bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using Blogs as a Technology Tool to Promote Teaching Goals in Education
Authors: Stonehouse Pauline , Keengwe Jared , Shabb Cynthia
Published: January 2012

This qualitative study explored graduate students’ use of blogs to support the achievement of teaching and learning goals. Blog postings and comments were analyzed and coded with the aid of HyperRESEARCH qualitative data analysis software. Once the blogs were coded, themes emerged from the data. The blogs were found to function in an integrated manner as a forum for students to engage other learners in discipline-specific conversations, espouse theory, reflect on professional and academic experience, and cogitate. Study results demonstrate the potential for blog technology to enhance the development of higher order thinking skills.
Innovation Approaches of “WhispersInTheCorridors.com” in the Field of Indian Bureaucracy
Authors: Dash Manoj Kumar , Singh Ajay
Published: January 2012

This study describes the business model for the website whispersinthecorridors.com. It analyzes the various factors for the popularity of the whispersinthecorridors.com and finds out that the main reason for this popularity and success is targeting group of the website, i.e., the top bureaucrats and corporate elites. In the proposed model, the credibility of whispersinthecorridors.com is based on the context of fruition, stimuli, and mental schemata. These factors analyze the sources of news of whispersinthecorridors.com and hence analyze the possibility of happening of the news which is put on the website in the near future. The SWOT analysis of whispersinthecorridors.com further analyzes the various aspects of the website. A module interaction process is explained to find out how whispersinthecorridors.com collects their news and the various steps involved. This study further examines why there are no competitors of whispersinthecorridors.com till now, even in this highly competitive environment of journalism.
Electronic Commerce, Automation and Online Banking in Nigeria
Authors: Ojeka Stephen A. , Ikpefan O. Ailemen
Published: January 2012

Electronic banking has been around for some time in the form of automatic teller machines and telephone transactions. More recently, it has been metamorphosed by the Internet with a new look and delivery channel for banking services that benefits both customers and banks. The objective of this paper is to find out the correlation between the anticipated benefits/challenges and encountered benefits/challenges. This paper empirically adopted the use of survey research to explore in quantitative terms the various challenges and benefits e-business poses to Nigerian businesses, with particular reference to Banking and Finance Industry. It was found out that there is a statistically significant difference between the anticipated and encountered benefits and major challenges in the potential security breaches faced by the customers. Constant training of employees both local and international on new development in online trading should be encouraged.
E-Services System Acceptance at an Australian University
Authors: Sandhu Kamaljeet
Published: January 2012

This case study is based in a department of a university implementing an e-Services system project. Earlier discussion of the background/context of the case study is to provide a general overview of the department and its business. Analysis of the data provides an insight into Management perceptions about their expectations for the system. Insights on the e-Services project and the factors influencing the implementation are also described. The purpose of analysing the Management’s perspectives about staff use of e-Services is to understand what factors affected the project development.
Conceptual Modeling Method for Separation of Concerns and Integration of Structure and Behavior
Authors: Gustas Remigijus , Gustiené Prima
Published: January 2012

Identification of discontinuities, separation of concerns, and dealing with the evolutionary changes of requirements is difficult in conceptual modeling. The limited human mind allows focusing on one particular requirement at a time in isolation. One fundamental problem is that all conventional conceptual modeling techniques deal with collections of loosely linked meta-models, which are defined by different types of diagrams. Typically, system development methods project interactive, behavioral, and structural aspects of information systems’ conceptual representations into disparate views. Therefore, the semantic integrity of various architecture dimensions is difficult to achieve. The difficulties stem from the paradigmatic mismatch between static and dynamic constructs. The advantage of the conceptual modeling approach presented in this paper is flexibility. It is demonstrated by case study examples that sequential, underlying, enclosing, overriding, and overlaying interaction loops between actors provide the foundation for the composition of complex scenarios, which span across organizational and technical system boundaries. The presented semantic integration and system decomposition principles target business process modeling experts and information system designers, because they are essential for introducing evolutionary changes and managing complexity of information system conceptualizations.
A Unified Use-Misuse Case Model for Capturing and Analysing Safety and Security Requirements
Authors: Arogundade O. T. , Akinwale A. T. , Jin Z. , Yang X. G.
Published: January 2012

