Using DDC to create a visual knowledge map as an aid to online information retrieval

Selection of search terms in an online search environment can be facilitated by the visual display of a knowledge map showing the various concepts and their links. This paper reports on a preliminary research aimed at designing a prototype knowledge map using DDC and its visual display. The prototype knowledge map created using the Protæ#169;gæ#169; and TGViz freeware has been demonstrated, and further areas of research in this field are discussed

Digital reference services : a snapshot of the current practices in scottish libraries

Discusses the current practices followed by some major libraries in Scotland for providing digital reference services(DRS). Refers to the DRSs provided by three academic libraries, namely Glasgow University Library, the University of Strathclyde Library, and Glasgow Caledonian University Library, and two other premier libraries in Scotland, the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. Concludes that digital reference services are effective forms of service delivery in Scotland's academic, national and public libraries, but that their full potential has not yet been exploited. E-mail is the major technology used in providing digital reference, although plans are under way to use more sophisticated Internet technologies. Notes that the majority of enquiries handled by the libraries are relatively low-level rather than concerning specific knowledge domains, and training the users to extract information from the best digital resources still remains a challenge

Comparing the usability of doodle and Mikon images to be used as authenticators in graphical authentication systems

Recognition-based graphical authentication systems rely on the recognition of authenticator images by legitimate users for authentication. This paper presents the results of a study that compared doodle images and Mikon images as authenticators in recognition based graphical authentication systems taking various usability dimensions into account. The results of the usability evaluation, with 20 participants, demonstrated that users preferred Mikon to doodle images as authenticators in recognition based graphical authentication mechanisms. Furthermore, participants found it difficult to recognize doodle images during authentication as well as associate them with something meaningful. Our findings also show the need to consider the security offered by the images, especially their predictability

Ion-liquid based super-capacitors with inner gate diode-like separators

We demonstrate that the capacitance of ionic-liquid filled supercapacitors is substantially increased by placing a diode-like structure on the separator membrane. We call the structured separator: gate, and demonstrate that the order of a p-n layout with respect to the auxiliary electrode affects the overall cell's capacitance. The smallest ESR and the largest capacitance values are noted when the p-side is facing the auxiliary electrode.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure