Students of Ethiopian origin belong to one of the weakest sectors in the Jewish population of Israel. During their studies they have to deal with social alienation, cultural gaps, economic hardships, and racial stereotypes which reduce their chances to successfully complete their academic degree. In this respect, the present research asks whether online social media could provide those youngsters with tools and resources for their better social integration and adaptation to the academic life. For this purpose, the study was conducted in one of Israel’s largest academic colleges while adopting a design-based research approach, which advanced gradually on a continuum between ‘ambient’ and ‘designed’ technology-enhanced learning communities. The interventions applied for this study aimed at examining how they may encourage students of Ethiopian origin to expand their activities in the online social learning groups. The findings indicate that the main pattern of students of Ethiopian origin online participation was peripheral and limited to viewing only. Nevertheless, the level of their online activity has been improved after a series of two interventions, which also led to a slight improvement in indicators of their social integration and in a change in their usage of online learning groups from social to academic uses.

Teaching object-oriented programming to students in an in-classroom environment demands well-thought didactic and pedagogical strategies in order to guarantee a good level of apprenticeship. To teach it on a completely distance learning environment (e-learning) imposes possibly other strategies, besides those that the e-learning model of Open University of Portugal dictates. This article analyses the behavior of the students of the 1st cycle in Computer Science while interacting with the object-oriented programming (OOP) discipline available to them on the Moodle platform. Through the evaluation of the level of interaction achieved in a group of relevant selected actions by the students, it is possible to identify their relevancy to the success of the programming learning process. Data was extracted from Moodle, numerically analyzed, and, with the use of some charts, behavior patterns of students were identified. This paper points out potential new approaches to be considered in e-learning in order to enhance programming learning results, besides confirming a high level of drop-out and a low level of interaction, thus finding no clear correlation between students’ success and the number of online actions (especially in forums), which reveals a possible failure of the main pillar on which the e-learning model relies.

Digital solutions have substantially contributed to the growth and dissemination of education. The distance education modality has been presented as an opportunity for worldwide students in many types of courses. However, projects of digital educational platforms require different expertise including knowledge areas such as pedagogy, psychology, computing, and digital technologies associated with education that allow the correct development and application of these solutions. To support the evolution of such solutions with satisfactory quality indicators, this research presents a model focused on quality of online educational solutions grounded in an approach aimed to continuous process improvement. The model considers of three maturity levels and six common entities that address the specific practices for planning and developing digital educational solutions, targeting quality standards that satisfy their users, such as students, teachers, tutors, and other people involved in development and use of these kinds of educational solutions.

This study examined a professional development program designed to support Civics teachers in their efforts to promote empathy among Israeli Jewish students towards Israeli Arabs. The design rationale for the program is that teachers should experience empathic processes themselves before supporting their students in such an endeavor and that meaningful empathic processes can occur online if activities are properly designed. All phases of the program were designed to support teachers to participate as part of an online community of practice. Sixty Jewish teachers participated in two iterations of the design study. Refinements were made in the second iteration to provide teachers with explicit definitions of empathy and specific instructions for reflection. Findings indicate that these changes were reflected in higher degrees of empathic responses among teachers. Teachers also indicated that being a part of an online learning community contributed to the learning process they experienced during the program. We interpret this as a first step in enabling teachers to assist their students to develop a more empathetic approach toward the minority group and conclude with a discussion of recommended design principles for promoting such an approach.

Learning objects originally developed for use in online learning environments can also be used to enhance face-to-face instruction. This study examined the learning impacts of online learning objects packaged into modules and used in different contexts for undergraduate education offered on campus at three institutions. A multi-case study approach was used, examining learning impacts across a variety of course subjects, course levels (introductory and advanced undergraduate), student levels (undergraduate and graduate), and instructional goals (i.e., replacement for lecture, remediation). A repeated measures design was used, with learning data collected prior to viewing the online module, after completion of the module, and at the end of the semester. The study provided a broad examination of ways that online modules are typically used in a college classroom, as well as measured learning effectiveness based on different instructional purpose and usage contexts. Results showed the effectiveness of the modules in serving as a substitute for classroom lecture, remediation of course prerequisite material, introduction to content with follow-up lab practice, and review for final exams. In each of these cases, the use of the modules resulted in significant learning increases, as well as retention of the learning until the end of the semester.

