User's Point Research Articles

Public Libraries in Tirunelveli District with Special Reference to Information Seeking Behaviour of Users

The public library is a common institution that is constructed on the concept of democracy and it is an institution for the public, by the people and of the people. It is provided wholly or partly from public funds, and the use of which is open to all class of persons in the community and freely available to all. It always endeavours to meet the informational, educational and entertaining needs of the community by providing collection and services. Maximum utilization of library resources and services by the users is the main motive of a public library. The present study is to analyse the information-seeking behaviour of selected public library users’ and evaluate the services of public libraries from the user point of view. For this purpose, the researcher randomly selected seven public libraries in the Tirunelveli district.

A practical approach to evaluate the measurement uncertainty budget for calibration of strain gauge based high-precision carrier frequency amplifiers

For high-precision measurements of strain gauge-based transducers, 225 Hz carrier frequency measuring amplifiers are primarily used. The benefits of this carrier frequency method were discussed in previous publications. This publication shows the measurement uncertainty that can be achieved by calibrating an amplifier based on this method. Possibilities for improving the measurement uncertainty and the physical limit from the user's point of view are shown.

Choosing footbridge or signalized crossing in an urban area: what triggers pedestrians?

Pedestrians face difficulties when trying to cross a road in the urban environment since they are exposed to vehicular traffic. One of the measures to overcome the problems in the case of multilane roads with high traffic volumes is the construction of footbridges. However, pedestrians are not always in favor of footbridges for various reasons (e.g., excessive effort to use the footbridge, deviation from their scheduled route etc.). Thus, pedestrians often face a dilemma, whether to use the footbridge or the signalized crossing. In the framework of this paper an attempt has been made to examine the factors that influence the use of footbridges in the urban environment and the factors that influence the use of signalized crossings in the near area of the footbridge. The case study refers to a major arterial road with heavy traffic volumes in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. A statistical model was developed, quantifying the impact of quantitative and qualitative factors, as well as pedestrians' social characteristics on the frequency of using the footbridge. The study area included two signalized crossings and the footbridge. Pedestrians can choose either the footbridge or the signalized intersections to cross the road. Counts were made concerning traffic volume, vehicle speed and pedestrian flow. A questionnaire- based survey including 130 interviewees was conducted among pedestrians referring to the three ways of crossing the road (2 level crossings and the footbridge). Almost half of the pedestrians (49%) stated that they never use the footbridge. Most of the responders (87%) consider the footbridge very safe even though they do not use it. In the analysis made in this paper, an ordinal regression model was developed that utilizes questionnaire survey data and field measurements. The aim of the ordinal regression model is to investigate the variables affecting the operation of the footbridge through measuring the frequency of choosing the footbridge to cross the road. The model indicated that pedestrians aged between 25-39 years old have less possibilities to cross using the footbridge. The odds ratio calculation revealed that interviewees who state that the footbridge is very easy to use are more likely to use the footbridge frequently compared to those who state that the footbridge is not at all or almost at all easy to use. The ordinal regression model predicted 0,2 times higher possibility to use the footbridge seldom when interviewees say that their distance from the footbridge affects a little or a lot their crossing point decision. Finally, amongst other important outcomes, the model revealed that interviewees spotted on the footbridge are more likely to use it regularly, thus using the footbridge is more a habit than a random act. Statistical models of this type may help researchers understand pedestrians' attitudes better and potentially contribute to a far better design of new infrastructures or better management of existing infrastructures, considering the user's point of view.

Holographic augmented reality based on three-dimensional volumetric imaging for a photorealistic scene.

