Effective Use Of Information Research Articles

Microtask Detection

Information systems, such as task management applications and digital assistants, can help people keep track of tasks of different types and different time durations, ranging from a few minutes to days or weeks. Helping people better manage their tasks and their time are core capabilities of assistive technologies, situated within a broader context of supporting more effective information access and use. Throughout the course of a day, there are typically many short time periods of downtime (e.g., five minutes or less) available to individuals. Microtasks are simple tasks that can be tackled in such short amounts of time. Identifying microtasks in task lists could help people utilize these periods of low activity to make progress on their task backlog. We define actionable tasks as self-contained tasks that need to be completed or acted on. However, not all to-do tasks are actionable. Many task lists are collections of miscellaneous items that can be completed at any time (e.g., books to read, movies to watch), notes (e.g., names, addresses), or the individual items are constituents in a list that is itself a task (e.g., a grocery list). In this article, we introduce the novel challenge of microtask detection, and we present machine-learned models for automatically determining which tasks are actionable and which of these actionable tasks are microtasks. Experiments show that our models can accurately identify actionable tasks, accurately detect actionable microtasks, and that we can combine these models to generate a solution that scales microtask detection to all tasks. We discuss our findings in detail, along with their limitations. These findings have implications for the design of systems to help people make the most of their time.

The Significance of Observing the Risk of Non-communicable Diseases after Large-scale Disasters and Communicable Disease Epidemics.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a global challenge, accounting for 71% of all deaths worldwide. The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and past huge disasters have affected the prevention and treatment of NCDs and require urgent action. In this narrative review, I will discuss several reports on the risk of NCDs during past disasters and propose possible future directions. Hypertension, the most common NCD, carries a high risk of death due to cerebrovascular, renal, and other complications. Effective use of information and communication technology-based telemedicine is necessary to manage the risk of cardiovascular diseases during disasters and pandemics. We observed the cumulative incidence of metabolic syndrome in subjects from tsunami-affected areas. We found that moving into prefabricated temporary housing was a risk factor for a higher incidence of metabolic syndrome in elderly females. Our follow-up of 1,009 subjects showed a slight, but significant, increase in HbA1c values after a state of emergency was introduced, even though the lockdown was not as stringent as in other countries. In a study elucidating the prevalence of wheezing and eczema symptoms and the associated factors after the Great East Japan Earthquake, psychological effects, such as depression and self-reported posttraumatic stress disorder, were observed, particularly in people with allergic diseases. In recent years, new birth cohort studies have been initiated to complement the studies designed to collect information across multiple generations, such as the Lifelines study in the Netherlands and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) study in the UK. It is desirable to assess the effects of COVID-19 to complement the existing cohort studies in Japan as well.

ЦИФРОВА ТРАНСФОРМАЦІЯ В АКАДЕМІЧНИХ УСТАНОВАХ: ЕЛЕКТРОННИЙ ДОКУМЕНТООБІГ НА ОСНОВІ LOW-CODE-ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ

A significant increase in information flows in modern educational organizations, an increase in the dynamics of development of higher educational institutions requires the introduction and more effective use of information and telecommunication technologies both in the educational process and in the management activities of higher educational institutions. In essence, we are talking about the digital transformation of the activities of academic institutions. Digital transformation is designed to optimize all business processes for healers and, in particular, workflow processes, which will reduce the number of documents created, reduce the time it takes to find documentary information necessary for employees’ activities, and increase the effectiveness of control of management decisions. These issues take on particular weight in the context of distance learning during a pandemic. The article deals with the issues of modeling business processes of electronic document management for the selection, coordination and approval of topics and scientific supervisors in the framework of the design of a diploma/course in higher education institutions during online training. The practical implementation of these business processes and the corresponding document flow is carried out on the basis of low-code technology. As a tool for implementing the software, it is proposed to use the low-code Microsoft Power Platform, which includes the following modules: 1) Power Apps – for quick creation of mobile applications and portals; 2) Power Automate – module of automation of business processes and routine tasks; 3) Power BI – allows you to collect, process and visualize data from hundreds of data sources; 4) Power Virtual Agent – designed to create chatbots. All of these modules are part of the cloud platform Microsoft 365.

