Anna Zacchi

Abstract In this paper we describe how elementary school students used physical manipulatives in conjunction with the digital interface of educational software for geometry. The blending of physical manipulatives and digital interface may help them to overcome the limits of the representation and interaction modalities of the digital interface.

Abstract IP-based emergency systems (or Next Generation 9-1-1) are being designed to allow any type of communication device, from any access network, to make IP-based emergency calls. A special purpose IP network-an Emergency Services IP Network (ESINet)-is being planned by public safety agencies. In this paper, we address the challenges on defining a framework for managing the security of the signaling messages in the context of IP-based emergency calls. The challenges rely on choosing a security mechanism that ...

This paper describes a study in the wild of software for document organization aimed at supporting activities. A preliminary study of current practices with traditional tools was followed by the design and development of a program called Docksy. Docksy introduces workspaces explicitly zoned by movable panels and features document descriptors augmented with tags, comments, and checkboxes. Docksy was deployed for at least two weeks and users’ practices with the new tool were studied. The aim of the study was to see how the new tool was appropriated and how people used the new features. The workspace structured in panels was shown to support users in clustering and separating documents, in having a holistic view of the document space, in locating files inside a workspace, and in managing temporary files. The study also shows how tags, comments, and checkboxes afforded the use of documents as explicit items in a workflow. The study suggests Docksy supports users in a variety of information and activity management tasks, including new practices for emerging activities.

ABSTRACT During the history of geometry people gradually acquired physical knowledge of space, and later consolidated it in a more abstract form of knowledge, geometry. In this paper we describe how elementary school students used physical manipulatives in conjunction with the digital interface of educational software for geometry. The addition of physical manipulatives helped the students to consolidate their physical knowledge of the world and smooth the transition from the physical world to the abstract. The blending of ...

Implementing IP-based emergency communication system poses technical challenges such as acquiring a networked device’s physical location and routing calls based on that location. This paper gives a general overview of a proof-ofconcept system that addresses these issues.

IntroductionThe European population is rapidly ageing. In order to handle substantial future challenges in the healthcare system, we need to shift focus from treatment towards health promotion. The PreventIT project has adapted the Lifestyle-integrated Exercise (LiFE) programme and developed an intervention for healthy young older adults at risk of accelerated functional decline. The intervention targets balance, muscle strength and physical activity, and is delivered either via a smartphone application (enhanced LiFE, eLiFE) or by use of paper manuals (adapted LiFE, aLiFE).Methods and analysisThe PreventIT study is a multicentre, three-armed feasibility randomised controlled trial, comparing eLiFE and aLiFE against a control group that receives international guidelines of physical activity. It is performed in three European cities in Norway, Germany, and The Netherlands. The primary objective is to assess the feasibility and usability of the interventions, and to assess changes in ...

... Given an entry site of an online newspaper or a maga-zine, the document retrieval starts from ... We also create the internal representation of the pro les in text les for learning and information ... Hibrid-Hill-Climbing and Knowledge-based Techniques for Intelligent News Fil-tering. ...

The starting point of Spatial Hypertexts was a result of the move from document-centered hypertext systems to mapbased hypertext systems, a change in perspective from the links among texts to the organization of the documents themselves [1]. Today spatial hypertext systems, like VKB [2], support the user in organizing small nodes of text or links to documents and web pages.

This paper describes a study in the wild of software for document organization aimed at supporting activities. A preliminary study of current practices with traditional tools was followed by the design and development of a program called Docksy. Docksy introduces workspaces explicitly zoned by movable panels and features document descriptors augmented with tags, comments, and checkboxes. Docksy was deployed for at least two weeks and users’ practices with the new tool were studied. The aim of the study was to see how the new tool was appropriated and how people used the new features. The workspace structured in panels was shown to support users in clustering and separating documents, in having a holistic view of the document space, in locating files inside a workspace, and in managing temporary files. The study also shows how tags, comments, and checkboxes afforded the use of documents as explicit items in a workflow. The study suggests Docksy supports users in a variety of information and activity management tasks, including new practices for emerging activities.

Finding relevant information effectively on the In. ternet is a challenging task. Although the information is widely available, exploring Web sites and selecting the right document are still considered a time consuming and tedious task. As a result, many software agents have been launched in cyberspace to perform autonomous information gathering and filtering on behalf of its users. One of the important issues for these agents is to adapt to the changing interests of the users. In this paper, we present Alipes, an Information Brokering Agent that learns user’s interests and provides personalized news articles retrieved from the Interrier.

Background: Behavioral change is the key to alter individuals' lifestyle from sedentary to active. The aim was to assess the feasibility of delivering a Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise programme and evaluate the delivery of the intervention by use of digital technology (eLiFE) to prevent functional decline in 61–70 year-old adults. Methods: This multicentre, feasibility randomized controlled trial was run in three countries (Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands). Out of 7,500 potential participants, 926 seniors (12%) were screened and 180 participants randomized to eLiFE (n = 61), aLiFE (n = 59), and control group (n = 60). eLiFE participants used an application on smartphones and smartwatches while aLiFE participants used traditional paper-based versions of the same lifestyle-integrated exercise intervention. Participants were followed for 12 months, with assessments at baseline, after a 6 month active trainer-supported intervention, and after a further 6 months of unsupervised continuation of the programme. Results: At 6 months, 87% of participants completed post-test, and 77% completed the final assessment at 12 months. Participants were willing to be part of the programme, with compliance and reported adherence relatively high. Despite small errors during start-up in the technological component, intervention delivery by use of technology appeared acceptable. No serious adverse events were related to the interventions. All groups improved regarding clinical outcomes over time, and complexity metrics show potential as outcome measure in young seniors. Conclusion: This feasibility RCT provides evidence that an ICT-based lifestyle-integrated exercise intervention, focusing on behavioral change, is feasible and safe for young seniors. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03065088. Registered on 14 February 2017.

The starting point of Spatial Hypertexts was a result of the move from document-centered hypertext systems to mapbased hypertext systems, a change in perspective from the links among texts to the organization of the documents themselves [1]. Today spatial hypertext systems, like VKB [2], support the user in organizing small nodes of text or links to documents and web pages.

We report on a study of the practices people employ to organize resources for their activities on their computers. Today the computer is the main working environment for many people. People use computers to do an increasing number of tasks. We observed different patterns of organization of resources across the desktop and the folder structure. We describe several strategies that people employ to customize the environment in order to easily perform their activities, access their resources, and overview their current tasks.

IP-based emergency systems (or Next Generation 9-1-1) are being designed to allow any type of communication device, from any access network, to make IP-based emergency calls. A special purpose IP network - an Emergency Services IP Network (ESINet) - is being planned by public safety agencies. In this paper, we address the challenges on defining a framework for managing the security of the signaling messages in the context of IP-based emergency calls. The challenges rely on choosing a security mechanism that protects the signaling, is practical for implementation by different parties, and meets the requirements of citizen-to-authority emergency calls.