bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Security of Internet-, Intranet-, and Computer-Based Examinations in Terms of Technical, Authentication, and Environmental, Where Are We?
Authors: Sokouti Babak , Sokouti Massoud
Published: June 2017

Worldwide, increasing trends on distance learning provided by different educational and academic organizations require robust secure environments for carrying out the distance examinations. The security of online examinations is prone to many threats including the local cheaters and outside attackers. Several studies have been carried out in terms of technical, authentication algorithms, and environmental monitoring (supervised or unsupervised). None of these categories can satisfy the required security services to stop candidate cheating during the examination. A robust secure model will be needed to include all three categories in order to provide secure environments for examinee while no manual supervision is required by proctor or professors.
Centrality Analysis of the United States Network Graph
Authors: Meghanathan Natarajan
Published: June 2017

We model the contiguous states (48 states and the District of Columbia) of the United States (US) as an undirected network graph with each state represented as a node and there is an edge between two nodes if the corresponding two states share a common border. We determine a ranking of the states in the US with respect to the four commonly studied centrality metrics: degree, eigenvector, betweenness and closeness. We observe the states of Missouri and Maine to be respectively the most central state and the least central state with respect to all the four centrality metrics. The degree distribution is bi-modal Poisson. The eigenvector and closeness centralities also exhibit Poisson distribution, while the betweenness centrality exhibits power-law distribution. We observe a higher correlation in the ranking of vertices based on the degree centrality and betweenness centrality.
In-Memory Analytics
Authors: Sánchez Jorge Manjarrez
Published: June 2017

Analytics is the processing of data for information discovery. In-memory implementation of machine learning and statistical algorithms enable the fast processing of data for descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive analytics. In this chapter we first present some concepts and challenges for fast analytics, then we discuss some of the most relevant proposals and data management structures for in-memory data analytics in centralized, parallel and distributed settings. Finally, we offer further research directions and some concluding remarks.
Neighborhood Rough-Sets-Based Spatial Data Analytics
Authors: K. Sharmila Banu , Tripathy B. K.
Published: June 2017

Rough Set Theory partitions a universe using single layered granulation. The equivalence classes induced by rough sets are based on discretised values. Considering the fact that the spatial data are continuous at large, discretising them may cause loss of data. Neighborhood approximations can lead to closely related coverings using continuous values. Besides, the spatial attributes also need to be given due consideration and should be handled unlike non-spatial attributes in the process of dimensionality reduction. This chapter analyses the use of Neighborhood rough sets for continuous data and handling spatially correlated attributes using rough sets.
Database Techniques for New Hardware
Authors: Qin Xiongpai , Chen Yueguo
Published: June 2017

In the last decade, computer hardware progresses with leaps and bounds. The advancements of hardware include: widely application of multi-core CPUs, using of GPUs in data intensive tasks, bigger and bigger main memory capacity, maturity and production use of non-volatile memory etc. Database systems immediately benefit from faster CPU/GPU and bigger memory, and run faster. However, there are some pitfalls. For example, database systems running on multi-core processors may suffer from cache conflicts when the number of concurrently executing DB processes increases. To fully exploit advantages of new hardware to improve the performance of database systems, database software should be more or less revised. This chapter introduces some efforts of database research community in this aspect.
N-Tuple Algebra as a Unifying System to Process Data and Knowledge
Authors: Kulik Boris Alexandrovich , Fridman Alexander Yakovlevich
Published: June 2017

Information technologies for analysis and processing heterogeneous data often face the necessity to unify representation of such data. To solve this problem, it seems reasonable to search for a universal structure that would allow for reducing different formats of data and knowledge to a single mathematical model with unitized manipulation methods. The concept of relation looks very prospective in this sense. So, with a view to developing a general theory of relations, the authors propose n-tuple algebra (NTA) developed as a theoretical generalization of structures and methods applicable in intelligence systems. NTA allows for formalizing a wide set of logical problems (deductive, abductive and modified reasoning, modeling uncertainties and so on).
A Proposed Framework for Incorporating Big-Data Technology in National Crisis Management Center
Authors: Kabeil Magdy M. , Kabil Ahmad M.
Published: June 2017

The chapter presents a framework for incorporating BDT in a traditional conceptual design of NCMC. The updated conceptual design is validated using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique. The results show that each requirement of national crisis is supported by a set of integrated modules of the conceptual design in a balanced way. The modules of the highest contribution in the design are the modules most related to BDT. The steps required for implementing the conceptual design are given.
Quality Evaluation for Evolving Conceptual Database Design
Authors: Locuratolo Elvira Immacolata
Published: June 2017

