The Organisation in Ethnography –A Discussion of Ethnographic Fieldwork Programs in CSCW

Ethnography is now one of the key approaches usedwithin the CSCW community to specify the role ofcomputer based systems in work practice. Yet whatethnography involves as a program of inquiries is onlydiscussed in a piecemeal way in the literature. Thispaper attempts to make up for that absence bydescribing one fieldwork program (or programme)developed over a number of projects in whichethnography has been allied with computer systems andwork practice design. The discussions will be ofinterest to both expert practitioners of ethnographyand novices.     

浙江石窗艺术的审美趣味和表现手法

浙江石窗是第二批浙江省非物质文化遗产名录中的一项民间美术,它是盛开在浙江大地上的一朵建筑民俗之花,它的审美趣味与当地的民风民俗和建筑风格完全融合,它的表现手法与中国的吉祥图案一脉相连。     

Effects of training to implement new tools and working methods to reduce knee load in floor layers

The purpose was to measure the effect of a participatory ergonomics implementation strategy consisting of information, education, and facilitation on the use of new tools and working methods in the floor laying trade. Floor layers (n=292) were trained in using new working methods. The effects were evaluated by using questionnaires, interviews, and assessments of quality and productivity. Following the training, 43% had used the new working methods weekly/daily compared to 11% before. There was a reduction in the degree of self-reported pain in the knees among the floor layers using the new working methods weekly or daily compared to those using them never or occasionally. The musculoskeletal complaints did not increase from any other region and the quality and the productivity of the work were not decreased. This indicates that within a 3-months perspective the implementation strategy succeeded.     

Iterative analysis of Markov regenerative models

Conventional algorithms for the steady-state analysis of Markov regenerative models suffer from high computational costs which are caused by densely populated matrices. In this paper, a new algorithm is suggested which avoids computing these matrices explicitly. Instead, a two-stage iteration scheme is used. An extended version of uniformization is applied as a subalgorithm to compute the required transient quantities “on-the fly”. The algorithm is formulated in terms of stochastic Petri nets. A detailed example illustrates the proposed concepts.     

Free and forced convection boundary layer flow through a porous medium with large suction

An analytical study is made of the free and forced convection boundary layer flow past a porous medium bounded by a semi-infinite vertical porous plate. Locally similar solutions are then obtained by a perturbation method for large suction. Solutions for the velocity and temperature distributions are shown graphically for various suction velocities and values of the driving parameter G_r/R, where G_r is the Grashof number and R_e is the Reynolds number. The corresponding values of the skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number are finally shown in tabular form.     

Using online collaboration applications for group assignments: The interplay between design and human characteristics

In recent years, educators and students are increasingly employing online collaboration applications such as Google Docs™ and PBWorks™ for group projects and assignments. Yet, the effectiveness of these emerging technologies has not been rigorously examined. Anchoring upon and informed by the existing literature, two design characteristics – sociability and visibility, and two human characteristics – gender and age, are focused on, which are salient in online collaboration applications. A field experiment was conducted to examine the direct and moderating effects of design and human characteristics on learning outcomes. The research found that sociability improved process satisfaction and positive social environment while visibility enhanced academic performance and solution satisfaction of learners. Males had higher solution satisfaction while older learners had higher academic performance. Moderating effects were also found. Both theoretical and practical implications are drawn. In particular, a rubric for online collaboration application selection for academic performance is conceived. This study provides empirical support for online collaboration application effectiveness in education which will augur well for future adoption, use and evolution.     

DCT- and DST-based splitting methods for Toeplitz systems

New splitting iterative methods for Toeplitz systems are proposed by means of recently developed matrix splittings based on discrete sine and cosine transforms due to Kailath and Olshevsky [Displacement structure approach to discrete-trigonometric transform-based preconditioners of G. Strang type and of T. Chan type, SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. 26 (2005), pp. 706–734]. Theoretical analysis shows that new splitting iterative methods converge to the unique solution of a symmetric Toeplitz linear system. Moreover, an upper bound of the contraction factor of our new splitting iterations is derived. Numerical examples are reported to illustrate the effectiveness of new splitting iterative methods.     

Relaxed parallel two-stage multisplitting methods II: Asynchronous version

Two classes of asynchronous relaxed parallel two-stage multisplitting methods based on extrapolated and AOR methods are studied for the solution of nonsingular linear systems, which are called asynchronous outer relaxed or inner relaxed parallel two-stage multisplitting methods. Convergence of these methods is studied for H-matrix. Almost all methods seen in literatures can be viewed as special cases of our methods.