This paper proposes an enhanced use-misuse case model that allows both safety and security requirements to be captured during requirements elicitation. The proposed model extends the concept of misuse case by incorporating vulnerable use case and abuse case notations and relations that allows understanding and modeling different attackers and abusers behaviors during early stage of system development life cycle and finishes with a practical consistent combined model for engineering safety and security requirements.The model was successfully applied using health care information system gathered through the university of Kansas HISPC project. The authors were able to capture both security and safety requirements necessary for effective functioning of the system. In order to enhance the integration of the proposed model into risk analysis, the authors give both textual and detailed description of the model. The authors compare the proposed approach with other existing methods that identify and analyze safety and security requirements and discovered that it captures more security and safety threats.
TexRet
Authors: Katkar Girish , Ghosekar Pravin
Published: January 2012

The TEXRET-System, a texture retrieval system based on soft-computing technologies is being developed. The importance of this kind of system is increasing due to the massive access to digital image databases, which also demand the existence of systems that can understand human high-level requests. The TEXRET system has the following features: (i) direct access from the Internet, (ii) high interactivity, (iii) texture retrieval using human-like or fuzzy description of the textures, (iv) content-based texture retrieval using user-feedback, and (v) synthesis or generation of the requested textures when these are not found in the database, which allows a growing of the database. One of the main system features is synthesis of the requested textures when these are not found in the database, which allows a growing of the database. Missing textures are synthesized interactively using Markov Random Fields and interactive genetic algorithms. This paper is centered on the texture synthesis of the textures.
Maximal Pattern Mining Using Fast CP-Tree for Knowledge Discovery
Authors: Priya R. Vishnu , A.Vadivel  , Thakur R. S.
Published: January 2012

The knowledge discovery from large database is useful for decision making in industry real-time problems. Given a large voluminous transaction database, the knowledge is discovered by extracting maximal pattern after some analysis. Various methods have been proposed for extracting maximal pattern including FP and CP trees. It has been noticed that time taken by these methods for mining is found to be large. This paper modifies tree construction strategy of CP-tree for mining maximal pattern and the strategy takes less time for mining. The proposed modified CP-tree is constructed in two phases. The first phase constructs the tree based on user given item order along with its corresponding item list. In the second phase, each node in the branch of the constructed tree is dynamically rearranged based on item sorted list. The maximal patterns are retrieved from the proposed tree using the FPmax algorithm. The proposed tree has been built to support both interactive and incremental mining. The performance is evaluated using both dense and sparse bench mark data sets such as CHESS, MUSHROOM, CONNECT-4, PUMSB, and RETAIL respectively. The performance of the modified CP-tree is encouraging compared to some of the recently proposed approaches.
Managing Distribution in Refined Products Pipelines Using Discrete-Event Simulation
Authors: Gleizes M. Fernanda , Herrero Germán , Cafaro Diego C. , Méndez Carlos A. , Cerdá Jaime
Published: January 2012

The management of oil-product pipelines represents a critical task in the daily operation of petroleum supply chains. Efficient computational tools are needed to schedule pipeline operations in a reliable and cost-effective manner. This work presents a novel discrete event simulation system for the detailed scheduling of a multiproduct pipeline consisting of a sequence of pipes that connects a single input station to several receiving terminals. The pipeline is modeled as a non-traditional multi-server queuing system involving a number of servers at every pipe end that perform their tasks in a synchronized manner. By using alternative priority rules, the model decides which server should dispatch the entity waiting for service to the associated depot. Also, the model deals with the timely fulfillment of terminal demands and the system response to unexpected events. In combination with optimization tools, the proposed simulation technique permits to easily manage real-world pipelines operations with low computational effort.
A Multisourcing Maturity Model as an IT Governance Mechanism for Business Groups
Authors: Herz Thomas Ph. , Hamel Florian , Uebernickel Falk , Brenner Walter
Published: January 2012

Implementing multisourcing in business groups is challenging, and linear-extension of dyadic information technology (IT) outsourcing literature is insufficient to cope with multisourcing specifics. By pursuing design science research (DSR) as the research orientation and utilizing expert interviews, action research and case studies as individual research methods, the authors propose a multisourcing maturity model as an IT governance mechanism. This article contributes in four areas: first, it derives requirements for IT governance mechanisms intended to support the implementation of multisourcing in business groups; second, it identifies the research gap by analyzing current concepts; third, it develops a maturity model; and fourth, it demonstrates the application of the model with two real-life case examples of leading financial services providers. Moreover, the maturity model provides practical guidance for coping with the challenges of implementing multisourcing by identifying the required capabilities, illustrates a desired evolution path to effectively and efficiently utilize multisourcing, and can be employed for steering multisourcing in business groups.
A Governance Mechanisms Framework for Multisourcing in Business Groups
Authors: Herz Thomas Ph. , Hamel Florian , Uebernickel Falk , Brenner Walter
Published: January 2012

