bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Joint Validation of Application Models and Multi-Abstraction Network-on-Chip Platforms
Authors: Määttä Sanna , Möller Leandro , Indrusiak Leandro Soares , Ost Luciano , Glesner Manfred , Nurmi Jari , Moraes Fernando
Published: April 2010

Application models are often disregarded during the design of multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC). This is due to the difficulties of capturing the application constraints and applying them to the design space exploration of the platform. In this article we propose an application modelling formalism that supports joint validation of application and platform models. To support designers on the trade-off analysis between accuracy, observability, and validation speed, we show that this approach can handle the successive refinement of platform models at multiple abstraction levels. A case study of the joint validation of a single application successively mapped onto three different platform models demonstrates the applicability of the presented approach.
Determinants of Goal-Directed Mobile Ticketing Service Adoption Among Internet Users
Authors: Wang Shen-Yao , Lie Ting
Published: April 2010

This study aims to understand the driving factors that influence the attitudes and behavioral intention to adopt mobile ticketing services, a new mobile Internet service in Taiwan applying the Theory of Planned Behavior. Empirical findings suggest that the intention to adopt the mobile ticketing service is significantly affected by the attitude towards the service, as well as the self-efficacy and controllability of adopting the mobile ticketing service. Attitude towards using the mobile ticketing service is significantly influenced by perceived usefulness and perceived monetary value of the service, whereas perceived usefulness is significantly affected by the perceived ease of use of the mobile ticketing service. Implications of this study and directions for future research are discussed.
Exploring Cognitive Load in Immersive Educational Games
Authors: Nelson Brian C. , Ketelhut Diane Jass , Schifter Catherine
Published: April 2010

SAVE Science is a research project focused on creating an innovative model for assessment of learning in STEM. In SAVE Science, we are implementing game-like modules for evaluating science content and inquiry in grades 7-8, using an assessment rubric of student interactions in a virtual environment designed to capture evolving patterns of scientific understanding among students. We are also investigating two “conditions for success” for virtual environment-based assessment: managing the effects of cognitive load students experience in complex virtual environments, and helping teachers integrate technology into their pedagogy. In this paper, we provide an overview of our design approaches aimed at helping students manage the high levels of cognitive load they report experiencing in virtual environments. By reducing the perceived complexity of virtual environment-based assessments, we hypothesize that learners will be better able to attend to the processes associated with the assessments, leading to more accurate evidentiary data.
Multi-Modal Investigations of Relationship Play in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Kafai Yasmin B. , Fields Deborah , Searle Kristin A.
Published: April 2010

Millions of youth have joined virtual worlds to hang out with each other. However, capturing their interactions is no easy feat given the complexity of virtual worlds, their 24/7 availability, and distributed access from different places. In this paper, we illustrate what different methods can reveal about the dating and flirting practices of tweens in Whyville.net, a virtual world with over 1.5 million registered players in 2005 between the ages 8-16 years old. We compare findings from analyses of tweens’ newspaper writings, chat records, and logfile data. Our analysis demonstrates the mixed attitudes toward flirting on Whyville and the pervasiveness of flirting as a whole, as well as the breadth and selectivity of tweens’ adoption of flirting practices. We discuss how our multi-modal investigation reveals individual variation and development across practices and suggests that player expertise might contribute to the striking contrast between formal writing about dating and the frequency of it on the site. Finally, we discuss the limitations of our methodological approaches and suggest that our findings are limited to a particular space and time in the existence of Whyville and the tweens who populate it.
A Next Gen Interface for Embodied Learning
Authors: Birchfield David , Johnson-Glenberg Mina
Published: April 2010

Emerging research from the learning sciences and human-computer interaction supports the premise that learning is effective when it is embodied, collaborative, and multimodal. In response, we have developed a mixed-reality environment called the Situated Multimedia Arts Learning Laboratory (SMALLab). SMALLab enables multiple students to interact with one another and digitally mediated elements via 3D movements and gestures in real physical space. It uses 3D object tracking, real time graphics, and surround-sound to enhance learning. We present two studies from the earth science domain that address questions regarding the feasibility and efficacy of SMALLab in a classroom context. We present data demonstrating that students learn more during a recent SMALLab intervention compared to regular classroom instruction. We contend that well-designed, mixed-reality environments have much to offer STEM learners, and that the learning gains transcend those that can be expected from more traditional classroom procedures.
Living Virtually
Authors: Gibson David
Published: April 2010

Book Review
A Site Specific Study on Evaluation of Design Ground Motion Parameters
Authors: Boominathan A. , Krishna Kumar S.
Published: April 2010

