bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Managing Risks in Multiple Online Auctions: An Options Approach*
Authors: Gopal Ram , Thompson Steven , Tung Y. Alex , Whinston Andrew B.
Published: August 2005

The scenario of established business sellers utilizing online auction markets to reach consumers and sell new products is becoming increasingly common. We propose a class of risk management tools, loosely based on the concept of financial options that can be employed by such sellers. While conceptually similar to options in financial markets, we empirically demonstrate that option instruments within auction markets cannot be developed employing similar methodologies, because the fundamental tenets of extant option pricing models do not hold within online auction markets. We provide a framework to analyze the value proposition of options to potential sellers, option‐holder behavior implications on auction processes, and seller strategies to write and price options that maximize potential revenues. We then develop an approach that enables a seller to assess the demand for options under different option price and volume scenarios. We compare option prices derived from our approach with those derived from the Black‐Scholes model (Black & Scholes, 1973) and discuss the implications of the price differences. Experiments based on actual auction data suggest that options can provide significant benefits under a variety of option‐holder behavioral patterns.
Radiographic study of the prevalence of periodontal bone loss in Australian school‐aged children attending the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne
Authors: Darby Ivan B. , Lu Janet , Calache Hanny
Published: August 2005

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of alveolar bone loss around the first permanent molars, and first and second deciduous molars in Australian school‐aged children attending the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne.

Method: Nine hundred and ninety‐five records were examined for useable bitewing radiographs. From these, radiographs of 542 Australian school children aged 5–12 years were used. The cervical–enamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) distance was measured using the transparent ruler on the magnifier. Each inter‐dental site that was readable was scored as one for the following categories: not available (NA); no bone loss (NBL)– the CEJ–ABC was 2 mm; questionable bone loss (QBL): the distance from the CEJ–ABC was >2 and <3 mm; and definite bone loss (DBL): the distance from the CEJ to ABC was 3 mm.

Results: Seventy‐one children (13.0%) were found to have 83 DBL sites, as determined by bone levels >3.0 mm from the CEJ. Seventy children had QBL lesions only, 50 children had DBL only and 21 children had both. The overall prevalence of bone loss was 26%. Second deciduous molars were found to be the most affected teeth with almost 75% lesions being distal. These teeth comprised 50% of the DBL lesions. Children of Asian‐Far Eastern origin had a higher percentage of sites with bone loss compared with children of Caucasian origin, being 29.5% and 19.7%, respectively, but lower than that of children of Middle‐Eastern origin (35.2%). When the data were analysed with relation to age, there was no relationship between age and prevalence of bone loss.

Conclusion: In the population studied, there was an overall prevalence of periodontal bone loss of 26% and DBL of 13% in an Australian school‐aged group. Calculus was detected infrequently and, where present, was associated with bone loss.
A Feasibility Robust Optimization Method Using Sensitivity Region Concept
Authors: Gunawan S. , Azarm S.
Published: August 2005

We present a robust optimization method that ensures feasibility of an optimized design when there are uncontrollable variations in design parameters. This method is developed based on the notion of a sensitivity region, which is a measure of how far a feasible design is from the boundary of a feasible domain in the parameter variation space. In this method, as the design moves further inside the feasible domain, and thus becoming more feasibly robust, the sensitivity region becomes larger. Our method is not sampling based so it does not require a presumed probability distribution as input and is reasonably efficient in terms of function evaluations. In addition, our method does not use gradient approximation and thus is applicable to problems that have nondifferentiable constraint functions and large parameter variations. As a demonstration, we applied our method to an engineering example, the design of a control valve actuator linkage. In this example, we show that our method finds an optimum design which is feasibly robust.
A Diagnostic Approach for Turning Tool Based on the Dynamic Force Signals
Authors: Oraby S. E. , Al-Modhuf A. F. , Hayhurst D. R.
Published: August 2005

In the current work it is proposed a simple, and fast softwired tool wear monitoring approach, based upon the features of the time series analysis and the Green’s Function (GF) features. The proposed technique involves the decomposition of the force signals into deterministic component and stochastic variation-carrying component. Then, only the stochastic component is processed to detect the adequate autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models representing the tool state at every wear condition. Models are further reduced to form a more representative parameter, the “Green’s Function (GF).” This reflects the dynamic behavior of the tool prior to failure and, may provide a comprehensive and accurate measure of the damping variation of the cutting process subsystem at different forms of tool’s edge wear. As wear enters the high rate region, the cutting process is forced toward the instability domain where it tends to have less damping resistance. It is also explained how a system response surface can be generated based on its Green’s function. It is proposed that this concept can be the basis for a diagnostic technique for use with many systems.
Experimental Study of
the Probability Distributions of Green Water on the Bow of Floating Production
Platforms
Authors: Soares C. Guedes , Pascoal R.
Published: August 2005