The article is concerned with the proposal of a new approach of conceptual database design, called evolving conceptual database design, which exploits the structure for the preservation of database classes/concepts within the design. In order to discuss the opportunity to take into consideration this approach, the structure is constructed starting from a database conceptual graph. The leaves of the structure are mapped to a logical/object database graph. Horizontal steps of constructive logical database design extend the model. The computational costs required to design the structure for the preservation of database classes/concepts, as well as the qualitative/conceptual costs of the logical models resulting from the constructive design, are discussed.
Preferences, Utility, and Stochastic Approximation
Authors: Pavlov Yuri P. , Andreev Rumen D.
Published: June 2017

A complex system with human participation like “human-process” is characterized with active assistance of the human in the determination of its objective and in decision-taking during its development. The construction of a mathematically grounded model of such a system is faced with the problem of shortage of mathematical precise information that presents the human activity. A solution of this problem is to seek expression of different aspects of the complex system through description of the expert's preferences as an element of the system. The presentation of human preferences analytically with utility functions is an approach for their mathematical description. The objective of the article is to present an innovative approach to value driven modeling of management that bases on preference-oriented decision making. It is described a decision technology that realizes measurement of human's preferences as analytic utility function. The utility theory and stochastic approximation are possible solution of this problem that results in a value-based approach to modeling of complex systems.
The Roles of Digital Literacy in Social Life of Youth
Authors: Martinovic Dragana , Freiman Viktor , Lekule Chrispina S. , Yang Yuqi
Published: June 2017

This chapter contains findings related to social aspects of digital activities of youth. Computers, mobile devices, and the Internet are increasingly used in everyday social practices of youth, requiring competencies that are largely still not being taught in schools. To thrive in the digital era, youth need to competently use digital tools and define, access, understand, evaluate, create, and communicate digital information. Being able to develop perceptions of, and respect for, social norms and values for functioning in the digital world, without compromising one's own privacy, safety, or integrity is also important. After addressing the social prospects of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use among youth, this chapter describes their online behavior through the paradoxical nature of the Internet (i.e., providing opportunities for social development vs. introducing risks). Educators and youth services are advised to consider these factors in designing flexible, innovative, and inclusive programs for young people that use ICT.
Automatic Item Generation
Authors: Gierl Mark , Lai Hollis , Zhang Xinxin
Published: June 2017

Changes to the design and development of educational tests are resulting in the unprecedented demand for a large supply of content-specific test items. One way to address this growing demand is with automatic item generation. Automatic item generation is the process of using models to create test items with the aid of computer technology. The purpose of this chapter is to describe and illustrate a method for generating test items. The method is also illustrated using an example from the medical health sciences.
Computational Thinking in Innovative Computational Environments and Coding
Authors: Ferrari Alberto , Poggi Agostino , Tomaiuolo Michele
Published: June 2017

The concept of Computational Thinking has been discussed for several decades and in recent years has been brought to the attention of the scientific community by Jeanette Wing. Her article presents Computational Thinking as “a way of solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior that draws on concepts fundamental to computer science”. The importance of Computational Thinking places it among the basic skills for 21st century, together with reading, writing and calculation, that every person will have to master, so it is important to teach it already in primary school. As the invention of printing facilitated the spread of the three Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) the technology must lead to the spread of Computational Thinking. This chapter will introduce the research on Computational Thinking and, in particular, the works on innovative computational environments, and will describe the situation of the education to CT in high school and in academic courses.
Leveraging Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning for Future IS Security Professionals
Authors: Heavin Ciara , Neville Karen , O'Riordan Sheila
Published: June 2017

The use of social media technologies to connect with peers/colleagues is prevalent amongst students and practitioners alike. These technologies are being used to share ideas, content, resources, and experiences for both social and professional purposes. However, modern learning environments do not always implement the latest technologies and are therefore failing to support the needs and career expectations of Generation 2020.The social business gaming platform considered in this chapter leverages the social networking concept in an academic environment. This study was undertaken in order to develop Information Systems (IS) security skillsets through the creation and facilitation of social business gaming. The game was utilised as a part of the continual assessment process to evaluate group interaction, role-playing, competition and learning in an ISS assignment and facilitate the students to measure their own performances of understanding.
Online Academia
Authors: Bielenia-Grajewska Magdalena
Published: June 2017