Design ground motions are usually developed by one of the two approaches: site-specific analyses or from provisions of building codes. Although contemporary codes do consider approximately the site effects, they provide more conservative estimates. Hence it is preferred to carry out site specific analysis which involves both the seismic hazard analysis and ground response analysis. This article presents a site specific analysis for a seismically vulnerable site near Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The seismic hazard analysis was carried out by DSHA approach considering seismicity and seismotectonics within 250km radius. The site is predominantly characterized by deep stiff sandy clay deposits. Extensive shear wave velocity measurement by cross hole test is used for site classification and ground response analysis. The ground response analysis was carried out by equivalent linear approach using SHAKE2000. It is found that the deep stiff soil site considered is found to amplify the ground motion. The site specific response spectra obtained from RRS analysis is compared with the codal provision which reveals high spectral acceleration in site specific spectra for mid period range.
Dem Simulations in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Education
Authors: Vinod J. S.
Published: April 2010

Behaviour of geotechnical material is very complex. Most of the theoretical frame work to understand the behaviour of geotechnical materials under different loading conditions depends on the strong background of the basic civil engineering subjects and advanced mathematics. However, it is fact that the complete behaviour of geotechnical material cannot be traced within theoretical framework. Recently, computational models based on Finite Element Method (FEM) are used to understand the behaviour of geotechnical problems. FEM models are quite complex and is of little interest to undergraduate students. A simple computational tool developed using Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the laboratory experiments will be cutting edge research for geotechnical earthquake engineering education. This article summarizes the potential of DEM to simulate the cyclic triaxial behaviour of granular materials under complex loading conditions. It is shown that DEM is capable of simulating the cyclic behavior of granular materials (e.g. undrained, liquefaction and post liquefaction) similar to the laboratory experiments.
Effect of Superstructure Stiffness on Liquefaction-Induced Failure Mechanisms
Authors: Madabhushi S.P.G. , Haigh S.K.
Published: April 2010

Soil liquefaction following strong earthquakes causes extensive damage to civil engineering structures. Foundations of buildings, bridges etc can suffer excessive rotation/settlement due to liquefaction. Many of the recent earthquakes bear testimony for such damage. In this article a hypothesis that “Superstructure stiffness can determine the type of liquefaction-induced failure mechanism suffered by the foundations” is proposed. As a rider to this hypothesis, it will be argued that liquefaction will cause failure of a foundation system in a mode of failure that offers least resistance. Evidence will be offered in terms of field observations during the 921 Ji-Ji earthquake in 1999 in Taiwan and Bhuj earthquake of 2001 in India. Dynamic centrifuge test data and finite element analyses results are presented to illustrate the traditional failure mechanisms.
Blast Induced Damage Due to Repeated Vibrations in Jointed Gneiss Rock Formation
Authors: Ramulu M. , Sitharam T. G.
Published: April 2010

Blasting is the most common method of rock excavation technique in mining and civil construction and infrastructure projects. Rock blasting produces seismic waves similar to those produced by earthquakes, but with relatively high frequency and low amplitude. General blast induced damage was extensively studied by researchers globally, but the studies on damage due to repeated blast vibrations is not yet reported, quantitatively, on underground openings. This paper deals with the research work carried on the effect of repeated dynamic loading imparted on the jointed rock mass from subsequent blasts in the vicinity, on the jointed rock mass at Lohari Nag Pala Hydroelectric Power Construction Project. The blast induced damage was monitored by borehole extensometers, borehole camera inspection surveys and triaxial geophones installed at three test sites of different joint orientations at the Main Access Tunnel of power house. The study reveals that there was extra damage of 60%, exclusively due to repeated blast vibrations. The results of the study indicate that repeated dynamic loading, resulted in damage even at 33% of the conventional damage threshold vibrations (Vc) in case of favorable joint orientations and 23% of Vc in case of unfavorable joints. The paper concludes in quantification of effect of repeated blast loading and the orientation of joints on the extension of damage zone in jointed rock mass of underground excavations.
Peer-to-Peer Desktop Grids Based on an Adaptive Decentralized Scheduling Mechanism
Authors: Ali H. Arafat , Saleh A.I. , Sarhan Amany M. , Azab Abdulrahman A.
Published: April 2010

This article proposes an adaptive fuzzy logic based decentralized scheduling mechanism that will be suitable for dynamic computing environment in which matchmaking is achieved between resource requirements of outstanding tasks and resource capabilities of available workers. Feasibility of the proposed method is done via real time system. Experimental results show that implementing the proposed fuzzy matchmaking based scheduling mechanism maximized the resource utilization of executing workers without exceeding the maximum execution time of the task. It is concluded that the efficiency of FMA-based decentralized scheduling, in the case of parallel execution, is reduced by increasing the number of subtasks.
Modeling Scalable Grid Information Services with Colored Petri Nets
Authors: Sahota Vijay , Li Maozhen , Hadjinicolaou Marios
Published: April 2010

