Showing papers on "The Internet published in 2012"

WinGX and ORTEP for Windows: an update

Abstract: The WinGX suite provides a complete set of programs for the treatment of small-molecule single-crystal diffraction data, from data reduction and processing, structure solution, model refinement and visualization, and metric analysis of molecular geometry and crystal packing, to final report preparation in the form of a CIF. It includes several well known pieces of software and provides a repository for programs when the original authors no longer wish to, or are unable to, maintain them. It also provides menu items to execute external software, such as the SIR and SHELX suites of programs. The program ORTEP for Windows provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the classic ORTEP program, which is the original software for the illustration of anisotropic displacement ellipsoids. The GUI code provides input capabilities for a wide variety of file formats, and extra functionality such as geometry calculations and ray-traced outputs. The programs WinGX and ORTEP for Windows have been distributed over the internet for about 15 years, and this article describes some of the more modern features of the programs.

STRING v9.1: protein-protein interaction networks, with increased coverage and integration

Abstract: Complete knowledge of all direct and indirect interactions between proteins in a given cell would represent an important milestone towards a comprehensive description of cellular mechanisms and functions. Although this goal is still elusive, considerable progress has been made-particularly for certain model organisms and functional systems. Currently, protein interactions and associations are annotated at various levels of detail in online resources, ranging from raw data repositories to highly formalized pathway databases. For many applications, a global view of all the available interaction data is desirable, including lower-quality data and/or computational predictions. The STRING database (http://string-db.org/) aims to provide such a global perspective for as many organisms as feasible. Known and predicted associations are scored and integrated, resulting in comprehensive protein networks covering >1100 organisms. Here, we describe the update to version 9.1 of STRING, introducing several improvements: (i) we extend the automated mining of scientific texts for interaction information, to now also include full-text articles; (ii) we entirely re-designed the algorithm for transferring interactions from one model organism to the other; and (iii) we provide users with statistical information on any functional enrichment observed in their networks.

Big data: the management revolution.

Abstract: Big data, the authors write, is far more powerful than the analytics of the past. Executives can measure and therefore manage more precisely than ever before. They can make better predictions and smarter decisions. They can target more-effective interventions in areas that so far have been dominated by gut and intuition rather than by data and rigor. The differences between big data and analytics are a matter of volume, velocity, and variety: More data now cross the internet every second than were stored in the entire internet 20 years ago. Nearly real-time information makes it possible for a company to be much more agile than its competitors. And that information can come from social networks, images, sensors, the web, or other unstructured sources. The managerial challenges, however, are very real. Senior decision makers have to learn to ask the right questions and embrace evidence-based decision making. Organizations must hire scientists who can find patterns in very large data sets and translate them into useful business information. IT departments have to work hard to integrate all the relevant internal and external sources of data. The authors offer two success stories to illustrate how companies are using big data: PASSUR Aerospace enables airlines to match their actual and estimated arrival times. Sears Holdings directly analyzes its incoming store data to make promotions much more precise and faster.

Internet of things: Vision, applications and research challenges

Abstract: The term ‘‘Internet-of-Things’’ is used as an umbrella keyword for covering various aspects related to the extension of the Internet and the Web into the physical realm, by means of the widespread deployment of spatially distributed devices with embedded identification, sensing and/or actuation capabilities. Internet-of-Things envisions a future in which digital and physical entities can be linked, by means of appropriate information and communication technologies, to enable a whole new class of applications and services. In this article, we present a survey of technologies, applications and research challenges for Internetof-Things.

ChEMBL: a large-scale bioactivity database for drug discovery

Abstract: ChEMBL is an Open Data database containing binding, functional and ADMET information for a large number of drug-like bioactive compounds. These data are manually abstracted from the primary published literature on a regular basis, then further curated and standardized to maximize their quality and utility across a wide range of chemical biology and drug-discovery research problems. Currently, the database contains 5.4 million bioactivity measurements for more than 1 million compounds and 5200 protein targets. Access is available through a web-based interface, data downloads and web services at: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembldb.

