bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Isolation of a Pluripotent Neural Stem Cell from the Embryonic Bovine Brain
Authors: Gao Yuhua , Li Xiangchen , Zheng Dong , Guan Weijun , Ma Yuehui
Published: March 2015

We recently isolated stem cells derived from the brain of a bovine fetus, utilizing a particular mechanical separation method. After improving our experimental conditions, we obtained neural stem cells using an optimized culture medium system. The cells were expanded, established in continuous cell culture and used for immunofluorescence cytochemistry. RT-PCR showed that embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs) not only expresses the protein Sox2, Nestin but also Pax6, Musashi proteins and were differentiated into the three classical neuronal phenotypes (neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes).
RETRACTED: Chitin, Chitosan, and Its Derivatives for Wound Healing: Old and New Materials
Authors: Azuma Kazuo , Izumi Ryotaro , Osaki Tomohiro , Ifuku Shinsuke , Morimoto Minoru , Saimoto Hiroyuki , Minami Saburo , Okamoto Yoshiharu
Published: March 2015

Chitin (β-(1-4)-poly-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine) is widely distributed in nature and is the second most abundant polysaccharide after cellulose. It is often converted to its more deacetylated derivative, chitosan. Previously, many reports have indicated the accelerating effects of chitin, chitosan, and its derivatives on wound healing. More recently, chemically modified or nano-fibrous chitin and chitosan have been developed, and their effects on wound healing have been evaluated. In this review, the studies on the wound-healing effects of chitin, chitosan, and its derivatives are summarized. Moreover, the development of adhesive-based chitin and chitosan are also described. The evidence indicates that chitin, chitosan, and its derivatives are beneficial for the wound healing process. More recently, it is also indicate that some nano-based materials from chitin and chitosan are beneficial than chitin and chitosan for wound healing. Clinical applications of nano-based chitin and chitosan are also expected.
Cellular Response to Doping of High Porosity Foamed Alumina with Ca, P, Mg, and Si
Authors: Soh Edwin , Kolos Elizabeth , Ruys Andrew
Published: March 2015

Foamed alumina was previously synthesised by direct foaming of sulphate salt blends varying ammonium mole fraction (AMF), foaming heating rate and sintering temperature. The optimal product was produced with 0.33AMF, foaming at 100 °C/h and sintering at 1600 °C. This product attained high porosity of 94.39%, large average pore size of 300 µm and the highest compressive strength of 384 kPa. To improve bioactivity, doping of porous alumina by soaking in dilute or saturated solutions of Ca, P, Mg, CaP or CaP + Mg was done. Saturated solutions of Ca, P, Mg, CaP and CaP + Mg were made with excess salt in distilled water and decanted. Dilute solutions were made by diluting the 100% solution to 10% concentration. Doping with Si was done using the sol gel method at 100% concentration only. Cell culture was carried out with MG63 osteosarcoma cells. Cellular response to the Si and P doped samples was positive with high cell populations and cell layer formation. The impact of doping with phosphate produced a result not previously reported. The cellular response showed that both Si and P doping improved the biocompatibility of the foamed alumina.
Factorial Design Approach in Proportioning Prestressed Self-Compacting Concrete
Authors: Long Wu-Jian , Khayat Kamal , Lemieux Guillaume , Xing Feng , Wang Wei-Lun
Published: March 2015

In order to model the effect of mixture parameters and material properties on the hardened properties of, prestressed self-compacting concrete (SCC), and also to investigate the extensions of the statistical models, a factorial design was employed to identify the relative significance of these primary parameters and their interactions in terms of the mechanical and visco-elastic properties of SCC. In addition to the 16 fractional factorial mixtures evaluated in the modeled region of −1 to +1, eight axial mixtures were prepared at extreme values of −2 and +2 with the other variables maintained at the central points. Four replicate central mixtures were also evaluated. The effects of five mixture parameters, including binder type, binder content, dosage of viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA), water-cementitious material ratio (w/cm), and sand-to-total aggregate ratio (S/A) on compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, as well as autogenous and drying shrinkage are discussed. The applications of the models to better understand trade-offs between mixture parameters and carry out comparisons among various responses are also highlighted. A logical design approach would be to use the existing model to predict the optimal design, and then run selected tests to quantify the influence of the new binder on the model.
Analyticity and the Global Information Field
Authors: Solov'ev Evgeni
Published: March 2015

