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1 – 10 of 42P. Destounis, J. Garofalakis, P. Kappos and J. Tzimas
Web traffic is doubling every year, according to recent global studies. The user needs more information from Web sites and wants to spend as little time for downloading as…
Abstract
Web traffic is doubling every year, according to recent global studies. The user needs more information from Web sites and wants to spend as little time for downloading as possible. Simultaneously, more Internet bandwidth is needed and all ISPs are trying to build high bandwidth networks. This paper presents a case study that calculates the reduction of the time needed for a Web page to be fully downloaded and delivered to the user. Presents a way to calculate the reduction of data transfer, bandwidth resources and response time when the HTTP/1.1’s compressing feature is enabled (either in plain hypertext files or the text output of CGI programs or dynamically generated pages). Measurements are taken from five popular Web sites in order to validate our statement for reduction in transfer time. The definition of the mean size of a Web page that commercial Web sites have is additionally in the scope of this paper.
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Panagiotis Destounis, John Garofalakis, George Mavritsakis, Maria Rigou, Spiros Sirmakessis and Giannis Tzimas
Aims to present the work done in the development of a simplified office suite for disabled and focus on the use of technology applied to the area of “designing for all”. The paper…
Abstract
Aims to present the work done in the development of a simplified office suite for disabled and focus on the use of technology applied to the area of “designing for all”. The paper presents an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in the design for all. It provides practical references to techniques used. The main scope of the paper is to explore the developed technology and give details for the adopted mechanisms. It provides information about designing and implementing software applications for disabled and present a case study for mentally disabled. The paper presents a system that can be used by a specific target group. For this reason, it should be used as reference point for this group, although several techniques can be used for other user categories. The paper is a very useful presentation of an actual system that has been designed and implemented to cover the needs of disabled, useful for interaction with designers and researchers in assistive technology, and it fulfils the need for demonstrative technology in the area of designing for all.
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Gerard Ryan and Mireia Valverde
Although waiting on the Internet is widely recognised as a crucial factor in the evolution of e‐commerce and the Internet in general, it is not a widespread topic of research…
Abstract
Although waiting on the Internet is widely recognised as a crucial factor in the evolution of e‐commerce and the Internet in general, it is not a widespread topic of research. This article identifies and reviews 21 papers based on 13 separate empirical studies on waiting on the Internet. The literature draws from the areas of marketing, system response time studies and quality of service studies. Having reviewed the existing literature, this article proposes an agenda for future research. Recommendations are made to extend the range of research methodologies applied to this topic, to broaden the definition of waiting on the Internet to include other forms of online waiting, and to continue the interdisciplinary approach to research on online waiting.
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This study aims to explore the perception of algorithm accuracy among data professionals in higher education.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the perception of algorithm accuracy among data professionals in higher education.
Design/methodology/approach
Social justice theory guided the qualitative descriptive study and emphasized four principles: access, participation, equity and human rights. Data collection included eight online open-ended questionnaires and six semi-structured interviews. Participants included higher education professionals who have worked with predictive algorithm (PA) recommendations programmed with student data.
Findings
Participants are aware of systemic and racial bias in their PA inputs and outputs and acknowledge their responsibility to ethically use PA recommendations with students in historically underrepresented groups (HUGs). For some participants, examining these topics through the lens of social justice was a new experience, which caused them to look at PAs in new ways.
Research limitations/implications
Small sample size is a limitation of the study. Implications for practice include increased stakeholder training, creating an ethical data strategy that protects students, incorporating adverse childhood experiences data with algorithm recommendations, and applying a modified critical race theory framework to algorithm outputs.
Originality/value
The study explored the perception of algorithm accuracy among data professionals in higher education. Examining this topic through a social justice lens contributes to limited research in the field. It also presents implications for addressing racial bias when using PAs with students in HUGs.
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Dimitrios Tselempis, Philippos Karipidis, Dionysios Tzimas and Ioanna Karypidou
The purpose of this paper is to explore farmers’ intentions to engage in food brand development schemes and identify the factors that impact this.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore farmers’ intentions to engage in food brand development schemes and identify the factors that impact this.