Results of an experimental program with a model of a moored floating production storage and offloading vessel are used to study the probability distributions associated with various phenomena related with green water loading. Separate analysis of wave height and crests are performed in order to assess the presence and significance of nonlinearities. Time series of pitch motion and relative motion are analyzed to check for linearity of the response process. Probability distributions of the occurrence of water on deck and of the conditional distribution water height above deck are also studied.
Numerical Simulations and Design of Shearing Process for Aluminum Alloys
Authors: Khadke Aniruddha , Ghosh Somnath , Li Ming
Published: August 2005

This work combines experimental studies with finite element simulations to develop a reliable numerical model for the simulation of shearing process in aluminum alloys. The critical concern with respect to product quality in this important process is burr formation. Numerical simulations are aimed at understanding the role of process variables on burr formation and for recommending process design parameters. The commercial code ABAQUS-Explicit with the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian kinematic description is used in this study for numerical simulations. An elastic-plastic constitutive model with experimentally validated damage models are incorporated through the user subroutine VUMAT in ABAQUS, for modeling deformation and ductile fracture in the material. Macroscopic experiments with microscopic observations are conducted to characterize the material and to calibrate the constitutive and damage models. Parametric study is done to probe the effect of process parameters and finally, a genetic algorithm (GA) based design method is used to determine process parameters for minimum burr formation.
Dimensional Variation Analysis and Synthesis for Composite Components
and Assemblies
Authors: Dong Chensong , Zhang Chuck , Liang Zhiyong , Wang Ben
Published: August 2005

This paper presents a study on dimensional variations and tolerance analysis and synthesis for polymer matrix fiber-reinforced composite components and assemblies. A composite component dimensional variation model was developed with process simulation based on thermal stress analysis and finite element analysis (FEA). Using the FEA-based dimensional variation model, the deformations of typical composite structures were studied and the regression-based dimensional variation models were developed. The regression-based dimensional variation models can significantly reduce computation time and provide a quick design guide for composite products with reduced dimensional variations. By introducing a material modification coefficient, the comprehensive regression models can handle various fiber and resin types and stacking sequences, which eliminates the complicated, time-consuming finite element meshing and material parameter defining process. A structural tree method (STM) was developed for rapid computation of composite assembly dimensional variations resulting from deformations on individual components, as well as the deformation of composite components with complex shapes. With the STM and the regression-based dimensional variation models, rapid design optimization was conducted to reduce the dimensional variations of composite assemblies. Cost-tolerance functions were developed using a fuzzy multiattribute utility theory based cost-estimation method. Based on the developed dimensional variation and cost-tolerance models, composite assembly tolerance analysis and synthesis were performed in this study. The exploring research work presented in this paper provides a foundation for developing practical and proactive dimensional control techniques for composite products.
Limitations to the Manufacture of Specialty Optical Fiber
Authors: Barton Geoffrey W. , Law Susan H. , Phan Thanh N.
Published: August 2005

There is an emerging demand for specialty fibers whose diameter variability is an order of magnitude less than current requirements. This study considers three potential impediments to producing such fibers: on-line measurement, control techniques, and furnace design. Existing laser-gage technology appears to be quite adequate provided suitable digital filtering is used, but it is unlikely that any controller would be able to eliminate the high-frequency diameter variability. The most likely source of these high-frequency variations are flow instabilities within the draw furnace. Thus, it would seem that furnace redesign is the key to providing the level of diameter control needed in emerging specialty optical fibers.
FpvIR Control of
fpvA
Ferric Pyoverdine Receptor Gene Expression in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
: Demonstration of an Interaction between FpvI and FpvR and Identification of Mutations in Each Compromising This Interaction
Authors: Rédly Gyula Alan , Poole Keith
Published: August 2005

FpvR is a presumed cytoplasmic membrane-associated anti-sigma factor that controls the activities of extracytoplasmic function sigma factors PvdS and FpvI responsible for transcription of pyoverdine biosynthetic genes and the ferric pyoverdine receptor gene,
fpvA
, respectively. Using deletion analysis and an in vivo bacterial two-hybrid system, FpvR interaction with these σ factors was confirmed and shown to involve the cytoplasmic N-terminal 67 amino acid resides of FpvR. FpvR bound specifically to a C-terminal region of FpvI corresponding to region 4 of the σ
70
family of sigma factors. FpvR and FpvI mutant proteins compromised for this interaction were generated by random and site-directed PCR mutagenesis and invariably contained secondary structure-altering proline substitution in predicted α-helices within the FpvR N terminus or FpvI region 4. PvdS was shown to bind to the same N-terminal region of FpvR, and FpvR mutations compromising FpvI binding also compromised PvdS binding, although some mutations had a markedly greater impact on PvdS binding. Apparently, these two σ factors bind to FpvR in a substantially similar but not identical fashion. Intriguingly, defects in FpvR binding correlated with a substantial drop in yields of the FpvI and to a lesser extent PvdS σ factors, suggesting that FpvR-bound FpvI and PvdS are stable while free and active sigma factor is prone to turnover.
WADA'S REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURE BRAID GROUP
Authors: ABDULRAHIM MOHAMMAD N.
Published: August 2005

