bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accessible and Practical Geocoding Method for Traffic Collision Record Mapping
Authors: Burns Shaun , Miranda-Moreno Luis , Stipancic Joshua , Saunier Nicolas , Ismail Karim
Published: March 2015

Numerous studies of geocoding systems have been used to assign geographical coordinates to incident reports identified simply with textual address references. These studies have typically focused on the level of accuracy achieved by various geocoding systems and found that acceptable results can be achieved. Depending on the quality of the input data, a match rate between 70% and 83% can be expected, with varying levels of accuracy. However, few studies have looked at the potential of freely available online geocoding services to spatially locate traffic crash records. It is proposed that although limitations currently exist, services such as the Google Maps API provide sufficient functionality and adequate accuracy for use with a wide variety of geocoding applications. A case study used traffic crash records from a municipality in the province of Quebec, Canada, with the goal of quantifying the geo coding results. It was found that although a competitive match rate was obtained, manual revision was required to ensure that the results returned by the geocoder referred to the same intersection that existed in the input address field.
Empirical Mode Decomposition–Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average
Authors: Wang Haizhong , Liu Lu , Qian Zhen (Sean) , Wei Heng , Dong Shangjia
Published: March 2015

Short-term freeway traffic speed prediction is essential to improving mobility and roadway safety. It has been a challenging and unresolved issue. Traffic speed prediction can be applied to enhance the intelligent freeway traffic management and control for applications such as operational and regulation planning. For example, with more reliable traffic speed prediction, the advanced traveler information system can provide travelers with predictive travel time information and optimal routing, which allows them to arrange their schedules accordingly. Moreover, traffic managers can use the predicted information to deploy various traffic management strategies to increase system efficiency. In this paper, a hybrid empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) (or EMD-ARIMA) approach was developed to predict the short-term traffic speed on freeways. In general, there were three stages in the hybrid EMD-ARIMA forecasting framework. The first was the EMD stage, which decomposed the freeway traffic speed time series data into a number of intrinsic mode function (IMF) components and a residue. The second stage was to find the appropriate ARIMA model for each IMF and residue and then make predictions on the basis of the appropriate ARIMA model. The third stage was to combine the prediction results of each IMF and residue to make the predictions. The experimental results indicated that the proposed hybrid EMD-ARIMA framework was capable of predicting short-term freeway traffic speed with high accuracy.
Comparison of Sichel and Negative Binomial Models in Hot Spot Identification
Authors: Wu Lingtao , Zou Yajie , Lord Dominique
Published: March 2015

Identification of crash hot spots is the critical component of the highway safety management process. Errors in hot spot identification (HSID) may result in the inefficient use of resources for safety improvements. One HSID method that is based on the empirical Bayesian (EB) method has been widely used as an effective approach for identifying crash-prone sites. For the EB method, the negative binomial (NB) model is usually needed to obtain the EB estimates. Recently, some studies have shown that the Sichel (SI) model can be easily used in the EB modeling framework and potentially yield better EB estimates. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of the two crash prediction (SI and NB) models in identifying hot spots with the EB method. To accomplish the objective of this study, empirical crash data collected at highway segments in Texas were used to generate simulated crash counts. Three commonly used HSID methods (simple ranking, confidence interval, and EB) were applied with the use of simulated data. False positives, false negatives, and false identifications were calculated and compared across the methods. The simulation results in this study suggested that the SI-based EB method could consistently provide a better HSID result than the NB-based EB method. Moreover, EB methods yielded the lowest error percentage of the three HSID methods. This study confirmed that the EB technique was an effective method for identifying hazardous sites. On the basis of the findings in this study, it is recommended that transportation safety researchers consider the SI model as an alternative crash prediction model when the EB approach is used.
Data Business Plans and Governance Programs
Authors: Stickel Jack R. , Vandervalk Anita
Published: March 2015

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) established a performance- and outcome-based transportation program for safety, infrastructure condition, congestion reduction, system reliability, freight movement, environment sustainability, and reduced project delivery delays. Transportation data are essential in addressing those challenges. Data are valued assets, but they carry a significant risk–-bad data can lead to ineffective planning and ultimately to poor agency business decisions. An effective transportation data business plan coupled with institutional data governance can mitigate the risk by providing an approach for delivering comprehensive, quality data. Better data provide better information, which in turn results in informed decisions. A data business plan with an established data governance environment can lead to proactive rather than reactive decisions. Many state departments of transportation have embraced such concepts and best practices and are beginning to apply them in overall data governance. However, the terms and application are not mainstreamed and are not assimilated into the transportation agency culture. This paper provides the context for data management, data governance, and data stewardship; a business need for establishing data governance in a transportation agency; key features to be considered for a data business plan; approaches to developing a data governance program; and finally a process for evaluating data program governance.
Development of a Visualization System for Safety Analyst
Authors: Paz Alexander , Khanal Indira , Veeramisti Naveen , Baker Justin , Belmonte Loïc
Published: March 2015