Aim/Purpose: As online video lectures rapidly gain popularity in formal and informal learning environments, one of their main challenges is student retention. This study investigates the influence of adding interactivity to online video lectures on students’ attention span. Background: Interactivity is perceived as increasing the attention span of learners and improving the quality of learning. However, interactivity may be regarded as an interruption, which distracts students. Furthermore, adding interactive elements to online video lectures requires additional investment of various resources. Therefore, it is important to investigate the impact of adding interactivity to online video lectures on the attention span of learners. Methodology: This study employed a learning analytics approach, obtained data from Google Analytics, and analyzed data of two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that were developed by the Open University of Israel in order to make English for academic purposes (EAP) courses freely accessible. Contribution: The paper provides important insights, based on quantitative empirical research, on: integrating interactive elements in online videos; the impact of video length; and differences between two groups of advanced and basic learners. Furthermore, it demonstrates how learning analytics may be used for improving instructional design. Findings: The findings suggest that interactivity may increase the attention span of learners, as measured by the average online video lecture viewing completion percentage, before and after the addition of interactivity. However, when the lecture is longer than about 15 minutes, the completion percentages decrease, even after adding interactive elements. Recommendations for Practitioners: Adding interactivity to online video lectures and controlling their length is expected to increase the attention span of learners. Recommendation for Researchers: Learning analytics is a powerful quantitative methodology for identifying ways to improve learning processes. Impact on Society: Providing practical insights on mechanisms for increasing the attention span of learners is expected to improve social inclusion. Future Research: Discovering further best practices to improve the effectiveness of online video lectures for diverse learners.

Aim/Purpose: The present study aims to describe existing peer-to-peer, social network-based sharing practices among adult students in teacher colleges. Background: Ubiquitous social network sites open up a wide array of possibilities for peer-to-peer information and knowledge sharing. College instructors are often unaware of such practices that happen behind the scenes. Methodology: An interpretative, qualitative research methodology was used. Thirty-seven Israeli students at a teacher college in Israel participated in either focus group discussions of (N = 29) or in-depth interviews (N = 8). Contribution: Whereas knowledge sharing has been a main focus of research in organizational and information sciences, its relevance to educational settings has thus far been underscored. Recent research shows that peer–to-peer knowledge sharing is wide-spread among teenage students. The current study extends that work to an adult student population. Findings: The findings show that knowledge sharing of this type is a common and even central feature of students’ college life and study behavior. It takes place through a variety of small and larger social network-based peer groups of different formations, including mostly college students but at time also practicing, experienced teachers. Sharing groups are formed on the spot for short term purposes or are stable, continuous over longer time periods. The contents shared are predominantly lesson summaries, material for exams, reading summaries, and lesson plans. They are used immediately or stored for future use, as students have access to vast data bases of stored materials that have been compiled throughout the years by students of previous cohorts. Teacher students mentioned a range of reasons for sharing, and overall regard it very positive. However, some downsides were also acknowledged (i.e., superficial learning, exclusion, attentional overload, and interruptions). Recommendations for Practitioners: College faculty and teaching staff should be cognizant and informed about these widespread peer-based knowledge sharing practices and consider whether perhaps changes in teaching formats and task assignments are required as a result. Future Research: Future research should extend this work to other higher education settings, cultures and countries, and should map the perceptions of higher education teaching staff about peer-to-peer, online knowledge sharing.

Aim/Purpose: This research inquires how students perceive the role of Technology Education and Cultural diversity (TEC) instructors in improving their 21st century skills. In addition, this study examines the students’ preferred learning style: face to face, synchronous and asynchronous. Background: 21st century skills include, among others, collaboration, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, higher order thinking, and multicultural communication. These skills are core elements for modern life and are the focus of this study as teacher critical career and life skills. This article presents the uniqueness of the TEC model, which provides a strategy to develop gradually various 21st century skills for teacher training in a multicultural technologically rich environment. Methodology: This study examined (a) the level of ICT skills students acquire from the courses; (b) students’ perceptions of the instructor role in developing 21st century skills; and (c) students’ preferred learning style. A questionnaire was delivered to 99 students, who participated in courses based on the TEC model. Students from eight different Teacher Education Colleges and different cultural backgrounds – Arabs, Jews, religious, and secular – participated in this study. Contribution: This study could shed light on the instructor’s role as a facilitator in developing students’ 21st century skills in a multicultural society. This study may provide a model and ideas for policy makers in teacher training programs to employ 21st century skills along with continuous development and adaptation to suit the rapid changing reality. A larger study needed to examine additional aspects of the 21st century skills in the teacher training programs in general and in multicultural societies in particular. Findings: The findings show that students complete the course with a high level of ICT skills, and that their preferred learning communication style was face-to-face (F2F) (45.45%) and blended method (43.43%), over the fully online (11.11%). Regarding online learning, students mostly preferred the mixed method of synchronous and asynchronous (59%), followed by asynchronous (29%), and synchronous (12%). As to student preference of the instructor role of enhancement, the results were prioritized as follow: Higher order thinking (M=3.99), online group collaboration (M=3.87), multicultural communication awareness (M=3.82), pedagogical use of digital tools (M=3.73). Recommendations for Practitioners: Teacher education lecturers ought to: (1) design the online courses in a way that integrates F2F meetings and both synchronous and asynchronous methods; and (2) employ the wide range of skills in TEC courses that comply with 21st century principles; hence, the importance of widening such courses in teacher education colleges. Recommendation for Researchers: It is recommended to perform a similar study using a pre-post method, as well as taking into consideration cultural uniqueness (such as language differences) and group comparison, where we can identify the effective components of the course design that would lead to a higher level of 21st century skills competencies among teachers. Impact on Society: 21st century skills are life skills, hence developing these skills in an appropriate educational setting reflects better utilization among all the members of society. Future Research: More research should be done to widen the knowledge and address the importance of the instructor role as a course designer and facilitator in order to turn 21st century learning into a more meaningful and relevant one.