In this paper, we propose a new system for a real-time holographic augmented reality (AR) video service based on a photorealistic three-dimensional (3D) object point for multiple users to use simultaneously at various locations and viewpoints. To observe the object from all viewpoints, a camera system capable of acquiring the 3D volume of a real object is developed and is used to generate a real object in real-time. Using the normal of the object point, the observable points are mapped to the viewpoint at which the user is located, and a hologram based on the object point is generated. The angle at which the reflected light from each point is incident on the hologram plane is calculated, and the intensity of the interference light is adjusted according to the angle to generate a hologram with a higher 3D effect. The generated hologram is transmitted to each user to provide a holographic AR service. The entire system consists of a camera system comprising eight RGB-D (depth) cameras and two workstations for photorealistic 3D volume and hologram generation. Using this technique, a realistic hologram was generated. Through experiments displaying holograms simultaneously from several different viewpoints, it is confirmed that multiple users can concurrently receive hologram AR.

Experimental study of an indoor temperature fuzzy control method for thermal comfort and energy saving using wristband device

The automatic control of the existing indoor thermal environment is usually based on the user's set points without considering their real-time thermal feeling, causing an uncomfortable thermal environment and high energy consumption. In this study, the wristband device's physiological data is utilized to propose a thermal sensation prediction-based fuzzy control method of indoor temperature to improve the indoor environment's thermal comfort and achieve an energy saving of air-conditioning system. The linear regression model-based updating method is utilized to update the thermal sensation prediction model in real-time. Moreover, Mamdani fuzzy model and FFSI method are adopted to develop the fuzzy control algorithm for indoor temperature set point optimization. Several comparative experiments are performed to compare control performance, thermal comfort, and energy consumption of thermal sensation prediction-based control with thermal sensation feedback-based control and temperature set point-based control. The results show that thermal sensation prediction-based control can adjust the temperature set point by monitoring physiological data from the subjects without interfering with their regular works. It is also revealed that the thermal comfort performance of thermal sensation prediction-based control is superior to the temperature set point-based control, while it is similar to the thermal sensation feedback-based control. Furthermore, the proposed control approach provides 20.07% and 10.73% savings in daily energy consumption compared with the temperature set point-based control and thermal sensation feedback-based control, respectively.

A Paradigm Shift Toward Satisfaction, Realism and Efficiency in Wireless Networks Resource Sharing

The sheer growth of data traffic and the rising number of connected devices have highlighted and elevated the need of addressing spectral scarcity and enhancing resource utilization in 5G wireless networks. Toward this direction, the overwhelming majority of existing wireless resource management approaches and methodologies aim directly at energy efficiency maximization. In this article, we argue and demonstrate that not only the stability of these solutions depends on whether or not each user achieves the highest performance possible, but they do not properly reflect in reality the most desirable operation points from both the user and system point of view. In contrast, it is eventually more rewarding to opt for energy-awareness while targeting satisfaction of user Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, rather than targeting energy efficiency maximization itself. The proposed paradigm shift is further complemented with the introduction of a pragmatic approach in the different resource allocation paradigms in wireless networks, by integrating risk preferences in the user transmission decision making process, that traditional models fail to capture. This facilitates the inclusion and study of realistic and dynamic user behavior, under potential risks, gains and uncertainties, characteristics that are commonly present in wireless communications and networking environments. Proof of concept use cases and numerical results are presented that stress the benefits that can be obtained by this paradigm, both in terms of energy efficiency and efficient spectrum utilization, under different realizations of unlicensed and licensed spectrum sharing.

Competency-based education: a multi-variable study of tourism vocational high school graduates

ABSTRACT Recent studies have revealed that competency-based education (CBE) does not facilitate authentic learning or encourage students to develop a career in the tourism business. This study aimed to propose a conceptual model implementing CBE for career development and job satisfaction. To this end, a questionnaire was administered to 217 graduates of a tourism vocational high school in Jakarta. A quantitative method was applied. The results showed that this successfully explained the implementation of CBE and competency-based assessment (CBA) as a proposed model of job opportunities and career development for graduates of tourism schools. The research identified the improvement measures and preemptive actions taken by the principal and teachers of the school. At the initial stage, discipline, hard work, and career development through continual learning should be emphasized to prevent any negative effects when students undertake internships or seek job placement in the workplace. It was also revealed that CBE as a single variable should be combined with CBA and career development to gain job satisfaction. The limitation of this study is the duration of the research. It did not use a longitudinal time frame to measure the real career development from the end user point of view in a broader area of population. Although this study focuses on competency and learning theories, it does not consider the latest competencies and other theories such as talent development of human resources. For future studies could be based on focus-group discussions with experts using a longitudinal analysis to consider tourism growth dynamics over time, using talent development theory is also recommended.

