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Foreword
There is a wonderful sense of constant innovation in the world of information technology. With every development it seems as if we are about to leave the old world behind and enter into one that is utterly transformed. This is, of course, an illusion. Although the technology is constantly moving forward the human needs and desires it meets remain quite stable. In this issue we look at what is new in the field but we also consider how the technology is applied to ancient human enterprises and even to technologies that some might feel would have been made obsolete. Our first article, by Cheng-Hong Yang and Ching-Hsing Luo, considers the interface of one of the original electronic communications methods -- Morse code -- with computer technology. Although most associated with telegraphy and long distance radio communication, the authors point out that there remain some circumstances, particularly with certain physically impaired people, where Morse Code remains a valuable communications tool. This usefulness would be enhanced with an ability for automatic digital recognition of the signals. This has been difficult to achieve but the authors present a method of using the adaptive signal processing to solve the problem. The second article by Chee Peng Lim, Hoon Hoon Toh, Thien Seng Lee, Robert F. Harrison, and R. Lee Kennedy, an international team from Malaysia and the United Kingdom, considers a method of helping practitioners of the ancient art and science of medicine with modern neural net technology. Life and death medical decisions must often be made in contexts with a high level of uncertainty and artificial intelligence researchers have long sought to use their technologies to provide support for medical decision-making. Ideally, such expert systems are not only able to codify the factors used by physicians in making decisions but also to learn from experience. The article explores an adaptive neural net model that has been shown to provide useful support for the prediction of complications in coronary patients and to be able to perpetually expand its abilities. While final decisions must always be made by the physicians themselves, even the most experienced clinician will appreciate the support provided by this type of system. The article by Gour Chandra and Nazrul Islam also considers the intricate nature of complex decision-making. The authors begin with the assumption of the importance of information to strategic business planning and then go onto examine the difficulties of culling useful information from redundant and complicated sources. The authors provide a model which allows decision-makers to better identify, evaluate, and thus use the information. The previous articles all seek to apply the methods of information technology to the real world. Such applications are at the heart of the importance of modern technology, of course, but they are only made possible when we have reliable systems to work with. In M.Y. Mashor's article there is an examination of Real Basis Function networks and means of determining appropriate structures for such networks. The authors then go on to specifically apply their work to the area of system identification. Once again, I believe, the current issue provides a fascinating glimpse into the varied and constantly developing world of information technology. Prof. Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman Editor-In-Chief |
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Assumption University of Thailand |