EOTE-FSC: An efficient offloaded task execution for fog enabled smart cities.

Smart cities provide ease in lifestyle to their community members with the help of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It provides better water, waste and energy management, enhances the security and safety of its citizens and offers better health facilities. Most of these applications are based on IoT-based sensor networks, that are deployed in different areas of applications according to their demand. Due to limited processing capabilities, sensor nodes cannot process multiple tasks simultaneously and need to offload some of their tasks to remotely placed cloud servers, which may cause delays. To reduce the delay, computing nodes are placed in different vicinitys acting as fog-computing nodes are used, to execute the offloaded tasks. It has been observed that the offloaded tasks are not uniformly received by fog computing nodes and some fog nodes may receive more tasks as some may receive less number of tasks. This may cause an increase in overall task execution time. Furthermore, these tasks comprise different priority levels and must be executed before their deadline. In this work, an Efficient Offloaded Task Execution for Fog enabled Smart cities (EOTE - FSC) is proposed. EOTE - FSC proposes a load balancing mechanism by modifying the greedy algorithm to efficiently distribute the offloaded tasks to its attached fog nodes to reduce the overall task execution time. This results in the successful execution of most of the tasks within their deadline. In addition, EOTE - FSC modifies the task sequencing with a deadline algorithm for the fog node to optimally execute the offloaded tasks in such a way that most of the high-priority tasks are entertained. The load balancing results of EOTE - FSC are compared with state-of-the-art well-known Round Robin, Greedy, Round Robin with longest job first, and Round Robin with shortest job first algorithms. However, fog computing results of EOTE - FSC are compared with the First Come First Serve algorithm. The results show that the EOTE - FSC effectively offloaded the tasks on fog nodes and the maximum load on the fog computing nodes is reduced up to 29%, 27.3%, 23%, and 24.4% as compared to Round Robin, Greedy, Round Robin with LJF and Round Robin with SJF algorithms respectively. However, task execution in the proposed EOTE - FSC executes a maximum number of offloaded high-priority tasks as compared to the FCFS algorithm within the same computing capacity of fog nodes.

Research on the relationship between CEO career variety, digital knowledge base extension, and digital transformation in the context of digital merger and acquisition: The case of China's new generation of information technology firms.

This study examines the relationship between CEO career variety, digital knowledge base extension, and digital transformation in a digital M&A context. An empirical test was conducted using regression analysis with the digital M&A events of the new generation of information technology firms in China as the research sample. The results reveal that CEO career variety has a positive effect on digital transformation in the digital M&A context and that digital knowledge-base extension plays a mediating role. Moreover, the heterogeneity impact analysis indicated that the moderating effects of geographical distance, knowledge disparity, and cultural difference between target and acquirer firms on the above relationships vary greatly: geographical distance has a negative moderating effect, cultural difference has a positive moderating effect, and the moderating effects of both geographical distance and cultural difference are realized through mediating effects, but none of the moderating effects of knowledge disparity are significant.

The Implementation of Federated Digital Identifiers in Health Care: Rapid Review.

BACKGROUND: Federated digital identifiers (FDIs) have been cited to improve the interoperability of data and information management while enhancing the privacy of individuals verifying their identity on the web. Many countries around the world have implemented FDIs in various sectors, such as banking and government. Similarly, FDIs could improve the experience for those wanting to access their health care information; however, they have only been introduced in a few jurisdictions around the world, and their impact remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this environmental scan was to describe how FDIs have been established and implemented to enable patients' access to health care. METHODS: We conducted this study in 2 stages, with the primary stage being a rapid review, which was supplemented by a targeted gray literature search. Specifically, the rapid review was conducted through a database search of MEDLINE and Embase, which generated a list of countries and their services that use FDIs in health care. This list was then used to conduct a targeted gray literature search using the Google search engine. RESULTS: A total of 93 references from the database and targeted Google searches were included in this rapid review. FDIs were implemented in health care in 11 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, and Taiwan) and exclusively used with a patient-accessible electronic health record system through a single sign-on interface. The most common FDIs were implemented nationally or provincially, and establishing them usually required individuals to visit a bank or government office in person. In contrast, some countries, such as Australia, allow individuals to verify their identities entirely on the web. We found that despite the potential of FDIs for use in health care to facilitate the amalgamation of health information from different data sources into one platform, the adoption of most health care services that use FDIs remained below 30%. The exception to this was Australia, which had an adoption rate of 90%, which could be correlated with the fact that it leveraged an opt-out consent model. CONCLUSIONS: This rapid review highlights key features of FDIs across regions and elements associated with higher adoption of the patient-accessible electronic health record systems that use them, like opt-out registration. Although FDIs have been reported to facilitate the collation of data from multiple sources through a single sign-on interface, there is little information on their impact on care or patient experience. If FDIs are used to their fullest potential and implemented across sectors, adoption rates within health care may also improve.