Proposal and Evaluation of Visual Haptics for Manipulation of Remote Machine System.

Remote machine systems have drawn a lot of attention owing to accelerations of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and the fifth generation (5G) networks. Despite recent trends of developing autonomous systems, the realization of sophisticated dexterous hand that can fully replace human hands is considered to be decades away. It is also extremely difficult to reproduce the sensilla of complex human hands. On the other hand, it is known that humans can perceive haptic information from visual information even without any physical feedback as cross modal sensation between visual and haptics sensations or pseudo haptics. In this paper, we propose a visual haptic technology, where haptic information is visualized in more perceptual images overlaid at the contact points of a remote machine hand. The usability of the proposed visual haptics was evaluated by subject's brain waves aiming to find out a new approach for quantifying “sense of oneness.” In our proof-of-concept experiments using VR, subjects are asked to operate a virtual arm and hand presented in the VR space, and the performance of the operation with and without visual haptics information as measured with brain wave sensing. Consequently, three results were verified. Firstly, the information flow in the brain were significantly reduced with the proposed visual haptics for the whole α, β, and θ-waves by 45% across nine subjects. This result suggests that superimposing visual effects may be able to reduce the cognitive burden on the operator during the manipulation for the remote machine system. Secondly, high correlation (Pearson correlation factor of 0.795 at a p-value of 0.011) was verified between the subjective usability points and the brainwave measurement results. Finally, the number of the task successes across sessions were improved in the presence of overlaid visual stimulus. It implies that the visual haptics image could also facilitate operators' pre-training to get skillful at manipulating the remote machine interface more quickly.

User-Centered Clinical Display Design Issues for Inpatient Providers.

Suboptimal information display in electronic health records (EHRs) is a notorious pain point for users. Designing an effective display is difficult, due in part to the complex and varied nature of clinical practice. This article aims to understand the goals, constraints, frustrations, and mental models of inpatient medical providers when accessing EHR data, to better inform the display of clinical information. A multidisciplinary ethnographic study of inpatient medical providers. Our participants' primary goal was usually to assemble a clinical picture around a given question, under the constraints of time pressure and incomplete information. To do so, they tend to use a mental model of multiple layers of abstraction when thinking of patients and disease; they prefer immediate pattern recognition strategies for answering clinical questions, with breadth-first or depth-first search strategies used subsequently if needed; and they are sensitive to data relevance, completeness, and reliability when reading a record. These results conflict with the ubiquitous display design practice of separating data by type (test results, medications, notes, etc.), a mismatch that is known to encumber efficient mental processing by increasing both navigation burden and memory demands on users. A popular and obvious solution is to select or filter the data to display exactly what is presumed to be relevant to the clinical question, but this solution is both brittle and mistrusted by users. A less brittle approach that is more aligned with our users' mental model could use abstraction to summarize details instead of filtering to hide data. An abstraction-based approach could allow clinicians to more easily assemble a clinical picture, to use immediate pattern recognition strategies, and to adjust the level of displayed detail to their particular needs. It could also help the user notice unanticipated patterns and to fluidly shift attention as understanding evolves.

