall learning from the 9-week Web-based program, as measured by the increase in scores (posttest scores minus pretest scores), was 16 percentage points (95% confidence interval, 14-17 percentage points; P<.001) in public safety topics and 22 percentage points (95% confidence interval, 20-23 percentage points; P<.001) in US health care system topics. A Web-based educational program on systems-based practice competencies generated significant and durable learning across a broad range of medical students and residents.

  3. Informatics in radiology: A prototype Web-based reporting system for onsite-offsite clinician communication.

    PubMed

    Arnold, Corey W; Bui, Alex A T; Morioka, Craig; El-Saden, Suzie; Kangarloo, Hooshang

    2007-01-01

    The communication of imaging findings to a referring physician is an important role of the radiologist. However, communication between onsite and offsite physicians is a time-consuming process that can obstruct work flow and frequently involves no exchange of visual information, which is especially problematic given the importance of radiologic images for diagnosis and treatment. A prototype World Wide Web-based image documentation and reporting system was developed for use in supporting a "communication loop" that is based on the concept of a classic "wet-read" system. The proposed system represents an attempt to address many of the problems seen in current communication work flows by implementing a well-documented and easily accessible communication loop that is adaptable to different types of imaging study evaluation. Images are displayed in a native (DICOM) Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine format with a Java applet, which allows accurate presentation along with use of various image manipulation tools. The Web-based infrastructure consists of a server that stores imaging studies and reports, with Web browsers that download and install necessary client software on demand. Application logic consists of a set of PHP (hypertext preprocessor) modules that are accessible with an application programming interface. The system may be adapted to any clinician-specialist communication loop, and, because it integrates radiologic standards with Web-based technologies, can more effectively communicate and document imaging data. RSNA, 2007

  4. Assessment of resident operative performance using a real-time mobile Web system: preparing for the milestone age.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Justin P; Chen, David C; Donahue, Timothy R; Quach, Chi; Hines, O Joe; Hiatt, Jonathan R; Tillou, Areti

    2014-01-01

    To satisfy trainees' operative competency requirements while improving feedback validity and timeliness using a mobile Web-based platform. The Southern Illinois University Operative Performance Rating Scale (OPRS) was embedded into a website formatted for mobile devices. From March 2013 to February 2014, faculty members were instructed to complete the OPRS form while providing verbal feedback to the operating resident at the conclusion of each procedure. Submitted data were compiled automatically within a secure Web-based spreadsheet. Conventional end-of-rotation performance (CERP) evaluations filed 2006 to 2013 and OPRS performance scores were compared by year of training using serial and independent-samples t tests. The mean CERP scores and OPRS overall resident operative performance scores were directly compared using a linear regression model. OPRS mobile site analytics were reviewed using a Web-based reporting program. Large university-based general surgery residency program. General Surgery faculty used the mobile Web OPRS system to rate resident performance. Residents and the program director reviewed evaluations semiannually. Over the study period, 18 faculty members and 37 residents logged 176 operations using the mobile OPRS system. There were 334 total OPRS website visits. Median time to complete an evaluation was 45 minutes from the end of the operation, and faculty spent an average of 134 seconds on the site to enter 1 assessment. In the 38,506 CERP evaluations reviewed, mean performance scores showed a positive linear trend of 2% change per year of training (p = 0.001). OPRS overall resident operative performance scores showed a significant linear (p = 0.001), quadratic (p = 0.001), and cubic (p = 0.003) trend of change per year of clinical training, reflecting the resident operative experience in our training program. Differences between postgraduate year-1 and postgraduate year-5 overall performance scores were greater with the OPRS (mean = 0.96, CI: 0.55-1.38) than with CERP measures (mean = 0.37, CI: 0.34-0.41). Additionally, there were consistent increases in each of the OPRS subcategories. In contrast to CERPs, the OPRS fully satisfies the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and American Board of Surgery operative assessment requirements. The mobile Web platform provides a convenient interface, broad accessibility, automatic data compilation, and compatibility with common database and statistical software. Our mobile OPRS system encourages candid feedback dialog and generates a comprehensive review of individual and group-wide operative proficiency in real time. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Formative Evaluation of a Family Life Education Web Site

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steimle, Brynn M.; Duncan, Stephen F.

    2004-01-01

    Hundreds of family life education Web sites are available on the Internet, allowing individuals and families unprecedented access to family life education information. Evaluation is critical to ensuring the quality of and improving these Web sites; yet, few Web site evaluations have been conducted. We formatively evaluated a new family life…

  6. Effects of Web-Mediated Teacher Professional Development on the Language and Literacy Skills of Children Enrolled in Prekindergarten Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downer, Jason T.; Pianta, Robert C.; Fan, Xitao; Hamre, Bridget K.; Mashburn, Andrew; Justice, Laura

    2011-01-01

    As early education grows in the United States, in-service professional development in key instructional and interaction skills is a core component of capacity building in early childhood education. In this article, we describe results from an evaluation of the effects of MyTeachingPartner, a web-based system of professional development, on…

  7. Web-Based vs. Paper-Based Homework to Evaluate Students' Performance in Introductory Physics Courses and Students' Perceptions: Two Years Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Demirci, Neset

    2010-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to assess and compare undergraduate students' homework performance using a web-based testing system with paper-based, hand-graded one in introductory physics courses. Students' perceptions about each method were then investigated. Every semester during the two-year period, one of the two identical sections of…

  8. Web Navigation Sequences Automation in Modern Websites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montoto, Paula; Pan, Alberto; Raposo, Juan; Bellas, Fernando; López, Javier

    Most today’s web sources are designed to be used by humans, but they do not provide suitable interfaces for software programs. That is why a growing interest has arisen in so-called web automation applications that are widely used for different purposes such as B2B integration, automated testing of web applications or technology and business watch. Previous proposals assume models for generating and reproducing navigation sequences that are not able to correctly deal with new websites using technologies such as AJAX: on one hand existing systems only allow recording simple navigation actions and, on the other hand, they are unable to detect the end of the effects caused by an user action. In this paper, we propose a set of new techniques to record and execute web navigation sequences able to deal with all the complexity existing in AJAX-based web sites. We also present an exhaustive evaluation of the proposed techniques that shows very promising results.

  9. A Method for Transforming Existing Web Service Descriptions into an Enhanced Semantic Web Service Framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Du, Xiaofeng; Song, William; Munro, Malcolm

    Web Services as a new distributed system technology has been widely adopted by industries in the areas, such as enterprise application integration (EAI), business process management (BPM), and virtual organisation (VO). However, lack of semantics in the current Web Service standards has been a major barrier in service discovery and composition. In this chapter, we propose an enhanced context-based semantic service description framework (CbSSDF+) that tackles the problem and improves the flexibility of service discovery and the correctness of generated composite services. We also provide an agile transformation method to demonstrate how the various formats of Web Service descriptions on the Web can be managed and renovated step by step into CbSSDF+ based service description without large amount of engineering work. At the end of the chapter, we evaluate the applicability of the transformation method and the effectiveness of CbSSDF+ through a series of experiments.

  10. Development of a Cloud Computing-Based Pier Type Port Structure Stability Evaluation Platform Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors.

    PubMed

    Jo, Byung Wan; Jo, Jun Ho; Khan, Rana Muhammad Asad; Kim, Jung Hoon; Lee, Yun Sung

    2018-05-23

    Structure Health Monitoring is a topic of great interest in port structures due to the ageing of structures and the limitations of evaluating structures. This paper presents a cloud computing-based stability evaluation platform for a pier type port structure using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors in a system consisting of a FBG strain sensor, FBG displacement gauge, FBG angle meter, gateway, and cloud computing-based web server. The sensors were installed on core components of the structure and measurements were taken to evaluate the structures. The measurement values were transmitted to the web server via the gateway to analyze and visualize them. All data were analyzed and visualized in the web server to evaluate the structure based on the safety evaluation index (SEI). The stability evaluation platform for pier type port structures involves the efficient monitoring of the structures which can be carried out easily anytime and anywhere by converging new technologies such as cloud computing and FBG sensors. In addition, the platform has been successfully implemented at “Maryang Harbor” situated in Maryang-Meyon of Korea to test its durability.

  11. An Attempt To Design Synchronous Collaborative Learning Environments for Peer Dyads on the World Wide Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Fong-Lok; Liang, Steven; Chan, Tak-Wai

    1999-01-01

    Describes the design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of three synchronous distributed learning prototype systems: Co-Working System, Working Along System, and Hybrid System. Each supports a particular style of interaction, referred to a socio-activity learning model, between members of student dyads (pairs). All systems were…

  12. Design and Implementation of an Interactive Web-Based Near Real-Time Forest Monitoring System.

    PubMed

    Pratihast, Arun Kumar; DeVries, Ben; Avitabile, Valerio; de Bruin, Sytze; Herold, Martin; Bergsma, Aldo

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes an interactive web-based near real-time (NRT) forest monitoring system using four levels of geographic information services: 1) the acquisition of continuous data streams from satellite and community-based monitoring using mobile devices, 2) NRT forest disturbance detection based on satellite time-series, 3) presentation of forest disturbance data through a web-based application and social media and 4) interaction of the satellite based disturbance alerts with the end-user communities to enhance the collection of ground data. The system is developed using open source technologies and has been implemented together with local experts in the UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. The results show that the system is able to provide easy access to information on forest change and considerably improves the collection and storage of ground observation by local experts. Social media leads to higher levels of user interaction and noticeably improves communication among stakeholders. Finally, an evaluation of the system confirms the usability of the system in Ethiopia. The implemented system can provide a foundation for an operational forest monitoring system at the national level for REDD+ MRV applications.

  13. Health and medication information resources on the World Wide Web.

    PubMed

    Grossman, Sara; Zerilli, Tina

    2013-04-01

    Health care practitioners have increasingly used the Internet to obtain health and medication information. The vast number of Internet Web sites providing such information and concerns with their reliability makes it essential for users to carefully select and evaluate Web sites prior to use. To this end, this article reviews the general principles to consider in this process. Moreover, as cost may limit access to subscription-based health and medication information resources with established reputability, freely accessible online resources that may serve as an invaluable addition to one's reference collection are highlighted. These include government- and organization-sponsored resources (eg, US Food and Drug Administration Web site and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' Drug Shortage Resource Center Web site, respectively) as well as commercial Web sites (eg, Medscape, Google Scholar). Familiarity with such online resources can assist health care professionals in their ability to efficiently navigate the Web and may potentially expedite the information gathering and decision-making process, thereby improving patient care.

  14. Development of a unified web-based national HIV/AIDS information system in China

    PubMed Central

    Mao, Yurong; Wu, Zunyou; Poundstone, Katharine; Wang, Changhe; Qin, Qianqian; Ma, Ye; Ma, Wei

    2010-01-01

    Background In the past, many data collection systems were in operation for different HIV/AIDS projects in China. We describe the creation of a unified, web-based national HIV/AIDS information system designed to streamline data collection and facilitate data use. Methods Integration of separate HIV/AIDS data systems was carried out in three phases. Phase 1, from January 2006 to December 2007, involved creating a set of unified data collection forms that took into account existing program needs and the reporting requirements of various international organizations. Phase 2, from January to October 2007, involved creating a web-based platform to host the integrated HIV/AIDS data collection system. Phase 3, from November to December 2007, involved pilot testing the new, integrated system prior to nationwide application. Results Eight web-based data collection subsystems based on one platform began operation on 1 January 2008. These eight subsystems cover: (i) HIV/AIDS case reporting; (ii) HIV testing and counselling; (iii) antiretroviral treatment (ART) for adults; (iv) ART for children; (v) behavioural interventions for high-risk groups; (vi) methadone maintenance treatment; (vii) sentinel and behavioural surveillance; and (viii) local county background information. The system provides real-time data to monitor HIV testing, prevention and treatment programs across the country. Conclusion China’s new unified, web-based HIV/AIDS information system has improved the efficiency of data collection, reporting, analysis and use, as well as data quality and security. It is a powerful tool to support policy making, program evaluation and implementation of the national HIV/AIDS program and, thus, may serve a model for other countries. PMID:21113041

  15. Motivation Mining: Prospecting the Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Small, Ruth V.; Arnone, Marilyn P.

    1999-01-01

    Describes WebMAC instruments, which differ from other Web-evaluation instruments because they have a theoretical base, are user-centered, are designed for students in grades 7 through 12, and assess the motivational quality of Web sites. Examples are given of uses of WebMAC Middle and WebMAC Senior in activities to promote evaluation and…

  16. OntoTrader: An Ontological Web Trading Agent Approach for Environmental Information Retrieval

    PubMed Central

    Iribarne, Luis; Padilla, Nicolás; Ayala, Rosa; Asensio, José A.; Criado, Javier

    2014-01-01

    Modern Web-based Information Systems (WIS) are becoming increasingly necessary to provide support for users who are in different places with different types of information, by facilitating their access to the information, decision making, workgroups, and so forth. Design of these systems requires the use of standardized methods and techniques that enable a common vocabulary to be defined to represent the underlying knowledge. Thus, mediation elements such as traders enrich the interoperability of web components in open distributed systems. These traders must operate with other third-party traders and/or agents in the system, which must also use a common vocabulary for communication between them. This paper presents the OntoTrader architecture, an Ontological Web Trading agent based on the OMG ODP trading standard. It also presents the ontology needed by some system agents to communicate with the trading agent and the behavioral framework for the SOLERES OntoTrader agent, an Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This framework implements a “Query-Searching/Recovering-Response” information retrieval model using a trading service, SPARQL notation, and the JADE platform. The paper also presents reflection, delegation and, federation mediation models and describes formalization, an experimental testing environment in three scenarios, and a tool which allows our proposal to be evaluated and validated. PMID:24977211

  17. OntoTrader: an ontological Web trading agent approach for environmental information retrieval.

    PubMed

    Iribarne, Luis; Padilla, Nicolás; Ayala, Rosa; Asensio, José A; Criado, Javier

    2014-01-01

    Modern Web-based Information Systems (WIS) are becoming increasingly necessary to provide support for users who are in different places with different types of information, by facilitating their access to the information, decision making, workgroups, and so forth. Design of these systems requires the use of standardized methods and techniques that enable a common vocabulary to be defined to represent the underlying knowledge. Thus, mediation elements such as traders enrich the interoperability of web components in open distributed systems. These traders must operate with other third-party traders and/or agents in the system, which must also use a common vocabulary for communication between them. This paper presents the OntoTrader architecture, an Ontological Web Trading agent based on the OMG ODP trading standard. It also presents the ontology needed by some system agents to communicate with the trading agent and the behavioral framework for the SOLERES OntoTrader agent, an Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This framework implements a "Query-Searching/Recovering-Response" information retrieval model using a trading service, SPARQL notation, and the JADE platform. The paper also presents reflection, delegation and, federation mediation models and describes formalization, an experimental testing environment in three scenarios, and a tool which allows our proposal to be evaluated and validated.

  18. Evaluating Web Usability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snider, Jean; Martin, Florence

    2012-01-01

    Web usability focuses on design elements and processes that make web pages easy to use. A website for college students was evaluated for underutilization. One-on-one testing, focus groups, web analytics, peer university review and marketing focus group and demographic data were utilized to conduct usability evaluation. The results indicated that…

  19. U-Access: a web-based system for routing pedestrians of differing abilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sobek, Adam D.; Miller, Harvey J.

    2006-09-01

    For most people, traveling through urban and built environments is straightforward. However, for people with physical disabilities, even a short trip can be difficult and perhaps impossible. This paper provides the design and implementation of a web-based system for the routing and prescriptive analysis of pedestrians with different physical abilities within built environments. U-Access, as a routing tool, provides pedestrians with the shortest feasible route with respect to one of three differing ability levels, namely, peripatetic (unaided mobility), aided mobility (mobility with the help of a cane, walker or crutches) and wheelchair users. U-Access is also an analytical tool that can help identify obstacles in built environments that create routing discrepancies among pedestrians with different physical abilities. This paper discusses the system design, including database, algorithm and interface specifications, and technologies for efficiently delivering results through the World Wide Web (WWW). This paper also provides an illustrative example of a routing problem and an analytical evaluation of the existing infrastructure which identifies the obstacles that pose the greatest discrepancies between physical ability levels. U-Access was evaluated by wheelchair users and route experts from the Center for Disability Services at The University of Utah, USA.

  20. The evaluation of web-based data collection for enhanced surveillance of cryptosporidiosis.

    PubMed

    Viney, Kerri A; McAnulty, Jeremy M

    2008-01-01

    Following an increase in the number of people diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis in November 2005, the Communicable Diseases Branch initiated enhanced surveillance using a developmental version of NetEpi Collection, an open-source, web-based data collection tool. We evaluated the usefulness of NetEpi Collection for enhanced surveillance, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Updated Guidelines for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems as a guide. Most staff (73 per cent) who used NetEpi Collection found it easy to use. Although ongoing support was thought to be adequate by 82 per cent of respondents who used NetEpi Collection, 36 per cent reported that training was limited and 27 per cent reported technical problems such as internet, server and password problems. In order to improve its usefulness in enhanced surveillance, training in NetEpi Collection should be enhanced and the stability of the system improved.

  1. Web services-based text-mining demonstrates broad impacts for interoperability and process simplification.

    PubMed

    Wiegers, Thomas C; Davis, Allan Peter; Mattingly, Carolyn J

    2014-01-01

    The Critical Assessment of Information Extraction systems in Biology (BioCreAtIvE) challenge evaluation tasks collectively represent a community-wide effort to evaluate a variety of text-mining and information extraction systems applied to the biological domain. The BioCreative IV Workshop included five independent subject areas, including Track 3, which focused on named-entity recognition (NER) for the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD; http://ctdbase.org). Previously, CTD had organized document ranking and NER-related tasks for the BioCreative Workshop 2012; a key finding of that effort was that interoperability and integration complexity were major impediments to the direct application of the systems to CTD's text-mining pipeline. This underscored a prevailing problem with software integration efforts. Major interoperability-related issues included lack of process modularity, operating system incompatibility, tool configuration complexity and lack of standardization of high-level inter-process communications. One approach to potentially mitigate interoperability and general integration issues is the use of Web services to abstract implementation details; rather than integrating NER tools directly, HTTP-based calls from CTD's asynchronous, batch-oriented text-mining pipeline could be made to remote NER Web services for recognition of specific biological terms using BioC (an emerging family of XML formats) for inter-process communications. To test this concept, participating groups developed Representational State Transfer /BioC-compliant Web services tailored to CTD's NER requirements. Participants were provided with a comprehensive set of training materials. CTD evaluated results obtained from the remote Web service-based URLs against a test data set of 510 manually curated scientific articles. Twelve groups participated in the challenge. Recall, precision, balanced F-scores and response times were calculated. Top balanced F-scores for gene, chemical and disease NER were 61, 74 and 51%, respectively. Response times ranged from fractions-of-a-second to over a minute per article. We present a description of the challenge and summary of results, demonstrating how curation groups can effectively use interoperable NER technologies to simplify text-mining pipeline implementation. Database URL: http://ctdbase.org/ © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

  2. Web services-based text-mining demonstrates broad impacts for interoperability and process simplification

    PubMed Central

    Wiegers, Thomas C.; Davis, Allan Peter; Mattingly, Carolyn J.

    2014-01-01

    The Critical Assessment of Information Extraction systems in Biology (BioCreAtIvE) challenge evaluation tasks collectively represent a community-wide effort to evaluate a variety of text-mining and information extraction systems applied to the biological domain. The BioCreative IV Workshop included five independent subject areas, including Track 3, which focused on named-entity recognition (NER) for the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD; http://ctdbase.org). Previously, CTD had organized document ranking and NER-related tasks for the BioCreative Workshop 2012; a key finding of that effort was that interoperability and integration complexity were major impediments to the direct application of the systems to CTD's text-mining pipeline. This underscored a prevailing problem with software integration efforts. Major interoperability-related issues included lack of process modularity, operating system incompatibility, tool configuration complexity and lack of standardization of high-level inter-process communications. One approach to potentially mitigate interoperability and general integration issues is the use of Web services to abstract implementation details; rather than integrating NER tools directly, HTTP-based calls from CTD's asynchronous, batch-oriented text-mining pipeline could be made to remote NER Web services for recognition of specific biological terms using BioC (an emerging family of XML formats) for inter-process communications. To test this concept, participating groups developed Representational State Transfer /BioC-compliant Web services tailored to CTD's NER requirements. Participants were provided with a comprehensive set of training materials. CTD evaluated results obtained from the remote Web service-based URLs against a test data set of 510 manually curated scientific articles. Twelve groups participated in the challenge. Recall, precision, balanced F-scores and response times were calculated. Top balanced F-scores for gene, chemical and disease NER were 61, 74 and 51%, respectively. Response times ranged from fractions-of-a-second to over a minute per article. We present a description of the challenge and summary of results, demonstrating how curation groups can effectively use interoperable NER technologies to simplify text-mining pipeline implementation. Database URL: http://ctdbase.org/ PMID:24919658

  3. Paired peer review of university classroom teaching in a school of nursing and midwifery.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Paul N; Parker, Steve; Smigiel, Heather

    2012-08-01

    Peer review of university classroom teaching can increase the quality of teaching but is not universally practiced in Australian universities. To report an evaluation of paired peer-review process using both paper and web based teaching evaluation tools. Twenty university teachers in one metropolitan Australian School of Nursing and Midwifery were randomly paired and then randomly assigned to a paper based or web-based peer review tool. Each teacher reviewed each other's classroom teaching as part of a peer review program. The participants then completed an 18 question survey evaluating the peer review tool and paired evaluation process. Responses were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. Regardless of the tool used, participants found this process of peer review positive (75%), collegial (78%), supportive (61%) and non-threatening (71%). Participants reported that the peer review will improve their own classroom delivery (61%), teaching evaluation (61%) and planning (53%). The web-based tool was found to be easier to use and allowed more space than the paper-based tool. Implementation of a web-based paired peer review system can be a positive method of peer review of university classroom teaching. Pairing of teachers to review each other's classroom teaching is a promising strategy and has the potential to improve teaching in teaching universities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Effectiveness and acceptance of a web-based depression intervention during waiting time for outpatient psychotherapy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Grünzig, Sasha-Denise; Baumeister, Harald; Bengel, Jürgen; Ebert, David; Krämer, Lena

    2018-05-22

    Due to limited resources, waiting periods for psychotherapy are often long and burdening for those in need of treatment and the health care system. In order to bridge the gap between initial contact and the beginning of psychotherapy, web-based interventions can be applied. The implementation of a web-based depression intervention during waiting periods has the potential to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance well-being in depressive individuals waiting for psychotherapy. In a two-arm randomized controlled trial, effectiveness and acceptance of a guided web-based intervention for depressive individuals on a waitlist for psychotherapy are evaluated. Participants are recruited in several German outpatient clinics. All those contacting the outpatient clinics with the wish to enter psychotherapy receive study information and a depression screening. Those adults (age ≥ 18) with depressive symptoms above cut-off (CES-D scale > 22) and internet access are randomized to either intervention condition (treatment as usual and immediate access to the web-based intervention) or waiting control condition (treatment as usual and delayed access to the web-based intervention). At three points of assessment (baseline, post-treatment, 3-months-follow-up) depressive symptoms and secondary outcomes, such as quality of life, attitudes towards psychotherapy and web-based interventions and adverse events are assessed. Additionally, participants' acceptance of the web-based intervention is evaluated, using measures of intervention adherence and satisfaction. This study investigates a relevant setting for the implementation of web-based interventions, potentially improving the provision of psychological health care. The results of this study contribute to the evaluation of innovative and resource-preserving health care models for outpatient psychological treatment. This trial has been registered on 13 February 2017 in the German clinical trials register (DRKS); registration number DRKS00010282 .

  5. Comparison of response times of a mobile-web EHRs system using PHP and JSP languages.

    PubMed

    De la Torre-Díez, Isabel; Antón-Rodríguez, Míriam; Díaz-Pernas, Francisco Javier; Perozo-Rondón, Freddy José

    2012-12-01

    Performance evaluation is highly important in the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) system implementation. Response time's measurement can be considered as one manner to make that evaluation. In the e-health field, after the creation of EHRs available through different platforms such as Web and/or mobile, a performance evaluation is necessary. The operation of the system in the right way is essential. In this paper, a comparison of the response times for the MEHRmobile system is presented. The first version uses PHP language with a MySQL database and the second one employs JSP with an eXist database. Both versions have got the same functionalities. In addition to the technological aspects, a significant difference is the way the information is stored. The main goal of this paper is choosing the version which offers better response times. We have created a new benchmark to calculate the response times. Better results have been obtained for the PHP version. Nowadays, this version is being used for specialists from Fundación Intras, Spain.

  6. GET SMARTE: A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM TO REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES - CABERNET 2007

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains information and analysis tools for all a...

  7. Digital Discernment: An E-Commerce Web Site Evaluation Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sigman, Betsy Page; Boston, Brian J.

    2013-01-01

    Students entering the business workforce today may well share some responsibility for developing, revising, or evaluating their company's Web site. They may lack the experience, however, to critique their employer's Web presence effectively. The purpose of developing Digital Discernment, an e-commerce Web site evaluation tool, was to prepare…

  8. A web-based procedure for liver segmentation in CT images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Rong; Luo, Ming; Wang, Luyao; Xie, Qingguo

    2015-03-01

    Liver segmentation in CT images has been acknowledged as a basic and indispensable part in systems of computer aided liver surgery for operation design and risk evaluation. In this paper, we will introduce and implement a web-based procedure for liver segmentation to help radiologists and surgeons get an accurate result efficiently and expediently. Several clinical datasets are used to evaluate the accessibility and the accuracy. This procedure seems a promising approach for extraction of liver volumetry of various shapes. Moreover, it is possible for user to access the segmentation wherever the Internet is available without any specific machine.

  9. Design and Evaluation of a Web-Based Symptom Monitoring Tool for Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Wakefield, Bonnie J; Alexander, Gregory; Dohrmann, Mary; Richardson, James

    2017-05-01

    Heart failure is a chronic condition where symptom recognition and between-visit communication with providers are critical. Patients are encouraged to track disease-specific data, such as weight and shortness of breath. Use of a Web-based tool that facilitates data display in graph form may help patients recognize exacerbations and more easily communicate out-of-range data to clinicians. The purposes of this study were to (1) design a Web-based tool to facilitate symptom monitoring and symptom recognition in patients with chronic heart failure and (2) conduct a usability evaluation of the Web site. Patient participants generally had a positive view of the Web site and indicated it would support recording their health status and communicating with their doctors. Clinician participants generally had a positive view of the Web site and indicated it would be a potentially useful adjunct to electronic health delivery systems. Participants expressed a need to incorporate decision support within the site and wanted to add other data, for example, blood pressure, and have the ability to adjust font size. A few expressed concerns about data privacy and security. Technologies require careful design and testing to ensure they are useful, usable, and safe for patients and do not add to the burden of busy providers.

  10. Web-based curriculum improves residents' knowledge of health care business.

    PubMed

    Hauge, Linnea S; Frischknecht, Adam C; Gauger, Paul G; Hirshfield, Laura E; Harkins, Deborah; Butz, David A; Taheri, Paul A

    2010-12-01

    Curricular options for teaching and evaluating surgery residents' outcomes in systems-based practice are limited. A Web-based curriculum, MDContent, developed collaboratively by experts in business and surgery, provides learning experiences in the business of health care. The purpose of this study is to describe surgery residents' experience and learning outcomes associated with the curriculum. Twenty-eight PGY3 to 6 general and plastic surgery residents were enrolled in the Web-based curriculum. Twenty-two residents (79%) completed the pretest, 11 modules, the post-test, and the course evaluation by the end of 1 year. The pretest and the post-test were 30-item multiple-choice exams based on a blueprint of the curricular objectives. Descriptive statistics were calculated on course evaluation and module completion data. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-test performance. Content analysis was performed on course evaluation written responses. Residents' performance on the multiple choice exam improved significantly (p = 0.0001) from the pre-test (mean 59%, SD 12.1) to the post-test (mean 78%, SD 9.4), with an average gain of 19 percentage points. Participants rated their Web-based learning experience as very positive, with a majority of residents agreeing that the content was well organized, relevant, and an excellent learning experience around content not taught elsewhere in medical school or residency. Participation in a Web-based curriculum on health care business improves surgery residents' knowledge about health care business concepts and principles. Residents with varying levels of interest in health care business provide positive ratings about their learning experience and indications that lessons learned would be applied in their clinical practice. MDContent is a feasible and effective method for teaching and assessing systems-based practice concepts. Copyright © 2010 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Web-Based Learning Information System for Web 3.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rego, Hugo; Moreira, Tiago; García-Peñalvo, Francisco Jose

    With the emergence of Web/eLearning 3.0 we have been developing/adjusting AHKME in order to face this great challenge. One of our goals is to allow the instructional designer and teacher to access standardized resources and evaluate the possibility of integration and reuse in eLearning systems, not only content but also the learning strategy. We have also integrated some collaborative tools for the adaptation of resources, as well as the collection of feedback from users to provide feedback to the system. We also provide tools for the instructional designer to create/customize specifications/ontologies to give structure and meaning to resources, manual and automatic search with recommendation of resources and instructional design based on the context, as well as recommendation of adaptations in learning resources. We also consider the concept of mobility and mobile technology applied to eLearning, allowing access by teachers and students to learning resources, regardless of time and space.

  12. Diagnostic Accuracy Comparison of Artificial Immune Algorithms for Primary Headaches.

    PubMed

    Çelik, Ufuk; Yurtay, Nilüfer; Koç, Emine Rabia; Tepe, Nermin; Güllüoğlu, Halil; Ertaş, Mustafa

    2015-01-01

    The present study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of immune system algorithms with the aim of classifying the primary types of headache that are not related to any organic etiology. They are divided into four types: migraine, tension, cluster, and other primary headaches. After we took this main objective into consideration, three different neurologists were required to fill in the medical records of 850 patients into our web-based expert system hosted on our project web site. In the evaluation process, Artificial Immune Systems (AIS) were used as the classification algorithms. The AIS are classification algorithms that are inspired by the biological immune system mechanism that involves significant and distinct capabilities. These algorithms simulate the specialties of the immune system such as discrimination, learning, and the memorizing process in order to be used for classification, optimization, or pattern recognition. According to the results, the accuracy level of the classifier used in this study reached a success continuum ranging from 95% to 99%, except for the inconvenient one that yielded 71% accuracy.

  13. A Web-Based Peer-Assessment Approach to Improving Junior High School Students' Performance, Self-Efficacy and Motivation in Performing Arts Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsia, Lu-Ho; Huang, Iwen; Hwang, Gwo-Jen

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, a web-based peer-assessment approach is proposed for conducting performing arts activities. A peer-assessment system was implemented and applied to a junior high school performing arts course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 163 junior high students were assigned to an experimental group and a…

  14. Creating the Web-based Intensive Care Unit Safety Reporting System

    PubMed Central

    Holzmueller, Christine G.; Pronovost, Peter J.; Dickman, Fern; Thompson, David A.; Wu, Albert W.; Lubomski, Lisa H.; Fahey, Maureen; Steinwachs, Donald M.; Engineer, Lilly; Jaffrey, Ali; Morlock, Laura L.; Dorman, Todd

    2005-01-01

    In an effort to improve patient safety, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University designed and implemented a comprehensive Web-based Intensive Care Unit Safety Reporting System (ICUSRS). The ICUSRS collects data about adverse events and near misses from all staff in the ICU. This report reflects data on 854 reports from 18 diverse ICUs across the United States. Reporting is voluntary, and data collected is confidential, with patient, provider, and reporter information deidentified. Preliminary data include system factors reported, degree of patient harm, reporting times, and evaluations of the system. Qualitative and quantitative data are reported back to the ICU site study teams and frontline staff through monthly reports, case discussions, and a quarterly newsletter. PMID:15561794

  15. A framework for improving the quality of health information on the world-wide-web and bettering public (e-)health: the MedCERTAIN approach.

    PubMed

    Eysenbach, G; Köhler, C; Yihune, G; Lampe, K; Cross, P; Brickley, D

    2001-01-01

    There has been considerable debate about the variable quality of health information on the world-wide-web and its impact on public health. While central authorities to regulate, control, censor, or centrally approve information, in-formation providers or websites are neither realistic nor desirable, public health professionals are interested in making systems available that direct patient streams to the best available information sources. National governments and medical societies have also recognized their responsibility to help users to identify "good quality" information sources. But what constitutes good quality, and how can such a system be implemented in a decentralized and democratic manner? This paper presents a model which combines aspects of consumer education, encouragement of best practices among information providers, self-labeling and external evaluations. The model is currently being implemented and evaluated in the MedCERTAIN project, funded by the European Union under the Action Plan for Safer Use of the Internet. The aim is to develop a technical and organisational infrastructure for a pilot system that allows consumers to access metainformation about web-sites and health information providers, including disclosure information from health providers and opinions of external evaluators. The paper explains the general conceptual framework of the model and presents preliminary experiences including results from an expert consensus meeting, where the framework was discussed.

  16. Internet protocol television for personalized home-based health information: design-based research on a diabetes education system.

    PubMed

    Gray, Kathleen Mary; Clarke, Ken; Alzougool, Basil; Hines, Carolyn; Tidhar, Gil; Frukhtman, Feodor

    2014-03-10

    The use of Internet protocol television (IPTV) as a channel for consumer health information is a relatively under-explored area of medical Internet research. IPTV may afford new opportunities for health care service providers to provide health information and for consumers, patients, and caretakers to access health information. The technologies of Web 2.0 add a new and even less explored dimension to IPTV's potential. Our research explored an application of Web 2.0 integrated with IPTV for personalized home-based health information in diabetes education, particularly for people with diabetes who are not strong computer and Internet users, and thus may miss out on Web-based resources. We wanted to establish whether this system could enable diabetes educators to deliver personalized health information directly to people with diabetes in their homes; and whether this system could encourage people with diabetes who make little use of Web-based health information to build their health literacy via the interface of a home television screen and remote control. This project was undertaken as design-based research in two stages. Stage 1 comprised a feasibility study into the technical work required to integrate an existing Web 2.0 platform with an existing IPTV system, populated with content and implemented for user trials in a laboratory setting. Stage 2 comprised an evaluation of the system by consumers and providers of diabetes information. The project succeeded in developing a Web 2.0 IPTV system for people with diabetes and low literacies and their diabetes educators. The performance of the system in the laboratory setting gave them the confidence to engage seriously in thinking about the actual and potential features and benefits of a more widely-implemented system. In their feedback they pointed out a range of critical usability and usefulness issues related to Web 2.0 affordances and learning fundamentals. They also described their experiences with the system in terms that bode well for its educational potential, and they suggested many constructive improvements to the system. The integration of Web 2.0 and IPTV merits further technical development, business modeling, and health services and health outcomes research, as a solution to extend the reach and scale of home-based health care.

  17. Satisfaction with web-based training in an integrated healthcare delivery network: do age, education, computer skills and attitudes matter?

    PubMed Central

    Atreja, Ashish; Mehta, Neil B; Jain, Anil K; Harris, CM; Ishwaran, Hemant; Avital, Michel; Fishleder, Andrew J

    2008-01-01

    Background Healthcare institutions spend enormous time and effort to train their workforce. Web-based training can potentially streamline this process. However the deployment of web-based training in a large-scale setting with a diverse healthcare workforce has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of healthcare professionals with web-based training and to determine the predictors of such satisfaction including age, education status and computer proficiency. Methods Observational, cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals from six hospital systems in an integrated delivery network. We measured overall satisfaction to web-based training and response to survey items measuring Website Usability, Course Usefulness, Instructional Design Effectiveness, Computer Proficiency and Self-learning Attitude. Results A total of 17,891 healthcare professionals completed the web-based training on HIPAA Privacy Rule; and of these, 13,537 completed the survey (response rate 75.6%). Overall course satisfaction was good (median, 4; scale, 1 to 5) with more than 75% of the respondents satisfied with the training (rating 4 or 5) and 65% preferring web-based training over traditional instructor-led training (rating 4 or 5). Multivariable ordinal regression revealed 3 key predictors of satisfaction with web-based training: Instructional Design Effectiveness, Website Usability and Course Usefulness. Demographic predictors such as gender, age and education did not have an effect on satisfaction. Conclusion The study shows that web-based training when tailored to learners' background, is perceived as a satisfactory mode of learning by an interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals, irrespective of age, education level or prior computer experience. Future studies should aim to measure the long-term outcomes of web-based training. PMID:18922178

  18. Using Semantic Web technologies for the generation of domain-specific templates to support clinical study metadata standards.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guoqian; Evans, Julie; Endle, Cory M; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

    2016-01-01

    The Biomedical Research Integrated Domain Group (BRIDG) model is a formal domain analysis model for protocol-driven biomedical research, and serves as a semantic foundation for application and message development in the standards developing organizations (SDOs). The increasing sophistication and complexity of the BRIDG model requires new approaches to the management and utilization of the underlying semantics to harmonize domain-specific standards. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a Semantic Web-based approach that integrates the BRIDG model with ISO 21090 data types to generate domain-specific templates to support clinical study metadata standards development. We developed a template generation and visualization system based on an open source Resource Description Framework (RDF) store backend, a SmartGWT-based web user interface, and a "mind map" based tool for the visualization of generated domain-specific templates. We also developed a RESTful Web Service informed by the Clinical Information Modeling Initiative (CIMI) reference model for access to the generated domain-specific templates. A preliminary usability study is performed and all reviewers (n = 3) had very positive responses for the evaluation questions in terms of the usability and the capability of meeting the system requirements (with the average score of 4.6). Semantic Web technologies provide a scalable infrastructure and have great potential to enable computable semantic interoperability of models in the intersection of health care and clinical research.

