Smart built-in test

The work which built-in test (BIT) is asked to perform in today's electronic systems increases with every insertion of new technology or introduction of tighter performance criteria. Yet the basic purpose remains unchanged -- to determine with high confidence the operational capability of that equipment. Achievement of this level of BIT performance requires the management and assimilation of a large amount of data, both realtime and historical. Smart BIT has taken advantage of advanced techniques from the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in order to meet these demands. The Smart BIT approach enhances traditional functional BIT by utilizing AI techniques to incorporate environmental stress data, temporal BIT information and maintenance data, and realtime BIT reports into an integrated test methodology for increased BIT effectiveness and confidence levels. Future research in this area will incorporate onboard fault-logging of BIT output, stress data and Smart BIT decision criteria in support of a singular, integrated and complete test and maintenance capability. The state of this research is described along with a discussion of directions for future development

Digital Future of Artistic Gymnastics

The transition from human-based judging systems to electronic judging systems is a recent innovation in different sports. Electronic judging systems aim to increase such indicators of judgment as to the accuracy, fairness, validity, reliability, and the quality of competitions (Houser 2018). However, the introduction of electronic judging systems in different sports can have positive and negative consequences (Mercier et al. 2017). In our case study, we discuss the capabilities and challenges of a new AI-based Support Judging System that was recently introduced by Fujitsu in Artistic gymnastics. Motivated by the research interest towards explainable AI, we ask: ”How does a new judging system respond to the challenges of a human-based system?” To be able to respond to the research question, we collaborated and conducted interviews with the representatives of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), Finnish Gymnastics Association, Fujitsu as well as with gymnasts, judges, and coaches from 13 countries. In our qualitative study, we identified the main challenges of a current human judgment process, the ways of resolving these challenges with the capabilities of a new electronic judging system, and possible negative consequences of its use. Our findings show that the main challenges of an existing human-based judging system are Biases and Subjectivity, Human error and Lack of Accuracy, and Lack of Explanation. Biases and Subjectivity of the judges arise due to such human factors as emotionality, personal preferences, initial expectations, familiarity with the routine or athlete, prejudice toward some particular country, or informal guidelines in an existing judgment process. Human error and the lack of accuracy can appear in the judgment process due to human fatigue, the limit of human physical capabilities, high level of approximation in judging, and the lack of judging education. The lack of explanation is justified by the technical and time limitations at the competitions. All our respondents expect that due to its technical capabilities, a new Electronic Judging Support System is able to resolve these challenges via its high level of Accuracy, Impartiality, and Objectivity and provide the needed Explanation and Clarification of the results as well as the decision-making process of the system. However, according to the opinion of our respondents, there are also the corresponding challenges of a new electronic system that are the flip side of its advantages and may have a potentially negative influence on the judging process in artistic gymnastics. These disadvantages of the system are a high level of exactness, lack of human interaction and inability to evaluate the artistry. According to the opinion of some respondents, a high level of accuracy of the e-system may turn into too much exactness in judging. In case of implementing a new judging system, gymnasts will not be able to provide a high enough level of accuracy in their performance in order to satisfy the system’s requirements. Additionally, our respondents assume that such important components as the artistry and the human interaction will be totally eliminated from the artistic gymnastics. They state that the greetings of the judges by the athletes before starting the exercise, a nod of approval after completion of a routine, or a smile from a judge are an integral part of the competition and make the athletes feel more confident. The biggest concern of the respondents is the inability of the system to evaluate the artistic part of the athletes’ performance. They doubt that AI technology is able to evaluate such artistic features as the visual representation, athlete\u27s emotions, and internal artistic energy, the right selection of the music, and a costume

A study of general practitioners' perspectives on electronic medical records systems in NHS Scotland

<b>Background</b> Primary care doctors in NHSScotland have been using electronic medical records within their practices routinely for many years. The Scottish Health Executive eHealth strategy (2008-2011) has recently brought radical changes to the primary care computing landscape in Scotland: an information system (GPASS) which was provided free-of-charge by NHSScotland to a majority of GP practices has now been replaced by systems provided by two approved commercial providers. The transition to new electronic medical records had to be completed nationally across all health-boards by March 2012. <p></p><b> Methods</b> We carried out 25 in-depth semi-structured interviews with primary care doctors to elucidate GPs' perspectives on their practice information systems and collect more general information on management processes in the patient surgical pathway in NHSScotland. We undertook a thematic analysis of interviewees' responses, using Normalisation Process Theory as the underpinning conceptual framework. <p></p> <b>Results</b> The majority of GPs' interviewed considered that electronic medical records are an integral and essential element of their work during the consultation, playing a key role in facilitating integrated and continuity of care for patients and making clinical information more accessible. However, GPs expressed a number of reservations about various system functionalities - for example: in relation to usability, system navigation and information visualisation. <b>Conclusion </b>Our study highlights that while electronic information systems are perceived as having important benefits, there remains substantial scope to improve GPs' interaction and overall satisfaction with these systems. Iterative user-centred improvements combined with additional training in the use of technology would promote an increased understanding, familiarity and command of the range of functionalities of electronic medical records among primary care doctors

