bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Disease Activity Improvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitors Correlates with Increased Soluble Fas Levels
Authors: Romano Eloisa , Terenzi Riccardo , Manetti Mirko , Peruzzi Francesca , Fiori Ginevra , Nacci Francesca , Bellando-Randone Silvia , Matucci-Cerinic Marco , Guiducci Serena
Published: September 2014

Objective.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovial inflammation and hyperplasia. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays a pivotal role in RA by interfering with the Fas–Fas ligand (FasL) proapoptotic pathway. We investigated the circulating levels of soluble Fas (sFas) and soluble FasL (sFasL), and their possible correlation with disease activity and improvement after anti-TNF-α treatment in RA.

Methods.

Serum levels of sFas and sFasL were measured by quantitative ELISA in 52 patients with RA before and after 3 months of anti-TNF-α treatment (adalimumab, n = 32; infliximab, n = 20). Disease activity measures [Disease Activity Score at 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP)] were recorded before and after treatment. Forty age-matched and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls.

Results.

No significant differences in serum sFas levels were detected between anti-TNF-α-naive patients with RA and controls. After anti-TNF-α treatment, serum sFas levels significantly increased in patients with RA compared to both anti-TNF-α-naive patients and controls. Increased sFas levels inversely correlated with disease activity variables (DAS28-ESR: r = −0.739, CRP: r = −0.636, both p < 0.001). No significant differences in sFasL levels were detected in patients with RA before and after anti-TNF-α treatment.

Conclusion.

In RA, an increase in sFas levels closely correlates with improvement in disease activity induced by TNF-α inhibitors, suggesting their ability to modulate Fas-mediated synoviocyte apoptosis.
Psychotraumatologie centrée compétences
Authors: Dellucci Hélène
Published: September 2014

Les traumatismes psychiques faisaient partie jadis des tableaux cliniques les plus récalcitrants. Aujourd’hui, avec les méthodes de la psychotraumatologie moderne, cette affection devient facilement appréhendable. Cet article fait le tour des différents types de réactions traumatiques après des événements négatifs et propose une lecture et des pistes centrées compétences, à partir du Modèle de Bruges. A travers les différentes phases d’une thérapie en psychotraumatologie seront abordées la stabilisation, l’importance de l’attachement pour se mettre au travail, et les conditions pour un travail psychothérapeutique qui permette de s’affranchir des traumatismes psychiques.
Computer-Assisted vs. Classroom Instruction on Developing Reference Tracking Skills in L2 Chinese
Authors: Li Liu
Published: September 2014

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has been proven effective in facilitating low-level second language (L2) reading comprehension skills such as decoding and word recognition. However, little is known about whether discourse-level reading skills such as reference tracking skills can also be effectively taught through CALL. This chapter overviews a study that designed and implemented a CALL program for teaching Chinese reference tracking skills (i.e., the identification of zero anaphors and the matching of their antecedents). The effects of the CALL program were compared with that of teacher-directed classroom instruction. Forty-five learners of L2 Chinese were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: a CALL group, a teacher-directed classroom instruction group, and a control group. A pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest measuring different aspects of Chinese zero anaphoric inference skills were administered. The results show that, although the Classroom group and the CALL group both made substantial progress compared with the control group, the CALL group made significantly more gain than the classroom instruction group in acquiring zero anaphoric inference skills.
Pragmatic Development through Blogs
Authors: Ishihara Noriko , Takamiya Yumi
Published: September 2014

In the acquisition of pragmatic competence, technology-mediated telecollaboration can be a crucial advantage as learners can be socialized into the pragmatic strategies of expert language users in a dynamic interactive context. This chapter focuses on the pragmatic development of three foreign language learners of Japanese over 16-21 months as they blogged with Japanese learners of English in Japan before and after studying in Japan. The blog-mediated learning was provided in conjunction with face-to-face instruction, and the learners' sense of community expanded through the study abroad experience as well as the blog-based telecollaboration. The learners' pragmatic development observable in their blog posts included their use of address terms, gendered sentence-final particles, a regional dialect, emoticons, and style shifting between the clause-final desu/masu and plain forms. The findings indicate that learners' pragmatic language choices can be interpreted in relation to their language socialization and agentive negotiation of emerging multiple identities.
Innovative Wiki Ways
Authors: Li Mimi , Dell-Jones Julie
Published: September 2014

