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The present study focuses on the implementation of a self - assessment procedure in a Physics class, extended during a seven weeks period in a European secondary level school. The researchers used three modes of assessment based on paper and pencil, computer-web and mobile devices respectively. The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of each mode of assessment on students' motivation and achievement. Analysis of pre- and post-motivation tests revealed a more positive motivational orientation of students towards computers and mobile devices as assessment delivery mediums. Also, student evaluation implemented after the phase of the experimental procedure showed a significant increase in learning achievement for low-achieving students who participated in the mobile-based and computer-based assessment. The positive effects of computers and mobile devices on students' learning motivation suggest that they can be used as a promising alternative to paper and pencil assessment procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hardware-based courses in computer science studies require much effort from both students and teachers. The most important part of students' learning is attending in person and actively working on laboratory exercises on hardware equipment. This paper deals with a specific group of students, those who are marginalized by not being able to regularly attend lessons and perform the laboratory exercises. This group of "busy students" includes older students, and those who travel, are employed or are parents. In particular it describes how such students achieved impressive results in a hardware-based course by using Open Educational Resources (OER). These facilitated students' learning process and gave busy students the opportunity to organize their learning time so as to work on the hardware courses remotely from home when they had time and opportunity. The results of the evaluation show significant improvements, both in grade distribution and course throughput, after implementing the new Open Educational Resources approach.

Discusses the various definitions of home education and how the term can give rise to misinterpretations. Covers recent changes to legislation and policy relating to home education in some European countries, such as France and Ireland. Argues that governments should conduct well reasoned, objective research before considering measures to limit home education. (Contains 27 references.) (AUTH)

Background Croatia and the UK have list-based general practice systems: patients register with a single practice. They are also progressively computerising family practice. We set out to identify and report where these countries might learn from each other's experience. Method Experiences, similarities and differences were derived from a literature review and visits to practices in Croatia and the UK. Results Both countries had developed unique but sophisticated paper-based primary care record systems. They have now moved to promote the computerisation of primary care; both countries see this as integral to patient safety, quality improvement and derivation of data for health service management. However, the development of primary care computing has been an organic process with small suppliers producing trial systems with natural selection of the more effective system. Conclusions IT has the potential to improve patient safety and the quality and efficiency of primary care. The lack of a theoretical framework for the comparison of systems hampers the development and selection of an optimum system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current opinion on undergraduate studies has led to a reformulation of teaching methodologies to base them not just on learning, but also on skills and competencies. In this approach, the teaching/learning process should accomplish both knowledge assimilation and skill development. Previous works demonstrated that a strategy that uses continuous evaluation is able to meet both objectives. However, those studies did not evaluate and quantify the additional effort required to implement such strategies. This paper evaluates the additional instructor effort required when implementing continuous evaluation in a first-year Computer Fundamentals course in the Computer Engineering degree program at the Technical University of Valencia, Spain. The experiment quantifies how instructor workload increases under different continuous evaluation strategies and how this affects the overall student grade. Both the “standard” continuous evaluation method and the intensive continuous evaluation method are analyzed, the latter being a proposal that builds upon the standard method by increasing the number of tests and examinations. The results obtained reveal that continuous evaluation improves student grades but that intensive continuous evaluation is liable to generate an excessive instructor overload without having a significant impact on student scores. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a qualitative investigation on user reactions, opinions, and sentiments about a TV-based technological solution developed within the EasyReach Project of the EU Ambient Assisted Living Joint Program to promote social interaction of less educated elderly people, that is, those individuals who, because of poor scholarization, low income, and, possibly, linguistic barriers, still find it difficult to use computers in order to improve their socialization. Experimental data were collected by extensive trials involving 40 real-end users. A methodology called “scenario engagement” was applied to get participants engaged in a live demonstration with the mediation of a facilitator who assisted elderly people to interact with the system. Results point out that the system can be effectively employed to foster social interaction, particularly when it is introduced in a collective use environment (e.g., Senior Center). Although the focus of the investigation was on information and communication technology-enabled social environments, the end users themselves strongly suggested to include in future system releases extra functions considered as essential opportunities for their potential digital lives: that is, medical or health services and bridges toward public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The over-arching aim of Grid computing is to move computational resources from individual institutions where they can only be used for in-house work, to a more open vision of vast online ubiquitous `virtual computational' resources which support individuals and collaborative projects. A major step towards realizing this vision is the provision of instrumentation – such as telescopes, accelerators or electrical power stations – as Grid resources, and the tools to manage these resources online. The GRIDCC project attempts to satisfy these requirements by providing the following four co-dependent components; a flexible wrapper for publishing instruments as Grid resources; workflow support for the orchestration of multiple Grid resources in a timely manner; the machinery to make reservation agreements on Grid resources; and the facility to satisfy quality of service (QoS) requirements on elements within workflows. In this paper we detail the set of services developed as part of the GRIDCC project to provide the last three of these components. We provide a detailed architecture for these services along with experimental results from load testing experiments. These services are currently deployed as a test-bed at a number of institutions across Europe, and are poised to provide a 'virtual lab' to production level applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic algorithm (GA) is a computational procedure that 'evolves' solutions to optimization problems by generating populations of possible solutions, and then by treating these solutions metaphorically as individuals that can 'mate' and 'compete' to 'survive' and 'reproduce'. In this paper, I explore how culturally specific notions of evolution, population, reproduction, sex/gender, and kinship inflect the ways GAs are assembled and understood. Combining the results of fieldwork among GA workers with analysis of GA texts, I contend that the picture of 'nature' embedded in GAs is resonant with the values of secularized Judeo-Christian white middle-class US-American and European heterosexual culture. I also maintain that GA formulations are accented by languages inherited from sociobiology. I argue that examining GAs can help us track how dominant meanings of 'nature' are being stabilized and refigured in an age in which exchanges of metaphor between biology and computer science are increasingly common.