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the factors contributing to student IT self-leadership in online education using an exploratory study. Specifically, our goal was to understand whether the instructors’ transformational IT leadership and the students’ personal innovativeness with IT contributed to student IT self-leadership. Background: The study was conducted in an online course. While today’s students are expected to be IT natives, they still lack the skills to find and learn technologies on their own. This is problematic for both online education and students’ future careers. Directed-teaching methods are not appropriate to solve this kind of problem, a more constructivist teaching method is appropriate. We recommend that instructors adopt transformational IT leadership to set norms around technology use, to be role models in using online course technologies with utmost knowledge, and to encourage and support the students in their use of IT. Methodology: An exploratory research is conducted with 46 students in an online management information systems course at a public university. The data were analyzed using PLS structural equation modeling technique. Contribution: This paper introduces the unique concepts of student IT self-leadership and instructors’ transformational IT leadership by adapting concepts from the self-leadership and transformational leadership theories. IT self-leadership refers to the ability to intentionally influence one’s own thinking, feeling, and actions toward the use of IT to reach one’s work and life goals. To increase IT self-leadership, students should try new technologies as much as possible. Instructors should set up norms about trying new technologies, troubleshooting one’s own issues, and play a supportive and encouraging role, rather than employing directed-teaching methods. Findings: IT self-leadership skills are the ability to intentionally influence one’s own thinking, feeling and actions towards the use of IT to reach one’s work and life goals. The findings show that instructors’ transformational IT leadership as well as students’ innovativeness with IT contributes to students’ IT self-leadership. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners may consider exhibiting transformational IT leadership skills including (1) giving encouragement about IT use, (2) fostering trust, (3) encouraging thinking about IT problems in new ways, (4) being clear about their values about IT by practicing what they preach in their IT use, and (5) inspiring students by being highly competent in IT. Potential ways that the instructors can exhibit these skills are discussed in the paper. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers are recommended to include IT-self leadership of both students and instructors in their investigations on learning success. Furthermore, the inclusion of transformational IT leadership in new studies of teaching and learning success is recommended. Impact on Society: This paper includes students as part of the solution to challenges students face in online courses rather than treating them like passive recipients of educational changes. Thereby, it helps teachers and students to work together for a better solution to educational disruptions. Future Research: Studies should be conducted to determine other antecedents and outcomes of IT self-leadership. Research is needed on specific ways practitioners can increase their IT transformational leadership. While this paper introduced how the instructor of the exploratory study provided transformational IT leadership, more than one way of reaching each goal was practiced. Future research should test the connection between each transformational IT leadership behavior presented here and its outcome.

Aim/Purpose: This study aims to explore levels of Technological Access (ownership, access to, and usage of computer devices as well as access to Internet services) and levels of Technological Efficacy (technology related skills) as they pertain to underserved (UNS) and underrepresented (UNR) students. Background: There exists a positive correlation between technology related access, technology related competence, and academic outcomes. An increasing emphasis on expanding online education at the author’s institution, consistent with nationwide trends, means that it is unlikely that just an increase in online offerings alone will result in an improvement in the educational attainment of students, especially if such students lack access to technology and the technology related skills needed to take advantage of online learning. Most studies on levels of Technological Access and Technological Efficacy have dealt with either K-12 or minority populations with limited research on UNS and UNR populations who form the majority of students at the author’s institution. Methodology: This study used a cross-sectional survey research design to investigate the research questions. A web survey was sent to all students at the university except first semester new and first semester transfer students from various disciplines (n = 535). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the survey data. Contribution: This research provides insight on a population (UNS and UNR) that is expanding in higher education. However, there is limited information related to levels of Technological Access and Technological Efficacy for this group. This paper is timely and relevant as adequate access to technology and technological competence is critical for success in the expanding field of online learning, and the research findings can be used to guide and inform subsequent actions vital to bridging any educational equity gap that might exist. Findings: A critical subset of the sample who were first generation, low income, and non-White (FGLINW) had significantly lower levels of Technological Access. In addition, nearly half of the survey sample used smartphones to access online courses. Technological Efficacy scores were significantly lower for students who dropped out of or never enrolled in an online course. Transfer students had significantly higher Technological Efficacy scores while independent students (determined by tax status for federal financial aid purposes) reflected higher Technological Efficacy, but at a marginally lower level of significance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education administrators and educators should take into consideration the gaps in technology related access and skills to devise institutional interventions as well as formulate pedagogical approaches that account for such gaps in educational equity. This will help ensure pathways to sustained student success given the rapidly growing landscape of online education. Recommendation for Researchers: Similar studies need to be conducted in other institutions serving UNS and UNR students in order to bolster findings and increase awareness. Impact on Society: The digital divide with respect to Technological Access and Technological Efficacy that impacts UNS and UNR student populations must be addressed to better prepare such groups for both academic and subsequent professional success. Addressing such gaps will not only help disadvantaged students maximize their educational opportunities but will also prepare them to navigate the challenges of an increasingly technology driven society. Future Research: Given that it is more challenging to write papers and complete projects using a smartphone, is there a homework gap for UNS and UNR students that may impact their academic success? What is the impact of differing levels of Technological Efficacy on specific academic outcomes of UNS and UNR students?