Wiki-based collaborative writing has been increasingly implemented in second language classes. This chapter illustrates two small group writing projects conducted via Wikispaces (http://www.wikispaces.com/) and explicates how the distinctive wiki functions (i.e., “Discussion,” “Comments,” “Edit,” and “History”) mediate collaborative writing processes in the EFL and ESL contexts. The results reveal that wiki “Discussion” and “Comments” enabled the students to engage in the negotiation of writing tasks, as reflected in content discussion, task management, technical communication, language negotiation, and social talk. Transparency of wiki “History” records motivates students to be actively involved with recursive writing processes through multiple rounds of writing and revising using “Edit,” namely addition, deletion, reordering, rephrasing, and correction. The affordances of other wiki modules such as “Projects” and “Writing resources” are reported. The results within the EFL and ESL settings are also briefly compared to illustrate how the wiki tool is used by particular groups of English language learners. This chapter supports wiki small group writing as an innovative way to engage students in collaboration and learning during collaborative writing tasks in both EFL and ESL learning contexts.
Theory and Practice in Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Learning
Authors: Prince Peter
Published: September 2014

This chapter presents an account of the ongoing development of a vocabulary learning resource, VocPAL (Vocabulary: Progressive Autonomous Learning), for French learners of English in a university context. The chapter describes the background to the resource, its theoretical underpinnings, and its presentation features. These include pictures, sound, an association test, and context sentences forming a story. A questionnaire was administered to college students (N = 115) to assess reactions to VocPAL in an online learning environment. Further insights were gained from interviews with users of the resource. Both questionnaire and interview data suggest that, while the resource is judged favourably overall, improvements can be made to make the story more appealing and to add more interactivity. Results are discussed in terms of future development options, limitations to the study, and some broader issues regarding computer-assisted vocabulary learning.
Emerging Use of Tablets in K-12 Environments
Authors: Kumi-Yeboah Alex , Campbell Kelli Sue
Published: September 2014

In the 21st century, tablets have become one of the leading instructional technology devices used for instructional delivery in K-12 schools. The emerging use of tablets in K-12 schools include iPads, Android, Google Earth, Diigo, Blogger, GRiDPad, Modbook, iPhone, iPod, Kindle, Nook, Web 2.0 tools, Google Apps, iBook Author, iTunes U, the Apple iPad 2, Kindle Fire, Asus Nexus7, Galaxy, and smart board. Integration of tablets used in K-12 environments has proven to help students navigate their own learning, but its impact is not fully utilized in classrooms. It is common for students to own and use tablets in the teaching learning process because they are empowered to navigate, strategize, and create avenues for self-directed learning. Yet to date, not much is known about the increasing uses of tablets in the classroom setting, instructional implications on students and teachers, and its challenges in K-12 schools. This chapter addresses the emerging trend of tablet usage in K-12 schools, benefits of tablets in K-12 schools, instructional implications of tablet usage on student learning, and challenges facing teachers with regards to the use of tablets in the classroom. Recommendations for future studies and a conclusion are discussed.
Using Tablets to Teach for Understanding in the Sixth Grade Social Studies Classroom
Authors: Black Nancye Blair
Published: September 2014

In contrast to traditional teaching methods and rote memorization techniques that have led to shallow student learning in middle grades social studies, this chapter explores the capacity for a tablet-enriched implementation of the Teaching for Understanding framework to facilitate deeper student understanding and knowledge construction within the sixth grade social studies curriculum. Based on the outlined tablet-infused teaching and learning strategies, not only would the learning of social studies be improved by use of the framework itself, but the additional leverage of tablets and apps would provide a dynamic, student-friendly platform for successfully executing the framework's four elements: a generative topic, understanding goals, performances of understanding, and ongoing assessment. Moreover, a tablet-enriched implementation of the framework uniquely extends opportunities for effective learning through a broad range of inquiry, collaboration, and product-creation activities in the sixth grade social studies classroom.
Planning for and Managing iPads in a PreK-4th Grade Independent, Co-Educational Elementary School
Authors: Milman Natalie B. , Carlson-Bancroft Angela , Vanden Boogart Amy E.
Published: September 2014

This chapter chronicles the planning and classroom management practices of the first-year implementation of a 1:1 iPad initiative in a suburban, co-educational, independent, PreK-4th grade elementary school in the United States that was examined through a mixed methods QUAL ? QUAN case study. Findings demonstrate that the school's administrators and teachers engaged in pre-planning activities prior to the implementation of the iPad initiative, teachers viewed the iPads as tools in the planning process (iPads were not perceived as the content or subject to be taught/learned), and teachers flexibly employed different classroom management techniques and rules as they learned to integrate iPads in their classrooms. Additionally, the findings reveal the need for continuous formal and informal professional development that offers teachers multiple and varied opportunities to share their planning and classroom management practices, build their confidence and expertise in effective integration of iPads, and learn with and from one another.
A Collective Case Study on Two Speech and Language Impaired Learners with Autism
Authors: Sabale Jacqueline R.
Published: September 2014

