Selected topics in information technology : series 1

This volume is devoted to the recent developments on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems and applications spread across various domain. It seeks to illustrate the potential of Information Technology for a wide range of applications via a systematic collection of recent methods, procedures, and applications designed to solve real-life problems. This book contains ten chapters that emphasize recent information technologies development. Each chapter has been carefully selected to represent a distinctive domain, each with its own unique theoretical, methodological, and empirical developments of solutions on different platforms. The content of this book is organized as follows: Chapter 1 models an assistive ICT solution for people with health concerns by monitoring the patients’ general well-being and medicine intake. In Chapter 2, a standard brick-and-mortar directory kiosk is transformed to allow a virtual walkthrough through an experiential approach. Chapter 3 details out a proof of concept for a monitoring system dedicated for air quality for upto-the-minute information that helps user optimize their decisions. Chapter 4 looks into tailoring human resource management system for home furnishing business. Apart from monitoring and management system, Chapter 5 presents a yet another management system but for facilitators in managing campus orientation programs. Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 are social systems for planning a wedding and marriage matchmaking. The online systems cater from pre-to post wedding, hence suggesting a complete chain of new business model. In Chapter 8, an online practical exam system focuses on one specific course for an undergraduate program at UTHM. Finally, Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 present interesting information systems for expecting mothers and a decision support system for promoting Korean skincare products online. The opportunities now afforded by ICT as deliberated in this book ensures that there is great potential to serve a wide range of audiences. The editors would like to thank chapters’ contributors for their valuable contributions to make this book a success. The edited research book would not have been possible without them

Technology 2003: The Fourth National Technology Transfer Conference and Exposition, volume 2

Proceedings from symposia of the Technology 2003 Conference and Exposition, Dec. 7-9, 1993, Anaheim, CA, are presented. Volume 2 features papers on artificial intelligence, CAD&E, computer hardware, computer software, information management, photonics, robotics, test and measurement, video and imaging, and virtual reality/simulation

Potential of using remote sensing techniques for global assessment of water footprint of crops

Remote sensing has long been a useful tool in global applications, since it provides physically-based, worldwide, and consistent spatial information. This paper discusses the potential of using these techniques in the research field of water management, particularly for ‘Water Footprint’ (WF) studies. The WF of a crop is defined as the volume of water consumed for its production, where green and blue WF stand for rain and irrigation water usage, respectively. In this paper evapotranspiration, precipitation, water storage, runoff and land use are identified as key variables to potentially be estimated by remote sensing and used for WF assessment. A mass water balance is proposed to calculate the volume of irrigation applied, and green and blue WF are obtained from the green and blue evapotranspiration components. The source of remote sensing data is described and a simplified example is included, which uses evapotranspiration estimates from the geostationary satellite Meteosat 9 and precipitation estimates obtained with the Climatic Prediction Center Morphing Technique (CMORPH). The combination of data in this approach brings several limitations with respect to discrepancies in spatial and temporal resolution and data availability, which are discussed in detail. This work provides new tools for global WF assessment and represents an innovative approach to global irrigation mapping, enabling the estimation of green and blue water use

The international Conference and Workshop on Lobster Biology and Management celebrates its 40th year!

[PREFACE] Once again, the International Conference and Workshop on Lobster Biology and Management (ICWL) visited the shores of the northwest Atlantic Ocean, some of the most productive lobster grounds on the planet. The University of Maine and Boston University welcomed 257 attendees from 14 countries to Portland, Maine, from June 4 to 9, 2017. Hosted twice earlier in Atlantic Canada, this 11th ICWL was the first time in the US Northeast, and fittingly, in the state nearly synonymous with lobster! The Holiday Inn-by-the-Bay in downtown Portland proved to be the perfect central venue to run our science sessions and socials over the course of the week, and to savor the city’s many restaurants and waterfront activities overlooking Casco Bay. This meeting also marked the ICWL’s 40th anniversary. In 1977, Bruce Phillips (Western Australia Fisheries) and J Stanley Cobb (University of Rhode Island) organized that first event in Perth, Australia, gathering a core group of 35 participants from six countries. Their vision was to assemble scientists, fishery managers, and industry members with common interests in lobsters of all stripes. The first meeting resulted in the landmark two-volume set, The Biology and Management of Lobsters, published in 1980. Its 18 peer-reviewed chapters comprise the first comprehensive review of information on spiny, clawed, and slipper lobsters around the world. It also identified knowledge gaps that spurred new and innovative research on lobster biology and ecology that has informed the management of lobster fisheries in the ensuing years. We stand on the shoulders of these originals who gave us a rich legacy of scientific contributions and mentored a virtual army of students who have made significant contributions in their own right.Published versio