Many large corporations are adopting multisourcing strategies. Multisourcing is described as the blending of services from multiple company-internal and external suppliers in the pursuit of business goals. To date, governance-related aspects in terms of multisourcing have been scarcely covered in the academic literature. With this research study, the authors examine how business groups utilize governance mechanisms in a multi-sourced IT environment. This article contributes to the body of knowledge in three ways. First, it describes established IT governance mechanisms; second, it presents insights into three real-life examples of IT governance mechanisms at leading international insurance companies; and third, it extends current literature toward multisourcing in a group context by proposing and applying a framework of IT governance mechanisms targeting the different relationships of multisourcing in business groups. In addition, this research is useful for corporations facing similar challenges.
Can I Trust You?
Authors: Rusman Ellen , van Bruggen Jan , Sloep Peter , Valcke Martin , Koper Rob
Published: January 2012

This explorative study identifies information elements that are commonly perceived as important to inform initial trustworthiness assessments of colleagues within virtual project teams. Collaboration in virtual project teams heavily relies on interpersonal trust, for which perceived trustworthiness is an important determinant. Knowing what information elements are used to form a first impression of trustworthiness, one can optimize the design of personal profiles so that they support trustworthiness assessments in virtual project teams. The authors reviewed various trust-requiring online environments to determine what elements were available through profile templates. A group of 226 students with experience in virtual project teams indicated the importance of the elements thus found for the formation of a first impression of trustworthiness. On the basis of the results obtained, the authors formulated recommendations for the design of personal identity profiles in groupware environments.
Design of an Integrated Project Management Information System for Large Scale Public Projects
Authors: Taghavi Mona , Patel Ahmed , Taghavi Hamed
Published: January 2012

Due to the unprecedented growth of outsourcing ICT projects by the Iranian government, a critical need exists for the proper execution and monitoring of these projects. In this paper, the authors propose a web-based project management system to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the management processes and accelerate decision making. Based on the requirements and information flow between various units involved in the complete life-cycle of ICT project management, a functional model and system architecture with various underlying structures has been designed. The functional model contains two sub-systems: process management and information service. The proposed system structure is based on a four-layer client-server computing model. As a part of a publically available ICT system, it must be secure against cybercrime activities. This system can bring efficiency in managing the projects, improve decision making, and increase the overall management process with total accounting and management transparency. The proposed system overcomes the problems associated with a central system and traditional management processes, as is currently the case in Iran.
An Aspect Oriented Component Based Archetype Driven Development
Authors: Mohan Garg Rachit , Dahiya Deepak
Published: January 2012

This paper incorporates the concepts of aspects and software reuse in archetype driven architecture. The proposed work develops the software by partitioning the whole system into different independent components and aspects to facilitate component reuse. The authors illustrate the ease of modeling the components separately and emphasize concerns that the OOP paradigm has failed to address. This paper places emphasis on designing and modeling the software rather than coding. Identification of reusable components is carried out using the hybrid methodology and aspects are identified by domain experts. Along with the components, the PIM and aspects developed are stored in separate repositories to be used in development of other software of similar requirements and basic structure.
Software Developers in India and Norway
Authors: Ghinea Gheorghita , Bygstad Bendik , Satpathy Manoranjan
Published: January 2012

In this paper, the authors investigate the professional practices of software developers from two different cultures—Norway and India. The authors examine if systematic differences exist between Norwegian and Indian software developers in their professional practice. Using Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the authors expected to find cultural differences between the two groups of professionals. Building on a survey among software developers in the two countries, the authors have the following conclusions. Firstly, the main finding is that there are surprisingly few differences between the two groups, giving support to the view of a common professional culture. Secondly, the few differences that are observed cannot easily be explained by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.
The Key Role of Interfaces in IT Outsourcing Relationships
Authors: Duhamel Francois , Gutiérrez-Martínez Isis , Picazo-Vela Sergio , Luna-Reyes Luis Felipe
Published: January 2012