Determinants of Implementing an Information and Communication Technology Tool for Social Interaction Among Older People: Qualitative Content Analysis of Social Services Personnel Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Older people are particularly vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness, which can lead to ill-health, both mentally and physically. Information and communication technology (ICT) can supplement health and social care and improve health among the vulnerable, older adult population. When ICT is used specifically for communication with others, it is associated with reduced loneliness in older populations. Research is sparse on how the implementation of ICT, used specifically for communication among older people in social services, can be performed. It is recommended to consider the determinants of implementation, that is, barriers to and facilitators of implementation. Determinants related to older people using ICT tools are reported in several studies. To the best of our knowledge, studies investigating the determinants related to the social services perspective are lacking. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the determinants of implementing the Fik@ room, a new, co-designed, and research-based ICT tool for social interaction among older people, from a social services personnel perspective. METHODS: This study used an exploratory, qualitative design. An ICT tool called the Fik@ room was tested in an intervention study conducted in 2021 in 2 medium-sized municipalities in Sweden. Informants in this study were municipal social services personnel with experience of implementing this specific ICT tool in social services. We conducted a participatory workshop consisting of 2 parts, with 9 informants divided into 2 groups. We analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. RESULTS: The results included 7 categories of determinants for implementing the ICT tool. Being able to introduce the ICT tool in an appropriate manner concerns the personnel's options for introducing and supporting the ICT tool, including their competencies in using digital equipment. Organizational structure concerns a structure for communication within the organization. Leadership concerns engagement and enthusiasm as driving forces for implementation. The digital maturity of the social services personnel concerns the personnel's skills and attitudes toward using digital equipment. Resources concern time and money. IT support concerns accessibility, and legal liability concerns possibilities to fulfill legal responsibilities. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that implementation involves an entire organization at varying degrees. Regardless of how much each level within the organization comes into direct contact with the ICT tool, all levels need to be involved to create the necessary conditions for successful implementation. The prerequisites for the implementation of an ICT tool will probably change depending on the digital maturity of future generations. As this study only included 9 informants, the results should be handled with care. The study was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has probably affected the results.

Evolutionary game analysis of carbon emission reduction of Internet enterprises under multiple constraints.

With the rapid development of information technology, internet enterprises have sprung up, bringing about huge power consumption due to constantly expanding enterprise scale, which in turn leads to significant carbon emissions. Additionally, the large influence of internet enterprises on the public and other businesses makes it particularly necessary to pay attention to their carbon emission reduction efforts. To explore the evolution path and patterns of carbon emission reduction among internet enterprises under the carbon neutrality goal, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model for internet enterprises to enter the carbon emissions trading market based on Externality and Sustainable Development Theories, while considering constraints from the carbon market, financial institutions and the public. The model utilizes Python 3.8.2 software for numerical simulations, aiming to push internet enterprises towards low-carbon development. The research findings indicate that: (1) Carbon emission reduction behavior of internet enterprises exhibits significant externality, and when constraints are weak or incentives are not evident, the motivation for enterprises to reduce carbon emissions is insufficient. (2) The carbon market can effectively promote carbon emission reduction among internet enterprises, and the strategy of entering the carbon market becomes the preferred option for these enterprises gradually. (3) Multiple constraints, including emission reduction costs, penalty for non-compliance, government subsidies, financing costs, opportunity losses, and reputation losses, can force internet enterprises towards low-carbon development.