Eight action rules for the orientation of additive manufacturing parts in powder bed fusion: an industry practice

Additive Manufacturing (AM) requires an important preparation usually conducted in a digital environment. Among the various steps of the AM process, part orientation has a critical impact on the final part quality as many constraints have to be considered by an AM expert. This paper tackles the question of which criteria should be taken into consideration for orienting a part at best. This question is answered from two different sources: scientific literature review and industry practice elicitation As an introduction, AM challenges are presented from a user point of view and shows the need for assisting engineers in their AM activity. It is followed by an appraisal of the state of current research about part orientation and highlights objective criteria for its optimization. It is completed with a case study related to an industry practice in Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) captured by means of a specific knowledge elicitation technique. Thanks to iterations with experts, this knowledge capture has led to the formalization of manufacturing rules associated with orientation criteria. The application of these rules testifies to the quality of parts built and marketed day to day by the company. Finally the output from industry practice and scientific literature are discussed and compared and show significant differences.This outcome can be shared as a best practice between PBF operators and could then constitute a basis for computer-based assistance tool to AM practitioners.

The attitude of dictionary users towards automatically extracted collocation data: A user study

The paper is based on a survey conducted within the framework of the basic research project Collocations as a Basis for Language Description: Semantic and Temporal Perspectives (KOLOS; J6-8255). It presents a qualitative analysis of a user evaluation of the interface of the Collocations Dictionary of Modern Slovene (CDS). It discusses an alternative perspective—the user's point of view—on problematic aspects of individual dictionary features, which require further lexicographic analysis and discussion. The collocations user study presents a model of the process of user evaluation; its findings are significant primarily for determining problems encountered by users. They also serve as a useful basis for methodology improvements in future, comparable lexicographic user studies and analyses.

Análise de parâmetros de humanização para espaços públicos

Com cada vez mais pessoas vivendo no perímetro urbano, a cidade de Coronel Vivida, Paraná, possui um centro público e administrativo que não atende à demanda devido às más condições de uso e dimensionamentos dos espaços. Portanto, este trabalho tem como objetivo identificar e avaliar parâmetros de humanização para espaços públicos e administrativos, abordando como estudo de caso a Praça, a Prefeitura e a Câmara Municipal da cidade. Para isso, é realizada uma revisão bibliográfica, identificando os parâmetros e organizando-os em cinco grupos de atributos: elementos naturais, estrutura, acessibilidade, identidade e legibilidade. Posteriormente, os parâmetros são avaliados por meio da aplicação de uma avaliação pós-ocupação, do ponto de vista técnico e dos usuários. Como resultado observou-se que grande parte dos usuários se sente insatisfeita com os espaços e percebem a necessidade de um novo projeto arquitetônico, urbanístico e paisagístico, que valorize a importância do centro urbano administrativo integrado à comunidade. As contribuições visam à importância da comunicação pública e política, por meio da relação ambiente/comportamento, como forma de inclusão e representatividade social.

EXPLORATION OF MUNICIPAL MOBILITY USING SMARTPHONE GPS DATA

Abstract. Due to the advances in location-acquisition techniques, smartphone GPS location data has emerged with opportunity for research, development, innovation, and business. A variety of research has been developed to study human behaviour through exploring patterns from these data. In this paper, we use smartphone GPS location data to investigate municipal mobility. Kernel density estimation and emerging hot spot analysis are used to the GPS dataset to demonstrate GPS user (point) distribution across space and time. Flow maps are capable of tracking clustering behaviours and direction maps drawn upon the orientation of vectors can precisely identify location of the events. Case study with Indianapolis metropolitan area traffic rush hour verifies the effectiveness of these methods. Furthermore, we identify smartphone GPS data of vehicles and develop a concise and effective method for traffic volume estimation for county highway network. It is shown that the developed smartphone GPS data analytics is powerful for predicting reliable annual average daily traffic estimation. The study showcases the capability of GPS location data in identifying municipal mobility patterns for both citizens and vehicles.