The aim of this entry is to discuss the main notions characterizing the academia of the twenty-first century, examining the sphere of online learning. To investigate the mentioned relations and complexities within academic learning itself, the 5S Model of Online Academia has been created and discussed by this author. This model focuses the discussion about online academia on such elements as subject, situation, spirit, stakeholder, senses and subject, and their subcategories, to elaborate on the multilevel nature of universities. This framework provides an insight into the current complexities of online academia and offers an insight into its future perspectives.
Three Cases of Unconventional Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling
Authors: Fokides Emmanuel
Published: June 2017

The study presents three cases in which digital storytelling was used in an unconventional way; in helping an immigrant student to integrate into the school environment, in helping first-grade students' school adjustment, and in dealing with bullying. The constructivist principles concerning the learning process and the requirement of students' active participation, provided the necessary framework. The researcher avoided to intervene, to guide or to lecture students. All cases were short in duration and easily applied. Results confirmed the author's belief that digital storytelling is a powerful and flexible tool that can be used in many and diverse educational or non-educational scenarios.
3D Printing Applications in STEM Education
Authors: Gwangwava Norman , Hlahla Catherine
Published: June 2017

Using 3D printing technology in learning institutions brings an industrial experience to learners as well as an exposure to the same cutting-edge technologies encountered in real life careers. The chapter explores 3D printing technology at kindergarten (preschool), in the lecture room (BEng programme), and ready-to-use 3D printed products. In educational toy applications, the effect of poor product designs that do not meet the children's dimensional and safety requirements can lead to injuries, development of musculoskeletal disorders and health problems, some of which may be experienced by the children when they grow up. In order to address the problem of poor design, measurements of anthropometric dimensions from male and female children, aging from 6 to 7 years old were taken and concepts for educational toys were then generated. Other practical applications of the 3D printing technology explored in the chapter are lecture room demonstrations, prototyping of design projects and a web-based mass-customization of office mini-storage products.
Facilitating Interaction Between Virtual Agents Through Negotiation Over Ontological Representation
Authors: McNeill Fiona
Published: June 2017

Fluent, effortless and diverse e-business transactions depend on the ability of automated agents to interact. The difficulties of tailoring representation and information to be consistent and therefore interoperable needs to fall not on human users but on these automated agents. In this paper, we present our system, ORS (Ontology Repair System), which is designed to be a tool for automated agents, acting on behalf of people or systems which need to interact, to enable them to understand one another, despite the fact that they are not centrally or consistently designed.
Electronic Payment Frameworks
Authors: Ruiz-Martínez Antonio , Tounekti Oussama , Gómez Skarmeta Antonio F.
Published: June 2017

This article presents what an electronic payment framework is, its main features and benefits, what the main electronic payment frameworks proposed so far are and, the current initiatives that are being developed. For each framework developed so far, the article presents its key features and differences with previous works. The presentation of the different frameworks proposed so far will allow the reader to understand the evolution of these frameworks and how different features have been incorporated along the time. Once previous works have been presented, the article introduces the most recent work in this field, that is, the work that is being developed by W3C with its Web Payment Activity Initiative. The article covers the different specifications that have been defined in this initiative and it analyses the main challenges to be address. Thus, the reader will have a broad vision of electronic payment frameworks.
Has Bitcoin Achieved the Characteristics of Money?
Authors: Loon Donovan Peter Chan Wai , Kumar Sameer
Published: June 2017

Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network that facilitates transactions between parties minus the proof requirement of an appointed third party; i.e. banks or financial institutions. Accurate understanding into the implementation of bitcoin can be acquired from data of the universal record of bitcoin transactions. Although, data from numerous websites show that bitcoin daily transactions count has reached capacities of tens of thousands, it is widely believed that most of these transactions comprise of activities between speculators, and only a few are actually used for trading of goods and services. The paper looks if bitcoin has achieved the characteristics of money. For it to survive, bitcoin must overcome the problems of its unconventional pricing mechanism, shortage of vendors who accept it, and the circuitous way of obtaining it.
New Advances in E-Commerce
Authors: Nagaty Khaled Ahmed
Published: June 2017