We consider the Magnus representation of the image of the pure braid group under the generalizations of the standard Artin representation, discovered by M. Wada. We will give a necessary and sufficient condition for the specialization of the reduced Wada's representation Gn(z) : Pn → GLn-1(ℂ) to be irreducible. It will be shown that for z = (z1,…,zn) ∈ (ℂ*)n, Gn(z) is irreducible if and only if z1k⋯znk ≠ 1. This is a generalization of our previous result concerning the irreducibility of the complex specialization of the reduced Gassner representation of Pn.
Backtracking intrusions
Authors: King Samuel T. , Chen Peter M.
Published: August 2005

Analyzing intrusions today is an arduous, largely manual task because system administrators lack the information and tools needed to understand easily the sequence of steps that occurred in an attack. The goal of BackTracker is to identify automatically potential sequences of steps that occurred in an intrusion. Starting with a single detection point (e.g., a suspicious file), BackTracker identifies files and processes that could have affected that detection point and displays chains of events in a dependency graph. We use BackTracker to analyze several real attacks against computers that we set up as honeypots. In each case, BackTracker is able to highlight effectively the entry point used to gain access to the system and the sequence of steps from that entry point to the point at which we noticed the intrusion. The logging required to support BackTracker added 9% overhead in running time and generated 1.2 GB per day of log data for an operating-system intensive workload.
Using certified policies to regulate E-commerce transactions
Authors: Ungureanu Victoria
Published: August 2005

E-commerce regulations are usually embedded in mutually agreed upon contracts. Generally, these contracts enumerate agents authorized to participate in transactions, and spell out such things like rights and obligations of each partner, and terms and conditions of the trade. An enterprise may be concurrently bound by a set of different contracts that regulate the trading relations with its various clients and suppliers. This set is dynamic because new contracts are constantly being established, and previously established contracts end, are annulled, or revised.We argue that existent access control mechanisms cannot adequately support the large number of regulations embedded in disparate, evolving contracts. To deal with this problem we propose to use certified policies. A certified policy (CP) is obtained by expressing contract terms regarding access and control regulations in a formal, interpretable language, and by having them digitally signed by a proper authority. In this framework, an agent making a request to a server presents to the server such a CP, together with other relevant credentials. A valid certified policy can then be used as the authorization policy for the request in question.It is the thesis of this article that this approach would make several aspects of contract enforcement more manageable and more efficient: (a) deployment---certified policies may be stored on certificate repositories from where they can be retrieved as needed, (b) annulment---if a contract is annulled, the corresponding CP should be invalidated; the latter can be conveniently supported by certificate revocation, and (c) revision---revision of contract terms can be done by publishing a new certified policy and by revoking the old one. The proposed approach is practical in that it does not require any modification of the current certificate infrastructure and only minor modifications to servers.In this article, we propose a language for stating contract terms and present several formal examples of certified policies. We describe the implementation of the enforcement mechanism and present experimental performance results.
An Update on Software Updates
Authors: Brown David J.
Published: August 2005

When I raised the idea at the Queue editorial advisory board meeting several months ago, it was because I think the way that software is now being delivered to us is quite interesting. Things have changed. Nowadays you much less often expect to “install” whole systems or indeed even individual applications. Instead you’ve probably become quite used to the idea of accepting ongoing updates to what you already have - a behavior of happily receiving incremental changes to your software systems and/or applications - by what I like to describe as the process of “bit dripping” from vendors over the Web.
Representing linear algebra algorithms in code: the FLAME application program interfaces
Authors: Bientinesi Paolo , Quintana-Ortí Enrique S. , Geijn Robert A. van de
Published: August 2005

In this article, we present a number of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for coding linear algebra algorithms. On the surface, these APIs for the MATLAB M-script and C programming languages appear to be simple, almost trivial, extensions of those languages. Yet with them, the task of programming and maintaining families of algorithms for a broad spectrum of linear algebra operations is greatly simplified. In combination with our Formal Linear Algebra Methods Environment (FLAME) approach to deriving such families of algorithms, dozens of algorithms for a single linear algebra operation can be derived, verified to be correct, implemented, and tested, often in a matter of minutes per algorithm. Since the algorithms are expressed in code much like they are explained in a classroom setting, these APIs become not just a tool for implementing libraries, but also a valuable tool for teaching the algorithms that are incorporated in the libraries. In combination with an extension of the Parallel Linear Algebra Package (PLAPACK) API, the approach presents a migratory path from algorithm to MATLAB implementation to high-performance sequential implementation to parallel implementation. Finally, the APIs are being used to create a repository of algorithms and implementations for linear algebra operations, the FLAME Interface REpository (FIRE), which already features hundreds of algorithms for dozens of commonly encountered linear algebra operations.
Resource usage analysis
Authors: Igarashi Atsushi , Kobayashi Naoki
Published: August 2005

