Human-scale mobile robots that manipulate objects (mobile manipulators) have the potential to perform a variety of useful roles in healthcare. Many promising roles for robots require physical contact with patients and caregivers, which is fraught with both psychological and physical implications. In this thesis, we used a human factors approach to evaluate system performance and participant responses when potential end users performed a healthcare task involving physical contact with a robot. We performed four human-robot interaction studies with 100 people who were not experts in robotics (naive participants). We show that physical contact between naive participants and human-scale mobile manipulators can be acceptable and effective in a variety of healthcare contexts. In this thesis, we investigated two forms of touch-based (haptic) interaction relevant to healthcare. First, we studied how participants responded to physical contact initiated by an autonomous robotic nurse. On average, people responded favorably to robot-initiated touch when the robot indicated that it was a necessary part of a healthcare task. However, their responses strongly depended on what they thought the robot's intentions were, which suggests that this will be an important consideration for future healthcare robots. Second, we investigated the coordination of whole-body motion between human-scale robots and people by the application of forces to the robot's hands and arms. Nurses found this haptic interaction to be intuitive and preferred it over a standard gamepad interface. They also navigated the robot through a cluttered healthcare environment in less time, with fewer collisions, and with less cognitive load via haptic interaction. Through a study with expert dancers, we demonstrated the feasibility of robots as dance-based exercise partners. The experts rated a robot that used only haptic interaction to be a good follower according to subjective measures of dance quality. We also determined that healthy older adults were accepting of using a robot for partner dance-based exercise. On average, they found the robot easy and enjoyable to use and that it performed a partnered stepping task well. The findings in this work make several impacts on the design of robots in healthcare. We found that the perceived intent of robot-initiated touch significantly influenced people's responses. Thus, we determined that autonomous robots that initiate touch with patients can be acceptable in some contexts. This result highlights the importance of considering the psychological responses of users when designing physical human-robot interactions in addition to considering the mechanics of performing tasks. We found that naive users across three user groups could quickly learn how to effectively use physical interaction to lead a robot during navigation, positioning, and partnered stepping tasks. These consistent results underscore the value of using physical interaction to enable users of varying backgrounds to lead a robot during whole-body motion coordination across different healthcare contexts.

Public library services in New Zealand are being re-examined in light of the developments in ICT and an increasingly multicultural population. The research question investigated was “Can an internet portal on a public library website be used to meet the information needs of new Chinese Mandarin immigrants to the Auckland region of New Zealand?” In an attempt to effectively answer the research question and sub-questions the researcher conducted a literature review on two aspects relevant to the study: immigration theory and information behaviour (IB). Thirty Chinese Mandarin speaking recent migrants to the Auckland region of New Zealand were interviewed in-depth to determine their information behaviour (IB) and resources used. The findings indicate that respondents were in need of everyday survival information. The findings suggest that a more coordinated approach to information provision, for example through a library web portal, will assist respondents in their search for information relating to their initial settlement. / Information Science / M. Inf.

