Online outsiders within\ud

Heightened attention to technological diffusion and informational inequalities is of\ud particular societal concern, given the increasing mediation of everyday life whereby\ud web-based initiatives abound and an increasing amount of information on critical\ud human services including education and healthcare are online or only available online.\ud As Cheong and Martin (2009) note, the digital divide is a significant, multi-layered access\ud challenge for institutions of higher education worldwide as they embark on e or distance\ud learning programs, including the incorporation of virtual course management systems.\ud Kreps (2006) also notes that the digital divide is an important health communication\ud problem as new technologies can help underserved populations retrieve relevant health\ud information, yet exacerbate disparities by reducing access to those most at risk for poor\ud health outcomes

Assessment techniques, database design and software facilities for thermodynamics and diffusion

The purpose of this article is to give a set of recommendations to producers of assessed thermodynamic data, who may be involved in either the critical evaluation of limited chemical systems or the creation and dissemination of larger thermodynamic databases. Also, it is hoped that reviewers and editors of scientific publications in this field will find some of the information useful. Good practice in the assessment process is essential, particularly as datasets from many different sources may be combined together into a single database. With this in mind, we highlight some problems that can arise during the assessment process and we propose a quality assurance procedure. It is worth mentioning at this point, that the provision of reliable assessed thermodynamic data relies heavily on the availability of high quality experimental information. The different software packages for thermodynamics and diffusion are described here only briefly

Cultural Practices Shaping Zoonotic Diseases Surveillance: The Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Thailand Native Chicken Farmers

Effectiveness of current passive zoonotic disease surveillance systems is limited by the under-reporting of disease outbreaks in the domestic animal population. Evaluating the acceptability of passive surveillance and its economic, social and cultural determinants appears a critical step for improving it. A participatory rural appraisal was implemented in a rural subdistrict of Thailand. Focus group interviews were used to identify sanitary risks perceived by native chicken farmers and describe the structure of their value chain. Qualitative individual interviews with a large diversity of actors enabled to identify perceived costs and benefits associated with the reporting of HPAI suspicions to sanitary authorities. Besides, flows of information on HPAI suspected cases were assessed using network analysis, based on data collected through individual questionnaires. Results show that the presence of cockfighting activities in the area negatively affected the willingness of all chicken farmers and other actors to report suspected HPAI cases. The high financial and affective value of fighting cocks contradicted the HPAI control policy based on mass culling. However, the importance of product quality in the native chicken meat value chain and the free veterinary services and products delivered by veterinary officers had a positive impact on suspected case reporting. Besides, cockfighting practitioners had a significantly higher centrality than other actors in the information network and they facilitated the spatial diffusion of information. Social ties built in cockfighting activities and the shared purpose of protecting valuable cocks were at the basis of the diffusion of information and the informal collective management of diseases. Building bridges with this informal network would greatly improve the effectiveness of passive surveillance

Critical Realism, Multidisciplinarity and Methodological Pluralism: A Systemic Approach to Guide Information Systems Research and Practice

Information Systems (IS) diffusion in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) depends on various levels of networked, localised, and evolving determinants, such as the ones related to the adopter organisations, decision-takers, technologies, buyers, professional groups, higher education institutions, complementary innovations, and government policies. This complex view of IS implies the use of different disciplines and methodologies to study the diffusion process. The objective of this empirical research is to demonstrate how the philosophical stance of critical realism (CR) and the systems of innovation approach (SIA) for organising research are compatible, and address the multidisciplinarity and methodological pluralism required to move on the research of complex IS and recommend meaningful actions to practice. To exemplify our arguments we focus the study on one relevant determinant that affect the diffusion of IS in SMEs, namely public programmes

Improving high availability and reliability of health interoperability systems

The accessibility and availability of patient clinical information are a constant need. The Agency for Interoperation, Diffusion and Archive of Medical Information (AIDA) was then developed to ensure the interoperability among healthcare information systems successfully. AIDA has demonstrated over time the need for greater control over its agents and their activities as the need for monitoring and preventing its machines and agents. This paper presents monitoring and prevention systems that were developed for machines and agents, which allow not only prevent faults, but also watch and evaluate the behaviour of these components through monitoring dashboards. The Biomedical Multiagent Platform for Interoperability (BMaPI) implemented in Centro Hospitalar do Porto (CHP) revealed provide the necessary data and functionalities capable to manage and to monitor agents’ activities. It was found that the prevention systems identified critical situations successfully, contributing to an increase in the integrity and availability of AIDA implemented in CHP