This paper identifies areas in the design science research (DSR) subfield of the information systems (IS) discipline where a more detailed consideration of practitioner audiences of socio-technical design artifacts could improve current IS DSR research practice and proposes an initial conceptualization of these audiences. The consequences of not considering artifact audiences are identified through a critical appraisal of the current informing science lenses in the IS DSR literature. There are specific shortcomings in four areas: 1) treating practice stakeholders as a too homogeneous group, 2) not explicitly distinguishing between social and technical parts of socio-technical artifacts, 3) neglecting implications of the artifact abstraction level, and 4) a lack of explicit consideration of a dynamic or evolutionary fitness perspective of socio-technical artifacts. The findings not only pave the way for future research to further improve the conceptualization of artifact audiences, in order to improve the informing power – and thus, impact on practice and research relevance – of IS DSR projects; they can also help to bridge the theory-practice gap in other disciplines (e.g. computer science, engineering, or policy-oriented sociology) that seek to produce social and/or technical artifacts of practical relevance.

Aim/Purpose: Sharing ideas generated in a Business Intelligence (BI) Applications class to upgrade an Information System in to an Informing System. Background: Course Registration is the essential university’s business process in a university that follows a liberal-arts education model. Almost all categories of users are involved, including students, individual faculties and departments, and administration. A typical Information System, designed to support this process, allows departments to schedule selected courses for a particular time slot and location, and allows students to choose courses to study for the semester. Methodology: The course project is to design a BI application. Domain knowledge is essential for such projects and course registration was the natural choice for this class. The assignment includes (1) identifying the categories of stakeholders; (2) identifying the information needs of different categories; (3) identifying available information sources; (4) identifying how is possible to acquire the additional data; and (5) designing the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process and interface scenarios in a way to inform clients. Contribution: Contributions are in two directions: (1) pedagogy - involving students in such a project motivates creativity, also enforcing students to think in cost-benefit framework may lead to creation of really effective and efficient solutions; (2) practice - implementation of some of the ideas could be with low cost, but with high impact. Findings: Exploring BI techniques may increase the informing value of existing Information Systems. Recommendations for Practitioners: Careful analysis of information needs and the way information is used, combined with deep domain knowledge and understanding the value provided by Data Mining techniques, is the way to initiate a process of transforming an Retrieval Information System to better inform clients. Recommendation for Researchers : Combining pedagogy with practice allows one to overcome routine thinking and may lead to effective solutions. This needs further structuring and research on outcomes. Impact on Society Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results. Impact on Society : Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way. Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results.

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this paper is to propose an ensemble learners based classification model for classification clickbaits from genuine article headlines. Background: Clickbaits are online articles with deliberately designed misleading titles for luring more and more readers to open the intended web page. Clickbaits are used to tempted visitors to click on a particular link either to monetize the landing page or to spread the false news for sensationalization. The presence of clickbaits on any news aggregator portal may lead to an unpleasant experience for readers. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish clickbaits from authentic headlines to mitigate their impact on readers’ perception. Methodology: A total of one hundred thousand article headlines are collected from news aggregator sites consists of clickbaits and authentic news headlines. The collected data samples are divided into five training sets of balanced and unbalanced data. The natural language processing techniques are used to extract 19 manually selected features from article headlines. Contribution: Three ensemble learning techniques including bagging, boosting, and random forests are used to design a classifier model for classifying a given headline into the clickbait or non-clickbait. The performances of learners are evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measures. Findings: It is observed that the random forest classifier detects clickbaits better than the other classifiers with an accuracy of 91.16 %, a total precision, recall, and f-measure of 91 %.