Towards improved performance and interoperability in distributed and physical union catalogues

Purpose of this paper: This paper details research undertaken to determine the key differences in the performance of certain centralised (physical) and distributed (virtual) bibliographic catalogue services, and to suggest strategies for improving interoperability and performance in, and between, physical and virtual models. Design/methodology/approach: Methodically defined searches of a centralised catalogue service and selected distributed catalogues were conducted using the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol, allowing search types to be semantically defined. The methodology also entailed the use of two workshops comprising systems librarians and cataloguers to inform suggested strategies for improving performance and interoperability within both environments. Findings: Technical interoperability was permitted easily between centralised and distributed models, however the various individual configurations permitted only limited semantic interoperability. Significant prescription in cataloguing and indexing guidelines, greater participation in the Program for Collaborative Cataloging (PCC), consideration of future 'FRBR' migration, and greater disclosure to end users are some of the suggested strategies to improve performance and semantic interoperability. Practical implications: This paper informs the LIS research community and union catalogue administrators, but also has numerous practical implications for those establishing distributed systems based on Z39.50 and SRW, as well as those establishing centralised systems. What is original/value of the paper?: The paper moves the discussion of Z39.50 based systems away from anecdotal evidence and provides recommendations based on testing and is intimately informed by the UK cataloguing and systems librarian community

Intelligent approaches to performance support

Electronic performance support systems provide an important method of meeting on‐demand educational and training requirements. They also provide efficient and effective ways of enabling the knowledge and expertise within an organization to be shared. This paper discusses the design of a distributed electronic performance support system and the ways in which ‘intelligent agents’ based on expert systems and neural networks can be used to locate and share distributed expertise. A case study illustrating our approach to the implementation and use of intelligent agents is presented

The Electronic Health Record Scorecard: A Measure of Utilization and Communication Skills

As the adoption rate of electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States continues to grow, both providers and patients will need to adapt to the reality of a third actor being present during the visit encounter. The purpose of this project is to provide insight on “best” practice patterns for effective communication and efficient use of the EHR in the clinical practice setting. Through the development of a comprehensive scorecard, this project assessed current status of EHR use and communication skills among health care providers in various clinical practice settings. Anticipated benefits of this project are increased comfortability in interfacing with the EHR and increased satisfaction on the part of the provider as well as the patient. Serving as a benchmark, this assessment has the potential to help guide future health information technology development, training, and education for both students and health care providers

ATM automation: guidance on human technology integration

© Civil Aviation Authority 2016Human interaction with technology and automation is a key area of interest to industry and safety regulators alike. In February 2014, a joint CAA/industry workshop considered perspectives on present and future implementation of advanced automated systems. The conclusion was that whilst no additional regulation was necessary, guidance material for industry and regulators was required. Development of this guidance document was completed in 2015 by a working group consisting of CAA, UK industry, academia and industry associations (see Appendix B). This enabled a collaborative approach to be taken, and for regulatory, industry, and workforce perspectives to be collectively considered and addressed. The processes used in developing this guidance included: review of the themes identified from the February 2014 CAA/industry workshop1; review of academic papers, textbooks on automation, incidents and accidents involving automation; identification of key safety issues associated with automated systems; analysis of current and emerging ATM regulatory requirements and guidance material; presentation of emerging findings for critical review at UK and European aviation safety conferences. In December 2015, a workshop of senior management from project partner organisations reviewed the findings and proposals. EASA were briefed on the project before its commencement, and Eurocontrol contributed through membership of the Working Group.Final Published versio

A flexible architecture for privacy-aware trust management

In service-oriented systems a constellation of services cooperate, sharing potentially sensitive information and responsibilities. Cooperation is only possible if the different participants trust each other. As trust may depend on many different factors, in a flexible framework for Trust Management (TM) trust must be computed by combining different types of information. In this paper we describe the TAS3 TM framework which integrates independent TM systems into a single trust decision point. The TM framework supports intricate combinations whilst still remaining easily extensible. It also provides a unified trust evaluation interface to the (authorization framework of the) services. We demonstrate the flexibility of the approach by integrating three distinct TM paradigms: reputation-based TM, credential-based TM, and Key Performance Indicator TM. Finally, we discuss privacy concerns in TM systems and the directions to be taken for the definition of a privacy-friendly TM architecture.\u