  19. Efficient Evaluation System for Learning Management Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cavus, Nadire

    2009-01-01

    A learning management system (LMS) provides the platform for web-based learning environment by enabling the management, delivery, tracking of learning, testing, communication, registration process and scheduling. There are many LMS systems on the market that can be obtained for free or through payment. It has now become an important task to choose…

  20. Evaluation of a metal shear web selectively reinforced with filamentary composites for space shuttle application

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Laakso, J. H.; Straayer, J. W.

    1974-01-01

    A final program summary is reported for test and evaluation activities that were conducted for space shuttle web selection. Large scale advanced composite shear web components were tested and analyzed to evaluate application of advanced composite shear web construction to a space shuttle orbiter thrust structure. The shear web design concept consisted of a titanium-clad + or - 45 deg boron/epoxy web laminate stiffened with vertical boron-epoxy reinforced aluminum stiffeners and logitudinal aluminum stiffening. The design concept was evaluated to be efficient and practical for the application that was studied. Because of the effects of buckling deflections, a requirement is identified for shear buckling resistant design to maximize the efficiency of highly-loaded advanced composite shear webs.

  1. Development of the cancer patient financial aid system and analysis of user satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Park, Joon Ho; Park, Eun-Cheol; Lee, Myung Ha; Kim, Yun-Mi; Choi, Soo Mi

    2006-01-01

    A financial aid program for low income cancer patients in Korea was initiated in 2005, which required a web-based system. Therefore, the Cancer Patient Financial Aid System (CPFAS) was developed. To improve the CPFAS, we evaluated the nationwide satisfaction of public health center users.

  2. Evaluating Web accessibility at different processing phases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fernandes, N.; Lopes, R.; Carriço, L.

    2012-09-01

    Modern Web sites use several techniques (e.g. DOM manipulation) that allow for the injection of new content into their Web pages (e.g. AJAX), as well as manipulation of the HTML DOM tree. This has the consequence that the Web pages that are presented to users (i.e. after browser processing) are different from the original structure and content that is transmitted through HTTP communication (i.e. after browser processing). This poses a series of challenges for Web accessibility evaluation, especially on automated evaluation software. This article details an experimental study designed to understand the differences posed by accessibility evaluation after Web browser processing. We implemented a Javascript-based evaluator, QualWeb, that can perform WCAG 2.0 based accessibility evaluations in the two phases of browser processing. Our study shows that, in fact, there are considerable differences between the HTML DOM trees in both phases, which have the consequence of having distinct evaluation results. We discuss the impact of these results in the light of the potential problems that these differences can pose to designers and developers that use accessibility evaluators that function before browser processing.

  3. Histopathological grading of breast ductal carcinoma in situ: validation of a web-based survey through intra-observer reproducibility analysis.

    PubMed

    Schuh, Fernando; Biazús, Jorge Villanova; Resetkova, Erika; Benfica, Camila Zanella; Ventura, Alessandra de Freitas; Uchoa, Diego; Graudenz, Márcia; Edelweiss, Maria Isabel Albano

    2015-07-10

    Histopathological grading diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast may be very difficult even for experts, and it is important for therapeutic decisions. The challenge may be due to the inaccurate and/or subjective application of the diagnosis criteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-observer agreement between a traditional method and a developed web-based questionnaire for scoring breast DCIS. A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic agreement of an electronic questionnaire and its point scoring system with the subjective reading of digital images for 3 different DCIS grading systems: Holland, Van Nuys and modified Black nuclear grade system. Three pathologists analyzed the same set of digitized images from 43 DCIS cases using two different web-based programs. In the first phase, they accessed a website with a newly created questionnaire and scoring system developed to allow the determination of the histological grade of the cases. After at least 6 months, the pathologists read again the same images, but without the help of the questionnaire, indicating subjectively the diagnoses. The intra-observer agreement analysis was employed to validate this innovative web-based survey. Overall, diagnostic reproducibility was similar for all histologic grading classification systems, with kappa values of 0.57 ± 0.10, 0.67 ± 0.09 and 0.67 ± 0.09 for Holland, Van Nuys classification and modified Black nuclear grade system respectively. Only two 2-step diagnostic disagreements were found, one for Holland and another for Van Nuys. Both cases were superestimated by the web-based survey. The diagnostic agreement between the web-based questionnaire and a traditional method, both using digital images, is moderate to good for Holland, Van Nuys and modified Black nuclear grade system. The use of a scoring point system does not appear to pose a major risk of presenting large (2-step) diagnostic disagreements. These findings indicate that the use of this point scoring system in this web-based survey to grade objectively DCIS lesions is a useful diagnostic tool.

  4. Using the World Wide Web in health-related intervention research. A review of controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Kirsch, Sallie E; Lewis, Frances M

    2004-01-01

    A review of published controlled trials was conducted to evaluate components, utility, and efficacy of Web-based healthcare interventions. Nine studies met the established review criteria. Knowledge gains were the most commonly reported significant changes; rarely were there measures or significant changes on behavioral outcomes. Studies varied in format of personal contact with participants, in the structure or sequence of intervention content, and in design features. Dosage was inconsistently measured and process evaluation was relatively absent. Despite limitations, several studies reported significant effects. Based on best evidence-to-date, elements of technologically mediated interventions important to future research are summarized. Taken together, research suggests that Web-based interventions may be an efficacious delivery system, especially for those with chronic conditions amenable to self-management and to those with various limitations to accessing healthcare.

  5. Modeling Tools for Propulsion Analysis and Computational Fluid Dynamics on the Internet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Muss, J. A.; Johnson, C. W.; Gotchy, M. B.

    2000-01-01

    The existing RocketWeb(TradeMark) Internet Analysis System (httr)://www.iohnsonrockets.com/rocketweb) provides an integrated set of advanced analysis tools that can be securely accessed over the Internet. Since these tools consist of both batch and interactive analysis codes, the system includes convenient methods for creating input files and evaluating the resulting data. The RocketWeb(TradeMark) system also contains many features that permit data sharing which, when further developed, will facilitate real-time, geographically diverse, collaborative engineering within a designated work group. Adding work group management functionality while simultaneously extending and integrating the system's set of design and analysis tools will create a system providing rigorous, controlled design development, reducing design cycle time and cost.

  6. Usability Evaluation of Public Web Mapping Sites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, C.

    2014-04-01

    Web mapping sites are interactive maps that are accessed via Webpages. With the rapid development of Internet and Geographic Information System (GIS) field, public web mapping sites are not foreign to people. Nowadays, people use these web mapping sites for various reasons, in that increasing maps and related map services of web mapping sites are freely available for end users. Thus, increased users of web mapping sites led to more usability studies. Usability Engineering (UE), for instance, is an approach for analyzing and improving the usability of websites through examining and evaluating an interface. In this research, UE method was employed to explore usability problems of four public web mapping sites, analyze the problems quantitatively and provide guidelines for future design based on the test results. Firstly, the development progress for usability studies were described, and simultaneously several usability evaluation methods such as Usability Engineering (UE), User-Centered Design (UCD) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) were generally introduced. Then the method and procedure of experiments for the usability test were presented in detail. In this usability evaluation experiment, four public web mapping sites (Google Maps, Bing maps, Mapquest, Yahoo Maps) were chosen as the testing websites. And 42 people, who having different GIS skills (test users or experts), gender (male or female), age and nationality, participated in this test to complete the several test tasks in different teams. The test comprised three parts: a pretest background information questionnaire, several test tasks for quantitative statistics and progress analysis, and a posttest questionnaire. The pretest and posttest questionnaires focused on gaining the verbal explanation of their actions qualitatively. And the design for test tasks targeted at gathering quantitative data for the errors and problems of the websites. Then, the results mainly from the test part were analyzed. The success rate from different public web mapping sites was calculated and compared, and displayed by the means of diagram. And the answers from questionnaires were also classified and organized in this part. Moreover, based on the analysis, this paper expands the discussion about the layout, map visualization, map tools, search logic and etc. Finally, this paper closed with some valuable guidelines and suggestions for the design of public web mapping sites. Also, limitations for this research stated in the end.

  7. Evaluation of web-based annotation of ophthalmic images for multicentric clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Chalam, K V; Jain, P; Shah, V A; Shah, Gaurav Y

    2006-06-01

    An Internet browser-based annotation system can be used to identify and describe features in digitalized retinal images, in multicentric clinical trials, in real time. In this web-based annotation system, the user employs a mouse to draw and create annotations on a transparent layer, that encapsulates the observations and interpretations of a specific image. Multiple annotation layers may be overlaid on a single image. These layers may correspond to annotations by different users on the same image or annotations of a temporal sequence of images of a disease process, over a period of time. In addition, geometrical properties of annotated figures may be computed and measured. The annotations are stored in a central repository database on a server, which can be retrieved by multiple users in real time. This system facilitates objective evaluation of digital images and comparison of double-blind readings of digital photographs, with an identifiable audit trail. Annotation of ophthalmic images allowed clinically feasible and useful interpretation to track properties of an area of fundus pathology. This provided an objective method to monitor properties of pathologies over time, an essential component of multicentric clinical trials. The annotation system also allowed users to view stereoscopic images that are stereo pairs. This web-based annotation system is useful and valuable in monitoring patient care, in multicentric clinical trials, telemedicine, teaching and routine clinical settings.

  8. A performance study of WebDav access to storages within the Belle II collaboration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pardi, S.; Russo, G.

    2017-10-01

    WebDav and HTTP are becoming popular protocols for data access in the High Energy Physics community. The most used Grid and Cloud storage solutions provide such kind of interfaces, in this scenario tuning and performance evaluation became crucial aspects to promote the adoption of these protocols within the Belle II community. In this work, we present the results of a large-scale test activity, made with the goal to evaluate performances and reliability of the WebDav protocol, and study a possible adoption for the user analysis. More specifically, we considered a pilot infrastructure composed by a set of storage elements configured with the WebDav interface, hosted at the Belle II sites. The performance tests include a comparison with xrootd and gridftp. As reference tests we used a set of analysis jobs running under the Belle II software framework, accessing the input data with the ROOT I/O library, in order to simulate as much as possible a realistic user activity. The final analysis shows the possibility to achieve promising performances with WebDav on different storage systems, and gives an interesting feedback, for Belle II community and for other high energy physics experiments.

  9. 78 FR 63455 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-24

    ..., Building 23, Columbus, OH 43213-1152. Defense Manpower Data Center, 400 Gigling Road, Seaside CA 93955... web-based system providing a repository of military, Government civilian and contractor personnel and..., tracking, reporting, evaluating program effectiveness and conducting research. The Total Operational...

  10. [A Quality Assurance (QA) System with a Web Camera for High-dose-rate Brachytherapy].

    PubMed

    Hirose, Asako; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Oohira, Shingo; Isono, Masaru; Tsujii, Katsutomo; Inui, Shouki; Masaoka, Akira; Taniguchi, Makoto; Miyazaki, Masayoshi; Teshima, Teruki

    2016-03-01

    The quality assurance (QA) system that simultaneously quantifies the position and duration of an (192)Ir source (dwell position and time) was developed and the performance of this system was evaluated in high-dose-rate brachytherapy. This QA system has two functions to verify and quantify dwell position and time by using a web camera. The web camera records 30 images per second in a range from 1,425 mm to 1,505 mm. A user verifies the source position from the web camera at real time. The source position and duration were quantified with the movie using in-house software which was applied with a template-matching technique. This QA system allowed verification of the absolute position in real time and quantification of dwell position and time simultaneously. It was evident from the verification of the system that the mean of step size errors was 0.31±0.1 mm and that of dwell time errors 0.1±0.0 s. Absolute position errors can be determined with an accuracy of 1.0 mm at all dwell points in three step sizes and dwell time errors with an accuracy of 0.1% in more than 10.0 s of the planned time. This system is to provide quick verification and quantification of the dwell position and time with high accuracy at various dwell positions without depending on the step size.

  11. Development of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression.

    PubMed

    Kelders, Saskia M; Pots, Wendy T M; Oskam, Maarten Jan; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; van Gemert-Pijnen, Julia E W C

    2013-02-20

    To reduce the large public health burden of the high prevalence of depression, preventive interventions targeted at people at risk are essential and can be cost-effective. Web-based interventions are able to provide this care, but there is no agreement on how to best develop these applications and often the technology is seen as a given. This seems to be one of the main reasons that web-based interventions do not reach their full potential. The current study describes the development of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression, employing the CeHRes (Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management) roadmap. The goals are to create a user-friendly application which fits the values of the stakeholders and to evaluate the process of development. The employed methods are a literature scan and discussion in the contextual inquiry; interviews, rapid prototyping and a requirement session in the value specification stage; and user-based usability evaluation, expert-based usability inspection and a requirement session in the design stage. The contextual inquiry indicated that there is a need for easily accessible interventions for the indicated prevention of depression and web-based interventions are seen as potentially meeting this need. The value specification stage yielded expected needs of potential participants, comments on the usefulness of the proposed features and comments on two proposed designs of the web-based intervention. The design stage yielded valuable comments on the system, content and service of the web-based intervention. Overall, we found that by developing the technology, we successfully (re)designed the system, content and service of the web-based intervention to match the values of stakeholders. This study has shown the importance of a structured development process of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression because: (1) it allows the development team to clarify the needs that have to be met for the intervention to be of use to the target audience; and (2) it yields feedback on the design of the application that is broader than color and buttons, but encompasses comments on the quality of the service that the application offers.

  12. Development of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background To reduce the large public health burden of the high prevalence of depression, preventive interventions targeted at people at risk are essential and can be cost-effective. Web-based interventions are able to provide this care, but there is no agreement on how to best develop these applications and often the technology is seen as a given. This seems to be one of the main reasons that web-based interventions do not reach their full potential. The current study describes the development of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression, employing the CeHRes (Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management) roadmap. The goals are to create a user-friendly application which fits the values of the stakeholders and to evaluate the process of development. Methods The employed methods are a literature scan and discussion in the contextual inquiry; interviews, rapid prototyping and a requirement session in the value specification stage; and user-based usability evaluation, expert-based usability inspection and a requirement session in the design stage. Results The contextual inquiry indicated that there is a need for easily accessible interventions for the indicated prevention of depression and web-based interventions are seen as potentially meeting this need. The value specification stage yielded expected needs of potential participants, comments on the usefulness of the proposed features and comments on two proposed designs of the web-based intervention. The design stage yielded valuable comments on the system, content and service of the web-based intervention. Conclusions Overall, we found that by developing the technology, we successfully (re)designed the system, content and service of the web-based intervention to match the values of stakeholders. This study has shown the importance of a structured development process of a web-based intervention for the indicated prevention of depression because: (1) it allows the development team to clarify the needs that have to be met for the intervention to be of use to the target audience; and (2) it yields feedback on the design of the application that is broader than color and buttons, but encompasses comments on the quality of the service that the application offers. PMID:23425322

  13. 75 FR 27986 - Electronic Filing System-Web (EFS-Web) Contingency Option

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-19

    ...] Electronic Filing System--Web (EFS-Web) Contingency Option AGENCY: United States Patent and Trademark Office... availability of its patent electronic filing system, Electronic Filing System--Web (EFS-Web) by providing a new contingency option when the primary portal to EFS-Web has an unscheduled outage. Previously, the entire EFS...

  14. ADEpedia: a scalable and standardized knowledge base of Adverse Drug Events using semantic web technology.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guoqian; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

    2011-01-01

    A source of semantically coded Adverse Drug Event (ADE) data can be useful for identifying common phenotypes related to ADEs. We proposed a comprehensive framework for building a standardized ADE knowledge base (called ADEpedia) through combining ontology-based approach with semantic web technology. The framework comprises four primary modules: 1) an XML2RDF transformation module; 2) a data normalization module based on NCBO Open Biomedical Annotator; 3) a RDF store based persistence module; and 4) a front-end module based on a Semantic Wiki for the review and curation. A prototype is successfully implemented to demonstrate the capability of the system to integrate multiple drug data and ontology resources and open web services for the ADE data standardization. A preliminary evaluation is performed to demonstrate the usefulness of the system, including the performance of the NCBO annotator. In conclusion, the semantic web technology provides a highly scalable framework for ADE data source integration and standard query service.

  15. Evaluating and Implementing Learning Environments: A United Kingdom Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ingraham, Bruce; Watson, Barbara; McDowell, Liz; Brockett, Adrian; Fitzpatrick, Simon

    2002-01-01

    Reports on ongoing work at five universities in northeastern England that have been evaluating and implementing online learning environments known as virtual learning environments (VLEs) or managed learning environments (MLEs). Discusses do-it-yourself versus commercial systems; transferability; Web-based versus client-server; integration with…

  16. Stakeholder Analysis for the CF Counter-IED Training Courses

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-05-01

    for more than purely research purposes when the experimenter is present. 3.1.3 Learning Style- based Adaptation The Index of Learning Styles (Felder...student. It is recommended that the Adaption Module uses the same ontology based reasoning approach as the Evaluation Module. RacerPro is the recommended...reasoner. RacerPro is used as a system for managing semantic web ontologies based on Web Ontology Language (OWL). The design phase will confirm

  17. Development of a web-based and mobile app to support physical activity in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the second step of a co-design process.

    PubMed

    Revenäs, Åsa; Opava, Christina H; Martin, Cathrin; Demmelmaier, Ingrid; Keller, Christina; Åsenlöf, Pernilla

    2015-02-09

    Long-term adherence to physical activity recommendations remains challenging for most individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) despite evidence for its health benefits. The aim of this study was to provide basic data on system requirement specifications for a Web-based and mobile app to self-manage physical activity. More specifically, we explored the target user group, features of the future app, and correlations between the system requirements and the established behavior change techniques (BCTs). We used a participatory action research design. Qualitative data were collected using multiple methods in four workshops. Participants were 5 individuals with RA, a clinical physiotherapist, an officer from the Swedish Rheumatism Association, a Web designer, and 2 physiotherapy researchers. A taxonomy was used to determine the degree of correlation between the system requirements and established BCTs. Participants agreed that the future Web-based and mobile app should be based on two major components important for maintaining physical activity: (1) a calendar feature for goal setting, planning, and recording of physical activity performance and progress, and (2) a small community feature for positive feedback and support from peers. All system requirements correlated with established BCTs, which were coded as 24 different BCTs. To our knowledge, this study is the first to involve individuals with RA as co-designers, in collaboration with clinicians, researchers, and Web designers, to produce basic data to generate system requirement specifications for an eHealth service. The system requirements correlated to the BCTs, making specifications of content and future evaluation of effectiveness possible.

  18. WE-E-BRB-11: Riview a Web-Based Viewer for Radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Apte, A; Wang, Y; Deasy, J

    2012-06-01

    Collaborations involving radiotherapy data collection, such as the recently proposed international radiogenomics consortium, require robust, web-based tools to facilitate reviewing treatment planning information. We present the architecture and prototype characteristics for a web-based radiotherapy viewer. The web-based environment developed in this work consists of the following components: 1) Import of DICOM/RTOG data: CERR was leveraged to import DICOM/RTOG data and to convert to database friendly RT objects. 2) Extraction and Storage of RT objects: The scan and dose distributions were stored as .png files per slice and view plane. The file locations were written to the MySQL database. Structure contours and DVH curves were written to the database as numeric data. 3) Web interfaces to query, retrieve and visualize the RT objects: The Web application was developed using HTML 5 and Ruby on Rails (RoR) technology following the MVC philosophy. The open source ImageMagick library was utilized to overlay scan, dose and structures. The application allows users to (i) QA the treatment plans associated with a study, (ii) Query and Retrieve patients matching anonymized ID and study, (iii) Review up to 4 plans simultaneously in 4 window panes (iv) Plot DVH curves for the selected structures and dose distributions. A subset of data for lung cancer patients was used to prototype the system. Five user accounts were created to have access to this study. The scans, doses, structures and DVHs for 10 patients were made available via the web application. A web-based system to facilitate QA, and support Query, Retrieve and the Visualization of RT data was prototyped. The RIVIEW system was developed using open source and free technology like MySQL and RoR. We plan to extend the RIVIEW system further to be useful in clinical trial data collection, outcomes research, cohort plan review and evaluation. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  19. Gullible's Travels.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Block, Marylaine

    2002-01-01

    Discusses how to teach students to evaluate information they find on the Internet. Highlights include motivation of Web site owners; link-checking; having student create Web pages to help with their evaluation skills of other Web sites; critical thinking skills; and helpful Web sites. (LRW)

  20. Prototype and Evaluation of AutoHelp: A Case-based, Web-accessible Help Desk System for EOSDIS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mitchell, Christine M.; Thurman, David A.

    1999-01-01

    AutoHelp is a case-based, Web-accessible help desk for users of the EOSDIS. Its uses a combination of advanced computer and Web technologies, knowledge-based systems tools, and cognitive engineering to offload the current, person-intensive, help desk facilities at the DAACs. As a case-based system, AutoHelp starts with an organized database of previous help requests (questions and answers) indexed by a hierarchical category structure that facilitates recognition by persons seeking assistance. As an initial proof-of-concept demonstration, a month of email help requests to the Goddard DAAC were analyzed and partially organized into help request cases. These cases were then categorized to create a preliminary case indexing system, or category structure. This category structure allows potential users to identify or recognize categories of questions, responses, and sample cases similar to their needs. Year one of this research project focused on the development of a technology demonstration. User assistance 'cases' are stored in an Oracle database in a combination of tables linking prototypical questions with responses and detailed examples from the email help requests analyzed to date. When a potential user accesses the AutoHelp system, a Web server provides a Java applet that displays the category structure of the help case base organized by the needs of previous users. When the user identifies or requests a particular type of assistance, the applet uses Java database connectivity (JDBC) software to access the database and extract the relevant cases. The demonstration will include an on-line presentation of how AutoHelp is currently structured. We will show how a user might request assistance via the Web interface and how the AutoHelp case base provides assistance. The presentation will describe the DAAC data collection, case definition, and organization to date, as well as the AutoHelp architecture. It will conclude with the year 2 proposal to more fully develop the case base, the user interface (including the category structure), interface with the current DAAC Help System, the development of tools to add new cases, and user testing and evaluation at (perhaps) the Goddard DAAC.

  1. A Web of Things-Based Emerging Sensor Network Architecture for Smart Control Systems.

    PubMed

    Khan, Murad; Silva, Bhagya Nathali; Han, Kijun

    2017-02-09

    The Web of Things (WoT) plays an important role in the representation of the objects connected to the Internet of Things in a more transparent and effective way. Thus, it enables seamless and ubiquitous web communication between users and the smart things. Considering the importance of WoT, we propose a WoT-based emerging sensor network (WoT-ESN), which collects data from sensors, routes sensor data to the web, and integrate smart things into the web employing a representational state transfer (REST) architecture. A smart home scenario is introduced to evaluate the proposed WoT-ESN architecture. The smart home scenario is tested through computer simulation of the energy consumption of various household appliances, device discovery, and response time performance. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme significantly optimizes the energy consumption of the household appliances and the response time of the appliances.

  2. A Web of Things-Based Emerging Sensor Network Architecture for Smart Control Systems

    PubMed Central

    Khan, Murad; Silva, Bhagya Nathali; Han, Kijun

    2017-01-01

    The Web of Things (WoT) plays an important role in the representation of the objects connected to the Internet of Things in a more transparent and effective way. Thus, it enables seamless and ubiquitous web communication between users and the smart things. Considering the importance of WoT, we propose a WoT-based emerging sensor network (WoT-ESN), which collects data from sensors, routes sensor data to the web, and integrate smart things into the web employing a representational state transfer (REST) architecture. A smart home scenario is introduced to evaluate the proposed WoT-ESN architecture. The smart home scenario is tested through computer simulation of the energy consumption of various household appliances, device discovery, and response time performance. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme significantly optimizes the energy consumption of the household appliances and the response time of the appliances.  PMID:28208787

  3. Automatic Selection of Clinical Trials Based on A Semantic Web Approach.

    PubMed

    Cuggia, Marc; Campillo-Gimenez, Boris; Bouzille, Guillaume; Besana, Paolo; Jouini, Wassim; Dufour, Jean-Charles; Zekri, Oussama; Gibaud, Isabelle; Garde, Cyril; Duvauferier, Regis

    2015-01-01

    Recruitment of patients in clinical trials is nowadays preoccupying, as the inclusion rate is particularly low. The main identified factors are the multiplicity of open clinical trials, the high number and complexity of eligibility criteria, and the additional workload that a systematic search of the clinical trials a patient could be enrolled in for a physician. The principal objective of the ASTEC project is to automate the prescreening phase during multidisciplinary meetings (MDM). This paper presents the evaluation of a computerized recruitment support systems (CRSS) based on semantic web approach. The evaluation of the system was based on data collected retrospectively from a 6 month period of MDM in Urology and on 4 clinical trials of prostate cancer. The classification performance of the ASTEC system had a precision of 21%, recall of 93%, and an error rate equal to 37%. Missing data was the main issue encountered. The system was designed to be both scalable to other clinical domains and usable during MDM process.

  4. A Web-Based, Hospital-Wide Health Care-Associated Bloodstream Infection Surveillance and Classification System: Development and Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Tseng, Yi-Ju; Wu, Jung-Hsuan; Lin, Hui-Chi; Chen, Ming-Yuan; Ping, Xiao-Ou; Sun, Chun-Chuan; Shang, Rung-Ji; Sheng, Wang-Huei; Chen, Yee-Chun; Lai, Feipei; Chang, Shan-Chwen

    2015-09-21

    Surveillance of health care-associated infections is an essential component of infection prevention programs, but conventional systems are labor intensive and performance dependent. To develop an automatic surveillance and classification system for health care-associated bloodstream infection (HABSI), and to evaluate its performance by comparing it with a conventional infection control personnel (ICP)-based surveillance system. We developed a Web-based system that was integrated into the medical information system of a 2200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. The system automatically detects and classifies HABSIs. In this study, the number of computer-detected HABSIs correlated closely with the number of HABSIs detected by ICP by department (n=20; r=.999 P<.001) and by time (n=14; r=.941; P<.001). Compared with reference standards, this system performed excellently with regard to sensitivity (98.16%), specificity (99.96%), positive predictive value (95.81%), and negative predictive value (99.98%). The system enabled decreasing the delay in confirmation of HABSI cases, on average, by 29 days. This system provides reliable and objective HABSI data for quality indicators, improving the delay caused by a conventional surveillance system.

  5. Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer Web Service System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, S.; Pan, L.; Zhai, C.; Tang, B.; Jiang, J. H.

    2013-12-01

    The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report stressed the need for the comprehensive and innovative evaluation of climate models with newly available global observations. The traditional approach to climate model evaluation, which compares a single parameter at a time, identifies symptomatic model biases and errors but fails to diagnose the model problems. The model diagnosis process requires physics-based multi-variable comparisons that typically involve large-volume and heterogeneous datasets, making them both computationally- and data-intensive. To address these challenges, we are developing a parallel, distributed web-service system that enables the physics-based multi-variable model performance evaluations and diagnoses through the comprehensive and synergistic use of multiple observational data, reanalysis data, and model outputs. We have developed a methodology to transform an existing science application code into a web service using a Python wrapper interface and Python web service frameworks (i.e., Flask, Gunicorn, and Tornado). The web-service system, called Climate Model Diagnostic Analyzer (CMDA), currently supports (1) all the datasets from Obs4MIPs and a few ocean datasets from NOAA and Argo, which can serve as observation-based reference data for model evaluation and (2) many of CMIP5 model outputs covering a broad range of atmosphere, ocean, and land variables from the CMIP5 specific historical runs and AMIP runs. Analysis capabilities currently supported by CMDA are (1) the calculation of annual and seasonal means of physical variables, (2) the calculation of time evolution of the means in any specified geographical region, (3) the calculation of correlation between two variables, and (4) the calculation of difference between two variables. A web user interface is chosen for CMDA because it not only lowers the learning curve and removes the adoption barrier of the tool but also enables instantaneous use, avoiding the hassle of local software installation and environment incompatibility. CMDA is planned to be used as an educational tool for the summer school organized by JPL's Center for Climate Science in 2014. The requirements of the educational tool are defined with the interaction with the school organizers, and CMDA is customized to meet the requirements accordingly. The tool needs to be production quality for 30+ simultaneous users. The summer school will thus serve as a valuable testbed for the tool development, preparing CMDA to serve the Earth-science modeling and model-analysis community at the end of the project. This work was funded by the NASA Earth Science Program called Computational Modeling Algorithms and Cyberinfrastructure (CMAC).

  6. Web Content Accessibility of Consumer Health Information Web Sites for People with Disabilities: A Cross Sectional Evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Parmanto, Bambang

    2004-01-01

    Background The World Wide Web (WWW) has become an increasingly essential resource for health information consumers. The ability to obtain accurate medical information online quickly, conveniently and privately provides health consumers with the opportunity to make informed decisions and participate actively in their personal care. Little is known, however, about whether the content of this online health information is equally accessible to people with disabilities who must rely on special devices or technologies to process online information due to their visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive limitations. Objective To construct a framework for an automated Web accessibility evaluation; to evaluate the state of accessibility of consumer health information Web sites; and to investigate the possible relationships between accessibility and other features of the Web sites, including function, popularity and importance. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study of the state of accessibility of health information Web sites to people with disabilities. We selected 108 consumer health information Web sites from the directory service of a Web search engine. A measurement framework was constructed to automatically measure the level of Web Accessibility Barriers (WAB) of Web sites following Web accessibility specifications. We investigated whether there was a difference between WAB scores across various functional categories of the Web sites, and also evaluated the correlation between the WAB and Alexa traffic rank and Google Page Rank of the Web sites. Results We found that none of the Web sites we looked at are completely accessible to people with disabilities, i.e., there were no sites that had no violation of Web accessibility rules. However, governmental and educational health information Web sites do exhibit better Web accessibility than the other categories of Web sites (P < 0.001). We also found that the correlation between the WAB score and the popularity of a Web site is statistically significant (r = 0.28, P < 0.05), although there is no correlation between the WAB score and the importance of the Web sites (r = 0.15, P = 0.111). Conclusions Evaluation of health information Web sites shows that no Web site scrupulously abides by Web accessibility specifications, even for entities mandated under relevant laws and regulations. Government and education Web sites show better performance than Web sites among other categories. Accessibility of a Web site may have a positive impact on its popularity in general. However, the Web accessibility of a Web site may not have a significant relationship with its importance on the Web. PMID:15249268

  7. The evaluation of advanced traveler information services (ATIS) impacts on truck travel time reliability : using the simulated yoked study concept

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2004-03-01

    The ability of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) to improve the on-time reliability of urban truck movements is evaluated through the application of the Heuristic On-Line Web- : Linked Arrival Time Estimation (HOWLATE) methodology. In HOWL...

  8. The Turkish Version of Web-Based Learning Platform Evaluation Scale: Reliability and Validity Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dag, Funda

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine the language equivalence and the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the "Web-Based Learning Platform Evaluation Scale" ("Web Tabanli Ögrenme Ortami Degerlendirme Ölçegi" [WTÖODÖ]) used in the selection and evaluation of web-based learning environments. Within this scope,…

  9. Design and Implementation of an Interactive Web-Based Near Real-Time Forest Monitoring System

    PubMed Central

    Pratihast, Arun Kumar; DeVries, Ben; Avitabile, Valerio; de Bruin, Sytze; Herold, Martin; Bergsma, Aldo

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes an interactive web-based near real-time (NRT) forest monitoring system using four levels of geographic information services: 1) the acquisition of continuous data streams from satellite and community-based monitoring using mobile devices, 2) NRT forest disturbance detection based on satellite time-series, 3) presentation of forest disturbance data through a web-based application and social media and 4) interaction of the satellite based disturbance alerts with the end-user communities to enhance the collection of ground data. The system is developed using open source technologies and has been implemented together with local experts in the UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. The results show that the system is able to provide easy access to information on forest change and considerably improves the collection and storage of ground observation by local experts. Social media leads to higher levels of user interaction and noticeably improves communication among stakeholders. Finally, an evaluation of the system confirms the usability of the system in Ethiopia. The implemented system can provide a foundation for an operational forest monitoring system at the national level for REDD+ MRV applications. PMID:27031694

  10. Write, read and answer emails with a dry 'n' wireless brain-computer interface system.

    PubMed

    Pinegger, Andreas; Deckert, Lisa; Halder, Sebastian; Barry, Norbert; Faller, Josef; Käthner, Ivo; Hintermüller, Christoph; Wriessnegger, Selina C; Kübler, Andrea; Müller-Putz, Gernot R

    2014-01-01

    Brain-computer interface (BCI) users can control very complex applications such as multimedia players or even web browsers. Therefore, different biosignal acquisition systems are available to noninvasively measure the electrical activity of the brain, the electroencephalogram (EEG). To make BCIs more practical, hardware and software are nowadays designed more user centered and user friendly. In this paper we evaluated one of the latest innovations in the area of BCI: A wireless EEG amplifier with dry electrode technology combined with a web browser which enables BCI users to use standard webmail. With this system ten volunteers performed a daily life task: Write, read and answer an email. Experimental results of this study demonstrate the power of the introduced BCI system.

  11. Using Maps in Web Analytics to Evaluate the Impact of Web-Based Extension Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Veregin, Howard

    2015-01-01

    Maps can be a valuable addition to the Web analytics toolbox for Extension programs that use the Web to disseminate information. Extension professionals use Web analytics tools to evaluate program impacts. Maps add a unique perspective through visualization and analysis of geographic patterns and their relationships to other variables. Maps can…

  12. An Evaluation Instrument for Internet Web Sites.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Livengood, Stephanie Plank

    This paper describes the creation of a comprehensive evaluation tool for reference librarians in adult service divisions to use in selecting World Wide Web sites as reference sources. Traditional evaluation criteria, endorsed and applied by librarians over the years, are not sufficient for the evaluation of today's hypermedia web site environment.…

  13. SMARTe 2008

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains resources and analysis tools for all asp...

  14. SMARTe 2011

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decisions support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains resources and analysis tools for all a...

  15. SMARTE 2007

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains guidance and analysis tools for all aspect...

  16. A scenario for a web-based radiation treatment planning structure: A new tool for quality assurance procedure?

    PubMed

    Kouloulias, V E; Ntasis, E; Poortmans, Ph; Maniatis, T A; Nikita, K S

    2003-01-01

    The desire to develop web-based platforms for remote collaboration among physicians and technologists is becoming a great challenge. In this paper we describe a web-based radiotherapy treatment planning (WBRTP) system to facilitate decentralized radiotherapy services by allowing remote treatment planning and quality assurance (QA) of treatment delivery. Significant prerequisites are digital storage of relevant data as well as efficient and reliable telecommunication system between collaborating units. The system of WBRTP includes video conferencing, display of medical images (CT scans, dose distributions etc), replication of selected data from a common database, remote treatment planning, evaluation of treatment technique and follow-up of the treated patients. Moreover the system features real-time remote operations in terms of tele-consulting like target volume delineation performed by a team of experts at different and distant units. An appraisal of its possibilities in quality assurance in radiotherapy is also discussed. As a conclusion, a WBRTP system would not only be a medium for communication between experts in oncology but mainly a tool for improving the QA in radiotherapy.

  17. Resources monitoring and automatic management system for multi-VO distributed computing system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, J.; Pelevanyuk, I.; Sun, Y.; Zhemchugov, A.; Yan, T.; Zhao, X. H.; Zhang, X. M.

    2017-10-01

    Multi-VO supports based on DIRAC have been set up to provide workload and data management for several high energy experiments in IHEP. To monitor and manage the heterogeneous resources which belong to different Virtual Organizations in a uniform way, a resources monitoring and automatic management system based on Resource Status System(RSS) of DIRAC has been presented in this paper. The system is composed of three parts: information collection, status decision and automatic control, and information display. The information collection includes active and passive way of gathering status from different sources and stores them in databases. The status decision and automatic control is used to evaluate the resources status and take control actions on resources automatically through some pre-defined policies and actions. The monitoring information is displayed on a web portal. Both the real-time information and historical information can be obtained from the web portal. All the implementations are based on DIRAC framework. The information and control including sites, policies, web portal for different VOs can be well defined and distinguished within DIRAC user and group management infrastructure.

  18. The backend design of an environmental monitoring system upon real-time prediction of groundwater level fluctuation under the hillslope.

    PubMed

    Lin, Hsueh-Chun; Hong, Yao-Ming; Kan, Yao-Chiang

    2012-01-01

    The groundwater level represents a critical factor to evaluate hillside landslides. A monitoring system upon the real-time prediction platform with online analytical functions is important to forecast the groundwater level due to instantaneously monitored data when the heavy precipitation raises the groundwater level under the hillslope and causes instability. This study is to design the backend of an environmental monitoring system with efficient algorithms for machine learning and knowledge bank for the groundwater level fluctuation prediction. A Web-based platform upon the model-view controller-based architecture is established with technology of Web services and engineering data warehouse to support online analytical process and feedback risk assessment parameters for real-time prediction. The proposed system incorporates models of hydrological computation, machine learning, Web services, and online prediction to satisfy varieties of risk assessment requirements and approaches of hazard prevention. The rainfall data monitored from the potential landslide area at Lu-Shan, Nantou and Li-Shan, Taichung, in Taiwan, are applied to examine the system design.