Aim/Purpose: The Informing Science Institute (ISI) is an informing system, designed using informing science principles, for the express purpose of informing researchers who study problems related to informing. This paper describes the ISI as an applied instance of an informing system and analyzes the channels, informers, and clients of the ISI. Background: This paper begins with a brief overview of the current activity of the ISI, as well as an introduction to informing science philosophy and an explanation of the need for a transdiscipline. The ISI is a non-profit organization that provides several informing channels, including 13 open-access, peer-reviewed journals, as well as conferences, books, and outreach activities. Methodology: Statistical analyses of the authors, institutions, and countries of origin were conducted for every ISI paper published between 1998 and December of 2019. Additionally, interviews were conducted with 5 current and former Editors-in-Chief of ISI journals. Contribution: This paper provides a current description and analysis of the ISI informing system’s channels, informers, and clients. Findings: The ISI has published over 4,100 articles by over 4,500 authors from over 600 universities. Statistical analyses of articles published in ISI journals demonstrated that the ISI is characterized in part by robust international participation, with significant participation by authors from countries that have been traditionally under-represented in academic publications. The ISI achieved these outcomes through the use of the philosophical principles and design guidelines for informing science.

Aim/Purpose: Use of the term “rigor” is ubiquitous in the research community. But do we actually know what it means, and how it applies to transdisciplinary research? Background: Too often, rigor is presumed to mean following an established research protocol scrupulously. Unfortunately, that frequently leads to research with little or no impact. Methodology: We identify a sample of 62 articles with “rigor” in the title and analyze their content in order to capture the range of perspectives on rigor. We then analyze how these findings might apply to informing science. Contribution: This paper offers an approach to defining rigor that is theory based and appropriate for transdisciplinary research. Findings: Rigor definitions tend to fall into one of two categories: criteria-based and compliance-based. Which is appropriate depends on the research context. Even more variation was found with respect to relevance, which is often used as a catch-all for research characteristics that aren’t associated with rigor. Recommendations for Practitioners: Recognize that when researchers are referring to rigor and relevance, they of-ten mean these to apply to other researchers rather than to practice. When funding research, it is important to understand who the rigor and relevance are directed towards. Recommendations for Researchers: When using the term “rigor”, think carefully about which meaning is intended and be transparent about that meaning in your writing. Impact on Society: A great deal of public money is invested in achieving research rigor. Society should be aware of what it is buying with that funding. Future Research: Developing a better understanding of research fitness and the factors that contribute to it.

Aim/Purpose This paper aims to illustrate, through an exploratory ideographic case study, how a Complex Thinking framework can inform the design of scientific events and the facilitation of scientific Inter and Transdisciplinary groups towards positive emergent outcomes, both at the level of the functioning of the group and the collective complexity of their thinking. Moreover, it aims to show how the choice of facilitation strategies can contribute to positive emergent outcomes in the context of a fully online event, with its inherent constraints. Finally, this study aims to conduct an exploratory qualitative evaluation of the participants’ experiences during School, with a focus on the processes and how they relate to the aims of the School and the goals of the facilitation. Background Science needs to embrace modes of knowing capable of generating more complex (differentiated, integrated, recursively organized, emergent), ecologically fit, and creative responses, to meet the complexity of the world’s challenges. New formats and strategies are required that attend to the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinary scientific events and meetings, towards creative and complex outcomes. A Complex Thinking framework provides suggestions for the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinary meetings and events through targeting key properties which may lead to the emergence of complex and creative outcomes. Methodology We adopt an ideographic case study approach to illustrate how a complex systems approach, in particular a Complex Thinking framework, grounded in an enactive view of cognition, guided the design choices and the facilitation strategies of an online Inter and Transdisciplinary Advanced Training School (Winter School). We aim to illustrate how the facilitation strategies were selected and used to promote deep and creative interactions within the constraints of an online environment. We adopt an exploratory qualitative approach to investigate the participants’ reports of their experiences of the School, in light of the principles and goals that guided its design and facilitation. Contribution This paper opens a new area of theoretical and applied research, under the scope of a Complex Thinking framework, focused on the facilitation of Inter and Transdisciplinarity at scientific events, meetings, and discussions towards complex and creative outcomes. Findings The results of the exploratory qualitative analysis of the participants’ experiences regarding the event suggest a critical role of its methodology in fostering rich, deep, and constructive interactions, in leading to the emergence of a collective group experience, to the integration of ideas, and in facilitating transformative personal experiences, under the effects of the emergent group processes. It suggests that the strategies employed were successful, anticipating and overcoming the particular constraints of an online event. Recommendations for Practitioners This case study suggests that a Complex Thinking framework can fruitfully guide the design of facilitation strategies and activities for scientific events and meetings, activating a number of key relational processes that contribute to or boost the emergence of positive group experiences and the production and integration of novel ideas. Recommendations for Researchers This study calls for action-oriented and applied research focused on the developmental evaluation of innovations, regarding the facilitation of scientific creativity and integration, within the scope of a Complex Thinking approach. Impact on Society This paper calls for new modes of organization and formats of scientific activities, suggesting that Inter and Transdisciplinary events and meetings may benefit from intentional management and facilitation of interactions between participants to produce transformative impacts. It demonstrates the importance of the organizational principles used to plan and run events that engage multiple and various societal agents, from academics to practitioners and social activists, towards enhancing their richness and relevance to complex real-world challenges. Future Research This study highlights the need for process-focused systematic case study research using complex systems-informed designs to explore how and which facilitation strategies may promote which (interaction of) properties of Complex Thinking and associated processes and how, and under which conditions, these lead to more complex and creative outcomes.

