bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SEMANTIC APPROACH TO DRIVING BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
Authors: DI LECCE VINCENZO , AMATO ALBERTO , CALABRESE MARCO
Published: November 2009

The aim of this work is to propose a semantic approach to driving behavior analysis. The analyzed vehicle motion parameters are accelerations and positions. Both are sampled using an embedded low-cost lightweight architecture. The authors start from a linguistic description of the problem ontology demonstrating that the selected parameters are sufficient to describe various aspects of the driving behavior. The system is modeled in terms of fuzzy rules and a Fuzzy Inference System is used to classify the driving behavior. The experiments carried out show that the proposed system is able to discriminate among various driving behavior.
SOLVING A SINGLE MACHINE SCHEDULING PROBLEM BY A DISCRETE VERSION OF ELECTROMAGNETISM-LIKE METHOD
Authors: JAVADIAN NIKBAKHSH , GOLALIKHANI MOHSEN , TAVAKKOLI-MOGHADDAM REZA
Published: November 2009

The electromagnetism-like method (EM) is a population based meta-heuristic algorithm utilizing an attraction-repulsion mechanism to move sample points (i.e., our solutions) towards the optimality. In general, the EM has been initially used for solving continuous optimization problems and could not be applied on combinatorial optimization ones. This paper proposes a discrete binary version of the EM for solving combinatorial optimization problems. To show the efficiency of our proposed EM, we solve a single machine scheduling problem and compare our computational results with the solutions reported in the literature. Finally, we conclude that our proposed method is capable of solving such well-known problems more efficiently than the previous studies.
A CONSONANT APPROXIMATION OF THE PRODUCT OF INDEPENDENT CONSONANT RANDOM SETS
Authors: DESTERCKE SEBASTIEN , DUBOIS DIDIER , CHOJNACKI ERIC
Published: November 2009

The belief structure resulting from the combination of consonant and independent marginal random sets is not, in general, consonant. Also, the complexity of such a structure grows exponentially with the number of combined random sets, making it quickly intractable for computations. In this paper, we propose a simple guaranteed consonant outer approximation of this structure. The complexity of this outer approximation does not increase with the number of marginal random sets (i.e., of dimensions), making it easier to handle in uncertainty propagation. Features and advantages of this outer approximation are then discussed, with the help of some illustrative examples.
Multiattribute Group Decision Making Method Using Extended Linguistic Variables
Authors: LI DENG-FENG
Published: November 2009

The aim of this paper is to use the concept of extended linguistic variables to develop a new methodology for solving multiattribute group decision making problems under linguistic assessments. In this methodology, using the generalized induced ordered weighted averaging operator and extended linguistic variables, linguistic ratings of each alternative on all attributes for each decision maker are aggregated into a comprehensive assessment, which is not always a linguistic term in the linguistic term set designated a priori. Comprehensive assessments of each alternative on all decision makers are similarly aggregated into a comprehensive assessment of the alternative for the group. An optimal linguistic term in the linguistic term set which approaches the comprehensive assessment of each alternative for the group as close as possible is computed and an extended 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representation is obtained for the alternative. The ranking order of alternatives for the group is generated according to the extended 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic representations. A numerical example is examined to demonstrate applicability and implementation process of the methodology proposed in this paper.
A FILTER-WRAPPER METHOD TO SELECT VARIABLES FOR THE NAIVE BAYES CLASSIFIER BASED ON CREDAL DECISION TREES
Authors: ABELLÁN JOAQUÍN , MASEGOSA ANDRÉS R.
Published: November 2009

Variable selection methods play an important role in the field of attribute mining. In the last few years, several feature selection methods have appeared showing that the use of a set of decision trees learnt from a database can be a useful tool for selecting relevant and informative variables regarding a main class variable. With the Naive Bayes classifier as reference, in this article, our aims are twofold: (1) to study what split criterion has better performance when a complete decision tree is used to select variables; and (2) to present a filter-wrapper selection method using decision trees built with the best possible split criterion obtained in (1).
First-Passage Problems for Asymmetric Diffusions and Skew-diffusion Processes
Authors: Abundo Mario
Published: November 2009