SIFT web server: predicting effects of amino acid substitutions on proteins

Abstract: The Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant (SIFT) algorithm predicts the effect of coding variants on protein function. It was first introduced in 2001, with a corresponding website that provides users with predictions on their variants. Since its release, SIFT has become one of the standard tools for characterizing missense variation. We have updated SIFT’s genome-wide prediction tool since our last publication in 2009, and added new features to the insertion/deletion (indel) tool. We also show accuracy metrics on independent data sets. The original developers have hosted the SIFT web server at FHCRC, JCVI and the web server is currently located at BII. The URL is http://sift-dna.org (24 May 2012, date last accessed).

A survey of information-centric networking

Abstract: The information-centric networking (ICN) concept is a significant common approach of several future Internet research activities. The approach leverages in-network caching, multiparty communication through replication, and interaction models decoupling senders and receivers. The goal is to provide a network infrastructure service that is better suited to today?s use (in particular. content distribution and mobility) and more resilient to disruptions and failures. The ICN approach is being explored by a number of research projects. We compare and discuss design choices and features of proposed ICN architectures, focusing on the following main components: named data objects, naming and security, API, routing and transport, and caching. We also discuss the advantages of the ICN approach in general.

Internet of Things (IoT): A Vision, Architectural Elements, and Future Directions

Abstract: Ubiquitous sensing enabled by Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies cuts across many areas of modern day living. This offers the ability to measure, infer and understand environmental indicators, from delicate ecologies and natural resources to urban environments. The proliferation of these devices in a communicating-actuating network creates the Internet of Things (IoT), wherein, sensors and actuators blend seamlessly with the environment around us, and the information is shared across platforms in order to develop a common operating picture (COP). Fuelled by the recent adaptation of a variety of enabling device technologies such as RFID tags and readers, near field communication (NFC) devices and embedded sensor and actuator nodes, the IoT has stepped out of its infancy and is the the next revolutionary technology in transforming the Internet into a fully integrated Future Internet. As we move from www (static pages web) to web2 (social networking web) to web3 (ubiquitous computing web), the need for data-on-demand using sophisticated intuitive queries increases significantly. This paper presents a cloud centric vision for worldwide implementation of Internet of Things. The key enabling technologies and application domains that are likely to drive IoT research in the near future are discussed. A cloud implementation using Aneka, which is based on interaction of private and public clouds is presented. We conclude our IoT vision by expanding on the need for convergence of WSN, the Internet and distributed computing directed at technological research community.

Social Media and the Decision to Participate in Political Protest: Observations From Tahrir Square

Abstract: Based on a survey of participants in Egypt’s Tahrir Square protests, we demonstrate that social media in general, and Facebook in particular, provided new sources of information the regime could not easily control and were crucial in shaping how citizens made individual decisions about participating in protests, the logistics of protest, and the likelihood of success. We demonstrate that people learned about the protests primarily through interpersonal communication using Facebook, phone contact, or face-to-face conversation. Controlling for other factors, social media use greatly increased the odds that a respondent attended protests on the first day. Half of those surveyed produced and disseminated visuals from the demonstrations, mainly through Facebook.

Future Internet: The Internet of Things Architecture, Possible Applications and Key Challenges

Abstract: The Internet is continuously changing and evolving. The main communication form of present Internet is human-human. The Internet of Things (IoT) can be considered as the future evaluation of the Internet that realizes machine-to-machine (M2M) learning. Thus, IoT provides connectivity for everyone and everything. The IoT embeds some intelligence in Internet-connected objects to communicate, exchange information, take decisions, invoke actions and provide amazing services. This paper addresses the existing development trends, the generic architecture of IoT, its distinguishing features and possible future applications. This paper also forecast the key challenges associated with the development of IoT. The IoT is getting increasing popularity for academia, industry as well as government that has the potential to bring significant personal, professional and economic benefits.