Within the framework of the scientific community, we could define virtual reality (VR) as an effective simulation of complex environmental aspects related to both interaction-dependent and high-risk operations, where mistakes will lead to unacceptable consequences. Surgeons performing open surgery, endoscopists working on the intestine or neurologists working on the brain-all are impressive examples where the VR approach looks potentially quite interesting. In fact the risk of unsatisfactory implementations, too poor with respect to the complexity of the real world, coming from the unsatisfactory performance of the present-day technology, is quite high. Typically, the loss of the real time requirement for the operator interactions can remove much of the effectiveness of what has been built. Some questions about the real need for high performance computational resources and high level graphic resolution need to be answered. This paper presents and discusses an inventory of computational resources used in real applications.

The major European fusion facilities, JET, Tore Supra and Asdex Upgrade, have a 30-year history from conception to the present day. This period has seen a rapid evolution in computer techniques. Experience has shown that IT architectures and standards adopted early in the construction phase of a project are carried into the main programme and affect the project for its entire lifetime. In this paper, we select a few of the more important computer-related lessons we have learned in Europe, particularly with respect to the EFDA-JET facility, and we make recommendations towards the next generation of machines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on the networking exercise known as the European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research, or COST. Coordination of fundamental research in fields of science including chemistry; Finance and organization of the initiative; Research networks in meta-computing and metal catalysis which are being considered. INSET: Who's who in Europe.