It is an important criterion of program correctness that a program accesses resources in a valid manner. For example, a memory region that has been allocated should eventually be deallocated, and after the deallocation, the region should no longer be accessed. A file that has been opened should be eventually closed. So far, most of the methods to analyze this kind of property have been proposed in rather specific contexts (like studies of memory management and verification of usage of lock primitives), and it was not clear what the essence of those methods was or how methods proposed for individual problems are related. To remedy this situation, we formalize a general problem of analyzing resource usage as a
resource usage analysis problem
, and propose a type-based method as a solution to the problem.
The Lowell database research self-assessment
Authors: Abiteboul Serge , Agrawal Rakesh , Bernstein Phil , Carey Mike , Ceri Stefano , Croft Bruce , DeWitt David , Franklin Mike , Molina Hector Garcia , Gawlick Dieter , Gray Jim , Haas Laura , Halevy Alon , Hellerstein Joe , Ioannidis Yannis , Kersten Martin , Pazzani Michael , Lesk Mike , Maier David , Naughton Jeff , Schek Hans , Sellis Timos , Silberschatz Avi , Stonebraker Mike , Snodgrass Rick , Ullman Jeff , Weikum Gerhard , Widom Jennifer , Zdonik Stan
Published: August 2005

Database needs are changing, driven by the Internet and increasing amounts of scientific and sensor data. In this article, the authors propose research into several important new directions for database management systems.
XML stream processing using tree-edit distance embeddings
Authors: Garofalakis Minos , Kumar Amit
Published: August 2005

We propose the first known solution to the problem of correlating, in small space, continuous streams of XML data through approximate (structure and content) matching, as defined by a general tree-edit distance metric. The key element of our solution is a novel algorithm for obliviously embedding tree-edit distance metrics into an
L
1
vector space while guaranteeing a (worst-case) upper bound of
O
(log
2
n
log*
n
) on the distance distortion between any data trees with at most
n
nodes. We demonstrate how our embedding algorithm can be applied in conjunction with known random sketching techniques to (1) build a compact synopsis of a massive, streaming XML data tree that can be used as a concise surrogate for the full tree in approximate tree-edit distance computations; and (2) approximate the result of tree-edit-distance similarity joins over continuous XML document streams. Experimental results from an empirical study with both synthetic and real-life XML data trees validate our approach, demonstrating that the average-case behavior of our embedding techniques is much better than what would be predicted from our theoretical worst-case distortion bounds. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first algorithmic results on low-distortion embeddings for tree-edit distance metrics, and on correlating (e.g., through similarity joins) XML data in the streaming model.
Error-resilient transmission of 3D models
Authors: Alregib Ghassan , Altunbasak Yucel , Rossignac Jarek
Published: August 2005

In this article, we propose an error-resilient transmission method for progressively compressed 3D models. The proposed method is scalable with respect to both channel bandwidth and channel packet-loss rate. We jointly design source and channel coders using a statistical measure that (i) calculates the number of both source and channel coding bits, and (ii) distributes the channel coding bits among the transmitted refinement levels in order to maximize the expected decoded model quality. In order to keep the total number of bits before and after applying error protection the same, we transmit fewer triangles in the latter case to accommodate the channel coding bits. When the proposed method is used to transmit a typical model over a channel with a 10% packet-loss rate, the distortion (measured using the
Hausdorff
distance between the original and the decoded models) is reduced by 50% compared to the case when no error protection is applied.
Graphical query interfaces for semistructured data: the QURSED system
Authors: Petropoulos Michalis , Papakonstantinou Yannis , Vassalos Vasilis
Published: August 2005