The AASHTO software Safety Analyst is a state-of-the-art tool with significant capabilities and advanced analytical methods for comprehensive analysis and management of highway safety. However, this tool does not provide visualization capabilities. To address that limitation, this study proposes a visualization system for Safety Analyst that provides graphical displays, including location and color-coded information for each module. In addition, the system generates charts, which have various degrees of resolution and aggregation; tables; and a report summarizing safety performance measures. The system can use Google Maps or ESRI ArcGIS to generate the graphical displays. The advantage of using Google Maps is its simplicity; in contrast, the ArcGIS display provides additional modeling and computing capabilities of the GIS framework. All displays are very intuitive and can be customized according to user needs. Because the user can see the locations of every specific site, the displays facilitate analysis as well as the decision-making process. The visualization system interacts with Safety Analyst so that the user can access all tools and data throughout the entire modeling and analysis process.
Odontoid pseudotumor and serial postfusion radiographic evaluation in a patient with a C1–2 mass
Authors: Yanni Daniel S. , Halim Alexander Y. , Alexandru Daniela
Published: March 2015

Odontoid pseudotumor is a mass occurring around the odontoid process in the cervical spine and can cause significant neurological symptoms at the craniocervical junction due to compression of the spinal cord and cervicomedullary junction at this level. A literature review was performed to provide input on options for treatment and prognosis for this lesion. The literature search found 12 papers in which pseudotumor was treated with posterior decompression and fixation. Posterior decompression and fixation with serial imaging to monitor the size of the pseudotumor postsurgery is a safe and effective treatment option for odontoid pseudotumors.
The association between Chiari malformation Type I, spinal syrinx, and scoliosis
Authors: Strahle Jennifer , Smith Brandon W. , Martinez Melaine , Bapuraj J. Rajiv , Muraszko Karin M. , Garton Hugh J. L. , Maher Cormac O.
Published: March 2015

OBJECT

Chiari malformation Type I (CM-I) is often found in patients with scoliosis. Most previous reports of CM-I and scoliosis have focused on patients with CM-I and a spinal syrinx. The relationship between CM-I and scoliosis in the absence of a syrinx has never been defined clearly. The authors sought to determine if there is an independent association between CM-I and scoliosis when controlling for syrinx status.

METHODS

The medical records of 14,118 consecutive patients aged ≤ 18 years who underwent brain or cervical spine MRI at a single institution in an 11-year span were reviewed to identify patients with CM-I, scoliosis, and/or syrinx. The relationship between CM-I and scoliosis was analyzed by using multivariate regression analysis and controlling for age, sex, CM-I status, and syrinx status.

RESULTS

In this cohort, 509 patients had CM-I, 1740 patients had scoliosis, and 243 patients had a spinal syrinx. The presence of CM-I, the presence of syrinx, older age, and female sex were each significantly associated with scoliosis in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate regression analysis, older age (OR 1.02 [95% CI 1.01–1.03]; p < 0.0001), female sex (OR 1.71 [95% CI 1.54–1.90]; p < 0.0001), and syrinx (OR 9.08 [95% CI 6.82–12.10]; p < 0.0001) were each independently associated with scoliosis. CM-I was not independently associated with scoliosis when controlling for these other variables (OR 0.99 [95% CI 0.79–1.29]; p = 0.9).

CONCLUSIONS

A syrinx was independently associated with scoliosis in a large pediatric population undergoing MRI. CM-I was not independently associated with scoliosis when controlling for age, sex, and syrinx status. Because CM-I is not independently associated with scoliosis, scoliosis should not necessarily be considered a symptom of low cerebellar tonsil position in patients without a syrinx.
Congenital spinal dermal tract: how accurate is clinical and radiological evaluation?
Authors: Tisdall Martin M. , Hayward Richard D. , Thompson Dominic N. P.
Published: March 2015

OBJECT

A dermal sinus tract is a common form of occult spinal dysraphism. The presumed etiology relates to a focal failure of disjunction resulting in a persistent adhesion between the neural and cutaneous ectoderm. Clinical and radiological features can appear innocuous, leading to delayed diagnosis and failure to appreciate the implications or extent of the abnormality. If it is left untreated, complications can include meningitis, spinal abscess, and inclusion cyst formation. The authors present their experience in 74 pediatric cases of spinal dermal tract in an attempt to identify which clinical and radiological factors are associated with an infective presentation and to assess the reliability of MRI in evaluating this entity.