Design/methodology/approach
By assuming the utility maximization behavior of farmers, based on data collected from 539 fruit and vegetable producers, this study estimates an intention to participate and a willingness to pay model.
Findings
Three groups of factors determine the utility the farmers derive and subsequently their engagement in brand development. Farm business characteristics include farmers’ age, the attainment of quality certification and cultivated area, while psychological factors include farmers’ attitudes toward local reflections of the brand, perceptions regarding the need for farm business external support and consumers’ interest, as well as farmers’ commitment to quality requirements. Farmers’ strategies related to the share of products sold by cooperatives and to individually use the brand also determine their engagement in a brand development scheme.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should distinguish producers according to the marketing channel they choose and their industry, and explore the intentions of intermediate marketers.
Practical implications
Marketing cooperatives should undertake initiatives to develop local brands effectively, taking into consideration the factors that impact farmers’ engagement, while food marketing firms should properly adapt their purchasing and promotion strategies. Public authorities should formulate a policy mix that enhances farmers’ knowledge related to marketing issues and encourages farmers to strengthen their positions in the marketplace.
Originality/value
The research reveals a strategic proactive behavior of farmers favoring the development of local brands, and provides insights into the factors that impact farmers’ adoption decisions.
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Evanthia Faliagka, Athanasios Tsakalidis and Giannis Tzimas
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach for recruiting and ranking job applicants in online recruitment systems, with the objective to automate applicant…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach for recruiting and ranking job applicants in online recruitment systems, with the objective to automate applicant pre‐screening. An integrated, company‐oriented, e‐recruitment system was implemented based on the proposed scheme and its functionality was showcased and evaluated in a real‐world recruitment scenario.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed system implements automated candidate ranking, based on objective criteria that can be extracted from the applicant's LinkedIn profile. What is more, candidate personality traits are automatically extracted from his/her social presence using linguistic analysis. The applicant's rank is derived from individual selection criteria using analytical hierarchy process (AHP), while their relative significance (weight) is controlled by the recruiter.
Findings
The proposed e‐recruitment system was deployed in a real‐world recruitment scenario, and its output was validated by expert recruiters. It was found that with the exception of senior positions that required domain experience and specific qualifications, automated pre‐screening performed consistently compared to human recruiters.
Research limitations/implications
It was found that companies can increase the efficiency of the recruitment process if they integrate an e‐recruitment system in their human resources management infrastructure that automates the candidate pre‐screening process. Interviewing and background investigation of applicants can then be limited to the top candidates identified from the system.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first e‐recruitment system that supports automated extraction of candidate personality traits using linguistic analysis and ranks candidates with the AHP.
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Marco Bortolini, Maurizio Faccio, Francesco Gabriele Galizia, Mauro Gamberi and Francesco Pilati
Industry 4.0 emerged as the Fourth Industrial Revolution aiming at achieving higher levels of operational efficiency, productivity and automation. In this context, manual assembly…
Abstract
Purpose
Industry 4.0 emerged as the Fourth Industrial Revolution aiming at achieving higher levels of operational efficiency, productivity and automation. In this context, manual assembly systems are still characterized by high flexibility and low productivity, if compared to fully automated systems. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose the design, engineering and testing of a prototypal adaptive automation assembly system, including greater levels of automation to complement the skills and capabilities of human workers.
Design/methodology/approach
A lab experimental field-test is presented comparing the assembly process of a full-scale industrial chiller with traditional and adaptive assembly system.
Findings
The analysis shows relevant benefits coming from the adoption of the adaptive automation assembly system. In particular, the main findings highlight improvements in the assembly cycle time and productivity, as well as reduction of the operator’s body movements.
Practical implications
The prototype is applied in an Italian mid-size industrial company, confirming its impact in terms of upgrades of the assembly system flexibility and productivity. Thus, the research study proposed in this paper provides valuable knowledge to support companies and industrial practitioners in the shift from traditional to advanced assembly systems matching current industrial and market features.
Originality/value
This paper expands the lacking research on adaptive automation assembly systems design proposing an innovative prototype able to real-time reconfigure its structure according to the product to work, e.g. work cycle, and the operator features.