Various treatment methodologies have been demonstrated to be efficacious in instructing learners with autism; however, there is no universal method of treatment, since no single treatment method has been proven to ameliorate the multifaceted symptoms of autism entirely (Lovaas, 1987). This chapter discusses the results of a qualitative study that investigated the functional validity and instructional implications of the implementation of a potential hybrid Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)/Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) and Apple tablet technology-infused model of instructional intervention targeting the initial language development of two speech- and language-impaired learners with autism. Research was conducted in an attempt to determine whether the hybrid model was operational and effective in teaching verbal behavior skills. Data collection results and observational anecdotal notes indicate that the Apple iPad-infused hybrid model of instruction was operational and more effective in teaching verbal behavior skills than the traditional paper-based instructional method. Furthermore, participants of the study were able to successfully generalize the hybrid model's Discrete Trial Training (DTT) discriminative stimulus targets in diverse natural settings.
B is for Bias
Authors: Valsan Calin
Published: September 2014

Standard economic theory assumes rational agents. Individuals are expected to have rational expectations and constantly optimize their choices. Modern economic and financial theory is build under the assumption of rationality. There is plenty of evidence from psychology, however, that individuals are biased and rely heavily on heuristics in order to make decisions. Yet, this is not a mere fluke, a behavioral oddity. Because the social and economic environment in which individuals evolve is complex, behavioral biases represent evolutionary adaptations allowing economic agents to deal with undecidability and computational irreducibility.
Evolutionary Approaches for the Extraction of Classification Rules
Authors: Benkhider Sadjia , Baba-Ali Ahmed Riadh , Drias Habiba
Published: September 2014

This paper provides evolutionary approaches in order to extract comprehensible and accurate classification rules. Indeed to construct a model of classification tone must extract not only accurate rules but comprehensible also, to help the human interpretation of the model and the decision make process. In this paper the authors describe a purely genetic approach, then a tabu search approach and finaly a memetic algorithm to extract classification rules. The memetic approach is a hybridization of a genetic algorithm (GA) and a local search based on a tabu search algorithm. Knowing that the amount of treated data is always huge in data mining applications, the authors propose to decrease the running time of the GA using a parallel scheme. In the authors' scheme the concept of generation has been removed and replaced by the cycle one and each individual owns a lifespan represented by a number of cycles affected to it randomly at its birth and at the end of which it disappears from the population. Consequently, only certain individuals of the population are evaluated within each iteration of the algorithm and not all our heterogeneous population. This causes the substantial reduction of the total running time of the algorithm since the evaluations of all individuals of each generation necessitates more than 80% of the total running time of a classical GA. This approach has been developed with the goal to present a new and efficient parallel scheme of the classical GA with better performances in terms of running time.
The Planning of Distribution Generation (DG) Based on Multi-Objective Quantum Particle Swarms Optimization (QPSO)
Authors: Yong-mei Wang , Yao wan-ye
Published: September 2014

According to economic-technical optimization objective of distribution network to which distributed generation is added, a multi-objective model is proposed in this paper. The model contains DG construction investment and operation fee, network loss, reliability, as well as environmental factor. and then puts forward the multi-objective quantum particle swarm optimization (QSPO) algorithm, and the distributed power supply after installation position and capacity for the comprehensive planning research. The result proves that QPSO has advantages of speedy searching for the optimum and keeping the population diversity. Compared to Particle Swarms Optimization (PSO), QSPO shows high efficiency and robustness.
BLDC Motor Control System Based on Quadratic Single Neuron Adaptive PID Algorithm
Authors: Wang Xiaoyuan , Fu Tao , Wang Xiaoguang
Published: September 2014

Brushless DC (BLDC) motors are widely used for many industrial applications because of their high efficiency, high torque and low volume. In view of the problem that the current control method of speed regulation system of BLDC motor has poor control effect caused by fixed parameters of PID controller, an adaptive PID algorithm with quadratic single neuron (QSN) was designed. Quadratic performance index was introduced in adjustment of weight coefficients; expected optimization effect was gotten by calculating control law. QSN adaptive PID controller can change its parameters online when operating conditions are changed, it can also change its control characteristic automatically. Matlab simulations and experiment results showed that the proposed approach has less overshoot, faster response, stronger ability of anti-disturbance, the results also showed more effectiveness and efficiency than the conventional PID model in motor speed control.
Blind Assessment of Wavelet-Compressed Images Based On Subband Statistics of Natural Scenes
Authors: Guo Yingchun , Yan Gang , Xue Cuihong , Yu Yang
Published: September 2014