We describe the QURSED system for the declarative specification and automatic generation of Web-based query forms and reports (
QFR
s) for semistructured XML data. In QURSED, a
QFR
is formally described by its query set specification (
QSS
) which captures the complex query and reporting
capabilities
of the
QFR
and the associations of the query set specification with visual elements that implement these capabilities on a Web page. The design-time component of QURSED, called QURSED Editor, semi-automates the development of the query set specification and its association with visual elements by translating intuitive visual actions taken by a developer into appropriate specification
fragments
. The run-time component of QURSED produces XQuery statements by synthesizing fragments from the query set specification that have been activated during the interaction of the end-user with the
QFR
and renders the query results in interactive reports as specified by the
QSS
. We describe the techniques and algorithms employed by QURSED with emphasis on how it accommodates the intricacies introduced by the semistructured nature of the underlying data. We present the formal model of the query set specification, as well as its generation via the QURSED Editor, and focus on the techniques and heuristics the Editor employs for translating visual designer input into meaningful specifications. We also present the algorithms QURSED employs for query generation and report generation. An online demonstration of the system is available at http://www.db.ucsd.edu/qursed/.
X-GTRBAC: an XML-based policy specification framework and architecture for enterprise-wide access control
Authors: Bhatti Rafae , Ghafoor Arif , Bertino Elisa , Joshi James B. D.
Published: August 2005

Modern day enterprises exhibit a growing trend toward adoption of enterprise computing services for efficient resource utilization, scalability, and flexibility. These environments are characterized by heterogeneous, distributed computing systems exchanging enormous volumes of time-critical data with varying levels of access control in a dynamic business environment. The enterprises are thus faced with significant challenges as they endeavor to achieve their primary goals, and simultaneously ensure enterprise-wide secure interoperation among the various collaborating entities. Key among these challenges are providing effective mechanism for enforcement of enterprise policy across distributed domains, ensuring secure content-based access to enterprise resources at all user levels, and allowing the specification of temporal and nontemporal context conditions to support fine-grained dynamic access control. In this paper, we investigate these challenges, and present X-GTRBAC, an XML-based GTRBAC policy specification language and its implementation for enforcing enterprise-wide access control. Our specification language is based on the GTRBAC model that incorporates the content- and context-aware dynamic access control requirements of an enterprise. An X-GTRBAC system has been implemented as a Java application. We discuss the salient features of the specification language, and present the software architecture of our system. A comprehensive example is included to discuss and motivate the applicability of the X-GTRBAC framework to a generic enterprise environment. An application level interface for implementing the policy in the X-GTRBAC system is also provided to consolidate the ideas presented in the paper.
Domain-specific FAQ retrieval using independent aspects
Authors: Wu Chung-Hsien , Yeh Jui-Feng , Chen Ming-Jun
Published: August 2005

This investigation presents an approach to domain-specific FAQ (frequently-asked question) retrieval using independent aspects. The data analysis classifies the questions in the collected QA (question-answer) pairs into ten question types in accordance with question stems. The answers in the QA pairs are then paragraphed and clustered using latent semantic analysis and the K-means algorithm. For semantic representation of the aspects, a domain-specific ontology is constructed based on WordNet and HowNet. A probabilistic mixture model is then used to interpret the query and QA pairs based on independent aspects; hence the retrieval process can be viewed as the maximum likelihood estimation problem. The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is employed to estimate the optimal mixing weights in the probabilistic mixture model. Experimental results indicate that the proposed approach outperformed the FAQ-Finder system in medical FAQ retrieval.
Social empowerment and exclusion
Authors: Adams Anne , Blandford Ann , Lunt Peter
Published: August 2005

This article reports on work studying how technology can empower or exclude its users due to interactions between social context, system design, and implementation. The analysis is based around the introduction and use of digital libraries in four different settings, three clinical and one academic. Across the four settings, in-depth interview and focus group data was collected from 144 users and analyzed with reference to “communities of practice”. The four settings represent three different approaches to digital library implementation: making digital library resources available from existing computer systems in people's offices and the library (a traditional approach); making computer systems, and hence digital libraries, available in shared spaces (in this case, hospital wards); and employing information intermediaries to work with staff and library resources. These different approaches engendered different perceptions of the technology. The traditional approach produced perceptions of technology as being irrelevant for current needs and community practices. Making technology available within shared physical space but with poor design, support, and implementation procedures was widely perceived as a threat to current organizational structures. In contrast, technology implemented within the community which could adapt and change practices according to individual and group needs, supported by an information intermediary, was seen as empowering to both the community and the individual. We relate the findings to a discussion of evolutionary and revolutionary approaches to design and to the concept of communities of practice.
A fully portable high performance minimal storage hybrid format Cholesky algorithm
Authors: Andersen Bjarne S. , Gunnels John A. , Gustavson Fred G. , Reid John K. , Waśniewski Jerzy
Published: August 2005

We consider the efficient implementation of the Cholesky solution of symmetric positive-definite dense linear systems of equations using packed storage. We take the same starting point as that of LINPACK and LAPACK, with the upper (or lower) triangular part of the matrix stored by columns. Following LINPACK and LAPACK, we overwrite the given matrix by its Cholesky factor. We consider the use of a hybrid format in which blocks of the matrices are held contiguously and compare this to the present LAPACK code. Code based on this format has the storage advantages of the present code but substantially outperforms it. Furthermore, it compares favorably to using conventional full format (LAPACK) and using the recursive format of Andersen et al. [2001].
Algorithm 843
Authors: Driscoll Tobin A.
Published: August 2005

