Dynamics of private social networks

Social networks, have been a significant turning point in ways individuals and companies interact. Various research has also revolved around public social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. In most cases trying to understand what's happening in the network such predicting trends, and identifying natural phenomenon. Seeing the growth of public social networks several corporations have sought to build their own private networks to enable their staff to share knowledge, and expertise. Little research has been done in regards to the value private networks give to their stake holders. This is primarily due to the fact as their name implies, these networks are private, thus access to internal data is limited to a trusted few. This paper looks at a particular online private social network, and seeks to investigate the research possibilities made available, and how this can bring value to the organisation which runs the network. Notwithstanding the limitations of the network, this paper seeks to explore the connections graph between members of the network, as well as understanding the topics discussed within the network. The findings show that by visualising a social network one can assess the success or failure of their online networks. The Analysis conducted can also identify skill shortages within areas of the network, thus allowing corporations to take action and rectify any potential problems.peer-reviewe

Extracting Maximum Benefits from Web-Based Searching

With huge amounts of information connected to the Internet, efficient and effective discovery of resource and knowledge using the Internet has become an imminent research issue. A vast array of networks services is growing up around the Internet and massive amounts of information is added everyday. Users can now access massive amounts of information in various forms, thereby creating an equally massive problem. This rapid growth in data volume, user base, and data diversity render Internet-accessible information increasingly difficult to be used effectively. Therefore, search for a specific information on this massive and exploding Internet information resource base becomes highly critical. In this paper we discuss the issues involved in the application of machine learning techniques to the problem of Internet-based information overload. We present a general architecture and describe how it has been instantiated in a functional system we developed. The system attempts to concurrently maximize and optimize the resource/knowledge discovery, and custimize the information to individual users. We discuss the design issues involved in the attempt to develop an evolvable architecture which can easily and inexpensively accommodate future generations of web-based systems and technologies

Impacting Networked Technologies on Teaching Practices

[EN] Networked technologies are found permeating all work and life activities even in the education realm. Today’s networked technologies are changing the way we interact within the online environment and amongst themselves. Networked technologies have unleashed a plethora of possibilities for educators to take advantage of by employing them as part of their teaching practices. In this paper are presented findings related to how academics are experiencing networked technologies for teaching and their relation to learning. A phenomenographic approach and subsequently a quantitative stance was employed to shed light on the nature and the current dynamic of such practices. This paper recounts the phenomenographic outcome, but it particularly attends to subsequent quantitative findings obtained from consideration of learning experiences against the phenomenographic map of variation in teaching experiences whereby an unexpected clustering trend was exposed. The outcomes of this exploratory research provide crucial and essential insights for higher education administrators and policy makers on how to regulate themselves with regards to the adoption of networked technologies within their institution.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Cutajar, M.; Montebello, M. (2018). Impacting Networked Technologies on Teaching Practices. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 697-705. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8066OCS69770

Searching the WWW with XML

Searching and retrieving the right information from the World-Wide Web (WWW) has always been considered of foremost importance and of considerable A.I. intensivity. Internet search technologies have been evolving over the years and will continue to do so as the WWW will continue to expand in size and increase in popularity. In a desperate attempt to restore order to the WWW after the chaos that has developed due to its heterogeneous, unstructured and uncensored nature, the eXtended Markup Language (XML) is being heralded as the successor to HTML. In this paper we investigate the evolution of Internet search technologies and present a possible and viable solution in a functional system we developed and which makes use of XML at its very core. We discuss the design issues involved as well as practical issues such as tendencies and tactics employed by some of the major players in this well-sought area

Crowdsourced Recommender System

[EN] The use of artificially intelligent techniques to overcome specific shortcomings within e-learning systems is a well-researched area that keeps on evolving in an attempt to optimise such resourceful practices. The lack of personalization and the sentiment of isolation coupled with a feeling of being treated like all others, tends to discourage and push learners away from courses that are very well prepared academically and excellently projected intellectually. The use of recommender systems to deliver relevant information in a timely manner that is specifically differentiated to a unique learner is once more being investigated to alievate the e-learning issue of being impersonal.  The application of such a technique also assists the learner by reducing information overload and providing learning material that can be shared, criticized and reviewed at one’s own pace. In this paper we propose the use of a fully automated recommender system based on recent AI developments together with Web 2.0 applications and socially networked technologies. We argue that such technologies have provided the extra capabilities that were required to deliver a realistic and practical interfacing medium to assist online learners and take recommender systems to the next level.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Montebello, M.; Mallia Milanes, M. (2018). Crowdsourced Recommender System. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 497-503. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8020OCS49750