Advances in computers design and communication technology have lead to introduction of global, dynamic and intelligent e-business models and new tools for e-commerce. These models use artificial intelligence techniques and web2 technologies to perform online transactions between businesses and customers. As the number of clients over the Internet grows rapidly advanced intelligent e-business models are needed to efficiently respond to clients with an optimum selection for their requests. In B2C models there are a large numbers of buyers and sellers where buyers specify their preferences and sellers specify their products and selling prices. The major role of AI techniques in B2C e-commerce is to come up with the best match between a buyer and seller. In B2B the major role of AI techniques is supply chain management to help clients taking the right decisions. Modern tools used by intelligent E-commerce models include: algorithmic trading, decentralized autonomous corporations (DAC), crypto-currency systems, smart contracts, Internet of Things, cloud computing and big data analytics.
An Update on Bitcoin as a Digital Currency
Authors: Manrique Cecilia G. , Manrique Gabriel G.
Published: June 2017

The chapter entitled “The Evolution of Virtual Currencies: Analyzing the Case of Bitcoin” by Manrique and Manrique was recently published in the book Information and Communication Technologies in Public Administration. It was written at the height of the bitcoin controversy when its value skyrocketed and waned. More than a year has passed since research on that was undertaken and it seems that the issues with regards to bitcoin as a virtual acceptable currency has calmed down. It is the purpose of this paper to bring an update on the status of bitcoin as a currency and to determine its stability and ability to become a real currency.
The Impact of Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene on Electronics Industry
Authors: Vargas-Bernal Rafael , Herrera-Pérez Gabriel , Tecpoyotl-Torres Margarita
Published: June 2017

Since its discovery in 1991 and 2004, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by Sumio Iijima, and graphene by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov in 2004, these materials have been extensively studied around the world. Both materials have electronic, thermal, magnetic, optical, chemical, and mechanical extraordinary properties. International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has predicted that these nanomaterials are potential replacements of the conventional materials used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Two of the technological aspects that both materials share and have reduced their extensive use are processing and dispersion required to homogenize the electrical properties of the materials based on them. Fortunately, these problems are being solved thanks to the ongoing investigation, and in a short time the materials used in today's electronics industry will be replaced by devices based on these novel materials. The impact of the applications of both materials in the electronics industry, as well as future trends in the following decades are discussed in this paper.
Current Scenario of Youth Entrepreneurship in India
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: June 2017

Entrepreneurship is gaining added attention in the present economic predicament. Entrepreneurship is not only a key facet of economic dynamism but also an imperative for economic growth, productivity, innovation and employment. Hence, many countries have made entrepreneurship especially youth entrepreneurship an explicit policy priority. As globalisation reshapes the international economic landscape and technological change creates greater uncertainty in the world economy, youth entrepreneurship is believed to offer new ways to meet economic, social and environmental challenges. Entrepreneurship objectives and policies differ among countries, due to diverse perspectives and policy needs yet, youth unemployment is a cause of concern for many. Through grounded theory approach and based on review of policy documents and secondary data, the chapter aims to provide contemporary perspective on youth entrepreneurship with reference to India and hopes to enhance and bring improvement in the policies as ultimately, policy making must be guided, as far as possible, by evidence and facts.
Open Data and High-Tech Startups Towards Nascent Entrepreneurship Strategies
Authors: Kitsios Fotis , Kamariotou Maria
Published: June 2017

Open data are freely accessible online, available to be reused. They can be used for the development of applications which improve citizens' life. A way to boost the development of innovative applications is by hosting hackathons, workshops and conferences. Apparently, as far as entrepreneurship, open data impact on economic growth, innovation, empowerment and new or improved products and services. There is limited previous research not only on what motivates the developers to participate in open data competitions, but also on the benefits and challenges which are caused from the use of open data. Furthermore, researches focus on factors that affect nascent entrepreneurs' decision to create a startup but researchers in the field of open data and hackathons relative researches are limited. The purpose of this chapter is to present a theoretical framework in order to examine the impact of motivations, benefits and barriers of the use of open data in the participation in hackathons and to develop a startup based on their applications.
Science, Ethics, and Weapons Research
Authors: Forge John
Published: June 2017

If it were not for weapons research, there would be no predator drones or smart bombs or improvised explosive devices or assault rifles. The insurgents in the middle east and elsewhere would have no means to fight, and there would be no wars, large or small. The main issue for ethics and weapons research centres on the moral evaluation of this kind of activity: Is it ever morally justified to design the means to kill, harm and destroy, and if so, under precisely what circumstances? Turning to science and its relation to weapons research, the question here, leaving aside ethics for the moment, is the role that science plays in weapons research. Perhaps weapons research is a wholly (applied) scientific endeavour or perhaps science is a part of weapons research.
Clinical Use of Video Games
Authors: Tran Ben
Published: June 2017