  19. The influence of quality criteria on parents' evaluation of medical web-pages: an Italian randomised trial.

    PubMed

    Currò, Vincenzo; Buonuomo, Paola Sabrina; Zambiano, Annaluce; Vituzzi, Andrea; Onesimo, Roberta; D'Atri, Alessandro

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this study is to verify the usefulness for parents of a web evaluation framework composed of ten quality criteria to improve their ability to assess the quality level of medical web sites. We conducted a randomised controlled trial that included two groups of parents who independently evaluated five paediatric web sites by filling out two distinct questionnaires: group A with the evaluation framework, group B without it. 40 volunteers were recruited from parents referring to the General Paediatrics Out-patients Department who satisfied the following eligibility criteria: Internet users, at least 1 child under 12 months old, no professional skill in Internet and medicine. The survey was taken between February 2, 2000 and March 22, 2000. Parents evaluated each web site and assigned a score, compared with a gold standard created by a group of experts. Suggesting evaluation criteria to parents seem useful for an improvement of their ability to evaluate web sites.

  20. Evaluation of Web Accessibility of Consumer Health Information Websites

    PubMed Central

    Zeng, Xiaoming; Parmanto, Bambang

    2003-01-01

    The objectives of the study are to construct a comprehensive framework for web accessibility evaluation, to evaluate the current status of web accessibility of consumer health information websites and to investigate the relationship between web accessibility and property of the websites. We selected 108 consumer health information websites from the directory service of a Web search engine. We used Web accessibility specifications to construct a framework for the measurement of Web Accessibility Barriers (WAB) of website. We found that none of the websites is completely accessible to people with disabilities, but governmental and educational health information websites exhibit better performance on web accessibility than other categories of websites. We also found that the correlation between the WAB score and the popularity of a website is statistically significant. PMID:14728272

  1. Evaluation of web accessibility of consumer health information websites.

    PubMed

    Zeng, Xiaoming; Parmanto, Bambang

    2003-01-01

    The objectives of the study are to construct a comprehensive framework for web accessibility evaluation, to evaluate the current status of web accessibility of consumer health information websites and to investigate the relationship between web accessibility and property of the websites. We selected 108 consumer health information websites from the directory service of a Web search engine. We used Web accessibility specifications to construct a framework for the measurement of Web Accessibility Barriers (WAB) of website. We found that none of the websites is completely accessible to people with disabilities, but governmental and educational health information websites exhibit better performance on web accessibility than other categories of websites. We also found that the correlation between the WAB score and the popularity of a website is statistically significant.

  2. Web Site Design Benchmarking within Industry Groups.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Sung-Eon; Shaw, Thomas; Schneider, Helmut

    2003-01-01

    Discussion of electronic commerce focuses on Web site evaluation criteria and applies them to different industry groups in Korea. Defines six categories of Web site evaluation criteria: business function, corporate credibility, contents reliability, Web site attractiveness, systematic structure, and navigation; and discusses differences between…

  3. Concertina browsers: a formative evaluation of user preference.

    PubMed

    Harper, Simon; Christophorou, Nicola

    2008-09-01

    Evidence suggests that concertina browsers - browsers with the facility to expand and contract sections of information - are important in providing the reader with an enhanced cognition of small to medium amounts of information. These systems have been shown to be useful for visually disabled users surfing the World Wide Web (Web), and with the development of the Mobile Web, there has been renewed interest in their use. This is due to the similarities of reduced or constrained vision found to exist between visually impaired users and the users of mobile devices. The cognition of information fragments is key to the user experience and the reduction of 'information overload'; as such we are concerned with assisting designers of concertina browsers in providing an enhanced user experience by ascertaining user preference through a formative evaluation of concertina summaries. This aspect of browsing is important because in all concertina systems there is a distinct cognition speed/depth trade-off. Here we investigate a number of these concertina summarization techniques against each other. We describe a formative evaluation which concludes that users prefer concertina summarization of Web documents starting from 6.25% slices of both the top and bottom and expanding from the top in 2% steps to a target maximum of 18.50% (being 12.25% from the top and 6.25% from the bottom). These preferences were found to be representative of documents of less than 600 words of content, and included the preference to not fragment an individual sentence even if that meant slightly increasing the target: Starting, maximum, and step percentage slices.

  4. The effect of a Web-based education programme (WBEP) on disease severity, quality of life and mothers' self-efficacy in children with atopic dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Son, Hae Kyoung; Lim, Jiyoung

    2014-10-01

    To develop and evaluate the effects of a web-based education programme in early childhood for children with atopic dermatitis. The prevalence rate of atopic dermatitis is highest in early childhood. A holistic approach is urgently needed for young children with respect to disease severity, quality of life and management, particularly parental knowledge about atopic dermatitis and adherence to treatment. A quasi-experimental study design was used. A total of 40 mother-child dyads participated in the study from 1 July-30 November 2011 in Korea. All children were under 3 years of age. The programme was based on the Network-Based Instructional System Design model, which consists of five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. The experimental group participated in the programme for 2 weeks. Participants took part in a learning session during the first week and then conducted the practice session at home during the second week. Participant knowledge and compliance were evaluated through online quizzes and self-checklists. Statistical analyses (chi-square test and t-test) were performed using the Statistical Analysis System, Version 9.13. There was a significant improvement in disease severity, quality of life and mothers' self-efficacy in the experimental group; thus, the web-based education programme was effective. The web-based education programme as an advanced intervention may be useful in providing basic data for future atopic dermatitis-related studies. Moreover, the programme may serve as a nursing educational intervention tool for clinical nursing practices. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Evaluation of Norwegian cancer hospitals' Web sites and explorative survey among cancer patients on their use of the Internet

    PubMed Central

    2001-01-01

    Background Hospital homepages should provide comprehensive information on the hospital's services, such as departments and treatments available, prices, waiting time, leisure facilities, and other information important for patients and their relatives. Norway, with its population of approximately 4.3 million, ranks among the top countries globally for its ability to absorb and use technology. It is unclear to what degree Norwegian hospitals and patients use the Internet for information about health services. Objectives This study was undertaken to evaluate the quality of the biggest Norwegian cancer hospitals' Web sites and to gather some preliminary data on patients' use of the Internet. Methods In January 2001, we analyzed Web sites of 5 of the 7 biggest Norwegian hospitals treating cancer patients using a scoring system. The scoring instrument was based on recommendations developed by the Norwegian Central Information Service for Web sites and reflects the scope and depth of service information offered on hospital Web pages. In addition, 31 cancer patients visiting one hospital-based medical oncologist were surveyed about their use of the Internet. Results Of the 7 hospitals, 5 had a Web site. The Web sites differed markedly in quality. Types of information included - and number of Web sites that included each type of information - were, for example: search option, 1; interpreter service, 2; date of last update, 2; postal address, phone number, and e-mail service, 3; information in English, 2. None of the Web sites included information on waiting time or prices. Of the 31 patients surveyed, 12 had personal experience using the Internet and 4 had searched for medical information. The Internet users were significantly younger (mean age 47.8 years, range 28.4-66.8 years) than the nonusers (mean age 61.8 years, range 33.1-90.0 years) ( P= 0.007). Conclusions The hospitals' Web sites offer cancer patients and relatives useful information, but the Web sites were not impressive. PMID:11772545

  6. Suicide Note Sentiment Classification: A Supervised Approach Augmented by Web Data

    PubMed Central

    Xu, Yan; Wang, Yue; Liu, Jiahua; Tu, Zhuowen; Sun, Jian-Tao; Tsujii, Junichi; Chang, Eric

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To create a sentiment classification system for the Fifth i2b2/VA Challenge Track 2, which can identify thirteen subjective categories and two objective categories. Design: We developed a hybrid system using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers with augmented training data from the Internet. Our system consists of three types of classification-based systems: the first system uses spanning n-gram features for subjective categories, the second one uses bag-of-n-gram features for objective categories, and the third one uses pattern matching for infrequent or subtle emotion categories. The spanning n-gram features are selected by a feature selection algorithm that leverages emotional corpus from weblogs. Special normalization of objective sentences is generalized with shallow parsing and external web knowledge. We utilize three sources of web data: the weblog of LiveJournal which helps to improve the feature selection, the eBay List which assists in special normalization of information and instructions categories, and the suicide project web which provides unlabeled data with similar properties as suicide notes. Measurements: The performance is evaluated by the overall micro-averaged precision, recall and F-measure. Result: Our system achieved an overall micro-averaged F-measure of 0.59. Happiness_peacefulness had the highest F-measure of 0.81. We were ranked as the second best out of 26 competing teams. Conclusion: Our results indicated that classifying fine-grained sentiments at sentence level is a non-trivial task. It is effective to divide categories into different groups according to their semantic properties. In addition, our system performance benefits from external knowledge extracted from publically available web data of other purposes; performance can be further enhanced when more training data is available. PMID:22879758

  7. Practical tool to assess reliability of web-based medicines information.

    PubMed

    Lebanova, Hristina; Getov, Ilko; Grigorov, Evgeni

    2014-02-01

    Information disseminated by medicines information systems is not always easy to apply. Nowadays internet provides access to enormous volume and range of health information that was previously inaccessible both for medical specialists and consumers. The aim of this study is to assess internet as a source of drug and health related information and to create test methodology to evaluate the top 10 visited health-related web-sites in Bulgaria. Using existing scientific methodologies for evaluation of web sources, a new algorithm of three-step approach consisting of score-card validation of the drug-related information in the 10 most visited Bulgarian web-sites was created. In many cases the drug information in the internet sites contained errors and discrepancies. Some of the published materials were not validated; they were out-of-date and could cause confusion for consumers. The quality of the online health information is a cause for considerable information noise and threat to patients' safety and rational drug use. There is a need of monitoring the drugs information available online in order to prevent patient misinformation and confusion that could lead to medication errors and abuse.

  8. Assessing and Analyzing the Effects of WBLP on Learning Processes and Achievements: Using the Electronic Portfolio for Authentic Assessment on University Students' Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Chi-Cheng

    A Web-Based Learning Portfolio (WBLP) was evaluated through practical teaching process to understand if the WBLP system helps students to grasp the learning process and enhances learning outcomes. The evaluation results reveal that this WBLP system has been more useful for students to obtain the feedback from other students than from their…

  9. Creating A Coordinated Autos/UAW Reporting System (CARS) For Evaluating Health Plan Performance,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1999-09-01

    open enrollment materials, information was made available to employees on internal Web sites. The Greater Detroit Area Health Council also reported...RAND Creating A Coordinated Autos/UAW Reporting System (CARS) For Evaluating Health Plan Performance Elizabeth A. McGlynn, John Adams, Jennifer...Hicks, David Klein DRU-2123-FMC September 1999 Prepared for DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and the United Auto Workers

  10. Transparency & Accountability: An Evaluation of the VSA College Portrait Pilot. A Special Report from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment for the Voluntary System of Accountability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jankowski, Natasha A.; Ikenberry, Stanley O.; Kinzie, Jillian; Kuh, George D.; Shenoy, Gloria F.; Baker, Gianina R.

    2012-01-01

    The Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) is a vehicle for public four-year universities to report comparable information about the undergraduate student experience via the College Portrait, a common web reporting template. The National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) was asked by the VSA to evaluate the effectiveness of the…

  11. Web-Enabled Distributed Health-Care Framework for Automated Malaria Parasite Classification: an E-Health Approach.

    PubMed

    Maity, Maitreya; Dhane, Dhiraj; Mungle, Tushar; Maiti, A K; Chakraborty, Chandan

    2017-10-26

    Web-enabled e-healthcare system or computer assisted disease diagnosis has a potential to improve the quality and service of conventional healthcare delivery approach. The article describes the design and development of a web-based distributed healthcare management system for medical information and quantitative evaluation of microscopic images using machine learning approach for malaria. In the proposed study, all the health-care centres are connected in a distributed computer network. Each peripheral centre manages its' own health-care service independently and communicates with the central server for remote assistance. The proposed methodology for automated evaluation of parasites includes pre-processing of blood smear microscopic images followed by erythrocytes segmentation. To differentiate between different parasites; a total of 138 quantitative features characterising colour, morphology, and texture are extracted from segmented erythrocytes. An integrated pattern classification framework is designed where four feature selection methods viz. Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS), Chi-square, Information Gain, and RELIEF are employed with three different classifiers i.e. Naive Bayes', C4.5, and Instance-Based Learning (IB1) individually. Optimal features subset with the best classifier is selected for achieving maximum diagnostic precision. It is seen that the proposed method achieved with 99.2% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity by combining CFS and C4.5 in comparison with other methods. Moreover, the web-based tool is entirely designed using open standards like Java for a web application, ImageJ for image processing, and WEKA for data mining considering its feasibility in rural places with minimal health care facilities.

  12. 48 CFR 301.607-71 - FAC-P/PM levels and requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    .... (2) The FAI describes the following three sets of general core competencies on its Web site: (3..., systems engineering, test and evaluation, contracting, and business. (6) Specific core competencies also...

  13. A web-based approach for electrocardiogram monitoring in the home.

    PubMed

    Magrabi, F; Lovell, N H; Celler, B G

    1999-05-01

    A Web-based electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring service in which a longitudinal clinical record is used for management of patients, is described. The Web application is used to collect clinical data from the patient's home. A database on the server acts as a central repository where this clinical information is stored. A Web browser provides access to the patient's records and ECG data. We discuss the technologies used to automate the retrieval and storage of clinical data from a patient database, and the recording and reviewing of clinical measurement data. On the client's Web browser, ActiveX controls embedded in the Web pages provide a link between the various components including the Web server, Web page, the specialised client side ECG review and acquisition software, and the local file system. The ActiveX controls also implement FTP functions to retrieve and submit clinical data to and from the server. An intelligent software agent on the server is activated whenever new ECG data is sent from the home. The agent compares historical data with newly acquired data. Using this method, an optimum patient care strategy can be evaluated, a summarised report along with reminders and suggestions for action is sent to the doctor and patient by email.

  14. Indexing and Retrieval for the Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rasmussen, Edie M.

    2003-01-01

    Explores current research on indexing and ranking as retrieval functions of search engines on the Web. Highlights include measuring search engine stability; evaluation of Web indexing and retrieval; Web crawlers; hyperlinks for indexing and ranking; ranking for metasearch; document structure; citation indexing; relevance; query evaluation;…

  15. Bringing Control System User Interfaces to the Web

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, Xihui; Kasemir, Kay

    With the evolution of web based technologies, especially HTML5 [1], it becomes possible to create web-based control system user interfaces (UI) that are cross-browser and cross-device compatible. This article describes two technologies that facilitate this goal. The first one is the WebOPI [2], which can seamlessly display CSS BOY [3] Operator Interfaces (OPI) in web browsers without modification to the original OPI file. The WebOPI leverages the powerful graphical editing capabilities of BOY and provides the convenience of re-using existing OPI files. On the other hand, it uses generic JavaScript and a generic communication mechanism between the web browser andmore » web server. It is not optimized for a control system, which results in unnecessary network traffic and resource usage. Our second technology is the WebSocket-based Process Data Access (WebPDA) [4]. It is a protocol that provides efficient control system data communication using WebSocket [5], so that users can create web-based control system UIs using standard web page technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. WebPDA is control system independent, potentially supporting any type of control system.« less

  16. CRESST Human Performance Knowledge Mapping System

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-12-01

    link subcategories. Semantica Evaluation copy unavailable Visual Mind M H No Cannot add relation labels. Smart Ideas H H No Easy to use. Linking in...Screen Users can access all top-level functions from the main screen shown in Figure 4. The design of the Web favored breadth over depth, which allows...based on whether their propositions match propositions in the expert map. LifeMap PC on the Web /Mac 0 http:/ /www2.ucsc.edu/-mlrg/mlrgtools.html This

  17. Handling Internet-Based Health Information: Improving Health Information Web Site Literacy Among Undergraduate Nursing Students.

    PubMed

    Wang, Weiwen; Sun, Ran; Mulvehill, Alice M; Gilson, Courtney C; Huang, Linda L

    2017-02-01

    Patient care problems arise when health care consumers and professionals find health information on the Internet because that information is often inaccurate. To mitigate this problem, nurses can develop Web literacy and share that skill with health care consumers. This study evaluated a Web-literacy intervention for undergraduate nursing students to find reliable Web-based health information. A pre- and postsurvey queried undergraduate nursing students in an informatics course; the intervention comprised lecture, in-class practice, and assignments about health Web site evaluation tools. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon and ANOVA signed-rank tests. Pre-intervention, 75.9% of participants reported using Web sites to obtain health information. Postintervention, 87.9% displayed confidence in using an evaluation tool. Both the ability to critique health Web sites (p = .005) and confidence in finding reliable Internet-based health information (p = .058) increased. Web-literacy education guides nursing students to find, evaluate, and use reliable Web sites, which improves their ability to deliver safer patient care. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(2):110-114.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

  18. Tool independence for the Web Accessibility Quantitative Metric.

    PubMed

    Vigo, Markel; Brajnik, Giorgio; Arrue, Myriam; Abascal, Julio

    2009-07-01

    The Web Accessibility Quantitative Metric (WAQM) aims at accurately measuring the accessibility of web pages. One of the main features of WAQM among others is that it is evaluation tool independent for ranking and accessibility monitoring scenarios. This article proposes a method to attain evaluation tool independence for all foreseeable scenarios. After demonstrating that homepages have a more similar error profile than any other web page in a given web site, 15 homepages were measured with 10,000 different values of WAQM parameters using EvalAccess and LIFT, two automatic evaluation tools for accessibility. A similar procedure was followed with random pages and with several test files obtaining several tuples that minimise the difference between both tools. One thousand four hundred forty-nine web pages from 15 web sites were measured with these tuples and those values that minimised the difference between the tools were selected. Once the WAQM was tuned, the accessibility of 15 web sites was measured with two metrics for web sites, concluding that even if similar values can be produced, obtaining the same scores is undesirable since evaluation tools behave in a different way.

  19. An architecture for diversity-aware search for medical web content.

    PubMed

    Denecke, K

    2012-01-01

    The Web provides a huge source of information, also on medical and health-related issues. In particular the content of medical social media data can be diverse due to the background of an author, the source or the topic. Diversity in this context means that a document covers different aspects of a topic or a topic is described in different ways. In this paper, we introduce an approach that allows to consider the diverse aspects of a search query when providing retrieval results to a user. We introduce a system architecture for a diversity-aware search engine that allows retrieving medical information from the web. The diversity of retrieval results is assessed by calculating diversity measures that rely upon semantic information derived from a mapping to concepts of a medical terminology. Considering these measures, the result set is diversified by ranking more diverse texts higher. The methods and system architecture are implemented in a retrieval engine for medical web content. The diversity measures reflect the diversity of aspects considered in a text and its type of information content. They are used for result presentation, filtering and ranking. In a user evaluation we assess the user satisfaction with an ordering of retrieval results that considers the diversity measures. It is shown through the evaluation that diversity-aware retrieval considering diversity measures in ranking could increase the user satisfaction with retrieval results.

  20. Scalability Issues for Remote Sensing Infrastructure: A Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Yang; Picard, Sean; Williamson, Carey

    2017-01-01

    For the past decade, a team of University of Calgary researchers has operated a large “sensor Web” to collect, analyze, and share scientific data from remote measurement instruments across northern Canada. This sensor Web receives real-time data streams from over a thousand Internet-connected sensors, with a particular emphasis on environmental data (e.g., space weather, auroral phenomena, atmospheric imaging). Through research collaborations, we had the opportunity to evaluate the performance and scalability of their remote sensing infrastructure. This article reports the lessons learned from our study, which considered both data collection and data dissemination aspects of their system. On the data collection front, we used benchmarking techniques to identify and fix a performance bottleneck in the system’s memory management for TCP data streams, while also improving system efficiency on multi-core architectures. On the data dissemination front, we used passive and active network traffic measurements to identify and reduce excessive network traffic from the Web robots and JavaScript techniques used for data sharing. While our results are from one specific sensor Web system, the lessons learned may apply to other scientific Web sites with remote sensing infrastructure. PMID:28468262

  1. Evaluation of mode equivalence of the MSKCC Bowel Function Instrument, LASA Quality of Life, and Subjective Significance Questionnaire items administered by Web, interactive voice response system (IVRS), and paper.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Antonia V; Keenoy, Kathleen; Shouery, Marwan; Basch, Ethan; Temple, Larissa K

    2016-05-01

    To assess the equivalence of patient-reported outcome (PRO) survey responses across Web, interactive voice response system (IVRS), and paper modes of administration. Postoperative colorectal cancer patients with home Web/e-mail and phone were randomly assigned to one of the eight study groups: Groups 1-6 completed the survey via Web, IVRS, and paper, in one of the six possible orders; Groups 7-8 completed the survey twice, either by Web or by IVRS. The 20-item survey, including the MSKCC Bowel Function Instrument (BFI), the LASA Quality of Life (QOL) scale, and the Subjective Significance Questionnaire (SSQ) adapted to bowel function, was completed from home on consecutive days. Mode equivalence was assessed by comparison of mean scores across modes and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and was compared to the test-retest reliability of Web and IVRS. Of 170 patients, 157 completed at least one survey and were included in analysis. Patients had mean age 56 (SD = 11), 53% were male, 81% white, 53% colon, and 47% rectal cancer; 78% completed all assigned surveys. Mean scores for BFI total score, BFI subscale scores, LASA QOL, and adapted SSQ varied by mode by less than one-third of a score point. ICCs across mode were: BFI total score (Web-paper = 0.96, Web-IVRS = 0.97, paper-IVRS = 0.97); BFI subscales (range = 0.88-0.98); LASA QOL (Web-paper = 0.98, Web-IVRS = 0.78, paper-IVRS = 0.80); and SSQ (Web-paper = 0.92, Web-IVRS = 0.86, paper-IVRS = 0.79). Mode equivalence was demonstrated for the BFI total score, BFI subscales, LASA QOL, and adapted SSQ, supporting the use of multiple modes of PRO data capture in clinical trials.

  2. Measuring Spontaneous and Instructed Evaluation Processes during Web Search: Integrating Concurrent Thinking-Aloud Protocols and Eye-Tracking Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gerjets, Peter; Kammerer, Yvonne; Werner, Benita

    2011-01-01

    Web searching for complex information requires to appropriately evaluating diverse sources of information. Information science studies identified different criteria applied by searchers to evaluate Web information. However, the explicit evaluation instructions used in these studies might have resulted in a distortion of spontaneous evaluation…

  3. Applying Web Usage Mining for Personalizing Hyperlinks in Web-Based Adaptive Educational Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romero, Cristobal; Ventura, Sebastian; Zafra, Amelia; de Bra, Paul

    2009-01-01

    Nowadays, the application of Web mining techniques in e-learning and Web-based adaptive educational systems is increasing exponentially. In this paper, we propose an advanced architecture for a personalization system to facilitate Web mining. A specific Web mining tool is developed and a recommender engine is integrated into the AHA! system in…

  4. Evaluating Domestic and International Web-Site Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simeon, Roblyn

    1999-01-01

    Presents the AIPD (attracting, informing, positioning, and delivering) approach to the evaluation of commercial Web sites that assess the strategic potential of Web sites, provides a framework for the development of competitive sites, and compares Web site strategies within and across national boundaries. Compares Internet strategies of Japanese…

  5. A Distance Instructional System with Learning Performance Evaluation Mechanism: Moodle-Based Educational System Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Ying-Chen; Terashima, Nobuyoshi

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a Moodle-based educational system has been constructed by providing friendly interface to fit most students in e-learning. For the website implementation, the authors take the course "Multimedia Implementation Using JAVA" as a case study. From the modified Moodle-based educational system, the browsing time of each web page for…

  6. Space webs based on rotating tethered formations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Palmerini, Giovanni B.; Sgubini, Silvano; Sabatini, Marco

    2009-07-01

    Several on-going studies indicate the interest for large, light orbiting structures, shaped as fish nets or webs: along the ropes of the web small spacecraft can move like spiders to position and re-locate, at will, pieces of hardware devoted to specific missions. The concept could be considered as an intermediate solution between the large monolithic structure, heavy and expensive to realize, but easy to control, and the formations of satellites, where all system members are completely free and should manoeuvre in order to acquire a desired configuration. Instead, the advantage of having a "hard-but-light" link among the different grids lays in the partition of the tasks among system components and in a possible overall reduction of the control system complexity and cost. Unfortunately, there is no stable configuration for an orbiting, two-dimensional web made by light, flexible tethers which cannot support compression forces. A possible solution is to make use of centrifugal forces to pull the net, with a reduced number of simple thrusters located at the tips of the tethers to initially acquire the required spin. In this paper a dynamic analysis of a simplified rotating web is performed, in order to evaluate the spinning velocity able to satisfy the requirement for the stability of the system. The model adopted overlaps simpler elements, each of them given by a tether (made up of a number of linear finite elements) connecting two extreme bodies accommodating the spinning thrusters. The combination of these "diameter-like" elements provides the web, shaped according to the specific requirements. The net is primarily considered as subjected to Keplerian attraction and J2 and drag perturbations only, but its behaviour under thermal inputs is also investigated.

  7. [Development and evaluation of the medical imaging distribution system with dynamic web application and clustering technology].

    PubMed

    Yokohama, Noriya; Tsuchimoto, Tadashi; Oishi, Masamichi; Itou, Katsuya

    2007-01-20

    It has been noted that the downtime of medical informatics systems is often long. Many systems encounter downtimes of hours or even days, which can have a critical effect on daily operations. Such systems remain especially weak in the areas of database and medical imaging data. The scheme design shows the three-layer architecture of the system: application, database, and storage layers. The application layer uses the DICOM protocol (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) and HTTP (Hyper Text Transport Protocol) with AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript+XML). The database is designed to decentralize in parallel using cluster technology. Consequently, restoration of the database can be done not only with ease but also with improved retrieval speed. In the storage layer, a network RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system, it is possible to construct exabyte-scale parallel file systems that exploit storage spread. Development and evaluation of the test-bed has been successful in medical information data backup and recovery in a network environment. This paper presents a schematic design of the new medical informatics system that can be accommodated from a recovery and the dynamic Web application for medical imaging distribution using AJAX.

  8. A web-based information system for a regional public mental healthcare service network in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Yoshiura, Vinicius Tohoru; de Azevedo-Marques, João Mazzoncini; Rzewuska, Magdalena; Vinci, André Luiz Teixeira; Sasso, Ariane Morassi; Miyoshi, Newton Shydeo Brandão; Furegato, Antonia Regina Ferreira; Rijo, Rui Pedro Charters Lopes; Del-Ben, Cristina Marta; Alves, Domingos

    2017-01-01

    Regional networking between services that provide mental health care in Brazil's decentralized public health system is challenging, partly due to the simultaneous existence of services managed by municipal and state authorities and a lack of efficient and transparent mechanisms for continuous and updated communication between them. Since 2011, the Ribeirao Preto Medical School and the XIII Regional Health Department of the Sao Paulo state, Brazil, have been developing and implementing a web-based information system to facilitate an integrated care throughout a public regional mental health care network. After a profound on-site analysis, the structure of the network was identified and a web-based information system for psychiatric admissions and discharges was developed and implemented using a socio-technical approach. An information technology team liaised with mental health professionals, health-service managers, municipal and state health secretariats and judicial authorities. Primary care, specialized community services, general emergency and psychiatric wards services, that comprise the regional mental healthcare network, were identified and the system flow was delineated. The web-based system overcame the fragmentation of the healthcare system and addressed service specific needs, enabling: detailed patient information sharing; active coordination of the processes of psychiatric admissions and discharges; real-time monitoring; the patients' status reports; the evaluation of the performance of each service and the whole network. During a 2-year period of operation, it registered 137 services, 480 health care professionals and 4271 patients, with a mean number of 2835 accesses per month. To date the system is successfully operating and further expanding. We have successfully developed and implemented an acceptable, useful and transparent web-based information system for a regional mental healthcare service network in a medium-income country with a decentralized public health system. Systematic collaboration between an information technology team and a wide range of stakeholders is essential for the system development and implementation.

  9. [Development and evaluation of a vital signs e-book for undergraduate student nurses].

    PubMed

    Ko, Il-Sun; Kang, Kyu-Sook; Shim, Joung-Ohn; Park, Jin-Hee; Yook, Shin-Young; Yun, So-Young

    2005-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a vital signs e-book for undergraduate student nurses and evaluate the content, system and student satisfaction. This study was done in three stages, the development of a vital signs e-book, implementation and evaluation. The subjects were 73 undergraduate student nurses in Y university. Thirty one learning objectives were used to create the contents. A set of 5 chapters and 18 subsections were defined after validation from nurse educators. The e-book is available at http://123.134.207.23/ebook/vitalsigns. Analysis of the questionnaires showed a mean score for content, system and students satisfaction of 3.17 +/- .73, 3.11 +/-.79, and 2.96 +/-.74 respectively out of a possible 4 points. Nurse educators should provide quality and effective web-based courses that meet undergraduate student nurses' learning needs and they should incorporate web-based learning into traditional teaching to meet the demands of nursing education.

  10. Behavioral-Progress Monitoring Using the Electronic Daily Behavioral Report Card (e-DBRC) System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Mack D.; Vannest, Kimberly J.

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the authors present an overview of a Web-based electronic system for behavioral-progress monitoring. Behavioral-progress monitoring is necessary to evaluate responsiveness to behavioral interventions, the effects of positive behavioral support, and the attainment of individualized education program goals and objectives. The…

  11. A combined approach of AHP and TOPSIS methods applied in the field of integrated software systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berdie, A. D.; Osaci, M.; Muscalagiu, I.; Barz, C.

    2017-05-01

    Adopting the most appropriate technology for developing applications on an integrated software system for enterprises, may result in great savings both in cost and hours of work. This paper proposes a research study for the determination of a hierarchy between three SAP (System Applications and Products in Data Processing) technologies. The technologies Web Dynpro -WD, Floorplan Manager - FPM and CRM WebClient UI - CRM WCUI are multi-criteria evaluated in terms of the obtained performances through the implementation of the same web business application. To establish the hierarchy a multi-criteria analysis model that combines the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and the TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methods was proposed. This model was built with the help of the SuperDecision software. This software is based on the AHP method and determines the weights for the selected sets of criteria. The TOPSIS method was used to obtain the final ranking and the technologies hierarchy.

  12. Sampling bias in an international internet survey of diversion programs in the criminal justice system.

    PubMed

    Hartford, Kathleen; Carey, Robert; Mendonca, James

    2007-03-01

    Despite advances in the storage and retrieval of information within health care systems, health researchers conducting surveys for evaluations still face technical barriers that may lead to sampling bias. The authors describe their experience in administering a Web-based, international survey to English-speaking countries. Identifying the sample was a multistage effort involving (a) searching for published e-mail addresses, (b) conducting Web searches for publicly funded agencies, and (c) performing literature searches, personal contacts, and extensive Internet searches for individuals. After pretesting, the survey was converted into an electronic format accessible by multiple Web browsers. Sampling bias arose from (a) system incompatibility, which did not allow potential respondents to open the survey, (b) varying institutional gate-keeping policies that "recognized" the unsolicited survey as spam, (c) culturally unique program terminology, which confused some respondents, and (d) incomplete sampling frames. Solutions are offered to the first three problems, and the authors note that sampling bias remains a crucial problem.

  13. Design of a RESTful web information system for drug prescription and administration.

    PubMed

    Bianchi, Lorenzo; Paganelli, Federica; Pettenati, Maria Chiara; Turchi, Stefano; Ciofi, Lucia; Iadanza, Ernesto; Giuli, Dino

    2014-05-01

    Drug prescription and administration processes strongly impact on the occurrence of risks in medical settings for they can be sources of adverse drug events (ADEs). A properly engineered use of information and communication technologies has proven to be a promising approach to reduce these risks. In this study, we propose PHARMA, a web information system which supports healthcare staff in the secure cooperative execution of drug prescription, transcription and registration tasks. PHARMA allows the easy sharing and management of documents containing drug-related information (i.e., drug prescriptions, medical reports, screening), which is often inconsistent and scattered across different information systems and heterogeneous organization domains (e.g., departments, other hospital facilities). PHARMA enables users to access such information in a consistent and secure way, through the adoption of REST and web-oriented design paradigms and protocols. We describe the implementation of the PHARMA prototype, and we discuss the results of the usability evaluation that we carried out with the staff of a hospital in Florence, Italy.

  14. Surfing for scoliosis: the quality of information available on the Internet.

    PubMed

    Mathur, Sameer; Shanti, Nael; Brkaric, Mario; Sood, Vivek; Kubeck, Justin; Paulino, Carl; Merola, Andrew A

    2005-12-01

    A cross section of Web sites accessible to the general public was surveyed. To evaluate the quality and accuracy of information on scoliosis that a patient might access on the Internet. The Internet is a rapidly expanding communications network with an estimated 765 million users worldwide by the year 2005. Medical information is one of the most common sources of inquires on the Web. More than 100 million Americans accessed the Internet for medical information in the year 2000. Undoubtedly, the use of the Internet for patient information needs will continue to expand as Internet access becomes more readily available. This expansion combined with the Internet's poorly regulated format can lead to problems in the quality of information available. Since the Internet operates on a global scale, implementing and enforcing standards have been difficult. The largely uncontrolled information can potentially negatively influence consumer health outcomes. To identify potential sites, five search engines were selected and the word "scoliosis" was entered into each search engine. A total of 50 Web sites were chosen for review. Each Web site was evaluated according to the type of Web site, quality content, and informational accuracy by three board-certified academic orthopedic surgeons, fellowship trained in spinal surgery, who each has been in practice for a minimum of 8 years. Each Web site was categorized as academic, commercial, physician, nonphysician health professional, and unidentified. In addition, each Web site was evaluated according to scoliosis-specific content using a point value system of 32 disease-specific key words pertinent to the care of scoliosis on an ordinal scale. A list of these words is given. Point values were given for the use of key words related to disease summary, classifications, treatment options, and complications. The accuracy of the individual Web site was evaluated by each spine surgeon using a scale of 1 to 4. A score of 1 represents that the examiner agreed with less than 25% of the information while a score of 4 represents greater than 75% agreement. Of the total 50 Web sites evaluated, 44% were academic, 18% were physician based, 16% were commercial, 12% were unidentified, and 10% were nonphysician health professionals. The quality content score (maximum, 32 points) for academic sites was 12.6 +/- 3.8, physician sites 11.3 +/- 4.0, commercial sites 11 +/- 4.2, unidentified 7.6 +/- 3.9, and nonphysician health professional site 7.0 +/- 1.8. The accuracy score (maximum, 12 points) was 6.6 +/- 2.4 for academic sites, 6.3 +/- 3.0 for physician-professional sites, 6.0 +/- 2.7 for unidentified sites, 5.5 +/- 3.8 for nonphysician professional sites, and 5.0 +/- 1.5 for commercial Web sites. The academic Web sites had the highest mean scores in both quality and accuracy content scores. The information about scoliosis on the Internet is of limited quality and poor information value. Although the majority of the Web sites were academic, the content quality and accuracy scores were still poor. The lowest scoring Web sites were the nonphysician professionals and the unidentified sites, which were often message boards. Overall, the highest scoring Web site related to both quality and accuracy of information was www.srs.org. This Web site was designed by the Scoliosis Research Society. The public and the medical communities need to be aware of these existing limitations of the Internet. Based on our review, the physician must assume primary responsibility of educating and counseling their patients.

  15. Design and development of a tele-healthcare information system based on web services and HL7 standards.

    PubMed

    Huang, Ean-Wen; Hung, Rui-Suan; Chiou, Shwu-Fen; Liu, Fei-Ying; Liou, Der-Ming

    2011-01-01

    Information and communication technologies progress rapidly and many novel applications have been developed in many domains of human life. In recent years, the demand for healthcare services has been growing because of the increase in the elderly population. Consequently, a number of healthcare institutions have focused on creating technologies to reduce extraneous work and improve the quality of service. In this study, an information platform for tele- healthcare services was implemented. The architecture of the platform included a web-based application server and client system. The client system was able to retrieve the blood pressure and glucose levels of a patient stored in measurement instruments through Bluetooth wireless transmission. The web application server assisted the staffs and clients in analyzing the health conditions of patients. In addition, the server provided face-to-face communications and instructions through remote video devices. The platform deployed a service-oriented architecture, which consisted of HL7 standard messages and web service components. The platform could transfer health records into HL7 standard clinical document architecture for data exchange with other organizations. The prototyping system was pretested and evaluated in a homecare department of hospital and a community management center for chronic disease monitoring. Based on the results of this study, this system is expected to improve the quality of healthcare services.