This paper presents a no-reference image quality assessment metric that makes use of the wavelet subband statistics to evaluate the levels of distortions of wavelet-compressed images. The work is based on the fact that for distorted images the correlation coefficients of the adjacent scale subbands change proportionally with respect to the distortion of a compressed image. Subband similarity is used in this work to measure the correlations of the adjacent scale subbands of the same wavelet orientations. The higher the image quality is (i.e., less distortion), the greater the cosine similarity coefficient will be. Statistical analysis is applied to analyze the performance of the metric by evaluating the relationship between the human subjective assessment scores and the subband cosine similarities. Experimental results show that the proposed blind method for the quality assessment of wavelet-compressed images has sufficient prediction accuracy (high Pearson Correlation Coefficient, PCCs), sufficient prediction monotonicity (high Spearman Correlation Coefficient SCCs) and sufficient prediction consistency (low outlier ratios) and less running time. It is simple to calculate, has a clear physical meaning, and has a stable performance for the four image databases on which the method was tested.
A Stable Matching Algorithm for VM Migration to Improve Energy Consumption and QOS in Cloud Infrastructures
Authors: Kella Abdelaziz , Belalem Ghalem
Published: September 2014

Cloud Computing is one of the fast spreading technologies for providing utility-based IT services to its users. Large-scale virtualized datacenters are established in order to provide these services. Based on a pay-as-you-go model, it enables hosting of pervasive applications from consumer, scientific, and business domains. However, datacenters hosting Cloud applications consume huge amounts of electrical energy, contributing to high operational cost for the service providers as well as for the service users. Energy consumption can be reduced by live migration of virtual machines (VM) as required and by switching off idle physical machines (PM). Therefore, we propose an approach that finds a stable matching fair to both VMs and PMs, to improve the energy consumption without affecting the quality of service, instead of favoring either side because of a deferred acceptance procedure. The approach presumes two dynamics thresholds, and prepares those virtual machines on the physical machines that the load is over one of the two presumed values to be migrated. Before migrating all those VMs, we use the Coase theorem to determine the number of VMs to migrate for optimal costs. Our approach aims to improve energy consumption of the datacenters, while delivering an expected Quality of Service.
Integration between Cloud Computing Benefits and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Processes to Improve Organization's Performance
Authors: Al-nsour Sana'a , Alryalat Haroun , Alhawari Samer
Published: September 2014

Due to the rapid growth in the electronic business, information technology has become very necessary for building up efficiency and effective transactions among organizations. Consequently, Cloud Computing (CC) becomes a very important area to achieve the organization's performance. The process of integration between Cloud Computing (CC) and the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a new research area. Therefore, scientific research and literature review related to Cloud Computing and CRM processes are limited. Yet, the impact of Cloud Computing on CRM processes remains under exploration and investigation. To this effect, this paper takes on a holistic approach that examines the combined effects of Cloud Computing Benefits (cost and ease of use) and CRM processes (customer acquisition, customer retention and customer expansion) on organization's performance. It also presents a conceptual framework for Cloud Computing and CRM processes, based on the analysis of various models presented in Cloud Computing and CRM processes. The main emphasis is focused on the concept of Cloud Computing Benefits (cost and ease of use) and CRM processes (customer acquisition, customer retention and customer expansion) by examining some reasons that make the organization interested in using this modern technology from one hand and how Cloud Computing can encourage organizations to implement CRM to improve their performance on the other. Therefore, this paper contributes to develop three models: Cloud Computing Benefits, CRM process, and integration between the Cloud Computing and CRM process to improve organization performance model. Also, it describes more valid factors to identify how an organization deals with its performance in the future by providing an advice for the Information Technology (IT) industry as how an analytical integration between Cloud Computing Benefits and CRM process improves organization's performance – something that should be taken into account in developing countries to attain a competitive advantage. This study is divided in three sections: Literature Review, Research Model, and Conclusion.
A Qualitative Analysis of Online Gaming
Authors: Hussain Zaheer , Griffiths Mark D.
Published: September 2014

The popularity of Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) has risen dramatically over the last decade. Some gamers spend many hours a day in these virtual environments interacting with other gamers, completing quests, and forming social groups. The present study set out to explore the experiences and feelings of online gamers. The study comprised 71 interviews with online gamers (52 males and 19 females) from 11 different countries. Many themes emerged from the analyses of the interview transcripts including (i) engaging in social interaction, (ii) being part of a community, (iii) learning real-life skills, (iv) gaining in-game rewards, (v) playing never-ending games (vi) escaping from real life, (vii) playing longer than intended, and (viii) being obligated towards other gamers in-game. These findings specifically showed the many positives of online gaming (including the social interaction and the community aspects of belonging) as well as the in-game features within MMORPGs that in some cases can lead to excessive online gaming. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to previous qualitative and quantitative research in the area.
Between the Sacred and the Profane in the S. João d'Arga's Festivities
Authors: Dominguez Mário , Paulino Fernando Faria , Silva Bruno Mendes
Published: September 2014