The relation between analyticity in mathematics and the concept of a global information field in physics is reviewed. Mathematics is complete in the complex plane only. In the complex plane, a very powerful tool appears—analyticity. According to this property, if an analytic function is known on the countable set of points having an accumulation point, then it is known everywhere. This mysterious property has profound consequences in quantum physics. Analyticity allows one to obtain asymptotic (approximate) results in terms of some singular points in the complex plane which accumulate all necessary data on a given process. As an example, slow atomic collisions are presented, where the cross-sections of inelastic transitions are determined by branch-points of the adiabatic energy surface at a complex internuclear distance. Common aspects of the non-local nature of analyticity and a recently introduced interpretation of classical electrodynamics and quantum physics as theories of a global information field are discussed.
Remarks on Peinado et al.’s Analysis of J3Gen
Authors: Garcia-Alfaro Joaquin , Herrera-Joancomartí Jordi , Melià-Seguí Joan
Published: March 2015

Peinado et al. analyzed the security of the J3Gen pseudorandom number generator proposed by Melià-Seguí et al., and claimed weaknesses regarding its security properties. They also presented a deterministic attack based on the decimation of the J3Gen output sequences. We show that the assumptions made by Peinado et al. are not correct and that the proposed deterministic attack against J3Gen does not hold in practice.
Study of the Relationship between Taste Sensor Response and the Amount of Epigallocatechin Gallate Adsorbed Onto a Lipid-Polymer Membrane
Authors: Harada Yuhei , Tahara Yusuke , Toko Kiyoshi
Published: March 2015

A taste sensor using lipid-polymer membranes has been developed to evaluate the taste of foods, beverages and medicines. The response of the taste sensor, measured as a change in the membrane potential caused by adsorption (CPA), corresponds to the aftertaste felt by humans. The relationships between the CPA value and the amount of adsorbed taste substances, quinine and iso-α acid (bitterness), and tannic acid (astringency), have been studied so far. However, that of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) has not been clarified, although EGCg is abundantly present in green tea as one of its astringent substances. This study aimed at clarifying the response of the taste sensor to EGCg and its relationship with the amount of EGCg adsorbed onto lipid-polymer membranes. The lipid concentration dependence of the CPA value was similar to that of the amount of adsorbed EGCg, indicating a high correlation between the CPA value and the amount of adsorbed EGCg. The CPA value increased with increasing amount of adsorbed EGCg; however, the CPA value showed a tendency of leveling off when the amount of adsorbed EGCg further increased.
General Technical Approvals for Decentralised Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)—The Current Situation in Germany
Authors: Dierkes Carsten , Lucke Terry , Helmreich Brigitte
Published: March 2015

The use of decentralised, sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) for the treatment of stormwater runoff is becoming increasingly prevalent in Germany. Decentralised SUDS can offer a viable and attractive alternative to end of pipe treatment systems for stormwater runoff from urban areas. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding the long-term performance of SUDS, and the general legislative requirements for SUDS approval and testing. Whilst the allowable pollution levels in stormwater runoff that infiltrate into ground and/or water table are regulated across Germany by the Federal Soil Protection Law, there is presently no federal law addressing the discharge requirements for surface water runoff. The lack of clear guidance can make it difficult for planners and designers to implement these innovative and sustainable stormwater treatment systems. This study clarifies the current understanding of urban stormwater treatment requirements and new technical approval guidelines for decentralised SUDS devices in Germany. The study findings should assist researchers, designers and asset managers to better anticipate and understand the performance, effective life-spans, and the planning and maintenance requirements for decentralised SUDS systems. This should help promote even greater use of these systems in the future.
Scenario Analysis for Water Resources in Response to Land Use Change in the Middle and Upper Reaches of the Heihe River Basin
Authors: Li Zhihui , Deng Xiangzheng , Wu Feng , Hasan Shaikh
Published: March 2015

Water availability is at the core of sustainable socioeconomic development and ecological conservation along with global climate and land use changes, especially in the areas that experience water problems. This study investigated the impacts of land use change on surface runoff and water yield with scenario-based land use change in the upper and middle reaches of the Heihe River Basin, the second largest inland river basin in the arid region of northwestern China. Firstly, three land use structure scenarios were established, with different water utilization ratio levels (low-level, middle-level and high-level water utilization ratios). Then the spatial pattern of land uses was simulated with the Dynamic of Land System (DLS). Thereafter, the simulated land use data were used as the input data to drive the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, keeping other input data unchanged to isolate the land use change impacts on surface runoff and water yield. The results showed that the forestland and grassland will expand along with the increase in water utilization ratio. The quick-response surface runoff would decrease significantly due to forest and grassland expansion, which may cause an overall decreasing trend of the water yield. This indicated the unreasonable allocation of water resources may exert negative impacts on the water yield even if the water utilization ratio is increased; therefore, water resources should be reasonably allocated for different land use demand, which is critical for sustainable development. The results of this study will be informative to decision makers for sustainable water resource and land management when facing land use change and an increasing demand for water resources in the Heihe River Basin.
Modeling Thermal Comfort and Optimizing Local Renewal Strategies—A Case Study of Dazhimen Neighborhood in Wuhan City
Authors: Peng Chong , Ming Tingzhen , Cheng Jianquan , Wu Yongjia , Peng Zhong-Ren
Published: March 2015