For a, b > 0, we consider a temporally homogeneous, one-dimensional diffusion process X(t) defined over I = (-b, a), with infinitesimal parameters depending on the sign of X(t). We suppose that, when X(t) reaches the position 0, it is reflected rightward to δ with probability p > 0 and leftward to -δ with probability 1 - p, where δ > 0. Closed analytical expressions are found for the mean exit time from the interval (-b, a), and for the probability of exit through the right end a, in the limit δ → 0+, generalizing the results of Lefebvre, holding for asymmetric Wiener process. Moreover, in alternative to the heavy analytical calculations, a numerical method is presented to estimate approximately the quantities above. Furthermore, on the analogy of skew Brownian motion, the notion of skew diffusion process is introduced. Some examples and numerical results are also reported.
Low Density Limit and the Quantum Langevin Equation for the Heat Bath
Authors: Dhahri Ameur
Published: November 2009

We consider a repeated quantum interaction model describing a small system [Formula: see text] in interaction with each of the identical copies of the chain ⊗ℕ* ℂn+1, modeling a heat bath, one after another during the same short time intervals [0, h]. We suppose that the repeated quantum interaction Hamiltonian is split into two parts: a free part and an interaction part with time scale of order h. After giving the GNS representation, we establish the connection between the time scale h and the classical low density limit. We introduce a chemical potential µ related to the time h as follows: h2 = eβµ. We further prove that the solution of the associated discrete evolution equation converges strongly, when h tends to 0, to the unitary solution of a quantum Langevin equation directed by the Poisson processes.
Complex Hadamard Matrices from Sylvester Inverse Orthogonal Matrices
Authors: Diţă Petre
Published: November 2009

A novel method to obtain parametrizations of complex inverse orthogonal matrices is provided. These matrices are natural generalizations of complex Hadamard matrices which depend on complex parameters. The method we use is via doubling the size of inverse complex conference matrices. When the free parameters take values on the unit circle the inverse orthogonal matrices transform into complex Hadamard matrices, and in this way we find new parametrizations of Hadamard matrices for dimensions n = 8, 10, and 12.
A NEW MODEL OF THE LEARNING PROCESS FOR INNOVATION TEAMS: NETWORKED NOMINAL PAIRS
Authors: DEW ROBERT , HEARN GREG
Published: November 2009

This paper examines how to structure resource-constrained innovation teams in order to maximise learning and creativity within organisations. Past research suggest that nominal groups (based on independent operations by individuals) outperform interactive groups. The results of this study suggest hybrid group structures based on independent operating pairs can be as effective as nominal groups. The study segmented 672 business managers and university post-graduate students into nominal, hybrid and interactive groups of six members. Three groups (one of each structural type) were pitted against each other to solve 4 related puzzles as quickly as possible. The results of these 28 problem-solving task races were aggregated to determine which group structure was most productive. Overall, the results confirmed that nominal groups of six significantly outperform interactive groups of the same size. More importantly, however, the results showed no significant difference between the productivity of nominal groups of six and hybrid groups comprised of three interactive pairs, where each pair operated separately to complete the same puzzle in parallel with the rest of the group. This suggests that structuring innovation teams into networked, nominal pairs may be just as productive as purely nominal group structures. This significantly extends the existing research on nominal groups versus interactive groups as it suggests that completely eliminating interactivity is not the optimal management approach.
DEVELOPING RADICAL SERVICE INNOVATIONS IN HEALTHCARE — THE ROLE OF DESIGN METHODS
Authors: BESSANT JOHN , MAHER LYNNE
Published: November 2009

This paper looks at the management of service innovation. In particular, it explores the challenge of public services and argues that there is a need for new approaches to the ways which engage users as more active co-creators within the innovation process. It draws on wider research on radical innovation being carried out as part of a long-term international programme and reports on a series of case studies of experiments in the health sector in the UK using tools like ethnography and prototyping to enable innovation.

The paper argues that a potentially valuable toolkit can be found in the field of design methods. By their nature, design tools are used to help articulate needs and give them shape and form; as such they are critical to the "front end" of any innovation process. Methods like ethnography allow for deep insights into user needs, including those not clearly articulated whilst prototyping provides the possibility of creating a set of "boundary objects" around which design discussions which include users and their perspectives can be carried out.
INNOVATION ORCHESTRATION CAPABILITY — DEFINING THE ORGANIZATIONAL AND INDIVIDUAL LEVEL DETERMINANTS
Authors: RITALA PAAVO , ARMILA LEILA , BLOMQVIST KIRSIMARJA
Published: November 2009

This paper explores orchestration capability as a concept defining the firm's ability to purposefully build and manage innovation networks. Due to the lack of empirical research on the subject as well as the focus on the organizational level in earlier studies, we approach the issue from a multi-level perspective. By utilizing expert panel discussions and an in-depth case study in an innovation network, we show that orchestration capability consists of both organizational and individual level determinants. Distinct capabilities and skills are identified and illustrated. Furthermore, we identify mechanisms suggesting that the two levels are interconnected in several ways.
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN INNOVATIVE FIRMS' NETWORK DEVELOPMENT
Authors: ÖBERG CHRISTINA , GRUNDSTRÖM CHRISTINA
Published: November 2009