Android permissions: user attention, comprehension, and behavior

Abstract: Android's permission system is intended to inform users about the risks of installing applications. When a user installs an application, he or she has the opportunity to review the application's permission requests and cancel the installation if the permissions are excessive or objectionable. We examine whether the Android permission system is effective at warning users. In particular, we evaluate whether Android users pay attention to, understand, and act on permission information during installation. We performed two usability studies: an Internet survey of 308 Android users, and a laboratory study wherein we interviewed and observed 25 Android users. Study participants displayed low attention and comprehension rates: both the Internet survey and laboratory study found that 17% of participants paid attention to permissions during installation, and only 3% of Internet survey respondents could correctly answer all three permission comprehension questions. This indicates that current Android permission warnings do not help most users make correct security decisions. However, a notable minority of users demonstrated both awareness of permission warnings and reasonable rates of comprehension. We present recommendations for improving user attention and comprehension, as well as identify open challenges.

A scalable peer-to-peer lookup protocol for Internet applications

Abstract: while peer-to-peer networks are mainly used to locate unique resources across the Internet, new interesting deployment scenarios are emerging. Particularly, some applications (e.g., VoIP) are proposing the creation of overlays for the localization of services based on equivalent servants (e.g., voice relays). This paper explores the possible overlay architectures that can be adopted to provide such services, showing how an unstructured solution based on a scale-free overlay topology is an effective option to deploy in this context. Consequently, we propose EQUATOR (Equivalent Servant Locator), an unstructured overlay implementing the above mentioned operating principles, based on an overlay construction algorithm that well approximates an ideal scale-free construction model. We present both analytical and simulation results which support our overlay topology selection and validate the proposed architecture.

Sensor Mania! The Internet of Things, Wearable Computing, Objective Metrics, and the Quantified Self 2.0

Abstract: The number of devices on the Internet exceeded the number of people on the Internet in 2008, and is estimated to reach 50 billion in 2020. A wide-ranging Internet of Things (IOT) ecosystem is emerging to support the process of connecting real-world objects like buildings, roads, household appliances, and human bodies to the Internet via sensors and microprocessor chips that record and transmit data such as sound waves, temperature, movement, and other variables. The explosion in Internet-connected sensors means that new classes of technical capability and application are being created. More granular 24/7 quantified monitoring is leading to a deeper understanding of the internal and external worlds encountered by humans. New data literacy behaviors such as correlation assessment, anomaly detection, and high-frequency data processing are developing as humans adapt to the different kinds of data flows enabled by the IOT. The IOT ecosystem has four critical functional steps: data creation, information generation, meaning-making, and action-taking. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current and rapidly emerging ecosystem of the Internet of Things (IOT).

Networked: The New Social Operating System

Abstract: Daily life is connected life, its rhythms driven by endless email pings and responses, the chimes and beeps of continually arriving text messages, tweets and retweets, Facebook updates, pictures and videos to post and discuss. Our perpetual connectedness gives us endless opportunities to be part of the give-and-take of networking. Some worry that this new environment makes us isolated and lonely. But in Networked, Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman show how the large, loosely knit social circles of networked individuals expand opportunities for learning, problem solving, decision making, and personal interaction. The new social operating system of "networked individualism" liberates us from the restrictions of tightly knit groups; it also requires us to develop networking skills and strategies, work on maintaining ties, and balance multiple overlapping networks. Rainie and Wellman outline the "triple revolution" that has brought on this transformation: the rise of social networking, the capacity of the Internet to empower individuals, and the always-on connectivity of mobile devices. Drawing on extensive evidence, they examine how the move to networked individualism has expanded personal relationships beyond households and neighborhoods; transformed work into less hierarchical, more team-driven enterprises; encouraged individuals to create and share content; and changed the way people obtain information. Rainie and Wellman guide us through the challenges and opportunities of living in the evolving world of networked individuals.