Location-sharing services have become increasingly popular with the proliferation of smartphones and online social networks. People share their locations with each other to record their daily lives or satisfy their social needs. At the same time, inappropriate disclosure of location information poses threats to people's privacy. One of the reasons why people fail to protect their location privacy is the difficulty of using the current mechanisms to manually configure location-privacy settings. Since people's location-privacy preferences are context-aware, manual configuration is cumbersome. People's incapability and unwillingness to do so lead to unexpected location disclosures that violate their location privacy. In this thesis, we investigate the feasibility of using recommender systems to help people protect their location privacy. We examine the performance of location-privacy recommender systems and compare it with the state-of-the-art. We also conduct online user studies to understand people's acceptance of such recommender systems and their concerns. We revise our design of the systems according to the results of the user studies. We find that user-based collaborative filtering can accurately recommend location-privacy preferences and outperform the state-of-the-art when training data are insufficient. From users' perspective, their acceptance of location-privacy recommender systems is affected by the openness and the context of recommendations and their privacy concerns about the systems. It is feasible to use data obfuscation or decentralisation to alleviate people's concerns and meanwhile keep the systems robust against malicious data attacks.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-09-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:15:34Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 guerrero_jc_me_mar.pdf: 466961 bytes, checksum: 16f6763a14d86788bd3391ef05a0d7eb (MD5) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / A pesquisa trata do tema competência informacional, especificamente sobre a busca de informações científicas por pós-graduandos no ensino de pós-graduação nas áreas de Ciências Agronômicas e Ciência Florestal, cujo principal objetivo é verificar o desempenho dos pósgraduandos na busca de informações científicas. Tem como objetivos específicos: a) elaborar um instrumento para avaliar a competência informacional dos participantes na busca de informações científicas; b) verificar se os participantes conhecem e utilizam os operadores booleanos na elaboração de estratégias de busca; c) verificar se os participantes estão familiarizados com a elaboração de estratégias de busca; d) investigar como os participantes costumam utilizar fontes de informação para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas; e) levantar subsídios para os programas de capacitação dos usuários da Biblioteca da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, da UNESP, campus de Botucatu, que auxiliem o desenvolvimento de competências informacionais. Para a coleta de dados foi elaborado um questionário com base em normas de competência informacional para ensino superior desenvolvidas pela Association of College and Research Libraries, da American Library Association, e também em pesquisas internacionais sobre o tema. O questionário foi aplicado via internet aos alunos dos Programas de Pós-graduação em Agronomia e Ciência Florestal da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas, UNESP, campus de Botucatu. Os resultados demonstraram que os alunos de modo geral possuem dificuldade no uso dos operadores booleanos, na elaboração das estratégias de busca e na utilização das ferramentas de buscas disponíveis, sejam as bases de dados ou os catálogos eletrônicos. A inclusão de políticas de desenvolvimento das competências informacionais nas aulas e cursos... / The research deals with the issue information literacy, specifically on the search for scientific information for graduate students in education post-graduation in Agricultural Sciences and Forestry Science, whose main objective is to verify the performance of graduate students in search of scientific information. Its specific objectives: a) develop an instrument to assess the information literacy of the participants in the search for scientific information, b) whether the participants know and use Boolean operators in developing search strategies, c) whether the participants are familiar with the development of search strategies, d) investigate how the participants tend to use sources of information for the development of research, e) raise subsidies for training programs for users of the Library of the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, UNESP, Botucatu, that assist the development of information competencies. For data collection a questionnaire was elaborated based on information literacy standards for higher education developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association, and also in international research on the subject. The questionnaire was administered via the Internet to students of the Post-graduate degree in Agronomy and Forest Science, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, UNESP, Botucatu. The results showed that students generally have difficulty in the use of Boolean operators, the development of search strategies and the use of search tools available, whether the databases or electronic catalogs. The inclusion of policies on skills in informational classes and courses taught by the Library can improve the performance of students in the use of information resources.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-16T15:23:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 13099117 bytes, checksum: b38009e40bd6dacc391fab1eefcaef0d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In the informational units is common to have users who make use of several types of services and / or products offered by them . In the specific files case, the presence of users is not always constant to be easily observed. In the Judicial Archive of the Federal Court of Paraíba (JFPB) we can note this difference, the existence of users in bigger quantity than most legal files of the capital of Paraíba , and it is for this reason that we are in a search of exploring , investigate and meet those who seek information in the Judicial Archives environment. We aim to meet these users and describe the types that exist, their needs and search strategies for the information contained in the documents that are in the Archive Judiciary. Therefore it was used methods that were beyond numbers, because our research is characterized by the use of phenomenology as a methodology to obtain, describe and analyze the information through interviews with the subjects of the research and Verbal Protocol , used to describe the face to face interaction of the user and professional /manager of Archive information. The use of the Information Science (IS) of the Librarianship and Archivology served as the basis for all the informational construct of the meanings and significance of the research. Emphasis was given to the user, but also the key role of information for him/her , as active subjects to access and use this process. / Nas unidades informacionais é comum a presença de usuários que fazem uso dos mais diversos tipos de serviços e/ou produtos por elas oferecidos. No caso específico dos arquivos, a presença de usuários nem sempre é uma constante facilmente observada. No Arquivo Judicial da Justiça Federal da Paraíba (JFPB) observamos este diferencial, a existência de usuários em maior quantidade do que a maioria dos arquivos jurídicos da capital paraibana, e é por esse motivo que buscamos explorar, investigar e conhecer aqueles que buscam a informação no ambiente do Arquivo Judicial. Objetivamos conhecer esses usuários e descrever os tipos existentes, suas necessidades e descrever suas estratégias de busca pela informação contida nos documentos que encontram-se no Arquivo Judicial. Para isso, fizemos uso de métodos que fossem além de números, pois nossa pesquisa caracteriza-se pelo uso da Fenomenologia, como metodologia para obter, descrever e analisar as informações obtidas através da entrevistas com os sujeitos da pesquisa e do Protocolo Verbal, utilizado para descrever a interação face a face do usuário e do profissional/gestor da informação do Arquivo. O uso da Ciência da Informação (CI), da Biblioteconomia e da Arquivologia nos serviu de base para toda a construção dos sentidos e significados informacionais da pesquisa. A ênfase foi dada ao usuário, mas também no papel fundamental da informação para ele, enquanto sujeito ativo neste processo de acesso e uso.