Information services play a crucial role in grid computing environments in that the state information of a grid system can be used to facilitate the discovery of resources and services available to meet user requirements and help tune the performance of the grid. This article models PIndex, which is a grouped peer-to-peer network with Colored Petri Nets (CPNs) for scalable grid information services. Based on the CPN model, a simulator is implemented for PIndex simulation and performance evaluation. The correctness of the simulator is further verified by comparing the results computed from the CPN model with the results generated by the PIndex simulator.
Untangling the Web of Relationships Between Wealth, Culture, and Global Software Piracy Rates
Authors: Moores Trevor T.
Published: April 2010

This article examines the relationship between Hofstede’s national culture indices (IDV, PSI, MAS, and UAI), economic wealth (GNI), and national software piracy rates (SPR). Although a number of studies have already examined this relationship, the contribution of this article is two-fold. First, we develop a path model that highlights not only the key factors that promote software piracy, but also the inter-relationships between these factors. Second, most studies have used the dataset from the pre-2003 methodology which only accounted for business software and did not take into account local market conditions. Using the latest dataset and a large sample of countries (n=61) we find there is an important triadic relationship between PDI, IDV, and GNI that explains over 80% of the variance in software piracy rates. Implications for combating software piracy are discussed.
Is ICT the Key to Development?
Authors: Gholami Roya , Higón Dolores Añón , Hanafizadeh Payam , Emrouznejad Ali
Published: April 2010

Using panel data for 52 developed and developing countries over the period 1998-2006, this article examines the links between information and communication technology diffusion and human development. We conducted a panel regression analysis of the investments per capita in healthcare, education and information and communication technology against human development index scores. Using a quantile regression approach, our findings suggest that changes in healthcare, education and information and communication technology provision have a stronger impact on human development index scores for less developed than for highly developed countries. Furthermore, at lower levels of development education fosters development directly and also indirectly through their enhanced effects on ICT. At higher levels of development education has only an indirect effect on development through the return to ICT.
Human Capital Management Process Based on Information Technology Models and Governance
Authors: Galinec Darko
Published: April 2010

Human capital management (HCM) inside large systems is very complex and demanding, to achieve successful accomplishment high quality information support is necessary. There are many cases where human capital management process is not conducted in a satisfactory way. Key decisions usually come late, very often because of impossibility to consider a problem in its entirety. The cause of it usually lies in weakness and understatement of the human capital management itself and in this connection data management is not given adequate consideration. Data originating from inside and outside sources within information system (IS) are not integrated in a way which will provide an optimal use. In this connection, this article examines possibilities to innovate the entire human capital management process through the integration of respective data. Data warehousing (DW) possibilities and position within the integral business intelligence (BI) concept are noted as a first step towards its realization. In this article the necessity to innovate and promote permanently the quality of human capital management process is considered; the main features of the process are given as well. Business process innovation (BPI) as a systematic approach with a view to achieve significant business process change is presented; its connection with data aspect of IS is given too. According to the research of this article, HCM BPI is achieved by the data integration within existing IS. DW model intended for HCM has been elaborated as a solution which will innovate the process itself. The position and the role of DW within entire BI organization concept have been established as well. Finally, the benefits achieved by the research are explained.
A Personal Handheld Device to Support People with Life-Threatening Anaphylactic Allergies (PervaLaxis)
Authors: Hernandez Munoz Luis U. , Woolley Sandra I.
Published: April 2010

This paper presents PervaLaxis, a personal mobile health device designed to help anaphylactic people manage their life-threatening allergies. PervaLaxis was designed to support allergic patients both in everyday life and in emergency scenarios where an injection of adrenaline may be vital. PervaLaxis is implemented on a Smartphone platform and communicates wirelessly with adrenaline injectors. In emergency scenarios, PervaLaxis can detect an injection of adrenaline and send a message automatically to emergency services; in normal life PervaLaxis can support adrenaline injector training, for example with video demonstrations and can support medication management, for instance, managing adrenaline expiration dates. In this paper we present user requirements and evaluation results for PervaLaxis, furthermore we explore the issues associated with the patient-oriented focus of the device (as opposed to health devices designed for expert use) and how this could benefit personal health management. We evaluate usability performance and propose directions for future work based on user feedback.
Enterprise Network Packet Filtering for Mobile Cryptographic Identities
Authors: Lindqvist Janne , Vehmersalo Essi , Komu Miika , Manner Jukka
Published: April 2010