COVID–19 and stroke emergency] COVID–19と脳卒中診療

Perfect defense from SARS–CoV–2 infection prioritize in triaging acute stroke patients during COVID–19 pandemic. On April 2020, Japan Stroke Society urgently announced protected code stroke, JSS–PCS, informing all medical staffs the need to know the essential requirement. Patients under investigation should be accepted with PCS manner. The points of proposed PCS are (1) wearing reliable PPE, (2) wearing surgical mask on the patient, and (3) response with the minimum required number of personnel. It is strongly recommended to prepare individualized protocol of PCS in each stroke center. What is important during this COVID–19 pandemic, are summarized as follows. (1) sharing and effective use of information regarding regional healthcare system provision, (2) achieving effective measures to reduce the number of COVID–19 cases, and (3) sharing of information, including countermeasures against nosocomial infection, between medical institutions providing emergency treatment for stroke.

EVALUATION RESULTS OF THE USE OF MODERN INTERNET SOURCES BY THE STUDENTS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF HEALTH AWARENESS

The aim: Is toevaluate students' use of online tools to obtain information on health and healthy lifestyle. Materials and methods: A sociological survey was conducted among 1,563 students of vocational education institutions in Transcarpathian region, using a specially designed questionnaire on the use of information and communication channels to inform about health and healthy lifestyle. Results: It was found that a large proportion of students of vocational education institutions (71.8 ± 2.2%) spend more than 2 hours a day browsing Internet resources, which makes it possible to use these information and communication channels to inform about health and healthy lifestyle. The most relevant sources of information about health for young people are social networks Facebook (58.3±2.4%) and Instagram (56.7±2.5%), webpages of famous doctors (34.9±2.4%) and official websites of health care institutions (32.4±2.3%). Conclusions: Effective use of modern information and communication channels for health promotion among students aged 15-18 is possible taking into account the preferences of the target group, their features, reliable information content.

المعاییر الفنیة والتربویة لبیئة الواقع المختلطTechnical and Educational Standards of Mixed Reality Environment