O objetivo geral deste estudo foi de identificar quais são os aspectos do design de interface de uma plataforma gratuita de ensino digital, GeekieLab, dirigida ao ENEM e adotada no Ensino Médio público da cidade de São Paulo. O método de estudo de caso único permitiu explorar aspectos da interface a partir de entrevistas e observações com os usuários, expandindo as informações e discussões teóricas do design. Baseando-se nos padrões extraídos das entrevistas, a pesquisa propôs verificar a percepção do aluno ao utilizar a plataforma. A revisão bibliográfica foi utilizada para definição do recorte da pesquisa e planejada para complementar o embasamento teórico, como também identificar as reflexões dos estudos já realizados sobre os métodos e elementos de design em recursos digitais. Autores como Ramos e Santos (2006) e Norman e Spohrer (1996) foram utilizados para a elaboração de padrões e correlações dos aspectos educacionais. No que diz respeito aos aspectos de design, utilizou-se Garret (2011) e Goodwin (2009) como base para o estudo do design de interface. Para especificidades, como os elementos de interação, utilizou-se a abordagem de Verplank (2007) e Reeves e Nass (1996). Para os elementos de informação, recorreu-se a Pettersson (2013). E para os elementos visuais, foram utilizadas as obras de Lupton e Phillips (2008). Pretende-se, com isso, contribuir para o conhecimento nas áreas de design e educação, além de apontar aspectos relevantes para tornar mais eficiente uma interface com propósito educacional. / The general objective of this study was to identify the Of the interface design of a free digital teaching platform, GeekieLab, addressed to ENEM and adopted in Public High School of Sao Paulo City. The single case study method allowed Explore aspects of the interface from interviews and observations With users, expanding information and theoretical discussions Of the design. Based on the standards drawn from the interviews, the The research proposed to verify the student\'s perception when using the platform. The literature review was used to define the Of the research and planned to complement the theoretical basis, As well as to identify the reflections of the studies already carried out About methods and design elements in digital resources. Authors such as Ramos and Santos (2006) and Norman and Spohrer (1996) Were used for the elaboration of patterns and correlations of Educational aspects. With regard to the design aspects, Garret (2011) and Goodwin (2009) were used as the basis for the study Of the interface design. For specificities, such as the elements Of interaction, we used the approach of Verplank (2007) and Reeves And Nass (1996). For the information elements, it was used Pettersson (2013). And for the visual elements, the Works by Lupton and Phillips (2008). It is intended, therefore, to contribute Knowledge in the areas of design and education, as well as Relevant aspects to make an interface more efficient. For educational purposes.