The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom

Abstract: The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom by Evgeny Morozov New York: Public Affairs, 2011 409 pages $16.99 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In January 2010, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a highly touted speech on Internet freedom in which she stated, "The freedom to connect is like the freedom of assembly, only in cyberspace. It allows individuals to get online, come together, and hopefully cooperate. Once you're on the Internet, you don't need to be a tycoon or a rock star to have a huge impact on society." Evgeny Morozov, in his book The Net Delusion, takes great issue with the implication, however, that the so-called "Arab Spring" and "Twitter Revolution" were caused by unfettered access to the Internet. Instead, Morozov, a research academic, provides a cautionary tale about what he argues is any attempt to establish a monocausal relationship to meaningful political change (especially when that single focus is information technology). The book opens with a discussion of cyber-utopianism and Internet-centrism--mind-sets that focus on the positive "emancipatory" aspects of Internet communication while ignoring the downsides. The argument throughout centers on nation-state policy, or lack thereof, that attacks the "wicked" problem of authoritarianism by, as a colleague of mine has dubbed it, "wiring the world." Morozov, expectantly, but importantly, cites the hedonistic world portrayed by Huxley and the "Big Brother" world of Orwell to consider both the proactive and reactive approaches to Internet freedom by authoritarian regimes. Interestingly, he notes that there is often a mix of both. Such regimes certainly use the anonymity and openness of the Internet to spy on their people and shutdown undesirable sites. But there is also a subtle approach that belies the jackboot on the keyboard methodology. While China may be known more for suppressing the Internet and for employing the masses to counter antiregime rhetoric, Russia imposes no formal Internet censorship. It relies on entertainment (porn is specifically cited) to soothe the masses, assuming that given options for political discourse and anything else, most opt for "anything else." Hitler would understand. And in nations where freedom is not widely understood from a western perspective, any bit of additional mindless diversion may be viewed as liberty by the populace. Perhaps most importantly, Morozov rails against social media determinism as driving the end of authoritarianism, labeling it "an intellectually impoverished, lazy way to study the past, understand the present, and predict the future." He does not dismiss the value of Facebook and Twitter to quickly mobilize like-minded individuals. He notes as well that the development of that very like-mindedness is complex and potentially can be manipulated by authoritarian governments using the same Internet freedom. …

David-ws

Abstract: Summary: The database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID), which can be freely accessed at http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/, is a web-based online bioinformatics resource that aims to provide tools for the functional interpretation of large lists of genes/proteins. It has been used by researchers from more than 5000 institutes worldwide, with a daily submission rate of ~1200 gene lists from ~400 unique researchers, and has been cited by more than 6000 scientific publications. However, the current web interface does not support programmatic access to DAVID, and the uniform resource locator (URL)-based application programming interface (API) has a limit on URL size and is stateless in nature as it uses URL request and response messages to communicate with the server, without keeping any state-related details. DAVID-WS (web service) has been developed to automate user tasks by providing stateful web services to access DAVID programmatically without the need for human interactions. Availability: The web service and sample clients (written in Java, Perl, Python and Matlab) are made freely available under the DAVID License at http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov/content.jsp?file=WS.html. Contact:xiaoli.jiao@nih.gov; rlempicki@nih.gov

Crystallography Open Database (COD): an open-access collection of crystal structures and platform for world-wide collaboration

Abstract: Using an open-access distribution model, the Crystallography Open Database (COD, http://www .crystallography.net) collects all known ‘small molecule / small to medium sized unit cell’ crystal structures and makes them available freely on the Internet. As of today, the COD has aggregated � 150 000 structures, offering basic search capabilities and the possibility to download the whole database, or parts thereof using a variety of standard open communication protocols. A newly developed website provides capabilities for all registered users to deposit published and so far unpublished structures as personal communications or pre-publication depositions. Such a setup enables extension of the COD database by many users simultaneously. This increases the possibilities for growth of the COD database, and is the first step towards establishing a world wide Internet-based collaborative platform dedicated to the collection and curation of structural knowledge.