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss challenges and opportunities related to the development of innovative firms' networks. The paper utilises four case studies based on interviews with representatives of young innovative firms and their present and previous network partners. The findings show that while early network partners often play several roles simultaneously, the roles of both the innovative firm and its network partners become increasingly distinct as the innovative firm develops. Such clarification of roles highlights competition between parties. For the innovative firm, the early phases are marked by innovativeness and problems related to growth and financial issues; later phases may include challenges of dependence, competition, exclusion of actors, decreased innovativeness and less innovative freedom.
DIFFERENT MODES OF OPEN INNOVATION: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Authors: LAZZAROTTI VALENTINA , MANZINI RAFFAELLA
Published: November 2009

Starting from the several conceptual and empirical studies about open innovation modes, this paper attempts to integrate them by suggesting a framework which reveals four basic ways to collaborate. Two variables are considered that represent the degree of openness for a company: (i) the number/type of partners with which the company collaborates, briefly labelled as "partner variety"; (ii) the number/type of phases of the innovation process that the company opens to external contributions, briefly labelled as "innovation funnel openness". By crossing these two variables, four basic modes of open innovation are identified: closed innovators, open innovators, specialized collaborators and integrated collaborators. The framework shows its practical validity in an empirical study that is conducted in Italy with the specific aim at verifying whether companies can really be mapped using this framework, i.e. whether the four modes of open innovation can be found in real companies (framework applicability); whether different modes correspond to different companies' strategies, capabilities, organisational and managerial processes (framework explicative power and usefulness). The framework shows that, in some cases, being totally open in innovation activities is not the only and most suitable option, but that different degrees and ways of "openness" can be implemented successfully, as well as the totally closed option.
EMPLOYING STN ANAVIST TO FORECAST CONVERGING INDUSTRIES
Authors: CURRAN CLIVE-STEVEN , LEKER JENS
Published: November 2009

Converging industries are characterized by the blurring of boundaries between technologies, markets and industry sectors. As such they can enable firms to access new markets or threaten them with an array of new competitors and a lack of knowledge. This makes an early identification of convergence trends highly important. In the present paper we focus on the application of a frequency-based analysis and visualization software (STN AnaVist) for the forecasting of converging industries. Scrutinizing 3,836 patent and scientific publication references on phytosterols in the areas of nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals, we employ research landscape, co-authorship and International Patent Classification (IPC) co-classification analyses. The results demonstrate partial convergence between the pharmaceutical, the chemical, the nutrition and the cosmetics industries and the suitability of the employed approach. According to this study, scientific as well as technology convergence have taken place in this segment, with a time-lag of roughly 25 years.
ROLE OF CORPORATE LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION CLAIMS ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF PREMIUM PRODUCTS
Authors: GOFMAN ALEX , BEVOLO MARCO , MOSKOWITZ HOWARD R.
Published: November 2009

The paper summarizes the results of a fundamental research project to understand the perception of high-end products by consumers. The first part consisted of a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with over 75 global leaders of luxury and premium companies, star designers and thought leaders. The analysis of the collected data identified five dimensions of high-end offerings, with each dimension having a unique set of four factors. The second part included a massive quantitative (based on Rule Developing Experimentation) survey conducted in the US, UK, Italy and China with about 1800 qualified middle- to upper-class respondents participating in a total of 20 distinct conjoint-based surveys to discover the driving forces behind their perceptions of high-end products. This paper considers in depth one of the five dimensions — leadership and innovation. The analysis of the quantitative part includes mind-set segmentation and demographic subgroups. The research addresses one aspect of today's big question: "How can global brands migrate from being cost-driven commodities to higher margins and profits?" The answer is in the high-end.
BALANCING CAPABILITY BUILDING FOR RADICAL AND INCREMENTAL INNOVATIONS
Authors: FORSMAN HELENA
Published: November 2009