Mapping the pathways to health sciences librarianship: reflections and future implications from an immersion session.

Objective: Many health sciences librarians enter the profession without specific health sciences training. Some LIS programs have health sciences courses or tracks, but health sciences training within an LIS program is only one path to entering health sciences librarianship. To develop a map of pathways into health sciences librarianship, an immersion session at the Medical Library Association conference in 2022 asked health sciences librarians to share how they entered the profession. Methods: The immersion session was structured in three parts: facilitator introductions, small group discussions, and a whole group summary discussion. Guided by questions from the facilitators, small groups discussed what pathways currently exist, how to promote existing pathways, what new pathways should be created, and how to develop and promote pathways that make the profession more equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Results: Through in-the-moment thematic analysis of the small group discussions, the following emerged as key pathways: library school education; internships and practica; the Library and Information Science (LIS) pipeline; on-thejob training; mentoring; self-teaching/hands-on learning; and continuing education. Themes of equity, diversity, and inclusion arose throughout the session, especially in the concluding whole group discussion. Conclusion: Small group discussions in a conference immersion session showed the value of community building in a profession that has multiple pathways for entrance, highlighting the importance of unearthing hidden knowledge about avenues for exploring and enhancing career pathways. The article seeks to address barriers to entry into the profession and adds to the literature on strengthening the field of health sciences librarianship.

Emergency entity relationship extraction for water diversion project based on pre-trained model and multi-featured graph convolutional network.

Using information technology to extract emergency decision-making knowledge from emergency plan documents is an essential means to enhance the efficiency and capacity of emergency management. To address the problems of numerous terminologies and complex relationships faced by emergency knowledge extraction of water diversion project, a multi-feature graph convolutional network (PTM-MFGCN) based on pre-trained model is proposed. Initially, through the utilization of random masking of domain-specific terminologies during pre-training, the model's comprehension of the meaning and application of such terminologies within specific fields is enhanced, thereby augmenting the network's proficiency in extracting professional terminologies. Furthermore, by introducing a multi-feature adjacency matrix to capture a broader range of neighboring node information, thereby enhancing the network's ability to handle complex relationships. Lastly, we utilize the PTM-MFGCN to achieve the extraction of emergency entity relationships in water diversion project, thus constructing a knowledge graph for water diversion emergency management. The experimental results demonstrate that PTM-MFGCN exhibits improvements of 2.84% in accuracy, 4.87% in recall, and 5.18% in F1 score, compared to the baseline model. Relevant studies can effectively enhance the efficiency and capability of emergency management, mitigating the impact of unforeseen events on engineering safety.

Factors influencing in-service teachers' technology integration model: Innovative strategies for educational technology.

Technology invention and implementation have resulted in long-term educational progress. This study aimed to identify the innovative strategies in determining the factors influencing in-service teachers' technology integration in China, focusing on the information and communication technology (ICT) integration. The sample consists of 685 in-service teachers. Four factors are found to influence in-service teachers' ICT integration: attitudes, self-efficacy, digital competence, and digital tools use. The results of the study utilizing the PLS-SEM approach demonstrated that all four factors have a substantial impact on in-service teachers' ICT integration and interact with each other. Meanwhile, attitudes, digital competence, and digital tools use have a mediating effect in this research. In addition, the study discussed the effects of gender, age, and teaching experience on influencing factors and ICT integration. This research provided beneficial insights for a successful design of instruction with ICT and contributed to innovative strategies for educational technology.