Many IT outsourcing operations fail, and when they do not fail they often impose renegotiations over the life of the contract between outsourcers and service providers. Possible remedies include the improvement of knowledge-sharing processes over organizational boundaries between partners, who may learn more about the problems that occur while looking at possible solutions together. Ensuring the right flow of knowledge in the two directions is central to the success of IT outsourcing operations, particularly in the transition stage of the relationship. However, these solutions do not fully acknowledge the different interrelationships between the main factors affecting knowledge transfer in outsourcing relationships in a dynamic way. In this paper, previous research on modeling knowledge-sharing across boundaries is applied to IT outsourcing contracts during the transition phase of the IT outsourcing relationship. Simulation experiments suggest that four reinforcing processes play key roles in the progress of the outsourcing relationship: trust, outsourcers’ and providers’ knowledge, commitment, and interfacing.
Towards a Minimal Realisable System Dynamics Project Model
Authors: White A. S.
Published: January 2012

This paper looks at the established Systems Dynamics (SD) methods applied to Software projects in order to simplify them. These methods are highly non-linear and contain large numbers of variables and built in decisions. A SIMULINK version of an SD model is used here and conclusions are made with respect to the initial main controlling factors, compared to a NASA project. The eigenvalues of the linearised system indicate that the important factors are the hiring delay time, the assimilation time and the employment time. This illustrates how the initial state of the system is at best neutrally stable with control only being achieved with complex non-linear decisions. The purpose is to show the minimum level of complexity required for “good” simulation of project behaviour considering the Abdel-Hamid software project model and three simpler versions. These models give clues to the decision structures that are necessary for good agreement with reality.
Knowledge Bases Over Algebraic Models
Authors: Knyazhansky Marina , Plotkin Tatjana
Published: January 2012

This paper discusses the informational equivalence problem for knowledge bases. The authors show that using some mathematical approach it is possible to attack this problem and end up with an implementable algorithm. An essential part of the paper is devoted to the explanation of the mathematical idea which stands behind this algorithm. The authors try to do that in common terms or, at least, in less formal terms. In the second part of the paper mathematical methods are applied to study the properties of automorphic equivalence of knowledge bases (multi-models) and show that this notion is much wider than the total isomorphism (identity) of knowledge bases. In order to make the paper self-contained, the reader is provided with the formal definition of a knowledge base. Further development of the theoretical approach presented in the paper can lead to practical applications. For example, it can be used for preventing duplication of information in knowledge bases and in other tasks of improving knowledge management.
Measuring the Influence of Expertise and Epistemic Engagement to the Practice of Knowledge Management
Authors: Yoon Kwang Seok
Published: January 2012

This study describes the investigation of two factors that researchers have argued can significantly influence knowledge management, namely user expertise and the epistemic nature of the problem. It is surprising that while researchers consider these factors essential to successful KM, they have not, heretofore, been tested and evaluated. In order to test these two factors, the well accepted and widely referenced F&M model was employed as a benchmark framework. Building upon this framework and using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, data from the New York State Office of State Comptroller’s Local Government Services division was collected and analyzed. Based on the data collected from the agency, two modifications to a key knowledge management model, the Firestone and McElroy (2003) Model are proposed, as well as four recommendations for chief the knowledge officer in this organization.
Theorizing on the Role of Individualism-Collectivism in Tacit Knowledge Transfer Between Agents in International Alliances
Authors: Ismail Kiran M.
Published: January 2012

Taking insights from the extant literatures in cross-cultural management and organizational knowledge management, this paper explores the role of cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism in transfer of tacit knowledge between foreign agents. Tacit knowledge transfer is positively influenced by four key factors: absorptive capacity of target unit, source unit’s motivational disposition to share knowledge, cultural compatibility, and the extent of personal communication between foreign agents. It is proposed that the level of transfer of tactic knowledge between agents from collectivist cultures will be higher than the level of tacit knowledge transfer between agents from individualist cultures. It is also proposed that when there is cultural difference between foreign agents, the level of tacit knowledge transfer involving a source from a collectivist culture and a target from an individualist culture will be lower than transfer between an individualist source and a collectivist target. However, the proposed relationships are influenced by factors such as nature of knowledge, expectations of reciprocity, and the quality of interpersonal relationship between foreign agents. Several ideas for overcoming knowledge transfer obstacles and enhancing the effectiveness of knowledge transfer, as well as research implications of the proposed model are also discussed in detail.
From ‘Posh Pen and Pad’ to Participatory Pedagogies
Authors: Royle Karl , Hadfield Mark
Published: January 2012