This paper describes the concept, creative process and development decisions regarding an interactive art installation that materializes a point of view on the conflict between the notions of ‘sacred' and ‘profane' in a particular Portuguese religious festival. The initiative, besides constituting an experiment on the usage of a physical pendulum as control method, aimed to combine three main domains: digital art (in particular generative art), documentary value and game-like challenge. Each user undertakes a personal experience as interaction occurs with a poetic symbolic simulation of the real pilgrimage. As the user intervenes indirectly in the main struggle, the profane and sacred pilgrims, in the shape of digital autonomous agents, uncover a generated art piece that is both a product of the artist vision and the inevitable result of the users conscious and unconscious decisions.
CulturalNature Arga #2
Authors: Cruz Tiago , Paulino Fernando Faria , Tavares Mirian
Published: September 2014

CulturalNature Arga#2 is an interactive audio-visual installation intended to explore the concept of landscape as a verb (to landscape) questioning and reflecting about the semiotic discourses associated with this concept. The landscape as something natural, static, peaceful, silent, etc. is a semiotic discourse with roots in a past related with the representation of a point of view, not only perceptual but also conceptual, ideological. These representations enformed the visual culture leading to a particular discourse. The installation proposes a reflexion about the way different elements associated with a particular territory shape this territory's landscape, giving it a dynamic existence, a product of cultural activity. Like J.T.W. Mitchell, here, the landscape is seen “…as a process by which social and subjective identities are formed.” (1994)
Evaluating Mobile Application Development Firms
Authors: Hsu Pi-Fang , Lu Tien-Chun , Tsai Chia-Wen
Published: September 2014

The purpose of the present paper is to propose a decision model for both advertisers and advertising agencies to evaluate and select mobile application development firms. The researchers first refer to related literature and apply the Modified Delphi Method to postulate the most suitable selection criteria. Then, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is utilized to derive the relative weight and ranking of each decision criteria, which can be used for evaluating and selecting the most suitable mobile application development firm. Then a company, which serves as a case example, is selected for applying this model. The data analysis finds that when selecting mobile application development firms, both advertisers and advertising agencies hold mastery of mobile marketing skill as their top concern. Business marketing division also stress experience in mobile marketing operation, especially ability in innovative layout and execution. In contrast, advertising agencies are able to provide their clients with creative ideas and designs. Therefore, they do not care so much whether marketing application development firms have ability in innovative layout and execution. They are more concerned about ability in customer service, especially team communication and arbitration ability.
Enhanced Index-Based GenMax for Frequent Item Set Mining
Authors: Asokkumar S. , Thangavel S.
Published: September 2014

In many data mining applications such as the discovery of association rules, strong rules, and many other important discovery tasks, mining frequent item sets is a fundamental and essential problem. Methods have been implemented for mining frequent item sets using a prefix-tree structure, for storing compressed information GenMax is used for mining maximal frequent item sets. It uses a technique called progressive focusing to perform maximal checking, and differential set propagation to perform fast frequency computation. GenMax algorithm was not implemented for closed frequent item set. The proposal in this paper present an improved index based enhancement on Genmax algorithm for effective fast and less memory utilized pruning of maximal frequent item and closed frequent item sets. The extension induces a search tree on the set of frequent closed item sets thereby we can completely enumerate closed item sets without duplications. The memory use of mining the maximal frequent item set does not depend on the number of frequent closed item sets. The proposed model reduces the number of disk (Input and Outputs) I/Os and make frequent item set mining scale to large transactional databases. Experimental results shows a comparison of improved index based GenMax and existing GenMax for efficient pruning of maximal frequent and closed frequent item sets in terms of item precision and fastness.
Use of Artificial Neural Network for the Construction of Lorenz Curve
Authors: Pundir Sudesh , R. Ganesan
Published: September 2014

Lorenz curve and Gini index are the most widely used measures of income inequality in Economics. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are mathematical models that learn complex relationships in data. ANN is widely used for prediction and classification tasks in many fields of knowledge. In this paper, Lorenz points are generated from a trained ANN by systematically varying some underlying parameters of ANN and the behavior of Lorenz curve is studied. It is shown that ANN technique generates better Lorenz curve in the sense of better distribution of income points and having smaller Gini Index. A real life illustration is provided by taking the per capita Net State Domestic Product at current prices for 32 States / Union Territories of India for the period 1997-1998.
Minimum Power Performance-Based Virtual Machine Consolidation Technique for Green Cloud Datacenters
Authors: Anandharajan T.R.V. , Bhagyaveni M.A.
Published: September 2014