Makers: The New Industrial Revolution

Abstract: If a country wants to remain economically vibrant, it needs to manufacture things. In recent years, however, many nations have become obsessed with making money out of selling services, leaving the real business of manufacturing to others. "Makers" is about how all that is being reversed. Over the past ten years, the internet has democratised publishing, broadcasting and communications, leading to a massive increase in the range of participation in everything digital - the world of bits. Now the same is happening to manufacturing - the world of things. Chris Anderson, bestselling author of "The Long Tail", explains how this is happening: how such technologies as 3D printing and electronics assembly are becoming available to everybody, and how people are building successful businesses as a result. Whereas once every aspiring entrepreneur needed the support of a major manufacturer, now anybody with a smart idea and a little expertise can make their ideas a reality. Just as Google, Facebook and others have created highly successful companies in the virtual world, so these new inventors and manufacturers are assuming positions of ever greater importance in the real world. The next industrial revolution is on its way.

Internet Gaming Addiction: A Systematic Review of Empirical Research

Abstract: The activity of play has been ever present in human history and the Internet has emerged as a playground increasingly populated by gamers. Research suggests that a minority of Internet game players experience symptoms traditionally associated with substance-related addictions, including mood modification, tolerance and salience. Because the current scientific knowledge of Internet gaming addiction is copious in scope and appears relatively complex, this literature review attempts to reduce this confusion by providing an innovative framework by which all the studies to date can be categorized. A total of 58 empirical studies were included in this literature review. Using the current empirical knowledge, it is argued that Internet gaming addiction follows a continuum, with antecedents in etiology and risk factors, through to the development of a “full-blown” addiction, followed by ramifications in terms of negative consequences and potential treatment. The results are evaluated in light of the emergent discrepancies in findings, and the consequent implications for future research.

Social research 2.0: virtual snowball sampling method using Facebook

Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present a sampling method using virtual networks to study “hard‐to‐reach” populations. In the ambit of social research, the use of new technologies is still questioned because the selection bias is an obstacle to carry on scientific research on the Internet. In this regard, the authors' hypothesis is that the use of social networking sites (Web 2.0) can be effective for the study of “hard‐to‐reach” populations. The main advantages of this technique are that it can expand the geographical scope and facilitates the identification of individuals with barriers to access. Therefore, the use of virtual networks in non‐probabilistic samples can increase the sample size and its representativeness.Design/methodology/approach – To test this hypothesis, a virtual method was designed using Facebook to identify Argentinean immigrant entrepreneurs in Spain (214 cases). A characteristic of this population is that some individuals are administratively invisible in national statistics...

Building Successful Online Communities: Evidence-Based Social Design

Abstract: Online communities are among the most popular destinations on the Internet, but not all online communities are equally successful. For every flourishing Facebook, there is a moribund Friendster--not to mention the scores of smaller social networking sites that never attracted enough members to be viable. This book offers lessons from theory and empirical research in the social sciences that can help improve the design of online communities. The social sciences can tell us much about how to make online communities thrive, offering theories of individual motivation and human behavior that, properly interpreted, can inform particular design choices for online communities. The authors draw on the literature in psychology, economics, and other social sciences, as well as their own research, translating general findings into useful design claims. They explain, for example, how to encourage information contributions based on the theory of public goods, and how to build members' commitment based on theories of interpersonal bond formation. For each design claim, they offer supporting evidence from theory, experiments, or observational studies.The book focuses on five high-level design challenges: starting a new community, attracting new members, encouraging commitment, encouraging contribution, and regulating misbehavior and conflict. By organizing their presentation around these fundamental design features, the authors encourage practitioners to consider alternatives rather than simply adapting a feature seen on other sites.

Factors Affecting Individuals to Adopt Mobile Banking: Empirical Evidence from the Utaut Model