تشکل بيئات الواقع المختلط مجال بديل للبيئة المادية التقليدية تسمح للاستفادة من إمکانيات تکنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصال الغنية، وتستثمر أدواتها في تصميم العمليات المختلفة للتعلم بصريا وإدارتها، وتقويمها، وتطويرها، ما يجعلها تعمل کمنظومة متکاملة لتيسير عمليات التفاعل عبر الوسائط التفاعلية المرئية ثلاثية الأبعاد، الأمر الذي يتطلب التوجيه الذاتي والمسئولية وتمکين يعطي للإدراک الحسي للصورة المجسمة عمق وأبعاد، ما يحقق للمتعلمين أهدافهم اعتمادا على التحکم ومعايشة تطبيق المهارة بأنفسهم، ويساعد على التواصل مع الأخرين والوصول الحر للمعلومات وتبادل الأفکار والآراء. تتحدد مشکلة الدراسة في محاولة الوصول لقائمة من المعايير التصميمية التي ينبغي مراعاتها عند إنشاء بيئة الواقع المختلط والأکثر ملاءمة لعمليات التعليم والتعلم لطلاب المرحلة الثانوية، واستخدام الباحث المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، تم التوصل لقائمة المعايير في صورتها النهائية بعد عرضها على محکمين من خبراء تکنولوجيا التعليم والحاسبات والمعلومات کعينة استطلاعية للتأکد من صحة الاستبانة؛ والتي تکونت من(3) مجالات رئيسة، و(12) معيارا رئيسا و(346) مؤشرا فرعيا، ما قد يسهم في الاستفادة من تقنية الواقع المختلط کبيئة انغماسيه توفر تفاعل بصري ووسائط متعددة افتراضية وغيره من مقومات التقنية الحديثة الغامرة، وتقدم آليات التکنولوجيا الرقمية المعاصرة والفاعلة التي تعزز من استخدام سياقات تهتم بأهداف الإتقان بدلا من أهداف الأداء، والمساهمة في تقديم حلول تقنية تساعد على تنظيم عمليات التعلم الذاتي المبرمج والإسهام في حل بعض المشکلات التربوية، وأوصت الدراسة بضرورة توظيف المستحدثات التقنية الحديثة والمعاصرة في مجال التعليم والتعلم المختلفة اعتمادا على استخدام حواس المتعلمين والممارسة وتعزيز استخدام سياقات تهتم بأهداف الإتقان والممارسة، وتنمية مهارات التنظيم الذاتي لعمليات التعلم والتعلم الحر. Mixed reality environments constitute an alternative field to the physical traditional environment. MREs make effective use of the Capabilities rich Information and Communication Technology. This includes utilizing its reliable tools in designing, managing, evaluating, and developing the various visual learning processes. This makes it work as an integrated system to facilitate interaction processes through interactive, 3D visual multimedia, which requires self-direction, responsibility and empowering gives depth and dimension to the perception of the stereoscopic image. As a result, learners achieve their goals depending on controlling and experiencing the skills performance themselves, it helps to communicate each other's and access freely to information, exchanging ideas and opinions. This research study aims at creating an exhaustive list of design standards that should be considered when creating a mixed reality environment that is most suitable for high school students teaching and learning processes, the researcher used the descriptive and analytical method, finally the standard's list was obtained in its final form after the approval of the reviewing ICT and education technology experts, an exploratory sample reconnaissance to ensure the validity of the questionnaire, this sample survey contents of (3) key fields, (12) main standards and (346) sub-indicators. What may contribute to the benefit of mixed reality technology as an immersive environment of visual interaction, virtual multi-media and other elements of modern immersive technology, MREs provides contemporary mechanisms of the effective digital technologies that would increase the use of contexts concerned with the goals of perfection rather than performance goals, contribute to providing technical solutions that help in organizing programmable self-regulated learning processes, contributing to solving some educational problems. The study recommended the necessity of employing modern and contemporary technical innovations in the field of education and learning. Depending on the use of the learners' senses and practice promote the use of contexts concerned with the goals of perfection and practice, and the development of self-regulation skills for learning processes and free learning.

A study of aggregate planning in logistics

These days, supply chain management is concerned with the movement of raw resources, goods, and information. Supply chain management includes the effective use of assets and information to meet customer needs, transfer products, services, and assets. Comprehensive planning refers to a medium-term evaluation of demand, inventories, skills, and labor utilization level. The traditional mathematical programming formulae are typically used to decrease the total operational budget. This phrasing, on the other hand, is purely commercial and ignores sustainability. This research examines traditional aggregate planning to include extra environmental and social elements to combine three fundamental characteristics of sustainability. To improve aggregate preparation efficiency, we combine these additional requirements with conventional expenses. Finally, we evaluate the models and understand the outcomes of a real-life study.

ІННОВАЦІЙНИЙ РОЗВИТОК АГРАРНОГО ВИРОБНИЦТВА В УМОВАХ ЦИФРОВІЗАЦІЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

The article develops and substantiates the theoretical and methodological and applied principles of innovative development of agricultural production in the context of digitalization of the economy. In modern conditions, the key to sustainable development and efficiency of the agricultural sector is the use of advanced technologies and developments, including digital, which is especially important for our state, which aims to form an information society. It is determined that informatization and globalization of the economy, as well as reducing the share of traditional ways and industries, expanding the service sector, knowledge-intensive and high-tech industries are prerequisites for structural transformations of the economy, which are necessary for innovative development and digitalization. It is noted that by overcoming information barriers, increasing production capacity and changing the nature of production processes, digital technologies can make economic development more inclusive, efficient and innovative. The current level of digitalization of the economy allows to organize mechanisms for collecting, processing and delivery to the place of use of basic and effective information with minimal use of labor, material and financial resources to perform these functions. Having relevant information is a unique competitive advantage of businesses, which allows them to increase the accuracy of forecasting their activities and, thus, to ensure economic stability. By simplifying tasks and increasing the productivity of existing factors of production, digital information and communication technologies can significantly increase the economic efficiency of agricultural production. It is established that for a harmonious combination of all possible directions of innovative development it is necessary to create certain conditions, the main of which is a single digital platform, the formation of which will promote innovative development of agro-industrial enterprises, which is a necessary and sufficient condition for structural and sectoral transformations.