Modeling thermal comfort provides quantitative evidence and parameters for effective and efficient urban planning, design, and building construction particularly in a dense and narrow inner city, which has become one of many concerns for sustainable urban development. This paper aims to develop geometric and mathematical models of wind and thermal comfort and use them to examine the impacts of six small-scale renewal strategies on the wind and thermal environment at pedestrian level in Dazhimen neighborhood, Wuhan, which is a typical case study of urban renewal project in a mega-city. The key parameters such as the solar radiation, natural convection, relative humidity, ambient crosswind have been incorporated into the mathematical models by using user-defined-function (UDF) method. Detailed temperature and velocity distributions under different strategies have been compared for the optimization of local renewal strategies. It is concluded that five rules generated from the simulation results can provide guidance for building demolition and reconstruction in a neighborhood and there is no need of large-scale demolition. Particularly, combining the local demolition and city virescence can both improve the air ventilation and decrease the temperature level in the study area.
Advanced Molecular Surveillance of Hepatitis C Virus
Authors: Rossi Livia , Escobar-Gutierrez Alejandro , Rahal Paula
Published: March 2015

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important public health problem worldwide. HCV exploits complex molecular mechanisms, which result in a high degree of intrahost genetic heterogeneity. This high degree of variability represents a challenge for the accurate establishment of genetic relatedness between cases and complicates the identification of sources of infection. Tracking HCV infections is crucial for the elucidation of routes of transmission in a variety of settings. Therefore, implementation of HCV advanced molecular surveillance (AMS) is essential for disease control. Accounting for virulence is also important for HCV AMS and both viral and host factors contribute to the disease outcome. Therefore, HCV AMS requires the incorporation of host factors as an integral component of the algorithms used to monitor disease occurrence. Importantly, implementation of comprehensive global databases and data mining are also needed for the proper study of the mechanisms responsible for HCV transmission. Here, we review molecular aspects associated with HCV transmission, as well as the most recent technological advances used for virus and host characterization. Additionally, the cornerstone discoveries that have defined the pathway for viral characterization are presented and the importance of implementing advanced HCV molecular surveillance is highlighted.
Leak Signature Space: An Original Representation for Robust Leak Location in Water Distribution Networks
Authors: Casillas Myrna , Garza-Castañón Luis , Puig Vicenç , Vargas-Martinez Adriana
Published: March 2015

In this paper, an original model-based scheme for leak location using pressure sensors in water distribution networks is introduced. The proposed approach is based on a new representation called the Leak Signature Space (LSS) that associates a specific signature to each leak location being minimally affected by leak magnitude. The LSS considers a linear model approximation of the relation between pressure residuals and leaks that is projected onto a selected hyperplane. This new approach allows to infer the location of a given leak by comparing the position of its signature with other leak signatures. Moreover, two ways of improving the method’s robustness are proposed. First, by associating a domain of influence to each signature and second, through a time horizon analysis. The efficiency of the method is highlighted by means of a real network using several scenarios involving different number of sensors and considering the presence of noise in the measurements.
Linkage Maps of a Mediterranean × Continental Tall Fescue Population and their Comparative Analysis with Other Poaceae Species
Authors: Dierking Ryan , Azhaguvel Perumal , Kallenbach Robert , Saha Malay , Bouton Joseph , Chekhovskiy Konstantin , Kopecký David , Hopkins Andrew
Published: March 2015