This paper explores the kind of learning that creates capabilities needed in incremental and radical innovation development. The empirical evidence is based on four innovation-related development projects, implemented through enterprise-student team collaboration. It seems that the richness of innovation and learning processes affects the diverseness of developed capabilities. The goal of innovation development drives learning and capability building, while improved capabilities help adopt challenging goals that stimulate a new level of learning. The process emphasising analysis, planning and analytical knowledge creates capabilities resulting in incremental inventions. The innovation process that focuses on experimentation and utilisation of other knowledge types facilitates capability building resulting in inventions that are radical in nature. These two process types are not contrary but complementary options to develop solutions to satisfy the expressed and unexpressed needs of customers. This paper presents views on how to interconnect these processes characterised by divergent rhythms.
WHY 'OPEN INNOVATION' IS OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES
Authors: TROTT PAUL , HARTMANN DAP
Published: November 2009

The concept of 'open innovation' has received a considerable amount of coverage within the academic literature and beyond. Much of this seems to have been without much critical analysis of the evidence. In this paper, we show how Chesbrough creates a false dichotomy by arguing that open innovation is the only alternative to a closed innovation model. We systematically examine the six principles of the open innovation concept and show how the Open Innovation paradigm has created a partial perception by describing something which is undoubtedly true in itself (the limitations of closed innovation principles), but false in conveying the wrong impression that firms today follow these principles. We hope that our examination and scrutiny of the 'open innovation' concept contributes to the debate on innovation management and helps enrich our understanding.
Physical and Biological Basis of Proton and of Carbon Ion Radiation Therapy and Clinical Outcome Data
Authors: Suit Herman , Delaney Thomas F. , Trofimov Alexei
Published: November 2009

There is a clear basis in physics for the clinical use of proton and carbon beams in radiation therapy, namely, the finite range of the particle beam. The range is dependent on the beam initial energy, density and atomic composition of tissues along the beam path. Beams can be designed that penetrate to the required depth and deliver a uniform biologically effective dose across the depth of interest. The yield is a superior dose distribution relative to photon beams. There is a potential clinical advantage from the high linear energy transfer (LET) characteristics of carbon beams. This is based on a lower oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) and a flatter age response function. However, due to uncertainties relating OER with relative biological effectiveness (RBE), there is no clinical evidence to date that carbon ion beams have an advantage over proton beams. We strongly support performance Phase III clinical trials of protons vs carbon ion beams designed to feature a single variable, LET. Dose fractionation would be identical in both arms and dose distribution would be similar for the sites to be tested. For sites for which the carbon beam has a demonstrated important advantage in comparative treatment planning due to the narrower penumbra would not be selected for the clinical trials.
Proton Radiation Therapy in the Hospital Environment: Conception, Development, and Operation of the Initial Hospital-Based Facility
Authors: Slater James M. , Slater Jerry D. , Wroe Andrew J.
Published: November 2009

The world's first hospital-based proton treatment center opened at Loma Linda University Medical Center in 1990, following two decades of development. Patients' needs were the driving force behind its conception, development, and execution; the primary needs were delivery of effective conformal doses of ionizing radiation and avoidance of normal tissue to the maximum extent possible. The facility includes a proton synchrotron and delivery system developed in collaboration with physicists and engineers at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and from other high-energy-physics laboratories worldwide. The system, operated and maintained by Loma Linda personnel, was designed to be safe, reliable, flexible in utilization, efficient in use, and upgradeable to meet demands of changing patient needs and advances in technology. Since the facility opened, nearly 14,000 adults and children have been treated for a wide range of cancers and other diseases. Ongoing research is expanding the applications of proton therapy, while reducing costs.
The Supercollider: The Texas Days — A Personal Recollection of Its Short Life and Demise
Authors: Wojcicki Stanley
Published: November 2009

This article is the second in a two-part account of the history of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). The narrative starts with the move of the SSC activities to its Waxahachie site in Texas and the subsequent organization of its administrative structure. The technical design changes incorporated into the site-specific design are described together with their impact on costs. The principal activities at the SSC — technical progress, conventional construction and planning of the experimental program — are described briefly. The article then discusses the efforts to obtain international collaboration, the growth of the opposition both among the public at large and in Congress, and the final events leading to termination of the SSC. It ends with some subjective views on what went wrong with the SSC and on the prospects for construction of large scientific facilities in the US in the future.
Medical Cyclotrons
Authors: Friesel D. L. , Antaya T. A.
Published: November 2009

Particle accelerators were initially developed to address specific scientific research goals, yet they were used for practical applications, particularly medical applications, within a few years of their invention. The cyclotron's potential for producing beams for cancer therapy and medical radioisotope production was realized with the early Lawrence cyclotrons and has continued with their more technically advanced successors — synchrocyclotrons, sector-focused cyclotrons and superconducting cyclotrons. While a variety of other accelerator technologies were developed to achieve today's high energy particles, this article will chronicle the development of one type of accelerator — the cyclotron, and its medical applications. These medical and industrial applications eventually led to the commercial manufacture of both small and large cyclotrons and facilities specifically designed for applications other than scientific research.
Synchrotrons for Hadrontherapy
Authors: Pullia Marco G.
Published: November 2009