This article studies changes in computer use and work discretion and intensity in the EU‐15 between 1995 and 2015. We document that while the proportion of workers using computers has increased from 40 per cent to more than 60 per cent, there remain significant differences between countries even within the same occupations. Several countries have seen a significant increase in computer use even in low‐skilled occupations generally assumed to be less affected by technology. Overall, the great increase in computer use between 1995 and 2015 coincided with a period of modest deterioration of job quality in the EU‐15 as a whole, as work discretion declined for most occupational and educational groups, while work intensity increased slightly for most of them. Our OLS results exploiting variation within country‐occupation cells point to a sizeable positive effect of computer use on work discretion, but to no effect on work intensity. Our instrumental variable estimates point to an even more benign effect of computer use on job quality as measured by work discretion and work intensity. Hence, the results suggest that the (moderate) deterioration in the quality of work observed in the EU‐15 between 1995 and 2015 has occurred despite the spread of computers, rather than because of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the creation and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) patents in Europe. We create a panel of AI patents over time, mapping them into regions at the NUTS2 level. We then proceed by examining how AI is integrated into the knowledge space of each region. In particular, we find that those regions where AI is most embedded into the innovation landscape are also those where the number of AI patents is largest. This suggests that, to increase AI innovation, it may be necessary to integrate it with industrial development, a feature central to many recent AI-promoting policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of the written word, facilitated by the introduction of the printing press, was an information revolution with profound implications for European society. Now, a second information revolution is underway, a digital transformation that is shaping the way Europeans live and interact with each other and the world around them. We are confronted with an unprecedented expansion in ways to share and access information and experiences, to express ourselves and communicate. Yet while these changes have undoubtedly provided many benefits for health, from information sharing to improved surveillance and diagnostics, they also open up many potential threats. These come in many forms. Here we review some the pressing issues of concern; discrimination; breaches of privacy; iatrogenesis; disinformation and misinformation or 'fake news' and cyber-attacks. These have the potential to impact negatively on the health and wellbeing of individuals as well as entire communities and nations. We call for a concerted European response to maximize the benefits of the digital revolution while minimizing the harms, arguably one of the greatest challenges facing the public health community today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The visual conditions for computer work are complex and include several factors that need to bewell controlled. These factors include the lighting system, the design of the computer and screen itself, the screens position and orientation within the room, the surface reflectances and colours of the room, and the visualability of the worker. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to review the literature (including standards) on lighting for computer work in an accessible summary. This contribution focuses on lighting for computer work, but the reader is reminded of the fact that lighting continuously interacts with the other factors mentioned above. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: The combined visual conditions shall enable the worker to see and perform the work task without causing unnecessary strain for the eyes or the other parts of the body. The main lighting-related factors in the visual environment to evaluate are: illuminance, luminance, direction of light, glare, correlated colour temperature of the light source (CCT), colour rendering of the light source, and the non-visual effects (such as non-visual flicker). A visual ergonomics checklist is presented as a guide to analyse the visual environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research suggests an inverse association between parental rules and screen time in pre-adolescents, and that parents' style of communication with their children is related to the children's time spent watching TV. The aims of this study were to examine associations of parental rules and parental style of communication with children's screen time and perceived excessive screen time in five European countries.Methods: UP4FUN was a multi-centre, cluster randomised controlled trial with pre- and post-test measurements in each of five countries; Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Norway. Questionnaires were completed by the children at school and the parent questionnaire was brought home. Three structural equation models were tested based on measures of screen time and parental style of communication from the pre-test questionnaires.Discussion: Of the 152 schools invited, 62 (41 %) schools agreed to participate. In total 3325 children (average age 11.2 years and 51 % girls) and 3038 parents (81 % mothers) completed the pre-test questionnaire. The average TV/DVD times across the countries were between 1.5 and 1.8 h/day, while less time was used for computer/games console (0.9-1.4 h/day). The children's perceived parental style of communication was quite consistent for TV/DVD and computer/games console. The presence of rules was significantly associated with less time watching TV/DVD and use of computer/games console time. Moreover, the use of an autonomy-supportive style was negatively related to both time watching TV/DVD and use of computer/games console time. The use of a controlling style was related positively to perceived excessive time used on TV/DVD and excessive time used on computer/games console. With a few exceptions, results were similar across the five countries.Conclusions: This study suggests that an autonomy-supportive style of communicating rules for TV/DVD or computer/ games console use is negatively related to children's time watching TV/DVD and use of computer/games console time. In contrast, a controlling style is associated with more screen time and with more perceived excessive screen time in particular. Longitudinal research is needed to further examine effects of parental style of communication on children's screen time as well as possible reciprocal effects.Trial Registration: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register, registration number: ISRCTN34562078 . Date applied29/07/2011, Date assigned11/10/2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Artificial Adaptive Systems (AAS) are theories with which generative algebras are able to create artificial models simulating natural phenomenon. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are the more diffused and best-known learning system models in the AAS. This article describes an overview of ANNs, noting its advantages and limitations for analyzing dynamic, complex, non-linear, multidimensional processes. An example of a specific ANN application to alcohol consumption in Spain, as part of the EU AMPHORA-3 project, during 1961-2006 is presented. Study's limitations are noted and future needed research using ANN methodologies are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the evolution of large-value payment (LVP) systems in light of the trade-off between providing liquidity and limiting settlement risk, as of March 2005. Background on LVP systems and the trade-off between providing liquidity and controlling settlement risk; Differences between major LVP systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe; Impact of technological progress and faster computers on delayed net settlement and real-time gross settlement systems.

Focuses on the implementation and development of Information and Communication Technologies in the education sector in Europe. Implementation of public-private partnership for the delivery of electronic learning; Impact of computers on the learning process; Analysis of the recourse to the private sector to support infrastructure projects.

Studies the aspects of the field of computer aided design for electronic systems as it developed from the 1960s to 2000. Background on the discovery of computers; Discussion on the simulation of circuits and systems on computers; Political issue on microelectronics in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s.

The article highlights the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy (CFP) Conference held in April 2004 in Berkeley, California. Three years in the making, the Council of Europe Cybercrime Treaty will go into effect on July 1, 2004. The legislation calls for, among other things, international cooperation among law enforcement officers attempting to investigate crimes committed by computer. Indeed, records retention will be a big question for the technology community once the treaty goes into effect. The CFP Conference also discussed the work of the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society, which drew more than 10,000 delegates from governments, industry and activist groups to its December 2003 meeting. In a related conference session, attendees looked at wiretapping efforts, which are increasingly encroaching on Internet communications. Federal and local law enforcement intercepted some 2.2 million conversations with court approval in 2002, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. For the technology community, the balance between security and privacy presents both a philosophical and a technical challenge.