Satisfaction, independent living skills and perceived change of patients undergoing community psychiatric treatment

To estimate quality parameters in the treatments offered, these criteria be evaluated in a continuous and integrated manner, considering patients' and family members' perspectives as well as that of professionals. Literature has highlighted the need to evaluate the results of treatment in psychosocial care facilities from the user point of view. From a quantitative perspective, some studies seek to identify a “degree” of social reinsertion, presenting some variables. Thus, the present study evaluated parameters considered as possible indicators of good results in the psychosocial rehabilitation process, constituting a tool for the planning of managers and mental health professionals. This is a observational study performed between January 2015 and August 2016 in Brazil. The study included 84 patients invited to a verbal interview. The sample consisted of 84 patients treated by Psychosocial Care Facility. The results obtained reveal the achievement of a satisfactory mean regarding the service, about which 85% of the users declare themselves satisfied. However, we found that patients need significant support to perform simple tasks. Independent living skills and perceived change have a lower score when related to satisfaction with the services provided, suggesting, then, that rehabilitation needs to focus on the acquisition of independent living skills, so that the patient can seek a life as close to normal as possible.

Using qualitative evaluation components to help understand context: case study of a family planning intervention with female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in Nepal

BackgroundEvaluations of health interventions are increasingly concerned with measuring or accounting for ‘context’. How to do this is still subject to debate and testing, and is particularly important in the case of family planning where outcomes will inevitably be influenced by contextual factors as well as any intervention effects. We conducted an evaluation of an intervention where female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in Nepal were trained to provide better interpersonal communication on family planning. We included a context-orientated qualitative component to the evaluation. Here, we discuss the evaluation findings, specifically focusing on what was added by attending to the context. We explore and illustrate important dimensions of context that may also be relevant in future evaluation work.MethodsThe evaluation used a mixed methods approach, with a qualitative component which included in-depth interviews with women of reproductive age, FCHVs, and family planning service providers. We conducted iterative, thematic analysis.ResultsThe life-history fertility and contraception narratives generated from the in-depth interviews contextualised the intervention, yielding nuanced data on contraceptive choices, needs, and areas for future action. For instance, it highlighted how women generally knew about effective contraceptive methods and were willing to use them: information was not a major barrier. Barriers instead included reports of providers refusing service when women were not in the fifth day of their menstrual cycle when this was unnecessary. Privacy and secrecy were important to some women, and risked being undermined by information sharing between FCHVs and health services. The qualitative component also revealed unanticipated positive effects of our own evaluation strategies: using referral slips seemed to make it easier for women to access contraception.ConclusionsLife history narratives collected via in-depth interviews helped us understand pathways from intervention to effect from the user point of view without narrowly focusing only on the intervention, highlighting possible areas for action that would otherwise have been missed. By attending to context in a nuanced way in evaluations, we can build a body of evidence that not only informs future interventions within that context, but also builds better knowledge of contextual factors likely to be important elsewhere.

A Comparative Study of Design Evaluation with Virtual Prototypes Versus a Physical Product

Design evaluation is an important stage in the product development process. Virtual prototypes enable economic design evaluation with higher flexibility, but the evaluation effectiveness may be limited compared to that of the real product. Few studies have analyzed whether or not virtual prototypes are comparable with the real product on the evaluation of product attributes. In this study, we conducted two-stage experiments to compare the effectiveness of design evaluation by using virtual prototypes versus the product they aim to represent. Numerous design features were evaluated from a physical appearance and usability point of view with assessment measurements including performance accuracy and the emotional responses of the users. The experimental results revealed that the visual virtual prototypes were typically not as effective in estimating the physical and appearance features, while no significant difference was observed in the usability between the evaluation media. The visual virtual prototypes tended to invoke more negative and passive emotional states in comparison to the actual product. However, with the addition of instant sensory feedback, the emotional responses were raised to a more positive and active level, which was similar to the one observed with the physical product. The findings of this study indicate the shortcomings of using virtual prototypes in the design evaluation process. Our conclusions may assist future studies in improving the practicality of virtual prototyping by the addition of useful features.