METHODS

Consecutive cases of spinal dermal tract treated with resection between 1998 and 2010 were identified from the departmental surgical database. Demographics, clinical history, and radiological and operative findings were collected from the patient records. The presence or absence of active infection (abscess, meningitis) at the time of neurosurgical presentation and any history of local sinus discharge or infection was assessed. Magnetic resonance images were reviewed to evaluate the extent of the sinus tract and determine the presence of an inclusion cyst. Radiological and operative findings were compared.

RESULTS

The surgical course was uncomplicated in 90% of 74 cases eligible for analysis. Magnetic resonance imaging underreported the presence of both an intradural tract (MRI 46%, operative finding 86%) and an intraspinal inclusion cyst (MRI 15%, operative finding 24%). A history of sinus discharge (OR 12.8, p = 0.0003) and the intraoperative identification of intraspinal inclusion cysts (OR 5.6, p = 0.023) were associated with an infective presentation. There was no significant association between the presence of an intradural tract discovered at surgery and an infective presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgery for the treatment of spinal dermal tract carries a low morbidity. While it seems intuitive that tracts without intradural extension carry a low risk of spinal cord tethering, it is not possible to reliably detect these cases using MRI. Similarly, intraspinal dermoid cannot be reliably excluded using MRI and carries an increased risk of infection. These points justify excision together with intradural exploration of all spinal dermal sinus tracts.
Assessing polarimetric SAR sea-ice classifications using consecutive day images
Authors: Moen M.-A.N. , Anfinsen S.N. , Doulgeris A.P. , Renner A.H.H. , S. Gerland
Published: March 2015

This paper investigates automatic segmentation and classification of C-band, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite images of Arctic sea ice under freezing conditions prior to melt. The objective is to investigate the robustness of the results obtained under slightly varying environmental conditions and different viewing geometries. Initially, three geographically overlapping SAR images from consecutive days are incidence-angle corrected and segmented into unknown classes. The segmentation is performed by an unsupervised mixture-of-Gaussian segmentation algorithm utilizing six features extracted from the polarimetric data. After segmentation, the segments are contextually smoothed. One segmented image is manually labelled based on in situ data and expert knowledge. Using this scene as reference, we consider two strategies for class labelling of the other scenes. The first manually labels the classes based on visual inspection of the reference; the second utilizes various statistical distance measures to automatically assign each unknown class to the statistically nearest reference class. These two scenes are also classified pixel-wise by a supervised classification algorithm based on the reference data. Poor classification results are obtained when the incidence angle is very different from the reference scene. Similar viewing geometries reveal good classification and labelling results, the latter regardless of the distance measure used.
Nutrient status of scavengable feed resources in crop and gizzard contents of three genotypes of ducklings
Authors: Rahman MM , Khan MJ , Akbar MA
Published: March 2015

An investigation was carried out with 54 scavenging ducklings of three genotypes belonging to three age groups (6, 10 and 14 weeks) taking from 3 areas reared under two feeding regimes. The birds were sacrificed from farmers house between 4.0 and 5.0 P.M. They were dissected to identify crop and gizzard contents (CGC). Cereal grains, bran, green forages, insects and worms were the main CGC and their composition varied significantly (p<0.01) with genotypes and feed. CGC were collected for chemical analysis. The CGC was processed and analyzed for proximate components, calcium (Ca) and total phosphorus (TP). It contained 88.06% DM, 10.15% CP, 13.65% CF, 2.89% EE, 15.51% Ash, 57.80% NFE, 1.42% Ca, 0.40% TP and 2264 kcal/kg DM TME. Genotypes and feed had significant effect (p<0.01) on CP, CF, EE, Ash, Ca and TP at 6 weeks of age but genotypes and feed showed no significant variations (p>0.05) on TME for the same period. It may be concluded that the scavenging feeds are deficient in CP, Ca and TP but excess in crude fibre. So, the concentration of the nutrients (except CF and ash) available to the scavenging ducklings under rural condition may be treated as below the suggested nutrient requirements for ducklings.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v43i3.21646 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2014. 43 (3): 185-191
Dahi manufacturing from reconstituted skim milk partially replaced by coconut milk
Authors: Saha SR , Islam MN , Shekh AL , Siddiki MSR
Published: March 2015

The present study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of using coconut milk by replacing reconstituted skim milk for Dahi manufacturing. Reconstituted skimmed milk was replaced by 0, 10, 20, and 30% coconut milk to produce Dahi designated as A, B, C and D. All the samples were analyzed for organoleptic, chemical and microbiological qualities. According to organoleptic test, the overall highest score was observed in sample B (84.37±1.64) and the lowest score was found in sample D (75.0±1.41). In all levels of replacement increased fat, carbohydrates, ash and total solids were obtained, while moisture and protein content were significantly decreased in Dahi samples. Acidity and pH of all the treatments were significantly influenced and ranged from 0.65 to 0.73% and 4.21 to 4.57, respectively. Ash content of all samples was not significantly increased. Total viable count of reconstituted Dahi samples (B, C and D) was significantly increased. It could be concluded that 10 and 20 % replacement of reconstituted skim milk with coconut milk for the manufacture of Dahi was acceptable and reduced the production cost, but 10% replacement was better in compare to others, according to organoleptic, chemical and microbiological analysis.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v43i3.21653 Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2014. 43 (3): 218-223
Ebola alertness
Authors: Rasul Choudhury Habibur
Published: March 2015