The Schwarz--Christoffel Toolbox (SC Toolbox) for MATLAB, first released in 1994, made possible the interactive creation and visualization of conformal maps to regions bounded by polygons. The most recent release supports new features, including an object-oriented command-line interface model, new algorithms for multiply elongated and multiple-sheeted regions, and a module for solving Laplace's equation on a polygon with Dirichlet and homogeneous Neumann conditions. Brief examples are given to demonstrate the new capabilities.
The puzzle of Japanese software
Authors: Cusumano Michael A.
Published: August 2005

Searching for answers to the many questions of software production.
Analysis of recursive state machines
Authors: Alur Rajeev , Benedikt Michael , Etessami Kousha , Godefroid Patrice , Reps Thomas , Yannakakis Mihalis
Published: August 2005

Recursive state machines (RSMs) enhance the power of ordinary state machines by allowing vertices to correspond either to ordinary states or to potentially recursive invocations of other state machines. RSMs can model the control flow in sequential imperative programs containing recursive procedure calls. They can be viewed as a visual notation extending Statecharts-like hierarchical state machines, where concurrency is disallowed but recursion is allowed. They are also related to various models of pushdown systems studied in the verification and program analysis communities.After introducing RSMs and comparing their expressiveness with other models, we focus on whether verification can be efficiently performed for RSMs. Our first goal is to examine the verification of linear time properties of RSMs. We begin this study by dealing with two key components for algorithmic analysis and model checking, namely, reachability (Is a target state reachable from initial states?) and cycle detection (Is there a reachable cycle containing an accepting state?). We show that both these problems can be solved in time
O
(
n
θ
2
) and space
O
(
n
θ), where
n
is the size of the recursive machine and θ is the maximum, over all component state machines, of the minimum of the number of entries and the number of exits of each component. From this, we easily derive algorithms for linear time temporal logic model checking with the same complexity in the model. We then turn to properties in the branching time logic CTL*, and again demonstrate a bound linear in the size of the state machine, but only for the case of RSMs with a single exit node.
Competitor analysis and its defenses in the e-marketplace
Authors: Sheng Yihua Philip , Mykytyn Peter P. , Litecky Charles R.
Published: August 2005

A firm's presence on the Internet opens a valuable channel for its competitors to collect and analyze its business information---to the firm's competitive disadvantage---unless it devises a defensive strategy.
Why spyware poses multiple threats to security
Authors: Thompson Roger
Published: August 2005

Spyware is becoming a relentless onslaught from those seeking to capture and use private information for their own ends. Spyware is annoying and negatively impacts the computing experience. Even worse, there are real and significant threats to corporate and even national security from those who use and abuse spyware.
Grace and the Humanity of Christ According to St Vincent of Lérins
Authors:   Casiday
Published: August 2005

This paper examines Vincent of Lérin's teaching about grace as expressed in his Christology. Vincent, who has regularly been assumed to have opposed Augustine's doctrine on grace, advanced his own teaching most clearly in a little known work, the Excerpta. The excerpts in question were significantly taken from Augustine's writings, among them the Antipelagian treatises circulated in Gaul. Exc. shows Vincent to have been a discriminating student of Augustinian theology who embraced predestination as a way of describing grace at work in Jesus Christ. A comparison of Vincent's teaching with Augustine's and with John Cassian's (their contemporary, who like Vincent has often stood accused of 'Semipelagianism') demonstrates that the three of them asserted Christ as the exemplar of grace in confrontation with Pelagianism. On this basis, the paper suggests that further re-evaluation of how Augustine's works were received by his contemporaries in Gaul is seriously needed.
Development and Calibration of an Item Response Model That Incorporates Response Time
Authors: Wang Tianyou , Hanson Bradley A.
Published: August 2005

This article proposes an item response model that incorporates response time. A parameter estimation procedure using the EM algorithm is developed. The procedure is evaluated with both real and simulated test data. The results suggest that the estimation procedure works well in estimating model parameters. By using response time data, estimation of person ability parameters can be improved. Potential applications of this model are discussed. Directions for further study are suggested.
Differential effects of divorce on social integration
Authors: Kalmijn Matthijs , van Groenou Marjolein Broese
Published: August 2005