This paper looks at the implementation of wireless netbooks within two primary schools in the UK for all children at key stages 4 and 5. It looks at current concepts of ematurity and technological implementation and offers a new model based on three interlocking factors, the educational status of the technology, the capacity for innovation of the organisation, groups and individuals and how far the technology can be aligned with the needs and concerns of individuals and teams and their prevailing pedagogical approaches. This model is examined in the light of an action research project and illustrates how pedagogical reframing is important in any technological intervention. It also examines role, identity and practice changes required by both learners and teachers in order to improve the learning experience within a school.
Post-Acceptance Intentions and Behaviors
Authors: Carter Pamela E. , Thatcher Jason Bennett , Chudoba Katherine M. , Marett Kent
Published: January 2012

Due to its extensive use for the study of information technology adoption and use, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) serves as an ideal base model for the study of post-acceptance IT diffusion outcomes. The research presented in this paper incrementally builds on TAM-based research to gain meaningful insights into the potential differences individuals’ exhibit in three types of diffusion outcomes in a post-acceptance context. The authors model and test the effects of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use on intentions to use, intentions to explore, and trying to innovate – IT diffusion outcomes proposed as vital in a post-acceptance context. In addition to TAM predictive variables, the authors investigate how autonomy, a personal control factor, and subjective norms, a social factor, influence individuals’ intentions toward and behaviors associated with technology use. The findings suggest cognitive intention outcomes are more likely to be influenced by technology-related factors, while behavioral outcomes are more likely to be influenced by social and personal control factors in post-acceptance contexts. Implications of the study for practice and future research are also discussed.
Typing Biometric Keypads
Authors: Ngugi Benjamin , Tarasewich Peter , Recce Michael
Published: January 2012

Pervasive online applications are changing the way people perform routine activities. But while providing convenience to individuals and organizations, these applications can pose a significant remote user authentication challenge. Current authentication systems can be strengthened by adding an additional biometric layer to an existing authentication process. This paper addresses implementing such a solution by 1) presenting a novel biometric method that uses key-press pressure and timing patterns from a typed password to determine whether the person typing it is its true owner (even with a compromised PIN); and 2) investigating differences in perceptions of biometric keypads between two user groups, nursing and computing majors. Results reveal that combining pressure and timing patterns leads to better authentication compared with timing patterns alone. Furthermore, nursing majors are more cautious in accepting biometric keypad technology than computing majors, suggesting that care must be taken when introducing such technologies to different groups of people.
Reducing the 0-1 Knapsack Problem with a Single Continuous Variable to the Standard 0-1 Knapsack Problem
Authors: Büther Marcel , Briskorn Dirk
Published: January 2012

The 0-1 knapsack problem with a single continuous variable (KPC) is a natural extension of the binary knapsack problem (KP), where the capacity is not any longer fixed but can be extended which is expressed by a continuous variable. This variable might be unbounded or restricted by a lower or upper bound, respectively. This paper concerns techniques in order to reduce several variants of KPC to KP which enables the authors to employ approaches for KP. The authors propose both, an equivalent reformulation and a heuristic one bringing along less computational effort. The authors show that the heuristic reformulation can be customized in order to provide solutions having an objective value arbitrarily close to the one of the original problem.
Applicability of Genetic and Ant Algorithms in Highway Alignment and Rail Transit Station Location Optimization
Authors: Samanta Sutapa , Jha Manoj K.
Published: January 2012

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI)-based optimization heuristics like genetic and ant algorithms is useful in solving many complex transportation location optimization problems. The suitability of such algorithms depends on the nature of the problem to be solved. This study examines the suitability of genetic and ant algorithms in two distinct and complex transportation problems: (1) highway alignment optimization and (2) rail transit station location optimization. A comparative study of the two algorithms is presented in terms of the quality of results. In addition, Ant algorithms (AAs) have been modified to search in a global space for both problems, a significant departure from traditional AA application in local search problems. It is observed that for the two optimization problems both algorithms give almost similar solutions. However, the ant algorithm has the inherent limitation of being effective only in discrete search problems. When applied to continuous search spaces ant algorithm requires the space to be sufficiently discretized. On the other hand, genetic algorithms can be applied to both discrete and continues spaces with reasonable confidence. The application of AA in global search seems promising and opens up the possibility of its application in other complex optimization problems.
Examining Double Marginalization Effect for Innovative Product Supply Chain
Authors: Shen Wenjing
Published: January 2012

