Conceptual graph-based knowledge representation for supporting reasoning in African traditional medicine

Although African patients use both conventional or modern and traditional healthcare simultaneously, it has been proven that 80% of people rely on African traditional medicine (ATM). ATM includes medical activities stemming from practices, customs and traditions which were integral to the distinctive African cultures. It is based mainly on the oral transfer of knowledge, with the risk of losing critical knowledge. Moreover, practices differ according to the regions and the availability of medicinal plants. Therefore, it is necessary to compile tacit, disseminated and complex knowledge from various Tradi-Practitioners (TP) in order to determine interesting patterns for treating a given disease. Knowledge engineering methods for traditional medicine are useful to model suitably complex information needs, formalize knowledge of domain experts and highlight the effective practices for their integration to conventional medicine. The work described in this paper presents an approach which addresses two issues. First it aims at proposing a formal representation model of ATM knowledge and practices to facilitate their sharing and reusing. Then, it aims at providing a visual reasoning mechanism for selecting best available procedures and medicinal plants to treat diseases. The approach is based on the use of the Delphi method for capturing knowledge from various experts which necessitate reaching a consensus. Conceptual graph formalism is used to model ATM knowledge with visual reasoning capabilities and processes. The nested conceptual graphs are used to visually express the semantic meaning of Computational Tree Logic (CTL) constructs that are useful for formal specification of temporal properties of ATM domain knowledge. Our approach presents the advantage of mitigating knowledge loss with conceptual development assistance to improve the quality of ATM care (medical diagnosis and therapeutics), but also patient safety (drug monitoring)

Differentiation According to Educators: Using the Delphi Approach

Differentiation is a well-known and popularly endorsed aspect of teaching. However, the lack of effective adoption and implementation of it as a practical classroom strategy suggests some uncertainty relating to the definition and indicates the challenge or difficulty of effective implementation. This study sought to investigate primary school teachers’ understanding of the idea and explores the educational concept through the Delphi technique, which uses both qualitative and quantitative methods (open-ended survey responses, Likert scale questions, semistructured questions and response to summaries of previous rounds). The main research question for the study is ‘what definitions can be generated in regard to the teaching and assessment strategies associated with differentiation among a group of teachers working in a similar environment?’, a series of secondary questions explore further aspects of teachers’ thinking about differentiation. Four rounds of surveys following the Delphi methodology were completed by 19 primary school teachers. A series of different questionnaire types were used to enable a panel of teachers to reach a final consensus by analysing and refocusing each subsequent round of survey questions. The data collected in each round produced a total of 38 teaching and 20 assessment strategies relating to differentiation. The final round led to 32 teaching strategies and 15 assessment strategies reaching consensus. This left a six teaching and five assessment strategies that did not reach consensus. A key to developing a better understanding of concerns among educators may be through the process of creating a shared definition by practitioners and not relying upon handed-down terms and definitions. By engaging teachers with an opportunity to jointly create, discuss, and reflect upon the meaning and strategies of complex pedagogy like differentiation through active consensus-building such as the Delphi methodology, schools and professional development leaders can address misconceptions and develop and reinforce a shared understanding and common vocabulary that enables collegial support to be timely, effective, and more importantly, understandable for the educator. While such consensus-building efforts like this research project are time-intensive, they are also valuable because the process allows teachers to engage in professional discourse that is meaningful for the teacher and perhaps better suited to support ongoing professional development efforts for increased implementation. This implementation of a best practices pedagogy like differentiation may,in turn, help improve student learning, which is ultimately the end goal of any educational endeavour