Disagreement exists about the relationship between divorce and social integration. A liberation hypothesis predicts an increase in integration, however, an isolation hypothesis predicts a decrease in integration. We combine these hypotheses by specifying that liberation will occur for some dimensions of integration, whereas isolation will occur for others. Using cross-sectional survey data from the Netherlands, results generally lend weak support to the liberation hypothesis. Divorcees report more friendship contacts and are more involved in alternative forms of participation (‘new age’ meetings) compared with the married, but no effects were found for most other liberation indicators. There is more support for the isolation hypotheses at least for some dimensions. We also find that post-divorce resources and constraints play an important intermediating role, especially for women. There is a general negative association between divorce and social integration, but results are nuanced and the effects are not as strong as is often believed.
A mothering but not a mother role: A grounded theory study of the nonresidential stepmother role
Authors: Weaver Shannon E. , Coleman Marilyn
Published: August 2005

We propose a model based on grounded theory depicting how women construct the roles of nonresidential stepmothers. Eleven middle-class stepmothers identified three general roles: mothering but not mother roles, other-focused roles, and outsider roles. These roles were influenced by issues relating to the biological mothers, their spouses, their stepchildren, their own biological children, extended kin, and experiences external to the family. When enacting their roles as stepmother, they encountered issues surrounding a perceived lack of control and ambiguous role perceptions. Positive evaluations of role enactments were credited to their step-children; failures to the stepchildren’s and the stepmothers’ own behaviors. A central concept that tied these categories together and overshadowed factors in role conceptualization, experiences in role enactment, and evaluation of role performance was the ideology of motherhood.
Attachment style, current relationship security, and negative emotions: The mediating role of physiological regulation
Authors: Diamond Lisa M. , Hicks Angela M.
Published: August 2005

Young men were subjected to laboratory inductions of anger and anxiety after undergoing a physiological assessment of vagal tone, an index of parasympathetic nervous system functioning that has been associated with emotion regulation in prior research. We tested whether: (i) young men’s emotional reactivity and recovery were associated with their global attachment style or their perceptions of security in specific, current attachment relationships; (ii) such associations were mediated by vagal tone; and (iii) such effects were moderated by the physical presence of romantic attachment figures. As predicted, vagal tone was negatively associated with attachment anxiety and positively associated with perceptions of security in current attachment relationships. Men with high perceptions of security in current relationships showed more effective recovery from laboratory-induced anger, and vagal tone mediated this association. In contrast, the physical presence of romantic attachment figures showed no association with emotional reactivity or recovery and did not moderate the aforementioned effects.
Narcissism and immature love as mediators of vertical individualism and ludic love style
Authors: Le Thao N.
Published: August 2005

The present study examined how vertical individualism and self-construal relate to ludus. Vertical individualism has been found to be positively related to ludus, or a game-playing love style. In addition, given its positive association with both individualism and ludus, narcissism was explored as a potential mediator of the vertical individualism-ludus link. Immature love, i.e., seeing others as means to an end, was also hypothesized to be positively correlated with, and mediate the relationship between vertical individualism and ludus. Results illustrated that narcissism and immature love effectively mediated the vertical individualism-ludus relationship, suggesting that vertical individualist endorsement of ludic love style occurred through excessive self-focus and seeing others as fulfillment of needs and wishes. Independent self-construal, by contrast, was negatively correlated with ludus and immature love. This study provided further evidence and support for the examination of the ludic love style within a cultural perspective at the individual level.
Relationship satisfaction as a predictor of similarity ratings: A test of the attraction-similarity hypothesis
Authors: Morry Marian M.
Published: August 2005

The attraction-similarity hypothesis predicts that in ongoing relationships projection of the self onto the other person is the result of the attraction (e.g., satisfaction, liking, loving) between the two individuals. That is, attraction (i.e., satisfaction) leads to perceptions of similarity. Two studies tested this hypothesis in same-sex friendships. Study 1 correlated individuals’ satisfaction with an ongoing friendship with perceptions of similarity on traits and behaviors. Study 2 used a priming method to manipulate satisfaction in an ongoing friendship and then tested for perceptions of similarity. Consistent with the attraction-similarity hypothesis, the more satisfied individuals were with their friendships the more similar they perceived their friends to be to themselves. These perceptions of similarity were not predicted by the duration or closeness of the friendship. Finally, perceptions of similarity were made in a self-serving fashion. The implications for close relationships are discussed.
Industrial waste minimization - experience from Lithuania
Authors: Staniskis Jurgis Kazimieras , Stasiskiene Zaneta
Published: August 2005