2022 Janet Doe Lecture, health science libraries in the emerging digital information era: charting the course.

The great challenge medical library professionals are facing is how we evolve and respond to the emerging digital era. If we successfully understand and adapt to the emerging digital information environment, medical librarians/Health Information Professionals (HIPs) can play an even greater role in the advance in the health care of our nation and its residents. The opportunities and challenges are at the level we successfully responded to in the late 1960's and the 1970's under the leadership of the National Library of Medicine with its MEDLARS/Medline programs and Medical Library Assistance Act which enabled medical libraries to enter what I have referred to as The Golden Age of Medical Libraries. In this presentation, I focused on the transition of the health-related print Knowledge-Based Information base to the emerging digital health-related ecosystem. I review how this transition is being driven by evolving information technology. The development of "data driven health care" built on this emerging information ecosystem is being led by the National Library of Medicine's 2017-2027 Strategic plan and the Medical Library Association's programs in support of developing medical librarian/HIP's training, skills, and services to support their users access and use of this rapidly expanding health information ecosystem. I then present a brief description of the digital health information ecosystem that is just starting to emerge and the emerging new roles and services HIPs and their libraries are developing to support effective institutional access and use.

Interaction-driven transport of dark excitons in 2D semiconductors with phonon-mediated optical readout.

The growing field of quantum information technology requires propagation of information over long distances with efficient readout mechanisms. Excitonic quantum fluids have emerged as a powerful platform for this task due to their straightforward electro-optical conversion. In two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides, the coupling between spin and valley provides exciting opportunities for harnessing, manipulating, and storing bits of information. However, the large inhomogeneity of single layers cannot be overcome by the properties of bright excitons, hindering spin-valley transport. Nonetheless, the rich band structure supports dark excitonic states with strong binding energy and longer lifetime, ideally suited for long-range transport. Here we show that dark excitons can diffuse over several micrometers and prove that this repulsion-driven propagation is robust across non-uniform samples. The long-range propagation of dark states with an optical readout mediated by chiral phonons provides a new concept of excitonic devices for applications in both classical and quantum information technology.

Absence of localization in interacting spin chains with a discrete symmetry.

Novel paradigms of strong ergodicity breaking have recently attracted significant attention in condensed matter physics. Understanding the exact conditions required for their emergence or breakdown not only sheds more light on thermalization and its absence in closed quantum many-body systems, but it also has potential benefits for applications in quantum information technology. A case of particular interest is many-body localization whose conditions are not yet fully settled. Here, we prove that spin chains symmetric under a combination of mirror and spin-flip symmetries and with a non-degenerate spectrum show finite spin transport at zero total magnetization and infinite temperature. We demonstrate this numerically using two prominent examples: the Stark many-body localization system (Stark-MBL) and the symmetrized many-body localization system (symmetrized-MBL). We provide evidence of delocalization at all energy densities and show that delocalization persists when the symmetry is broken. We use our results to construct two localized systems which, when coupled, delocalize each other. Our work demonstrates the dramatic effect symmetries can have on disordered systems, proves that the existence of exact resonances is not a sufficient condition for delocalization, and opens the door to generalization to higher spatial dimensions and different conservation laws.

Impact of online live broadcasts on environmental destructive behavioral intention.

As information and communication technology advances rapidly, real-time live online broadcasting has emerged as a novel social media platform. In particular, live online broadcasts have gained widespread popularity among audiences. However, this process can cause environmental problems. When audiences imitate live content and perform similar field activities, it can have a negative effect on the environment. In this study, an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to explore how online live broadcasts relate to environmental damage from the perspective of human behavior. A total of 603 valid responses were collected from a questionnaire survey, and a regression analysis was conducted to verify the hypotheses. The findings showed that the TPB can be applied to account for the formation mechanism of behavioral intention of field activities caused by online live broadcasts. The mediating effect of imitation was verified using the above relationship. These findings are expected to provide a practical reference for the control of online live broadcast content and guidance on public environmental behavior.