Technology for risk assessment at product lifecycle stages using fuzzy logic

The problem of risk assessment at the stages of the product life cycle using both qualitative and quantitative approaches is investigated, and a generalized algorithm for selecting a fuzzy risk assessment model with different input data and system requirements is proposed for the effective use of statistical information and expert assessments. The "risk-based approach" allows to reduce the cost of correcting possible errors in the future and reduce the uncertainty when performing subsequent actions. It is noted that the results of SWOT analysis, as a rule, are of a qualitative descriptive nature, and do not contain specific recommendations. The provisions of modern standards on risk analysis are analyzed and the classification of risk analysis methods is given in accordance with the provisions of the national standard GOST R 58771-2019 "Risk management. Technologies for risk assessment", in which the key is the concept of uncertainty, estimated using different scales of gradation of risk damage and probability of its occurrence. An approach based on fuzzy logic and a hybrid fuzzy neural network model is proposed, which allows to present the used criteria in a con-venient form and implement a logical conclusion using simple and visual production rules. At the same time, the effectiveness and accuracy of the developed risk assessment system based on fuzzy logic is mainly determined by the quality of expert information and the consistency of the methods used to obtain it. To improve the accuracy of the results, it is proposed to use collective expert estimates with subsequent analysis of the consistency of the obtained expert estimates by determining the coefficients of variation, rank correlation, concordation, and so on. A generalized algorithm of expert assessment is presented, which is recommended to follow when developing expert systems for risk analysis. Various models of fuzzy inference (Mamdani, Takagi-Sugeno, hybrid neuro-fuzzy inference) are considered. An algorithm for constructing a fuzzy risk analysis system based on an effective method for obtaining expert assessments and analyzing statistical information is proposed. It is suggested that if there is a priori information about previously occurred events that can be used for risk analysis and fore casting, the fuzzy conclusion should be refined using widely known methods of mathematical statistics, optimization algorithms, for example, gradient descent, simplex method or genetic algorithms. An example of developing a risk assessment system when an enterprise enters into contracts with both the customer and co-executors is given.

Designing a training management system based on the project management method

Problem and purpose. The article considers research on comparing various opensource learning management systems in distance education and educational process management. With all the variety of diverse education management systems, the choice of the optimal model remains quite difficult. The integration of the electronic education management system into the global process of management and training in the system of higher professional education means a reorientation of the educational process to modern needs in the effective use of information and telecommunication technologies. The relevance of the article is defined by the urgency of the transition to the active and widespread use of information and telecommunication technologies in the management of the educational process; the ambiguity of the ways and degree of integration of electronic education management systems into the real process of managing a pedagogical university; the discussion of the choice of a model of the education management system and the need for scientific justification of the optimal strategy for developing a specially designed educational process management system. The problem is determined by the need to analyze and compare the Moodle distance learning system with other open source learning management systems, and identify all interested parties in the process of selecting such a management system, create a step-by-step guide for choosing a management system, and compile an individual list of functions that are consistent with priorities learning and objectives of the university. The purpose of the article is to describe approaches to the development of organizational forms for organizing the learning process, to determine the possibilities of implementing new approaches to managing the educational process. Methodology. The methodological basis was the analysis of the significance and development of distance education systems in Russian pedagogy. In the works of scientists (A.A. Andreev, V.F. Gornev, Yu.P. Gospodarik, V.I. Kinelev, V.P. Kolmogorov, V.N. Lazarev, A.V. Mogilev, V.I. Ovsyannikov, O.P. Okolelov, E.S. Polat, A.E. Petrov, V.I. Soldatkin, E.G. Skibitsky, V.P. Tikhomirov, O.B. Tyschenko, A.V. Khutorsky, V.D. Shadrikov, V.A. Shapovalov) the extensive range of ideas about the nature and content of distance education, the features of the educational process, the specifics of management and organization of such a process is analyzed in sufficient detail. Results. The expediency of using the electronic control system in the universitys management system is justified, and the technology of designing and using additional modules, taking into account the universitys target settings, and building the Electronic Deans module on this basis is proposed. The principles and conditions for the organization of the management process in an educational organization are identified, the project management method is considered as the basis for designing a model for managing the educational process using information and telecommunication technologies. Conclusion. The results led to the conclusion that the informatization of education is becoming a priority for the development of all educational organizations. The introduction of an electronic document management system will save a huge part of teachers working time, and a new approach to compiling courses will significantly improve the content of modern education. The proposed model for the implementation of information technology allows to speed up the collection, processing of a large amount of information, optimize the time and money spent on decision-making, improve the quality of managerial decisions by providing relevant, reliable information. When selecting information and software systems, it is important to correctly determine the requirements, criteria, as well as the functions, responsibilities, tasks of the employees for whom they should be intended.