Firewalls are an essential component of the Internet and enterprise network security policy enforcement today. The configurations of enterprise firewalls are typically rather static. Even if client’s IP addresses can be dynamically added to the packet filtering rules, the services allowed through the firewall are commonly still fixed. In this paper, we present a transparent firewall configuration solution based on mobile cryptographic identifiers of Host Identity Protocol (HIP). HIP allows a client to protect the data transfer with IPsec ESP, and supports dynamic address changes for mobile clients. The HIP-based firewall learns the identity of a client when it communicates with the server over HIP. The firewall configures the necessary rules based on HIP control messages passing through the firewall. The solution is secure and flexible, and introduces only minimal latency to the initial HIP connection establishment.
SMART
Authors: Pino Esteban , Curtis Dorothy , Stair Thomas , Ohno-Machado Lucila
Published: April 2010

Patient monitoring is important in many contexts: at mass-casualty disaster sites, in improvised emergency wards, and in emergency room waiting areas. Given the positive history of use of monitoring systems in the hospital during surgery, in the recovery room, or in an intensive care unit, the authors sought to use recent technological advances to enable patient monitoring in more diverse circumstances: at home, while traveling, and in some less well-monitored areas of a hospital. This paper presents the authors’ experiences designing, implementing and deploying a wireless disaster management system prototype in a real hospital environment. In addition to a review of related systems, the sensors, algorithms and infrastructure used in our implementation are presented. Finally, general guidelines for ubiquitous methodologies and tools are shared based on the lessons learned from the actual implementation.
A Review of Wireless Sensor Networks for Wellness Monitoring in Residential Aged Care
Authors: Chan Leroy Lai Yu , Celler Branko George , Zhang James Zhaonan , Lovell Nigel Hamilton
Published: April 2010

With the increasing shift in the population profile to the older demographic and rising healthcare costs, it is more critical for developed countries to deliver long-term and financially sustainable healthcare services, especially in the area of residential aged care. A consensus exists that innovations in the area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are key enabling technologies for reaching this goal. The major focus of this article is WSN design considerations for ubiquitous wellness monitoring systems in residential aged care facilities. Major enabling technologies for building a pervasive WSN will be detailed, including descriptions on sensor design, wireless communication protocols and network topologies. Also examined are data processing methods and knowledge management tools to support the collection of sensor data and their subsequent analysis for health assessment. To introduce future healthcare reform in residential aged care, two aspects of wellness monitoring, vital signs and activities of daily living (ADL) monitoring, will be discussed.
Nursing Homes and E-health
Authors: Xie Shuyan , Xiao Yang , Chen Hsiao-Hwa
Published: April 2010

A nursing home provides skilled nursing care and rehabilitation services to people with illnesses, injuries or functional disabilities, but most facilities serve the elderly. Nursing homes provide various services for different residents’ needs, including daily care, assistance for the mentally disabled, and drug rehabilitation. The levels of care and quality of care provided by nursing homes have increased significantly over the past decade. The trend is toward continuous quality development and resident satisfaction; therefore, healthcare technology plays a significant role in nursing home operations. This article discusses general information about current nursing home conditions and systems in the United States and explores how technology and e-health help improve the nursing home development based on the present needs and trends. The authors also report on Thomasville Nursing Home, discussing current trends in nursing home technologies.
Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Computer Information Systems
Authors: McDermid Donald C. , Kristjanson Linda J , Spry Nigel
Published: April 2010

This study explores the issues and barriers to developing a sustainable system for the collection of quality of life data in hospitals. A set of sustainability factors was identified and tested in a study that introduced tablet computers to collect questionnaires from cancer patients. These factors are considered a good starting point for practitioners and researchers to use in other IT contexts if they wish to develop sustainable information systems.
Measuring the Effects of Information Systems on the Performance of Operating Rooms (OR)
Authors: Harison Elad , Berghout Egon
Published: April 2010

The paper applies various qualitative and quantitative methods to measure the influence of information technology on the performance of operating rooms (ORs). It provides a comprehensive set of indicators to evaluate the impact of IT on the quality, efficiency and performance of ORs. This set of indicators was further enriched by conducting interviews with hospital professionals. The result is a new set of performance indicators, divided into five major categories: productivity, efficiency, quality, cost savings and employee satisfaction. This set of indicators serves as a basis for a weighed performance model that can be applied as a useful tool for selecting new OR information systems. Additionally, the model can be used for improving existing applications. The research identifies time registration, integration with the medical and financial systems of the hospital and production of activity queries and reports as the most common functions of ORs systems. However, despite their potential to contribute to productivity, efficiency and quality of ORs, automatic conflict recognition, material and personnel planning are less frequently applied by hospitals. Finally, the paper highlights the links between efficient use of OR systems, larger volumes of operations and higher occupation rates, and assists in identifying positive effects of systems used in ORs on their performance.
Application of Adaptive Resonance Theory Neural Network for MR Brain Tumor Image Classification
Authors: Jude Hemanth D. , Selvathi D. , Anitha J.
Published: April 2010