Functional Headings’ Effects on Selective Attention and Reading Processes / [La influencia de los encabezados funcionales en los procesos de atención selectiva y lectura]

Textual devices such as headings convey both content information and functional information. One type of headings is referred to as functional headings, since they provide functional information but not content information. Headings such as “Introduction” denote the function of a text section but not the content information of that section. The current study included three experiments that investigated the processing of functional information during reading. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of functional information in a timed reading situation. Experiments 2 and 3 looked at the effects of functional information when there was a contradiction in the text. Our results indicated that functional information promoted selective attention during timed reading (Experiment 1). Findings from our contradiction manipulation (Experiments 2 and 3) revealed that readers used functional headings to guide their structural reading process. Implications for cognitive processes during reading and pedagogical practices are described in the general discussion section.(AU)

Las ayudas de texto, como los encabezados, transmiten tanto información de contenido como información funcional. Uno de los tipos de encabezados se conoce como encabezados funcionales, pues proporcionan información funcional pero no información de contenido. Los encabezados como “Introducción” denotan la función de una sección de texto, pero no la información de contenido de esa sección. El estudio actual incluyó tres experimentos que investigaron el procesamiento de información funcional durante la lectura. El experimento 1 investigó los efectos de la información funcional en una situación de lectura cronometrada. Los experimentos 2 y 3 analizaron los efectos de la información funcional cuando había una contradicción en el texto. Nuestros resultados indicaron que la información funcional propició la atención selectiva durante la lectura cronometrada (experimento 1). Los resultados de nuestra manipulación de contradicciones (experimentos 2 y 3) revelaron que los lectores usaban encabezados funcionales para guiar su proceso de lectura estructural. Las implicaciones para los procesos cognitivos durante la lectura y las prácticas pedagógicas se describen en la sección de discusión general.(AU)

Providing a model for the development of sports tours in the tourism industry.

Sports tours are a key category of tourism with special interest whose evolution and development are influenced by a variety of limiters and facilitators. Research literature recommends exploring these factors. Therefore, our goal was to present a grounded theory about the development of sports tours in Iran's tourism industry. For this purpose, we considered Glaser's approach and conducted 15 interviews with experts in the field of tourism and sports tours who worked under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of Iran. The data were analyzed using the Glaser's approach principles. The developed theory from this study showed that the development of sports tours is an structure that stops moving under the influence of inhibitors such as financial, political, security, structural, and organizational issues, and travels the path of perfection and progress through facilitators such as natural attractions, the role of the media, the role of tour guides, the quality of services, information technology, support, culture, and training, and the human force. Based on this result, it can be said that the development and evolution of sports tours in Iran are influenced by various determinants, and it is important to remove the limiting factors and strengthen the factors that play a facilitating role in the development of sports tours.

Head motion synchrony in unidirectional and bidirectional verbal communication.

Interpersonal communication includes verbal and nonverbal communication. Verbal communication comprises one-way (e.g., a speech or lecture) and interactive verbal communication (e.g., daily conversations or meetings), which we frequently encounter. Nonverbal communication has considerable influence on interpersonal communication, and body motion synchrony is known to be an important factor for successful communication and social interaction. However, most research on body motion synchrony has been elucidated by either the setting of one-way verbal transmission or the verbal interaction setting, and it remains unclear whether verbal directionality and interactivity affect body motion synchrony. One-way and two-way (interactive) verbal communication is implicated in designed or undesigned leader-follower relationships, and also in the complexity and diversity of interpersonal interactions, where two-way verbal communication is more complex and diverse than in the one-way condition. In this study, we tested head motion synchrony between the one-way verbal communication condition (in which the roles of the speaker and listener are fixed) and the two-way verbal communication condition (where the speaker and listener can freely engage in a conversation). Therefore, although no statistically significant difference in synchrony activity (relative frequency) was found, a statistically significant difference was observed in synchrony direction (temporal lead-lag structure as mimicry) and intensity. Specifically, the synchrony direction in two-way verbal communication was close to zero, but this in one-way verbal communication was synchronized with the listener's movement predominantly delayed. Furthermore, synchrony intensity, in terms of the degree of variation in the phase difference distribution, was significantly higher in the one-way verbal communication than in the two-way condition, with bigger time-shifts being observed in the latter. This result suggests that verbal interaction does not affect the overall frequency of head motion synchrony but does affect the temporal lead-lag structure and coherence.