Infrastructure as a Service is an important component in the cloud building block. The authors present a Cloud Simulation experience with an objective to handle the performance and energy tradeoff in an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment. The authors present the orchestration of statistical, machine learning and energy model based Minimum Power Performance (MPP) algorithm to validate simulation using PlanetLab VMs real world traces from real systems. Their proposed algorithm consolidates virtual machines (VMs) in the Processing Elements (PE or Host or Server) and is 39% better than the legacy algorithms.
Techniques for Auditing the ICT Carbon Footprint of an Organisation
Authors: Mouchet Clément , Urquhart Neil , Kemmer Rob
Published: September 2014

This article has presents an extensive survey of the state of the art in Green IT/S. The findings of the survey suggest that there is scope for a reliable carbon footprint auditing tool for organisational ICT usage. A prototype auditing tool is developed and a trial audit carried out and evaluated. Conclusions include the need for automation of the audit, the need for consistent management of hardware within organisations, and the need to present carbon footprint data in a format that respects the privacy of the individual user, but allows meaningful conclusions to be drawn.
Identification of Risk Factors in Large Scale Software Projects
Authors: Shahzad Basit
Published: September 2014

Ensuring that software process can take place without the software risks is a dream that we strive to achieve by putting in place the software management methodologies. The most important of its phases is the identification of verified risk factors that can be considered and focused to empower the software development process and decrease the potential losses and issues that cause these losses. This paper covers the identification of top rated risk factors by conducting a comprehensive survey and validates the results to identify the top ten software risk factors.
Web Algorithms for Information Retrieval
Authors: Frikh Bouchra , Ouhbi Brahim
Published: September 2014

The World Wide Web has emerged to become the biggest and most popular way of communication and information dissemination. Every day, the Web is expending and people generally rely on search engine to explore the web. Because of its rapid and chaotic growth, the resulting network of information lacks of organization and structure. It is a challenge for service provider to provide proper, relevant and quality information to the internet users by using the web page contents and hyperlinks between web pages. This paper deals with analysis and comparison of web pages ranking algorithms based on various parameters to find out their advantages and limitations for ranking web pages and to give the further scope of research in web pages ranking algorithms. Six important algorithms: the Page Rank, Query Dependent-PageRank, HITS, SALSA, Simultaneous Terms Query Dependent-PageRank (SQD-PageRank) and Onto-SQD-PageRank are presented and their performances are discussed.
A Hybrid Technique Using PCA and Wavelets in Network Traffic Anomaly Detection
Authors: Novakov Stevan , Lung Chung-Horng , Lambadaris Ioannis , Seddigh Nabil
Published: September 2014

Research into network anomaly detection has become crucial as a result of a significant increase in the number of computer attacks. Many approaches in network anomaly detection have been reported in the literature, but data or solutions typically are not freely available. Recently, a labeled network traffic flow dataset, Kyoto2006+, has been created and is publicly available. Most existing approaches using Kyoto2006+ for network anomaly detection apply various clustering techniques. This paper leverages existing well known statistical analysis and spectral analysis techniques for network anomaly detection. The first popular approach is a statistical analysis technique called Principal Component Analysis (PCA). PCA describes data in a new dimension to unlock otherwise hidden characteristics. The other well known spectral analysis technique is Haar Wavelet filtering analysis. It measures the amount and magnitude of abrupt changes in data. Both approaches have strengths and limitations. In response, this paper proposes a Hybrid PCA–Haar Wavelet Analysis. The hybrid approach first applies PCA to describe the data and then Haar Wavelet filtering for analysis. Based on prototyping and measurement, an investigation of the Hybrid PCA–Haar Wavelet Analysis technique is performed using the Kyoto2006+ dataset. The authors consider a number of parameters and present experimental results to demonstrate the effectiveness of the hybrid approach as compared to the two algorithms individually.
Optimal Channel Assignment Algorithm for Least Interfered Wireless Mesh Networks
Authors: Mountassir Tarik , Nassereddine Bouchaib , Haqiq Abdelkrim , Bennani Samir
Published: September 2014

Unlike most of proposed solutions that usually consider the overall throughput as the main optimization, Channel Assignment in Wireless Mesh Networks has to ensure connectivity, minimize interference level and guarantee an acceptable throughput. This problem must be solved taking into account all the parameters that influence the output of the proposed algorithm. In this paper, the authors propose an efficient multi-objective optimization model that, simultaneously, optimizes two conflicting objective functions in order to assign channel to radio interfaces subject to connectivity, interference and bandwidth requirements. Then they use the Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization Technique to resolve this problem and provide a non-dominated set of near optimal solutions.
Automated Synthesis and Ranking of Secure BPMN Orchestrators
Authors: Ciancia Vincenzo , Martin Jose , Martinelli Fabio , Matteucci Ilaria , Petrocchi Marinella , Pimentel Ernesto
Published: September 2014