Since 1990, when the world's first hospital-based proton therapy center opened in Loma Linda, California, interest in dedicated proton and carbon ion therapy facilities has been growing steadily. Today, many proton therapy centers are in operation, but the number of centers offering carbon ion therapy is still very low. This difference reflects the fact that protons are well accepted by the medical community, whereas radiotherapy with carbon ions is still experimental. Furthermore, accelerators for carbon ions are larger, more complicated and more expensive than those for protons only. This article describes the accelerator performance required for hadrontherapy and how this is realized, with particular emphasis on carbon ion synchrotrons.
Algebrization
Authors: Aaronson Scott , Wigderson Avi
Published: November 2009

Any proof of P ≠ NP will have to overcome two barriers:
relativization
and
natural proofs
. Yet over the last decade, we have seen circuit lower bounds (e.g., that PP does not have linear-size circuits) that overcome both barriers simultaneously. So the question arises of whether there is a third barrier to progress on the central questions in complexity theory.

In this article, we present such a barrier, which we call
algebraic relativization
or
algebrization
. The idea is that, when we relativize some complexity class inclusion, we should give the simulating machine access not only to an oracle
A
, but also to a low-degree extension of
A
over a finite field or ring.

We systematically go through basic results and open problems in complexity theory to delineate the power of the new algebrization barrier. First, we show that all known nonrelativizing results based on arithmetization---both inclusions such as IP = PSPACE and MIP = NEXP, and separations such as MA
EXP
 ⊄ P/poly---do indeed algebrize. Second, we show that almost all of the major open problems---including P versus NP, P versus RP, and NEXP versus P/poly---will require
non-algebrizing techniques
. In some cases, algebrization seems to explain exactly why progress stopped where it did: for example, why we have superlinear circuit lower bounds for PromiseMA but not for NP.

Our second set of results follows from lower bounds in a new model of
algebraic query complexity
, which we introduce in this article and which is interesting in its own right. Some of our lower bounds use direct combinatorial and algebraic arguments, while others stem from a surprising connection between our model and communication complexity. Using this connection, we are also able to give an MA-protocol for the Inner Product function with
O (√n
log
n
) communication (essentially matching a lower bound of Klauck), as well as a communication complexity conjecture whose truth would imply NL ≠ NP.
One Size Does Not Fit All---A Contingency Approach to Data Governance
Authors: Weber Kristin , Otto Boris , Österle Hubert
Published: November 2009

Enterprizes need Data Quality Management (DQM) to respond to strategic and operational challenges demanding high-quality corporate data. Hitherto, companies have mostly assigned accountabilities for DQM to Information Technology (IT) departments. They have thereby neglected the organizational issues critical to successful DQM. With data governance, however, companies may implement corporate-wide accountabilities for DQM that encompass professionals from businessandIT departments. This research aims at starting a scientific discussion on data governance by transferring concepts from IT governance and organizational theory to the previously largely ignored field of data governance. The article presents the first results of a community action research project on data governance comprising six international companies from various industries. It outlines a data governance model that consists of three components (data quality roles, decision areas, and responsibilities), which together form a responsibility assignment matrix. The data governance model documents data quality roles and their type of interaction with DQM activities. In addition, the article describes a data governance contingency model and demonstrates the influence of performance strategy, diversification breadth, organization structure, competitive strategy, degree of process harmonization, degree of market regulation, and decision-making style on data governance. Based on these findings, companies can structure their specific data governance model.
A Procedure to Develop Metrics for Currency and its Application in CRM
Authors: Heinrich B. , Klier M. , Kaiser M.
Published: November 2009

Due to the importance of using up-to-date data in information systems, this article analyzes how the data-quality dimension currency can be quantified. Based on several requirements (e.g., normalization and interpretability) and a literature review, we design a procedure to develop probability-based metrics for currency which can be adjusted to the specific characteristics of data attribute values. We evaluate the presented procedure with regard to the requirements and illustrate the applicability as well as its practical benefit. In cooperation with a major German mobile services provider, the procedure was applied in the field of campaign management in order to improve both success rates and profits.
Query optimization for spatio-temporal data stream management systems
Authors: Elmongui Hicham G.
Published: November 2009