Abstract not available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmjk.v47i1-2.22553 Bang Med J (Khulna) 2014; 47 : 1-2
Resistive index of retinal arterial blood flow in type-II diabetics without retinopathy
Authors: Amin Mashah Binte , Rekha Khaleda Parvin , Shegufta Farzana , Rahman Md Towhidur , Abedin Nafisa , Mohiuddin AS
Published: March 2015

Diabetic retinopathy is a vascular disorder affecting the microvasculature of retina. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of retina. If untreated, it may lead to blindness. Therefore if diagnosed and treated promptly, blindness is usually preventable. In ophthalmology, Colour Doppler Imaging is a new method that enables us to assess the orbital vasculature. Duplex color Doppler ultrasonography is the investigation of choice to assess retinal arterial flow velocities very quickly without any invasive procedure for qualitative and quantitative assessment of blood flow velocities. This study was performed to observe the difference between Doppler flow velocity indices of retinal artery in Type-II Diabetics subjects without retinopathy and those of normal control subjects. This case-control study was carried out in the Radiology department, BIRDEM for two years. All the selected subjects underwent Duplex Doppler ultrasonography of both eyes using 5 to 7.5 MHz linear phase transducer. Findings included spectral analysis, those were PSV, EDV and RI. Unpaired ttest was done to compare blood flow velocity indices of retinal artery in type-II diabetic patients without retinopathy and that of healthy control adult subjects and a P value <0.05 was taken as significant. Majority (42.5%) of patients were in 4th decade in diabetic subjects with male predominant, which was 58.7%. The mean duration of diabetes was 4.56 + 2.1 years. In the current study, it was found that the mean resistive index (RI) in 80 diabetic patients without retinopathy was (0.75 + 0.04) ranging 0.66-0.81. And that of 80 healthy subjects was (0.64 + 0.02) ranging 0.600.70.1n this study the mean differences of retinal arterial RI in diabetic eyes without retinopathy and healthy control eyes was statistically significant (p<0-05) in unpaired 't' test. From the result of present study it can be concluded that, there is statistically significant increased retinal arterial resistivity index of type-II diabetic patients without retinopathy. Higher RI in type-II diabetics may predict the early haemodynamic changes in the retinal artery of these patients before the clinical onset of retinopathy. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmjk.v47i1-2.22555 Bang Med J (Khulna) 2014; 47 : 7-11
Abstract from current literature Vol.47(1-2)
Authors: Rasul Choudhury Habibur
Published: March 2015

Abstract not available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmjk.v47i1-2.22562 Bang Med J (Khulna) 2014; 47 : 36-39
A Hybrid Autonomic Computing-Based Approach to Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problems
Authors: Bhatia Abhishek , Singh Amandeep , Goyal Rinkaj
Published: March 2015

Distributed constraint satisfaction problems (DisCSPs) are among the widely endeavored problems using agent-based simulation. Fernandez et al. formulated sensor and mobile tracking problem as a DisCSP, known as SensorDCSP In this paper, we adopt a customized ERE (environment, reactive rules and entities) algorithm for the SensorDCSP, which is otherwise proven as a computationally intractable problem. An amalgamation of the autonomy-oriented computing (AOC)-based algorithm (ERE) and genetic algorithm (GA) provides an early solution of the modeled DisCSP. Incorporation of GA into ERE facilitates auto-tuning of the simulation parameters, thereby leading to an early solution of constraint satisfaction. This study further contributes towards a model, built up in the NetLogo simulation environment, to infer the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Impact of Organic Loading Rate on Psychrophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Solid Dairy Manure
Authors: Saady Noori , Massé Daniel
Published: March 2015