The authors describe a formal methodology for the automatic synthesis of a secure orchestrator for a set of BPMN processes. The synthesized orchestrator is able to guarantee that all the processes that are started reach their end, and the resulting orchestrator process is secure, that is, it does not allow the disclosure of certain secret messages. The authors present an implementation of a forth and back translation from BPMN to Crypto-CCS, that permits them to exploit the previously existing PaMoChSA tool to synthesize BPMN orchestrators. Furthermore, they study the problem of ranking orchestrators based on quantitative valuations of a process, the temporal evolution of such valuations, and their security, as a function of the knowledge of the attacker.
The Things of Caesar: Mark-ing the Plural (Mk 12:13–17)
Authors: Carter Warren
Published: September 2014

This article observes the rarely-discussed phenomenon that the Marcan paying-the-tax scene refers to tax in the singular, whilst the concluding saying uses the plural ‘the things of Caesar and of God’. The article accounts for this phenomenon by means of developing traditions. The section under the heading ‘Mark’s scene and saying about taxes (12:13–17)’ counters the common claim that scene and saying originated as a unit from the historical Jesus. It proposes that whilst the saying may have originated with Jesus, the scene as we have it did not. The section under the heading ‘Social memory, orality, and a multi-referential saying?’ suggests some contexts that the saying about the things of Caesar addressed pre-Mark. And under the section ‘Trauma and Mark’s scene’ it is argued that Mark created a unit comprising scene and saying to negotiate the ‘ trauma’ of the 66–70 war. The unit evaluates freshly-asserted Roman power as idolatrous and blasphemous whilst simultaneously authorising the continued involvement of Jesus-believers in imperial society.
Tick-borne pathogens of potential zoonotic importance in the southern African Region
Authors: Chitanga Simbarashe , Gaff Holly , Mukaratirwa Samson
Published: September 2014

The aim of this communication is to provide preliminary information on the tick-borne pathogens of potential zoonotic importance present in southern Africa, mainly focusing on their geographical distribution and host range, and to identify research gaps. The following tick-borne zoonoses have been reported to occur in southern Africa based mainly on case reports: Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever caused by Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus; ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia ruminantium, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum; babesiosis caused by Babesia microti; relapsing fever caused by Borrelia duttonii and rickettsioses caused by Rickettsia africae, Rickettsia aeschlimannii and Rickettsia conorii. The epidemiological factors influencing their occurrence are briefly reviewed.
Ethnic Residential Segregation in the United Kingdom by Age Group: the Case of Bradford
Authors: McEvoy David
Published: September 2014

There is a long running debate on the significance of ethnic residential segregation levels in Britain. These phenomena have been related to the extent of community cohesion in British cities, and particularly to the riots of 2001 in the north of England. Further light is cast on these issues by examining ethnic segregation by age in the case of Bradford, the location of the largest riot. Both the dissimilarity index and the exposure index are used to consider relations between the White British and the largest minorities at ward level and at census output area level. The level of segregation is shown to vary with age, usually in a consistent direction. The direction varies between ethnic groups however.
Queer Sovereignty: the Gay & Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands
Authors: Lattas Judy
Published: September 2014

What can the spectacle of gay nationalism tell us about the reality of our cosmopolitan dream? My suggestion in this paper is that it challenges the assumption that simply invoking cosmopolitanism, or indeed embodying it as a style and a politics, is enough to secure the rights and recognition that were previously obtained by means of territorial claims and independent flag waving. It teaches us in order to reach an end – that of cosmopolitanism - it may be necessary to recommence at the beginning.

The Gay & Lesbian Kingdom (GLK) seceded from Australia in 2004. Emperor Dale Parker Anderson declared independence upon raising the rainbow pride flag on the Coral Sea Island of Cato. The decision to secede was made as a response to the Australian government’s 2004 action in presenting the Amendment of the Marriage Act 1969. In giving my account I draw on a 2007 interview, correspondence with Emperor Dale and other ethnographic material concerning the GLK. Among other articulations, I consider its secessionist move in light of Linda Bishai’s critique in Forgetting Ourselves (2004). This is that for all its liberationist motivation, secession is essentialist in its conception, and inherently anti-democratic; her prediction is that its preoccupation with state formation is making it irrelevant in the age of “rhizomatic” community networks. In its micronationalist “queering,” however, I find secessionist politics more relevant in late modernity, not less, as the pluralising democratic politics of identity and representation are increasingly unable to contest key outcomes of “family values” and “national values” rhetoric in the 21st C. While Bishai calls for an end to secession, my suggestion is that it is precisely in the secessionist moves of contemporary micronationalism that the “new cosmopolitics,” a politics aimed at the “renewal of international law” (Derrida, On Cosmopolitanism, 2002, p3) might be witnessed.
Islamophobia and Arab and Muslim Women's Activism
Authors: Povey Tara
Published: September 2014