Effective use of online depression information and associated literacies among US college students.

Mental health issues, such as depression, are rising among young people, who may benefit from online depression-related information. However, the competencies required to search for health information on the Internet and evaluate it before use may be poor among this population. This research aimed to investigate how college students use the Internet for solving problems in realistic case scenarios relevant to depression and to understand whether various literature-indicated literacies and factors may predict effective utilization of relevant online resources. We designed a web-based questionnaire survey including four depression-related case scenarios. A total of 218 undergraduate students who were enrolled in a Northeastern public US university were invited to participate in the survey in 2016, with 192 completed responses being included in this analysis (response rate = 88%; the participants' median age = 20; 79% female). Approximately half of the participants (47%) answered the depression-related questions in the case scenarios with 90% or higher accuracy. In a multiple linear regression model, prior depression knowledge and eHealth information literacy significantly predicted the effective use of online depression information. However, medical literacy and critical health literacy were not significant predictors. A few additional demographic and experience related factors were positively associated with the effective Internet use (e.g. female, non-Hispanic, psychology or health science major and prior experience with depression). These findings identify a need for college students to develop domain-specific knowledge and literacies in order to facilitate effective use of online information about depression.

Ocena funkcjonowania projektu e-zdrowie na rynku usług medycznych w świetle badań ankietowych

The idea of the e-health project assumes the public use of effective information and communication technology systems, as well as the participation of patients and medical staff in the treatment process. The article’s aim is the analysis of the impact of the e-health project on the functioning of the Polish healthcare system which is currently implemented as part of the digitization of health care. It has been hypothesized that the implemented e-health project has been positively received by Polish society. In order to verify this, a survey was conducted on a sample of 305 respondents, including patients, doctors and people who had never had contact with e-health. The purpose of the survey was to recognize the attitudes, opinions and experience of beneficiaries of e-health regarding the functioning of the project in question. The article also contains secondary research presenting the current scientific achievements in the field of e-health.

STORM integrated solution: a toolkit of collaborative and decision-making services and tools