Temperate grasses belonging to the Festuca–Lolium complex are important throughout the world in pasture and grassland agriculture. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is the predominant species in the United States, covering approximately 15 million ha. Tall fescue has distinctive morphotypes, two of which are Continental (summer active) and Mediterranean (summer semidormant). This is the first report of a linkage map created for Mediterranean tall fescue, while updating the Continental map with additional simple sequence repeat and sequence‐tagged site markers. Additionally, this is the first time that diversity arrays technology (DArT) markers were used in the construction of a tall fescue map. The male parent (Continental), R43‐64, map consisted of 594 markers arranged in 22 linkage groups (LGs) and covered a total of 1577 cM. The female parent (Mediterranean), 103‐2, map was shorter (1258 cM) and consisted of only 208 markers arranged in 29 LGs. Marker densities for R43‐64 and 103‐2 were 2.65 and 6.08 cM per marker, respectively. When compared with the other Poaceae species, meadow fescue (F. pratensis Huds.), annual ryegrass (L. multiflorum Lam.), perennial ryegrass (L. perenne L.), Brachypodium distachyon (L.) Beauv., and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), a total of 171 and 98 orthologous or homologous sequences, identified by DArT analysis, were identified in R43‐64 and 103‐2, respectively. By using genomic in situ hybridization, we aimed to identify potential progenitors of both morphotypes. However, no clear conclusion on genomic constitution was reached. These maps will aid in the search for quantitative trait loci of various traits as well as help define and distinguish genetic differences between the two morphotypes.
THE INFLUENCE OF ROAD MAINTENANCE SUBSTANCES ON THE GROWTH OF GRAMINACEOUS PLANTS
Authors: KAZLAUSKIENĖ Agnė , BRUKŠTUTĖ Vaida
Published: March 2015

The article describes the experimental research on the effect of road maintenance materials on three species of graminaceous plants. The experiment was carried out using technical granular sodium chloride (NaCl) treated with potassium hexacyanoferrate – a road maintenance material most widely applied in wintertime in Lithuania. As an alternative, an organic material obtained on the basis of molasses, patented under the name of Safecote in Europe, was selected for the experiment. Three species of gramineous plants, most frequently used for roadside planting in Lithuania when building new and reconstructing or renovating the existing motor roads, were analysed: perennial ryegrass(Lolium perenne L.), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), and common meadow-grass (Poa pratensis L.).The paper presents experimental findings regarding the effect of road maintenance materials on the parameters of graminaceous plants – the height of the above-ground part and phytomass.
Common Core State Standards
Authors: Brown Carol Adamec
Published: March 2015

Following the National Education Summit in 2000, the National Governors Association and the Council for Chief State School Officers proposed the Common Core State Standards for mathematics and English language arts. The rationale is to provide a consistent core curriculum for all schools in the United States. Each state has opportunity to contribute to the rigor, clarity, and specificity of the standards. Incentives for states to implement the national curriculum are identified in the Blueprint for ESEA, a federal initiative to implement education reforms. Policy makers and educators agree that achievement gaps between students in the U.S. and other higher performing countries must be closed. In addition, our children must be prepared for college classrooms and globally competitive careers. This chapter provides the history of standards-based education reform, the pros and cons of a nationally standardized curriculum, and current progress in implementation of Common Core State Standards.
Fundamental Aspects for E-Government
Authors: Burkhardt Dirk , Nazemi Kawa , Zilke Jan Ruben , Kohlhammer Jörn , Kuijper Arjan
Published: March 2015

The upcoming initiatives using ICT in the government process should strengthen the benefit of e-government in most countries. Since e-government among other e-related terms is a widely (interpreted) term, it is sometimes challenging to understand the objective and goals of an initiative. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors introduce and explain most e-government related terms. Even more, they outline some interesting initiatives and implementations to explain the benefits of using ICT in the government domain. Concrete activities are aligned to the terms to explain their practical use in a better way. The authors conclude with several challenges that arise when thinking of the implementation of e-government services. Overall, this chapter should give a good overall view of e-government and the related issues.
On the Scientific Foundations of Enterprise Interoperability
Authors: Charalabidis Yannis , Lampathaki Fenareti , Jardim-Goncalves Ricardo
Published: March 2015

In a rapidly evolving landscape, enterprises face unprecedented challenges and opportunities to become more innovative, competitive, and efficient. Despite the technological readiness and the abundance of solutions, the interoperability issues still afflict enterprises as they remain untackled at design time and without a systemic approach. To this end, the scientific foundations of enterprise interoperability shall structure the knowledge gained through pragmatic research in the domain over the last decades and more in order to avoid repeating research and missing opportunities for application. This chapter aims at outlining the objectives of the Enterprise Interoperability Science Base at its various evolution phases and documenting the key achievements made by the ENSEMBLE project. An overview of the actions to be implemented in this quest for scientific rigour is provided and the perspectives opened up through such an initiative are discussed.
Informational Text and the Common Core
Authors: Rosenblum Debra
Published: March 2015

