The use of chats is being increased; however, they cannot be used by everybody because they present accessibility barriers. Previous research works have solved some of these problems, but accessibility problems related to the user interaction have not been solved yet. This work is part of a research which main goals are to provide a model-based accessible chat and a development process strategy...

The use of new technologies has been increasing during last years in education. More specifically, the use of e-learning systems provides for students more freedom to learn through Internet when and where they prefer in each moment. However, e-learning tools are not perfect tools. Most of these e-learning tools present accessibility barriers, so not all students are able to use them completely ...

The potential of Interactive Digital TV (IDTV) is enormous, given its reachability, the potential ability to provide highly personalized services (when users identify themselves using smartcards, for example to get access to individual egovernment services, to health information and services, to social networks), and to act as yet another outlet for using the web. However these advantages can b...

The potential exists for an increasing population of older Web users, who tend to have a high disposable income, to become a major factor in the success and profitability of e-Commerce websites. Due to the natural ageing process, this group are subject to a decline in their visual, motor and cognitive abilities. These age-related impairments form the major barriers that adversely affect both We...

In this paper we construct an information-theoretic model of architectural drawings. This model is then used to quantify and measure the complexities and similarities of drawings. The approach is applied within a linear qualitative shape representation but can be generalized to other types of representation. The descriptive and analytic power of the proposed methods are demonstrated by studying...

What determines a country’s ability to compete in international markets? What fosters the global competitiveness of its firms? And in the European context, have key elements of the EU strategy such as EMU and enlargement helped or hindered domestic firms’ competitiveness in local and global markets? We address these questions by calibrating and simulating a conceptual framework that merges the ...

PURPOSE Our purpose in this study was to explore relationships between aspects of objective and perceived housing in five European samples of very old adults, as well as to investigate whether cross-national comparable patterns exist. DESIGN AND METHODS We utilized data from the first wave of the ENABLE-AGE Survey Study. The five national samples totalled 1,918 individuals aged 75 to 89 years...

It is generally known that accessibility and mobility are the main barriers for effective implementation of electronic learning. However, the advent of mobile technology could be a potential solution to remove the barriers. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research that addresses the issue of mobile learning service quality in a university environment. This study aims to propose a service quali...

BACKGROUND Exercise has the potential to modulate a number of complications associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, typically, CKD patients lead very sedentary lifestyles, the reasons for which are not fully known. The aim of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the motivators, barriers and beliefs held by CKD patients regarding exercise. METHODS We conducted ...

BACKGROUND Unequal distribution of emergency care services is a critical barrier to be overcome to assure access to emergency and surgical care. Considering this context it was objective of the present work analyze geographic access barriers to emergency care services in Brazil. A secondary aim of the study is to define possible roles to be assumed by small hospitals in the Brazilian healthcare...