Increasing the feed total solids to anaerobic digester improves the process economics and decreases the volume of liquid effluent from current wet anaerobic digestion. The objective of this study was to develop a novel psychrophilic (20 °C) anaerobic digestion technology of undiluted cow feces (total solids of 11%–16%). Two sets of duplicate laboratory-scale sequence batch bioreactors have been operated at organic loading rates (OLR) of 6.0 to 8.0 g total chemical oxygen demand (TCOD) kg−1 inoculum day−1 (d−1) during 210 days. The results demonstrated that the process is feasible at treatment cycle length (TCL) of 21 days; however, the quality of cow feces rather than the OLR had a direct influence on the specific methane yield (SMY). The SMY ranged between 124.5 ± 1.4 and 227.9 ± 4.8 normalized liter (NL) CH4 kg−1 volatile solids (VS) fed d−1. Substrate-to-inoculum mass ratio (SIR) was 0.63 ± 0.05, 0.90 ± 0.09, and 1.06 ± 0.07 at OLR of 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0 g TCOD kg−1 inoculum d−1, respectively. No volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation has been observed which indicated that hydrolysis was the rate limiting step and VFAs have been consumed immediately. Bioreactors performance consistency in terms of the level of SMYs, VFAs concentrations at end of the TCL, pH stability and volatile solids reduction indicates a stable and reproducible process during the entire operation.
Positive Selection and Functional Divergence of R2R3-MYB Paralogous Genes Expressed in Inflorescence Buds of Scutellaria Species (Labiatae)
Authors: Huang Bing-Hong , Pang Erli , Chen Yi-Wen , Cao Huifen , Ruan Yu , Liao Pei-Chun
Published: March 2015

Anthocyanin is the main pigment forming floral diversity. Several transcription factors that regulate the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes belong to the R2R3-MYB family. Here we examined the transcriptomes of inflorescence buds of Scutellaria species (skullcaps), identified the expression R2R3-MYBs, and detected the genetic signatures of positive selection for adaptive divergence across the rapidly evolving skullcaps. In the inflorescence buds, seven R2R3-MYBs were identified. MYB11 and MYB16 were detected to be positively selected. The signature of positive selection on MYB genes indicated that species diversification could be affected by transcriptional regulation, rather than at the translational level. When comparing among the background lineages of Arabidopsis, tomato, rice, and Amborella, heterogeneous evolutionary rates were detected among MYB paralogs, especially between MYB13 and MYB19. Significantly different evolutionary rates were also evidenced by type-I functional divergence between MYB13 and MYB19, and the accelerated evolutionary rates in MYB19, implied the acquisition of novel functions. Another paralogous pair, MYB2/7 and MYB11, revealed significant radical amino acid changes, indicating divergence in the regulation of different anthocyanin-biosynthetic enzymes. Our findings not only showed that Scutellaria R2R3-MYBs are functionally divergent and positively selected, but also indicated the adaptive relevance of regulatory genes in floral diversification.
Nitrogen Starvation Acclimation in Synechococcus elongatus: Redox-Control and the Role of Nitrate Reduction as an Electron Sink
Authors: Klotz Alexander , Reinhold Edgar , Doello Sofía , Forchhammer Karl
Published: March 2015

Nitrogen starvation acclimation in non-diazotrophic cyanobacteria is characterized by a process termed chlorosis, where the light harvesting pigments are degraded and the cells gradually tune down photosynthetic and metabolic activities. The chlorosis response is governed by a complex and poorly understood regulatory network, which converges at the expression of the nblA gene, the triggering factor for phycobiliprotein degradation. This study established a method that allows uncoupling metabolic and redox-signals involved in nitrogen-starvation acclimation. Inhibition of glutamine synthetase (GS) by a precise dosage of l-methionine-sulfoximine (MSX) mimics the metabolic situation of nitrogen starvation. Addition of nitrate to such MSX-inhibited cells eliminates the associated redox-stress by enabling electron flow towards nitrate/nitrite reduction and thereby, prevents the induction of nblA expression and the associated chlorosis response. This study demonstrates that nitrogen starvation is perceived not only through metabolic signals, but requires a redox signal indicating over-reduction of PSI-reduced electron acceptors. It further establishes a cryptic role of nitrate/nitrite reductases as electron sinks to balance conditions of over-reduction.
Anti-Allergic Properties of Curine, a Bisbenzylisoquinoline Alkaloid
Authors: Ribeiro-Filho Jaime , Piuvezam Márcia , Bozza Patrícia
Published: March 2015

Curine is a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Chondrodendron platyphyllum (Menispermaceae). Recent findings have shed light on the actions of curine in different models of allergy and inflammation. Here we review the properties and mechanisms of action of curine focusing on its anti-allergic effects. Curine pre-treatment significantly inhibited the scratching behavior, paw edema and systemic anaphylaxis induced by either ovalbumin (OVA) in sensitized animals or compound 48/80, through mechanisms of mast cell stabilization and inhibition of mast cell activation to generate lipid mediators. In addition, oral administration of curine significantly inhibited eosinophil recruitment and activation, as well as, OVA-induced airway hyper-responsiveness in a mouse model of asthma, through inhibition of the production of IL-13 and eotaxin, and of Ca2+ influx. In conclusion, curine exhibit anti-allergic effects in models of lung, skin and systemic allergy in the absence of significant toxicity, and as such has the potential for anti-allergic drug development.
Portability, Salary and Asset Price Risk: A Continuous-Time Expected Utility Comparison of DB and DC Pension Plans
Authors: Chen An , Uzelac Filip
Published: March 2015