Currently, teachers of reading and language arts are being asked to look closely at what materials are being used in their classrooms. As of today, 45 states have become proponents of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). These standards have been created to “ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive” (NGA, et al., 2008, p. 24). These standards mandate a higher percentage of what has come to be termed informational text. The first question that needs to be answered is what exactly is the definition of informational text and why is it important? The largest change noted in the shift to informational text is the percentage of text required. Informational text covers a very broad spectrum of reading material including biographies and autobiographies: “books about history, social studies, science, and the arts”; “technical texts, including directions, forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps”; and “digital sources on a range of topics” (Maloch & Bomer, 2013, p. 209). In the upper grades, the different subject areas are generally taught by a variety of teachers. These content area teachers are experts in their fields and much of their information is strictly informational in nature to begin with. The problem is that “Most teachers are not taught how to teach reading” (Gewertz, 2012, p. 1). This leads to the question of how teachers are utilizing informational texts in their classrooms. This chapter explores informational texts and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
The Role of Security Culture
Authors: Malcolmson Jo
Published: March 2015

This chapter provides a discussion of the importance of the wider organisational context that the network administrator needs to deal with by describing how the organisational culture can impact on the degree to which security can be successfully maintained. It starts with an acknowledgement of the general clusters of factors that affect security (technology, processes, organisational, and human), and focuses on the human element within these. The types of risk that arise from humans in the system are described, such as motivation, ability, awareness (and lack of awareness). Errors and purposeful violations are compared, and individual, organisational, and latent risk factors explained. The chapter's key focus is the role of organisational culture. A general description of culture and its application in organisations leads into a discussion of security culture. A comparison is made between safety and security culture. Similarities are listed as the impacts of regulatory influence, reputational damage, having multiple causes, and the fact both are often driven by adverse events. Differences are examined. For example, the victim of a poor safety culture is often the perpetrator, whereas this is less often true in security violations. Intrinsic motivation and the impact of certain systems designs are further differences. Gaps in security culture research are noted as a lack of an accepted practical definition, a lack of an accepted way of measuring security culture that can be used outside narrow domains, research into engendering and enhancing security culture is narrowly focused on specific aspects of culture, and a lack of research relating security culture to organisational performance. A project to address some of these gaps by defining and measuring security culture is described. Qualitative and quantitative research was used to develop a questionnaire consisting of seven scales and fourteen sub-scales, each measuring a reliable and distinct factor. The content of these factors is noted, and a case study of the questionnaire's application to facilitate the development of security culture is outlined. Two key benefits result from the use of the questionnaire: diagnosis of aspects of security culture that may need improvement and benchmarking within (and between) organisations.
Developing Secure Software Using UML Patterns
Authors: Schmidt Holger , Hatebur Denis , Heisel Maritta
Published: March 2015

This chapter presents a security engineering process based on UML security problem frames and concretized UML security problem frames. Both kinds of frames constitute patterns for analyzing security problems and associated solution approaches. They are arranged in a pattern system that makes dependencies between them explicit. The authors describe step-by-step how the pattern system can be used to analyze a given security problem and how solution approaches can be found. Then, solution approaches are specified by generic security components and generic security architectures, which constitute architectural patterns. Finally, the generic security components and the generic security architecture that composes them are refined, and the result is a secure software product built from existing and/or tailor-made security components.
Hybrid Modeling
Authors: Woitsch Robert
Published: March 2015

Enterprise Interoperability can be identified on cultural, rule, process, data, software, object, social network, services, knowledge, electronic ID, cloud, and ecosystem level, whereas the challenge is the conceptual integration across those layers in a flexible way. Meta Modeling as a concept is a proven technology to enable such conceptual integration for both machine computation and human-oriented interpretation for information value creation. Hybrid Modeling is a realization approach to merge different meta models and hence enable the interoperability between conceptual models. Stability is provided by the meta modeling platform whereas flexibility is ensured by hybrid modeling via a holistic integration framework. This approach has been successfully implemented in a list of EU-research projects. This chapter introduces (a) concept models as an instrument for interoperability, (b) a meta model approach as a flexible but stable platform, and (c) hybrid modeling as an approach to flexibly compose the conceptual integration. After discussing this theoretical background, the chapter introduces different realization scenarios of hybrid modeling. Each scenario is supported differently by the underlying meta modeling platform ADOxx®. Here, the experience of a list of EU-research projects is explained and reflected to enterprise interoperability requirements. Sample solutions are introduced, showing different hybrid modeling implementations. Technical overviews of the ADOxx® meta modeling platforms are introduced and references to open development communities are provided to invite readers to realize their own modeling solutions.
The Development of Open Government Data in Austria
Authors: Höchtl Johann , Parycek Peter , Sedy Florian
Published: March 2015