Location-detection devices are used ubiquitously in moving objects due to the everyday decreasing cost and simplified technology. Usually, these devices will send the moving objects' location information to a spatio-temporal data stream management system that will be then responsible for answering spatio-temporal queries related to these moving objects. Most of the existing work focused on the continuous spatio-temporal query execution. However, several outstanding challenges have been either addressed partially or not at all in the existing literature. In this paper, we focus on the optimization of multi-predicate spatio-temporal queries on moving objects. In particular, we provide a costing mechanism for continuous spatio-temporal queries. We provide for the optimization of the parameters of the spatio-temporal operators. Finally, we propose the adaptive execution of the continuous queries for spatio-temporal data stream management systems.
Data mining of maps and their automatic region-time-theme classification
Authors: Gelernter Judith
Published: November 2009

The goal of this research is to organize maps mined from journal articles into categories for hierarchical browsing within region, time and theme facets. A 150-map training set collected manually was used to develop classifiers. Metadata pertinent to the maps were harvested and then run separately though knowledge sources and our classifiers for region, time and theme. Evaluation of the system based on a 54-map test set of unseen maps showed 69%--93% classification accuracy when compared with two human classifications for the same maps. Data mining and semantic analysis methods used here could support systems that index other types of article components such as diagrams or charts by region, time and theme.
Privacy-preserving techniques for location-based services
Authors: Bertino Elisa
Published: November 2009

Recent advances in positioning techniques, small devices, GIS-based services, and ubiquitous connectivity, have enabled a large variety of location-based services able to tailor services according to the location of the individual requiring the service. Location information, however, if on one side is critical for providing customized services, on the other hand, if misused, can lead to privacy breaches. By cross-referencing location information about an individual with other information and by exploiting domain knowledge, an attacker may infer sensitive information about the individual, such as healthcare or financial information. To address such problems, different techniques have been proposed that are based on two main approaches:
location cloaking
, under which a suitable large region is returned to the service provider instead of the precise user location [1];
location k-anonymization
, under which the location of an individual is returned to the service provider only if it is indistinguishable with respect to the location of other k-1 individuals [5, 6]. These techniques have, however, a major drawback in that they do not take into account domain knowledge, and are thus prone to location inference attacks [2]. Given a generalized location of an individual, obtained for example through location cloaking, such an attack exploits the knowledge about the semantics of spatial entities to infer bounds about the location of an individual that are more precise with respect to the generalized location. Another major drawback is that those approaches do not support personalized privacy preferences. We believe that supporting such preferences is crucial in that different individuals have different preferences with respect to which location are considered privacy-sensitive.
Privacy in location-aware systems
Authors: Freytag Johann-Christoph
Published: November 2009

As our world becomes more and more proliferated by sensors and mobile devices - often connected by wireless networks - there is the urging need to develop appropriate abstractions for application development and deployment. Those abstractions should shield applications from the physical properties of the devices thereby allowing applications to focus on information processing based on global conceptual views (of the world) in form of context models.

This paper will briefly elaborate on the concern for privacy in location-aware systems by providing a few examples that should highlight the complexity of such concerns. We show that privacy needs well founded bases for handling user requirements appropriately. Additionally, we argue that privacy aspects in context model based systems should include and embed privacy protection and control mechanism as an integral part on all systems levels therefore increasing the usability of such systems from a user's point of view.
Privacy and location anonymization in location-based services
Authors: Liu Ling
Published: November 2009

This article presents an overview of privacy problems and solutions to data in location based services, with the emphasis on understanding location privacy issues, alternative models, and architectures. It concludes with an outlook in location privacy research and its impact on mobile Internet, pervasive computing, and geo-spatial data management.
Privacy in location-based services
Authors: Chow Chi-Yin , Mokbel Mohamed F.
Published: November 2009

Location-based services (LBS, for short) are information and entertainment services that are conveniently accessible by mobile users through GPS-enabled portable devices and mobile networks (e.g., 2G/3G cellular telephone and Wi-Fi networks). Examples of LBS include resource finding (e.g., where is my nearest gas station), route finding (e.g., what is the shortest route from my current location to a shopping mall, social networking (e.g., where are my friends), and location-based gaming (e.g., GPS online game). LBS rely mainly on an implicit assumption that mobile users are willing to reveal their private locations. With untrustworthy LBS providers, the revealed private location information could be abused by adversaries. For example, an adversary may infer a user's medical record by knowing that she regularly visits a specialized clinic. There are already several life scenarios that took place where personal GPS locations are abused, e.g., see [8, 27, 28].
Optimal Stopping
Authors: Moustakides George V. , Verykios Vassilios S.
Published: November 2009