Waste represents the loss of both material and energy resources. Because excessive waste generation is a symptom of inefficient production processes, low durability of goods and unsustainable consumption patterns, waste quantities can be considered as an indicator of how efficiently society uses raw materials. Therefore, good waste management begins with preventing waste from being generated. The objective of this paper is to present the work related to waste minimization in Lithuania by introducing successful examples from industry, to bring ideas and inspiration to authorities, companies, and others working in the field of waste minimization. The paper is supporting EU waste policy manifested in the EU waste strategy and the proposed Sixth Environmental Action Programme. Many enterprises are still unaware of the full costs of waste management. Therefore, by applying the methodology presented in the paper, companies could make substantial reductions in their waste, and therefore, disposal costs. Waste minimization (WM) often results in substantial savings through reduced purchasing costs and more efficient practices. It also has wide environmental benefits such as reduced energy consumption and less environmental pollution, conservation of natural resources and extension of valuable landfill capacity. Therefore, waste prevention should have the highest priority in waste strategies, as this is the only way to stop the growth of the amount of waste and reduce the loss of resources (EUC Bulletin 12, 1996).
Beneficiation of graphite fines from moulding factory wastes
Authors: Koca Sabina , Koca Huseyin
Published: August 2005

As the costs of waste disposal increase, more attention is being placed upon the re-use and recycling of valuable minerals contained within the waste streams. In this article, the waste streams from a moulding factory were treated by physical methods to obtain a re-usable graphite fraction. Multigravity separators (MGS) and shaking tables (ST) are being used in coal processing and heavy minerals beneficiation. In the present study, the possibility of using an MGS and ST to separate graphite from moulding sand was analysed as part of such investigations. The effects of changes in different process variables on the concentrate sand content and graphite recovery values were studied. Several parameters, thought to have an effect on the separation were tested. After the ST experiments, a graphite concentrate was obtained having 4.5% sand content with 60.8% recovery. After the investigations carried out by MGS, a graphite concentrate was obtained having 0.95% sand content with 68.0% recovery. The results demonstrated that recovered graphite fractions can be re-used in the factory, thus reducing the quantity of waste and costs.
Young Sex-Workers in Ho Chi Minh City Telling Their Life Stories
Authors: Rubenson Birgitta , Hanh Le Thi , Höjer Bengt , Johansson Eva
Published: August 2005

In this study the life stories of 22 sex-workers (age 15-18 years) in Vietnam are organized into three thematic narratives depicting how the girls presented their lives. Poverty, lack of job alternatives and the responsibility to share in the support of their families led the girls into prostitution. Strong family ties gave many girls connectedness; earning a well-needed income provided them with purpose and meaning; and the need for self-sufficiency forced the girls to manage and protect their lives. For some, a history of abuse led to victimization and rendered them powerless. While many of their human rights were violated, it was the disrespect for their dignity that hurt most.
Marginal urban space and unsatisfied basic needs: the case of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
Authors: Abaleron Carlos Alberto
Published: August 2005

In common with many other Third World cities, the periphery of San Carlos de Bariloche includes settlements that are not fully integrated into the city. In this paper, the author considers how to identify the settlements and the groups in greatest need within the city and how to develop a set of social indicators for unsatisfied basic needs. The paper includes an historical account of the development of low-income settlements in San Carlos de Bariloche and their changing location. A later section analyzes the changes between 1980 and 1991 in unsatisfied basic needs in regard to housing conditions and education for different groups, according to their place of birth.
Aspects of urban poverty in Bombay
Authors: Swaminathan Madhura
Published: August 2005

The paper considers poverty and deprivation among two groups of low-income communities in Bombay: pavement dwellers and households living in a designated “slum” area. The author uses longitudinal data to examine relations between changes in income and changes in living conditions and concludes that poverty can be neither understood nor tackled through a simple focus on income but a more comprehensive approach including a consideration of housing and living conditions is required.
Conceptualizing urban poverty
Authors: Wratten Ellen
Published: August 2005

This paper explores three issues. First it examines how, and by whom, poverty has been defined and measured, contrasting conventional economic and participatory anthropological approaches. Second, it questions the extent to which “urban poverty” differs conceptually from poverty in general, and considers the utility of an analysis of the urban–rural divide in understanding the underlying causes of poverty. Finally, it reviews the principal ways in which urban poverty has been understood in the South and the North, and what these imply for the different policy prescriptions for addressing urban poverty. It concludes by identifying the linkages between alternative definitions of poverty, different antipoverty policy approaches and the choice of measurement techniques.
An untapped resource: community based epidemiologists for environmental health
Authors: Yacoob May , Whiteford Linda M.
Published: August 2005

The following article promotes active community participation whereby peri-urban neighbourhood residents monitor environmental health conditions. An effective and sustainable community based environmental assessment and management programme relies on such participation. The authors suggest a combination of methodologies to incorporate community members in the definition of their environment, the diagnosis of local health problems, the determination of appropriate remediation strategies, and the monitoring of environmental health conditions in their community.
Poverty in Khartoum
Authors: Ahmad Adil Mustafa , El-Batthani Ata El-Hassan
Published: August 2005

This paper considers the growth of poverty in Khartoum, including the “new poor” and the historic and contemporary factors that contributed to this growth. It begins by considering the Islamic perspective on poverty.