The current world is increasingly supported by a knowledge-based economy, where technological, economic, political, social and cultural changes modify the nature of human relationships. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) revolution along with the spread of different and faster channels have become important driver to disseminate knowledge and information. In this changing landscape, knowledge is considered one of the most valuable assets able to generate growth and competitive advantage. Knowledge sharing plays a central role specifically during emergency, allowing the access to and the availability of critical information regarding risks and disasters. Lack of information complicates the efficient management of catastrophes and weakens the decision-making processes. For these reasons, it is fundamental to develop an infrastructure able to manage knowledge and, most specifically, to increase economic and social values fostering knowledge creation and sharing, to use innovation to perform better, to be updated and to enhance sustainability. In such complex situations, the STORM project aims at building a collaborative and dynamic environment allowing the actors to interact with each other and to join their efforts towards highest levels of cooperation and coordinated decision making approaches. Making fast and efficient decisions requires supporting tools allowing a prompt situational picture and critical information sharing based on effective use and coordination of resources, people, and information, where information and knowledge are distributed. In the context of the STORM project, the proposed tools and services enabled by IT technologies enhance collaboration, co-ordination and to support decision making amongst stakeholders, providing, at any moment, a clear situational picture. Existing knowledge (e.g. best practice, guidelines, lessons learned, procedures and processes, etc.) related to natural disaster risks and impacts can help teams of experts in making decisions and sharing new knowledge (e.g. from the situational picture, risk assessment and data analytics) for a prompt and more effective recovery. As a main benefit, the involved actors will be aware about the formulation and selection of risk reduction measures based on available risk information and stakeholders’ needs, speeding up response time where the right people with the relevant skills and disaster events are identified in a more timely manner.

ІНФОРМАЦІЙНА СИСТЕМА СЕМАНТИЧНОЇ ІДЕНТИФІКАЦІЇ І ДОКУМЕНТУВАННЯ РЕЗУЛЬТАТІВ НЕФОРМАЛЬНОГО Й ІНФОРМАЛЬНОГО НАВЧАННЯ: МЕТОДИ Й ІНСТРУМЕНТИ РОЗРОБКИ

У статті розглядається актуальна проблема – розроблення інформаційної системи семантичної ідентифікації і документування результатів неформального й інформального навчання, яка спрямована на забезпечення ефективної взаємодії ринку праці з ринком освітніх послуг. Проаналізовано стан сучасного ринку праці та економіки, а також необхідність упровадження інформаційних е-засобів для ефективного управління, обробки і використання інформації щодо визнання результатів неформального й інформального навчання, підвищення «видимості» та цінності результатів навчання, які отримані поза системами формального навчання. У роботі розглянуто методи та проаналізовано інструменти розроблення інформаційної системи семантичної ідентифікації і документування результатів неформального й інформального навчання. Зокрема обґрунтовано доцільність використання семантичних технології для обробки даних Semantic Web, головним завданням яких є оброблення інформації на рівні знання; запропоновано в якості основи інформаційної системи використання європейського класифікатора ESCO; модель предметної області описано на основі онтологічних баз знань. У публікації проаналізовано інструменти розробки інформаційної системи, здійснено концептуальне проєктування та розроблення пропонованої системи. Визначено основні можливості та користувачів інформаційної системи, описано основні етапи створення інформаційної системи: створена онтологічна схема; описано процес інтеграції онтології в RDF-сховище; наведені приклади взаємодії з RDF-сховище шляхом застосування мови запитів SPARQL та конекторів GraphD; розроблено архітектуру та інтерфейс користувача запропонованої інформаційної системи. Результати роботи SPARQL-запитів до даних представлені у вигляді наборів результатів. У якості програмних інструментів для розробки вебсервера для надання користувачам доступу до RDF-сховища прийнято мову РНР та PHP фреймворк Laravel. Дослідження обґрунтовують використання бібліотеки React для розробки інтерфейсу користувача інформаційної системи. У публікації визначено, що подальшим напрямком розвитку дослідження може бути імплементація ідей, методів і самої онтології в інші додатки для практичного використання всіма учасниками ринку праці.

Свободные научно-технические зоны

Зона динамичного развития прикладной науки и промышленности-это технопарк, который создает наиболее благоприятные условия для ведения бизнеса и предоставляет возможность использовать исследования, разработки и применение новых цифровых технологий. Основной целью создания инновационных центров является создание благоприятных условий для формирования и развития цифровых технологий. Это основано на эффективном использовании информационно-коммуникационных технологий, научно-образовательной интеграции и промышленной интеграции

Public Libraries in Increasing the Digital Inclusion of Socially Excluded Groups in Society