  16. Biomedical question answering using semantic relations.

    PubMed

    Hristovski, Dimitar; Dinevski, Dejan; Kastrin, Andrej; Rindflesch, Thomas C

    2015-01-16

    The proliferation of the scientific literature in the field of biomedicine makes it difficult to keep abreast of current knowledge, even for domain experts. While general Web search engines and specialized information retrieval (IR) systems have made important strides in recent decades, the problem of accurate knowledge extraction from the biomedical literature is far from solved. Classical IR systems usually return a list of documents that have to be read by the user to extract relevant information. This tedious and time-consuming work can be lessened with automatic Question Answering (QA) systems, which aim to provide users with direct and precise answers to their questions. In this work we propose a novel methodology for QA based on semantic relations extracted from the biomedical literature. We extracted semantic relations with the SemRep natural language processing system from 122,421,765 sentences, which came from 21,014,382 MEDLINE citations (i.e., the complete MEDLINE distribution up to the end of 2012). A total of 58,879,300 semantic relation instances were extracted and organized in a relational database. The QA process is implemented as a search in this database, which is accessed through a Web-based application, called SemBT (available at http://sembt.mf.uni-lj.si ). We conducted an extensive evaluation of the proposed methodology in order to estimate the accuracy of extracting a particular semantic relation from a particular sentence. Evaluation was performed by 80 domain experts. In total 7,510 semantic relation instances belonging to 2,675 distinct relations were evaluated 12,083 times. The instances were evaluated as correct 8,228 times (68%). In this work we propose an innovative methodology for biomedical QA. The system is implemented as a Web-based application that is able to provide precise answers to a wide range of questions. A typical question is answered within a few seconds. The tool has some extensions that make it especially useful for interpretation of DNA microarray results.

  17. Evaluation of expert system application based on usability aspects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Munaiseche, C. P. C.; Liando, O. E. S.

    2016-04-01

    Usability usually defined as a point of human acceptance to a product or a system based on understands and right reaction to an interface. The performance of web application has been influence by the quality of the interface of that web to supporting information transfer process. Preferably, before the applications of expert systems were installed in the operational environment, these applications must be evaluated first by usability testing. This research aimed to measure the usability of the expert system application using tasks as interaction media. This study uses an expert system application to diagnose skin disease in human using questionnaire method which utilize the tasks as interaction media in measuring the usability. Certain tasks were executed by the participants in observing usability value of the application. The usability aspects observed were learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction. Each questionnaire question represent aspects of usability. The results present the usability value for each aspect and the total average merit for all the five-usability aspect was 4.28, this indicated that the tested expert system application is in the range excellent for the usability level, so the application can be implemented as the operated system by user. The main contribution of the study is the research became the first step in using task model in the usability evaluation for the expert system application software.

  18. Design and Development of a Sharable Clinical Decision Support System Based on a Semantic Web Service Framework.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yi-Fan; Gou, Ling; Tian, Yu; Li, Tian-Chang; Zhang, Mao; Li, Jing-Song

    2016-05-01

    Clinical decision support (CDS) systems provide clinicians and other health care stakeholders with patient-specific assessments or recommendations to aid in the clinical decision-making process. Despite their demonstrated potential for improving health care quality, the widespread availability of CDS systems has been limited mainly by the difficulty and cost of sharing CDS knowledge among heterogeneous healthcare information systems. The purpose of this study was to design and develop a sharable clinical decision support (S-CDS) system that meets this challenge. The fundamental knowledge base consists of independent and reusable knowledge modules (KMs) to meet core CDS needs, wherein each KM is semantically well defined based on the standard information model, terminologies, and representation formalisms. A semantic web service framework was developed to identify, access, and leverage these KMs across diverse CDS applications and care settings. The S-CDS system has been validated in two distinct client CDS applications. Model-level evaluation results confirmed coherent knowledge representation. Application-level evaluation results reached an overall accuracy of 98.66 % and a completeness of 96.98 %. The evaluation results demonstrated the technical feasibility and application prospect of our approach. Compared with other CDS engineering efforts, our approach facilitates system development and implementation and improves system maintainability, scalability and efficiency, which contribute to the widespread adoption of effective CDS within the healthcare domain.

  19. Embedded Web Technology: Applying World Wide Web Standards to Embedded Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ponyik, Joseph G.; York, David W.

    2002-01-01

    Embedded Systems have traditionally been developed in a highly customized manner. The user interface hardware and software along with the interface to the embedded system are typically unique to the system for which they are built, resulting in extra cost to the system in terms of development time and maintenance effort. World Wide Web standards have been developed in the passed ten years with the goal of allowing servers and clients to intemperate seamlessly. The client and server systems can consist of differing hardware and software platforms but the World Wide Web standards allow them to interface without knowing about the details of system at the other end of the interface. Embedded Web Technology is the merging of Embedded Systems with the World Wide Web. Embedded Web Technology decreases the cost of developing and maintaining the user interface by allowing the user to interface to the embedded system through a web browser running on a standard personal computer. Embedded Web Technology can also be used to simplify an Embedded System's internal network.

  20. A verification strategy for web services composition using enhanced stacked automata model.

    PubMed

    Nagamouttou, Danapaquiame; Egambaram, Ilavarasan; Krishnan, Muthumanickam; Narasingam, Poonkuzhali

    2015-01-01

    Currently, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is becoming the most popular software architecture of contemporary enterprise applications, and one crucial technique of its implementation is web services. Individual service offered by some service providers may symbolize limited business functionality; however, by composing individual services from different service providers, a composite service describing the intact business process of an enterprise can be made. Many new standards have been defined to decipher web service composition problem namely Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). BPEL provides an initial work for forming an Extended Markup Language (XML) specification language for defining and implementing business practice workflows for web services. The problems with most realistic approaches to service composition are the verification of composed web services. It has to depend on formal verification method to ensure the correctness of composed services. A few research works has been carried out in the literature survey for verification of web services for deterministic system. Moreover the existing models did not address the verification properties like dead transition, deadlock, reachability and safetyness. In this paper, a new model to verify the composed web services using Enhanced Stacked Automata Model (ESAM) has been proposed. The correctness properties of the non-deterministic system have been evaluated based on the properties like dead transition, deadlock, safetyness, liveness and reachability. Initially web services are composed using Business Process Execution Language for Web Service (BPEL4WS) and it is converted into ESAM (combination of Muller Automata (MA) and Push Down Automata (PDA)) and it is transformed into Promela language, an input language for Simple ProMeLa Interpreter (SPIN) tool. The model is verified using SPIN tool and the results revealed better recital in terms of finding dead transition and deadlock in contrast to the existing models.

  1. The Further Development of CSIEC Project Driven by Application and Evaluation in English Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jia, Jiyou; Chen, Weichao

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we present the comprehensive version of CSIEC (Computer Simulation in Educational Communication), an interactive web-based human-computer dialogue system with natural language for English instruction, and its tentative application and evaluation in English education. First, we briefly introduce the motivation for this project,…

  2. A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of an On-Line Formative Assessment and Tutoring System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koedinger, Kenneth R.; McLaughlin, Elizabeth A.; Heffernan, Neil T.

    2010-01-01

    ASSISTments is a web-based math tutor designed to address the need for timely student assessment while simultaneously providing instruction, thereby avoiding lost instruction time that typically occurs during assessment. This article presents a quasi-experiment that evaluates whether ASSISTments use has an effect on improving middle school…

  3. Integrated Incident Management System (IIMS) web client application development, deployment and evaluation: an evaluation of a potential IIMS deployment in Western New York : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-09-30

    Incident Management (IM) is an area of transportation management that can significantly decrease the congestion and increase the : efficiency of transportation networks in non-ideal conditions. In this study, the existing state of the Integrated Inci...

  4. A New Internet Tool for Automatic Evaluation in Control Systems and Programming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Munoz de la Pena, D.; Gomez-Estern, F.; Dormido, S.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we present a web-based innovative education tool designed for automating the collection, evaluation and error detection in practical exercises assigned to computer programming and control engineering students. By using a student/instructor code-fusion architecture, the conceptual limits of multiple-choice tests are overcome by far.…

  5. Usability Evaluation of a Research Repository and Collaboration Web Site

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Tao; Maron, Deborah J.; Charles, Christopher C.

    2013-01-01

    This article reports results from an empirical usability evaluation of Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative Central as part of the effort to develop an open access research repository and collaboration platform for human-animal bond researchers. By repurposing and altering key features of the original HUBzero system, Human-Animal Bond Research…

  6. Implementation and Evaluation of a Course Concept Based on Reusable Learning Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Zele, Els; Vandaele, Pieter; Botteldooren, Dick; Lenaerts, Josephina

    2003-01-01

    This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a learning objects based computer aided system for an advanced engineering course at Ghent University, Belgium. A new syllabus concept was introduced: students had access to a Web-delivered component and received an identical printed component as two sources of information additional to…

  7. Mobile Formative Assessment Tool Based on Data Mining Techniques for Supporting Web-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Chih-Ming; Chen, Ming-Chuan

    2009-01-01

    Current trends clearly indicate that online learning has become an important learning mode. However, no effective assessment mechanism for learning performance yet exists for e-learning systems. Learning performance assessment aims to evaluate what learners learned during the learning process. Traditional summative evaluation only considers final…

  8. Web-Assisted Education: From Evaluation to Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stefansson, Gunnar; Sigurdardottir, Asta Jenny

    2011-01-01

    Exams have traditionally been given to evaluate students but in recent years, with the appearance of freely accessible on-line tutoring, quizzes can also be used as a learning tool. In systems where students can request quiz items until a satisfactory grade is obtained, new probabilistic approaches are required for dealing items to students and…

  9. Rapid Web-Based Platform for Assessment of Orthopedic Surgery Patient Care Milestones: A 2-Year Validation.

    PubMed

    Gundle, Kenneth R; Mickelson, Dayne T; Cherones, Arien; Black, Jason; Hanel, Doug P

    To determine the validity, feasibility, and responsiveness of a new web-based platform for rapid milestone-based evaluations of orthopedic surgery residents. Single academic medical center, including a trauma center and pediatrics tertiary hospital. Forty residents (PG1-5) in an orthopedic residency program and their faculty evaluators. Residents and faculty were trained and supported in the use of a novel trainee-initiated web-based evaluation system. Residents were encouraged to use the system to track progress on patient care subcompetencies. Two years of prospectively collected data were reviewed from residents at an academic program. The primary outcome was Spearman's rank correlation between postgraduate year (PGY) and competency level achieved as a measure of validity. Secondary outcomes assessed feasibility, resident self-evaluation versus faculty evaluation, the distributions among subcompetencies, and responsiveness over time. Between February 2014 and February 2016, 856 orthopedic surgery patient care subcompetency evaluations were completed (1.2 evaluations per day). Residents promptly requested feedback after a procedure (median = 0 days, interquartile range: 0-2), and faculty responded within 2 days in 51% (median = 2 days, interquartile range: 0-13). Primary outcome showed a correlation between PGY and competency level (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), with significant differences in competency among PGYs (p < 0.001 by Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test). Self-evaluations by residents substantially agreed with faculty-assigned competency level (weighted Cohen's κ = 0.72, p < 0.001). Resident classes beginning the study as PGY1, 2, and 3 separately demonstrated gains in competency over time (Spearman's rank correlation 0.39, 0.60, 0.59, respectively, each p < 0.001). There was significant variance in the number of evaluations submitted per subcompetency (median = 43, range: 6-113) and competency level assigned (p < 0.01). Rapid tracking of trainee competency with milestone-based evaluations in a learner-centered mobile platform demonstrated validity, feasibility, and responsiveness. Next Accreditation System-mandated data may be efficiently collected and used for trainee and program self-study. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  10. Web-based health services and clinical decision support.

    PubMed

    Jegelevicius, Darius; Marozas, Vaidotas; Lukosevicius, Arunas; Patasius, Martynas

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was the development of a Web-based e-health service for comprehensive assistance and clinical decision support. The service structure consists of a Web server, a PHP-based Web interface linked to a clinical SQL database, Java applets for interactive manipulation and visualization of signals and a Matlab server linked with signal and data processing algorithms implemented by Matlab programs. The service ensures diagnostic signal- and image analysis-sbased clinical decision support. By using the discussed methodology, a pilot service for pathology specialists for automatic calculation of the proliferation index has been developed. Physicians use a simple Web interface for uploading the pictures under investigation to the server; subsequently a Java applet interface is used for outlining the region of interest and, after processing on the server, the requested proliferation index value is calculated. There is also an "expert corner", where experts can submit their index estimates and comments on particular images, which is especially important for system developers. These expert evaluations are used for optimization and verification of automatic analysis algorithms. Decision support trials have been conducted for ECG and ophthalmology ultrasonic investigations of intraocular tumor differentiation. Data mining algorithms have been applied and decision support trees constructed. These services are under implementation by a Web-based system too. The study has shown that the Web-based structure ensures more effective, flexible and accessible services compared with standalone programs and is very convenient for biomedical engineers and physicians, especially in the development phase.

  11. Affordances of students' using the World Wide Web as a publishing medium in project-based learning environments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bos, Nathan Daniel

    This dissertation investigates the emerging affordance of the World Wide Web as a place for high school students to become authors and publishers of information. Two empirical studies lay groundwork for student publishing by examining learning issues related to audience adaptation in writing, motivation and engagement with hypermedia, design, problem-solving, and critical evaluation. Two models of student publishing on the World Wide Web were investigated over the course of two 11spth grade project-based science curriculums. In the first curricular model, students worked in pairs to design informative hypermedia projects about infectious diseases that were published on the Web. Four case studies were written, drawing on both product- and process-related data sources. Four theoretically important findings are illustrated through these cases: (1) multimedia, especially graphics, seemed to catalyze some students' design processes by affecting the sequence of their design process and by providing a connection between the science content and their personal interest areas, (2) hypermedia design can demand high levels of analysis and synthesis of science content, (3) students can learn to think about science content representation through engagement with challenging design tasks, and (4) students' consideration of an outside audience can be facilitated by teacher-given design principles. The second Web-publishing model examines how students critically evaluate scientific resources on the Web, and how students can contribute to the Web's organization and usability by publishing critical reviews. Students critically evaluated Web resources using a four-part scheme: summarization of content, content, evaluation of credibility, evaluation of organizational structure, and evaluation of appearance. Content analyses comparing students' reviews and reviewed Web documents showed that students were proficient at summarizing content of Web documents, identifying their publishing source, and evaluating their organizational features; however, students struggled to identify scientific evidence, bias, or sophisticated use of media in Web pages. Shortcomings were shown to be partly due to deficiencies in the Web pages themselves and partly due to students' inexperience with the medium or lack of critical evaluation skills. Future directions of this idea are discussed, including discussion of how students' reviews have been integrated into a current digital library development project.

  12. Analyzing depression tendency of web posts using an event-driven depression tendency warning model.

    PubMed

    Tung, Chiaming; Lu, Wenhsiang

    2016-01-01

    The Internet has become a platform to express individual moods/feelings of daily life, where authors share their thoughts in web blogs, micro-blogs, forums, bulletin board systems or other media. In this work, we investigate text-mining technology to analyze and predict the depression tendency of web posts. In this paper, we defined depression factors, which include negative events, negative emotions, symptoms, and negative thoughts from web posts. We proposed an enhanced event extraction (E3) method to automatically extract negative event terms. In addition, we also proposed an event-driven depression tendency warning (EDDTW) model to predict the depression tendency of web bloggers or post authors by analyzing their posted articles. We compare the performance among the proposed EDDTW model, negative emotion evaluation (NEE) model, and the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-based depression tendency evaluation method. The EDDTW model obtains the best recall rate and F-measure at 0.668 and 0.624, respectively, while the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-based method achieves the best precision rate of 0.666. The main reason is that our enhanced event extraction method can increase recall rate by enlarging the negative event lexicon at the expense of precision. Our EDDTW model can also be used to track the change or trend of depression tendency for each post author. The depression tendency trend can help doctors to diagnose and even track depression of web post authors more efficiently. This paper presents an E3 method to automatically extract negative event terms in web posts. We also proposed a new EDDTW model to predict the depression tendency of web posts and possibly help bloggers or post authors to early detect major depressive disorder. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Overview of Nuclear Physics Data: Databases, Web Applications and Teaching Tools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCutchan, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    The mission of the United States Nuclear Data Program (USNDP) is to provide current, accurate, and authoritative data for use in pure and applied areas of nuclear science and engineering. This is accomplished by compiling, evaluating, and disseminating extensive datasets. Our main products include the Evaluated Nuclear Structure File (ENSDF) containing information on nuclear structure and decay properties and the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF) containing information on neutron-induced reactions. The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC), through the website www.nndc.bnl.gov, provides web-based retrieval systems for these and many other databases. In addition, the NNDC hosts several on-line physics tools, useful for calculating various quantities relating to basic nuclear physics. In this talk, I will first introduce the quantities which are evaluated and recommended in our databases. I will then outline the searching capabilities which allow one to quickly and efficiently retrieve data. Finally, I will demonstrate how the database searches and web applications can provide effective teaching tools concerning the structure of nuclei and how they interact. Work supported by the Office of Nuclear Physics, Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

  14. Resource Management Scheme Based on Ubiquitous Data Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Heung Ki; Jung, Jaehee

    2014-01-01

    Resource management of the main memory and process handler is critical to enhancing the system performance of a web server. Owing to the transaction delay time that affects incoming requests from web clients, web server systems utilize several web processes to anticipate future requests. This procedure is able to decrease the web generation time because there are enough processes to handle the incoming requests from web browsers. However, inefficient process management results in low service quality for the web server system. Proper pregenerated process mechanisms are required for dealing with the clients' requests. Unfortunately, it is difficult to predict how many requests a web server system is going to receive. If a web server system builds too many web processes, it wastes a considerable amount of memory space, and thus performance is reduced. We propose an adaptive web process manager scheme based on the analysis of web log mining. In the proposed scheme, the number of web processes is controlled through prediction of incoming requests, and accordingly, the web process management scheme consumes the least possible web transaction resources. In experiments, real web trace data were used to prove the improved performance of the proposed scheme. PMID:25197692

  15. HyQue: evaluating hypotheses using Semantic Web technologies.

    PubMed

    Callahan, Alison; Dumontier, Michel; Shah, Nigam H

    2011-05-17

    Key to the success of e-Science is the ability to computationally evaluate expert-composed hypotheses for validity against experimental data. Researchers face the challenge of collecting, evaluating and integrating large amounts of diverse information to compose and evaluate a hypothesis. Confronted with rapidly accumulating data, researchers currently do not have the software tools to undertake the required information integration tasks. We present HyQue, a Semantic Web tool for querying scientific knowledge bases with the purpose of evaluating user submitted hypotheses. HyQue features a knowledge model to accommodate diverse hypotheses structured as events and represented using Semantic Web languages (RDF/OWL). Hypothesis validity is evaluated against experimental and literature-sourced evidence through a combination of SPARQL queries and evaluation rules. Inference over OWL ontologies (for type specifications, subclass assertions and parthood relations) and retrieval of facts stored as Bio2RDF linked data provide support for a given hypothesis. We evaluate hypotheses of varying levels of detail about the genetic network controlling galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying such semantic computing tools over a growing body of structured knowledge in Bio2RDF. HyQue is a query-based hypothesis evaluation system that can currently evaluate hypotheses about the galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Hypotheses as well as the supporting or refuting data are represented in RDF and directly linked to one another allowing scientists to browse from data to hypothesis and vice versa. HyQue hypotheses and data are available at http://semanticscience.org/projects/hyque.

  16. Using a dual safeguard web-based interactive teaching approach in an introductory physics class

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Lie-Ming; Li, Bin; Luo, Ying

    2015-06-01

    We modified the Just-in-Time Teaching approach and developed a dual safeguard web-based interactive (DGWI) teaching system for an introductory physics course. The system consists of four instructional components that improve student learning by including warm-up assignments and online homework. Student and instructor activities involve activities both in the classroom and on a designated web site. An experimental study with control groups evaluated the effectiveness of the DGWI teaching method. The results indicate that the DGWI method is an effective way to improve students' understanding of physics concepts, develop students' problem-solving abilities through instructor-student interactions, and identify students' misconceptions through a safeguard framework based on questions that satisfy teaching requirements and cover all of the course material. The empirical study and a follow-up survey found that the DGWI method increased student-teacher interaction and improved student learning outcomes.

  17. UnCover on the Web: search hints and applications in library environments.

    PubMed

    Galpern, N F; Albert, K M

    1997-01-01

    Among the huge maze of resources available on the Internet, UnCoverWeb stands out as a valuable tool for medical libraries. This up-to-date, free-access, multidisciplinary database of periodical references is searched through an easy-to-learn graphical user interface that is a welcome improvement over the telnet version. This article reviews the basic and advanced search techniques for UnCoverWeb, as well as providing information on the document delivery functions and table of contents alerting service called Reveal. UnCover's currency is evaluated and compared with other current awareness resources. System deficiencies are discussed, with the conclusion that although UnCoverWeb lacks the sophisticated features of many commercial database search services, it is nonetheless a useful addition to the repertoire of information sources available in a library.

  18. Electronic Self-report Assessment--Cancer (ESRA-C): Working towards an integrated survey system.

    PubMed

    Karras, Bryant T; Wolpin, Seth; Lober, William B; Bush, Nigel; Fann, Jesse R; Berry, Donna L

    2006-01-01

    The Clinical Informatics Research Group and Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Systems at the University of Washington are working with interdisciplinary teams to improve patient care and tracking of patient-reported symptoms and outcomes by creating an extensible web-based survey and intervention platform. The findings and cumulative experience from these processes have led to incremental improvements and variations in each new implementation of the platform. This paper presents progress in the first year of a three-year NIH study entitled Electronic Self Report Assessment--Cancer (ESRA-C). The project's goals are to enhance and evaluate the web-based computerized patient self-reporting and assessment system at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Preliminary work and lessons learned in the modification of the platform and enhancements to the system will be described.

  19. Effects of Web-Mediated Teacher Professional Development on the Language and Literacy Skills of Children Enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten Programs

    PubMed Central

    Downer, Jason; Pianta, Robert; Fan, Xitao; Hamre, Bridget; Mashburn, Andrew; Justice, Laura

    2012-01-01

    As early education grows in the United States, in-service professional development in key instructional and interaction skills is a core component of capacity-building in early childhood education. In this paper, we describe results from an evaluation of the effects of MyTeachingPartner, a web-based system of professional development, on language and literacy development during pre-kindergarten for 1338 children in 161 teachers’ classrooms. High levels of support for teachers’ implementation of language/literacy activities showed modest but significant effects for improving early language and literacy for children in classrooms in which English was the dominant language spoken by the students and teachers. The combination of web-based supports, including video-based consultation and web-based video teaching exemplars, was more effective at improving children’s literacy and language skills than was only making available to teachers a set of instructional materials and detailed lesson guides. These results suggest the importance of targeted, practice-focused supports for teachers in designing professional development systems for effective teaching in early childhood programs. PMID:23144591

  20. US Geoscience Information Network, Web Services for Geoscience Information Discovery and Access

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richard, S.; Allison, L.; Clark, R.; Coleman, C.; Chen, G.

    2012-04-01

    The US Geoscience information network has developed metadata profiles for interoperable catalog services based on ISO19139 and the OGC CSW 2.0.2. Currently data services are being deployed for the US Dept. of Energy-funded National Geothermal Data System. These services utilize OGC Web Map Services, Web Feature Services, and THREDDS-served NetCDF for gridded datasets. Services and underlying datasets (along with a wide variety of other information and non information resources are registered in the catalog system. Metadata for registration is produced by various workflows, including harvest from OGC capabilities documents, Drupal-based web applications, transformation from tabular compilations. Catalog search is implemented using the ESRI Geoportal open-source server. We are pursuing various client applications to demonstrated discovery and utilization of the data services. Currently operational applications allow catalog search and data acquisition from map services in an ESRI ArcMap extension, a catalog browse and search application built on openlayers and Django. We are developing use cases and requirements for other applications to utilize geothermal data services for resource exploration and evaluation.

  1. Predicting IVF Outcome: A Proposed Web-based System Using Artificial Intelligence.

    PubMed

    Siristatidis, Charalampos; Vogiatzi, Paraskevi; Pouliakis, Abraham; Trivella, Marialenna; Papantoniou, Nikolaos; Bettocchi, Stefano

    2016-01-01

    To propose a functional in vitro fertilization (IVF) prediction model to assist clinicians in tailoring personalized treatment of subfertile couples and improve assisted reproduction outcome. Construction and evaluation of an enhanced web-based system with a novel Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture and conformed input and output parameters according to the clinical and bibliographical standards, driven by a complete data set and "trained" by a network expert in an IVF setting. The system is capable to act as a routine information technology platform for the IVF unit and is capable of recalling and evaluating a vast amount of information in a rapid and automated manner to provide an objective indication on the outcome of an artificial reproductive cycle. ANNs are an exceptional candidate in providing the fertility specialist with numerical estimates to promote personalization of healthcare and adaptation of the course of treatment according to the indications. Copyright © 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  2. Teaching Critical Evaluation Skills for World Wide Web Resources.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tate, Marsha; Alexander, Jan

    1996-01-01

    Outlines a lesson plan used by an academic library to evaluate the quality of World Wide Web information. Discusses the traditional evaluation criteria of accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage as it applies to the unique characteristics of Web pages: their marketing orientation, variety of information, and instability. The…

  3. Client-Side Event Processing for Personalized Web Advertisement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stühmer, Roland; Anicic, Darko; Sen, Sinan; Ma, Jun; Schmidt, Kay-Uwe; Stojanovic, Nenad

    The market for Web advertisement is continuously growing and correspondingly, the number of approaches that can be used for realizing Web advertisement are increasing. However, current approaches fail to generate very personalized ads for a current Web user that is visiting a particular Web content. They mainly try to develop a profile based on the content of that Web page or on a long-term user's profile, by not taking into account current user's preferences. We argue that by discovering a user's interest from his current Web behavior we can support the process of ad generation, especially the relevance of an ad for the user. In this paper we present the conceptual architecture and implementation of such an approach. The approach is based on the extraction of simple events from the user interaction with a Web page and their combination in order to discover the user's interests. We use semantic technologies in order to build such an interpretation out of many simple events. We present results from preliminary evaluation studies. The main contribution of the paper is a very efficient, semantic-based client-side architecture for generating and combining Web events. The architecture ensures the agility of the whole advertisement system, by complexly processing events on the client. In general, this work contributes to the realization of new, event-driven applications for the (Semantic) Web.

  4. Using the Cognitive Apprenticeship Web-based Argumentation System to Improve Argumentation Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsai, Chun-Yen; Jack, Brady Michael; Huang, Tai-Chu; Yang, Jin-Tan

    2012-08-01

    This study investigated how the instruction of argumentation skills could be promoted by using an online argumentation system. This system entitled `Cognitive Apprenticeship Web-based Argumentation' (CAWA) system was based on cognitive apprenticeship model. One hundred eighty-nine fifth grade students took part in this study. A quasi-experimental design was adopted and qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to evaluate the effectiveness of this online system in measuring students' progress in learning argumentation. The results of this study showed that different teaching strategies had effects on students' use of argumentation in the topics of daily life and the concept of `vision.' When the CAWA system was employed during the instruction and practice of argumentation on these two topics, the students' argumentation performance improved. Suggestions on how the CAWA system could be used to enhance the instruction of argumentation skills in science education were also discussed.

  5. A Group-Decision Approach for Evaluating Educational Web Sites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Huanga, Tony C. K.; Tseng, Judy C. R.

    2004-01-01

    With the advent of network technologies, many educational web sites have been developed to assist students in the learning of subjects on computer networks. However, without proper aid, students may have difficulty in selecting appropriate web sites, that are of benefit to them; hence, studying, evaluating and recommending educational web sites…

  6. A System for Identifying Named Entities in Biomedical Text: how Results From two Evaluations Reflect on Both the System and the Evaluations

    PubMed Central

    Dingare, Shipra; Nissim, Malvina; Finkel, Jenny; Grover, Claire

    2005-01-01

    We present a maximum entropy-based system for identifying named entities (NEs) in biomedical abstracts and present its performance in the only two biomedical named entity recognition (NER) comparative evaluations that have been held to date, namely BioCreative and Coling BioNLP. Our system obtained an exact match F-score of 83.2% in the BioCreative evaluation and 70.1% in the BioNLP evaluation. We discuss our system in detail, including its rich use of local features, attention to correct boundary identification, innovative use of external knowledge resources, including parsing and web searches, and rapid adaptation to new NE sets. We also discuss in depth problems with data annotation in the evaluations which caused the final performance to be lower than optimal. PMID:18629295

  7. The DICOM-based radiation therapy information system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Law, Maria Y. Y.; Chan, Lawrence W. C.; Zhang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Jianguo

    2004-04-01

    Similar to DICOM for PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), standards for radiotherapy (RT) information have been ratified with seven DICOM-RT objects and their IODs (Information Object Definitions), which are more than just images. This presentation describes how a DICOM-based RT Information System Server can be built based on the PACS technology and its data model for a web-based distribution. Methods: The RT information System consists of a Modality Simulator, a data format translator, a RT Gateway, the DICOM RT Server, and the Web-based Application Server. The DICOM RT Server was designed based on a PACS data model and was connected to a Web application Server for distribution of the RT information including therapeutic plans, structures, dose distribution, images and records. Various DICOM RT objects of the patient transmitted to the RT Server were routed to the Web Application Server where the contents of the DICOM RT objects were decoded and mapped to the corresponding location of the RT data model for display in the specially-designed Graphic User Interface. The non-DICOM objects were first rendered to DICOM RT Objects in the translator before they were sent to the RT Server. Results: Ten clinical cases have been collected from different hopsitals for evaluation of the DICOM-based RT Information System. They were successfully routed through the data flow and displayed in the client workstation of the RT information System. Conclusion: Using the DICOM-RT standards, integration of RT data from different vendors is possible.

  8. SMARTE: IMPROVING REVITALIZATION DECISIONS - PRESENTATION IN NRMRL SEMINAR SERIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electribuc) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating alternative reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (e.g., brownfields). It is being developed collaborati...

  9. SMARTE: IMPROVING REVITALIZATION DECISIONS - PRESENTATION FOR ETV INTERNATIONAL FORUM

    EPA Science Inventory

    SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating alternative reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (e.g., brownfields). It is being developed collabora...

  10. GET SMARTE: DECISION TOOLS TO REVITALIZE BROWNFIELDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating future use scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (i.e., brownfields). It contains resources and analysis tools...

  11. Implementing a web-based oncology protocol system in Australia: evaluation of the first 3 years of operation.

    PubMed

    Hains, I M; Ward, R L; Pearson, S-A

    2012-01-01

    EviQ is a web-based oncology protocol system launched across Australia in 2005 (http://www.eviq.org.au). We evaluated eviQ use at the point-of-care and determined the factors impacting on its uptake and routine use in the first three years of operation. We conducted a suite of qualitative and quantitative studies with over 200 Australian oncology physicians, nurses and pharmacists working at treatment centres in diverse geographical locations. EviQ was part of routine care at many hospitals; however, the way in which it was used at the point-of-care varies according to clinician roles and hospital location. We identified a range of factors impacting on eviQ uptake and routine use. Infrastructure, such as availability of point-of-care computers, and formal policies endorsing eviQ are fundamental to increasing uptake. Furthermore, the level of clinical and computer experience of end-users, the attitudes and behaviour of clinicians, endorsement and promotion strategies, and level and type of eviQ education all need to be considered and managed to ensure that the system is being used to its full potential. Our findings show that the dissemination of web-based treatment protocols does not guarantee widespread use. Organisational, environmental and clinician-specific factors play a role in uptake and utilisation. The deployment of sufficient computer infrastructure, implementation of targeted training programmes and hospital policies and investment in marketing approaches are fundamental to uptake and continued use. This study highlights the value of ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure systems like eviQ achieve their primary purpose - reducing treatment variation and improving quality of care. © 2010 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal © 2010 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

  12. Web-Based Intervention for Women With Type 1 Diabetes in Pregnancy and Early Motherhood: Critical Analysis of Adherence to Technological Elements and Study Design.

    PubMed

    Berg, Marie; Linden, Karolina; Adolfsson, Annsofie; Sparud Lundin, Carina; Ranerup, Agneta

    2018-05-02

    Numerous Web-based interventions have been implemented to promote health and health-related behaviors in persons with chronic conditions. Using randomized controlled trials to evaluate such interventions creates a range of challenges, which in turn can influence the study outcome. Applying a critical perspective when evaluating Web-based health interventions is important. The objective of this study was to critically analyze and discuss the challenges of conducting a Web-based health intervention as a randomized controlled trial. The MODIAB-Web study was critically examined using an exploratory case study methodology and the framework for analysis offered through the Persuasive Systems Design model. Focus was on technology, study design, and Web-based support usage, with special focus on the forum for peer support. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used. The persuasive content and technological elements in the design of the randomized controlled trial included all four categories of the Persuasive Systems Design model, but not all design principles were implemented. The study duration was extended to a period of four and a half years. Of 81 active participants in the intervention group, a maximum of 36 women were simultaneously active. User adherence varied greatly with a median of 91 individual log-ins. The forum for peer support was used by 63 participants. Although only about one-third of the participants interacted in the forum, there was a fairly rich exchange of experiences and advice between them. Thus, adherence in terms of social interactions was negatively affected by limited active participation due to prolonged recruitment process and randomization effects. Lessons learned from this critical analysis are that technology and study design matter and might mutually influence each other. In Web-based interventions, the use of design theories enables utilization of the full potential of technology and promotes adherence. The randomization element in a randomized controlled trial design can become a barrier to achieving a critical mass of user interactions in Web-based interventions, especially when social support is included. For extended study periods, the technology used may need to be adapted in line with newly available technical options to avoid the risk of becoming outdated in the user realm, which in turn might jeopardize study validity in terms of randomized controlled trial designs. On the basis of lessons learned in this randomized controlled trial, we give recommendations to consider when designing and evaluating Web-based health interventions. ©Marie Berg, Karolina Linden, Annsofie Adolfsson, Carina Sparud Lundin, Agneta Ranerup. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.05.2018.

  13. Creating a Team Archive During Fast-Paced Anomaly Response Activities in Space Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Malin, Jane T.; Hicks, LaDessa; Overland, David; Thronesbery, Carroll; Christofferesen, Klaus; Chow, Renee

    2002-01-01

    This paper describes a Web-based system to support the temporary Anomaly Response Team formed from distributed subteams in Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions. The system was designed for easy and flexible creation of small collections of files and links associated with work on a particular anomaly. The system supports privacy and levels of formality for the subteams. First we describe the supported groups and an anomaly response scenario. Then we describe the support system prototype, the Anomaly Response Tracking and Integration System (ARTIS). Finally, we describe our evaluation approach and the results of the evaluation.

  14. Effectiveness of a Web-Based Simulation in Improving Nurses' Workplace Practice With Deteriorating Ward Patients: A Pre- and Postintervention Study.

    PubMed

    Liaw, Sok Ying; Wong, Lai Fun; Lim, Eunice Ya Ping; Ang, Sophia Bee Leng; Mujumdar, Sandhya; Ho, Jasmine Tze Yin; Mordiffi, Siti Zubaidah; Ang, Emily Neo Kim

    2016-02-19

    Nurses play an important role in detecting patients with clinical deterioration. However, the problem of nurses failing to trigger deteriorating ward patients still persists despite the implementation of a patient safety initiative, the Rapid Response System. A Web-based simulation was developed to enhance nurses' role in recognizing and responding to deteriorating patients. While studies have evaluated the effectiveness of the Web-based simulation on nurses' clinical performance in a simulated environment, no study has examined its impact on nurses' actual practice in the clinical setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of Web-based simulation on nurses' recognition of and response to deteriorating patients in clinical settings. The outcomes were measured across all levels of Kirkpatrick's 4-level evaluation model with clinical outcome on triggering rates of deteriorating patients as the primary outcome measure. A before-and-after study was conducted on two general wards at an acute care tertiary hospital over a 14-month period. All nurses from the two study wards who undertook the Web-based simulation as part of their continuing nursing education were invited to complete questionnaires at various time points to measure their motivational reaction, knowledge, and perceived transfer of learning. Clinical records on cases triggered by ward nurses from the two study wards were evaluated for frequency and types of triggers over a period of 6 months pre- and 6 months postintervention. The number of deteriorating patients triggered by ward nurses in a medical general ward increased significantly (P<.001) from pre- (84/937, 8.96%) to postintervention (91/624, 14.58%). The nurses reported positively on the transfer of learning (mean 3.89, SD 0.49) from the Web-based simulation to clinical practice. A significant increase (P<.001) on knowledge posttest score from pretest score was also reported. The nurses also perceived positively their motivation (mean 3.78, SD 0.56) to engage in the Web-based simulation. This study provides evidence on the effectiveness of Web-based simulation in improving nursing practice when recognizing and responding to deteriorating patients. This educational tool could be implemented by nurse educators worldwide to address the educational needs of a large group of hospital nurses responsible for patients in clinical deterioration.

  15. Web-Based Learning System for Developing and Assessing Clinical Diagnostic Skills for Dermatology Residency Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuo, Fan-Ray; Chin, Yi-Ying; Lee, Chao-Hsien; Chiu, Yu-Hsien; Hong, Chien-Hu; Lee, Kuang-Lieh; Ho, Wen-Hsien; Lee, Chih-Hung

    2016-01-01

    Few studies have explored the learning difficulties and misconceptions that students encounter when using information and communication technology for e-learning. To address this issue, this research developed a system for evaluating the learning efficiency of medical students by applying two-tier diagnosis assessment. The effectiveness of the…

  16. "Pretty Rad": Explorations in User Satisfaction with a Discovery Layer at Ryerson University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundrigan, Courtney; Manuel, Kevin; Yan, May

    2015-01-01

    Web-scale discovery systems are becoming prevalent in research libraries. Although a number of studies have explored various impacts of discovery systems, few studies exist on user satisfaction. The investigators of this study evaluated user satisfaction with the discovery service Summon at Ryerson University, using online questionnaires and…

  17. Evaluation of field operations test 8 : electronic credentialing : New York state proof-of-concept project one stop credentialing and registration

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-09-01

    The State of New York received a grant from the I-95 Corridor Coalition to develop a proof-of-concept for an electronic credentialing system for the motor carrier industry. When fully developed, the system, which is a web-based solution, will enable ...