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N Ben Fairweather and S Rogerson
This paper looks at citizen‐facing e‐government. It considers how the non‐discretionary nature of the citizen’s relationshipwith government makes citizen‐facing e‐government…
Abstract
This paper looks at citizen‐facing e‐government. It considers how the non‐discretionary nature of the citizen’s relationship with government makes citizen‐facing e‐government different from business‐consumer e‐commerce. Combined with the moral basis of the state, the paper argues that there is an obligation for the state to set an example, which should affect the design of citizen‐facing e‐government, with design‐for‐all being an appropriate philosophy. Other consequences should include a preference for open standards and a wariness of unintentional endorsement of commercial products. E‐government should also offer a good level of data protection and security, and has a role in educating citizens in matters of computer security. Advantages and disadvantages that may come from e‐government adoption are considered, including a number of ways in which cost savings and increases in convenience may be achieved. There are brief discussions of questions of distribution of the benefits of e‐government adoption and of the relationship of e‐government to e‐democracy.
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Daniel Camuñas-García, María Pilar Cáceres-Reche and María de la Encarnación Cambil-Hernández
The purpose of this study was to analyze the state of mobile game-based learning in the field of cultural heritage education.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to analyze the state of mobile game-based learning in the field of cultural heritage education.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric methodology based on scientific mapping and an analysis of co-words was used. The scientific production on this field of study indexed in Scopus was analyzed. The analysis included a total of 725 publications.
Findings
The results show that the National Research Council of Italy is the institution with the highest volume of production. Among the journals, the Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage stands out. In addition, in the analysis of the structural and thematic development of co-words, a low percentage of keyword matching was observed. The research is currently mainly oriented to pedagogical methods, especially game-based learning, gamification and the use of serious games, although these are not the only trends in this field. Research is also focusing on virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality.
Originality/value
This work is an exploratory and novel study that analyzes the publications to date on mobile game-based learning in cultural heritage education. In theoretical terms, this can serve as support so that other researchers interested in this field can access the information highlighted in this work. From a practical perspective, this work will contribute to the promotion of new innovative actions in cultural heritage education to satisfy the demands of a learning group increasingly familiar with games technology.
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Yu-Ming Chung, Shao-Yu Lee, Yung-Kai Lin, Yung-Hao Lin, Mohamed El-Shazly, Yung-Hsiang Lin and Chi-Fu Chiang
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), a ubiquitous fruit in Southeastern Asia, was rich in vitamins and phytochemicals, which were beneficial for improving of skin conditions. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), a ubiquitous fruit in Southeastern Asia, was rich in vitamins and phytochemicals, which were beneficial for improving of skin conditions. The fermentation process increased phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether phytochemicals can be increased through the fermentation process of rambutan extracts to improve skin aging.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors used the three stages of fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus plantarum TCI028 and Acetobacter aceti under red light to develop a fermented rambutan extract.
Findings
The level of polyphenols of red-light-based fermented rambutan extract (RLFRE) were significantly increased 108.9% (p < 0.01) and 97% (p < 0.01) compared with fermented rambutan extract (FRE) and pure rambutan extract (RE), respectively. The human skin fibroblasts treated with 0.03 or 0.06% of RLFRE can significantly decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels by 0.74- (p < 0.001) and 0.84-fold (p < 0.001) compared with H2O2 group, respectively. And 0.03% of RLFRE can significantly increase in elastin content by 1.13-fold (p < 0.05). Also, ten compounds were identified including one new phenolic compound and nine known compounds from RLFRE. Moreover, red light could enhance the levels of compounds 4, 9 and 3 by 5, 2.5 and 2.5-fold, respectively, relative to the results of FRE. The last, RLFRE isolated compounds significantly facilitated the elastin content on fibroblast (compound 1, 7, 9, 10 compared with control: p < 0.001, compound 2 compared with control: p < 0.001).
Originality/value
In short, this was the first study to unveil that the red-light-based fermentation can enrich the antioxidant content in a rambutan extract and its product had the potential to be developed a functional product for health-promoting effects such as skin aging.
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