LUMIS: A Land Use Management Information System for urban planning

The Land Use Management Information System (LUMIS) consists of a methodology of compiling land use maps by means of air photo interpretation techniques, digitizing these and other maps into machine-readable form, and numerically overlaying these various maps in two computer software routines to provide land use and natural resource data files referenced to the individual census block. The two computer routines are the Polygon Intersection Overlay System (PIOS) and an interactive graphics APL program. A block referenced file of land use, natural resources, geology, elevation, slope, and fault-line items has been created and supplied to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning for the City's portion of the Santa Monica Mountains. In addition, the interactive system contains one hundred and seventy-three socio-economic data items created by merging the Third Count U.S. Census Bureau tapes and the Los Angeles County Secured Assessor File. This data can be graphically displayed for each and every block, block group, or tract for six test tracts in Woodland Hills, California. Other benefits of LUMIS are the knowledge of air photo availability, flight pattern coverage and frequencies, and private photogrammetry companies flying Southern California, as well as a formal Delphi study of relevant land use informational needs in the Santa Monicas

A discussion of selected aspects of privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity in computerized conferencing

This paper presents a discussion of the potential uses of privacy, confidentiality and anonymity in computerized conferencing. Section I begins with definitions of the concepts, their aspects and allied terms; and briefly discusses their use in general communications and problem-solving activities. Section II explores their use in social research, particularly the survey method, a field that may yield useful analogues for computerized conferencing. Section III outlines the various functions of privacy, confidentiality and anonymity that have been proposed for their constructive use in computerized conferencing. Section IV reports various difficulties and compromises that have been encountered to date in striving to achieve true privacy, confidentiality or anonymity in computerized conferencing. Section V gives preliminary estimates of various ways of enhancing the concepts through computerized conferencing

Communications and Group Decision-Making : Experimental Evidence on the Potential Impact of Computer Conferenging

This paper is a selective review of small group experiments in the area of the relationship between communication (modes, structures, processes) and group decision-making or problem solving. There are literally hundreds of these experiments; the purpose of this effort has been to isolate and summarize the results of those experimental traditions which may have the most bearing upon: our understanding of the probable social effects of computer conferencing as a communication mode; the identification of possible experiments utilizing computer conferencing which appear to be potentially most fruitful in terms of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of computer conferencing in facilitating or inhibiting group decision-making processes; determining the potential for gaining further insight into the nature of human communications processes by employing computerized conferencing as a communications tool; understanding the characteristics and capabilities of conferencing software which would be necessary in order for a non-programmer social scientist to carry out such experimentation. For those who are not familiar with computerized conferencing as a communications medium, the paper begins with a brief overview of its nature and social characteristics. It then proceeds to review several classes of experiments on communications and group problem solving, and to deduce the implications of their findings for group decision making using communication via computerized conferencing. A section on the desirable characteristics of software and monitoring systems in order to facilitate similar controlled experiments utilizing computer conferencing follows. Finally, the conclusions which flow from the literature review are presented in the form of a summary of potentially fruitful experiments and an inventory of hypotheses. I am indebted to the other members of the NJIT research team for many excellent suggestions, and particularly to Murry Turoff, the Principal Investigator for the project, who made extensive, constructive criticisms of earlier drafts. Peter Anderson coauthored the chapter on software requirements. I would also like to thank Alphonse Chapanis of Johns Hopkins and Andrew Van deVen of Kent State for their cooperation. Finally, I would like to thank Daisy Lane of N.J.I.T. for a job well done in deciphering my handwriting and typing the manuscript