In today’s world, information and communication technologies (ICT) and the ability to use their potential effectively, provide access to the latest information, digital services, communication, prompt inclusion in the labour market, participation in lifelong learning, and are an integral part of the successful functioning of society (Ekbia, 2016; Fabre and Popova, 2017). At the same time, the growing importance of ICT creates new challenges in ensuring equal opportunities for all, without exception, to have access to technological equipment, the Internet, the development of digital competences and digital services, and to enable them to use ICT effectively. The need to increase digital inclusion is particularly important in this area. Digital inclusion is associated with enabling socially excluded groups in society to use digital technologies effectively: for effective communication, participation in various activities, involvement in society and community (Real et al. 2014; Newman et al. 2017). The goals of digital inclusion are inseparable from the goals of social inclusion (Farooq et al., 2015; Beyene, 2018), in which the inclusion of all persons without exception, especially those belonging to socially excluded groups, in society and community is important. Caruso (2014), Bertot (2016), Borg and Smith (2018), Beyene (2018), Strover et al. (2020) note that digital inclusion comprises three key principles: access to the latest technologies, ICT adoption and application. The principle of application is the most important principle. It comprises the effective use of ICT, digital information and digital competences for learning, employment, self-education, civic participation, health strengthening and other purposes.Public libraries are very important organizations in increasing digital inclusion. In order to increase digital inclusion, public libraries should carry out activities aimed at providing access to ICT and the Internet, improving the digital competences and offering digital services. In this area, it is particularly important for public libraries to exploit the potential of their wide network of institutions, the variety of free services and possibilities to cooperate with other organizations. These aspects exclude public libraries from other institutions, enabling them to involve more people in digital inclusion activities and reach the most vulnerable groups of society that often experience social exclusion (Yılmaz and Cevher, 2015; Casselden, Pickard and McLeod, 2015; Appleton et al. 2018; Wyatt, Mcquire and Butt, 2018). The need to foster digital inclusion highlights the necessity to assess the activities of public libraries in increasing digital inclusion empirically. The aim of this article is to investigate the activities of public libraries in increasing the digital inclusion and to identify possible directions for the improvement of digital inclusion. The case of Šiauliai region was chosen for the empirical research. The methods of scientific literature content analysis, structured E- mail interview, systematization and generalization of collected data and secondary data analysis were employed in this research.The empirical research has shown that the activities of Šiauliai region libraries in the field of increasing digital inclusion include the main ones discussed in the scientific literature (Caruso, 2014; Nemer, 2015; Bertot, 2016; Luterek 2017; Beyene, 2018; Gregg and McKendry, 2018; Strover et al. 2020); ensuring free access to ICT and the Internet, developing digital competences and providing digital services. Free access to ICT and the Internet offered by public libraries is important for people with disabilities and seniors, providing opportunities to take care of health, communicate with relatives and save money. Digital literacy training in libraries, individual consultations and some digital services (e.g. e-books, virtual events) are relevant to these target groups. However, the involvement of people with disabilities and seniors in these activities is insufficient, especially in the area of access to digital services. The empirical research showed that the involvement of these target groups in the digital inclusion activities offered by libraries is limited. This limitation is caused by such reasons as lack of personal motivation, lack of digital skills, not adapted libraries infrastructure and technological equipment and lack of information about these activities.Taking these aspects into account, it is recommended for public libraries to increase the diversity of access to digital services, intensify initiatives to publicize information about these services and develop cooperation with organizations, representing these target groups (care homes, associations of the disabled, organizations representing seniors, daycare centers, etc.). This cooperation could increase the involvement of people with disabilities and seniors in the activities offered by libraries and contribute to the increase of digital inclusion.

Digital Tools and Personal Learning Environments: An Analysis in Higher Education

The effective use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the discussion surrounding its educational contributions in formal settings are key elements in the analysis of personal learning environments (PLE). The aim of this study was to analyze the tools that students use to access information, create content, and share and interact in the framework of higher education. The study took a quantitative approach, using an ex post facto, transactional design. Data collection was via the application of a questionnaire to a stratified probabilistic sample (n = 1187) of university students on different courses at the National University (Costa Rica). Analysis of the data showed moderate use of tools in students’ PLEs. Students made more frequent use of resources aimed at accessing information, followed by applications for sharing and interacting, and, to a lesser extent, content creation. We also found significant differences in the use of tools depending on sex, previous education in technology, and academic performance. We recommend the inclusion of open, flexible learning strategies in university education which incorporate the various technological resources available in the digital era to ensure the development of PLEs and lifelong learning.