Record-linkage is the process of identifying whether two separate records refer to the same real-world entity when some elements of the record’s identifying information (attributes) agree and others disagree. Existing record-linkage decision methodologies use the outcomes from the comparisons of the whole set of attributes. Here, we propose an alternative scheme that assesses the attributes sequentially, allowing for a decision to made at any attribute’s comparison stage, and thus before exhausting all available attributes. The scheme we develop is optimum in that it minimizes a well-defined average cost criterion while the corresponding optimum solution can be easily mapped into a decision tree to facilitate the record-linkage decision process. Experimental results performed in real datasets indicate the superiority of our methodology compared to existing approaches.
Incorporating Domain-Specific Information Quality Constraints into Database Queries
Authors: Embury Suzanne M. , Missier Paolo , Sampaio Sandra , Greenwood R. Mark , Preece Alun D.
Published: November 2009

The range of information now available in queryable repositories opens up a host of possibilities for new and valuable forms of data analysis. Database query languages such as SQL and XQuery offer a concise and high-level means by which such analyses can be implemented, facilitating the extraction of relevant data subsets into either generic or bespoke data analysis environments. Unfortunately, the quality of data in these repositories is often highly variable. The data is still useful, but only if the consumer is aware of the data quality problems and can work around them. Standard query languages offer little support for this aspect of data management. In principle, however, it should be possible to embed constraints describing the consumer’s data quality requirements into the query directly, so that the query evaluator can take over responsibility for enforcing them during query processing.

Most previous attempts to incorporate information quality constraints into database queries have been based around a small number of highly generic quality measures, which are defined and computed by the information provider. This is a useful approach in some application areas but, in practice, quality criteria are more commonly determined by the user of the information not by the provider. In this article, we explore an approach to incorporating quality constraints into database queries where the definition of quality is set by the user and not the provider of the information. Our approach is based around the concept of a
quality view
, a configurable quality assessment component into which domain-specific notions of quality can be embedded. We examine how quality views can be incorporated into XQuery, and draw from this the language features that are required in general to embed quality views into any query language. We also propose some syntactic sugar on top of XQuery to simplify the process of querying with quality constraints.
Sound 3-Query PCPPs Are Long
Authors: Ben-Sasson Eli , Harsha Prahladh , Lachish Oded , Matsliah Arie
Published: November 2009

We initiate the study of the trade-off between the length of a probabilistically checkable proof of proximity (PCPP) and the maximal soundness that can be guaranteed by a 3-query verifier with oracle access to the proof. Our main observation is that a verifier limited to querying a short proof cannot obtain the same soundness as that obtained by a verifier querying a long proof. Moreover, we quantify the soundness deficiency as a function of the proof-length and show that any verifier obtaining “best possible” soundness must query an exponentially long proof.

In terms of techniques, we focus on the special class of inspective verifiers that read at most 2 proof-bits per invocation. For such verifiers, we prove
exponential
length-soundness trade-offs that are later on used to imply our main results for the case of general (i.e., not necessarily inspective) verifiers. To prove the exponential trade-off for inspective verifiers, we show a connection between PCPP proof length and property-testing query complexity that may be of independent interest. The connection is that any linear property that can be verified with proofs of length ℓ by linear inspective verifiers must be testable with query complexity ≈ logℓ.
Wind flow modeling and simulation over the Giza Plateau cultural heritage site in Egypt
Authors: Hussein Ashraf S. , El-Shishiny Hisham
Published: November 2009

In this article, the wind flow over one of the most important Egyptian historical heritage sites, the Giza Plateau, was investigated using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) state-of-the-art techniques. The present study addresses the influences of wind flow structure, as an important denudation factor, on the site and its famous monuments: the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx. Three-dimensional CFD simulations have been performed based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for the cases of the northwest wind, at the average wind speed over the year, and the southwest windstorms. In addition, the wind-driven sand was considered for the same cases. Particular attention was paid to the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids to investigate their parts most vulnerable to the wind, which is contributing to the erosion of these monuments. The Great Sphinx was buried by sand and it was cleared several times throughout its history. In this study, we also address the less understood, yet important, burial mechanism of the Great Sphinx. The present work may give more insight to the effect of wind around the Giza Plateau when developing a global plan for conserving and protecting the site.
A file assignment strategy independent of workload characteristic assumptions
Authors: Xie Tao , Sun Yao
Published: November 2009