In the United, despite the extreme popularity of video games among adolescents, however, researchers in the fields of developmental and social psychology examining video game have focused mainly on the association between video game use and negative outcomes, while research on positive outcomes is more limited. Video game, and the usage of video games, in (adolescent) therapy and (adolescent) psychotherapy is any but ubiquitous. The research and clinical potential for combining video games and the communicative possibilities of the internet are immense. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is on video game and their usages in (adolescent) therapy and psychotherapy. This chapter will cover the history of video games, video games in psychotherapy, and the different types of video games and their usages in psychotherapy.
Educational Serious Games Design
Authors: Karasavvidis Ilias
Published: June 2017

Serious games are defined as games in which learning has priority over entertainment. While the entertainment industry is characterized by an established game design paradigm, the foregrounding of learning in serious games creates new demands. The design of effective serious games requires the pooling of expertise from both game design professionals and learning sciences professionals. One of the main problems the field of serious game design faces concerns the disconnect between game design and learning design. Several serious game design models have been proposed to bridge this gap. As these models have not been systematically reviewed, their contribution is not known. The present chapter presents the state of the art for the field of serious game design and outlines five principal challenges. Next, 11 serious game design models are briefly introduced and reviewed. It is concluded that the degree to which the models meet the five challenges varies and that the field of serious game design is in a pre-paradigm state.
Geographic Information System (GIS) Modeling Analysis and the Effects of Spatial Distribution and Environmental Factors on Breast Cancer Incidence
Authors: Gasmelseed Akram , Alharbi Ali H.
Published: June 2017

Breast cancer is a public health problem among women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, about 40,290 women in the United States are expected to die in 2015 from breast cancer. This chapter contains an analysis of the breast cancer distribution in the United States by comparing the spatial distribution of breast cancer cases against physical environmental factors using Geographic Information System (GIS). Results show that the exposure to some spatial environmental factors seems likely to have a major impact on the overall trends in breast cancer rates. Moreover, the possibility to develop cancer is existing naturally through the environment factors.
Community Broadband Networks and the Opportunity for E-Government Services
Authors: Williams Idongesit
Published: June 2017

Community Broadband Networks (CBN) facilitate Broadband connectivity in underserved areas in many countries. The lack of Broadband connectivity is one of the reasons for the slow diffusion of e-government services in many countries.This article explains how CBNs can be enabled by governments to facilitate the delivery of e–government services in underserved areas in the developed and developing countries.The Community Based Broadband Mobilization (CBNM) models are used as explanatory tools.
Users Behavioral Intention Towards eGovernment in an African Developing Country
Authors: Taiwo Ayankunle A.
Published: June 2017

Ever since international emergence of the Internet, huge amounts of money have been invested on e-Government globally. Nevertheless, many African countries have recorded unsuccessful eGovernment initiatives. Optimal results are not exclusively dependent on technological innovation but combination of technologies and active participation of citizens. There is plethora of qualitative discussions on eGovernment with inadequate substantial quantitative study on the influence of trust on the adoption of eGovernment services in African developing economies. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the Web Trust model was integrated to investigate citizens' intention to use eGovernment services. Data relating to the constructs were collected from 310 respondents that participated in this study. Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectation, Facilitating Conditions and Trusting belief emerged as significant determinants of intention to use eGovernment services. Lastly, practical implications of the results are reported with discussion for further studies.
Maintenance Policies Optimization of Medical Equipment in a Health Care Organization
Authors: Roig Juan Ignacio , Gómez Andrés , Romero Isabel , Carnero María Carmen
Published: June 2017

The aim of this chapter is to minimize the corrective breakdowns produced in the electromedical equipment of a healthcare organization. To this, an optimization plan of maintenance policies will be developed. This plan includes the creation of preventive maintenance datasheets. The data used in this research has been obtained from the Computerized Maintenance Management System which owned by the healthcare organization. Different types of rankings have been made in the stocks to prioritize items by family of equipment and by average work orders by equipment generated. The maintenance tasks are optimized to preserve the satisfactory working conditions and the performance of equipment in the healthcare organization optimizing available resources. All of this is intended to anticipate the maintenance activity to breakdowns and to prevent the care quality from diminishing by increasing the patient waiting time by unavailability of medical equipment in the treatments and diagnostic tests.
Using Technology to Reduce a Healthcare Disparity
Authors: Wickramasinghe Nilmini
Published: June 2017