  18. Accessibility Evaluation of Online Learning Management System for Persons with Visual Impairment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suwannawut, Nantanoot

    2014-01-01

    Many academic institutions around the world are utilizing and investing in online learning management systems (LMS). While several research studies have examined the functionality of this type of technology, little attention has been paid to accessibility issues, in particular to the complex web-based interfaces for learners with disabilities,…

  19. Evaluation of WebEase: An Epilepsy Self-Management Web Site

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DiIorio, Colleen; Escoffery, Cam; McCarty, Frances; Yeager, Katherine A.; Henry, Thomas R.; Koganti, Archana; Reisinger, Elizabeth L.; Wexler, Bethany

    2009-01-01

    People with epilepsy have various education needs and must adopt many self-management behaviors in order to control their condition. This study evaluates WebEase, an Internet-based, theory-driven, self-management program for adults with epilepsy. Thirty-five participants took part in a 6-week pilot implementation of WebEase. The main components of…

  20. BTFS: The Border Trade Facilitation System

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Phillips, L.R.

    The author demonstrates the Border Trade Facilitation System (BTFS), an agent-based bilingual e-commerce system built to expedite the regulation, control, and execution of commercial trans-border shipments during the delivery phase. The system was built to serve maquila industries at the US/Mexican border. The BTFS uses foundation technology developed here at Sandia Laboratories' Advanced Information Systems Lab (AISL), including a distributed object substrate, a general-purpose agent development framework, dynamically generated agent-human interaction via the World-Wide Web, and a collaborative agent architecture. This technology is also the substrate for the Multi-Agent Simulation Management System (MASMAS) proposed for demonstration at this conference. Themore » BTFS executes authenticated transactions among agents performing open trading over the Internet. With the BTFS in place, one could conduct secure international transactions from any site with an Internet connection and a web browser. The BTFS is currently being evaluated for commercialization.« less

  1. Students' Evaluation Strategies in a Web Research Task: Are They Sensitive to Relevance and Reliability?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rodicio, Héctor García

    2015-01-01

    When searching and using resources on the Web, students have to evaluate Web pages in terms of relevance and reliability. This evaluation can be done in a more or less systematic way, by either considering deep or superficial cues of relevance and reliability. The goal of this study was to examine how systematic students are when evaluating Web…

  2. Web-based Weather Expert System (WES) for Space Shuttle Launch

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bardina, Jorge E.; Rajkumar, T.

    2003-01-01

    The Web-based Weather Expert System (WES) is a critical module of the Virtual Test Bed development to support 'go/no go' decisions for Space Shuttle operations in the Intelligent Launch and Range Operations program of NASA. The weather rules characterize certain aspects of the environment related to the launching or landing site, the time of the day or night, the pad or runway conditions, the mission durations, the runway equipment and landing type. Expert system rules are derived from weather contingency rules, which were developed over years by NASA. Backward chaining, a goal-directed inference method is adopted, because a particular consequence or goal clause is evaluated first, and then chained backward through the rules. Once a rule is satisfied or true, then that particular rule is fired and the decision is expressed. The expert system is continuously verifying the rules against the past one-hour weather conditions and the decisions are made. The normal procedure of operations requires a formal pre-launch weather briefing held on Launch minus 1 day, which is a specific weather briefing for all areas of Space Shuttle launch operations. In this paper, the Web-based Weather Expert System of the Intelligent Launch and range Operations program is presented.

  3. Online Student Evaluation Improves Course Experience Questionnaire Results in a Physiotherapy Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucker, Beatrice; Jones, Sue; Straker, Leon

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports the use of an online student evaluation system, Course Experience on the Web (CEW), in a physiotherapy program to improve their Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) results. CEW comprises a course survey instrument modeled on the CEQ and a tailored unit survey instrument. Closure of the feedback loop is integral in the CEW…

  4. Making a Game out of It: Using Web-Based Competitive Quizzes for Quantitative Analysis Content Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grinias, James P.

    2017-01-01

    Online student-response systems provide instructors with an easy-to-use tool to instantly evaluate student comprehension. For comprehensive content review, turning this evaluation into a competitive game where students can compete against each other was found to be helpful and enjoyable for participating students. One specific online resource,…

  5. Responsive Evaluation as a Guide to Design and Implementation: Case Study of an E-Health Learning System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schaffer, Scott P.; Kim, Hannah

    2012-01-01

    Evaluation of the design and implementation of a web-based e-health application offers an opportunity to apply extensive research findings and evidence-based practices from the learning and performance literature. In this study, we examined how interactions between stakeholders influenced the design, implementation, and outcomes of an e-health…

  6. Operationalization of Prediction, Hindcast, and Evaluation Systems using the Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva) incl. a Showcase in Decadal Climate Prediction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kadow, Christopher; Illing, Sebastian; Schartner, Thomas; Ulbrich, Uwe; Cubasch, Ulrich

    2017-04-01

    Operationalization processes are important for Weather and Climate Services. Complex data and work flows need to be combined fast to fulfill the needs of service centers. Standards in data and software formats help in automatic solutions. In this study we show a software solution in between hindcasts, forecasts, and validation to be operationalized. Freva (see below) structures data and evaluation procedures and can easily be monitored. Especially in the development process of operationalized services, Freva supports scientists and project partners. The showcase of the decadal climate prediction project MiKlip (fona-miklip.de) shows such a complex development process. Different predictions, scientists input, tasks, and time evolving adjustments need to be combined to host precise climate informations in a web environment without losing track of its evolution. The Freie Univ Evaluation System Framework (Freva - freva.met.fu-berlin.de) is a software infrastructure for standardized data and tool solutions in Earth system science. Freva runs on high performance computers to handle customizable evaluation systems of research projects, institutes or universities. It combines different software technologies into one common hybrid infrastructure, including all features present in the shell and web environment. The database interface satisfies the international standards provided by the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF). Freva indexes different data projects into one common search environment by storing the meta data information of the self-describing model, reanalysis and observational data sets in a database. This implemented meta data system with its advanced but easy-to-handle search tool supports users, developers and their plugins to retrieve the required information. A generic application programming interface (API) allows scientific developers to connect their analysis tools with the evaluation system independently of the programming language used. Users of the evaluation techniques benefit from the common interface of the evaluation system without any need to understand the different scripting languages. Facilitation of the provision and usage of tools and climate data automatically increases the number of scientists working with the data sets and identifying discrepancies. The integrated webshell (shellinabox) adds a degree of freedom in the choice of the working environment and can be used as a gateto the research projects HPC. Plugins are able to integrate their e.g. post-processed results into the database ofthe user. This allows e.g. post-processing plugins to feed statistical analysis plugins, which fosters an active exchange between plugin developers of a research project. Additionally, the history and configuration sub-system stores every analysis performed with the evaluation system in a database. Configurations and results of the tools can be shared among scientists via shell or web system. Therefore, plugged-in tools benefit from transparency and reproducibility. Furthermore, if configurations match while starting an evaluation plugin, the system suggests to use results already produced by other users - saving CPU/h, I/O, disk space and time. The efficient interaction between different technologies improves the Earth system modeling science framed by Freva.

  7. The design and implementation of web mining in web sites security

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jian; Zhang, Guo-Yin; Gu, Guo-Chang; Li, Jian-Li

    2003-06-01

    The backdoor or information leak of Web servers can be detected by using Web Mining techniques on some abnormal Web log and Web application log data. The security of Web servers can be enhanced and the damage of illegal access can be avoided. Firstly, the system for discovering the patterns of information leakages in CGI scripts from Web log data was proposed. Secondly, those patterns for system administrators to modify their codes and enhance their Web site security were provided. The following aspects were described: one is to combine web application log with web log to extract more information, so web data mining could be used to mine web log for discovering the information that firewall and Information Detection System cannot find. Another approach is to propose an operation module of web site to enhance Web site security. In cluster server session, Density-Based Clustering technique is used to reduce resource cost and obtain better efficiency.

  8. Defining ecospace of Arctic marine food webs using a novel quantitative approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gale, M.; Loseto, L. L.

    2011-12-01

    The Arctic is currently facing unprecedented change with developmental, physical and climatological changes. Food webs within the marine Arctic environment are highly susceptible to anthropogenic stressors and have thus far been understudied. Stable isotopes, in conjunction with a novel set of metrics, may provide a framework that allows us to understand which areas of the Arctic are most vulnerable to change. The objective of this study was to use linear distance metrics applied to stable isotopes to a) define and quantify four Arctic marine food webs in ecospace; b) enable quantifiable comparisons among the four food webs and with other ecosystems; and, c) evaluate vulnerability of the four food webs to anthropogenic stressors such as climate change. The areas studied were Hudson Bay, Beaufort Sea, Lancaster Sound and North Water Polynya. Each region was selected based on the abundance of previous research and published and available stable isotope data in peer-review literature. We selected species to cover trophic levels ranging from particulate matter to polar bears with consideration of pelagic, benthic and ice-associated energy pathways. We interpret higher diversity in baseline carbon energy as signifying higher stability in food web structure. Based on this, the Beaufort Sea food web had the highest stability; the Beaufort Sea food web occupied the largest isotopic niche space and was supported by multiple carbon sources. Areas with top-down control system, such as Lancaster Sound and North Water Polynya, would be the first to experience an increase in trophic redundancy and possible hardships from external stressors, as they have fewer basal carbon sources and greater numbers of mid-high level consumers. We conclude that a diverse carbon energy based ecosystem such as the Beaufort Sea and Hudson Bay regions are more resilient to change than a top down control system.

  9. IFIS Model-Plus: A Web-Based GUI for Visualization, Comparison and Evaluation of Distributed Flood Forecasts and Hindcasts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krajewski, W. F.; Della Libera Zanchetta, A.; Mantilla, R.; Demir, I.

    2017-12-01

    This work explores the use of hydroinformatics tools to provide an user friendly and accessible interface for executing and assessing the output of realtime flood forecasts using distributed hydrological models. The main result is the implementation of a web system that uses an Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS)-based environment for graphical displays of rainfall-runoff simulation results for both real-time and past storm events. It communicates with ASYNCH ODE solver to perform large-scale distributed hydrological modeling based on segmentation of the terrain into hillslope-link hydrologic units. The cyber-platform also allows hindcast of model performance by testing multiple model configurations and assumptions of vertical flows in the soils. The scope of the currently implemented system is the entire set of contributing watersheds for the territory of the state of Iowa. The interface provides resources for visualization of animated maps for different water-related modeled states of the environment, including flood-waves propagation with classification of flood magnitude, runoff generation, surface soil moisture and total water column in the soil. Additional tools for comparing different model configurations and performing model evaluation by comparing to observed variables at monitored sites are also available. The user friendly interface has been published to the web under the URL http://ifis.iowafloodcenter.org/ifis/sc/modelplus/.

  10. SMARTE: HELPING COMMUNITIES OVERCOME OBSTACLES TO REVITALIZATION (04/23/07)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools - electronic (SMARTe), is an open-source, web-based, decision support system for developing and evaluating future reuse scenarios for potentially contaminated land. SMARTe contains information and analysis tools for all a...

  11. GET SMARTE: DECISION TOOLS TO REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES (MAY 2006)

    EPA Science Inventory

    SMARTe (Sustainable Management Approaches and Revitalization Tools-electronic) is an open-source, web-based, decision-support system for developing and evaluating future use scenarios for potentially contaminated sites (i.e., brownfields). It contains resources and analysis tools...

  12. Web 2.0 systems supporting childhood chronic disease management: a pattern language representation of a general architecture.

    PubMed

    Timpka, Toomas; Eriksson, Henrik; Ludvigsson, Johnny; Ekberg, Joakim; Nordfeldt, Sam; Hanberger, Lena

    2008-11-28

    Chronic disease management is a global health concern. By the time they reach adolescence, 10-15% of all children live with a chronic disease. The role of educational interventions in facilitating adaptation to chronic disease is receiving growing recognition, and current care policies advocate greater involvement of patients in self-care. Web 2.0 is an umbrella term for new collaborative Internet services characterized by user participation in developing and managing content. Key elements include Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to rapidly disseminate awareness of new information; weblogs (blogs) to describe new trends, wikis to share knowledge, and podcasts to make information available on personal media players. This study addresses the potential to develop Web 2.0 services for young persons with a chronic disease. It is acknowledged that the management of childhood chronic disease is based on interplay between initiatives and resources on the part of patients, relatives, and health care professionals, and where the balance shifts over time to the patients and their families. Participatory action research was used to stepwise define a design specification in the form of a pattern language. Support for children diagnosed with diabetes Type 1 was used as the example area. Each individual design pattern was determined graphically using card sorting methods, and textually in the form Title, Context, Problem, Solution, Examples and References. Application references were included at the lowest level in the graphical overview in the pattern language but not specified in detail in the textual descriptions. The design patterns are divided into functional and non-functional design elements, and formulated at the levels of organizational, system, and application design. The design elements specify access to materials for development of the competences needed for chronic disease management in specific community settings, endorsement of self-learning through online peer-to-peer communication, and systematic accreditation and evaluation of materials and processes. The use of design patterns allows representing the core design elements of a Web 2.0 system upon which an 'ecological' development of content respecting these constraints can be built. Future research should include evaluations of Web 2.0 systems implemented according to the architecture in practice settings.

  13. [Web-based electronic patient record as an instrument for quality assurance within an integrated care concept].

    PubMed

    Händel, A; Jünemann, A G M; Prokosch, H-U; Beyer, A; Ganslandt, T; Grolik, R; Klein, A; Mrosek, A; Michelson, G; Kruse, F E

    2009-03-01

    A prerequisite for integrated care programmes is the implementation of a communication network meeting quality assurance standards. Against this background the main objective of the integrated care project between the University Eye Hospital Erlangen and the health insurance company AOK Bayern was to evaluate the potential and the acceptance of a web-based electronic patient record in the context of cataract and retinal surgery. Standardised modules for capturing pre-, intra- and post-operative data on the basis of clinical pathway guidelines for cataract- and retinal surgery have been developed. There are 6 data sets recorded per patient (1 pre-operative, 1 operative, 4-6 post-operative). For data collection, a web-based communication system (Soarian Integrated Care) has been chosen which meets the high requirements in data security, as well as being easy to handle. This teleconsultation system and the embedded electronic patient record are independent of the software used by respective offices and hospitals. Data transmission and storage were carried out in real-time. At present, 101 private ophthalmologists are taking part in the IGV contract with the University Eye Hospital Erlangen. This corresponds to 52% of all private ophthalmologists in the region. During the period from January 1st 2006 to December 31st 2006, 1844 patients were entered. Complete documentation was achieved in 1390 (75%) of all surgical procedures. For evaluation of this data, a multidimensional report and analysis tool (Cognos) was used. The deviation from target refraction as one quality indicator was in the mean 0.09 diopter. The web-based patient record used in this project was highly accepted by the private ophthalmologists. However there are still general concerns against the exchange of medical data via the internet. Nevertheless, the web-based patient record is an essential tool for a functional integration between the ambulatory and stationary health-care units. In addition to the telemedicine functions of the system, we achieved the export of the data to a data warehouse system in order to provide a flexible and powerful tool for quality assurance analysis and reporting.

  14. Direct and precise measurement of displacement and velocity of flexible web in roll-to-roll manufacturing systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kang, Dongwoo; Lee, Eonseok; Choi, Young-Man

    Interest in the production of printed electronics using a roll-to-roll system has gradually increased due to its low mass-production costs and compatibility with flexible substrate. To improve the accuracy of roll-to-roll manufacturing systems, the movement of the web needs to be measured precisely in advance. In this paper, a novel measurement method is developed to measure the displacement and velocity of the web precisely and directly. The proposed algorithm is based on the traditional single field encoder principle, and the scale grating has been replaced with a printed grating on the web. Because a printed grating cannot be as accuratemore » as a scale grating in a traditional encoder, there will inevitably be variations in pitch and line-width, and the motion of the web should be measured even though there are variations in pitch and line-width in the printed grating patterns. For this reason, the developed algorithm includes a precise method of estimating the variations in pitch. In addtion, a method of correcting the Lissajous curve is presented for precision phase interpolation to improve measurement accuracy by correcting Lissajous circle to unit circle. The performance of the developed method is evaluated by simulation and experiment. In the experiment, the displacement error was less than 2.5 μm and the velocity error of 1σ was about 0.25%, while the grating scale moved 30 mm.« less

  15. Direct and precise measurement of displacement and velocity of flexible web in roll-to-roll manufacturing systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Dongwoo; duk Kim, Young; Lee, Eonseok; Choi, Young-Man; Lee, Taik-Min; Kim, Dongmin

    2013-12-01

    Interest in the production of printed electronics using a roll-to-roll system has gradually increased due to its low mass-production costs and compatibility with flexible substrate. To improve the accuracy of roll-to-roll manufacturing systems, the movement of the web needs to be measured precisely in advance. In this paper, a novel measurement method is developed to measure the displacement and velocity of the web precisely and directly. The proposed algorithm is based on the traditional single field encoder principle, and the scale grating has been replaced with a printed grating on the web. Because a printed grating cannot be as accurate as a scale grating in a traditional encoder, there will inevitably be variations in pitch and line-width, and the motion of the web should be measured even though there are variations in pitch and line-width in the printed grating patterns. For this reason, the developed algorithm includes a precise method of estimating the variations in pitch. In addtion, a method of correcting the Lissajous curve is presented for precision phase interpolation to improve measurement accuracy by correcting Lissajous circle to unit circle. The performance of the developed method is evaluated by simulation and experiment. In the experiment, the displacement error was less than 2.5 μm and the velocity error of 1σ was about 0.25%, while the grating scale moved 30 mm.

  16. Share2Quit: Web-Based Peer-Driven Referrals for Smoking Cessation

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. Effective Web-assisted tobacco interventions are often underutilized and require new and innovative engagement approaches. Web-based peer-driven chain referrals successfully used outside health care have the potential for increasing the reach of Internet interventions. Objective The objective of our study was to describe the protocol for the development and testing of proactive Web-based chain-referral tools for increasing the access to Decide2Quit.org, a Web-assisted tobacco intervention system. Methods We will build and refine proactive chain-referral tools, including email and Facebook referrals. In addition, we will implement respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a controlled chain-referral sampling technique designed to remove inherent biases in chain referrals and obtain a representative sample. We will begin our chain referrals with an initial recruitment of former and current smokers as seeds (initial participants) who will be trained to refer current smokers from their social network using the developed tools. In turn, these newly referred smokers will also be provided the tools to refer other smokers from their social networks. We will model predictors of referral success using sample weights from the RDS to estimate the success of the system in the targeted population. Results This protocol describes the evaluation of proactive Web-based chain-referral tools, which can be used in tobacco interventions to increase the access to hard-to-reach populations, for promoting smoking cessation. Conclusions Share2Quit represents an innovative advancement by capitalizing on naturally occurring technology trends to recruit smokers to Web-assisted tobacco interventions. PMID:24067329

  17. Pre-Service Teachers Critically Evaluate Scientific Information on the World-Wide Web: What Makes Information Believable?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iding, Marie; Klemm, E. Barbara

    2005-01-01

    The present study addresses the need for teachers to critically evaluate the credibility, validity, and cognitive load associated with scientific information on Web sites, in order to effectively teach students to evaluate scientific information on the World Wide Web. A line of prior research investigating high school and university students'…

  18. Evaluating Web 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education Using Students' Perceptions and Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karvounidis, T.; Chimos, K.; Bersimis, S.; Douligeris, C.

    2014-01-01

    In this work, Web 2.0 technologies in higher education are evaluated using students' perceptions, satisfaction, performance and behaviour. The study evaluates the Web 2.0 tools as stand-alone entities as well in terms of their cross-operability and integration (confluence) to synergistic contributions towards the enhancement of student…

  19. "There Is a Lot of Junk on the Web!": Using Web Site Evaluation in an Introductory Religion Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Junior, Nyasha; Edwards, Amy

    2011-01-01

    This essay describes a web site evaluation project which served as the final assignment for an undergraduate "Introduction to Religion" course. The essay discusses lessons learned from the design and implementation of this web-based research assignment over three consecutive semesters. It includes insights from an instructor and a reference…

  20. Live and Web-based orientations are comparable for a required rotation.

    PubMed

    Prunuske, Jacob

    2010-03-01

    Studies show equivalency in knowledge when measured following Web-based learning and live lecture. However, the effectiveness of a Web-based orientation for a required clinical rotation is unknown. Medical students viewed a Web-based orientation and completed a 13-item evaluation before beginning a required 6-week community medicine rotation. Evaluation data from 2007-2008 live orientation sessions were compared to responses from 2008-2009 Web-based orientation sessions. Data were analyzed by two-sample tests of proportion. A total of 169 students completed surveys during the study period--78 following the live and 91 following the Web-based orientation. Response rates were equal in the two groups. The survey tool had a high level of reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.96). There was no statistical difference in student evaluations for 12 of 13 orientation evaluation items. Live and Web-based formats are comparable for presenting orientation materials to a required clinical rotation. Students felt the purpose of the rotation, educational goals, course structure, and requirements were clearly presented regardless of format. Transition from a live to Web-based format reduced faculty time required to present at rotation orientations.

  1. A systematic review of patient inflammatory bowel disease information resources on the World Wide Web.

    PubMed

    Bernard, André; Langille, Morgan; Hughes, Stephanie; Rose, Caren; Leddin, Desmond; Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Sander

    2007-09-01

    The Internet is a widely used information resource for patients with inflammatory bowel disease, but there is variation in the quality of Web sites that have patient information regarding Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The purpose of the current study is to systematically evaluate the quality of these Web sites. The top 50 Web sites appearing in Google using the terms "Crohn's disease" or "ulcerative colitis" were included in the study. Web sites were evaluated using a (a) Quality Evaluation Instrument (QEI) that awarded Web sites points (0-107) for specific information on various aspects of inflammatory bowel disease, (b) a five-point Global Quality Score (GQS), (c) two reading grade level scores, and (d) a six-point integrity score. Thirty-four Web sites met the inclusion criteria, 16 Web sites were excluded because they were portals or non-IBD oriented. The median QEI score was 57 with five Web sites scoring higher than 75 points. The median Global Quality Score was 2.0 with five Web sites achieving scores of 4 or 5. The average reading grade level score was 11.2. The median integrity score was 3.0. There is marked variation in the quality of the Web sites containing information on Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Many Web sites suffered from poor quality but there were five high-scoring Web sites.

  2. mobile Digital Access to a Web-enhanced Network (mDAWN): Assessing the Feasibility of Mobile Health Tools for Self-Management of Type-2 Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Ho, Kendall; Newton, Lana; Boothe, Allison; Novak-Lauscher, Helen

    2015-01-01

    The mobile Digital Access to a Web-enhanced Network (mDAWN) program was implemented as an online, mobile self-management system to support patients with type-2 diabetes and their informal caregivers. Patients used wireless physiological sensors, received text messages, and had access to a secure web platform with health resources and semi-facilitated discussion forum. Outcomes were evaluated using (1) pre and post self-reported health behavior measures, (2) physiological outcomes, (3) program cost, and (4) in-depth participant interviews. The group had significantly decreased health distress, HbA1c levels, and systolic blood pressure. Participants largely saw the mDAWN as providing good value for the costs involved and found the program to be empowering in gaining control over their diabetes. mHealth programs have the potential to improve clinical outcomes through cost effective patient-led care for chronic illness. Further evaluation needs to examine integration of similar mHealth programs into the patient-physician relationship.

  3. Five years of experience teaching pathology to dental students using the WebMicroscope

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background We describe development and evaluation of the user-friendly web based virtual microscopy - WebMicroscope for teaching and learning dental students basic and oral pathology. Traditional students microscopes were replaced by computer workstations. Methods The transition of the basic and oral pathology courses from light to virtual microscopy has been completed gradually over a five-year period. A pilot study was conducted in academic year 2005/2006 to estimate the feasibility of integrating virtual microscopy into a traditional light microscopy-based pathology course. The entire training set of glass slides was subsequently converted to virtual slides and placed on the WebMicroscope server. Giving access to fully digitized slides on the web with a browser and a viewer plug-in, the computer has become a perfect companion of the student. Results The study material consists now of over 400 fully digitized slides which covering 15 entities in basic and systemic pathology and 15 entities in oral pathology. Digitized slides are linked with still macro- and microscopic images, organized with clinical information into virtual cases and supplemented with text files, syllabus, PowerPoint presentations and animations on the web, serving additionally as material for individual studies. After their examinations, the students rated the use of the software, quality of the images, the ease of handling the images, and the effective use of virtual slides during the laboratory practicals. Responses were evaluated on a standardized scale. Because of the positive opinions and support from the students, the satisfaction surveys had shown a progressive improvement over the past 5 years. The WebMicroscope as a didactic tool for laboratory practicals was rated over 8 on a 1-10 scale for basic and systemic pathology and 9/10 for oral pathology especially as various students’ suggestions were implemented. Overall, the quality of the images was rated as very good. Conclusions An overwhelming majority of our students regarded a possibility of using virtual slides at their convenience as highly desirable. Our students and faculty consider the use of the virtual microscope for the study of basic as well as oral pathology as a significant improvement over the light microscope. PMID:21489183

  4. Making a web based ulcer record work by aligning architecture, legislation and users - a formative evaluation study.

    PubMed

    Ekeland, Anne G; Skipenes, Eva; Nyheim, Beate; Christiansen, Ellen K

    2011-01-01

    The University Hospital of North Norway selected a web-based ulcer record used in Denmark, available from mobile phones. Data was stored in a common database and easily accessible. According to Norwegian legislation, only employees of the organization that owns an IT system can access the system, and use of mobile units requires strong security solutions. The system had to be changed. The paper addresses interactions in order to make the system legal, and assesses regulations that followed. By addressing conflicting scripts and the contingent nature of knowledge, we conducted a formative evaluation aiming at improving the object being studied. Participatory observation in a one year process, minutes from meetings and information from participants, constitute the data material. In the technological domain, one database was replaced by four. In the health care delivery domain, easy access was replaced by a more complicated log on procedure, and in the domain of law and security, a clarification of risk levels was obtained, thereby allowing for access by mobile phones with today's authentication mechanisms. Flexibility concerning predefined scripts was important in all domains. Changes were made that improved the platform for further development of legitimate communication of patient data via mobile units. The study also shows the value of formative evaluations in innovations.

  5. Real-Time Payload Control and Monitoring on the World Wide Web

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sun, Charles; Windrem, May; Givens, John J. (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    World Wide Web (W3) technologies such as the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the Java object-oriented programming environment offer a powerful, yet relatively inexpensive, framework for distributed application software development. This paper describes the design of a real-time payload control and monitoring system that was developed with W3 technologies at NASA Ames Research Center. Based on Java Development Toolkit (JDK) 1.1, the system uses an event-driven "publish and subscribe" approach to inter-process communication and graphical user-interface construction. A C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS) compatible inference engine provides the back-end intelligent data processing capability, while Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) provides the data management function. Preliminary evaluation shows acceptable performance for some classes of payloads, with Java's portability and multimedia support identified as the most significant benefit.

  6. Personalization of Rule-based Web Services.

    PubMed

    Choi, Okkyung; Han, Sang Yong

    2008-04-04

    Nowadays Web users have clearly expressed their wishes to receive personalized services directly. Personalization is the way to tailor services directly to the immediate requirements of the user. However, the current Web Services System does not provide any features supporting this such as consideration of personalization of services and intelligent matchmaking. In this research a flexible, personalized Rule-based Web Services System to address these problems and to enable efficient search, discovery and construction across general Web documents and Semantic Web documents in a Web Services System is proposed. This system utilizes matchmaking among service requesters', service providers' and users' preferences using a Rule-based Search Method, and subsequently ranks search results. A prototype of efficient Web Services search and construction for the suggested system is developed based on the current work.

  7. Evaluation of longitudinal tracking and data mining for an imaging informatics-based multiple sclerosis e-folder (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Kevin C.; Forsyth, Sydney; Amezcua, Lilyana; Liu, Brent J.

    2017-03-01

    We have designed and developed a multiple sclerosis eFolder system for patient data storage, image viewing, and automatic lesion quantification results to allow patient tracking. The web-based system aims to be integrated in DICOM-compliant clinical and research environments to aid clinicians in patient treatments and data analysis. The system quantifies lesion volumes, identify and register lesion locations to track shifts in volume and quantity of lesions in a longitudinal study. We aim to evaluate the two most important features of the system, data mining and longitudinal lesion tracking, to demonstrate the MS eFolder's capability in improving clinical workflow efficiency and outcome analysis for research. In order to evaluate data mining capabilities, we have collected radiological and neurological data from 72 patients, 36 Caucasian and 36 Hispanic matched by gender, disease duration, and age. Data analysis on those patients based on ethnicity is performed, and analysis results are displayed by the system's web-based user interface. The data mining module is able to successfully separate Hispanic and Caucasian patients and compare their disease profiles. For longitudinal lesion tracking, we have collected 4 longitudinal cases and simulated different lesion growths over the next year. As a result, the eFolder is able to detect changes in lesion volume and identifying lesions with the most changes. Data mining and lesion tracking evaluation results show high potential of eFolder's usefulness in patientcare and informatics research for multiple sclerosis.

  8. GDSCalc: A Web-Based Application for Evaluating Discrete Graph Dynamical Systems

    PubMed Central

    Elmeligy Abdelhamid, Sherif H.; Kuhlman, Chris J.; Marathe, Madhav V.; Mortveit, Henning S.; Ravi, S. S.

    2015-01-01

    Discrete dynamical systems are used to model various realistic systems in network science, from social unrest in human populations to regulation in biological networks. A common approach is to model the agents of a system as vertices of a graph, and the pairwise interactions between agents as edges. Agents are in one of a finite set of states at each discrete time step and are assigned functions that describe how their states change based on neighborhood relations. Full characterization of state transitions of one system can give insights into fundamental behaviors of other dynamical systems. In this paper, we describe a discrete graph dynamical systems (GDSs) application called GDSCalc for computing and characterizing system dynamics. It is an open access system that is used through a web interface. We provide an overview of GDS theory. This theory is the basis of the web application; i.e., an understanding of GDS provides an understanding of the software features, while abstracting away implementation details. We present a set of illustrative examples to demonstrate its use in education and research. Finally, we compare GDSCalc with other discrete dynamical system software tools. Our perspective is that no single software tool will perform all computations that may be required by all users; tools typically have particular features that are more suitable for some tasks. We situate GDSCalc within this space of software tools. PMID:26263006

  9. GDSCalc: A Web-Based Application for Evaluating Discrete Graph Dynamical Systems.

    PubMed

    Elmeligy Abdelhamid, Sherif H; Kuhlman, Chris J; Marathe, Madhav V; Mortveit, Henning S; Ravi, S S

    2015-01-01

    Discrete dynamical systems are used to model various realistic systems in network science, from social unrest in human populations to regulation in biological networks. A common approach is to model the agents of a system as vertices of a graph, and the pairwise interactions between agents as edges. Agents are in one of a finite set of states at each discrete time step and are assigned functions that describe how their states change based on neighborhood relations. Full characterization of state transitions of one system can give insights into fundamental behaviors of other dynamical systems. In this paper, we describe a discrete graph dynamical systems (GDSs) application called GDSCalc for computing and characterizing system dynamics. It is an open access system that is used through a web interface. We provide an overview of GDS theory. This theory is the basis of the web application; i.e., an understanding of GDS provides an understanding of the software features, while abstracting away implementation details. We present a set of illustrative examples to demonstrate its use in education and research. Finally, we compare GDSCalc with other discrete dynamical system software tools. Our perspective is that no single software tool will perform all computations that may be required by all users; tools typically have particular features that are more suitable for some tasks. We situate GDSCalc within this space of software tools.

  10. Quality Assurance By Laser Scanning And Imaging Techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    SchmalfuB, Harald J.; Schinner, Karl Ludwig

    1989-03-01

    Laser scanning systems are well established in the world of fast industrial in-process quality inspection systems. The materials inspected by laser scanning systems are e.g. "endless" sheets of steel, paper, textile, film or foils. The web width varies from 50 mm up to 5000 mm or more. The web speed depends strongly on the production process and can reach several hundred meters per minute. The continuous data flow in one of different channels of the optical receiving system exceeds ten Megapixels/sec. Therefore it is clear that the electronic evaluation system has to process these data streams in real time and no image storage is possible. But sometimes (e.g. first installation of the system, change of the defect classification) it would be very helpful to have the possibility for a visual look on the original, i.e. not processed sensor data. At first we show the principle set up of a standard laser scanning system. Then we will introduce a large image memory especially designed for the needs of high-speed inspection sensors. This image memory co-operates with the standard on-line evaluation electronics and provides therefore an easy comparison between processed and non-processed data. We will discuss the basic system structure and we will show the first industrial results.

  11. Evaluation of a Telerehabilitation System for Community-Based Rehabilitation

    PubMed Central

    Schutte, Jamie; Gales, Sara; Filippone, Ashlee; Saptono, Andi; Parmanto, Bambang; McCue, Michael

    2012-01-01

    The use of web-based portals, while increasing in popularity in the fields of medicine and research, are rarely reported on in community-based rehabilitation programs. A program within the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation’s Hiram G. Andrews Center, the Cognitive Skills Enhancement Program (CSEP), sought to enhance organization of program and participant information and communication between part- and full-time employees, supervisors and consultants. A telerehabilitation system was developed consisting of (1) a web-based portal to support a variety of clinical activities, and (2) the Versatile Integrated System for Telerehabilitation (VISYTER) video-conferencing system to support the collaboration and delivery of rehabilitation services remotely. This descriptive evaluation examines the usability of the telerehabilitation system incorporating both the portal and VISYTER. Telerehabilitation system users include CSEP staff members from three geographical locations and employed by two institutions. The IBM After-Scenario Questionnaire (ASQ) and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ), the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), and two demographic surveys were administered to gather both objective and subjective information. Results showed generally high levels of usability. Users commented that the telerehabilitation system improved communication, increased access to information, improved speed of completing tasks, and had an appealing interface. Areas where users would like to see improvements, including ease of accessing/editing documents and searching for information, are discussed. PMID:25945193

  12. HyQue: evaluating hypotheses using Semantic Web technologies

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Key to the success of e-Science is the ability to computationally evaluate expert-composed hypotheses for validity against experimental data. Researchers face the challenge of collecting, evaluating and integrating large amounts of diverse information to compose and evaluate a hypothesis. Confronted with rapidly accumulating data, researchers currently do not have the software tools to undertake the required information integration tasks. Results We present HyQue, a Semantic Web tool for querying scientific knowledge bases with the purpose of evaluating user submitted hypotheses. HyQue features a knowledge model to accommodate diverse hypotheses structured as events and represented using Semantic Web languages (RDF/OWL). Hypothesis validity is evaluated against experimental and literature-sourced evidence through a combination of SPARQL queries and evaluation rules. Inference over OWL ontologies (for type specifications, subclass assertions and parthood relations) and retrieval of facts stored as Bio2RDF linked data provide support for a given hypothesis. We evaluate hypotheses of varying levels of detail about the genetic network controlling galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to demonstrate the feasibility of deploying such semantic computing tools over a growing body of structured knowledge in Bio2RDF. Conclusions HyQue is a query-based hypothesis evaluation system that can currently evaluate hypotheses about the galactose metabolism in S. cerevisiae. Hypotheses as well as the supporting or refuting data are represented in RDF and directly linked to one another allowing scientists to browse from data to hypothesis and vice versa. HyQue hypotheses and data are available at http://semanticscience.org/projects/hyque. PMID:21624158

  13. DietPal: A Web-Based Dietary Menu-Generating and Management System

    PubMed Central

    Abdullah, Siti Norulhuda; Shahar, Suzana; Abdul-Hamid, Helmi; Khairudin, Nurkahirizan; Yusoff, Mohamed; Ghazali, Rafidah; Mohd-Yusoff, Nooraini; Shafii, Nik Shanita; Abdul-Manaf, Zaharah

    2004-01-01

    Background Attempts in current health care practice to make health care more accessible, effective, and efficient through the use of information technology could include implementation of computer-based dietary menu generation. While several of such systems already exist, their focus is mainly to assist healthy individuals calculate their calorie intake and to help monitor the selection of menus based upon a prespecified calorie value. Although these prove to be helpful in some ways, they are not suitable for monitoring, planning, and managing patients' dietary needs and requirements. This paper presents a Web-based application that simulates the process of menu suggestions according to a standard practice employed by dietitians. Objective To model the workflow of dietitians and to develop, based on this workflow, a Web-based system for dietary menu generation and management. The system is aimed to be used by dietitians or by medical professionals of health centers in rural areas where there are no designated qualified dietitians. Methods First, a user-needs study was conducted among dietitians in Malaysia. The first survey of 93 dietitians (with 52 responding) was an assessment of information needed for dietary management and evaluation of compliance towards a dietary regime. The second study consisted of ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with 14 dietitians in order to identify the workflow of a menu-suggestion process. We subsequently designed and developed a Web-based dietary menu generation and management system called DietPal. DietPal has the capability of automatically calculating the nutrient and calorie intake of each patient based on the dietary recall as well as generating suitable diet and menu plans according to the calorie and nutrient requirement of the patient, calculated from anthropometric measurements. The system also allows reusing stored or predefined menus for other patients with similar health and nutrient requirements. Results We modeled the workflow of menu-suggestion activity currently adhered to by dietitians in Malaysia. Based on this workflow, a Web-based system was developed. Initial post evaluation among 10 dietitians indicates that they are comfortable with the organization of the modules and information. Conclusions The system has the potential of enhancing the quality of services with the provision of standard and healthy menu plans and at the same time increasing outreach, particularly to rural areas. With its potential capability of optimizing the time spent by dietitians to plan suitable menus, more quality time could be spent delivering nutrition education to the patients. PMID:15111270

  14. DietPal: a Web-based dietary menu-generating and management system.

    PubMed

    Noah, Shahrul A; Abdullah, Siti Norulhuda; Shahar, Suzana; Abdul-Hamid, Helmi; Khairudin, Nurkahirizan; Yusoff, Mohamed; Ghazali, Rafidah; Mohd-Yusoff, Nooraini; Shafii, Nik Shanita; Abdul-Manaf, Zaharah

    2004-01-30

    Attempts in current health care practice to make health care more accessible, effective, and efficient through the use of information technology could include implementation of computer-based dietary menu generation. While several of such systems already exist, their focus is mainly to assist healthy individuals calculate their calorie intake and to help monitor the selection of menus based upon a prespecified calorie value. Although these prove to be helpful in some ways, they are not suitable for monitoring, planning, and managing patients' dietary needs and requirements. This paper presents a Web-based application that simulates the process of menu suggestions according to a standard practice employed by dietitians. To model the workflow of dietitians and to develop, based on this workflow, a Web-based system for dietary menu generation and management. The system is aimed to be used by dietitians or by medical professionals of health centers in rural areas where there are no designated qualified dietitians. First, a user-needs study was conducted among dietitians in Malaysia. The first survey of 93 dietitians (with 52 responding) was an assessment of information needed for dietary management and evaluation of compliance towards a dietary regime. The second study consisted of ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with 14 dietitians in order to identify the workflow of a menu-suggestion process. We subsequently designed and developed a Web-based dietary menu generation and management system called DietPal. DietPal has the capability of automatically calculating the nutrient and calorie intake of each patient based on the dietary recall as well as generating suitable diet and menu plans according to the calorie and nutrient requirement of the patient, calculated from anthropometric measurements. The system also allows reusing stored or predefined menus for other patients with similar health and nutrient requirements. We modeled the workflow of menu-suggestion activity currently adhered to by dietitians in Malaysia. Based on this workflow, a Web-based system was developed. Initial post evaluation among 10 dietitians indicates that they are comfortable with the organization of the modules and information. The system has the potential of enhancing the quality of services with the provision of standard and healthy menu plans and at the same time increasing outreach, particularly to rural areas. With its potential capability of optimizing the time spent by dietitians to plan suitable menus, more quality time could be spent delivering nutrition education to the patients.