The problem of statically assigning nonpartitioned files in a parallel I/O system has been extensively investigated. A basic workload characteristic assumption of most existing solutions to the problem is that there exists a strong inverse correlation between file access frequency and file size. In other words, the most popular files are typically small in size, while the large files are relatively unpopular. Recent studies on the characteristics of Web proxy traces suggested, however, the correlation, if any, is so weak that it can be ignored. Hence, the following two questions arise naturally. First, can existing algorithms still perform well when the workload assumption does not hold? Second, if not, can one develop a new file assignment strategy that is immune to the workload assumption? To answer these questions, we first evaluate the performance of three well-known file assignment algorithms with and without the workload assumption, respectively. Next, we develop a novel static nonpartitioned file assignment strategy for parallel I/O systems, called static round-robin (SOR), which is immune to the workload assumption. Comprehensive experimental results show that SOR consistently improves the performance in terms of mean response time over the existing schemes.
A few good topics
Authors: Guiver John , Mizzaro Stefano , Robertson Stephen
Published: November 2009

We consider the issue of evaluating information retrieval systems on the basis of a limited number of topics. In contrast to statistically-based work on sample sizes, we hypothesize that some topics or topic sets are better than others at predicting true system effectiveness, and that with the right choice of topics, accurate predictions can be obtained from small topics sets. Using a variety of effectiveness metrics and measures of goodness of prediction, a study of a set of TREC and NTCIR results confirms this hypothesis, and provides evidence that the value of a topic set for this purpose does generalize.
A distributed, service-based framework for knowledge applications with multimedia
Authors: Dupplaw David , Dasmahapatra Srinandan , Hu Bo , Lewis Paul , Shadbolt Nigel
Published: November 2009

The current trend in distributed systems is towards service-based integration. This article describes an ontology-driven framework implemented to provide knowledge management for data of different modalities, with multimedia processing, annotation, and reasoning provided by remote services. The framework was developed in, and is presented in the context of, the Medical Imaging and Advanced Knowledge Technologies (MIAKT) project that sought to support the Multidisciplinary Meetings (MDMs) that take place during breast cancer screening for diagnosing the patient. However, the architecture is entirely independent of the specific application domain and can be quickly prototyped into new domains. An Enterprise server provides resource access to a client-side presentation application which, in turn, provides knowledge visualization and markup of any supported media, as defined by a domain-dependent ontology-supported language.
Cyberchondria
Authors: White Ryen W. , Horvitz Eric
Published: November 2009

The World Wide Web provides an abundant source of medical information. This information can assist people who are not healthcare professionals to better understand health and illness, and to provide them with feasible explanations for symptoms. However, the Web has the potential to increase the anxieties of people who have little or no medical training, especially when Web search is employed as a diagnostic procedure. We use the term
cyberchondria
to refer to the unfounded
escalation
of concerns about common symptomatology, based on the review of search results and literature on the Web. We performed a large-scale, longitudinal, log-based study of how people search for medical information online, supported by a survey of 515 individuals' health-related search experiences. We focused on the extent to which common, likely innocuous symptoms can escalate into the review of content on serious, rare conditions that are linked to the common symptoms. Our results show that Web search engines have the potential to escalate medical concerns. We show that escalation is associated with the amount and distribution of medical content viewed by users, the presence of escalatory terminology in pages visited, and a user's predisposition to escalate versus to seek more reasonable explanations for ailments. We also demonstrate the persistence of postsession anxiety following escalations and the effect that such anxieties can have on interrupting user's activities across multiple sessions. Our findings underscore the potential costs and challenges of cyberchondria and suggest actionable design implications that hold opportunity for improving the search and navigation experience for people turning to the Web to interpret common symptoms.
An autonomic framework for reliable multicast
Authors: Anastasopoulos Markos P. , Vasilakos Athanasios V. , Cottis Panayotis G.
Published: November 2009

A major challenge in wireless terrestrial networks is to provide large-scale reliable multicast and broadcast services. The main problem limiting the scalability of such networks is feedback implosion, a problem arising when a large number of users transmit their feedback messages through the network, occupying a significant portion of system resources.

Inspired by social psychology, specifically from the bystander effect phenomenon, an autonomic framework for large-scale reliable multicast services is presented. The self-configuring and self-optimizing procedures of the proposed autonomic scheme are modeled using game theory. Through appropriate modeling and simulations of the proposed scheme carried out to evaluate its performance, it is found that the new approach suppresses feedback messages very effectively, while at the same time, it does not degrade the timely data transfer.