Superior healthcare delivery requires good communication. For people who have English as a second language this is particularly challenging. Given the advances in technology most especially with Web 2.0 and cloud computing, the following proffers a technology mediated solution to address communication barriers that results when delivering healthcare to non-English speakers or limited proficient english speaking patients. this solution serves to reduce healthcare disparities, satisfy Meaningful use requirements and provide superior healthcare delivery that is efficient, effective and efficacious.
International Students in Online Courses
Authors: Manzanares María Ángeles Rodriguez
Published: June 2017

Postsecondary institutions of education are recruiting higher numbers of international students. At the same time, they are increasing opportunities for students to participate in online courses. Despite these two current trends in postsecondary education, however, to date, little research has been conducted specifically on international students learning in online courses. The present article focuses on the few studies that have been conducted so far on this topic, with a focus on their findings.
Destination @-Branding of Ten European Capitals Through the Institutional Stems and Commercial Logos
Authors: Bocci Elena , Silvana de Rosa Annamaria , Dryjanska Laura
Published: June 2017

The research compares the social representations evoked by brands of the ten European Capitals (Rome, London, Paris, Helsinki, Vienna, Warsaw, Berlin, Madrid, Brussels and Lisbon) among potential first-visitors. The associative network technique has been applied using as iconic stimuli both the institutional stems and the commercial logos of each of the ten Capitals. Moreover, a grid has been created ad hoc to identify the distinctive elements of the institutional stems and the commercial logos. The analysis of the institutional stems resulted in detecting some elements that many cities have in common: textual elements (words written in Latin) as well as royal, military and symbolic elements, evoking especially mythological and historical aspects, narrating the history of the cities since their foundation. On the other hand, the commercial logos always include the names of the cities and as iconic urban narratives they use abstract signs to recall modern aspects and topicality of the brand. They meet the city's identity-related needs of “distinctiveness” and “recognition”.
Virtual Tourism and Its Potential for Tourism Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ankomah Paul , Larson Trent
Published: June 2017

Rapid growth of ICT has resulted in the development of innovative tools that could extend opportunities for tourism destination marketers and tourists. ICT-based tools expand the tourism product and tourism experience into the realm of Virtual Tourism (VT). Since the tourism product is intangible and cannot be pretested by tourists before purchase, VT makes it possible to sense the experience through Virtual Reality (VR). This chapter focuses on how VT could be explored to realize its full potential, particularly by Sub-Saharan African countries. The first section reviews the literature on VR and its relationship to VT and examines ICT components that support VR and VT. The second section explains reasons for interest in VT and identifies development efforts. The third section, examines tourist attractions that could be marketed as VT in the sub-region and also identifies markets. The fourth section identifies problems and makes suggestions to address problems in VT development. The fifth section recommends areas for VT research and the final section provides concluding remarks.
The Trajectivity of Virtual Worlds
Authors: Duret Christophe
Published: June 2017

This chapter will propose an ontology of virtual environments that calls into question the dichotomy between the real and the virtual. This will draw on the concepts of trajectivity and ‘médiance' in order to describe the way virtual environments, with their technological and symbolic features, take part in the construction of human environments. This theoretical proposition will be illustrated with the analysis of Arcadia, a virtual environment built in Second Life. Finally, a mesocriticism will be proposed as a new approach for the study of virtual environments.
Performance Appraisal
Authors: Patro Chandra Sekhar
Published: June 2017

Performance Appraisal is one of the multifaceted and controversial human resource tools. It plays an important role in evaluating job performance and setting job standards in any organization. In this contemporary state the organizations have become more enthusiastic to augment the performance of their employees, for this purpose the performance appraisal is considered to be the key instrument. Advent of new private sector organizations has given a cause to public sector organizations to be more competitive, effective and innovative in their approach. The main objective of the study is to pithily summarize the key elements that make employee performance appraisal an essential component of an effective system. This paper discusses the impact of the performance appraisal on the effectiveness of the employees and overall organizational productivity. It also explores the gaps in the implementation of the appraisal system in the organizations.
The Trends and Challenges of 3D Printing
Authors: Fang Edna Ho Chu , Kumar Sameer
Published: June 2017

3D printing is a type of additive manufacturing technology where a 3D object is created by laying down subsequent layers of material at the mm scale. It is also known as rapid prototyping. 3D printing is now applied in various industries such as footwear, jewelry, architecture, engineering and construction, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, consumer products, automotive and industrial design. Some claim that 3D printing will put an end to traditional manufacturing primarily since 3D printing imposes a tool-less process. Though 3D printing technology is used in weapon manufacturing, it is also being used to improve the lives of mankind. In the future, 3D printing will most probably be used to print human organs. The article discusses the trends and challenges faced by this exciting technology.
Information and Its Conceptual Perspectives
Authors: Rascão José Poças
Published: June 2017