Abstract: Fast advances in the wireless technology and the intensive penetration of cell phones have motivated banks to spend large budget on building mobile banking systems, but the adoption rate of mobile banking is still underused than expected. Therefore, research to enrich current knowledge about what affects individuals to use mobile banking is required. Consequently, this study employs the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate what impacts people to adopt mobile banking. Through sampling 441 respondents, this study empirically concluded that individual intention to adopt mobile banking was significantly influenced by social influence, perceived financial cost, performance expectancy, and perceived credibility, in their order of influencing strength. The behavior was considerably affected by individual intention and facilitating conditions. As for moderating effects of gender and age, this study discovered that gender significantly moderated the effects of performance expectancy and perceived financial cost on behavioral intention, and the age considerably moderated the effects of facilitating conditions and perceived self-efficacy on actual adoption behavior. Keywords: mobile banking, UTAUT, wireless commerce, technology adoption 1. Introduction With the recently quick growth in the market of 3G smart mobile phones, the wireless service delivery channel becomes a promising alternative for firms to create commercial opportunities. However, despite many wireless commercial services increase quickly, the use of mobile banking service is much lower than expected [Cruz et al. 2010] and still underused [Huili & Chunfang 2011], and the market of mobile banking still remains very small in comparing to the whole banking transactions [Luarn & Lin 2005; Laukkanen 2007; Yang 2009]. That is, the widespread adoption and large usage of cell phones did not reflect on the adoption and usage of mobile banking, although mobile banking perhaps was the first commercial mobile service [Scornavacca & Hoehle 2007] and first introduced in the early 2000s through short messaging service and wireless access protocol [Dasgupta et al. 2010]. Both Internet banking and mobile banking are often considered as electronic banking [Suoranta & Mattila 2004; Laforet & Li 2005; Laukkanen 2007; Sripalawat et al. 2011], but Internet banking and mobile banking are two alternative channels for banks to deliver their services and for customers to acquire services [Scornavacca & Hoehle 2007]. That is, customers using Internet banking are through computers connected to Internet, while customers using mobile banking are through wireless devices [Riquelme & Rios 2010]. Concerning the difference between online banking and mobile banking contexts, customers considered mobility as the most valued feature of mobile banking [Suoranta & Mattila 2004] and the time-critical consumers considered the always-on functionality as the most important feature of mobile banking [Singh et al. 2010], while banking users considered that Internet banking took significant advantage in Usefulness and Purpose [Natarajan et al. 2010] and online banking was suggested as the cheapest delivery channel [Koenig-Lewis et al. 2010]. Considering the immense penetration of cell phones, Cruz et al. [2010] observed that banks has very large potential to offer mobile banking services to people living in remote villages where only few computers are connected to the Internet. Acknowledging the limitations of Internet banking as opposed to widespread mobile phone penetration, Dasgupta et al. [2011] suggested that the emerging mobile banking may give banks a good commercial opportunity providing their services to rural people who are unable to access the Internet. Hence, Dasgupta et al. [2011] pointed out that main customer segments of mobile and Internet banking were not necessarily the same, which might explain why Sadi et al. …

The SEMAINE Database: Annotated Multimodal Records of Emotionally Colored Conversations between a Person and a Limited Agent

Abstract: SEMAINE has created a large audiovisual database as a part of an iterative approach to building Sensitive Artificial Listener (SAL) agents that can engage a person in a sustained, emotionally colored conversation. Data used to build the agents came from interactions between users and an "operator” simulating a SAL agent, in different configurations: Solid SAL (designed so that operators displayed an appropriate nonverbal behavior) and Semi-automatic SAL (designed so that users' experience approximated interacting with a machine). We then recorded user interactions with the developed system, Automatic SAL, comparing the most communicatively competent version to versions with reduced nonverbal skills. High quality recording was provided by five high-resolution, high-framerate cameras, and four microphones, recorded synchronously. Recordings total 150 participants, for a total of 959 conversations with individual SAL characters, lasting approximately 5 minutes each. Solid SAL recordings are transcribed and extensively annotated: 6-8 raters per clip traced five affective dimensions and 27 associated categories. Other scenarios are labeled on the same pattern, but less fully. Additional information includes FACS annotation on selected extracts, identification of laughs, nods, and shakes, and measures of user engagement with the automatic system. The material is available through a web-accessible database.