Open Government Data has become an integral part for European governments at all federal levels. However, varying jurisdictions and government structures have also contributed to different operational models. The UK is pursuing a more central approach, expressing political will through its prime minister and with the ODI providing the technical and organisational framework. Austria is a much more federated country, yet also on the edge of OGD. This chapter presents the inception of OGD in Austria, the informal approach of OGD consensus finding, OGD specifications, organisational setting, and harmonisation approaches in the DACH and pan-European region.
A Taxonomy of Scientific Areas Driving Assessment of Organisations Readiness
Authors: Koussouris Sotirios , Mouzakitis Spiros , Lampathaki Fenareti
Published: March 2015

Enterprise Interoperability is one of the most crucial research domains of the modern information age, as it is directly linked with the competitiveness of enterprises as it defines at a large extent the ability of an enterprise to take advantage of the productivity gains offered by the ICT solutions available. However, although various solutions and best practises are emerging on a daily basis, it is the fragmented analysis of the domain that restrains the birth of holistic solutions that will provide the needed leverage to enterprises. Motivated by this situation, this chapter provides an analysis of the different scientific areas that can be found under the Enterprise Interoperability landscape and proposes an assessment framework which may support the identification of the current interoperability profile of an organisation while it reveals various solution paths that could be developed in order to gradually improve the interoperability status of the latter.
Agile Development of Security-Critical Enterprise System
Authors: Ge Xiaocheng
Published: March 2015

The effective provision of security in an agile development requires a new approach: traditional security practices are bound to equally traditional development methods. However, there are concerns that security is difficult to build incrementally, and can prove prohibitively expensive to refactor. This chapter describes how to grow security, organically, within an agile project, by using an incremental security architecture that evolves with the code. The architecture provides an essential bridge between system-wide security properties and implementation mechanisms, a focus for understanding security in the project, and a trigger for security refactoring. The chapter also describes criteria that allow implementers to recognize when refactoring is needed, and a concrete example that contrasts incremental and “top-down” architectures.
Enterprise Interoperability Science Base Structure
Authors: Popplewell Keith
Published: March 2015

A science base for enterprise interoperability was first proposed in 2006 as a mechanism to formalize knowledge being generated by researchers and applied by industry to facilitate collaboration between enterprises through mutual interoperability of their enterprise systems. Subsequently, the community of researchers and exploiters of Enterprise Interoperability research addressed this issue as a group, culminating in a project funded by the European Commission FP7 programme. In this chapter, the authors explore the structure for an Enterprise Interoperability Science Base defined in this project, based on analysis of its purposes, the knowledge already available from pragmatic research, and the lessons learned, both on interoperability and the theoretical structure of a science base. The resulting science base is now evolving from the body of knowledge used for its initial population to embrace new research results and issues. This chapter focuses on the structure devised for an Enterprise Interoperability Science Base capable of delivering benefit to a comprehensive range of stakeholders with research and industry interests.
A Framework for Measuring the Deployment of Internet Protocols
Authors: Levä Tapio , Riikonen Antti , Töyli Juuso , Hämmäinen Heikki
Published: March 2015

Internet protocols spread to potential adopters through several successive phases of implementation, commercialization, acquisition, and adoption of the protocol. This process of protocol deployment involves several stakeholders and varies depending on the deployment environment and the protocol in question. This complexity and the lack of comprehensive measurement studies call for a further conceptualization of measuring protocol diffusion along the whole deployment process. Therefore, this article develops a framework for measuring the deployment of Internet protocols, consisting of deployment steps, deployment models, deployment measures, and data sources. The measures are further linked to each other through deployment gaps and delays. In order to demonstrate the framework, it is used to assess how a set of pre-installed protocols spread in the Finnish mobile market. The framework highlights the differences between the deployment models and the importance to use both the deployment measures and gaps in the analysis of protocol success. Furthermore, the illustrative results indicate that protocol deployment is driven by applications, and show the existence of large deployment gaps between the protocol possession and usage. The results are relevant especially to researchers interested in holistically analyzing protocol deployment and protocol developers for measuring and improving the success of their protocols.
An Extension of Business Process Model and Notation for Security Risk Management
Authors: Altuhhov Olga , Matulevičius Raimundas , Ahmed Naved
Published: March 2015

Business process modelling is one of the major aspects in the modern information system development. Recently business process model and notation (BPMN) has become a standard technique to support this activity. Typically the BPMN notations are used to understand enterprise's business processes. However, limited work exists regarding how security concerns are addressed during the management of the business processes. This is a problem, since both business processes and security should be understood in parallel to support a development of the secure information systems. In the previous work we have analysed BPMN with respect to the domain model of the IS security risk management (ISSRM) and showed how the language constructs could be aligned to the concepts of the ISSRM domain model. In this paper the authors propose the BPMN extensions for security risk management based on the BPMN alignment to the ISSRM concepts. We illustrate how the extended BPMN could express assets, risks and risk treatment on few running examples related to the Internet store regarding the asset confidentiality, integrity and availability. Our proposal would allow system analysts to understand how to develop security requirements to secure important assets defined through business processes. The paper opens the possibility for business and security model interoperability and the model transformation between several modelling approaches (if these both are aligned to the ISSRM domain model).
Seizing Opportunities for the Support of Innovation through Committee Standards and Standardization
Authors: Abdelkafi Nizar , Makhotin Sergiy
Published: March 2015