Information has attributes/positivist concepts that some authors use to better understand it. Others are critical about information subjectivism. This chapter discusses conceptual perspectives of information. The aim is to study the concepts of information from some areas of knowledge of the social sciences, cognitive and business looking to propose a concept of information in the field of information science. The methodology of the study is formed by bibliographical research. It is concluded that the concept of information is still in full development.
Towards a General Theory of Information
Authors: Pană Laura L.
Published: June 2017

Contemporary society is an information society, based on Information Sciences and Information Technology. Technical information is therefore the most accessed and further promoted. This article aims to push toward completeness the study of information by analyzing the variety of information types and by presenting the hierarchy of information levels of existence. Specific features of natural, social and human information are highlighted. The internal information structure of distinct domains and levels of natural and social existence is explored. Information types such as structural information, systemic information, functional information or free information are characterized and defined, from various perspectives. An interdisciplinary study of information is thus accomplished, by using findings from several scientific and philosophical disciplines, from Information Epistemology or Information Aesthetics to Neuroinformatics and Neurorobotics. New research topics such as information values, information efficiency and information responsibility are proposed at the end of article.
Challenges in Collecting Qualitative Data for Information Systems Studies
Authors: Iyamu Tiko , Shaanika Irja Naambo
Published: June 2017

In recent years, there has been shift towards understanding why things happen in the way that they do, from the qualitative perspectives. However, the qualitative methods are sometimes considered either too trivial or difficult by many postgraduate students. This is attributed to fact that there is lack of formula or specific procedure in the application of the methods, which manifest from its subjective nature. The subjectivism makes it even more difficult during data collection and analysis, mainly because it requires special skills and knowledge to interrogate the subject within context. Many postgraduate students falls short in their attempts to exhume quality and rich data from the participants in their natural settings as they develop, implement, use and interact with systems. This is the main reason why two empirical studies of the same objectives could possibly produce different results.
Information Seeking Models in the Digital Age
Authors: Rather Mudasir Khazer , Ganaie Shabir Ahmad
Published: June 2017

A model may be defined as a structure for thinking about a problem and may evolve into a statement of the relationships among theoretical propositions. Most models of information behavior are generally the statements, often in the form of diagrams that attempt to explicate an information-seeking activity, the causes and consequences of that activity, or the relations among stages in information-seeking behavior. This chapter explores, introduces and discusses select information seeking models and explains various elements of each modal. Various online resources like database, research articles and other web tools will be accessed to retrieve relevant information related to the select models. Further, the chapter also focuses on the diagrammatic or pictorial representation of each model.
An Insight Into Deep Learning Architectures
Authors: Garg Nishu , P Nikhitha , Tripathy B. K.
Published: June 2017

Information retrieval can be visualized as the extraction of the desired information from the flooded resources that spread over World Wide Web. Image retrievals are the fundamental and critical problem that arises in the retrieval activities. In this regard, it is considered to be a challenging task which requires utmost care. Diverse characteristics of data such as noisy, heterogeneity impose a great barrier over image retrieval applications. This article aims to come up with a state of art approach for overcoming these problems by clubbing together widely recognized deep architecture along with natural language processing. This novel design methodology utilizes the latent query features, deep belief network, Restricted Boltzmann Machine for learning tasks. This collaborative work can be used to reduce the epoch in the learning periods whereas the rest of the methods fail to achieve the constraints.
Adaptive Networks for On-Chip Communication
Authors: Vestias Mário Pereira
Published: June 2017

The second generation of Network-on-Chips (NoC) are dynamic or adaptive providing a new set of benefits in terms of area overhead, performance, power consumption, fault tolerance and quality of service compared to the previous generation where the architecture is decided at design time. To improve resource efficiency and performance, the NoC must consider adaptive processes at several architectural levels, including the routing protocols, the router, the network interface and the network topology. This article focuses on adaptive Networks-on-Chip, namely adaptive topologies and adaptive routers.
ICT Standardization
Authors: Jakobs Kai
Published: June 2017

The article first looks at the links that exist between standards and standardization on the one hand and innovation and economics on the other. It then offers a brief description of a typical standards setting process. The complex ‘web' of Standards Setting Organizations in the ICT sector is discussed next. Subsequently, a flexible tool to describe the characteristics of an SSO is introduced. It can be deployed by firms to identify the SSO that is best suited for a planned standardization activity. This selection is only part of the fairly complex task of standardization management, which will be described next. Finally, the article will briefly discuss national standardization strategies.
Digital Video Watermarking Using Diverse Watermarking Schemes
Authors: Gupta Yash , Agrawal Shaila , Sengupta Susmit , Chakraborty Aruna
Published: June 2017