Using the Facebook group as a learning management system: An exploratory study

Abstract: Facebook is a popular social networking site. It, like many other new technologies, has potential for teaching and learning because of its unique built-in functions that offer pedagogical, social and technological affordances. In this study, the Facebook group was used as a learning management system (LMS) in two courses for putting up announcements, sharing resources, organizing weekly tutorials and conducting online discussions at a teacher education institute in Singapore. This study explores using the Facebook group as an LMS and the students’ perceptions of using it in their courses. Results showed that students were basically satisfied with the affordances of Facebook as the fundamental functions of an LMS could be easily implemented in the Facebook group. However, using the Facebook group as an LMS has certain limitations. It did not support other format files to be uploaded directly, and the discussion was not organized in a threaded structure. Also, the students did not feel safe and comfortable as their privacy might be revealed. Constraints of using the Facebook group as an LMS, implications for practice and limitations of this study are discussed.

CoAP: An Application Protocol for Billions of Tiny Internet Nodes

Abstract: The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a transfer protocol for constrained nodes and networks, such as those that will form the Internet of Things. Much like its older and heavier cousin HTTP, CoAP uses the REST architectural style. Based on UDP and unencumbered by historical baggage, however, CoAP aims to achieve its modest goals with considerably less complexity.

The Smartphone in Medicine: A Review of Current and Potential Use Among Physicians and Students

Abstract: Background: Advancements in technology have always had major impacts in medicine. The smartphone is one of the most ubiquitous and dynamic trends in communication, in which one’s mobile phone can also be used for communicating via email, performing Internet searches, and using specific applications. The smartphone is one of the fastest growing sectors in the technology industry, and its impact in medicine has already been significant. Objective: To provide a comprehensive and up-to-date summary of the role of the smartphone in medicine by highlighting the ways in which it can enhance continuing medical education, patient care, and communication. We also examine the evidence base for this technology. Methods: We conducted a review of all published uses of the smartphone that could be applicable to the field of medicine and medical education with the exclusion of only surgical-related uses. Results: In the 60 studies that were identified, we found many uses for the smartphone in medicine; however, we also found that very few high-quality studies exist to help us understand how best to use this technology. Conclusions: While the smartphone’s role in medicine and education appears promising and exciting, more high-quality studies are needed to better understand the role it will have in this field. We recommend popular smartphone applications for physicians that are lacking in evidence and discuss future studies to support their use. [J Med Internet Res 2012;14(5):e128]

Prevalence of pathological internet use among adolescents in Europe: demographic and social factors

Abstract: Aims To investigate the prevalence of pathological internet use (PIU) and maladaptive internet use (MIU) among adolescents in 11 European countries in relation to demographic, social factors and internet accessibility. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting The 7th Framework European Union (EU) funded project, Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE), is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating interventions for risk behavioursamongadolescentsinAustria,Estonia,France,Germany,Hungary,Ireland,Israel,Italy,Romania,Slovenia andSpain,withSwedenservingasthecoordinatingcentre.Participants Atotalof 11 956adolescents(female/male: 6731/5225; mean age: 14.9 0.89) recruited from randomly selected schools within the 11 study sites. Measurements Internet users were classified by gender into three categories: adaptive, maladaptive and pathologi- cal, based on their score in the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction (YDQ). Findings The overall prevalence of PIU was 4.4%; it was higher among males than females (5.2% versus 3.8%) and differed between countries (c 2 = 309.98; d.f. = 20; P < 0.001). PIU correlated significantly with mean hours online and male gender. Thehighest-rankedonlineactivitieswerewatchingvideos,frequentingchatroomsandsocialnetworking;significantly higherratesof playingsingle-usergameswerefoundinmalesandsocialnetworkinginfemales.Livinginmetropolitan areas was associated with PIU. Students not living with a biological parent, low parental involvement and parental unemployment showed the highest relative risks of both MIU and PIU. Conclusions Across a range of countries in Europe, using the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire for Internet Addiction yields a prevalence of 'pathological internet use' of 4.4% among adolescents, but varies by country and gender; adolescents lacking emotional and psychological support are at highest risk.

Using Internet Technologies (Such As Skype) as a Research Medium: A Research Note

Abstract: This article presents a brief account of research which embraced the notion of research participant choice by adopting a flexible approach to the medium through which the semi-structured interviews...