In the present study, the effectiveness of the adaptive resonance theory neural network (ART2) is illustrated in the context of automatic classification of abnormal brain tumor images. Abnormal images from four different classes namely metastase, meningioma, glioma and astrocytoma have been used in this work. Initially, textural features are extracted from these images. An extensive feature selection is performed to optimize the number of features. These optimized features are then used to classify the images using ART2 neural network. Experimental results show promising results for the ART2 network in terms of classification accuracy and convergence rate. A comparison is made with other conventional classifiers to show the superior nature of ART2 neural network. The classification accuracy of the ART2 classifier is significantly higher than the statistical classifiers. ART2 classifier is also computationally feasible over other neural classifiers. Thus this work suggests ART2 neural network as an optimal image classifier which finds application in clinical field.
Digital Video Presentation and Student Performance
Authors: Raven Arjan , Leeds Elke , Park ChongWoo
Published: April 2010

This paper reports the results of a confirmatory study of a Task Technology Fit (TTF) model. Three dimensions of fit:Task Match, Ease of Use, and Ease of Learning, are applied in the context of digital video tools use for oral presentation in a classroom environment. Students completed a digital video presentation that acted as a substitute for an in-class oral presentation. An existing survey instrument was adapted, and administered to the students to examine the impact on presentation skill and fit to task. Results confirm the adaptation of the TTF model and show significant relationships between variables. The model can be used in other task/technology combinations. Additional findings suggest that when there is a significant fit between digital video tools (technology) and improvement of oral presentation skills (task), student performance also improves. Digital video can be a useful alternative to in-class presentation when the goal is to improve presentation skill.
User Interface Design Pedagogy
Authors: Khoo Benjamin K.S.
Published: April 2010

A major limitation in traditional class lectures that uses textbooks, handouts, transparencies and assignments is that students often are unable to “experience” user interface design. This limitation can be overcome by using the constructionist approach that allow students to experience user interface design by allowing them to “do” or “construct” so that they can understand and remember. This paper describes an Internet-based interactive case scenario that was developed, based on the constructionist approach, to teach students user interface design concepts in conjunction with the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS). A proof of concept evaluation was conducted and the results indicate that this approach is effective in user interface design pedagogy.
Automatic Language Translation for Mobile SMS
Authors: Samanta S. K. , Achilleos A. , Moiron S. , Woods J. , Ghanbari M.
Published: April 2010

In any form of communication it is vital that both parties can understand the same language, if they cannot a translator is required. Currently mobile users engage the service of a third party provider to translate an SMS text into a different language. The existing services have a number of drawbacks e.g. high cost to the user, not user friendly, they reduce the message space, and are inefficient. To communicate with a foreign person the sender must know the recipients preferred language and device display capability. What is needed is a service where a sender can send message in their native language without regard for the target tongue. We show that a mobile operator can provide a transparent service where the text message is automatically converted to the recipients preferred language. In comparison to the existing system, our implementation is efficient and cost effective and has large implications for commerce, language learning and person-to-person communication. A large number of services such as health care management, education, emergency notification, news, weather, and traffic reports and commerce applications can be delivered to vast mobile populations who are not able to enjoy the benefit of these services due to language barriers.
Direct Taxation and E-Commerce
Authors: Basu Subhajit
Published: April 2010

E-commerce poses significant challenges for existing tax rules. One of the most important effects of e-commerce has been to de-emphasise the significance of the place where economic activity is carried out, which makes it difficult to determine which jurisdiction has the right to tax. It has also blurred the traditional distinction between the form of delivery and the substance of what is delivered. Thus, the specific tax implications of e-commerce and the threat it imposes on the established tax systems can be examined by reference to how much e-commerce tends to disrupt the concepts and principles of direct taxation and international tax treaty rules. This article explores the effect of e-commerce on the principles of direct taxation. The question is should the tax system of the future be developed at a national or an international level?
Supply Chain Management in the Context of Economic Area
Authors: Rusko Rauno
Published: April 2010