  15. Cloud-ECG for real time ECG monitoring and analysis.

    PubMed

    Xia, Henian; Asif, Irfan; Zhao, Xiaopeng

    2013-06-01

    Recent advances in mobile technology and cloud computing have inspired numerous designs of cloud-based health care services and devices. Within the cloud system, medical data can be collected and transmitted automatically to medical professionals from anywhere and feedback can be returned to patients through the network. In this article, we developed a cloud-based system for clients with mobile devices or web browsers. Specially, we aim to address the issues regarding the usefulness of the ECG data collected from patients themselves. Algorithms for ECG enhancement, ECG quality evaluation and ECG parameters extraction were implemented in the system. The system was demonstrated by a use case, in which ECG data was uploaded to the web server from a mobile phone at a certain frequency and analysis was performed in real time using the server. The system has been proven to be functional, accurate and efficient. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Enabling Cross-Platform Clinical Decision Support through Web-Based Decision Support in Commercial Electronic Health Record Systems: Proposal and Evaluation of Initial Prototype Implementations

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Mingyuan; Velasco, Ferdinand T.; Musser, R. Clayton; Kawamoto, Kensaku

    2013-01-01

    Enabling clinical decision support (CDS) across multiple electronic health record (EHR) systems has been a desired but largely unattained aim of clinical informatics, especially in commercial EHR systems. A potential opportunity for enabling such scalable CDS is to leverage vendor-supported, Web-based CDS development platforms along with vendor-supported application programming interfaces (APIs). Here, we propose a potential staged approach for enabling such scalable CDS, starting with the use of custom EHR APIs and moving towards standardized EHR APIs to facilitate interoperability. We analyzed three commercial EHR systems for their capabilities to support the proposed approach, and we implemented prototypes in all three systems. Based on these analyses and prototype implementations, we conclude that the approach proposed is feasible, already supported by several major commercial EHR vendors, and potentially capable of enabling cross-platform CDS at scale. PMID:24551426

  17. The quality of online antidepressant drug information: an evaluation of English and Finnish language Web sites.

    PubMed

    Prusti, Marjo; Lehtineva, Susanna; Pohjanoksa-Mäntylä, Marika; Bell, J Simon

    2012-01-01

    The Internet is a frequently used source of drug information, including among people with mental disorders. Online drug information may be narrow in scope, incomplete, and contain errors of omission. To evaluate the quality of online antidepressant drug information in English and Finnish. Forty Web sites were identified using the search terms antidepressants and masennuslääkkeet in English and Finnish, respectively. Included Web sites (14 English, 8 Finnish) were evaluated for aesthetics, interactivity, content coverage, and content correctness using published criteria. All Web sites were assessed using the Date, Author, References, Type, Sponsor (DARTS) and DISCERN quality assessment tools. English and Finnish Web sites had similar aesthetics, content coverage, and content correctness scores. English Web sites were more interactive than Finnish Web sites (P<.05). Overall, adverse drug reactions were covered on 21 of 22 Web sites; however, drug-alcohol interactions were addressed on only 9 of 22 Web sites, and dose was addressed on only 6 of 22 Web sites. Few (2/22 Web sites) provided incorrect information. The DISCERN score was significantly correlated with content coverage (r=0.670, P<.01), content correctness (r=0.663, P<.01), and the DARTS score (r=0.459, P<.05). No Web site provided information about all aspects of antidepressant treatment. Nevertheless, few Web sites provided incorrect information. Both English and Finnish Web sites were similar in terms of aesthetics, content coverage, and content correctness. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Web Based Seismological Monitoring (wbsm)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giudicepietro, F.; Meglio, V.; Romano, S. P.; de Cesare, W.; Ventre, G.; Martini, M.

    Over the last few decades the seismological monitoring systems have dramatically improved tanks to the technological advancements and to the scientific progresses of the seismological studies. The most modern processing systems use the network tech- nologies to realize high quality performances in data transmission and remote controls. Their architecture is designed to favor the real-time signals analysis. This is, usually, realized by adopting a modular structure that allow to easy integrate any new cal- culation algorithm, without affecting the other system functionalities. A further step in the seismic processing systems evolution is the large use of the web based appli- cations. The web technologies can be an useful support for the monitoring activities allowing to automatically publishing the results of signals processing and favoring the remote access to data, software systems and instrumentation. An application of the web technologies to the seismological monitoring has been developed at the "Os- servatorio Vesuviano" monitoring center (INGV) in collaboration with the "Diparti- mento di Informatica e Sistemistica" of the Naples University. A system named Web Based Seismological Monitoring (WBSM) has been developed. Its main objective is to automatically publish the seismic events processing results and to allow displaying, analyzing and downloading seismic data via Internet. WBSM uses the XML tech- nology for hypocentral and picking parameters representation and creates a seismic events data base containing parametric data and wave-forms. In order to give tools for the evaluation of the quality and reliability of the published locations, WBSM also supplies all the quality parameters calculated by the locating program and allow to interactively display the wave-forms and the related parameters. WBSM is a modular system in which the interface function to the data sources is performed by two spe- cific modules so that to make it working in conjunction with a generic data source it is sufficient to modify or substitute the interface modules. WBSM is running at the "Osservatorio Vesuviano" Monitoring Center since the beginning of 2001 and can be visited at http://ov.ingv.it.

  19. [An evaluation of the quality of health web pages using a validated questionnaire].

    PubMed

    Conesa Fuentes, Maria del Carmen; Aguinaga Ontoso, Enrique; Hernández Morante, Juan José

    2011-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate the quality of general health information in Spanish language web pages, and the official Regional Services web pages from the different Autonomous Regions. It is a cross-sectional study. We have used a previously validated questionnaire to study the present state of the health information on Internet for a lay-user point of view. By mean of PageRank (Google®), we obtained a group of webs, including a total of 65 health web pages. We applied some exclusion criteria, and finally obtained a total of 36 webs. We also analyzed the official web pages from the different Health Services in Spain (19 webs), making a total of 54 health web pages. In the light of our data, we observed that, the quality of the general information health web pages was generally rather low, especially regarding the information quality. Not one page reached the maximum score (19 points). The mean score of the web pages was of 9.8±2.8. In conclusion, to avoid the problems arising from the lack of quality, health professionals should design advertising campaigns and other media to teach the lay-user how to evaluate the information quality. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  20. Managing multicentre clinical trials with open source.

    PubMed

    Raptis, Dimitri Aristotle; Mettler, Tobias; Fischer, Michael Alexander; Patak, Michael; Lesurtel, Mickael; Eshmuminov, Dilmurodjon; de Rougemont, Olivier; Graf, Rolf; Clavien, Pierre-Alain; Breitenstein, Stefan

    2014-03-01

    Multicentre clinical trials are challenged by high administrative burden, data management pitfalls and costs. This leads to a reduced enthusiasm and commitment of the physicians involved and thus to a reluctance in conducting multicentre clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based open source platform to support a multi-centre clinical trial. We developed on Drupal, an open source software distributed under the terms of the General Public License, a web-based, multi-centre clinical trial management system with the design science research approach. This system was evaluated by user-testing and well supported several completed and on-going clinical trials and is available for free download. Open source clinical trial management systems are capable in supporting multi-centre clinical trials by enhancing efficiency, quality of data management and collaboration.

  1. Assessment of the Seattle Smart Traveler evaluation

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-09-01

    The system was designed using a World Wide Web or Internet interface. Two of the unique features of the design were accommodating the desired travel times and identifying origins and destinations. A search structure was developed using a series of pu...

  2. Web survey data collection and retrieval to plan teleradiology implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alaoui, Adil; Collmann, Jeff R.; Johnson, Jeffrey A.; Lindisch, David; Nguyen, Dan; Mun, Seong K.

    2003-05-01

    This case study details the experience of system engineers of the Imaging Science and Information Systems Center, Georgetown University Medical Center (ISIS) and radiologists from the department of Radiology in the implementation of a new Teleradiology system. The Teleradiology system enables radiologists to view medical images from remote sites under those circumstances where a resident radiologist needs assistance in evaluating the images after hours and during weekends; it also enables clinicians access to patients" medical images from different workstations within the hospital. The Implementation of the Teleradiology project was preceded by an evaluation phase to perform testing, gather users feedback using a web site and collect information that helped eliminate system bugs, complete recommendations regarding minimum hardware configuration and bandwidth and enhance system"s functions, this phase included a survey-based system assessment of computer configurations, Internet connections, problem identification, and recommendations for improvement, and a testing period with 2 radiologists and ISIS engineers; The second phase was designed to launch the system and make it available to all attending radiologists in the department. To accomplish the first phase of the project a web site was designed and ASP pages were created to enable users to securely logon and enter feedback and recommendations into an SQL database. This efficient, accurate data flow alleviated networking, software and hardware problems. Corrective recommendations were immediately forwarded to the software vendor. The vendor responded with software updates that better met the needs of the radiologists. The ISIS Center completed recommendations for minimum hardware and bandwidth requirements. This experience illustrates that the approach used in collecting the data and facilitating the teamwork between the system engineers and radiologists was instrumental in the project"s success. Major problems with the Teleradiology system were discovered and remedied early by linking the actual practice experience of the physicians to the system improvements.

  3. Wireless, Web-Based Interactive Control of Optical Coherence Tomography with Mobile Devices.

    PubMed

    Mehta, Rajvi; Nankivil, Derek; Zielinski, David J; Waterman, Gar; Keller, Brenton; Limkakeng, Alexander T; Kopper, Regis; Izatt, Joseph A; Kuo, Anthony N

    2017-01-01

    Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used in ophthalmology clinics and has potential for more general medical settings and remote diagnostics. In anticipation of remote applications, we developed wireless interactive control of an OCT system using mobile devices. A web-based user interface (WebUI) was developed to interact with a handheld OCT system. The WebUI consisted of key OCT displays and controls ported to a webpage using HTML and JavaScript. Client-server relationships were created between the WebUI and the OCT system computer. The WebUI was accessed on a cellular phone mounted to the handheld OCT probe to wirelessly control the OCT system. Twenty subjects were imaged using the WebUI to assess the system. System latency was measured using different connection types (wireless 802.11n only, wireless to remote virtual private network [VPN], and cellular). Using a cellular phone, the WebUI was successfully used to capture posterior eye OCT images in all subjects. Simultaneous interactivity by a remote user on a laptop was also demonstrated. On average, use of the WebUI added only 58, 95, and 170 ms to the system latency using wireless only, wireless to VPN, and cellular connections, respectively. Qualitatively, operator usage was not affected. Using a WebUI, we demonstrated wireless and remote control of an OCT system with mobile devices. The web and open source software tools used in this project make it possible for any mobile device to potentially control an OCT system through a WebUI. This platform can be a basis for remote, teleophthalmology applications using OCT.

  4. A Virtual Learning Environment for Part-Time MASW Students: An Evaluation of the WebCT

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Charles C.; Tsui, Ming-sum; Chan, Mandy Y. C.; Hong, Joe H.

    2008-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate the perception of a cohort of social workers studying for a part-time master's program in social work in using the popular Web-based learning platform--World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) as a complimentary method of teaching and learning. It was noted that social work profession began incorporating computer technology…

  5. Teaching Medical Students at a Distance: Using Distance Learning Benchmarks to Plan and Evaluate a Web-Enhanced Medical Student Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olney, Cynthia A.; Chumley, Heidi; Parra, Juan M.

    2004-01-01

    A team designing a Web-enhanced third-year medical education didactic curriculum based their course planning and evaluation activities on the Institute for Higher Education Policy's (2000) 24 benchmarks for online distance learning. The authors present the team's blueprint for planning and evaluating the Web-enhanced curriculum, which incorporates…

  6. Building a knowledge base of severe adverse drug events based on AERS reporting data using semantic web technologies.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guoqian; Wang, Liwei; Liu, Hongfang; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

    2013-01-01

    A semantically coded knowledge base of adverse drug events (ADEs) with severity information is critical for clinical decision support systems and translational research applications. However it remains challenging to measure and identify the severity information of ADEs. The objective of the study is to develop and evaluate a semantic web based approach for building a knowledge base of severe ADEs based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) reporting data. We utilized a normalized AERS reporting dataset and extracted putative drug-ADE pairs and their associated outcome codes in the domain of cardiac disorders. We validated the drug-ADE associations using ADE datasets from SIDe Effect Resource (SIDER) and the UMLS. We leveraged the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) grading system and classified the ADEs into the CTCAE in the Web Ontology Language (OWL). We identified and validated 2,444 unique Drug-ADE pairs in the domain of cardiac disorders, of which 760 pairs are in Grade 5, 775 pairs in Grade 4 and 2,196 pairs in Grade 3.

  7. The Impact of PeerWise Approach on the Academic Performance of Medical Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kadir, Farkaad A.; Ansari, Reshma M.; AbManan, Norhafizah; Abdullah, Mohd Hafiz Ngoo; Nor, Hamdan Mohd

    2014-01-01

    PeerWise is a novel, freely available, online pedagogical tool that allows students to create and deposit questions for peer evaluation. A participatory learning approach through this web-based system was used to motivate and promote a deep approach in learning nervous system by 124 second year MBBS students at Cyberjaya University College of…

  8. Development and Evaluation of Intelligent Agent-Based Teaching Assistant in e-Learning Portals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rouhani, Saeed; Mirhosseini, Seyed Vahid

    2015-01-01

    Today, several educational portals established by organizations to enhance web E-learning. Intelligence agent's usage is necessary to improve the system's quality and cover limitations such as face-to-face relation. In this research, after finding two main approaches in this field that are fundamental use of intelligent agents in systems design…

  9. I-95 corridor coalition, evaluation of field operations test 8 : electronic credentialing : results of New York state motor carrier industry survey

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-05-01

    The State of New York received a grant from the I-95 Corridor Coalition to develop a proof-of-concept for an electronic credentialing system for the motor carrier industry. When fully developed, the system, which is a web-based solution, will enable ...

  10. Evaluating the Benefits of Providing Archived Online Lectures to In-Class Math Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cascaval, Radu C.; Fogler, Kethera A.; Abrams, Gene D.; Durham, Robert L.

    2008-01-01

    The present study examines the impact of a novel online video lecture archiving system on in-class students enrolled in traditional math courses at a mid-sized, primarily undergraduate, university in the West. The archiving system allows in-class students web access to complete video recordings of the actual classroom lectures, and sometimes of…

  11. Generalisation and extension of a web-based data collection system for clinical studies using Java and CORBA.

    PubMed

    Eich, H P; Ohmann, C

    1999-01-01

    Inadequate informatical support of multi-centre clinical trials lead to pure quality. In order to support a multi-centre clinical trial a data collection via WWW and Internet based on Java has been developed. In this study a generalization and extension of this prototype has been performed. The prototype has been applied to another clinical trial and a knowledge server based on C+t has been integrated via CORBA. The investigation and implementation of security aspects of web-based data collection is now under evaluation.

  12. Mobile Web and Accessibility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hori, Masahiro; Kato, Takashi

    While focusing on the human-computer interaction side of the Web content delivery, this article discusses problems and prospects of the mobile Web and Web accessibility in terms of what lessons and experiences we have gained from Web accessibility and what they can say about the mobile Web. One aim is to draw particular attention to the importance of explicitly distinguishing between perceptual and cognitive aspects of the users’ interactions with the Web. Another is to emphasize the increased importance of scenario-based evaluation and remote testing for the mobile Web where the limited screen space and a variety of environmental factors of mobile use are critical design issues. A newly devised inspection type of evaluation method that focuses on the perceptual-cognitive distinction of accessibility and usability issues is presented as a viable means of scenario-based, remote testing for the Web.

  13. A web-based communication system for integrated care in cerebral palsy: design features, technical feasibility and usability.

    PubMed

    Gulmans, Jitske; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam M R; Visser, Jacqueline J W; Nijeweme-d'Hollosy, Wendy Oude; van Gemert-Pijnen, J E W C Lisette; van Harten, Wim H

    2010-01-01

    We developed a secure, web-based system for parent-professional and inter-professional communication. The aim was to improve communication in the care of children with cerebral palsy. We conducted a six-month trial of the system in three Dutch health-care regions. The participants were the parents of 30 cerebral palsy patients and 120 professional staff involved in their care. Information about system usage was extracted from the system's database. The experience of the parents and professionals was evaluated by a questionnaire after six months. The system proved to be technically robust and reliable. A total of 21 parents (70%) and 66 professionals (55%) used the system. The parents submitted 111 questions and 59 responses, with a mean of 5 questions (range 1-17) and 3 responses (range 1-9) per parent. The professionals submitted 79 questions and 237 responses, with a mean of 2 questions (range 1-8) and 4 responses (range 1-23) per professional. Most parents (95%) and some professionals (30%) reported value in using the system, which ranged from efficiency and accessibility to flexibility and transparency. The web-based communication system was technically feasible and produced improved parent-professional and inter-professional communication. It may be especially valuable if frequent interventions or consultations about a child's care are required, involving complex care networks of different professionals and organisations.

  14. Future View: Web Navigation based on Learning User's Browsing Strategy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nagino, Norikatsu; Yamada, Seiji

    In this paper, we propose a Future View system that assists user's usual Web browsing. The Future View will prefetch Web pages based on user's browsing strategies and present them to a user in order to assist Web browsing. To learn user's browsing strategy, the Future View uses two types of learning classifier systems: a content-based classifier system for contents change patterns and an action-based classifier system for user's action patterns. The results of learning is applied to crawling by Web robots, and the gathered Web pages are presented to a user through a Web browser interface. We experimentally show effectiveness of navigation using the Future View.

  15. Development of a real-time clinical decision support system upon the web mvc-based architecture for prostate cancer treatment

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background A real-time clinical decision support system (RTCDSS) with interactive diagrams enables clinicians to instantly and efficiently track patients' clinical records (PCRs) and improve their quality of clinical care. We propose a RTCDSS to process online clinical informatics from multiple databases for clinical decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer based on Web Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, by which the system can easily be adapted to different diseases and applications. Methods We designed a framework upon the Web MVC-based architecture in which the reusable and extractable models can be conveniently adapted to other hospital information systems and which allows for efficient database integration. Then, we determined the clinical variables of the prostate cancer treatment based on participating clinicians' opinions and developed a computational model to determine the pretreatment parameters. Furthermore, the components of the RTCDSS integrated PCRs and decision factors for real-time analysis to provide evidence-based diagrams upon the clinician-oriented interface for visualization of treatment guidance and health risk assessment. Results The resulting system can improve quality of clinical treatment by allowing clinicians to concurrently analyze and evaluate the clinical markers of prostate cancer patients with instantaneous clinical data and evidence-based diagrams which can automatically identify pretreatment parameters. Moreover, the proposed RTCDSS can aid interactions between patients and clinicians. Conclusions Our proposed framework supports online clinical informatics, evaluates treatment risks, offers interactive guidance, and provides real-time reference for decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer. The developed clinician-oriented interface can assist clinicians in conveniently presenting evidence-based information to patients and can be readily adapted to an existing hospital information system and be easily applied in other chronic diseases. PMID:21385459

  16. Development of a real-time clinical decision support system upon the Web MVC-based architecture for prostate cancer treatment.

    PubMed

    Lin, Hsueh-Chun; Wu, Hsi-Chin; Chang, Chih-Hung; Li, Tsai-Chung; Liang, Wen-Miin; Wang, Jong-Yi Wang

    2011-03-08

    A real-time clinical decision support system (RTCDSS) with interactive diagrams enables clinicians to instantly and efficiently track patients' clinical records (PCRs) and improve their quality of clinical care. We propose a RTCDSS to process online clinical informatics from multiple databases for clinical decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer based on Web Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture, by which the system can easily be adapted to different diseases and applications. We designed a framework upon the Web MVC-based architecture in which the reusable and extractable models can be conveniently adapted to other hospital information systems and which allows for efficient database integration. Then, we determined the clinical variables of the prostate cancer treatment based on participating clinicians' opinions and developed a computational model to determine the pretreatment parameters. Furthermore, the components of the RTCDSS integrated PCRs and decision factors for real-time analysis to provide evidence-based diagrams upon the clinician-oriented interface for visualization of treatment guidance and health risk assessment. The resulting system can improve quality of clinical treatment by allowing clinicians to concurrently analyze and evaluate the clinical markers of prostate cancer patients with instantaneous clinical data and evidence-based diagrams which can automatically identify pretreatment parameters. Moreover, the proposed RTCDSS can aid interactions between patients and clinicians. Our proposed framework supports online clinical informatics, evaluates treatment risks, offers interactive guidance, and provides real-time reference for decision making in the treatment of prostate cancer. The developed clinician-oriented interface can assist clinicians in conveniently presenting evidence-based information to patients and can be readily adapted to an existing hospital information system and be easily applied in other chronic diseases.

  17. Evaluating the Informative Quality of Documents in SGML Format from Judgements by Means of Fuzzy Linguistic Techniques Based on Computing with Words.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herrera-Viedma, Enrique; Peis, Eduardo

    2003-01-01

    Presents a fuzzy evaluation method of SGML documents based on computing with words. Topics include filtering the amount of information available on the Web to assist users in their search processes; document type definitions; linguistic modeling; user-system interaction; and use with XML and other markup languages. (Author/LRW)

  18. Linking Native and Invader Traits Explains Native Spider Population Responses to Plant Invasion.

    PubMed

    Smith, Jennifer N; Emlen, Douglas J; Pearson, Dean E

    2016-01-01

    Theoretically, the functional traits of native species should determine how natives respond to invader-driven changes. To explore this idea, we simulated a large-scale plant invasion using dead spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) stems to determine if native spiders' web-building behaviors could explain differences in spider population responses to structural changes arising from C. stoebe invasion. After two years, irregular web-spiders were >30 times more abundant and orb weavers were >23 times more abundant on simulated invasion plots compared to controls. Additionally, irregular web-spiders on simulated invasion plots built webs that were 4.4 times larger and 5.0 times more likely to capture prey, leading to >2-fold increases in recruitment. Orb-weavers showed no differences in web size or prey captures between treatments. Web-spider responses to simulated invasion mimicked patterns following natural invasions, confirming that C. stoebe's architecture is likely the primary attribute driving native spider responses to these invasions. Differences in spider responses were attributable to differences in web construction behaviors relative to historic web substrate constraints. Orb-weavers in this system constructed webs between multiple plants, so they were limited by the overall quantity of native substrates but not by the architecture of individual native plant species. Irregular web-spiders built their webs within individual plants and were greatly constrained by the diminutive architecture of native plant substrates, so they were limited both by quantity and quality of native substrates. Evaluating native species traits in the context of invader-driven change can explain invasion outcomes and help to identify factors limiting native populations.

  19. Linking Native and Invader Traits Explains Native Spider Population Responses to Plant Invasion

    PubMed Central

    Emlen, Douglas J.; Pearson, Dean E.

    2016-01-01

    Theoretically, the functional traits of native species should determine how natives respond to invader-driven changes. To explore this idea, we simulated a large-scale plant invasion using dead spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) stems to determine if native spiders’ web-building behaviors could explain differences in spider population responses to structural changes arising from C. stoebe invasion. After two years, irregular web-spiders were >30 times more abundant and orb weavers were >23 times more abundant on simulated invasion plots compared to controls. Additionally, irregular web-spiders on simulated invasion plots built webs that were 4.4 times larger and 5.0 times more likely to capture prey, leading to >2-fold increases in recruitment. Orb-weavers showed no differences in web size or prey captures between treatments. Web-spider responses to simulated invasion mimicked patterns following natural invasions, confirming that C. stoebe’s architecture is likely the primary attribute driving native spider responses to these invasions. Differences in spider responses were attributable to differences in web construction behaviors relative to historic web substrate constraints. Orb-weavers in this system constructed webs between multiple plants, so they were limited by the overall quantity of native substrates but not by the architecture of individual native plant species. Irregular web-spiders built their webs within individual plants and were greatly constrained by the diminutive architecture of native plant substrates, so they were limited both by quantity and quality of native substrates. Evaluating native species traits in the context of invader-driven change can explain invasion outcomes and help to identify factors limiting native populations. PMID:27082240

  20. Tuberculosis-Diagnostic Expert System: an architecture for translating patients information from the web for use in tuberculosis diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Osamor, Victor C; Azeta, Ambrose A; Ajulo, Oluseyi O

    2014-12-01

    Over 1.5-2 million tuberculosis deaths occur annually. Medical professionals are faced with a lot of challenges in delivering good health-care with unassisted automation in hospitals where there are several patients who need the doctor's attention. To automate the pre-laboratory screening process against tuberculosis infection to aid diagnosis and make it fast and accessible to the public via the Internet. The expert system we have built is designed to also take care of people who do not have access to medical experts, but would want to check their medical status. A rule-based approach has been used, and unified modeling language and the client-server architecture technique were applied to model the system and to develop it as a web-based expert system for tuberculosis diagnosis. Algorithmic rules in the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System necessitate decision coverage where tuberculosis is either suspected or not suspected. The architecture consists of a rule base, knowledge base, and patient database. These units interact with the inference engine, which receives patient' data through the Internet via a user interface. We present the architecture of the Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System and its implementation. We evaluated it for usability to determine the level of effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. The result of the usability evaluation reveals that the system has a usability of 4.08 out of a scale of 5. This is an indication of a more-than-average system performance. Several existing expert systems have been developed for the purpose of supporting different medical diagnoses, but none is designed to translate tuberculosis patients' symptomatic data for online pre-laboratory screening. Our Tuberculosis-Diagnosis Expert System is an effective solution for the implementation of the needed web-based expert system diagnosis. © The Author(s) 2013.

  1. Initial evaluation of a real-world Internet smoking cessation system

    PubMed Central

    Cobb, Nathan K.; Graham, Amanda L.; Bock, Beth C.; Papandonatos, George; Abrams, David B.

    2010-01-01

    To significantly reduce smoking prevalence, treatments must balance reach, efficacy, and cost. The Internet can reach millions of smokers cost-effectively. Many cessation Web sites exist, but few have been evaluated. As a result, the potential impact of the Internet on smoking prevalence remains unknown. The present study reports the results, challenges, and limitations of a preliminary, large-scale evaluation of a broadly disseminated smoking cessation Web site used worldwide (QuitNet). Consecutive registrants (N=1,501) were surveyed 3 months after they registered on the Web site to assess 7-day point prevalence abstinence. Results must be interpreted cautiously because this is an uncontrolled study with a 25.6% response rate. Approximately 30% of those surveyed indicated they had already quit smoking at registration. Excluding these participants, an intention-to-treat analysis yielded 7% point prevalence abstinence (for the responders only, abstinence was 30%). A range of plausible cessation outcomes (9.8%–13.1%) among various subgroups is presented to illustrate the strengths and limitations of conducting Web-based evaluations, and the tensions between clinical and dissemination research methods. Process-to-outcome analyses indicated that sustained use of QuitNet, especially the use of social support, was associated with more than three times greater point prevalence abstinence and more than four times greater continuous abstinence. Despite its limitations, the present study provides useful information about the potential efficacy, challenging design and methodological issues, process-to-outcome mechanisms of action, and potential public health impact of Internet-based behavior change programs for smoking cessation. PMID:16036277

  2. Using Web Server Logs in Evaluating Instructional Web Sites.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ingram, Albert L.

    2000-01-01

    Web server logs contain a great deal of information about who uses a Web site and how they use it. This article discusses the analysis of Web logs for instructional Web sites; reviews the data stored in most Web server logs; demonstrates what further information can be gleaned from the logs; and discusses analyzing that information for the…

  3. DOORS to the semantic web and grid with a PORTAL for biomedical computing.

    PubMed

    Taswell, Carl

    2008-03-01

    The semantic web remains in the early stages of development. It has not yet achieved the goals envisioned by its founders as a pervasive web of distributed knowledge and intelligence. Success will be attained when a dynamic synergism can be created between people and a sufficient number of infrastructure systems and tools for the semantic web in analogy with those for the original web. The domain name system (DNS), web browsers, and the benefits of publishing web pages motivated many people to register domain names and publish web sites on the original web. An analogous resource label system, semantic search applications, and the benefits of collaborative semantic networks will motivate people to register resource labels and publish resource descriptions on the semantic web. The Domain Ontology Oriented Resource System (DOORS) and Problem Oriented Registry of Tags and Labels (PORTAL) are proposed as infrastructure systems for resource metadata within a paradigm that can serve as a bridge between the original web and the semantic web. The Internet Registry Information Service (IRIS) registers [corrected] domain names while DNS publishes domain addresses with mapping of names to addresses for the original web. Analogously, PORTAL registers resource labels and tags while DOORS publishes resource locations and descriptions with mapping of labels to locations for the semantic web. BioPORT is proposed as a prototype PORTAL registry specific for the problem domain of biomedical computing.

  4. Evaluation of breastfeeding Web sites for patient education.

    PubMed

    Dornan, Barbara A; Oermann, Marilyn H

    2006-01-01

    To evaluate the quality of Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education. Descriptive study of 30 Web sites on breastfeeding for patient education, evaluated based on the Health Information Technology Institute (HITI) criteria, readability, and eight content criteria from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement on breastfeeding. The mean Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level for readability of the 30 sites was 9.2. Seven of the sites included all eight of the content criteria from the AAP, and three sites did not include any of the information recommended by the AAP content criteria. Nurses should be able to recommend best patient education materials for their patients. The five best Web sites for breastfeeding education are identified for patient teaching, and the HITI criteria are explained for nurses to learn how to evaluate Web sites for themselves and their patients.

  5. RSRE: RNA structural robustness evaluator

    PubMed Central

    Shu, Wenjie; Zheng, Zhiqiang; Wang, Shengqi

    2007-01-01

    Biological robustness, defined as the ability to maintain stable functioning in the face of various perturbations, is an important and fundamental topic in current biology, and has become a focus of numerous studies in recent years. Although structural robustness has been explored in several types of RNA molecules, the origins of robustness are still controversial. Computational analysis results are needed to make up for the lack of evidence of robustness in natural biological systems. The RNA structural robustness evaluator (RSRE) web server presented here provides a freely available online tool to quantitatively evaluate the structural robustness of RNA based on the widely accepted definition of neutrality. Several classical structure comparison methods are employed; five randomization methods are implemented to generate control sequences; sub-optimal predicted structures can be optionally utilized to mitigate the uncertainty of secondary structure prediction. With a user-friendly interface, the web application is easy to use. Intuitive illustrations are provided along with the original computational results to facilitate analysis. The RSRE will be helpful in the wide exploration of RNA structural robustness and will catalyze our understanding of RNA evolution. The RSRE web server is freely available at http://biosrv1.bmi.ac.cn/RSRE/ or http://biotech.bmi.ac.cn/RSRE/. PMID:17567615

  6. An intelligent tool for activity data collection.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, A M Jehad

    2011-01-01

    Activity recognition systems using simple and ubiquitous sensors require a large variety of real-world sensor data for not only evaluating their performance but also training the systems for better functioning. However, a tremendous amount of effort is required to setup an environment for collecting such data. For example, expertise and resources are needed to design and install the sensors, controllers, network components, and middleware just to perform basic data collections. It is therefore desirable to have a data collection method that is inexpensive, flexible, user-friendly, and capable of providing large and diverse activity datasets. In this paper, we propose an intelligent activity data collection tool which has the ability to provide such datasets inexpensively without physically deploying the testbeds. It can be used as an inexpensive and alternative technique to collect human activity data. The tool provides a set of web interfaces to create a web-based activity data collection environment. It also provides a web-based experience sampling tool to take the user's activity input. The tool generates an activity log using its activity knowledge and the user-given inputs. The activity knowledge is mined from the web. We have performed two experiments to validate the tool's performance in producing reliable datasets.

  7. Evaluating the effect of a web-based quality improvement system with feedback and outreach visits on guideline concordance in the field of cardiac rehabilitation: rationale and study protocol.

    PubMed

    van Engen-Verheul, Mariëtte M; de Keizer, Nicolette F; van der Veer, Sabine N; Kemps, Hareld M C; Scholte op Reimer, Wilma J M; Jaspers, Monique W M; Peek, Niels

    2014-12-31

    Implementation of clinical practice guidelines into daily care is hampered by a variety of barriers related to professional knowledge and collaboration in teams and organizations. To improve guideline concordance by changing the clinical decision-making behavior of professionals, computerized decision support (CDS) has been shown to be one of the most effective instruments. However, to address barriers at the organizational level, additional interventions are needed. Continuous monitoring and systematic improvement of quality are increasingly used to achieve change at this level in complex health care systems. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of a web-based quality improvement (QI) system with indicator-based performance feedback and educational outreach visits to overcome organizational barriers for guideline concordance in multidisciplinary teams in the field of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). A multicenter cluster-randomized trial with a balanced incomplete block design will be conducted in 18 Dutch CR clinics using an electronic patient record with CDS at the point of care. The intervention consists of (i) periodic performance feedback on quality indicators for CR and (ii) educational outreach visits to support local multidisciplinary QI teams focussing on systematically improving the care they provide. The intervention is supported by a web-based system which provides an overview of the feedback and facilitates development and monitoring of local QI plans. The primary outcome will be concordance to national CR guidelines with respect to the CR needs assessment and therapy indication procedure. Secondary outcomes are changes in performance of CR clinics as measured by structure, process and outcome indicators, and changes in practice variation on these indicators. We will also conduct a qualitative process evaluation (concept-mapping methodology) to assess experiences from participating CR clinics and to gain insight into factors which influence the implementation of the intervention. To our knowledge, this will be the first study to evaluate the effect of providing performance feedback with a web-based system that incorporates underlying QI concepts. The results may contribute to improving CR in the Netherlands, increasing knowledge on facilitators of guideline implementation in multidisciplinary health care teams and identifying success factors of multifaceted feedback interventions. NTR3251.

  8. GraphSAW: a web-based system for graphical analysis of drug interactions and side effects using pharmaceutical and molecular data.

    PubMed

    Shoshi, Alban; Hoppe, Tobias; Kormeier, Benjamin; Ogultarhan, Venus; Hofestädt, Ralf

    2015-02-28

    Adverse drug reactions are one of the most common causes of death in industrialized Western countries. Nowadays, empirical data from clinical studies for the approval and monitoring of drugs and molecular databases is available. The integration of database information is a promising method for providing well-based knowledge to avoid adverse drug reactions. This paper presents our web-based decision support system GraphSAW which analyzes and evaluates drug interactions and side effects based on data from two commercial and two freely available molecular databases. The system is able to analyze single and combined drug-drug interactions, drug-molecule interactions as well as single and cumulative side effects. In addition, it allows exploring associative networks of drugs, molecules, metabolic pathways, and diseases in an intuitive way. The molecular medication analysis includes the capabilities of the upper features. A statistical evaluation of the integrated data and top 20 drugs concerning drug interactions and side effects is performed. The results of the data analysis give an overview of all theoretically possible drug interactions and side effects. The evaluation shows a mismatch between pharmaceutical and molecular databases. The concordance of drug interactions was about 12% and 9% of drug side effects. An application case with prescribed data of 11 patients is presented in order to demonstrate the functionality of the system under real conditions. For each patient at least two interactions occured in every medication and about 8% of total diseases were possibly induced by drug therapy. GraphSAW (http://tunicata.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de/graphsaw/) is meant to be a web-based system for health professionals and researchers. GraphSAW provides comprehensive drug-related knowledge and an improved medication analysis which may support efforts to reduce the risk of medication errors and numerous drastic side effects.