Las competencias tecnológicas en la enseñanza de la enfermería cardiológica

OBJECTIVE To identify the perception of the coordinators of the Specialization Courses in Cardiovascular Nursing about inserting content from Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and analyze them in relation to the technological competencies and regarding its applicability, relevance and importance in assisting, teaching and management. METHOD Descriptive study with 10 coordinators of the Specialization course in Cardiologic Nursing, who replied to the questionnaire for the development of technological competency adapted from the Technology Initiative Guidelines Education Reforms (TIGER), and analyzed using the Delphi technique for obtaining consensus and scored according to the relevance, pertinence and applicability using Likert scale according to degree of agreement. RESULTS Six courses developed ICT content. The contents of the TIGER were considered relevant, pertinent and applicable. CONCLUSION The coordinators recognize the need for technological competencies of the Cardiovascular Nurse for healthcare applicability.OBJETIVO Identificar a percepção dos coordenadores dos Cursos de Especialização em Enfermagem Cardiológica sobre a inserção de conteúdos de Tecnologia de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) e analisá-los relacionando-os às competências tecnológicas e quanto à sua aplicabilidade, pertinência e relevância na assistência, ensino e gestão. MÉTODO Estudo descritivo com 10 coordenadores do curso de Especialização em Enfermagem Cardiológica que responderam ao questionário para o desenvolvimento de competências tecnológicas adaptadas do modelo da Technology Initiative Guidelines Education Reforms (TIGER), e analisados utilizando a técnica de Delphi para obtenção de consenso e pontuados quanto à relevância, pertinência e aplicabilidade utilizando escala tipo Likert conforme grau de concordância. RESULTADOS Seis cursos desenvolviam conteúdos de TIC. Os conteúdos da TIGER foram considerados relevantes, pertinentes e aplicáveis. CONCLUSÃO Os coordenadores reconhecem a necessidade da competência tecnológica do enfermeiro cardiológico visando à aplicabilidade assistencial.OBJETIVO Identificar la percepción de los coordinadores de los Cursos de Especialización en Enfermería Cardiológica sobre la inserción de contenidos de Tecnología de Información y Comunicación (TIC) y analizarlos relacionándolos a las competencias tecnológicas y en cuanto a su aplicabilidad, pertinencia y relevancia en la asistencia, enseñanza y gestión. MÉTODO Estudio descriptivo con 10 coordinadores del curso de Especialización en Enfermería Cardiológica que respondieron al cuestionario para el desarrollo de competencias tecnológicas adaptadas del modelo de la Technology Initiative Guidelines Education Reforms (TIGER), con análisis mediante la técnica de Delphi para la obtención de consenso y puntaje en cuanto a la relevancia, pertinencia y aplicabilidad utilizando escala tipo Likert conforme al grado de concordancia. RESULTADOS Seis cursos desarrollaban contenidos de TIC. Los contenidos de la TIGER fueron considerados relevantes, pertinentes y aplicables. CONCLUSIÓN Los coordinadores reconocen la necesidad de la competencia tecnológica del enfermero cardiológico con vistas a la aplicabilidad asistencial

A Change Management Approach to Enhance Facility Maintenance Programs

A recent study assigned a grade of D+ on the nation\u27s public infrastructure. Because of this poor asset condition, many organizations tend to respond to maintenance in a reactive mode; however, relying on corrective maintenance leads to increased maintenance costs due to unplanned downtime, increased labor costs, and inefficient use of personnel. To address this situation, asset management (AM) principles should be employed to transition organizations towards a proactive maintenance program. Unfortunately, it has been shown that two-thirds of the organizations failed to implement general change efforts. Therefore, an organizational change management framework should be followed to implement a change that will successfully transition organizations from reactive to proactive maintenance. This research effort focuses on building the framework for a change message to help Air Force decision-makers implement new Information Technology (IT) that addresses key AM principles such as asset condition and remaining service life. A Delphi study was utilized to elicit expert field knowledge on facility maintenance and respective IT. Results from the study, combined with literature guidance, helped formulate a change message to implement BUILDER™ to enable a proactive maintenance paradigm

The right to boredom: an eLearning training proposal on the ethical challenges of AI applied to Education

This work aims at understanding if and how ethical impact assessment of AI, in what concerns the signification of a learning experience – and its direct correlation with identity development –, (1) influences primary teachers’ capacity to design learning sequences that intentionally and systematically address the challenges AI poses to learning signification processes, (2) benefiting students’ critical thinking upon AI. This assessment comprehends the use of narratives, in the context of hypothetical scenarios, integrated in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) eLearning course (García-Peñalvo, 2008; García-Peñalvo & Seoane-Pardo, 2015)