A survey of communication/networking in Smart Grids

Smart Grid is designed to integrate advanced communication/networking technologies into electrical power grids to make them “smarter”. Current situation is that most of the blackouts and voltage sags could be prevented if we have better and faster communication devices and technologies for the electrical grid. In order to make the current electrical power grid a Smart Grid, the design and implementation of a new communication infrastructure for the grid are two important fields of research. However, Smart Grid projects have only been proposed in recent years and only a few proposals for forward-looking requirements and initial research work have been offered in this field. No any systematic reviews of communication/networking in Smart Grids have been conducted yet. Therefore, we conduct a systematic review of communication/networking technologies in Smart Grid in this paper, including communication/networking architecture, different communication technologies that would be employed into this architecture, quality of service (QoS), optimizing utilization of assets, control and management, etc.     

Modeling and control of discrete event systems using finite state machines with variables and their applications in power grids

Control theories for discrete event systems modeled as finite state machines have been well developed to address various fundamental control issues. However, finite state machine model has long suffered from the problem of state explosion that renders it unsuitable for some practical applications. In an attempt to mitigate the state explosion problem, we propose an efficient representation that appends finite sets of variables to finite state machines in modeling discrete event systems. We also present the control synthesis techniques for such finite state machines with variables (FSMwV). We first present our notion and means of control under this representation. We next present our algorithms for both offline and online synthesis of safety control policies. We then apply these results to the control of electric power grids.     

智能电网中虚拟化云计算的应用和安全技术分析

智能电网符合当前需求,意义重大。首先简单介绍了云计算和智能电网,并对云计算在智能电网中的应用做了阐述,然后主要对云计算的安全技术进行了分析。     

Social media research: The application of supervised machine learning in organizational communication research.

Despite the online availability of data, analysis of this information in academic research is arduous. This article explores the application of supervised machine learning (SML) to overcome challenges associated with online data analysis. In SML classifiers are used to categorize and code binary data. Based on a case study of Dutch employees’ work-related tweets, this paper compares the coding performance of three classifiers, Linear Support Vector Machine, Naïve Bayes, and logistic regression. The performance of these classifiers is assessed by examining accuracy, precision, recall, the area under the precision-recall curve, and Krippendorf’s Alpha. These indices are obtained by comparing the coding decisions of the classifier to manual coding decisions. The findings indicate that the Linear Support Vector Machine and Naïve Bayes classifiers outperform the logistic regression classifier. This study also compared the performance of these classifiers based on stratified random samples and random samples of training data. The findings indicate that in smaller training sets stratified random training samples perform better than random training samples, in large training sets (n = 4000) random samples yield better results. Finally, the Linear Support Vector Machine classifier was trained with 4000 tweets and subsequently used to categorize 578,581 tweets obtained from 430 employees.     

The role of communication values in swift starting action teams: IT insights from flight crew experience

We define a new subset of action teams termed swift starting action teams. These high technology groups of professional, well trained strangers perform from the moment they start working and face high stakes from the beginning. For these teams, we present evidence that the expression of communication values precedes effective task communication and team performance. IT professionals increasingly team with other professionals in high technology environments, such as swift starting action teams. Communication and communication values are important to the success of action team interactions common to IT professionals, such as requirements analysis, knowledge discovery interviews, and end user service engagements.     

The complexity of richness: Media,message, and communication outcomes

Dynamic web-based multimedia communication has been increasingly used in organizations, necessitating a better understanding of how it affects their outcomes. We investigated factor structures and relationships involving media and information richness and communication outcomes using an experimental design. We found that these multimedia contexts were best explained by models with multiple fine-grained constructs rather than those based on one- or two-dimensions. Also, media richness theory poorly predicted relationships involving these constructs.     

Universal access to communication and learning: the role of automatic speech recognition

This communication discusses how automatic speech recognition (ASR) can support universal access to communication and learning through the cost-effective production of text synchronised with speech and describes achievements and planned developments of the Liberated Learning Consortium to: support preferred learning and teaching styles; assist those who for cognitive, physical or sensory reasons find notetaking difficult; assist learners to manage and search online digital multimedia resources; provide automatic captioning of speech for deaf learners or when speech is not available or suitable; assist blind, visually impaired or dyslexic people to read and search material; and, assist speakers to improve their communication skills.     