Double marginalization effect refers to the phenomenon that when both upstream and downstream firms have monopolistic power, customers pay higher retail price and firms make less profit than when the supply chain is vertically integrated (Tirole, 1988). Although double marginalization effect has been extensively studied in the context of supply chain management for mature products, very limited attention has been given to innovative products whose demand is generated through word-of-mouth effect. The authors study the pricing decisions in a supply chain that sells innovative products. Using a modified Bass diffusion model to capture demand trajectory over time, the authors identify the optimal way for the retailer and supplier to adjust prices when profit is not discounted, and also provide numerical examples when profit is discounted. The authors show that (1) when profit is not discounted the optimal retail prices are adjusted over time, while the optimal wholesale price should be kept as a constant, and (2) double marginalization effect also exists in an innovative product supply chain, but its degree depends on a number of factors, such as the innovation and imitation coefficients.
When Low-Carbon means Low-Cost
Authors: Salter Stephen J.
Published: January 2012

Ecology is often discussed as a matter of balance, in which environmental protection must be affordable and not interfere with jobs or the economy. At the same time, the economy is based on wastefulness. It has been estimated that the embodied energy in wasted food in the United States is greater than the energy available from the production of ethanol and from the annual yield from petroleum drilling in the outer continental shelf (Cuéllar & Webber, 2010). In addition, rising demand for fossil fuels is being met by sources that bring increasing environmental risk. This paper summarizes the industrial ecology aspects of a 2010 study completed by a cross-functional team of specialists in ecology, engineering, economics, and governance in Vancouver, Canada. The Integrated Resource Recovery Study, Metro Vancouver North Shore Communities (the North Shore Study) modeled the value of producing reclaimed water, electricity, and heat from wastewater, clean organic wood waste, and waste heat from industry simultaneously. The results suggest that this integrated approach could yield significant ecological benefits, and reduce the community’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. In addition, revenues from sales of recovered heat, water, greenhouse gas credits, and fertilizer could significantly reduce the cost of municipal waste management to taxpayers.
Water Access in the Fight Against Poverty
Authors: Azqueta Diego , Montoya Álvaro
Published: January 2012

Rural poverty in underdeveloped countries is a critical issue. A fair amount of literature exists examining the conditions of pro-poor tourism development, as well as different ways to fight it. However, in some cases, and because of the existence of a limiting factor, a potential incompatibility between tourist development and other strategies can emerge, as well as the need to compare relative efficiency. An example of this potential conflict is the one posed by tourist development and the Multiple Use of Water Services strategy (MUS) to alleviate rural poverty. In this case, the limiting constraint is access to water. This paper analyses the impacts, direct and indirect, on poverty levels, of tourist development and MUS. the authors examine the Quindío Region in Colombia, where the MUS strategy is being implemented and where an ambitious tourist development plan may open social conflict regarding water supply. The results of this analysis shows that, even if the MUS strategy has a greater positive impact on poverty alleviation, in terms of income and employment generated per unit of water, its water footprint, contrary to expectations, is much higher than the one corresponding to the tourist sector. This may jeopardize its future development, calling for a more balanced approach.
Swarm Intelligence for Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
Authors: Janecek Andreas , Tan Ying
Published: January 2012

The Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a special low-rank approximation which allows for an additive parts-based and interpretable representation of the data. This article presents efforts to improve the convergence, approximation quality, and classification accuracy of NMF using five different meta-heuristics based on swarm intelligence. Several properties of the NMF objective function motivate the utilization of meta-heuristics: this function is non-convex, discontinuous, and may possess many local minima. The proposed optimization strategies are two-fold: On the one hand, a new initialization strategy for NMF is presented in order to initialize the NMF factors prior to the factorization; on the other hand, an iterative update strategy is proposed, which improves the accuracy per runtime for the multiplicative update NMF algorithm. The success of the proposed optimization strategies are shown by applying them on synthetic data and data sets coming from the areas of spam filtering/email classification, and evaluate them also in their application context. Experimental results show that both optimization strategies are able to improve NMF in terms of faster convergence, lower approximation error, and better classification accuracy. Especially the initialization strategy leads to significant reductions of the runtime per accuracy ratio for both, the NMF approximation as well as the classification results achieved with NMF.
AL-QuIn
Authors: Lisi Francesca A.
Published: January 2012