This paper compares two different types of private retirement plans from the perspective of a representative beneficiary: a defined benefit (DB) and a defined contribution (DC) plan. While salary risk is the main common risk factor in DB and DC pension plans, one of the key differences is that DB plans carry portability risks, whereas DC plans bear asset price risk. We model these tradeoffs explicitly in this paper and compare these two plans in a utility-based framework. Our numerical analysis focuses on answering the question of when the beneficiary is indifferent between the DB and DC plan. Most of our results confirm the findings in the existing literature, among which, e.g., portability losses considerably reduce the relative attractiveness of the DB plan. However, we also find that the attractiveness of the DB plan can decrease in the level of risk aversion, which is inconsistent with the existing literature.
Child Welfare in Chile: Learning from International Experiences to Improve Family Interventions
Authors: Muñoz-Guzmán Carolina , Fischer Candice , Chia Enrique , LaBrenz Catherine
Published: March 2015

Poor outcomes and several complaints to the judicial system against residential services for children have triggered a deep review of the Chilean child welfare services, particularly in relation to family reunification. This paper offers strategic guidelines to improve alternative care for children younger than six years of age, who are under protective measures. To define such guidelines, a case study was developed based on current models of residential services and foster home programs, which included local (Chile) and international evidence; also this research includes original empirical data collected through focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders of these programs in Chile and in two countries with advanced social services for children (Sweden and Italy). Findings refer to a structural need for reforming social services for Chilean children. Such reform should involve appropriate legislation to guarantee the rights of children and families; a substantial budgetary review leading to an increase in spending; and boosting professional specialization; and raising the capacity for offering integrated services.
Willingness to Pay of Air Passengers for Carbon-Offset
Authors: Jou Rong-Chang , Chen Tzu-Ying
Published: March 2015

An important source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is the air transport sector, which accounts for approximately 2% of global GHG emissions. Therefore, reducing GHG emissions from aircrafts has become a major challenge for transportation authorities worldwide. In recent years, much research has focused on tax ideas related to the CO2 emissions produced by air transport, such as the voluntary carbon offset (VCO). This study investigates the willingness of economy class air passengers to pay to compensate for the CO2 emissions produced during their journeys from Taiwan to Hong Kong. Together with the Spike model, a framework known as the contingent valuation (CV) method offers a way to investigate how much the air passenger would be willing to pay to offset a journey’s airplane-generated CO2 emissions. The Spike model was applied to address the problem of zero willingness to pay (WTP). The results obtained in this study are consistent with the results found in previous studies and therefore can provide valuable insights into pricing strategies for airlines.
Loose Integration of Local Information to Generate Collaborative Marine Science Knowledge
Authors: Leadbetter Adam , Arko Robert , Chandler Cynthia , Shepherd Adam , Lowry Roy
Published: March 2015

This chapter focuses on improved access to marine science data, enabling researchers to generate new information and knowledge products. The history of controlled vocabulary developments in marine sciences, from paper publications to the Semantic Web, is explored in detail. This history is being furthered through the publication of Linked Open Data, meaning: the publication of clearly identifiable entities; a simple, universal mechanism for retrieving resources; a generic graph-based data model; and publishing explicit relationships to other resources. Progress towards Linked Open Data for marine science is reported in this chapter. As shown by the Data-Information-Knowledge ecosystem, the approach of “small pieces of data loosely joined” provides presentation and organisation to data, which creates information. The use of query endpoints to integrate this information from multiple locations into a knowledge base, which required active collaboration between cooperative partners to truly generate new knowledge and to address emerging science questions, is described.
The Multidimensional Business Value of Information Systems Interoperability
Authors: Loukis Euripidis , Charalabidis Yannis , Diamantopoulou Vasiliki
Published: March 2015

The creation of complete scientific foundations in the IS interoperability domain necessitates not only the development of mature and widely applicable interoperability architectures, methods, and standards, but also the systematic investigation of the business value they generate. This chapter initially analyses the theoretical foundations of the multi-dimensional business value of IS interoperability and then reviews the quite limited empirical literature on it. Next, it presents an empirical study of the business value generated by the adoption of three main types of IS interoperability standards: industry-specific, proprietary, and XML-horizontal ones. It is based on a large dataset from 14065 European firms (from 25 countries and 10 sectors) collected through the e-Business Watch Survey of the European Commission. It is concluded that all three types of IS interoperability standards increase considerably the positive impact of firm's ICT infrastructure on two important performance dimensions: business processes performance and innovation. However, the effects of these three types of standards differ significantly: the adoption of industry-specific IS interoperability standards has the highest positive impacts, while proprietary and XML-horizontal ones have similar lower impacts. Furthermore, it is concluded that the industry-specific and the proprietary interoperability standards also have positive impacts even at the level of firm's financial performance.
Consumer Privacy Enforcement in Context-Aware Web Services
Authors: Kapitsaki Georgia M.
Published: March 2015