Self-adaptive systems: A survey of current approaches,research challenges and applications

Self-adaptive software is capable of evaluating and changing its own behavior, whenever the evaluation shows that the software is not accomplishing what it was intended to do, or when better functionality or performance may be possible. The topic of system adaptivity has been widely studied since the mid-60s and, over the past decade, several application areas and technologies relating to self-adaptivity have assumed greater importance. In all these initiatives, software has become the common element that introduces self-adaptability. Thus, the investigation of systematic software engineering approaches is necessary, in order to develop self-adaptive systems that may ideally be applied across multiple domains. The main goal of this study is to review recent progress on self-adaptivity from the standpoint of computer sciences and cybernetics, based on the analysis of state-of-the-art approaches reported in the literature. This review provides an over-arching, integrated view of computer science and software engineering foundations. Moreover, various methods and techniques currently applied in the design of self-adaptive systems are analyzed, as well as some European research initiatives and projects. Finally, the main bottlenecks for the effective application of self-adaptive technology, as well as a set of key research issues on this topic, are precisely identified, in order to overcome current constraints on the effective application of self-adaptivity in its emerging areas of application.     

Democracy in computer-mediated communication: Gender,communicative style,and amount of participation in professional listservs

This study examined the claim of democracy in computer-mediated communication with regard to amount of participation and communicative style of genders and the effect of topic of discussion on these aspects. To this aim, 300 randomly- chosen messages from two listservs (language testing and taxonomy) were coded for the number of female and male participants, frequency and length of messages, frequency of new topics, frequency of responses to each topic type and to the same and cross gender topics, stylistic features of females’ and males’ language, and frequency of flaming. For each aspect of analysis, χ² statistical test was applied to examine the significance of the differences between genders in and across the lists. The results indicated that given the amount of participation, the democracy claim was breached as male dominance and presence was more ubiquitous. However, the results supported the provision of a democratic platform as far as manner of participation is concerned since both genders presented common communicative needs and priorities and there was no support for differentiation of genders’ communicative styles. The findings promise implications for EFL/ESL education.     

Steps, techniques, and technologies for the development of intelligent applications based on Semantic Web Services: A case study in e-learning systems

Semantic Web Services domain has gained special attention in academia and industry. It has been adopted as a promise to enable automation of all aspects of Web Services provision and uses, such as service creation, selection, discovery, composition, and invocation. However, the development of intelligent systems based on Semantic Web Services (SWS) is still a complex and time-consuming task, mainly with respect to the choice and integration of technologies. In this paper, we discuss some empirical issues associated with the development process for such systems and propose a systematic way for building intelligent applications based on SWS by providing the development process with steps, techniques and technologies. In addition, one experiment concerning the implementation of a real e-learning system using the proposed approach is described. The evaluation results from this experiment showed that our approach has been effective and relevant in terms of improvements in the development process of intelligent applications based on SWS.     

The acceptance and diffusion of the innovative smart phone use: A case study of a delivery service company in logistics

Technology adoption has been the topic of several theories. We empirically assessed and integrated four models to help in predicting smart phone adoption. The varying factors were combined and a survey was conducted in five sales branches of a delivery service company. Results of the analysis of the collected data show that the relationships amongst constructs were similar. Self-efficacy was a strong predictor of behavioral intention through attitude; after innovation, diffusion theory was added. Attitude towards smart phone adoption was found to be affected mainly by testability and organizational and environmental factors. We decided that an iterative approach to implementing smart phone adoption was effective. Managerial implications are discussed.     

Mediated disclosure on Twitter: The roles of gender and identity in boundary impermeability,valence, disclosure,and stage

Social media such as microblogs (Twitter™) allow more people to disclose more personal and private information more frequently to more others than ever before. But what is the nature of, and what factors influence, those disclosures? Applying concepts from research and theory on self-disclosure research and microblogging, this study analyses 3751 tweets, with nearly half including disclosures, over a three-day period. At the user level, user-controlled boundary impermeability varied by user gender, feed identity (parenting, social media professional), and their interaction. At the tweet level, tweet valence, presence of disclosure, and front- or back-stage disclosure were variously influenced by user gender, Twitter feed identity, interactions between them, and boundary impermeability. Social construction of gender roles and social identities, as well as individual tendencies, and possibly communication contexts, are reflected in the valence, presence, and stage of disclosures in microblog content.     