Yuan LI,Tingting HU,Ryuji FUCHIKAMI,Takeshi IKENAGA, Vol.E107-D, No.11, pp.1396-1407
1 millisecond (1-ms) vision systems are gaining increasing attention in diverse fields like factory automation and robotics, as the ultra-low delay ensures seamless and timely responses. Superpixel segmentation is a pivotal preprocessing to reduce the number of image primitives for subsequent processing. Recently, there has been a growing emphasis on leveraging deep network-based algorithms to pursue superior performance and better integration into other deep network tasks. Superpixel Sampling Network (SSN) employs a deep network for feature generation and employs differentiable SLIC for superpixel generation. SSN achieves high performance with a small number of parameters. However, implementing SSN on FPGAs for ultra-low delay faces challenges due to the final layer’s aggregation of intermediate results. To address this limitation, this paper proposes an aggregated to pipelined structure for FPGA implementation. The final layer is decomposed into individual final layers for each intermediate result. This architectural adjustment eliminates the need for memory to store intermediate results. Concurrently, the proposed structure leverages decomposed layers to facilitate a pipelined structure with pixel streaming input to achieve ultra-low latency. To cooperate with the pipelined structure, layer-partitioned memory architecture is proposed. Each final layer has dedicated memory for storing superpixel center information, allowing values to be read and calculated from memory without conflicts. Calculation results of each final layer are accumulated, and the result of each pixel is obtained as the stream reaches the last layer. Evaluation results demonstrate that boundary recall and under-segmentation error remain comparable to SSN, with an average label consistency improvement of 0.035 over SSN. From a hardware performance perspective, the proposed system processes 1000 FPS images with a delay of 0.947 ms/frame.
Publication Date: 2024/11/01

This article extends the understanding of what impels buyers to contact particular sellers in online business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces, which are typically characterized by sparse social structures and concomitant limitations in observing social cues. Integrating an institutional perspective with signaling theory, our core argument is that offline seller characteristics that are visible online—in particular, geographic location and legal status—convey credible signals of seller behavior because they provide buyers with information on sellers' local institutional quality and the institutionally-induced obligations and controls acting on sellers. Using unique data from a large Italian online B2B marketplace between the fourth quarter of 1999 and July 2001, we find that both sellers' local institutional quality and their legal statuses affect a buyer's likelihood of contacting a seller. Moreover, consistent with the idea that a buyer's own local institutional quality generates a relevant reference point against which sellers are evaluated, we find that a buyer is progressively more likely to contact sellers the higher their local institutional quality relative to the buyer. Jointly, our findings imply that in online B2B marketplaces, signals conveyed by sellers' geographic locations and legal statuses may be substantive sources of competitive heterogeneity and market segmentation.

I WRITE this letter with a heavy heart. After nearly three decades of loyalty to Malaysia Airlines (MAS), it pains me to say that our national carrier, once a symbol of pride and prestige, is rapidly losing its appeal.

As a frequent traveller since my 30s and 40s – flying MAS monthly for work across the globe – my commitment to our national airline has remained steadfast. Even in the face of criticisms, I stood by MAS, altering flights and routes just to support it.

Today, in my late 50s, I still travel monthly to Sarawak and take an annual trip abroad to Mecca. However, I now find myself questioning whether this loyalty is justified.

Sarawak is a gem waiting to be discovered, with immense tourism potential. However, with the current airfares, especially on MAS, many potential travellers are priced out, severely hampering the state’s tourism growth.

The recent prices to Kuching are, to put it plainly, shocking. Last-minute bookings are unavoidable at times, but I was appalled to be charged nearly RM4,700 for a return business ticket to Kuching. Even my staff, flying economy, paid close to RM3,000 for the same route.

Planning ahead does not seem to help much either; even when booked a month in advance, return tickets are close to RM3,000 for business class and over RM1,300 for economy. This level of pricing is absurd, especially for a domestic route.