Privacy protection constitutes a genuine human right reflected both in the legislation and in different aspects of software engineering. Sensitive information needs to be protected in end-users interaction with Web Services especially in cases, where context-aware features are included. In this work the authors address the inclusion of consumer privacy preferences in the provision of context-aware Web Services. To achieve this the authors propose, on the one hand, a preferences language, where end-users can specify their privacy options, namely Consumer Privacy Language, and, on the other hand, a seamless enforcement mechanism that considers consumer preferences by intercepting and modifying appropriately Simple Object Access Protocol request and response messages. The enforcement approach has been evaluated based on various execution metrics for an example use case consisting of various Web Services and for different user configurations demonstrating the usefulness of the approach assisting towards the provision of privacy-aware environments.
Users as Prosumers of PETs
Authors: Angulo Julio
Published: March 2015

Frequent contact with online businesses requires Internet users to distribute large amounts of personal information. This spreading of users' information through different Websites can eventually lead to increased probabilities for identity theft, profiling and linkability attacks, as well as other harmful consequences. Methods and tools for securing people's online activities and protecting their privacy on the Internet, called Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs), are being designed and developed. However, these technologies are often perceived as complicated and obtrusive by users who are not privacy aware or are not computer or technology savvy. This chapter explores the way in which users' involvement has been considered during the development process of PETs and argues that more democratic approaches of user involvement and data handling practices are needed. It advocates towards an approach in which people are not only seen as consumers of privacy and security technologies, but where they can play a role as the producers of ideas and sources of inspiration for the development of usable PETs that meet their actual privacy needs and concerns.
Disclosure and Privacy Settings on Social Networking Sites
Authors: Archer Karin , Wood Eileen , Nosko Amanda , De Pasquale Domenica , Molema Seija , Christofides Emily
Published: March 2015

The present study evaluated a video-based intervention designed to permit users of social networking to make informed decisions about the information they disclosed online. The videos provided information regarding potential risks of disclosure and well as step-by-step instructions on privacy setting use. Novice (n=40) and experienced (n=40). FacebookTM users were randomly assigned to either the video intervention condition, or given the choice to watch the video intervention then were asked to construct a new FacebookTM account or work on their existing account. Viewing the video encouraged greater use of privacy settings as well as use of more restrictive privacy settings. Gender differences revealed greater use of privacy settings among women. Experienced users continued to disclose more than novice users, however, they increased their use of privacy settings which restricted the availability of the disclosed information. This study shows promising use of direct and explicit instruction in the teaching of privacy online.
Transport Layer for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks
Authors: Saleem Yasir , Salim Farrukh
Published: March 2015

The transport layer is responsible for reliable and energy-efficient delivery of packets from source to destination. Since Cognitive Radio Sensor Network (CRSN) is an emerging technology, there is a need to develop efficient transport layer protocols for it. Therefore, the main goal of this chapter is to provide design guidelines and highlight design issues and challenges of transport protocols for cognitive radio sensor networks. In this chapter, the authors provide a foundation for development of new transport protocols for cognitive radio sensor networks by presenting characteristics and major existing schemes of traditional transport protocols. Additionally, they provide design guidelines and challenges for the development of transport protocols for cognitive radio sensor networks including a guideline on simulation ground for transport protocols. In summary, this chapter is an initial step towards new directions of research and development of transport protocols for cognitive radio sensor networks.
A Conceptual Framework for Enterprise Interoperability
Authors: Guédria Wided
Published: March 2015

The obligation to become more competitive and effective in providing better products and services requires enterprises to transform from traditional businesses into networked businesses. One of the challenges faced by a network of enterprises is the development of interoperability between its members. Transformations in this context are usually driven by Enterprise Interoperability (EI) problems that may be faced. In order to quickly overcome these problems, enterprises need characterizing and assessing interoperability to be prepared to establish means for collaboration and initiate corrective actions before potential interoperability problems occur and then be obliged to make unprepared transformations that may be costly and induce unmanageable issues. This has become a significant research challenge over the past few years and maturity models have been developed in response to this challenge. In this paper we propose to extend a maturity model based on an ontological formalization of the interoperability domain. This will allow diagnosing interoperability problems when assessing EI and having a conceptual framework as basis for an automatic assessment tool.
Informational, Physical, and Psychological Privacy as Determinants of Patient Behaviour in Health Care
Authors: Serenko Natalia
Published: March 2015