Adoption of social networking sites among older adults: The role of the technology readiness and the generation to identifying segments.

Older adults can take advantage of social networking sites (SNS). However, SNS are not without the access gap among elders. Assuming that the data are homogenous within the same population may not be precise in social science research. What is known about the heterogeneous nature of older people? Considering this issue and the lack of research to help reflect the heterogeneity of elderly users of technologies, this study aims to identify segments in the use of SNS by the elderly. Data were collected from older Chilean adults. Cluster analysis suggested different profiles of adult users regarding the Technology Readiness Index. We used a hybrid multigroup partial least squares-structural equation model, including the Pathmox algorithm, to identify segments in the structural model. Based on the technology readiness profiles and the generation, we identified three segments with different determinant effects to explain the intention to use SNS: independent elder, technological-apathetic elder, and technological-eager elder. The contributions from this study are triple. First, this study helps to better understand how the elderly adopt information technology. Second, this study complements the existing corpus of research on using the technology readiness index in the elderly population. Third, we used an innovative method to segment users in the acceptance technology model.

Tan lejos de la investigación científica, tan cerca de la inteligencia artificial / So far from scientific research, so close to artificial intelligence

En este editorial se exploran los posibles riesgos que representa el uso de la inteligencia artificial para la elaboración de trabajos académicos y científicos. Además, se presenta una lista de riesgos para la investigación científica elaborada por la plataforma ChatGPT con el objetivo de explorar su precisión en la generación de textos.

This editorial explores the possible risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence for the preparation of academic and scientific work. Additionally, a list of risks for scientific research is presented by the ChatGPT platform with the aim of exploring its accuracy in generating texts.

Innovation in hyperlink and social media networks: Comparing connection strategies of innovative companies in hyperlink and social media networks.

This paper seeks to unveil how (geospatial) connection strategies associated with business innovation, differ between geolocated social media and hyperlink company networks. Thereby, we provide a first step towards understanding connection strategies of innovative companies on social media platforms. For this purpose, we build a hyperlink and Twitter follower network for 11,892 companies in the information technology (IT) sector and compare them along four dimensions. First, underlying network structures were assessed. Second, we asserted information flow patterns between companies with the help of centrality measures. Third, geographic and cognitive proximities of companies were compared. Fourth, the influence of company characteristics was examined through linear and logistic regression models. This comparison revealed, that on a general level the basic connection patterns of the hyperlink and Twitter network differ. Nevertheless, the geospatial dimension (geographic proximity) and the knowledge base of a company (cognitive proximity) appear to have a similar influence on the decision to connect with other companies on Twitter and via hyperlinks. Further, the results suggest that innovative companies most likely align their connection strategies across hyperlink and Twitter networks. Thus, business innovation might effect connection strategies across online company networks in a comparable manner.

Does Tobler's first law of geography apply to internet attention? A case study of the Asian elephant northern migration event.

One of the basic assumptions of spatial theory is formulated in Waldo Tobler's first law of geography: "everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." However, as internet space is a complex virtual space independent of the real world, whether this law is applicable to things in the internet space remains to be explored in depth. Therefore, this study takes the event of Asian elephant northern migration as an example, attempts to investigate the issue of the applicability of Tobler's first law of geography to internet attention by integrating geographic methods such as spatial visualization, spatial correlation analysis, and Geo-detector. The results show that Tobler's first law of geography does not fully apply to internet attention, which does not decay with increasing distance. Geographical distance, within certain boundaries, is influenced by "identity" and "relevance", and still plays a large role in internet attention. However, once the boundaries are exceeded, the impact of geographic distance on internet attention is weakened by the intervention of influencing factors such as the degree of information technology, population, and the strength of news media publicity. Overall, the strength of news media publicity has the greatest impact on internet attention. And when it interacts with geographic proximity, it has the most significant effect on internet attention.