As the significance of the internet is increasing day by day so is the need of protecting the media over the internet. So in order to protect the copyright information of the media over the internet we use the technique of Watermarking. Watermarking is the process of embedding a watermark in the media and then extracting it for ownership verification. Different types of watermarking schemes exist in the world but we always look for techniques which are highly imperceptible and does not lead to loss of fidelity. Here the researchers have put forward a technique which instills different watermarking schemes to different set of frames.
Hexa-Dimension Code of Practice for Data Privacy Protection
Authors: Lee Wanbil William
Published: June 2017

Cyberspace inhabitants live under threat of a complex data privacy protection problem in a technology-dependent information-intensive phenomenon grown out of a vicious circle. The front-line Information security professionals are among the first to bear the brunt and are in dire need of guidance for enforcing effectively the policies and standards and mitigating the adverse consequences of data privacy breaches since the policy statements are invariably dated due to the rapid advances of the technology, limited to cope with techno-socio threats, inadequate to deal with the well-equipped and cunning cybercriminals, and vague and less than user-friendly, or simply difficult to absorb and follow. A framework that comprises the newly developed hexa-dimension code of practice based on the 6-dimension metric (represented by the LESTEF model) and an operationalization scheme are proposed, where the code in which the gist of the adopted policies is incorporated promises to be a handy reference or a quick guide capable of alleviating the information security staff's burden.
Usable Security
Authors: Atzeni Andrea , Faily Shamal , Galloni Ruggero
Published: June 2017

The increased availability of information and services has led to the affirmation of the Internet involvement of a large segment of the population. This implied a paradigm shift for computer security: users becomes less skilled and security aware, requiring easier interface to communicate with “the machine” and more specific and comprehensible security measures.This two aspects, which are by itself complex and challenging, have significant reciprocal influence. In practice, has been proven very intriguing to study and propose effective trade-offs among them. This chapter focus on these aspects, by analyzing the goals and state of the art of usability and security to understand where and how they might be effectively “aligned”.
Communities of Practice as a Source of Open Innovation
Authors: Tremblay Diane-Gabrielle
Published: June 2017

In this entry, we first define this new form of learning and knowledge management that is communities of practice. We present the concept as described by the creators of the concept but also comment on the role of these communities in organizational learning or informal learning. We follow with some of the results, centering on the conditions of success and challenges that emerge, as well as limits in the learning and sharing process, which are often underestimated. We highlight some results from a research on communities of practice in Canada, in particular the main conditions and challenges of such new modes of knowledge creation and management, which don't always work automatically. We compare these results to other recent research. Research clearly confirms that participants' commitment and motivation in the project, dynamism and continuity of leadership, organizational support and recognition of employees' involvement are the key elements in a community of practice, and they can contribute to open innovation.
Mobile Testing System for Developing Language Skills
Authors: Titova Svetlana
Published: June 2017

This paper investigates the pedagogical impact of both the mobile testing system PeLe and enquiry-based approach on language skills development in the context of mobile-assisted language learning. The study aims to work out a methodological framework for PeLe implementation into language classroom through immediate feedback and formative assessment. The framework was developed and pilot tested in a joint research project MobiLL by EFL teachers at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) and University College HiST (Norway). The analysis based on quantitative research data demonstrated that PeLe supported language classes resulted in language skill gains. The qualitative data analysis highlighted the positive effect of mobile formative assessment and of post-test activities on learner motivation and collaboration skills. This study suggests that the use of technology was effective in engaging students in enquiry-based tasks to cultivate collaboration.
Change Leadership Styles and Behaviors in Academic Libraries
Authors: Lewis John Kennedy
Published: June 2017

Academic libraries in the 21st century are in the midst of constant and tumultuous change caused by advances in technology, shifting demands of faculty and students, declining budgets, and transformations in publishing and in other methods of acquiring scholarly research. Librarians working in this environment must cope with continuous change while still providing research support to their primary clientele - faculty and students. This chapter addresses the research on change leadership styles and behaviors employed by leaders in academic libraries today. Included in the chapter are reinforcement and transactional leadership, consultative and participatory leadership, participatory and transformational leadership, shared leadership and self-leadership. The chapter concludes with a review of areas in need of future research.