Onto-Relational Learning is an extension of Relational Learning aimed at accounting for ontologies in a clear, well-founded and elegant manner. The system -QuIn supports a variant of the frequent pattern discovery task by following the Onto-Relational Learning approach. It takes taxonomic ontologies into account during the discovery process and produces descriptions of a given relational database at multiple granularity levels. The functionalities of the system are illustrated by means of examples taken from a Semantic Web Mining case study concerning the analysis of relational data extracted from the on-line CIA World Fact Book.
Data Linking for the Semantic Web
Authors: Ferrara Alfio , Nikolov Andriy , Scharffe François
Published: January 2012

By specifying that published datasets must link to other existing datasets, the 4th linked data principle ensures a Web of data and not just a set of unconnected data islands. The authors propose in this paper the term data linking to name the problem of finding equivalent resources on the Web of linked data. In order to perform data linking, many techniques were developed, finding their roots in statistics, database, natural language processing and graph theory. The authors begin this paper by providing background information and terminological clarifications related to data linking. Then a comprehensive survey over the various techniques available for data linking is provided. These techniques are classified along the three criteria of granularity, type of evidence, and source of the evidence. Finally, the authors survey eleven recent tools performing data linking and we classify them according to the surveyed techniques.
Using OCL to Model Constraints in Data Warehouses
Authors: Pinet François , Kang Myoung-Ah , Boulil Kamal , Bimonte Sandro , De Sousa Gil , Roussey Catherine , Schneider Michel , Chanet Jean-Pierre
Published: January 2012

Recent research works propose using Object-Oriented (OO) approaches, such as UML to model data warehouses. This paper overviews these recent OO techniques, describing the facts and different analysis dimensions of the data. The authors propose a tutorial of the Object Constraint Language (OCL) and show how this language can be used to specify constraints in OO-based models of data warehouses. Previously, OCL has been only applied to describe constraints in software applications and transactional databases. As such, the authors demonstrate in this paper how to use OCL to represent the different types of data warehouse constraints. This paper helps researchers working in the fields of business intelligence and decision support systems, who wish to learn about the major possibilities that OCL offer in the context of data warehouses. The authors also provide general information about the possible types of implementation of multi-dimensional models and their constraints.
Fairness and Regulation of Violence in Technological Design
Authors: Shelley Cameron
Published: January 2012

The purpose of this article is to explore how the design of technology relates to the fairness of the distribution of violence in modern society. Deliberately or not, the design of technological artifacts embodies the priorities of its designers, including how violence is meted out to those affected by the design. Designers make implicit predictions about the context in which designs will perform, predictions that will not always be satisfied. Errors from failed predictions can affect people in ways that designers may not appreciate. In this article, several examples of how artifacts distribute violence are considered. The Taylor-Russell diagram is introduced as a means of representing and exploring this issue. The role of government regulation, safety, and social role in design assessment is discussed.
Facebook Has It
Authors: Bertolotti Tommaso
Published: January 2012

Over the past years, mass media increasingly identified many aspects of social networking with those of established social practices such as gossip. This produced two main outcomes: on the one hand, social networks users were described as gossipers mainly aiming at invading their friends’ and acquaintances’ privacy; on the other hand the potentially violent consequences of social networking were legitimated by referring to a series of recent studies stressing the importance of gossip for the social evolution of human beings. This paper explores the differences between the two kinds of gossip-related sociability, the traditional one and the technologically structured one (where the social framework coincides with the technological one, as in social networking websites). The aim of this reflection is to add to the critical knowledge available today about the effects that transparent technologies have on everyday life, especially as far as the social implications are concerned, in order to prevent (or contrast) those “ignorance bubbles” whose outcomes can be already dramatic.
On Biometrics and Profiling
Authors: Cantore Daniele
Published: January 2012

This paper advances an analysis of biometrics and profiling. Biometrics represents the most effective technology in order to prove someone’s identity. Profiling regards the capability of collecting and organizing individuals’ preferences and attitudes as consumers and costumers. Moreover, biometrics is already used in order to gather and manage biological and behavioral data and this tendency may increase in Ambient Intelligence context. Therefore, dealing with individuals’ data, both biometrics and profiling have to tackle many ethical issues related to privacy on one hand and democracy on the other. After a brief introduction, the author introduces biometrics, exploring its methodology and applications. The following section focuses on profiling both in public and private sector. The last section analyzes those issues concerning privacy and democracy, within also the Ambient Intelligence.
Minding the Gap Between First and Continued Usage of a Corporate E-Learning English-language Program
Authors: Luor Tainyi , Lu Hsi-peng , Johanson Robert E. , Yu Hueiju
Published: January 2012