This study introduces geographical viewpoints for supply chain management (SCM) focusing on the branch of information communication technology (ICT) in the case of city and region of Oulu. The City of Oulu is a remarkable planning and administration centre of ICT branch in Finland. In this study we—instead of using commonly used cluster or resource dependence theories—utilize SCM framework to describe the development and path-dependence of knowledge-intensive geographical area, which is specialized in high tech or actually ICT business. In the context of geographical analysis, or of geographical economics, SCM is less-used viewpoint. This case study shows that SCM, and especially strategic level SC endowment viewpoint (introduced initially in Rusko, Kylänen & Saari, 2009), is valuable and useful tool in analysing the geo-economic development and pathdependence of a high tech centre. As a result, we notice that the development of Oulu is based on the development of SC endowment connected with amounts of talents and also multi-dimensional coopetition. One essential result is the observed erosion in the SC endowment of high tech Oulu, which sets remarkable challenges for city planning.
A Model to Increase the Efficiency of a Competence-Based Collaborative Network
Authors: Baffo Ilaria , Confessore Giuseppe
Published: April 2010

This article provides a model based on the Multi Agent System (MAS) paradigm that acts as a methodological basis for evaluating the dynamics in a collaborative environment. The model dynamics is strictly driven by the competence concept. In the provided MAS, the agents represent the actors operating on a given area. In particular, the proposed agents are composed of three distinct typologies: (i) the territorial agent, (ii) the enterprise agent, and (iii) the public agent. Each agent has its local information and goals, and interacts with others by using an interaction protocol. The decision-making processes and the competencies characterize in a specific way each one of the different agent typologies working in the system.
The Use of Social Media in Disaster Situations
Authors: Lang Guido , Benbunan-Fich Raquel
Published: April 2010

Recent disasters highlight the importance of social media supporting critical information gathering and dissemination efforts by members of the public. Given that disasters pose unique challenges and social media are evolving rapidly, how can one compare the effectiveness of social media in different disaster situations? Drawing from prior work on e-participation, this article proposes a novel framework for social media use based on four key modules: selection, facilitation, deliberation, and aggregation. A comparative analysis of social media use following a man-made disaster (the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy) and during a natural disaster (the 2009 Britain blizzard) exemplifies the value of the proposed framework. Future research can build on and leverage the present work by analyzing and incorporating additional cases on the use of social media in disaster situations.
A Look Behind Conceptual Modeling Constructs in Information System Analysis and Design
Authors: Gustas Remigijus
Published: April 2010

Information systems can be conceptualized in a number of ways. Most methodologies propose to analyze separately process and data semantics by projecting them into totally different diagram types. This system analysis and design tradition is very strong in most modeling approaches such as structured analysis as well as object-oriented design. Structural and behavioral aspects are complementary. They cannot be analyzed in isolation. Lack of a conceptual modeling approach, which can be used for verification of semantic integrity among various types of diagrams, is the cornerstone of frustration for information system architects. Inconsistency, incompleteness and ambiguity of conceptual views create difficulties in verification and validation of technical system architectures by business experts, who determine the organizational strategies. Consequently, the traditional information system methodologies are not able to bridge a communication gap among business experts and IT-system designers. Various interpretations of semantic relations in conceptual modeling approaches make the system analysis and design process more art than science. It creates difficulties to formulate comprehensible principles of decomposition and separation of concerns. Unambiguous definition of aggregation and generalization is necessary for breaking down information system functionality into coherent non-overlapping components. This article concentrates on conceptual modeling enhancements, which help to avoid semantic integrity problems in conceptualizations on various levels of abstraction. The presented conceptual modeling approach is based on a single type of diagram, which can be used for reasoning on semantic integrity between business process and data across organizational and technical system boundaries.
Preserving Privacy in Mining Quantitative Associations Rules
Authors: Ahluwalia Madhu V. , Gangopadhyay Aryya , Chen Zhiyuan
Published: April 2010

Association rule mining is an important data mining method that has been studied extensively by the academic community and has been applied in practice. In the context of association rule mining, the state-of-the-art in privacy preserving data mining provides solutions for categorical and Boolean association rules but not for quantitative association rules. This article fills this gap by describing a method based on discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to protect input data privacy while preserving data mining patterns for association rules. A comparison with an existing kd-tree based transform shows that the DWT-based method fares better in terms of efficiency, preserving patterns, and privacy.
PAKE on the Web
Authors: Wang Xunhua , Lin Hua
Published: April 2010