Abstract The popularity of social networking services emphasises the importance of user communities. As the next evolutionary step, social networking will evolve towards user communities that are dynamically established according to contextual aspects such as the shared location and/or activities of people. In this vision, distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies provide a respectable alternative to the centralised client-server technologies for implementing the upcoming community-centric mobile services. This thesis focuses on the development of enabling techniques and methods for a community-centric mobile service environment and on the evaluation of users’ perceptions and user acceptance of novel community-centric mobile services. The research was carried out by first examining the applicability of different P2P system architectures for implementing the management of user communities. Next, an experimental prototype of a community-centric mobile service environment was implemented. The experimental prototype was used for evaluating the performance of the community-centric mobile service environment and for conducting the user studies of novel community-centric mobile services. The evaluation was conducted in a real deployment environment with test users. The main results are the following: (1) a conceptual analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of P2P group management systems that are implemented using architecturally distinct P2P system architectures; (2) a performance evaluation of a P2P community management system, in which each community is implemented as an independent structured P2P overlay network; (3) a novel community-centric mobile service environment and its core component, a mobile middleware, which enables the use of P2P technologies and context information as part of Web-based applications running on a Web browser; (4) an evaluation of users’ perceptions and user acceptance of novel community-centric mobile services that are related to making a selection of an entertainment premise based on its music style and voting for music in a user community. / Tiivistelmä Käyttäjäyhteisöiden tärkeys on korostunut sosiaalista verkottumista edistävien palveluiden suosion kautta. Seuraavaksi sosiaalinen verkottuminen tulee laajentumaan yhteisöihin, jotka perustetaan dynaamisesti muun muassa ihmisten yhteisen sijainnin ja/tai toiminnan perusteella. Tulevaisuuden yhteisöllisten mobiilipalveluiden toteutuksessa hajautetut vertaisverkkoteknologiat tarjoavat varteenotettavan vaihtoehdon keskitetyille asiakas-palvelin -teknologioille. Tämä väitöskirjatyö keskittyy kehittämään tarvittavia tekniikoita ja menetelmiä yhteisöllisen mobiilipalveluympäristön toteuttamiseen sekä arvioimaan käyttäjien kokemuksia uusista yhteisöllisistä mobiilipalveluista. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin aluksi arkkitehtuurillisesti erilaisten vertaisverkkojärjestelmien sopivuutta käyttäjäyhteisöjen hallinnan toteutettamiseksi. Seuraavaksi tutkimuksessa toteutettiin kokeellinen prototyyppi yhteisöllisestä mobiilipalveluympäristöstä. Kokeellista prototyyppiä hyödynnettiin sekä yhteisöllisen mobiilipalveluympäristön suorituskyvyn että uusien yhteisöllisten mobiilipalveluiden käyttäjäkokemuksen arvioinnissa. Arviointi suoritettiin aidossa käyttöympäristössä testikäyttäjien avulla. Väitöskirjatyön keskisimmät tulokset ovat seuraavat: (1) käsitteellinen analyysi arkkitehtuurillisesti erilaisten vertaisverkkojärjestelmien vahvuuksista ja heikkouksista ryhmänhallintajärjestelmän toteuttamisessa; (2) sellaisen yhteisönhallintajärjestelmän arviointi, jossa jokainen yhteisö on toteutettu erillisen ja itsenäisen rakenteellisen vertaisverkon avulla; (3) uusi yhteisöllinen mobiilipalveluympäristö, jonka keskeisin osa mobiili välikerrosohjelmisto mahdollistaa vertaisverkkoteknologioiden ja kontekstitiedon käyttämisen selaimessa toimivissa Web-sovelluksissa; (4) sellaisten uusien yhteisöllisten mobiilipalveluiden käyttäjäkokemuksen arviointi, jotka liittyvät vapaa-ajan viettopaikan valitaan musiikin perusteella ja soitettavan musiikin äänestämiseen käyttäjäyhteisöissä.

M.Bibl. (Information Science) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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The study aimed to examine high school student usage of licensed databases available through public libraries in Atlanta-USA. A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted via a web-based questionnaire among 135 East Cobb high school students. The findings revealed that most students are aware of these licensed databases, but their usage is low (1:10) compared to Google. However, as students advance in grade levels, their database usage increases and GALILEO is the most-used licensed resource. Factors that influence student database usage include: specific academic needs; teacher instruction to use specific databases and frequent Digital Information Literacy (DIL) instruction. Most students receive DIL instruction at school, but their DIL skills are still inadequate. To increase usage of licensed databases as reliable information resources, the study recommends collaboration between public libraries and high schools, including incorporation of Generation Y's digital information preferences such as Google-type simplified interfaces, cutting-edge technology and time-saving search features. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)