This paper provides insights into the key results of a research project funded by the German Institute for Standardization DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.). It investigates how German companies, in particular SMEs, can leverage committee standards to drive innovations. Whereas the impact of standardization on innovation has been acknowledged in the scientific literature from the macro-perspective, little is known on how standards and standardization can support innovation on the company level. This research builds upon findings from 40 semi-structured interviews conducted with experts from German companies in five sectors: biotechnology, nanotechnology, services, security, and mechanical engineering. The key informants are practitioners with R&D and standardization experience. The interview data are fitted into a qualitative model that explains how standards and standardization can lead to innovation, given certain contextual factors (internal and external). The analysis of this data shows that companies that use standards and are involved regularly in standardization processes are able to create six types of opportunities supporting innovation.
Prior Negative Experience, Online Privacy Concerns and Intent to Disclose Personal Information in Chinese Social Media
Authors: Yang Hongwei “Chris”
Published: March 2015

A paper survey of 489 Chinese college students was conducted in spring, 2012 to test a conceptual model of online information disclosure in social media. It shows that young Chinese SNS users' prior negative experience of online disclosure significantly increased their online privacy concerns and their perceived risk. Their online privacy concerns undermined their trust of online companies, marketers and laws to protect privacy and elevated their perceived risk. Their trust strongly predicted their intent to disclose the lifestyle and sensitive information. Their online privacy concerns only inhibited them from disclosing sensitive information in social media. However, their prior negative experience did not directly predict their intent of self-disclosure on SNS. Implications for academia and industry are discussed.
Students' Experiences Composing and Decomposing Two-Dimensional Shapes in First and Second Grade Mathematics Classrooms
Authors: Polly Drew , Hill Trisha , Vuljanic Tabitha
Published: March 2015

The composing and decomposing of geometric shapes is a building block in children's development of geometry and spatial reasoning. The Common Core State Standards in Mathematics focus and emphasize the need for students to build composite shapes from smaller shapes and break a geometric shape into smaller shapes. This chapter presents findings from an exploratory study that examined both teachers' and students' experiences working with shape puzzles. Inductive qualitative analysis of field notes and student work samples indicated that shape puzzles provided opportunities for students to develop a deeper understanding of spatial reasoning. In certain subgroups of students, the vocabulary terms related to students' work revealed a disconnection between students' work and their oral explanations of their processes. Implications for professional development and classroom implementation in light of the Common Core State Standards are shared.
Is Open Data Enough?
Authors: Misuraca Gianluca , Viscusi Gianluigi
Published: March 2015

The article aims to investigate how key e-Governance dimensions related to openness, such as transparency and accountability, which are a necessary condition for reaching a high maturity of e-Government, may not be sufficient for open government. For this purpose, an interpretative framework to identify country attitudes towards Open Government is proposed and it is applied to two cases drawn from different legal, cultural and organisational backgrounds. Among the key findings of the article, the 'attitudes mapping' resulting from the application of the interpretative framework to the case studies points out the key role of different governance traditions in the path towards open government.
Trapped in My Mobility
Authors: Baruh Lemi , Popescu Mihaela
Published: March 2015

In the wake of the quick penetration of mobile devices into the everyday lives of individuals, protection of privacy in mobile ecosystems has become a hot button issue. Existing regulatory efforts on mobile privacy primarily focus on protection of the informational privacy of individuals. While necessary, focusing solely on informational privacy may not be sufficient in terms of protecting users' privacy in mobile environments. The chapter discusses the privacy implications of design architectures and economic arrangements in the mobile ecosystems and argues that mobile environments create privacy-threatening “sticky” relationships that make it increasingly difficult for individuals not only to control flow of information about themselves, but also flow of communication that targets them. This chapter argues that an important supplement to protecting users' privacy is to restore users' control over the communicative interaction with the companies seeking to target them. To that purpose, the chapter offers a set of principles, called “home mode” for mobile privacy, in implementing remedies for threats to privacy in mobile environments.
Information Security and Information Assurance
Authors: Cherdantseva Yulia , Hilton Jeremy
Published: March 2015