Unlike existing password authentication mechanisms on the web that use passwords for client-side authentication only, password-authenticated key exchange (PAKE) protocols provide mutual authentication. In this article, we present an architecture to integrate existing PAKE protocols to the web. Our integration design consists of the client-side part and the server-side part. First, we implement the PAKE client-side functionality with a web browser plug-in, which provides a secure implementation base. The plug-in has a log-in window that can be customized by a user when the plug-in is installed. By checking the user-specific information in a log-in window, an ordinary user can easily detect a fake log-in window created by mobile code. The server-side integration comprises a web interface and a PAKE server. After a successful PAKE mutual authentication, the PAKE plug-in receives a one-time ticket and passes it to the web browser. The web browser authenticates itself by presenting this ticket over HTTPS to the web server. The plug-in then fades away and subsequent web browsing remains the same as usual, requiring no extra user education. Our integration design supports centralized log-ins for web applications from different web sites, making it appropriate for digital identity management. A prototype is developed to validate our design. Since PAKE protocols use passwords for mutual authentication, we believe that the deployment of this design will significantly mitigate the risk of phishing attacks.
Three Models to Measure Information Security Compliance
Authors: Al-Hamdani Wasim A
Published: April 2010

This work introduces three models to measure information security compliance. These are the cardinality model, the second’s model, which is based on vector space, and the last model is based on the priority principle. Each of these models will be presented with definitions, basic operations, and examples. All three models are based on a new theory to understand information security called the Information Security Sets Theory (ISST). The ISST is based on four basic sets: external sets, local strategy sets, local standard sets, and local implementation sets. It should be noted that two sets are used to create local standard sets—local expansion and local creation. The major differences between the Zermelo Fraenkel set theory and the ISST are the elimination of using empty element and empty set. This assumption is based on “there is not empty security” measure and the is substituted to be and is defined as “minimum security (or system default security)”. The main objective of this article is to achieve new modeling system for information security compliance. The compliance measurement is defined in the first model as the cardinality between local strategy sets and the actual local implementation. The second model is looking at the security compliance as the angle between two sets, local implementation and local standard. The third model is based on the priority philosophy for local security standard.
Do You Know Where Your Data Is? A Study of the Effect of Enforcement Strategies on Privacy Policies
Authors: Reay Ian , Beatty Patricia , Dick Scott , Miller James
Published: April 2010

Numerous countries around the world have enacted privacy-protection legislation, in an effort to protect their citizens and instill confidence in the valuable business-to-consumer E-commerce industry. These laws will be most effective if and when they establish a standard of practice that consumers can use as a guideline for the future behavior of e-commerce vendors. However, while privacy-protection laws share many similarities, the enforcement mechanisms supporting them vary hugely. Furthermore, it is unclear which (if any) of these mechanisms are effective in promoting a standard of practice that fits with the social norms of those countries. We present a large-scale empirical study of the role of legal enforcement in standardizing privacy protection on the Internet. Our study is based on an automated analysis of documents posted on the 100,000 most popular websites (as ranked by Alexa.com). We find that legal frameworks have had little success in creating standard practices for privacy-sensitive actions.
Security and Privacy Issues in Secure E-Mail Standards and Services
Authors: Chen Lei , Hu Wen-Chen , Yang Ming , Zhang Lei
Published: April 2010

Secure e-mail standards, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure / Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME), apply cryptographic algorithms to provide secure and private e-mail services over the public Internet. In this article, we first review a number of cryptographic ciphers, trust and certificate systems, and key management systems and infrastructures widely used in secure e-mail standards and services. We then focus on the discussion of several essential security and privacy issues, such as cryptographic cipher selection and operation sequences, in both PGP and S/MIME. This work tries to provide readers a comprehensive impression of the security and privacy provided in the current secure e-mail services.
Applied Cryptography for Security and Privacy in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Kar Dulal C. , Ngo Hung L. , Sanapala Geetha
Published: April 2010

It is challenging to secure a wireless sensor network (WSN) because its inexpensive, tiny sensor nodes do not have the necessary processing capability, memory capacity, and battery life to take advantage of the existing security solutions for traditional networks. Existing security solutions for wireless sensor networks are mostly based on symmetric key cryptography with the assumption that sensor nodes are embedded with secret, temporary startup keys before deployment thus avoiding any use of computationally demanding public key algorithms altogether. However, symmetric key cryptography alone cannot satisfactorily provide all security needs for wireless sensor networks. It is still problematic to replenish an operational wireless sensor network with new sensor nodes securely. Current research on public key cryptography for WSNs shows some promising results, particularly in the use of elliptic curve cryptography and identity based encryption for WSNs. Although security is essential for WSNs, it can complicate some crucial operations of a WSN like data aggregation or in-network data processing that can be affected by a particular security protocol. Accordingly, in this paper, we summarize, discuss, and evaluate recent symmetric key based results reported in literature on sensor network security protocols such as for key establishment, random key pre-distribution, data confidentiality, data integrity, and broadcast authentication as well as expose limitations and issues related to those solutions for WSNs. We also present significant advancement in public key cryptography for WSNs with promising results from elliptic curve cryptography and identity based encryption as well as their limitations for WSNs.
Cloak and Dagger
Authors: Thurimella Ramakrishna , Mitchell William
Published: April 2010