WanderRep : a reporting tool for caregivers of wandering persons with dementia

Wandering behaviour is regarded as one of the most difficult to manage for Caregivers of persons with Dementia. It also results in a lot of stress and burden for all caregivers involved, since this behaviour can result in injuries and getting lost. In this research we are proposing a tool which utilizes the currently available Smart Mobile Technologies to focus on the patients’ wandering patterns whilst identifying any possible dangers pertaining to the patient. A number of findings have been collected from this research tool, through a number of studies with both formal and informal caregivers and patients at the St. Vincent de Paul Elderly Nursing Home. These findings primarily relate to: (1) The benefits which caregivers perceive when being alerted of danger relating to their patients and (2) the need for further understanding this research area through the collected data. Caregivers are also given the opportunity to give their feedback on a patient’s exposure to danger, thus creating a cooperative environment between caregivers of the same patient. Preliminary tests have shown how this system achieves an 89% specificity to danger rate, which defines the statistical performance of a binary classification test, together with showing how caregivers find this system as a positive way of reducing their burden when caring for wandering patients.peer-reviewe

Personalised e-Learning

This thesis proposes to add value to the traditional e-learning systems by personalising the content being presented. The personalisation process was brought together through the amalgamation of crowdsourcing techniques, explicit with learners’ interests, and learner profiling technologies. A prototype called iPLE, intelligent personal learning environment, was developed and tested within an empirical study where participants experienced and compared the proposed iPLE with a static e-learning environment and a standard face-to-face delivery. A number of data collection instruments have been integrated within the empirical study to accumulate participants’ feedback. The results were fully documented and analysed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools that generated essential assessment information. An indicative improvement was reported following the data analysis and evaluation of results that led to the conclusion that even though there is plenty of room for further development and research, the combination of the proposed techniques does help and assist in rendering e-learning more effective

Tablets report

In January 2014, the Government of Malta launched the ‘One Tablet per Child’ pilot project whose aim is to foresee the introduction of computer tablets in primary schools. An expression of interest was also published in order to test different types of hardware and software solutions with the aim of collecting feedback from educators and students. As part of this initiative, the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology was requested to assist. In fact, an inter-departmental team was setup made up of academics from the Department of Intelligent Computer Systems and the Department of Computer Information Systems. These academics were entrusted with the task of analyzing the three major tablet platforms in order to create a coherent and impartial analysis, which can help during the selection of the ultimate platform. The result of this exercise is this document, which was presented to the committee responsible for the tablets project. Throughout this document, one can find a thorough discussion pertaining the positive and negative aspects of each platform; be it Android, iOS or Microsoft. Whilst praising the most positive features of each platform, the document also highlights the issues, which might arise when developing content for these operating systems (OSs) and the weaknesses, which currently exist. We also examined issues, which might arise when using these platforms. In particular, our analysis also takes into consideration the fact that the usage will happen in a primary classroom setting and thus, additional issues such as sturdiness of the device had to be considered. Even though we mentioned some examples, we did not really go into the merits of particular devices because the market is so fragmented that it would have been impossible to pinpoint specific models or brands. Being a highly volatile sector means that the information presented in this document can be considered correct at the time of writing however we are expecting major changes in the coming months which will definitely change the way in which we interact with computers forever. The document is well suited to help the committee get abreast with the latest offerings and future potential of each platform in order to allow them to take an informed decision. A decision, which will have a long lasting effect on the eventual success of the project and the ultimate wellbeing of our children.peer-reviewe

Semantic web-services or semantic-web services?

The emergence of the Semantic Web together with the promise of Web Services, a new level of service on top of the current web is envisaged as the new silver bullet and considered as the next great cure-all for IT’s ill. However, in order to employ their full potential, appropriate description techniques for such services need to be developed, and even though the future looks bright, promising and interesting, one should proceed with caution as potential pitfalls lie ahead. In this paper a brief overview of how to best ensue such issues is given, together with a personal clarification to which this paper is entitled.peer-reviewe

Semantically annotate everything?

Search as we know it will change and improve as new and enhanced methodologies to accommodate the ever expanding semantically annotated World-Wide Web will be developed and fruitfully employed. While a lot of basic infrastructure has already been developed to prepare for the onset of the Semantic Web, like meta-languages, editors, inference engines, and others, other critical developments need to be put in place too. This short paper discusses the issues as well as the best application areas to ’Semantically Annotate Everything’ and transform on a mass scale the wealth of knowledge on the web into information as semantic metadata on the Semantic web.peer-reviewe