  9. Semantically-enabled sensor plug & play for the sensor web.

    PubMed

    Bröring, Arne; Maúe, Patrick; Janowicz, Krzysztof; Nüst, Daniel; Malewski, Christian

    2011-01-01

    Environmental sensors have continuously improved by becoming smaller, cheaper, and more intelligent over the past years. As consequence of these technological advancements, sensors are increasingly deployed to monitor our environment. The large variety of available sensor types with often incompatible protocols complicates the integration of sensors into observing systems. The standardized Web service interfaces and data encodings defined within OGC's Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) framework make sensors available over the Web and hide the heterogeneous sensor protocols from applications. So far, the SWE framework does not describe how to integrate sensors on-the-fly with minimal human intervention. The driver software which enables access to sensors has to be implemented and the measured sensor data has to be manually mapped to the SWE models. In this article we introduce a Sensor Plug & Play infrastructure for the Sensor Web by combining (1) semantic matchmaking functionality, (2) a publish/subscribe mechanism underlying the SensorWeb, as well as (3) a model for the declarative description of sensor interfaces which serves as a generic driver mechanism. We implement and evaluate our approach by applying it to an oil spill scenario. The matchmaking is realized using existing ontologies and reasoning engines and provides a strong case for the semantic integration capabilities provided by Semantic Web research.

  10. Semantically-Enabled Sensor Plug & Play for the Sensor Web

    PubMed Central

    Bröring, Arne; Maúe, Patrick; Janowicz, Krzysztof; Nüst, Daniel; Malewski, Christian

    2011-01-01

    Environmental sensors have continuously improved by becoming smaller, cheaper, and more intelligent over the past years. As consequence of these technological advancements, sensors are increasingly deployed to monitor our environment. The large variety of available sensor types with often incompatible protocols complicates the integration of sensors into observing systems. The standardized Web service interfaces and data encodings defined within OGC’s Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) framework make sensors available over the Web and hide the heterogeneous sensor protocols from applications. So far, the SWE framework does not describe how to integrate sensors on-the-fly with minimal human intervention. The driver software which enables access to sensors has to be implemented and the measured sensor data has to be manually mapped to the SWE models. In this article we introduce a Sensor Plug & Play infrastructure for the Sensor Web by combining (1) semantic matchmaking functionality, (2) a publish/subscribe mechanism underlying the SensorWeb, as well as (3) a model for the declarative description of sensor interfaces which serves as a generic driver mechanism. We implement and evaluate our approach by applying it to an oil spill scenario. The matchmaking is realized using existing ontologies and reasoning engines and provides a strong case for the semantic integration capabilities provided by Semantic Web research. PMID:22164033

  11. 75 FR 42376 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NTIA/FCC Web-based Frequency Coordination System

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-21

    ... Information Collection; Comment Request; NTIA/FCC Web- based Frequency Coordination System AGENCY: National.... Abstract The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) hosts a Web-based system...) bands that are shared on a co-primary basis by federal and non-federal users. The Web-based system...

  12. Brain-controlled applications using dynamic P300 speller matrices.

    PubMed

    Halder, Sebastian; Pinegger, Andreas; Käthner, Ivo; Wriessnegger, Selina C; Faller, Josef; Pires Antunes, João B; Müller-Putz, Gernot R; Kübler, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    Access to the world wide web and multimedia content is an important aspect of life. We present a web browser and a multimedia user interface adapted for control with a brain-computer interface (BCI) which can be used by severely motor impaired persons. The web browser dynamically determines the most efficient P300 BCI matrix size to select the links on the current website. This enables control of the web browser with fewer commands and smaller matrices. The multimedia player was based on an existing software. Both applications were evaluated with a sample of ten healthy participants and three end-users. All participants used a visual P300 BCI with face-stimuli for control. The healthy participants completed the multimedia player task with 90% accuracy and the web browsing task with 85% accuracy. The end-users completed the tasks with 62% and 58% accuracy. All healthy participants and two out of three end-users reported that they felt to be in control of the system. In this study we presented a multimedia application and an efficient web browser implemented for control with a BCI. Both applications provide access to important areas of modern information retrieval and entertainment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Translating access into utilization: lessons from the design and evaluation of a health insurance Web site to promote reproductive health care for young women in Massachusetts.

    PubMed

    Janiak, Elizabeth; Rhodes, Elizabeth; Foster, Angel M

    2013-12-01

    Following state-level health care reform in Massachusetts, young women reported confusion over coverage of contraception and other sexual and reproductive health services under newly available health insurance products. To address this gap, a plain-language Web site titled "My Little Black Book for Sexual Health" was developed by a statewide network of reproductive health stakeholders. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the health literacy demands and usability of the site among its target audience, women ages 18-26 years. We performed an evaluation of the literacy demands of the Web site's written content and tested the Web site's usability in a health communications laboratory. Participants found the Web site visually appealing and its overall design concept accessible. However, the Web site's literacy demands were high, and all participants encountered problems navigating through the Web site. Following this evaluation, the Web site was modified to be more usable and more comprehensible to women of all health literacy levels. To avail themselves of sexual and reproductive health services newly available under expanded health insurance coverage, young women require customized educational resources that are rigorously evaluated to ensure accessibility. To maximize utilization of reproductive health services under expanded health insurance coverage, US women require customized educational resources commensurate with their literacy skills. The application of established research methods from the field of health communications will enable advocates to evaluate and adapt these resources to best serve their targeted audiences. © 2013.

  14. Development of Continuing Nursing Education Offerings for the World Wide Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billings, Diane M.; Rowles, Connie J.

    2001-01-01

    Describes steps for web-based continuing education courses in terms of planning (strategic plan, website development, resource team, marketing plan), implementing (course design, web-based tools, copyright and intellectual property), and evaluating (pilot test, formative/summative evaluation, continuous quality improvement). (Contains 16…

  15. Intelligent medical information filtering.

    PubMed

    Quintana, Y

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes an intelligent information filtering system to assist users to be notified of updates to new and relevant medical information. Among the major problems users face is the large volume of medical information that is generated each day, and the need to filter and retrieve relevant information. The Internet has dramatically increased the amount of electronically accessible medical information and reduced the cost and time needed to publish. The opportunity of the Internet for the medical profession and consumers is to have more information to make decisions and this could potentially lead to better medical decisions and outcomes. However, without the assistance from professional medical librarians, retrieving new and relevant information from databases and the Internet remains a challenge. Many physicians do not have access to the services of a medical librarian. Most physicians indicate on surveys that they do not prefer to retrieve the literature themselves, or visit libraries because of the lack of recent materials, poor organisation and indexing of materials, lack of appropriate and available material, and lack of time. The information filtering system described in this paper records the online web browsing behaviour of each user and creates a user profile of the index terms found on the web pages visited by the user. A relevance-ranking algorithm then matches the user profiles to the index terms of new health care web pages that are added each day. The system creates customised summaries of new information for each user. A user can then connect to the web site to read the new information. Relevance feedback buttons on each page ask the user to rate the usefulness of the page to their immediate information needs. Errors in relevance ranking are reduced in this system by having both the user profile and medical information represented in the same representation language using a controlled vocabulary. This system also updates the user profiles, automatically relieving this burden from the user, but also allowing the user to explicitly state preferences. An initial evaluation of this system was done with health consumers using a web site on consumer health. It was found that users often modified their criteria for what they considered relevant not only between browsing sessions but also during a session. A user's criteria for what is relevant is constantly changing as they interact with the information. New revised metrics of recall and precision are needed to account for the partially relevant judgements and the dynamically changing criteria of users. Future research, development, and evaluation of interactive information retrieval systems will need to take into account the users' dynamically changing criteria of relevance.

  16. A Web-based e-learning course: integration of pathophysiology into pharmacology.

    PubMed

    Tse, Mimi M Y; Lo, Lisa W L

    2008-11-01

    The Internet is becoming the preferred place to find information. Millions of people go online in search of health and medical information. Likewise, the demand for Web-based courses is growing. This paper presents the development, utilization, and evaluation of a Web-based e-learning course for nursing students, entitled Integration of Pathophysiology into Pharmacology. The pathophysiology component included cardiovascular, respiratory, central nervous and immune system diseases, while the pharmacology component was developed based on 150 commonly used drugs. One hundred and nineteen Year 1 nursing students took part in the course. The Web-based e-learning course materials were uploaded to a WebCT for students' self-directed learning and attempts to pass two scheduled online quizzes. At the end of the semester, students were given a questionnaire to measure the e-learning experience. Their experience in the e-learning course was a positive one. Students stated that they were able to understand rather than memorize the subject content, and develop their problem solving and critical thinking abilities. Online quizzes yielded satisfactory results. In the focus group interview, students indicated that they appreciated the time flexibility and convenience associated with Web-based learning, and also made good suggestions for enhancing Web-based learning. The Web-based approach is promising for teaching and learning pathophysiology and pharmacology for nurses and other healthcare professionals.

  17. Wireless, Web-Based Interactive Control of Optical Coherence Tomography with Mobile Devices

    PubMed Central

    Mehta, Rajvi; Nankivil, Derek; Zielinski, David J.; Waterman, Gar; Keller, Brenton; Limkakeng, Alexander T.; Kopper, Regis; Izatt, Joseph A.; Kuo, Anthony N.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is widely used in ophthalmology clinics and has potential for more general medical settings and remote diagnostics. In anticipation of remote applications, we developed wireless interactive control of an OCT system using mobile devices. Methods A web-based user interface (WebUI) was developed to interact with a handheld OCT system. The WebUI consisted of key OCT displays and controls ported to a webpage using HTML and JavaScript. Client–server relationships were created between the WebUI and the OCT system computer. The WebUI was accessed on a cellular phone mounted to the handheld OCT probe to wirelessly control the OCT system. Twenty subjects were imaged using the WebUI to assess the system. System latency was measured using different connection types (wireless 802.11n only, wireless to remote virtual private network [VPN], and cellular). Results Using a cellular phone, the WebUI was successfully used to capture posterior eye OCT images in all subjects. Simultaneous interactivity by a remote user on a laptop was also demonstrated. On average, use of the WebUI added only 58, 95, and 170 ms to the system latency using wireless only, wireless to VPN, and cellular connections, respectively. Qualitatively, operator usage was not affected. Conclusions Using a WebUI, we demonstrated wireless and remote control of an OCT system with mobile devices. Translational Relevance The web and open source software tools used in this project make it possible for any mobile device to potentially control an OCT system through a WebUI. This platform can be a basis for remote, teleophthalmology applications using OCT. PMID:28138415

  18. Asymmetric threat data mining and knowledge discovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmore, John F.; Pagels, Michael A.; Palk, Justin

    2001-03-01

    Asymmetric threats differ from the conventional force-on- force military encounters that the Defense Department has historically been trained to engage. Terrorism by its nature is now an operational activity that is neither easily detected or countered as its very existence depends on small covert attacks exploiting the element of surprise. But terrorism does have defined forms, motivations, tactics and organizational structure. Exploiting a terrorism taxonomy provides the opportunity to discover and assess knowledge of terrorist operations. This paper describes the Asymmetric Threat Terrorist Assessment, Countering, and Knowledge (ATTACK) system. ATTACK has been developed to (a) data mine open source intelligence (OSINT) information from web-based newspaper sources, video news web casts, and actual terrorist web sites, (b) evaluate this information against a terrorism taxonomy, (c) exploit country/region specific social, economic, political, and religious knowledge, and (d) discover and predict potential terrorist activities and association links. Details of the asymmetric threat structure and the ATTACK system architecture are presented with results of an actual terrorist data mining and knowledge discovery test case shown.

  19. Columbia University's Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) Project

    PubMed Central

    Starren, Justin; Hripcsak, George; Sengupta, Soumitra; Abbruscato, C.R.; Knudson, Paul E.; Weinstock, Ruth S.; Shea, Steven

    2002-01-01

    The Columbia University Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine IDEATel) project is a four-year demonstration project funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services with the overall goal of evaluating the feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine. The focal point of the intervention is the home telemedicine unit (HTU), which provides four functions: synchronous videoconferencing over standard telephone lines, electronic transmission for fingerstick glucose and blood pressure readings, secure Web-based messaging and clinical data review, and access to Web-based educational materials. The HTU must be usable by elderly patients with no prior computer experience. Providing these functions through the HTU requires tight integration of six components: the HTU itself, case management software, a clinical information system, Web-based educational material, data security, and networking and telecommunications. These six components were integrated through a variety of interfaces, providing a system that works well for patients and providers. With more than 400 HTUs installed, IDEATel has demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale home telemedicine. PMID:11751801

  20. An Annotated Bibliography of MANPRINT-Related Assessments and Evaluations Conducted by the U.S. Army, 2nd Edition: 1953 to 2009. Volume 3 - Test and Evaluation Reports

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-02-01

    bibliography of the 583 MA reports reviewed by this paper . MANPRINT Asssessments are performed according to the direction of AR 602-2. They consist of an...bibliography of the 443 T&ERs reviewed by this paper . A T&ER is a system evaluation performed according to AR 73-1 for all systems in development in the...of the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) web page: https://dtic-stinet.dtic.mil/.  National Technical Information Service (NTIS): http

  1. Evaluation of Potential JHSV Port and Alternative Offload Sites in Coastal North Carolina

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-08-01

    the underlying data for use in his own Geographic Information System (GIS) application. The quality of this data is variable. This author found... Information Systems (GIS). Unlike the raster charts previously described, these ENC files are vector elements, meaning they can be individually selected in...Single Mobility System . “The Single Mobility System (SMS) embodies the Mobility Access Portal concept, a Web- based interface or “doorway” to other

  2. Student Web Use, Columbia Earthscape, and Their Implications for Online Earth Science Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haber, J.; Luby, M.; Wittenberg, K.

    2002-12-01

    For three years, Columbia Earthscape, www.earthscape.org, has served as a test bed for the development and evaluation of Web-based geoscience education. Last fall (EOS Trans. AGU, 82(47), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract ED11A-11, 2001), we described how librarian, scientist, instructor, and student feedback led to sweeping changes in interface and acquisitions. Further assessment has looked at the value of a central online resource for Earth-system science education in light of patterns of study. Columbia Earthscape aimed to create an authoritative resource that reflects the interconnectedness of the Internet, of the disciplines of Earth-systems science, and of research, education, and public policy. Evaluation thus has three parts. The editors and editorial advisory board have evaluated projects for the site for accuracy and relevance to the project?s original context of Earth issues and topical mini-courses. Second, our research sought patterns of student use and library acquisition of Internet sources. Last, we asked if and how students benefit from Columbia Earthscape. We found, first, that while libraries are understandably reluctant to add online resources to strained budgets, almost all students work online; they vary almost solely in personal Web use. Second, Web use does not discourage use of print. Third, researchers often search Columbia Earthscape, but students, especially in schools, prefer browsing by topic of interest. Fourth, if they did not have this resource, most would surf, but many feel lost on the Web, and few say they can judge the quality of materials they used. Fifth, students found Columbia Earthscape helpful, relevant, and current, but most often for its research and policy materials. Many commented on issue-related collections original to Columbia Earthscape. While indeed we intended our Classroom Models and Sample Syllabi primarily as aids to instructor course design, we conclude, first, that students stick anyway to assigned materials and projects. Second, these assignments put students in need of materials not originally meant for education and not easy for students to evaluate. Third, an online resource must not choose simply a card-catalog or search model. In short, many have asked how scientists can support education and outreach and how curricula can integrate research and policy; but students already demand those connections, and a central online resource can help scientists, students, and the public by itself making them.

  3. Cultivating Critical Mindsets in the Digital Information Age: Teaching Meaningful Web Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Angela Kwasnik

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation examines the use of dialogic discussion to improve young adolescents' ability to critically evaluate web sites. An intervention unit comprised three iterations of an instructional cycle in which students independently annotated web sites about controversial issues and discussed the reliability of those sites in dialogic…

  4. Incorporating the Internet into Traditional Library Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fonseca, Tony; King, Monica

    2000-01-01

    Presents a template for teaching traditional library research and one for incorporating the Web. Highlights include the differences between directories and search engines; devising search strategies; creating search terms; how to choose search engines; evaluating online resources; helpful Web sites; and how to read URLs to evaluate a Web site's…

  5. Syndromic surveillance of influenza activity in Sweden: an evaluation of three tools.

    PubMed

    Ma, T; Englund, H; Bjelkmar, P; Wallensten, A; Hulth, A

    2015-08-01

    An evaluation was conducted to determine which syndromic surveillance tools complement traditional surveillance by serving as earlier indicators of influenza activity in Sweden. Web queries, medical hotline statistics, and school absenteeism data were evaluated against two traditional surveillance tools. Cross-correlation calculations utilized aggregated weekly data for all-age, nationwide activity for four influenza seasons, from 2009/2010 to 2012/2013. The surveillance tool indicative of earlier influenza activity, by way of statistical and visual evidence, was identified. The web query algorithm and medical hotline statistics performed equally well as each other and to the traditional surveillance tools. School absenteeism data were not reliable resources for influenza surveillance. Overall, the syndromic surveillance tools did not perform with enough consistency in season lead nor in earlier timing of the peak week to be considered as early indicators. They do, however, capture incident cases before they have formally entered the primary healthcare system.

  6. SOMWeb: a semantic web-based system for supporting collaboration of distributed medical communities of practice.

    PubMed

    Falkman, Göran; Gustafsson, Marie; Jontell, Mats; Torgersson, Olof

    2008-08-26

    Information technology (IT) support for remote collaboration of geographically distributed communities of practice (CoP) in health care must deal with a number of sociotechnical aspects of communication within the community. In the mid-1990s, participants of the Swedish Oral Medicine Network (SOMNet) began discussing patient cases in telephone conferences. The cases were distributed prior to the conferences using PowerPoint and email. For the technical support of online CoP, Semantic Web technologies can potentially fulfill needs of knowledge reuse, data exchange, and reasoning based on ontologies. However, more research is needed on the use of Semantic Web technologies in practice. The objectives of this research were to (1) study the communication of distributed health care professionals in oral medicine; (2) apply Semantic Web technologies to describe community data and oral medicine knowledge; (3) develop an online CoP, Swedish Oral Medicine Web (SOMWeb), centered on user-contributed case descriptions and meetings; and (4) evaluate SOMWeb and study how work practices change with IT support. Based on Java, and using the Web Ontology Language and Resource Description Framework for handling community data and oral medicine knowledge, SOMWeb was developed using a user-centered and iterative approach. For studying the work practices and evaluating the system, a mixed-method approach of interviews, observations, and a questionnaire was used. By May 2008, there were 90 registered users of SOMWeb, 93 cases had been added, and 18 meetings had utilized the system. The introduction of SOMWeb has improved the structure of meetings and their discussions, and a tenfold increase in the number of participants has been observed. Users submit cases to seek advice on diagnosis or treatment, to show an unusual case, or to create discussion. Identified barriers to submitting cases are lack of time, concern about whether the case is interesting enough, and showing gaps in one's own knowledge. Three levels of member participation are discernable: a core group that contributes most cases and most meeting feedback; an active group that participates often but only sometimes contribute cases and feedback; and a large peripheral group that seldom or never contribute cases or feedback. SOMWeb is beneficial for individual clinicians as well as for the SOMNet community. The system provides an opportunity for its members to share both high quality clinical practice knowledge and external evidence related to complex oral medicine cases. The foundation in Semantic Web technologies enables formalization and structuring of case data that can be used for further reasoning and research. Main success factors are the long history of collaboration between different disciplines, the user-centered development approach, the existence of a "champion" within the field, and nontechnical community aspects already being in place.

  7. SOMWeb: A Semantic Web-Based System for Supporting Collaboration of Distributed Medical Communities of Practice

    PubMed Central

    Gustafsson, Marie; Jontell, Mats; Torgersson, Olof

    2008-01-01

    Background Information technology (IT) support for remote collaboration of geographically distributed communities of practice (CoP) in health care must deal with a number of sociotechnical aspects of communication within the community. In the mid-1990s, participants of the Swedish Oral Medicine Network (SOMNet) began discussing patient cases in telephone conferences. The cases were distributed prior to the conferences using PowerPoint and email. For the technical support of online CoP, Semantic Web technologies can potentially fulfill needs of knowledge reuse, data exchange, and reasoning based on ontologies. However, more research is needed on the use of Semantic Web technologies in practice. Objectives The objectives of this research were to (1) study the communication of distributed health care professionals in oral medicine; (2) apply Semantic Web technologies to describe community data and oral medicine knowledge; (3) develop an online CoP, Swedish Oral Medicine Web (SOMWeb), centered on user-contributed case descriptions and meetings; and (4) evaluate SOMWeb and study how work practices change with IT support. Methods Based on Java, and using the Web Ontology Language and Resource Description Framework for handling community data and oral medicine knowledge, SOMWeb was developed using a user-centered and iterative approach. For studying the work practices and evaluating the system, a mixed-method approach of interviews, observations, and a questionnaire was used. Results By May 2008, there were 90 registered users of SOMWeb, 93 cases had been added, and 18 meetings had utilized the system. The introduction of SOMWeb has improved the structure of meetings and their discussions, and a tenfold increase in the number of participants has been observed. Users submit cases to seek advice on diagnosis or treatment, to show an unusual case, or to create discussion. Identified barriers to submitting cases are lack of time, concern about whether the case is interesting enough, and showing gaps in one’s own knowledge. Three levels of member participation are discernable: a core group that contributes most cases and most meeting feedback; an active group that participates often but only sometimes contribute cases and feedback; and a large peripheral group that seldom or never contribute cases or feedback. Conclusions SOMWeb is beneficial for individual clinicians as well as for the SOMNet community. The system provides an opportunity for its members to share both high quality clinical practice knowledge and external evidence related to complex oral medicine cases. The foundation in Semantic Web technologies enables formalization and structuring of case data that can be used for further reasoning and research. Main success factors are the long history of collaboration between different disciplines, the user-centered development approach, the existence of a “champion” within the field, and nontechnical community aspects already being in place. PMID:18725355

  8. Monitoring and controlling ATLAS data management: The Rucio web user interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lassnig, M.; Beermann, T.; Vigne, R.; Barisits, M.; Garonne, V.; Serfon, C.

    2015-12-01

    The monitoring and controlling interfaces of the previous data management system DQ2 followed the evolutionary requirements and needs of the ATLAS collaboration. The new data management system, Rucio, has put in place a redesigned web-based interface based upon the lessons learnt from DQ2, and the increased volume of managed information. This interface encompasses both a monitoring and controlling component, and allows easy integration for usergenerated views. The interface follows three design principles. First, the collection and storage of data from internal and external systems is asynchronous to reduce latency. This includes the use of technologies like ActiveMQ or Nagios. Second, analysis of the data into information is done massively parallel due to its volume, using a combined approach with an Oracle database and Hadoop MapReduce. Third, sharing of the information does not distinguish between human or programmatic access, making it easy to access selective parts of the information both in constrained frontends like web-browsers as well as remote services. This contribution will detail the reasons for these principles and the design choices taken. Additionally, the implementation, the interactions with external systems, and an evaluation of the system in production, both from a technological and user perspective, conclude this contribution.

  9. Evaluation of physical activity web sites for use of behavior change theories.

    PubMed

    Doshi, Amol; Patrick, Kevin; Sallis, James F; Calfas, Karen

    2003-01-01

    Physical activity (PA) Web sites were assessed for their use of behavior change theories, including constructs of the health belief model, Transtheoretical Model, social cognitive theory, and the theory of reasoned action and planned behavior. An evaluation template for assessing PA Web sites was developed, and content validity and interrater reliability were demonstrated. Two independent raters evaluated 24 PA Web sites. Web sites varied widely in application of theory-based constructs, ranging from 5 to 48 on a 100-point scale. The most common intervention strategies were general information, social support, and realistic goal areas. Coverage of theory-based strategies was low, varying from 26% for social cognitive theory to 39% for health belief model. Overall, PA Web sites provided little assessment, feedback, or individually tailored assistance for users. They were unable to substantially tailor the on-line experience for users at different stages of change or different demographic characteristics.

  10. Safety and usability evaluation of a web-based insulin self-titration system for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Simon, Airin C R; Holleman, Frits; Gude, Wouter T; Hoekstra, Joost B L; Peute, Linda W; Jaspers, Monique W M; Peek, Niels

    2013-09-01

    The rising incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induces severe challenges for the health care system. Our research group developed a web-based system named PANDIT that provides T2DM patients with insulin dosing advice using state of the art clinical decision support technology. The PANDIT interface resembles a glucose diary and provides advice through pop-up messages. Diabetes nurses (DNs) also have access to the system, allowing them to intervene when needed. The objective of this study was to establish whether T2DM patients can safely use PANDIT at home. To this end, we assessed whether patients experience usability problems with a high risk of compromising patient safety when interacting with the system, and whether PANDIT's insulin dosing advice are clinically safe. The study population consisted of patients with T2DM (aged 18-80) who used a once daily basal insulin as well as DNs from a university hospital. The usability evaluation consisted of think-aloud sessions with four patients and three DNs. Video data, audio data and verbal utterances were analyzed for usability problems encountered during PANDIT interactions. Usability problems were rated by a physician and a usability expert according to their potential impact on patient safety. The usability evaluation was followed by an implementation with a duration of four weeks. This implementation took place at the patients' homes with ten patients to evaluate clinical safety of PANDIT advice. PANDIT advice were systematically compared with DN advice. Deviating advice were evaluated with respect to patient safety by a panel of experienced physicians, which specialized in diabetes care. We detected seventeen unique usability problems, none of which was judged to have a high risk of compromising patient safety. Most usability problems concerned the lay-out of the diary, which did not clearly indicate which data entry fields had to be entered in order to obtain an advice. 27 out of 74 (36.5%) PANDIT advice differed from those provided by DNs. However, only one of these (1.4%) was considered unsafe by the panel. T2DM patients with no prior experience with the web-based self-management system were capable of consulting the system without encountering significant usability problems. Furthermore, the large majority of PANDIT advice were considered clinically safe according to the expert panel. One advice was considered unsafe. This could however easily be corrected by implementing a small modification to the system's knowledge base. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Mapping care processes within a hospital: a web-based proposal merging enterprise modelling and ISO normative principles.

    PubMed

    Staccini, Pascal; Joubert, Michel; Quaranta, Jean-François; Fieschi, Marius

    2003-01-01

    Today, the economic and regulatory environment are pressuring hospitals and healthcare professionals to account for their results and methods of care delivery. The evaluation of the quality and the safety of care, the traceability of the acts performed and the evaluation of practices are some of the reasons underpinning current interest in clinical and hospital information systems. The structured collection of users' needs and system requirements is fundamental when installing such systems. This stage takes time and is generally misconstrued by caregivers and is of limited efficacy to analysis. We used a modelling technique designed for manufacturing processes (SADT: Structured Analysis and Design Technique). We enhanced the initial model of activity of this method and programmed a web-based tool in an object-oriented environment. This tool makes it possible to extract the data dictionary from the description of a given process and to locate documents (procedures, recommendations, instructions). Aimed at structuring needs and storing information provided by teams directly involved regarding the workings of an institution (or at least part of it), the process mapping approach has an important contribution to make in the analysis of clinical information systems.

  12. The development of an information system and installation of an Internet web database for the purposes of the occupational health and safety management system.

    PubMed

    Mavrikakis, I; Mantas, J; Diomidous, M

    2007-01-01

    This paper is based on the research on the possible structure of an information system for the purposes of occupational health and safety management. We initiated a questionnaire in order to find the possible interest on the part of potential users in the subject of occupational health and safety. The depiction of the potential interest is vital both for the software analysis cycle and development according to previous models. The evaluation of the results tends to create pilot applications among different enterprises. Documentation and process improvements ascertained quality of services, operational support, occupational health and safety advice are the basics of the above applications. Communication and codified information among intersted parts is the other target of the survey regarding health issues. Computer networks can offer such services. The network will consist of certain nodes responsible to inform executives on Occupational Health and Safety. A web database has been installed for inserting and searching documents. The submission of files to a server and the answers to questionnaires through the web help the experts to perform their activities. Based on the requirements of enterprises we have constructed a web file server. We submit files so that users can retrieve the files which they need. The access is limited to authorized users. Digital watermarks authenticate and protect digital objects.

  13. Developing a Web Platform to Support a Community of Practice: A Mixed Methods Study in Pediatric Physiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Pratte, Gabrielle; Hurtubise, Karen; Rivard, Lisa; Berbari, Jade; Camden, Chantal

    2018-01-01

    Web platforms are increasingly used to support virtual interactions between members of communities of practice (CoP). However, little is known about how to develop these platforms to support the implementation of best practices for health care professionals. The aim of this article is to explore pediatric physiotherapists' (PTs) perspectives regarding the utility and usability of the characteristic of a web platform developed to support virtual communities of practice (vCoP). This study adopted an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. A web platform supporting the interactions of vCoP members was developed for PTs working with children with developmental coordination disorder. Specific strategies and features were created to support the effectiveness of the platform across three domains: social, information-quality, and system-quality factors. Quantitative data were collected from a cross-sectional survey (n = 41) after 5 months of access to the web platform. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Qualitative data were also collected from semistructured interviews (n = 9), which were coded, interpreted, and analyzed by using Boucher's Web Ergonomics Conceptual Framework. The utility of web platform characteristics targeting the three key domain factors were generally perceived positively by PTs. However, web platform usability issues were noted by PTs, including problems with navigation and information retrieval. Web platform aiming to support vCoP should be carefully developed to target potential users' needs. Whenever possible, users should co-construct the web platform with vCoP developers. Moreover, each of the developed characteristics (eg, newsletter, search function) should be evaluated in terms of utility and usability for the users.

  14. 75 FR 27182 - Energy Conservation Program: Web-Based Compliance and Certification Management System

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-14

    ... Conservation Program: Web-Based Compliance and Certification Management System AGENCY: Office of Energy... certification reports to the Department of Energy (DOE) through an electronic Web-based tool, the Compliance and... following means: 1. Compliance and Certification Management System (CCMS)--via the Web portal: http...

  15. Digital roadway interactive visualization and evaluation network applications to WSDOT operational data usage.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-12-01

    DRIVE Net is a region-wide, Web-based transportation decision support system that adopts digital roadway maps as : the base, and provides data layers for integrating and analyzing a variety of data sources (e.g., traffic sensors, incident : records)....

  16. Patient-Centered Access to Secure Systems Online (PCASSO): a secure approach to clinical data access via the World Wide Web.

    PubMed Central

    Masys, D. R.; Baker, D. B.

    1997-01-01

    The Internet's World-Wide Web (WWW) provides an appealing medium for the communication of health related information due to its ease of use and growing popularity. But current technologies for communicating data between WWW clients and servers are systematically vulnerable to certain types of security threats. Prominent among these threats are "Trojan horse" programs running on client workstations, which perform some useful and known function for a user, while breaching security via background functions that are not apparent to the user. The Patient-Centered Access to Secure Systems Online (PCASSO) project of SAIC and UCSD is a research, development and evaluation project to exploit state-of-the-art security and WWW technology for health care. PCASSO is designed to provide secure access to clinical data for healthcare providers and their patients using the Internet. PCASSO will be evaluated for both safety and effectiveness, and may provide a model for secure communications via public data networks. PMID:9357644

  17. Using cumulative diet data and stable isotope analysis to determine trophic position of walleye Sander vitreus in a large, complex system

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fincel, Mark J.; James, Daniel A.; Chipps, Steven R.; Davis, Blake A.

    2014-01-01

    Diet studies have traditionally been used to determine prey use and food web dynamics, while stable isotope analysis provides for a time-integrated approach to evaluate food web dynamics and characterize energy flow in aquatic systems. Direct comparison of the two techniques is rare and difficult to conduct in large, species rich systems. We compared changes in walleye Sander vitreus trophic position (TP) derived from paired diet content and stable isotope analysis. Individual diet-derived TP estimates were dissimilar to stable isotope-derived TP estimates. However, cumulative diet-derived TP estimates integrated from May 2001 to May 2002 corresponded to May 2002 isotope-derived estimates of TP. Average walleye TP estimates from the spring season appear representative of feeding throughout the entire previous year.

  18. Information Retrieval System for Japanese Standard Disease-Code Master Using XML Web Service

    PubMed Central

    Hatano, Kenji; Ohe, Kazuhiko

    2003-01-01

    Information retrieval system of Japanese Standard Disease-Code Master Using XML Web Service is developed. XML Web Service is a new distributed processing system by standard internet technologies. With seamless remote method invocation of XML Web Service, users are able to get the latest disease code master information from their rich desktop applications or internet web sites, which refer to this service. PMID:14728364

  19. Recent advancements on the development of web-based applications for the implementation of seismic analysis and surveillance systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Friberg, P. A.; Luis, R. S.; Quintiliani, M.; Lisowski, S.; Hunter, S.

    2014-12-01

    Recently, a novel set of modules has been included in the Open Source Earthworm seismic data processing system, supporting the use of web applications. These include the Mole sub-system, for storing relevant event data in a MySQL database (see M. Quintiliani and S. Pintore, SRL, 2013), and an embedded webserver, Moleserv, for serving such data to web clients in QuakeML format. These modules have enabled, for the first time using Earthworm, the use of web applications for seismic data processing. These can greatly simplify the operation and maintenance of seismic data processing centers by having one or more servers providing the relevant data as well as the data processing applications themselves to client machines running arbitrary operating systems.Web applications with secure online web access allow operators to work anywhere, without the often cumbersome and bandwidth hungry use of secure shell or virtual private networks. Furthermore, web applications can seamlessly access third party data repositories to acquire additional information, such as maps. Finally, the usage of HTML email brought the possibility of specialized web applications, to be used in email clients. This is the case of EWHTMLEmail, which produces event notification emails that are in fact simple web applications for plotting relevant seismic data.Providing web services as part of Earthworm has enabled a number of other tools as well. One is ISTI's EZ Earthworm, a web based command and control system for an otherwise command line driven system; another is a waveform web service. The waveform web service serves Earthworm data to additional web clients for plotting, picking, and other web-based processing tools. The current Earthworm waveform web service hosts an advanced plotting capability for providing views of event-based waveforms from a Mole database served by Moleserve.The current trend towards the usage of cloud services supported by web applications is driving improvements in JavaScript, css and HTML, as well as faster and more efficient web browsers, including mobile. It is foreseeable that in the near future, web applications are as powerful and efficient as native applications. Hence the work described here has been the first step towards bringing the Open Source Earthworm seismic data processing system to this new paradigm.

  20. Answering the Call of the Web: UVA Crafts a Innovative Web Certification Program for Its Staff.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Sandra T.

    2000-01-01

    Describes the development of a Web Certification Program at the University of Virginia. This program offers certificates at three levels: Web Basics, Web Designer, and Web Master. The paper focuses on: determination of criteria for awarding certificates; program status; program evaluation and program effectiveness; and future plans for the Web…

  1. WebCHECK: The Website Evaluation Instrument

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Small, Ruth V.; Arnone, Marilyn P.