The implementation of computer on-line English-language learning (COEL) (acronyms given in the Appendix) programs in business contexts remains an unexplored area in the computer assisted language learning literature. Moreover, while many studies have focused on learners’ first usage intentions in TAM (technical acceptance model), few have explored their intentions to continue using them. To address this lacuna, the authors propose a framework for COEL derived from a three-month empirical study of learners’ perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived enjoyment (PENJ), attitudes towards corporate e-learning (ATT), intention (INT), technology satisfaction (SAT), and affective reaction (AR) regarding a COEL program implemented at a financial firm in Taiwan. An examination of the proposed two models revealed gaps between learners’ intention of first usage and re-usage of the COEL. Further analyses revealed a significant difference between groups of high intention learners to re-use the COEL and low intention learners to re-use the COEL. A second investigation determined eight factors that contributed to the differences between these two diverse groups of learners. This study’s findings shed light on the relationship between TAM model and factors related to COEL programs.
Evolution of Trust and Formation of Preference Clusters in Distributed Networked Structure
Authors: Karmakar Purnendu , Roy Rajarshi
Published: January 2012

Distributed network researchers are trying to address one important issue concerning networked structures and how the network came into existence, i.e., dynamics of network evolution. From the knowledge of social science it is observed that trust is one such metric that evolves with the network particularly where human interaction is involved. This work presents a “trust” model of the authors’ studies and its various properties. In virtual (and “real”) communities (chat rooms, blogs, etc.) behavioral segregation over time is observed. Differences in identities of interacting agents result in evolution of various degrees of “trust” (and “distrust’) among them over a period of time. This process ultimately leads to emergence of self-segregation in behavioral kinetics and results in formation of preference clusters.
Social Shopping Development and Perspectives
Authors: Wang Chingning
Published: January 2012

“Social shopping” (or social commerce), combining shopping and social networking, is an application of Web 2.0 in electronic commerce to benefit from users’ social networks. This paper explores the development of the emergent “social shopping” and related perspectives. It incorporates comparisons between social shopping marketing and search engine marketing. For example, search engine marketing assumes shoppers are certain of their shopping goal; social shopping marketing assumes shoppers are uncertain of their shopping goals and gather shopping ideas from their peers. In this paper, the challenges in social shopping development are identified, including governing shopper communities and retrieving content from social networking sites. The author concludes that social shopping and e-commerce are not dichotomous concepts. Social shopping can be an evolutionary concept, meaning a singular EC site advancing with social networking functions, or a synergistic concept, meaning EC sites connecting with the other social networking sites to form strategic alliance.
Impact of Blogs on Sales Revenue
Authors: Zhang Guoying , Dubinsky Alan J. , Tan Yong
Published: January 2012

In this study, blog data were collected and network parameters were captured to represent three common measurements of online Word-Of-Mouth: intensity, influence level, and dispersion. These parameters were then analyzed using a General Estimating Equation (GEE) model to test their effects on average weekly movie box office receipts. Findings indicated that all three parameters were significant in the model. The aggregated degree, representing WOM intensity, was positively significant, which was consistent with results from extant research. Further, diameter of a network, representing WOM dispersion, was observed to be positively significant, which validated the importance of spreading WOM as far as possible. Counter-intuitively, the aggregated size node, representing WOM influence level, was ascertained to be negatively significant, which might be explained by the possible negative stance from opinion leaders with high influence level. Applying network analysis methodology to blog entries, the present work differentiated itself from extant WOM literature that has focused chiefly on content analysis. The findings also provided managerial insights to companies interested in utilizing blogs as online WOM for marketing initiatives and implications for future research.
Leadership, Collective Efficacy and Team Performance
Authors: Bradford Shalonda K.
Published: January 2012

In this paper, the author examines the effect of leader attributes on the collective efficacy of a group of members of Generation Next, and the interrelation of leadership and collective efficacy on the team’s performance. A case study approach was implemented by 3 teams of business students participating in a national business competition between the years 2009-2011. Results indicate transformational leadership qualities inspire greater levels of collective efficacy. Moreover, teams demonstrating higher collective efficacy also performed better in the competition, suggesting a positive relationship between collective efficacy and team performance. Implications of these findings are discussed and a scope for future research is offered.