This chapter presents and describes a theoretical framework explicating how three dimensions of privacy in healthcare (i.e. informational, physical, and psychological) influence patient behaviour through trust. Informational privacy is defined as the patients' perceptions of the degree of control over their personal information when their doctor collects, uses, disseminates, and stores their information. Physical privacy refers to the patients' perceptions of the degree of their physical inaccessibility to others. Psychological privacy is the patients' perceptions of the extent to which the physician allows them to participate in their healthcare decisions and maintains their personal and cultural values, such as inner thoughts, feelings, cultural beliefs, and religious practices. These types of privacy are especially important with respect to service quality and patient safety due to the recent advancements in information and telecommunication technologies and the availability of online medical information. As a result, patients have become more educated in various health issues, and many of them want to actively participate in their health decisions. The framework proposes that these privacy dimensions affect trust in a healthcare provider. Trust, in turn, has an effect on treatment compliance, positive word-of-mouth, and commitment to stay with the current service provider in the future. Based on the framework, recommendations for healthcare stakeholders are provided.
Information Security Program Effectiveness in Organizations
Authors: Knapp Kenneth J. , Ferrante Claudia J.
Published: March 2015

This research investigates the moderating role of task interdependence on factors influencing information security effectiveness in organizations. Drawing on the literature, the authors develop a theoretical model depicting top management support and awareness & training support as predictors of information security program effectiveness. Further, the model shows security culture as a partial mediator between the predictor and criterion variables. The authors then apply task interdependence as a moderator to the model. Results from a survey given to a sample of 371 certified information security professionals find support for the model while showing certain paths to be significant only under high task interdependence while others only under low task interdependence. In high task interdependence environments, security culture did not mediate the relationships between the predictor and criterion variables suggesting that managers focus on providing greater structural support to maximize security effectiveness. However, in low task interdependence, security culture fully mediated the relationships between the predictor and criterion variables suggesting that the role of culture is amplified and central in those environments.
Management of Technical Security Measures
Authors: Uffen Jörg , Breitner Michael H.
Published: March 2015

Organizations are investing substantial resources in technical security measures that aim at preventively protecting their information assets. The way management – or information security executives – deals with potential security measures varies individually and depends on personality traits and cognitive factors. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the authors examine the relationship between the personality traits of conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness with attitudes and intentions towards managing technical security measures. The highly relevant moderating role of compliance factors is also investigated. The hypothesized relationships are analyzed and validated using empirical data from a survey of 174 information security executives. Findings suggest that conscientiousness is important in determining the attitude towards the management of technical security measures. In addition, the findings indicate that when executives are confronted with information security standards or guidelines, the personality traits of conscientiousness and openness will have a stronger effect on attitude towards managing security measures than without moderators.
A Perturbation Method Based on Singular Value Decomposition and Feature Selection for Privacy Preserving Data Mining
Authors: Keyvanpour Mohammad Reza , Moradi Somayyeh Seifi
Published: March 2015

In this study, a new model is provided for customized privacy in privacy preserving data mining in which the data owners define different levels for privacy for different features. Additionally, in order to improve perturbation methods, a method combined of singular value decomposition (SVD) and feature selection methods is defined so as to benefit from the advantages of both domains. Also, to assess the amount of distortion created by the proposed perturbation method, new distortion criteria are defined in which the amount of created distortion in the process of feature selection is considered based on the value of privacy in each feature. Different tests and results analysis show that offered method based on this model compared to previous approaches, caused the improved privacy, accuracy of mining results and efficiency of privacy preserving data mining systems.
Providing Information from Brazilian Politicians Using Linked Data
Authors: Francisco de Souza Jairo , Siqueira Sean Wolfgand Matsui , Araújo Lucas de Ramos , Melo Rubens Nascimento
Published: March 2015

Since its inception, the Web has undergone continuous evolution in order to improve itself as a means of global communication and information sharing. Open Government Data are increasingly being published on the Web, contributing to the transparency and the reusability of public data. At the same time, the use of Linked Data has been increasing in recent years, enabling the development of better and smarter applications. This chapter presents a case on the publication of Open Government Data using the Linked Data practices, by creating a data set of Brazilian politicians with information collected from different sources. This is the first dataset providing Brazilian linked data.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Information Security Governance Practices in Developing Nations
Authors: Yaokumah Winfred
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this empirical study is to evaluate the extent to which information security governance domain practices: strategic alignment, value delivery, resource management, risk management, and performance measurement relate to information security governance effectiveness. Random sampling technique was employed and data were collected via web survey from Ghanaian organizations. Employing three multiple regression models, the results showed there were statistically significant positive linear relationship between information security governance domain practices and information security governance effectiveness. Overall, the model produced R2 = .505, indicating that 50.5% of the variance in information security governance effectiveness was explained by information security governance domain practices. The results highlighted resource management, performance measurement and risk management practices as the predictors of organizational information security governance effectiveness while strategic alignment contributed only marginally to the models. Therefore, to attain higher information security governance effectiveness, organizations should focus on strategic alignment between the business and information security attributes.