Multiscale multilevel context and multimodal fusion for RGB-D salient object detection

Red–green–blue and depth (RGB-D) saliency detection has recently attracted much research attention; however, the effective use of depth information remains challenging. This paper proposes a method that leverages depth information in clear shapes to detect the boundary of salient objects. As context plays an important role in saliency detection, the method incorporates a proposed end-to-end multiscale multilevel context and multimodal fusion network (MCMFNet) to aggregate multiscale multilevel context feature maps for accurate saliency detection from objects of varying sizes. Finally, a coarse-to-fine approach is applied to an attention module retrieving multilevel and multimodal feature maps to produce the final saliency map. A comprehensive loss function is also incorporated in MCMFNet to optimize the network parameters. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and its substantial improvement over state-of-the-art methods for RGB-D salient object detection on four representative datasets.

On Conceptual and Methodological Deficiencies of Data Journalism-Related Studies in Turkey

The Internet and technological developments have brought profound changes in social, cultural, and political structures worldwide. These changes have influenced not only the formal background, but also contextual frame of those structures. Perhaps no field has been more affected than media. The Internet and Web 2.0 technologies have led to the formation of new media platforms- digital media tools. Massive collections of data, search engines, and complex data services have emerged. Thus, the term “Big Data” has become widespread worldwide. Much research has been conducted to understand how various disciplines make use of and benefit from big data. In this context, media and communication scholars have focused on this newest concept in terms of effective data use and interpretation of complex information in practice. Big Data has become a keyword in contemporary journalism studies. The use of various data sets, graphics, complex charts, figures, and advanced techniques in news making and presentation has been discussed within the framework of data journalism since the late 2000s worldwide. The current study aims to find out how data journalism has been conceptualized in Turkey, and what are the inadequacies that need to be developed. To this end, data journalism-related studies were subjected to content analysis. The findings showed that there is still lack of conceptualization of data journalism and comprehensive research in Turkey.

Access and Use of Information by Rural Communities in Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya: the Case of Maarifa Centres

Telecentres are community knowledge centres that offer shared access to information and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) for the benefit of community development in alleviation of poverty. This article presents a case study that explored the extent to which rural communities in ASALs region of Kenya access and use information from the Maarifa centres (MC). The objective was to examine access and use pattern of information by ASAL communities benefiting from the MC. Using a multiple case study, 80 respondents drawn from five Maarifa centres were interviewed. The respondents were users of the respective Maarifa centres. The Maarifa centres selected were namely; Nguruman MC in Magadi, Mutomo MC in Kitui, Isinya MC in Kajiado, Ng’arua MC in Laikipia and Sipili MC in Baringo. Further, five focus group discussions were conducted with the respondents. Key informants interviewed included, Director of Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN); Programme Coordinators of Maarifa centres; Officers of the Communication Authority of Kenya and the ICT board of Kenya. Major findings indicate that rural communities appreciate Maarifa centres as a source of information. The respondents valued Maarifa centres as intermediaries for accessing information for socio-economic development. The biggest achievement is the use of Sokopepe, an online knowledge management platform which can be accessed through computers or the mobile phone. The challenges that hinder effective access and use of information are mainly infrastructural which slow down information uptake and internet access. The study revealed that Maarifa centres have addressed most of the community’s information needs of government information through access to e-government services; e-commerce, agricultural development and knowledge creation, resulting in improved livelihoods. Provision of these services was possible through collaboration of the government ministries and agencies, development partners, funding agencies and community participation. Keywords: Telecentres, Information access, Knowledge management, ASALs DOI: 10.7176/IKM/10-5-04 Publication date: August 31 st 2020