Can smartphones be specialists? Effects of specialization in mobile advertising

Based on the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm, this study extends the expectations regarding the superiority of specialists over generalists to mobile technology by examining whether the specialization of a hardware agent (i.e., a smartphone) and a software agent (i.e., an application) has psychological effects on smartphone users who are exposed to mobile advertisements. Results from a between-subjects experiment (N = 80) show that specialist smartphones and applications induce greater trust in advertisements and an increased purchase intention toward the advertised products than generalist smartphones and applications. In addition, the effects of specialization on purchase intention are mediated by trust in advertisements. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Implementation and evaluation of a decision support system for type II diabetes

A decision support system for the management of oral hypoglycaemic therapy in type II diabetes was evaluated. The ruleset contained therein forms the basis of a prototype computer programme, but in order to assess the robustness of the individual rules, it was decided it was necessary to use a paper-based form of the ruleset. A nurse with no previous experience of managing type II diabetes was trained to use the system and then undertook the exclusive management of half of all new type II diabetics, from a district population of 300 000, over a 16-month period. General practices within this area were divided into two groups, study and control, matching for size, geographical area and standards of existing diabetes care. Patients (n = 102) from the study group practices were then assigned to her care. Those patients (n = 116) in the control group of practices were treated according to their normal procedures. The decision support system for oral hypoglycaemic therapy was based on the following criteria: the current type of treatment (six levels); current glycaemic control (HbA₁ and FBS) — whether improving, steady or worsening; and weight — %IBW, whether rising, steady or falling. Each of these parameters was carefully defined on the basis of established practice and clinical experience. Patients after initial education were seen at their usual clinic by the nurse only, on a monthly basis, until satisfactory glycaemic control was established and thereafter reviewed 3 monthly. She was also responsible for ensuring the organisation of Diabetes Annual Review procedures. The medical records of the control group patients were examined at the end of the study and data on glycaemic control and Annual Reviews extracted. In the study group 98% patients achieved HbA₁ levels within the normal range and all patients had full annual reviews performed. The control practices achieved much poorer degrees of metabolic control (P < 0.01) and completed fewer annual reviews. The study group did not demonstrate a significantly increased frequency of clinical hypoglycaemia consequent upon better blood sugar control. No exceptions to the ruleset, as initially defined, were detected. In conclusion, this decision support system was successful at achieving standards of diabetes control and care equal to or better than conventional structures of diabetes care. Implementation of such a system, on a simple computer platform, could greatly assist and possibly improve diabetes management in general practice.     

Groupwork with Computers: an overview of findings

Abstract  The paper presents the main findings of the London-based study, carried out as part of the ESRC project Groupwork with Computers. During this study, we attempted to identify the background and process factors which influence the success of groupwork with computers. The research used a multi-site case study design in six schools and involved eight groups of six mixed-sex, mixed-ability pupils (aged 9–12) undertaking three mathematics tasks, two using LOGO and one a database. Our main findings suggest that group settings are only successful in terms of both group outcome and learning, if the group structures their activity in particular and identifiable ways. These organisational styles and patterns of interaction themselves are conditional on interpersonal and social characteristics of the group and class.     

IT culture in medical education

Abstract A survey of the Information Technology (IT) skills and attitudes of 180 pre-clinical students at two UK medical schools are reported. Medical School A had little in the way of an 'IT culture', while School B runs a short course in informatics in the first year, and regularly employs IT and CAL applications in teaching and learning. School A students were less likely to consider their skills to be 'adequate' for their educational needs. Students at School B rated IT skills as of greater importance for both their current and future needs as undergraduates, but over 87% of both groups considered IT competency as 'essential' or 'important' for their future in medical practice. These, and other findings, are discussed in relation to the impact of 'IT culture', including training in informatics within the undergraduate medical curriculum.     

Automated storage and retrieval of work standards

Automated storage of work standards is generally associated with proprietary standards development software which provides an archival capability and may or may not provide a complementary applications function. The system described herein, the Work Planning System, was developed to satisfy needs to store, audit, and retrieve for use work standards developed under many disparate systems. It supports a companion automated system for maintenance work developed for the U.S. Navy but has potential application in widespread commercial uses of work standards for production routings or maintenance work orders. The system is designed around a CODASYL data base management system supported on Honeywell Information Systems DPS6 minicomputer series. The data base architecture is directly transferable to other mini and main frame computers     

Quick and simple procedures to assess software reliability and facilitate project management

A software reliability model is considered that is easy to implement, use, and interpret. The model works extremely well in the latter stages of testing. A complete history of failures does not need to be stored in a data base or maintained. This reduces the cost of assessing software reliability. Furthermore, it is possible to use the model to estimate software reliability when failure statistics have not been extensively collected. Various estimation procedures are discussed that can aid in project planning. The use of these estimation procedures is illustrated through two sets of actual failure data.     

Introducing microcomputers to managers in the people's Republic of China

Having set up the first microcomputer laboratory in China, the authors provided 178 Chinese professionals with course-work lectures, and workshops designed to increase their understanding of the potential for using microcomputers in their organizations. This paper assesses the impact of those educational experiences on the Chinese students' perceptions of how they could apply the PC to their organizations, what uses they would make of a PC, what services a PC would require, and how soon they expected to be using (to adopt) a PC. Analysis of appropriate data takes into account such factors as differences in the content of the educational experiences and differences in the amount of time the students spent actually using the PCs. Analysis indicates that the educational experiences did significantly increase the Chinese students' perceptions of possible applications and uses of PCs in their organizations and provides evidence that similar educational experiences could be most effective in introducing microcomputer technology in countries such as China.     

Basic program for printing a coding sheet for unknowns that are to be identified against an identification matrix of percent positive characters

A BASIC program is given, entitled IDEFORM, that prints a coding sheet for use in computer-assisted identification. The coding sheet is intended for use with the program MATIDEN by which unknowns scored for presence-absence properties or characters are compared with an identification matrix of percent positive characters of a number of groups or taxa. The coding sheet is prepared from the particular identification matrix for use with that matrix.     

Controlling the slides: Does clicking help adults learn?

When utilizing screen media as an educational platform, maintaining control over one's experience may lead to more successful learning outcomes. In the current work, adults learned four new action sequences, each via a different slideshow type. The computer advanced slides automatically, but each version had a different pausing mechanism: (1) free pause (viewers could click the mouse at any point to pause the show), (2) subgoal pause (show paused after subgoals, viewer clicked to continue), (3) timed pause (show paused every 20 slides, viewer clicked to continue), and (4) no pause (no viewer interaction). Participants completed a written memory test, live performance test, cognitive load measures, and satisfaction measures. Results indicated that memory recall was significantly lower in the no pause version when compared to the versions with pause capability. Also, over half of participants reported that the no pause version was their least favorite format to learn from. Conversely, over half of participants selected the free pause as their favorite slideshow format, and participants reported that they felt most in control of the free pause version. These reports occurred in spite of only one-quarter of all participants actually using the click-to-pause feature in the free pause slideshow. Perhaps the mindset of being in control, rather than the pausing itself, increased likeability of the program. This research has implications for program design and education, pointing to flexible pacing features being helpful in enhancing users' enjoyment of the program and ability to extract novel information.     

计算机科学与技术专业实践教学研究

目前,高校计算机科学与技术专业的教学还存在着很多的问题和漏洞,这些问题和漏洞如果得不到很好的改正和填补,就会使计算机科学与技术的教学质量得不到提高。本文就高校计算机科学与技术专业的教学现状进行阐述,根据自身经验和研究总结改革教学方式,从而进一步推进计算机科学与技术教学的发展。