PACS中的图象管理与预取技术的研究

介绍医学图象的分类,着重介绍解放军总医院在研制PACS系统中采用的医学图象管理和图象预取技术。     

The technical framework of interactive functions for course-management systems: Students’ perceptions,uses, and evaluations

This study explores the interactivity of course-management systems (CMSs). First, this study reviews the concepts of interactivity, interactivity dimension, and interaction type on the basis of related theories and studies. Second, this study analyzes the interactive functions attributable to the six major CMSs in Taiwan colleges and universities, and re-constructs a technical framework containing five interaction types, nine interactivity dimensions, and 83 possible interactive functions. This study has found that a total of 21 interactive functions were featured in the six CMSs, while six functions identified from theories and research were not. In terms of interaction type, the results indicate that these six CMSs possessed the highest percentage of possible interactive functions for facilitating human interactions (e.g., learner–learner interaction and learner–instructor interaction), followed by learner–interface interaction and learner–self interaction, with the lowest percentage corresponding to learner–content interaction. In terms of interactivity dimension, these six CMSs seemed more likely to feature a learner-centered design approach than a system-centered one. Also, this study conducted user surveys on students’ perceptions, use, and evaluation of these interactive functions. A total of 491 valid sets of data were collected from six CMS user groups. The results indicate that, for their online learning, students considered the function of “Assignment handling” to be the most known, frequently used, and useful function. In addition, students were well familiar with, and made use of, any functions that would help them monitor or track their learning process. Students required more content-related interactive functions than were currently available in CMSs. Last, the regression results indicate that the more positively the students perceived the CMS interactivity, the usefulness of CMS for learning, and the interactive functions, the more positively these students perceived their CMSs.     

Blogging privacy management rule development: The impact of self-monitoring skills,concern for appropriateness,and blogging frequency

The current study utilized communication privacy management (CPM) theory to examine how individuals’ blogging privacy management rules are related to their communication-based personality dispositions (self-monitoring skills and concern for enacting socially appropriate interactions). The study also explored relationships between the same dispositions and blogging frequency. Overall, 356 bloggers completed an online survey instrument. Regression analysis provided support for both hypotheses. Bloggers with higher self-monitoring skills had a more private orientation towards their blogging privacy management practices. Bloggers’ CFA level was related to more public and open blogging permeability rules. High self-monitors and high CFA dispositions were positively related to blogging frequency. Implications of the study to current computer-mediated communication (CMC) theory and research are discussed.     

Selective self-presentation in computer-mediated communication: Hyperpersonal dimensions of technology,language, and cognition

The hyperpersonal model of computer-mediated communication (CMC) posits that users exploit the technological aspects of CMC in order to enhance the messages they construct to manage impressions and facilitate desired relationships. This research examined how CMC users managed message composing time, editing behaviors, personal language, sentence complexity, and relational tone in their initial messages to different presumed targets, and the cognitive awareness related to these processes. Effects on several of these processes and outcomes were obtained in response to different targets, partially supporting the hyperpersonal perspective of CMC, with unanticipated gender and status interaction effects suggesting behavioral compensation through CMC, or overcompensation when addressing presumably undesirable partners.     

From computer ethics to responsible research and innovation in ICT: The transition of reference discourses informing ethics-related research in information systems

The discourse concerning computer ethics qualifies as a reference discourse for ethics-related IS research. Theories, topics and approaches of computer ethics are reflected in IS. The paper argues that there is currently a broader development in the area of research governance, which is referred to as ‘responsible research and innovation’ (RRI). RRI applied to information and communication technology (ICT) addresses some of the limitations of computer ethics and points toward a broader approach to the governance of science, technology and innovation. Taking this development into account will help IS increase its relevance and make optimal use of its established strengths.     

Agent技术在矿井管理决策中的应用

简要分析了传统的矿井决策模拟系统SIMBERG存在的主要问题 ,然后介绍了Agent技术 ,构建了基于Agent的矿井管理决策系统的体系结构 ,并描述了其决策和实现过程。     

The roles of group potency and information and communication technologies in the relationship between task conflict and team effectiveness: A longitudinal study

The effects of task conflict on group effectiveness are far from conclusive. In order to further clarify this relationship, a contingency approach has been suggested. In this context, the present study examines the roles of group potency and information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the relationship between task conflict and team effectiveness. The study involved 44 groups of 4 members each, working in two communication media. Twenty-two groups worked in a face-to-face condition, and the other 22 groups worked in a computer-mediated communication condition. The groups developed a project during four weekly sessions over a one-month period. The results showed that group potency moderated the relationship between task conflict and group effectiveness. However, the communication medium did not play a moderator role in these relationships.