One of the most devastating forms of attack on a computer is when the victim doesn’t even know an attack occurred. After some background material, various forms of man in the middle (MITM) attacks, including ARP spoofing, fake SSL certificates, and bypassing SSL are explored. Next, rootkits and botnets, two key pieces of crimeware, are introduced and analyzed. Finally, general strategies to protect against such attacks are suggested.
Fair Electronic Exchange Based on Fingerprint Biometrics
Authors: Bedi Harkeerat , Yang Li
Published: April 2010

Fair exchange between two parties can be defined as an instance of exchange such that either both parties obtain what they expected or neither one does. Protocols that facilitate such transactions are known as “fair exchange protocols”. We analyze one such protocol by Micali that demonstrates fair contract signing, where two parties exchange their commitments over an already negotiated contract. In this journal we show that Micali’s protocol is not completely fair and demonstrate the possibilities for one party cheating by obtaining the other party’s commitment and not offer theirs. A revised version of this protocol by Bao provides superior fairness by handling the above mentioned weakness but fails to handle the possibility of a replay attack. Our proposed protocol improves upon Bao’s protocol by addressing the weakness that leads to a replay attack. We also demonstrate a software implementation of our system which provides fair contract signing along with properties like user authentication achieved through the use of a fingerprint based authentication system and features like confidentiality, data-integrity and non-repudiation through implementation of hybrid cryptography and digital signatures algorithms based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography.
Secure and Private Service Discovery in Pervasive Computing Environments
Authors: Zhu Feng , Zhu Wei
Published: April 2010

In pervasive computing environments, service discovery is an essential step for computing devices to properly discover, configure, and communicate with each other. We introduce a user-centric service discovery model, called PrudentExposure, which automates authentication processes. Traditional authentication approaches requires much users’ involvement. PrudentExposure encodes hundreds of authentication messages in a novel code word form. Moreover, we discuss how a progressive and probabilistic model can protect both users’ and service providers’ privacy. Perhaps the most serious challenge for pervasive service discovery is the integration of computing devices with people. In a challenging case, both users and service providers want the other parties to expose sensitive information first. Our model protects both users and service providers.
Managing Demographic Data Inconsistencies in Healthcare Information Systems
Authors: Esmahi Larbi , Badidi Elarbi , Edwards James W.
Published: April 2010

Healthcare IT and IS departments have the arduous task of managing the varied information sources into readily accessible, consistent and referential information views. Patient hospital workflows, from admission to discharge, provide a series of data streams for convergences into disparate systems. Protocols such as DICOM and HL7 exist for the purposes of exchanging information within the PACS and RIS information silos in the hospital enterprise. These protocols ensure data confidence for downstream systems, but are not designed to provide referential data cross system in the system-of-systems model. As data crosses the PACS and RIS information domains, data inconsistency is introduced. This paper explores the causes for data disparity and presents a referential data design for disparate systems through the implementation of an XML bus for data exchange and an RDF framework for data semantic.
The Strategic Role of Human Collaboration in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Saban Kenneth , Mawhinney John
Published: April 2010

Supply chain performance is often equated with acquiring the best technology or process. However, current studies suggest that supply chain performance also requires human collaboration. To change conventional thinking, this paper proposes a holistic approach to supply chain management (SCM), clarifies the forces that facilitate human collaboration, and identifies the steps management can take to create a more collaborative network.
Predicting Ambulance Diverson
Authors: Kuruvilla Abey , Alexander Suraj M.
Published: April 2010

The high utilization level of emergency departments in hospitals across the United States has resulted in the serious and persistent problem of ambulance diversion. This problem is magnified by the cascading effect it has on neighboring hospitals, delays in emergency care, and the potential for patients’ clinical deterioration. We provide a predictive tool that would give advance warning to hospitals of the impending likelihood of diversion. We hope that with a predictive instrument, such as the one described in this article, hospitals can take preventive or mitigating actions. The proposed model, which uses logistic and multinomial regression, is evaluated using real data from the Emergency Management System (EM Systems) and 911 call data from Firstwatch® for the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust (MAST) of Kansas City, Missouri. The information in these systems that was significant in predicting diversion includes recent 911 calls, season, day of the week, and time of day. The model illustrates the feasibility of predicting the probability of impending diversion using available information. We strongly recommend that other locations, nationwide and abroad, develop and use similar models for predicting diversion.