Agriculture in Alaska

An original version of this bulletin was first issued by the Alaska Experiment Station in 1917. Authored by C. C. Georgeson, it was revised many times to meet changing needs. A 1945 edition titled "Information for Prospective Settlers" by G. W. Gasser, Territorial commissioner of Agriculture, was revised in 1948. This was followed by Bulletin 15 of the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station compiled by Hugh A. Johnson. The present information was gathered by many agencies It was put together and edited by Mrs. Lenora Hedla and published by the University of Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service, and the Alaska Department of Agriculture. Assisting in this publication were the U. S. Department of Land Management; the U. S. Forest Service, the Soil Conservation Service, the Farmers Home Administration, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee, and the Alaska Rural Rehabilitation Corporation.Alaska's agriculture is a growing industry. In 1957 some $4 Y2 million worth of food and feed grown by 200 full-time and 350 part-time farmers brought nearly$9 million in the market place. Crop volume doubled between 1950 and 1955. While Alaskan agriculture has been rapidly expanding, growers have been also keeping abreast of Stateside grading and packaging practices. They now offer homegrown products of the highest quality. A few farms are as modern as any in the States. Some farmers net $10,000 year or more, although the average is closer to$4,000 because many farms are small and others are in early stages of development

Management of postoperative complications may favour the centralization of distal pancreatectomies. Nationwide data on pancreatic distal resections in Finland 2012-2014

Background: Centralization of pancreatic surgery has proceeded in the last few years in many countries. However, information on the effect of hospital volume specifically on distal pancreatic resections (DP) is lacking. Aim: To investigate the effect of hospital volume on postoperative complications in DP patients in Finland. Methods: All DP performed in Finland during the period 2012-2014 were analyzed, information having been retrieved from the appropriate national registers. Hospital volumes, postoperative pancreatic fistulae (POPF) and overall complications were graded. High volume centre (HVC) was defined as performing > 10 DPs, median volume centre (MVC) 4-9 DPs and low volume centre (LVC) fewer than 4 DP annually. Results: A total of 194 DPs were performed at 18 different hospitals. Of these 42% (81) were performed in HVCs (2 hospitals), 43% (84) in MVCs (6 hospitals) and the remaining 15% (29) in LVCs (10 hospitals). Patient demographics did not differ between the hospital volume groups. The overall rate of clinically relevant POPF, Clavien-Dindo grade 3-5 complications, and 90-day mortality showed no significant differences between the different hospital volumes. Grade C POPF was found more often in LVCs, being 1.2% in HVCs, 0% in MCVs and 6.9% in LVCs, p = 0.030. More reoperations were performed in LVCs (10.3%) than in HVCs (1.2%) or MVCs (1.2%); p = 0.025. Conclusions: Even though the rate of postoperative complications after DP is not affected by hospital volume, reoperations were performed ten times more often in the low-volume centres. Optimal management of postoperative complications may favour centralization not only of PD, but also of DP. (C) 2018 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

GIS based Integration and Analysis of multiple source Information for Non-Proliferation Studies

In recent years the volume and variety of information that needs to be analysed in the context of non-proliferation have been increasing continuously Therefore, an integrated, all-source information analysis is paramount for an efficient and effective monitoring of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The ¿Treaty Monitoring¿ workpackage of the LIMES research project addressed this issue by developing an integrated platform supporting the non-proliferation image analyst in verifying treaty compliance. The main benefits of the platform are (i) integrating information from multiple sources and time-frames, including satellite imagery, site models, open source information, reports, etc; (ii) improved information management using a GIS-based platform and (iii) enhanced methodologies for satellite image analysis. The platform components facilitate the analysis by highlighting changes and anomalies, which are potentially safeguards-relevant and by providing quantitative measurements which are not readily available from the images. It improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the information assessment by providing all-source integration capabilities, which allow to easily access supporting collateral information (e.g. Open Source information) from an image analysis task, an vice versa. The paper presents the components of the integration platform and the results of the demonstration which monitored the construction of a nuclear reactor in Olkiluoto, Finland.JRC.E.9-Nuclear security (Ispra

Towards developing an instrument in measuring the need for InfoVis

The increasing trend of data volume and its superabundance have been endangering institutional data and specifically, higher education institutions (HEI) students’ data.The most challenging is the need for HEI to make sense from their large datasets, through gaining insights and understanding the pattern and trends of events therein. Deductions from extant literatures strongly indicate the presence of information overload as the factor constraining HEI decision makers from making wealthy use of the institutional datasets.However, no study has empirically investigated the presence of information overload in HEI students’ data management.To attend to this, this study aims at developing an instrument to be used in measuring the presence of information overload, and justifiably, the need for Information Visualization (InfoVis) –being an argued better tool for institutional data management. This study employs quantitative research method withadministration of 9-item survey questionnaire. Thirty-two (32) respondents are purposively drawn among HEI decision makers.Descriptive statistics is used as the statistical technique to find the mean valueof the computed variable based on the normal Likert 5-point scale.The result of the instrument reliability testgives a value of 0.712 as the Cronbach’s Alpha value which suggests that the items designed are internally consistent, and a weighted mean value of 4.03 strongly supportsthe hypothesis that HEI experiences information overload