Smart decimation method for fusion research data

New fusion research experiments will generate massive experimental data. In this context, fusion research appears in the scope of the big data where both search and access functions require new approaches and optimizations. One common data access functionality is decimation. It allows to retrieve a limited number of points of the total available. One classical mechanism of decimation is downsampling by an integer factor called step. It works by selecting a value every ‘step’ number of values. The main characteristic of classical decimation is that the selected values are uniformly distributed along the total. However, in case of time evolution experimental signals, the relevancy of data is not uniform. There are some intervals where the provided information is more complex and richer, and usually more interesting from the user point of view. This contribution presents a new data decimation technology for unidimensional time evolution signals where the limited number of accessed points are distributed following the criterion of data interest level. The new method implements, on one hand, a heuristic function which is able to determine the level of interest of an interval based on its data characteristics, and on the other hand, a selection algorithm where points are distributed based on weighted intervals.

Linkage and continuity of care after release from prison: an evaluation of central registration points for drug users in Belgium.

This paper aims to report the findings of an evaluation study concerning the Central Registration Points (CRPs) for drug users in Belgian prisons. CRPs support drug users to link with community-based services. The study applied a multi-method approach that involved an exploratory literature review; a secondary analysis of the CRPs' databases; a qualitative study of the perceptions of a diverse sample of stakeholders with regard to the functioning of CRPs; and a prospective registration study. One-third of the clients never attended an outpatient or residential substance abuse service before prison entry. This illustrates that the CRPs managed to reach clients who were not previously reached by (substance abuse) treatment services. All interviewed actors emphasized the added value of the CRPs in terms of informing, contacting, motivating and referring prisoners with a substance abuse problem. Based on the research findings, two issues seem to be of paramount importance in the successful practice of CRPs: the confidentiality and specific expertise on (substance abuse) treatment. Given the complex situation of drug users in prison, an independent positioning and categorical assistance with drug-specific expertise seem to be essential. CRPs can be considered to be one of the "building blocks" that contribute to high-quality care and continuity of care for drugs users in detention.

Knowledge redundancy approach to reduce size in association rules

Association Rules Mining is one of the most studied and widely applied fields in Data Mining. However, the discovered models usually result in a very large set of rules; so the analysis capability, from the user point of view, is diminishing. Hence, it is difficult to use the found model in order to assist decision-making process. The previous handicap is heightened in presence of redundant rules in the final set. In this work a new definition of redundancy in association rules is proposed, based on user prior knowledge. A post-processing method is developed to eliminate this kind of redundancy, using association rules known by the user. Our proposal allows to find more compact models of association rules to ease its use in the decision-making process. The developed experiments have shown reduction levels that exceed 90 percent of all generated rules, using prior knowledge always below ten percent. So, our method improves the efficiency of association rules mining and the exploitation of discovered association rules.

Design Recommendation Information Architecture of Hospital Website Using Bottom-Up Approach on Card Sorting Method

<p>One of the public facilities that use websites is the hospital. However, there are some shortcomings complained by users related to the hospital website, which is the lack of information, confusing view of the menu, etc. Therefore, we need the information architecture to manage related content and website structure. The build of information architecture is done by using a bottom-up approach in card sorting. There are five stages in the research, which the first stage is a strategy to equalize the goal in the development of the hospital website either from the point of view of the organization or company and the user's point of view of the hospital website. The second stage is a scope to find out what are the needs of the user in order to build the hospital website. The third stage is structure, which is the formation of the initial structure of information architecture by using a bottom-up approach to the card sorting method. The type of card sorting that is commonly used is the open card sorting. The fourth stage is the skeleton stage, which is used to make information architecture model design using wireframe and prototype. The fifth stage is the test using findability testing and usability testing. From the test, the design of information architecture is made to fulfill the desires and needs of users, as proven by the results of findability testing achieved 15.9 seconds, and the results of usability testing achieved 80.33. Hence, by the results of these tests, it can be concluded that the design of information architecture at the hospital website has a good value from findability testing and usability testing.</p>