I believe, as many do, that with premium prices should come a premium experience. Unfortunately, MAS no longer delivers on this. The business lounge, once a place to relax before flights, has deteriorated.

As I write this on Oct 30, the restrooms in the lounge are still under renovation – a situation I encountered throughout September as well.

The dining experience in the lounge has lost its lustre.

Recently, while attempting to enjoy a simple nasi lemak, I was served boiled eggs still in their shell. When I requested help to remove the shell, the response from the staff was, “we don’t do that”, which was disappointing and telling of how far standards have dropped.

Onboard, the situation does not improve. In business class, we now deal with seats that do not recline properly.

The food, an essential part of any long-haul experience, has worsened. On two recent occasions, the in-flight meals were barely edible, bordering on “off”. In one instance, the lack of quality even made me hesitate to eat.

The lack of comfort in facilities and amenities makes each flight less enjoyable than the last. Even my annual long-haul flights to Mecca on MAS, which I look forward to each year, have not been immune to these setbacks.

Travelling such distances should bring an experience that feels seamless and comfortable, but MAS has started to fall short even here.

Adding to this is the cumbersome process of booking tickets online. With ticket sales exclusively digital, resolving booking issues becomes frustratingly difficult.

Customer service, once a proud element of MAS’s offering, is increasingly subpar, with representatives often unable to assist adequately.

The only saving grace, as many loyal customers like myself would agree, are the cabin crew. Their friendliness and dedication are a testament to the heart and spirit MAS was once known for – they are MAS’s real assets.

If MAS continues along this trajectory, it will lose the loyalty of not only long-standing customers like myself but also the new generation of travellers.

Competing airlines like Emirates and Saudi Airlines are waiting in the wings, ready to welcome disillusioned MAS customers with open arms.

As I reluctantly contemplate flying with them, I realise how close MAS is to losing the competitive edge it once had. My hope is that MAS’s management and its owners take heed of these issues
and recognise the urgent need for improvement.

This is not just about ticket prices or outdated lounges; it is about restoring pride in our national airline and ensuring it represents Malaysia as it once did – with quality, excellence and care.

MAS has a legacy worth fighting
for, but only if the commitment to improvement is genuine. For the sake of all who continue to fly MAS out of loyalty and pride, I urge the airline’s leadership to act swiftly and decisively to bring MAS back to its roots as a serious and reliable airline worthy of our national identity.

Prof (Haji) Said Bani CM Din

Loyal (but concerned)
MAS traveller

JAKARTA: Airlines in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Singapore cancelled flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky.

Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a nine-kilometre (5.6-mile) tower a day earlier.

Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as cancelled on Wednesday, according to an AFP journalist at Bali’s international airport.

“Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,“ said AirAsia as it announced several cancellations.

Multiple eruptions from the 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano in recent weeks have killed nine people, with 31 injured and more than 11,000 evacuated, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said Tuesday.

Eruptions can pose serious risks to flights, disgorging fine ash that can damage jet engines and scour a plane’s windscreen to the point of invisibility.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific also listed its flights as cancelled, rescheduling routes to and from Bali until Thursday.

“Virgin Australia has made some changes to its current flight schedule, due to the impacts of the volcano in Indonesia,“ the airline said, listing scrapped flights to Sydney and Melbourne.

Jetstar said all flights to and from Bali would be halted until noon on Thursday.

“Due to volcanic ash caused by the Mount Lewotobi eruption in Indonesia, it is currently not safe to operate flights to and from Bali,“ the company said in an advisory.

Qantas said “a number of flights to and from Denpasar Airport in Bali have been disrupted” due to volcanic ash from Lewotobi.

Malaysia Airlines said it had cancelled six flights Wednesday in a statement on its website.

The airlines said they would monitor the volcano’s status and provide updates.

Singapore’s Scoot and Malaysia’s AirAsia did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. Singapore Airlines was still listing its flights as running on Wednesday.

refunds, rescheduling, re-routing

Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali’s international airport, said 12 domestic and 22 international flights had been affected on Tuesday, without identifying the routes.

He did not provide details about affected flights on Wednesday’s schedule.

“Due to this natural event impacting flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the options of refunds, rescheduling, or re-routing,“ he added in a statement.

Bali’s international airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia said Wednesday it had conducted tests in its airspace and no volcanic ash was detected, saying the airport was “operating as normal”.

Lewotobi erupted again from midnight Wednesday until early morning, and a large ash column could be seen pouring from its crater, an AFP journalist nearby said.

Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman”.

The island’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism but Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide.

Lombok, an island neighbouring Bali, was rocked by earthquakes in 2018 that killed more than 500 and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners from the tropical paradise.