The aim of this article is to compare women’s activism in Diaspora communities in Muslim majority countries, such as Iran, with some of the experiences of women activists in Western counties such as Australia. This is by no means a definitive account of Arab and Muslim women’s activism in either country but an attempt to raise some questions and provide a framework in order to understand some of the issues facing Arab and Muslim activists today. I believe that it is important to look at these issues in a way that is contextualized in terms of the material circumstances in which women living in Diaspora communities find themselves. In doing so, I hope to reveal the complexity and dynamism of women’s activism and to take on critically, Orientalist, essentialist and racist arguments regarding the nature of Arab and Muslim women’s role in opposing war and neo-liberalism and in the struggle for gender equality. As Edward Said argues, exile forces us to “see things not simply as they are, but as they have come to be that way. Look at situations as contingent, not as inevitable, look at them as a series of historical choices made by men and women, facts of society made by human beings not as natural or God-given, therefore unchangeable, permanent, irreversible.”
Contesting realities
Authors: Whyte Jessica
Published: September 2014

In 2004, an unnamed Bush adviser accused a senior Wall Street Journal reporter of belonging to the “reality based

community”—a community that believed solutions stem from the judicious study of reality. “We're history's actors, “ he told the journalist, “and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” Overwhelmingly, the response of those on the left, and of US progressives to this comment was to smugly deride the irrationalism and the arrogance of the Bush Administration. This paper, in contrast, will examine what is missed in the rush to accept membership of the reality based community. It will suggest that that the advisor's comments express something that was once a central tenet of the left: the belief that political action is capable of transforming reality. Today, on the left, this belief has been all but abandoned in the face of a seemingly unstoppable onslaught of free market capitalism and increasingly repressive state power. This paper will ask what it would mean today, to begin to re-imagine political action as capable of remaking the world.
Solidarity, authenticity and anti racism
Authors: Wadiwel Dinesh
Published: September 2014

Anti Racist struggles often aim to construct alliances between groups under the banner of "solidarity" in order to achieve change. Using Foucault's Society Must be Defended lectures as a basis, this paper interrogates the difficulties associated with creating solidarity in anti racist movements, when conflict and war might be treated as the basis for racial stratifications. Following from this, it is argued that friendships in spite of differences are possible under the guise of "truce": that is through allegiances that begin by acknowledging the fact of war.
Solidarity, community and the political economy of hurt
Authors: Arvanitakis James
Published: September 2014

This paper considers whether as anti-racist activists we can form a community of solidarity. Critiquing the issue of ‘whiteness’, I consider whether such a community reflects or actually confronts the structures of a political economy of whiteness. Using both academic literature and narrative research I reflect on my own experiences of racism and hurt. These emotional and important issues are then intertwined within the political economy of whiteness.
Lessons to be learned: Reviving advocacy organisations after the neo-con men
Authors: Maddison Sarah
Published: September 2014

The article assesses the impact of the Howard years on non-government advocacy organisations in Australia. It stresses the importance of advocacy in civil society, and in representative democracy. It outlines how this role was undermined, including with regard to the manipulation of contracting-out arrangements. It argues that to regain their former role advocacy organisations will need to reassess their relationships with government—including their funding relationships—and reassert their role as independent analysts and legitimate critics of government power and policy.
Contesting the ‘we’ of ‘we’: the rights of Indigenous peoples in Australia
Authors: Formaini Heather
Published: September 2014

Introducing three papers which have as their theme Indigenous and non-Indigenous rights, this paper offers a set of frameworks through which to read the various discourses as they have steered debates since colonialisation. It examines the way Indigenous rights have been contested against a colonial legal framework, first through the guiee of assimilation, various definitions of ‘reconciliation’, and self determination, and finally in the claim for land rights in New South Wales. It argues that the philosopher Martin Buber offers a means of achieving rights for everyone, through his I-Thou model of inter-subjectivity.
The Rights Defence Movement, Rights Defence Lawyers and Prospects for Constitutional Democracy in China
Authors: Feng Chongyi
Published: September 2014

Contrary to the view that democratic aspiration has been utterly marginalised in China since the 1990s, the discourse of democracy continues to flourish via the Internet and other means of communication, and a budding “rights defence movement” (weiquan yundong) has emerged as a new focus of the Chinese democracy movement in China. The emergence of this rights defence movement foreshadows a new, more optimistic political scenario in which smooth transition to a stable constitutional democracy through constructive interactions between state and society may occur. This paper explores the social and political context behind the rise of the rights defence movement in China, assesses the role played by rights defence lawyers (weiquan lushi) in shaping the rights defence movement and speculates on the implications of the rights defence movement for China’s transition to constitutional democracy