    2014-01-01

    Just as with print resources, as the number of Web-based resources continues to soar, the need to evaluate them has become a critical information skill for both children and adults. This is particularly true for schools where librarians often are called on to recommend Web resources to classroom teachers, parents, and students, and to support…

  2. Teaching Web Evaluation: A Cognitive Development Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benjes-Small, Candice; Archer, Alyssa; Tucker, Katelyn; Vassady, Lisa; Resor, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Web evaluation has been a standard information literacy offering for years and has always been a challenging topic for instruction librarians. Over time, the authors had tried a myriad of strategies to teach freshmen how to assess the credibility of Web sites but felt the efforts were insufficient. By familiarizing themselves with the cognitive…

  3. Assimilation of Web-Based Urgent Stroke Evaluation: A Qualitative Study of Two Networks

    PubMed Central

    Mathiassen, Lars; Switzer, Jeffrey A; Adams, Robert J

    2014-01-01

    Background Stroke is a leading cause of death and serious, long-term disability across the world. Urgent stroke care treatment is time-sensitive and requires a stroke-trained neurologist for clinical diagnosis. Rural areas, where neurologists and stroke specialists are lacking, have a high incidence of stroke-related death and disability. By virtually connecting emergency department physicians in rural hospitals to regional medical centers for consultations, specialized Web-based stroke evaluation systems (telestroke) have helped address the challenge of urgent stroke care in underserved communities. However, many rural hospitals that have deployed telestroke have not fully assimilated this technology. Objective The objective of this study was to explore potential sources of variations in the utilization of a Web-based telestroke system for urgent stroke evaluation and propose a telestroke assimilation model to improve stroke care performance. Methods An exploratory, qualitative case study of two telestroke networks, each comprising an academic stroke center (hub) and connected rural hospitals (spokes), was conducted. Data were collected from 50 semistructured interviews with 40 stakeholders, telestroke usage logs from 32 spokes, site visits, published papers, and reports. Results The two networks used identical technology (called Remote Evaluation of Acute isCHemic stroke, REACH) and were of similar size and complexity, but showed large variations in telestroke assimilation across spokes. Several observed hub- and spoke-related characteristics can explain these variations. The hub-related characteristics included telestroke institutionalization into stroke care, resources for the telestroke program, ongoing support for stroke readiness of spokes, telestroke performance monitoring, and continuous telestroke process improvement. The spoke-related characteristics included managerial telestroke championship, stroke center certification, dedicated telestroke coordinator, stroke committee of key stakeholders, local neurological expertise, and continuous telestroke process improvement. Conclusions Rural hospitals can improve their stroke readiness with use of telestroke systems. However, they need to integrate the technology into their stroke delivery processes. A telestroke assimilation model may improve stroke care performance. PMID:25601232

  4. Multiparametric MRI of intracranial aneurysms treated with the Woven EndoBridge (WEB): a case of Faraday's cage?

    PubMed

    Nawka, Marie Teresa; Sedlacik, Jan; Frölich, Andreas; Bester, Maxim; Fiehler, Jens; Buhk, Jan-Hendrik

    2018-02-10

    To evaluate multiparametric MRI including non-contrast and contrast-enhanced morphological and angiographic techniques for intracranial aneurysms treated with the single-layer Woven EndoBridge (WEB) embolization system applying simultaneous digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the reference of standard. We retrospectively identified all patients with incidental and acute ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with a WEB device (WEB SL and WEB SLS) between March 2014 and June 2016 in our neurovascular center with early (within 7 days) postinterventional multiparametric MRI as well as mid-term (5-8 months) follow-up MRI and DSA available. Occlusion rates were recorded both in DSA and MR angiography (MRA). In MRI, signal intensities within the WEB as well as in the occluded dome distal to the WEB, if present, were measured by region-of-interest (ROI) analysis. Twenty-five patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Rates of complete/adequate occlusion at mid-term follow-up were 84% with both MRA and DSA. A strong signal loss within the WEB was observed in all MR sequences at initial and follow-up examinations. ROI analysis did not reveal significant differences in non-contrast (P=0.946) and contrast-enhanced imaging (P=0.377). A T1-hyperintense thrombus in the non-WEB-carrying dome was a frequent observation. Signal intensity measurements in multiparametric MRI suggest that neither contrast-enhanced MRA nor morphological sequences are capable of revealing reliable information on the WEB lumen, presumably due to radio frequency shielding. MRI is therefore not suitable for confirming complete thrombus formation within the WEB. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  5. Integration of Grid and Sensor Web for Flood Monitoring and Risk Assessment from Heterogeneous Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kussul, Nataliia; Skakun, Sergii; Shelestov, Andrii

    2013-04-01

    Over last decades we have witnessed the upward global trend in natural disaster occurrence. Hydrological and meteorological disasters such as floods are the main contributors to this pattern. In recent years flood management has shifted from protection against floods to managing the risks of floods (the European Flood risk directive). In order to enable operational flood monitoring and assessment of flood risk, it is required to provide an infrastructure with standardized interfaces and services. Grid and Sensor Web can meet these requirements. In this paper we present a general approach to flood monitoring and risk assessment based on heterogeneous geospatial data acquired from multiple sources. To enable operational flood risk assessment integration of Grid and Sensor Web approaches is proposed [1]. Grid represents a distributed environment that integrates heterogeneous computing and storage resources administrated by multiple organizations. SensorWeb is an emerging paradigm for integrating heterogeneous satellite and in situ sensors and data systems into a common informational infrastructure that produces products on demand. The basic Sensor Web functionality includes sensor discovery, triggering events by observed or predicted conditions, remote data access and processing capabilities to generate and deliver data products. Sensor Web is governed by the set of standards, called Sensor Web Enablement (SWE), developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). Different practical issues regarding integration of Sensor Web with Grids are discussed in the study. We show how the Sensor Web can benefit from using Grids and vice versa. For example, Sensor Web services such as SOS, SPS and SAS can benefit from the integration with the Grid platform like Globus Toolkit. The proposed approach is implemented within the Sensor Web framework for flood monitoring and risk assessment, and a case-study of exploiting this framework, namely the Namibia SensorWeb Pilot Project, is described. The project was created as a testbed for evaluating and prototyping key technologies for rapid acquisition and distribution of data products for decision support systems to monitor floods and enable flood risk assessment. The system provides access to real-time products on rainfall estimates and flood potential forecast derived from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) mission with lag time of 6 h, alerts from the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) with lag time of 4 h, and the Coupled Routing and Excess STorage (CREST) model to generate alerts. These are alerts are used to trigger satellite observations. With deployed SPS service for NASA's EO-1 satellite it is possible to automatically task sensor with re-image capability of less 8 h. Therefore, with enabled computational and storage services provided by Grid and cloud infrastructure it was possible to generate flood maps within 24-48 h after trigger was alerted. To enable interoperability between system components and services OGC-compliant standards are utilized. [1] Hluchy L., Kussul N., Shelestov A., Skakun S., Kravchenko O., Gripich Y., Kopp P., Lupian E., "The Data Fusion Grid Infrastructure: Project Objectives and Achievements," Computing and Informatics, 2010, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 319-334.

  6. The Use of Web Search Engines in Information Science Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bar-Ilan, Judit

    2004-01-01

    Reviews the literature on the use of Web search engines in information science research, including: ways users interact with Web search engines; social aspects of searching; structure and dynamic nature of the Web; link analysis; other bibliometric applications; characterizing information on the Web; search engine evaluation and improvement; and…

  7. Extracting Macroscopic Information from Web Links.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thelwall, Mike

    2001-01-01

    Discussion of Web-based link analysis focuses on an evaluation of Ingversen's proposed external Web Impact Factor for the original use of the Web, namely the interlinking of academic research. Studies relationships between academic hyperlinks and research activities for British universities and discusses the use of search engines for Web link…

  8. Web usability evaluation on BloobIS website by using hallway usability testing method and ISO 9241:11

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dwi Susanto, Tony; Ingesti Prasetyo, Anisa; Astuti, Hanim Maria

    2018-03-01

    At this moment, the need for web as an information media is highly important. Not only confined in the infotainment area, government, and education, but health as well uses the web media as a medium for providing information effectively. BloobIS is a web based application which integrates blood supply and distribution information at the Blood Transfusion Unit. Knowing how easy information is on BloobIS is marked by how convenient the website is used. Up until now, the BloobIS website is nearing completion but testing has not yet been performed to users and is on the testing and development phase in the Development Life Cycle software. Thus, an evaluation namely the quality control software which focuses on the perspective of BloobIs web usability is required. Hallway Usability Testing and ISO 9241:11 are the methods chosen to measure the BloobIS application usability. The expected outputs of the quality control software focusing on the usability evaluation are being able to rectify the usability deficiencies on the BloobIs web and provide recommendations to develop the web as a basic BloobIS web quality upgraed which sets a goal to amplify the satisfaction of web users based on usability factors in ISO 9241:11.

  9. 78 FR 66420 - Proposed Enhancements to the Motor Carrier Safety Measurement System (SMS) Public Web Site

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-05

    ...-0392] Proposed Enhancements to the Motor Carrier Safety Measurement System (SMS) Public Web Site AGENCY... on the Agency's Safety Measurement System (SMS) public Web site. FMCSA first announced the... public Web site that are the direct result of feedback from stakeholders regarding the information...

  10. ITMS: Individualized Teaching Material System: Adaptive Integration of Web Pages Distributed in Some Servers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitsuhara, Hiroyuki; Kurose, Yoshinobu; Ochi, Youji; Yano, Yoneo

    The authors developed a Web-based Adaptive Educational System (Web-based AES) named ITMS (Individualized Teaching Material System). ITMS adaptively integrates knowledge on the distributed Web pages and generates individualized teaching material that has various contents. ITMS also presumes the learners' knowledge levels from the states of their…

  11. Concepts and Technologies for a Comprehensive Information System for Historical Research and Heritage Documentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henze, F.; Magdalinski, N.; Schwarzbach, F.; Schulze, A.; Gerth, Ph.; Schäfer, F.

    2013-07-01

    Information systems play an important role in historical research as well as in heritage documentation. As part of a joint research project of the German Archaeological Institute, the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus and the Dresden University of Applied Sciences a web-based documentation system is currently being developed, which can easily be adapted to the needs of different projects with individual scientific concepts, methods and questions. Based on open source and standardized technologies it will focus on open and well-documented interfaces to ease the dissemination and re-use of its content via web-services and to communicate with desktop applications for further evaluation and analysis. Core of the system is a generic data model that represents a wide range of topics and methods of archaeological work. By the provision of a concerted amount of initial themes and attributes a cross project analysis of research data will be possible. The development of enhanced search and retrieval functionalities will simplify the processing and handling of large heterogeneous data sets. To achieve a high degree of interoperability with existing external data, systems and applications, standardized interfaces will be integrated. The analysis of spatial data shall be possible through the integration of web-based GIS functions. As an extension to this, customized functions for storage, processing and provision of 3D geo data are being developed. As part of the contribution system requirements and concepts will be presented and discussed. A particular focus will be on introducing the generic data model and the derived database schema. The research work on enhanced search and retrieval capabilities will be illustrated by prototypical developments, as well as concepts and first implementations for an integrated 2D/3D Web-GIS.

  12. Web usage data mining agent

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madiraju, Praveen; Zhang, Yanqing

    2002-03-01

    When a user logs in to a website, behind the scenes the user leaves his/her impressions, usage patterns and also access patterns in the web servers log file. A web usage mining agent can analyze these web logs to help web developers to improve the organization and presentation of their websites. They can help system administrators in improving the system performance. Web logs provide invaluable help in creating adaptive web sites and also in analyzing the network traffic analysis. This paper presents the design and implementation of a Web usage mining agent for digging in to the web log files.

  13. WebCIS: large scale deployment of a Web-based clinical information system.

    PubMed

    Hripcsak, G; Cimino, J J; Sengupta, S

    1999-01-01

    WebCIS is a Web-based clinical information system. It sits atop the existing Columbia University clinical information system architecture, which includes a clinical repository, the Medical Entities Dictionary, an HL7 interface engine, and an Arden Syntax based clinical event monitor. WebCIS security features include authentication with secure tokens, authorization maintained in an LDAP server, SSL encryption, permanent audit logs, and application time outs. WebCIS is currently used by 810 physicians at the Columbia-Presbyterian center of New York Presbyterian Healthcare to review and enter data into the electronic medical record. Current deployment challenges include maintaining adequate database performance despite complex queries, replacing large numbers of computers that cannot run modern Web browsers, and training users that have never logged onto the Web. Although the raised expectations and higher goals have increased deployment costs, the end result is a far more functional, far more available system.

  14. Academic medical center libraries on the Web.

    PubMed Central

    Tannery, N H; Wessel, C B

    1998-01-01

    Academic medical center libraries are moving towards publishing electronically, utilizing networked technologies, and creating digital libraries. The catalyst for this movement has been the Web. An analysis of academic medical center library Web pages was undertaken to assess the information created and communicated in early 1997. A summary of present uses and suggestions for future applications is provided. A method for evaluating and describing the content of library Web sites was designed. The evaluation included categorizing basic information such as description and access to library services, access to commercial databases, and use of interactive forms. The main goal of the evaluation was to assess original resources produced by these libraries. PMID:9803298

  15. Development and evaluation of online evidence based guideline bank system.

    PubMed

    Park, Myonghwa

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate the online evidence-based nursing practice guideline bank system to support the best evidence-based decision in the clinical and community practice settings. The main homepage consisted of seven modules for introduction of site, EBN, guideline bank, guideline development, guideline review, related sites, and community. The major contents in the guidelines were purpose, developer, intended audience, method of development, target population, testing, knowledge components, and evaluation. Electronic versions of the guidelines were displayed by XML, PDF, and PDA versions. The system usability were evaluated by general users, guideline developers, and guideline reviewers on the web and the results showed high scores of satisfaction. This online evidence-based guideline bank system could support nurses' best and cost-effective clinical decision using the sharable standardized guidelines with education module of evidence based nursing.

  16. 78 FR 29159 - Electric Power Research Institute; Seismic Evaluation Guidance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-17

    ..., conducted field investigations, and used more recent methods than were previously available. In performing... available, by searching on http://www.regulations.gov under Docket ID NRC-2013-0038. Federal Rulemaking Web... Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may access publicly-available documents online...

  17. Evaluation of Education and Outreach Methods and Strategies - A Case Study of a Web-Based Rail Safety Education Initiative

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-04-01

    The U. S. Department of Transportations (U.S. DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administrations (RITA) John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), under the direction of the U.S. DOT Federal Railroad Administratio...

  18. Type 1 diabetes self-management: developing a web-based telemedicine application.

    PubMed

    Ayatollahi, Haleh; Hasannezhad, Mostafa; Fard, Hedieh Saneei; Haghighi, Mehran Kamkar

    2016-04-01

    Self-management skills are essential for patients with diabetes mellitus to minimise the risks of complications from their condition. The aim of this research was to develop a web-based application for self-management of type 1 diabetes, suitable for use by patients, their carers and physicians. The study was comprised of two phases, the first being analysis of the kind of information and capabilities required by potential users of the system. Based on the results derived from the first phase of the study, the system prototype was designed and then evaluated using the 'think aloud' method and a standard questionnaire. The application was designed for use by patients, their carers and physicians. Patients could enter the level of blood glucose, insulin and activities on a daily basis, and physicians were able to supervise a patient's health status from a distance. Users were generally satisfied with the final version of the system. People with a wide range of literacy skills were able to use the system effectively. Patients or their carers could use the web-based application as a log book by entering the level of blood glucose and insulin doses on a regular basis, and as an educational resource to improve self-management skills. Physicians could use the system at any time convenient to them to support patients by giving medical advice. Further research is needed to report the effectiveness of the system in practice.

  19. HydroViz: A web-based hydrologic observatory for enhancing hydrology and earth-science education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Habib, E. H.; Ma, Y.; Williams, D.

    2010-12-01

    The main goal of this study is to develop a virtual hydrologic observatory (HydroViz) that integrates hydrologic field observations with numerical simulations by taking advantage of advances in hydrologic field & remote sensing data, computer modeling, scientific visualization, and web resources and internet accessibility. The HydroViz system is a web-based teaching tool that can run on any web browsers. It leverages the strength of Google Earth to provide authentic and hands-on activities to improve learning. Evaluation of the HydroViz was performed in three engineering courses (a senior level course and two Introductory courses at two different universities). Evaluation results indicate that HydroViz provides an improvement over existing engineering hydrology curriculum. HydroViz was effective in facilitating students’ learning and understanding of hydrologic concepts & increasing related skills. HydroViz was much more effective for students in engineering hydrology classes rather than at the freshmen introduction to civil engineering class. We found that HydroViz has great potential for freshmen audience. Even though HydroViz was challenging to some freshmen, most of them still learned the key concepts and the tool increased the enthusiasm for half of the freshmen. The evaluation provided suggestions to create a simplified version of HydroViz for freshmen-level courses students. It identified concepts and tasks that might be too challenging or irrelevant to the freshmen and areas where we could provide more guidance in the tool. After the first round of evaluation, the development team has made significant improvements to HydroViz, which would further improve its effectiveness for next round of class applications which is planned for the Fall of 2010 to take place in 5 classes at 4 different institutions.

  20. Discectomy-related information on the internet: does the quality follow the surge?

    PubMed

    Elhassan, Yahya; Sheridan, Gerard; Nassiri, Mujtaba; Osman, Mugtaba; Kiely, Pat; Noel, Jacques

    2015-01-15

    A quality-control Internet-based study using recognized quality-scoring systems. To evaluate the quality of information available on the Internet. Quality of health information on the Internet is of much concern and the emphasis for appraisal of Internet Web sites is needed. This study is to determine if it has improved with the surge in Internet usage. The 3 most commonly used search engines were identified and a search for "Discectomy" was performed on each. Two reviewers categorized the Web sites according to their types and the quality of each was assessed using recognized scoring systems including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark, DISCERN score, and discectomy-specific content score. The quality of the information was also assessed according to the presence and absence of the Health on the Net code. Fifty-three Web sites were identified, and analyzed. Commercial Web sites were predominant, 24 of them were identified, 7 were governmental, 6 were produced by physicians, none were produced by allied health professionals, 3 were academic, 4 were public health information Web sites, 4 were attached to social media and discussion groups, 3 were related to media, and 2 were unspecified. Internet sites with a Health on the Net code demonstrated significantly higher quality than those without the code (P < 0.0001). Public health information Web sites attained the highest overall DISCERN and discectomy-specific scores followed by Web sites of the government and nonprofit organizations. The overall quality of information regarding discectomy remains poor and variable despite an exponential increase in the number of users and Web sites, with a slight trend toward improvement, only 20% to 30% are of good quality, compared with that 10 years ago (<10%). Presence of Health on the Net code is a very reliable marker for health information quality.

  1. Subject-enabled analytics model on measurement statistics in health risk expert system for public health informatics.

    PubMed

    Chung, Chi-Jung; Kuo, Yu-Chen; Hsieh, Yun-Yu; Li, Tsai-Chung; Lin, Cheng-Chieh; Liang, Wen-Miin; Liao, Li-Na; Li, Chia-Ing; Lin, Hsueh-Chun

    2017-11-01

    This study applied open source technology to establish a subject-enabled analytics model that can enhance measurement statistics of case studies with the public health data in cloud computing. The infrastructure of the proposed model comprises three domains: 1) the health measurement data warehouse (HMDW) for the case study repository, 2) the self-developed modules of online health risk information statistics (HRIStat) for cloud computing, and 3) the prototype of a Web-based process automation system in statistics (PASIS) for the health risk assessment of case studies with subject-enabled evaluation. The system design employed freeware including Java applications, MySQL, and R packages to drive a health risk expert system (HRES). In the design, the HRIStat modules enforce the typical analytics methods for biomedical statistics, and the PASIS interfaces enable process automation of the HRES for cloud computing. The Web-based model supports both modes, step-by-step analysis and auto-computing process, respectively for preliminary evaluation and real time computation. The proposed model was evaluated by computing prior researches in relation to the epidemiological measurement of diseases that were caused by either heavy metal exposures in the environment or clinical complications in hospital. The simulation validity was approved by the commercial statistics software. The model was installed in a stand-alone computer and in a cloud-server workstation to verify computing performance for a data amount of more than 230K sets. Both setups reached efficiency of about 10 5 sets per second. The Web-based PASIS interface can be used for cloud computing, and the HRIStat module can be flexibly expanded with advanced subjects for measurement statistics. The analytics procedure of the HRES prototype is capable of providing assessment criteria prior to estimating the potential risk to public health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Web 2.0 systems supporting childhood chronic disease management: A pattern language representation of a general architecture

    PubMed Central

    Timpka, Toomas; Eriksson, Henrik; Ludvigsson, Johnny; Ekberg, Joakim; Nordfeldt, Sam; Hanberger, Lena

    2008-01-01

    Background Chronic disease management is a global health concern. By the time they reach adolescence, 10–15% of all children live with a chronic disease. The role of educational interventions in facilitating adaptation to chronic disease is receiving growing recognition, and current care policies advocate greater involvement of patients in self-care. Web 2.0 is an umbrella term for new collaborative Internet services characterized by user participation in developing and managing content. Key elements include Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to rapidly disseminate awareness of new information; weblogs (blogs) to describe new trends, wikis to share knowledge, and podcasts to make information available on personal media players. This study addresses the potential to develop Web 2.0 services for young persons with a chronic disease. It is acknowledged that the management of childhood chronic disease is based on interplay between initiatives and resources on the part of patients, relatives, and health care professionals, and where the balance shifts over time to the patients and their families. Methods Participatory action research was used to stepwise define a design specification in the form of a pattern language. Support for children diagnosed with diabetes Type 1 was used as the example area. Each individual design pattern was determined graphically using card sorting methods, and textually in the form Title, Context, Problem, Solution, Examples and References. Application references were included at the lowest level in the graphical overview in the pattern language but not specified in detail in the textual descriptions. Results The design patterns are divided into functional and non-functional design elements, and formulated at the levels of organizational, system, and application design. The design elements specify access to materials for development of the competences needed for chronic disease management in specific community settings, endorsement of self-learning through online peer-to-peer communication, and systematic accreditation and evaluation of materials and processes. Conclusion The use of design patterns allows representing the core design elements of a Web 2.0 system upon which an 'ecological' development of content respecting these constraints can be built. Future research should include evaluations of Web 2.0 systems implemented according to the architecture in practice settings. PMID:19040738

  3. Comparative Effectiveness of Web-Based vs. Educator-Delivered HIV Prevention for Adolescent Substance Users: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Marsch, Lisa A; Guarino, Honoria; Grabinski, Michael J; Syckes, Cassandra; Dillingham, Elaine T; Xie, Haiyi; Crosier, Benjamin S

    2015-12-01

    Young people who engage in substance use are at risk for becoming infected with HIV and diseases with similar transmission dynamics. Effective disease prevention programs delivered by prevention specialists exist but are rarely provided in systems of care due to staffing/resource constraints and operational barriers-and are thus of limited reach. Web-based prevention interventions could possibly offer an effective alternative to prevention specialist-delivered interventions and may enable widespread, cost-effective access to evidence-based prevention programming. Previous research has shown the HIV/disease prevention program within the Web-based therapeutic education system (TES) to be an effective adjunct to a prevention specialist-delivered intervention. The present study was the first randomized, clinical trial to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of this Web-based intervention as a standalone intervention relative to a traditional, prevention specialist-delivered intervention. Adolescents entering outpatient treatment for substance use participated in this multi-site trial. Participants were randomly assigned to either a traditional intervention delivered by a prevention specialist (n=72) or the Web-delivered TES intervention (n=69). Intervention effectiveness was assessed by evaluating changes in participants' knowledge about HIV, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections, intentions to engage in safer sex, sex-related risk behavior, self-efficacy to use condoms, and condom use skills. Participants in the TES intervention achieved significant and comparable increases in HIV/disease-related knowledge, condom use self-efficacy, and condom use skills and comparable decreases in HIV risk behavior relative to participants who received the intervention delivered by a prevention specialist. Participants rated TES as easier to understand. This study indicates that TES is as effective as HIV/disease prevention delivered by a prevention specialist. Because technology-based interventions such as TES have high fidelity, are inexpensive and scalable, and can be implemented in a wide variety of settings, they have the potential to greatly increase access to effective prevention programming. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. A multi-method pilot evaluation of an online diabetes exercise system.

    PubMed

    Schaarup, Clara; Hejlesen, Ole K

    2015-01-01

    The American Diabetes Association and The European Association of The Study of Diabetes recommend people with Type 2 diabetes to do moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for 150 min per week to avoid late diabetic complications. However, most people with diabetes do not follow the recommendation. Consumer health information technology (CHIT) might play a role in supporting behavior changes that promote health and well-being. A CHIT prototype of an online diabetes exercise system, which contained the newest research of low volume high-intensity interval training (HIT), was developed. To test the system we used a multi-method pilot evaluation that includes; interviews, paper prototyping, heuristic evaluation, and test with patients. The patients expressed satisfaction with HIT and appreciated that the system was web-based. The findings from this pilot study inspire to further development and evaluation of online CHIT systems to diabetics.

  5. eHealth System for Collecting and Utilizing Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Personalized Treatment and Care (PROMPT-Care) Among Cancer Patients: Mixed Methods Approach to Evaluate Feasibility and Acceptability.

    PubMed

    Girgis, Afaf; Durcinoska, Ivana; Levesque, Janelle V; Gerges, Martha; Sandell, Tiffany; Arnold, Anthony; Delaney, Geoff P

    2017-10-02

    Despite accumulating evidence indicating that collecting patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and transferring results to the treating health professional in real time has the potential to improve patient well-being and cancer outcomes, this practice is not widespread. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of PROMPT-Care (Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Personalized Treatment and Care), a newly developed electronic health (eHealth) system that facilitates PRO data capture from cancer patients, data linkage and retrieval to support clinical decisions and patient self-management, and data retrieval to support ongoing evaluation and innovative research. We developed an eHealth system in consultation with content-specific expert advisory groups and tested it with patients receiving treatment or follow-up care in two hospitals in New South Wales, Australia, over a 3-month period. Participants were recruited in clinic and completed self-report Web-based assessments either just before their upcoming clinical consultation or every 4 weeks if in follow-up care. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate feasibility and acceptability of PROMPT-Care; data collected throughout the study informed the accuracy and completeness of data transfer procedures, and extent of missing data was determined from participants' assessments. Patients participated in cognitive interviews while completing their first assessment and completed evaluation surveys and interviews at study-end to assess system acceptability and usefulness of patient self-management resources, and oncology staff were interviewed at study-end to determine the acceptability and perceived usefulness of real-time PRO reporting. A total of 42 patients consented to the study; 7 patients were withdrawn before starting the intervention primarily because of changes in eligibility. Overall, 35 patients (13 on treatment and 22 in follow-up) completed 67 assessments during the study period. Mean completeness of patient-reported data was 93%, with 100% accuracy of data transfer. Ten patients completed cognitive interviews, 28 completed evaluation surveys, and 14 completed evaluation interviews at study-end. PROMPT-Care patient acceptability was high-100% (28/28) reported the time to complete the Web-based assessments (average 15 min) as about right, most willing to answer more questions (79%, 22/28 yes), 96% (27/28) found the Web-based assessment easier or same as completing a paper copy, and they valued the self-management resources . Oncology staff (n=5) also reported high acceptability and potential feasibility of the system. Patients and oncology staff found the PROMPT-Care system to be highly acceptable, and the results suggest that it would be feasible to implement it into an oncology setting. Suggested modifications to the patient assessment survey, clinician access to the reports, and system requirements will be made as part of the next stage of large-scale testing and future implementation of the system as part of routine care. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN1261500135294; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=369299&isReview=true (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6lzylG5A0). ©Afaf Girgis, Ivana Durcinoska, Janelle V Levesque, Martha Gerges, Tiffany Sandell, Anthony Arnold, Geoff P Delaney, The PROMPT-Care Program Group. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 02.10.2017.

  6. Patterns of usage for a Web-based clinical information system.

    PubMed

    Chen, Elizabeth S; Cimino, James J

    2004-01-01

    Understanding how clinicians are using clinical information systems to assist with their everyday tasks is valuable to the system design and development process. Developers of such systems are interested in monitoring usage in order to make enhancements. System log files are rich resources for gaining knowledge about how the system is being used. We have analyzed the log files of our Web-based clinical information system (WebCIS) to obtain various usage statistics including which WebCIS features are frequently being used. We have also identified usage patterns, which convey how the user is traversing the system. We present our method and these results as well as describe how the results can be used to customize menus, shortcut lists, and patient reports in WebCIS and similar systems.

  7. WWW Motivation Mining: Finding Treasures for Teaching Evaluation Skills, Grades 1-6. Professional Growth Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnone, Marilyn P.; Small, Ruth V.

    Designed for elementary or middle school teachers and library media specialists, this book provides educators with practical, easy-to-use ways of applying motivation assessment techniques when selecting World Wide Web sites for inclusion in their lessons and offers concrete examples of how to use Web evaluation with young learners. WebMAC…

  8. Teaching E-Commerce Web Page Evaluation and Design: A Pilot Study Using Tourism Destination Sites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Susser, Bernard; Ariga, Taeko

    2006-01-01

    This study explores a teaching method for improving business students' skills in e-commerce page evaluation and making Web design majors aware of business content issues through cooperative learning. Two groups of female students at a Japanese university studying either tourism or Web page design were assigned tasks that required cooperation to…

  9. Applying Constructivist and Objectivist Learning Theories in the Design of a Web-based Course: Implications for Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moallem, Mahnaz

    2001-01-01

    Provides an overview of the process of designing and developing a Web-based course using instructional design principles and models, including constructivist and objectivist theories. Explains the process of implementing an instructional design model in designing a Web-based undergraduate course and evaluates the model based on course evaluations.…

  10. An Evaluation of a Nutrition WebQuest: The Malaysian Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wui, Lee Sheh; Saat, Rohaida Mohd.

    2008-01-01

    The main purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate a WebQuest instruction on Nutrition using WebQuest template, known as NutriQuest. NutriQuest was developed to improve Form 2 students' understanding of fundamental nutrition concepts and its application in daily life, to improve critical and creative thinking skills and to enhance…

  11. Web Accessibility and Usability of the Homepages from Academy of Human Resource Development Members' Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zeng, Xiaoming; Sligar, Steven R.

    2008-01-01

    Human resource development programs in various institutions communicate with their constituencies including persons with disabilities through websites. Web sites need to be accessible for legal, economic and ethical reasons. We used an automated web usability evaluation tool, aDesigner, to evaluate 205 home pages from the organizations of AHRD…

  12. Satisfiers and Dissatisfiers: A Two-Factor Model for Website Design and Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhang, Ping; von Dran, Gisela M.

    2000-01-01

    Investigates Web site design factors and their impact from a theoretical perspective. Presents a two-factor model that can guide Web site design and evaluation. According to the model, there are two types of design factors: hygiene and motivator. Results showed that the two-factor model provides a means for Web-user interface studies. Provides…

  13. Collaborative biocuration--text-mining development task for document prioritization for curation.

    PubMed

    Wiegers, Thomas C; Davis, Allan Peter; Mattingly, Carolyn J

    2012-01-01

    The Critical Assessment of Information Extraction systems in Biology (BioCreAtIvE) challenge evaluation is a community-wide effort for evaluating text mining and information extraction systems for the biological domain. The 'BioCreative Workshop 2012' subcommittee identified three areas, or tracks, that comprised independent, but complementary aspects of data curation in which they sought community input: literature triage (Track I); curation workflow (Track II) and text mining/natural language processing (NLP) systems (Track III). Track I participants were invited to develop tools or systems that would effectively triage and prioritize articles for curation and present results in a prototype web interface. Training and test datasets were derived from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD; http://ctdbase.org) and consisted of manuscripts from which chemical-gene-disease data were manually curated. A total of seven groups participated in Track I. For the triage component, the effectiveness of participant systems was measured by aggregate gene, disease and chemical 'named-entity recognition' (NER) across articles; the effectiveness of 'information retrieval' (IR) was also measured based on 'mean average precision' (MAP). Top recall scores for gene, disease and chemical NER were 49, 65 and 82%, respectively; the top MAP score was 80%. Each participating group also developed a prototype web interface; these interfaces were evaluated based on functionality and ease-of-use by CTD's biocuration project manager. In this article, we present a detailed description of the challenge and a summary of the results.

  14. Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web-Based and Mobile Devices

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-05-01

    Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web-Based and Mobile Devices Walt Scacchi and Thomas...2015 to 00-00-2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Achieving Better Buying Power through Acquisition of Open Architecture Software Systems for Web-Based and...architecture (OA) software systems  Emerging challenges in achieving Better Buying Power (BBP) via OA software systems for Web- based and Mobile devices

  15. GobyWeb: Simplified Management and Analysis of Gene Expression and DNA Methylation Sequencing Data

    PubMed Central

    Dorff, Kevin C.; Chambwe, Nyasha; Zeno, Zachary; Simi, Manuele; Shaknovich, Rita; Campagne, Fabien

    2013-01-01

    We present GobyWeb, a web-based system that facilitates the management and analysis of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) projects. The software provides integrated support for a broad set of HTS analyses and offers a simple plugin extension mechanism. Analyses currently supported include quantification of gene expression for messenger and small RNA sequencing, estimation of DNA methylation (i.e., reduced bisulfite sequencing and whole genome methyl-seq), or the detection of pathogens in sequenced data. In contrast to previous analysis pipelines developed for analysis of HTS data, GobyWeb requires significantly less storage space, runs analyses efficiently on a parallel grid, scales gracefully to process tens or hundreds of multi-gigabyte samples, yet can be used effectively by researchers who are comfortable using a web browser. We conducted performance evaluations of the software and found it to either outperform or have similar performance to analysis programs developed for specialized analyses of HTS data. We found that most biologists who took a one-hour GobyWeb training session were readily able to analyze RNA-Seq data with state of the art analysis tools. GobyWeb can be obtained at http://gobyweb.campagnelab.org and is freely available for non-commercial use. GobyWeb plugins are distributed in source code and licensed under the open source LGPL3 license to facilitate code inspection, reuse and independent extensions http://github.com/CampagneLaboratory/gobyweb2-plugins. PMID:23936070

  16. A web-based library consult service for evidence-based medicine: Technical development.

    PubMed

    Schwartz, Alan; Millam, Gregory

    2006-03-16

    Incorporating evidence based medicine (EBM) into clinical practice requires clinicians to learn to efficiently gain access to clinical evidence and effectively appraise its validity. Even using current electronic systems, selecting literature-based data to solve a single patient-related problem can require more time than practicing physicians or residents can spare. Clinical librarians, as informationists, are uniquely suited to assist physicians in this endeavor. To improve support for evidence-based practice, we have developed a web-based EBM library consult service application (LCS). Librarians use the LCS system to provide full text evidence-based literature with critical appraisal in response to a clinical question asked by a remote physician. LCS uses an entirely Free/Open Source Software platform and will be released under a Free Software license. In the first year of the LCS project, the software was successfully developed and a reference implementation put into active use. Two years of evaluation of the clinical, educational, and attitudinal impact on physician-users and librarian staff are underway, and expected to lead to refinement and wide dissemination of the system. A web-based EBM library consult model may provide a useful way for informationists to assist clinicians, and is feasible to implement.

  17. Informatics in radiology: automated Web-based graphical dashboard for radiology operational business intelligence.

    PubMed

    Nagy, Paul G; Warnock, Max J; Daly, Mark; Toland, Christopher; Meenan, Christopher D; Mezrich, Reuben S

    2009-11-01

    Radiology departments today are faced with many challenges to improve operational efficiency, performance, and quality. Many organizations rely on antiquated, paper-based methods to review their historical performance and understand their operations. With increased workloads, geographically dispersed image acquisition and reading sites, and rapidly changing technologies, this approach is increasingly untenable. A Web-based dashboard was constructed to automate the extraction, processing, and display of indicators and thereby provide useful and current data for twice-monthly departmental operational meetings. The feasibility of extracting specific metrics from clinical information systems was evaluated as part of a longer-term effort to build a radiology business intelligence architecture. Operational data were extracted from clinical information systems and stored in a centralized data warehouse. Higher-level analytics were performed on the centralized data, a process that generated indicators in a dynamic Web-based graphical environment that proved valuable in discussion and root cause analysis. Results aggregated over a 24-month period since implementation suggest that this operational business intelligence reporting system has provided significant data for driving more effective management decisions to improve productivity, performance, and quality of service in the department.

  18. A New Tool for Managing Students' Self-Evaluations in Traditional and Distance Education Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Contreras-Castillo, Juan; Block, Arthur Edwards

    This paper describes a Web-based question-answering system called E-teacher that can be used in both traditional and distance learning courses to review academic contents. E-teacher is a self-editing template-based system that consists of a set of PHP scripts that generate the HTML code dynamically, or "on the fly." The entire E-teacher…

  19. Tags Extarction from Spatial Documents in Search Engines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borhaninejad, S.; Hakimpour, F.; Hamzei, E.

    2015-12-01

    Nowadays the selective access to information on the Web is provided by search engines, but in the cases which the data includes spatial information the search task becomes more complex and search engines require special capabilities. The purpose of this study is to extract the information which lies in spatial documents. To that end, we implement and evaluate information extraction from GML documents and a retrieval method in an integrated approach. Our proposed system consists of three components: crawler, database and user interface. In crawler component, GML documents are discovered and their text is parsed for information extraction; storage. The database component is responsible for indexing of information which is collected by crawlers. Finally the user interface component provides the interaction between system and user. We have implemented this system as a pilot system on an Application Server as a simulation of Web. Our system as a spatial search engine provided searching capability throughout the GML documents and thus an important step to improve the efficiency of search engines has been taken.

  20. OOSTT: a Resource for Analyzing the Organizational Structures of Trauma Centers and Trauma Systems

    PubMed Central

    Utecht, Joseph; Judkins, John; Otte, J. Neil; Colvin, Terra; Rogers, Nicholas; Rose, Robert; Alvi, Maria; Hicks, Amanda; Ball, Jane; Bowman, Stephen M.; Maxson, Robert T.; Nabaweesi, Rosemary; Pradhan, Rohit; Sanddal, Nels D.; Tudoreanu, M. Eduard; Winchell, Robert J.; Brochhausen, Mathias

    2017-01-01

    Organizational structures of healthcare organizations has increasingly become a focus of medical research. In the CAFÉ project we aim to provide a web-service enabling ontology-driven comparison of the organizational characteristics of trauma centers and trauma systems. Trauma remains one of the biggest challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. Research has demonstrated that coordinated efforts like trauma systems and trauma centers are key components of addressing this challenge. Evaluation and comparison of these organizations is essential. However, this research challenge is frequently compounded by the lack of a shared terminology and the lack of effective information technology solutions for assessing and comparing these organizations. In this paper we present the Ontology of Organizational Structures of Trauma systems and Trauma centers (OOSTT) that provides the ontological foundation to CAFÉ's web-based questionnaire infrastructure. We present the usage of the ontology in relation to the questionnaire and provide the methods that were used to create the ontology. PMID:28217041

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