SIBU: An elderly man lost RM136,000 after being duped in an online business transaction scam, said Sibu District police chief ACP Zulkipli Suhaili.

He said the victim, in his 60s and unemployed, fell victim when he clicked on a link on Facebook on Oct 9 and was taken to an e-commerce platform which used the WhatsApp application.

“The victim was offered a business opportunity selling branded cosmetics items online exclusively, on the condition that he provides the capital first to enjoy the profits.

“The victim agreed and was then told to download the ‘ask-oshop’ application for confirmation of sales and to increase the capital for the stock of sales items,“ he said in a statement today.

He said that from Oct 13 till Nov 7, the victim made 32 cash transactions into 11 bank accounts on the instruction of the suspect, purportedly to increase the stock of sales items in the app.

On Sunday (Nov 10), the suspect was told that the ‘ask-oshop’ app had been frozen and was instructed to make an additional payment of RM70,000.

“Realising that he has been cheated, the victim lodged a police report at the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Sibu District Police Headquarters here yesterday,” he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia has introduced a few new AMG models to their lineup here which are the Mercedes-AMG G63, AMG SL 63 4MATIC+, AMG GLE 63 S 4MATIC+ Coupe and the AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupe.

G63 AMG

The all-new Mercedes-AMG G63 made waves when it was introduced to the world earlier this year. It marks the continuation of an icon and is now powered by the tried-and-tested AMG 4.0-litre V8 Bi-Turbo engine. It puts out 585hp and 850Nm of torque.

One of the key new features is the combination of the 48-volt technology and an integrated starter generator (ISG). This lets the new G63 put out an additional 20hp and 200Nm for a short burst.

In terms of performance, the AMG G63 accelerates to 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds as the AMG Speedshift TCT 9G transmission providing ultra quick shifts, while top speed is rated at 220km/h. The top speed goes up to 240km/h with the optional AMG Performance Package.

All that bulk is kept in check with the AMG Active Ride Control suspension with active, hydraulic roll stabilisation and adaptive adjustable damping.

In terms of design, the new G63 is distinguished by the new AMG-specific radiator shell and large air inlet grille in the front bumper. The AMG Night Package on the other hand adds sporty, expressive design elements in black or dark chrome.

Red-painted AMG brake callipers with perforated brake discs are a silent hint at what the car is capable of while 22-inch AMG cross-spoke forged wheels round off the exterior.

For the interior, the Superior Line interior transforms the inside into a luxurious lounge. Highlights include a sliding sunroof, instrument panel in nappa leather, diamond design elements and active multi-contour seats including massage seats and seat climate control which are part of the Energizing Package. The interior is further enhanced with AMG Carbon-Fibre and Nappa leather upholstery.

Entertainment is provided by the Burmester 3D surround sound system which provides an immersive experience through the Dolby Atmos feature. Entertainment and other features such as navigation can be accessed through the 12.3-inch infotainment system that offers the MBUX Augmented Reality Navigation which superimposes graphic navigation and traffic information on line imagine on the infotainment screen.

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 is priced from RM1,948,888 without insurance and individualisation.

Can't really say, Justin, without knowing how the Independent manages its content and social media presence. I have had two very interesting private conversations with a web content manager and a PR/social media consultant neither of whom, I hasten to add, work for The Independent. Both said that pressure is put on them to get as many "shares" and click throughs as possible. One confirmed that some of their clients clearly state in the commissioning briefs that titles are changed for social media to increase the click rate and that their performance is assessed and payments adjusted accordingly.

But the conclusion must be that The Independent, and not Facebook, is in the wrong here. (Although I suppose there could / should be an FB algorithm to prioritise the real title?)

I don't think we can blame Facebook for the misuse of the tags. They provide the technology and alternative social media titles usually do describe at least part of the original content, and the target audience maybe different compared with that for a website audience. In this case it has to be the Independent that is ultimately responsible, even if the title was written by a freelancer or contractor who, I presume, are paid by the Independent. It is clearly in the source code of the page on the Independent website, therefore they are responsible for it.

[…] has written a telling piece on her blog  with the example of this  newspaper article From Karen: How to write totally misleading headlines for social media :  Or how to seriously annoy intelligent people by telling deliberate […]

Philippine Airlines posted a Q3 net income of P789 million, down 82% y/y from its Q3/23 net income of P4,278 million, and down 70% q/q from its Q2/24 net income of P2,590 million.

The Keepers is planning to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Booze On-Line Inc (BOLI).

Or how to seriously annoy intelligent people by telling deliberate lies. A story about renewable energy has been doing the rounds within my social media circles,  and especially on FaceBook. It is an article from The Independent newspaper that has been eagerly shared by those with an interest in the subject.  The headline reads “Britain … Continue reading How to write totally misleading headlines for social media →