Despite great interest of researchers and professionals in Information Security (InfoSec) and Information Assurance (IA), there is still no commonly agreed understanding of the disciplines. This chapter clarifies the meaning, scope, and goals of InfoSec and IA as well as the relationship between the disciplines. Clarity of the scope and goals of InfoSec and IA is important because this knowledge serves as a foundation for the definition of (1) curricula for the InfoSec and IA education programs, (2) responsibilities of practitioners, and (3) organisations' InfoSec strategy and policies. The study analyses US and European InfoSec- and IA-related official publications and standards and discusses the perception of the disciplines in academic and industry works. The study highlights the importance of clear and precise definitions of InfoSec and IA and a need for the definitions to promote open-mindedness among practitioners and researchers. Since the existing definitions of InfoSec and IA do not fully reflect the complexity and the evolving nature of the disciplines, the contemporary adapted definitions of InfoSec and IA are elaborated in the chapter.
Infusing Innovation in the Policy Analysis and Evaluation Phases of the Policy Cycle
Authors: Markaki Ourania I. , Kokkinakos Panagiotis , Koussouris Sotirios , Psarras John , Lee Habin , Löhe Martin , Glikman Yuri
Published: March 2015

This paper introduces an innovative approach for more factual, evidence-based and accountable policy analysis and evaluation, based on open public data, prosperity indicators, fuzzy cognitive maps and argumentation technology. The approach is inspired by the Policy Compass FP7 project and assumes to make better use of Europe's open public data resources, so as to enable both the lay public and domain experts to create, apply, annotate, share and discuss progress metrics and causal models of policies. The aim is to empower stakeholders in assessing the governments' course of actions and contribute in transforming government structures to a more participatory and democratic form. The paper attempts to make a rather complete and comprehensive statement for policy analysis and evaluation, as it provides a thorough description of the proposed approach, including both its theoretical framework and technical approach, as well as a series of indicative use case scenarios and anticipated benefits. The paper concludes with relevant implementation concerns as well as future plans for the validation of the approach and its benefits.
Security of Safety Important I&C Systems
Authors: Kharchenko Vyacheslav , Kovalenko Andriy , Andrashov Anton
Published: March 2015

One of the most challenging modern problems—security assessment and assurance for safety important I&C systems—is discussed. Interrelations and hierarchical structure of I&C systems attributes, including safety and security, are considered. Review of existing regulatory documents that covers various development and operation aspects of safety important I&C systems is presented. Such a review also addresses issues related to requirements for safety important I&C systems, including security requirements, depending on their underlying technology, as well as reveals the impact of the main features, including used technologies and development approaches. Main challenging problems and requirements in the area of security assurance for complex safety important I&C systems are outlined. A possible way to analyze the security vulnerabilities of safety important I&C system is considered; it is based on process-product approach, and it requires performance of assessments for products (components of I&C system at different life cycle stages) and all the processes within the product life cycle. A possible approach to assessment and assurance of safety important I&C systems security is discussed. Such an approach takes into account possible vulnerabilities of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) technology and appropriate points of their insertion into the life cycle. An analysis of existing techniques for assurance of safety important I&C systems security is performed.
Privacy Concerns and Networks of Communication among Classmates
Authors: Odella Francesca
Published: March 2015

The collection of network data referring to social interactions is among the topic more significant and interesting in the research process. Most of the advancements in this area benefit from the introduction of new technologies and the improvement of techniques for the collection and retrieval of data. The collection of information concerning multiple dimensions of personal interactions and the treatment of personal data, however, may pose privacy and ethical problems. In particular, the operative definition of privacy has been attempted in social and psychological research in the form of multi-dimensional indicators and variables referring to the individual perception of sensitivity and confidentiality of information. Recently, however, some attempts have been done to define privacy from a relational point of view using concepts and structural properties from social network analysis. The paper addresses this debate and by means of empirical network data on communication networks discuss the issue of privacy in network data collection and analysis.
Composition of the Top Management Team and Information Security Breaches
Authors: Hsu Carol , Wang Tawei
Published: March 2015

Given the multifaceted problems and complexities of information security, the manner in which top management teams make investment and management decisions regarding security technologies, policy initiatives, and employee education could have a significant impact on the likelihood of information security breaches in organizations. In the context of information security management, it is not clear from management literature regarding how the characteristics of the top management team are associated with the possibility of information security breaches. The results demonstrate that the average length and heterogeneity of tenure could increase the possibility of breaches. However, age heterogeneity and the size of the top management team are negatively related to such a possibility. In addition, the findings suggest a nonlinear association between average age and tenure and the possibility of security breaches. The authors conclude the chapter with theoretical and practical implications on the organizational and managerial aspects of information security management.