bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conversation Analysis and Electronic Interactions
Authors: Meredith Joanne , Potter Jonathan
Published: May 2013

This chapter proposes that, as a method which has engaged with interaction in other contexts, conversation analysis (CA) should be used to analyze electronic interactions. The adoption of CA leads to a number of methodological pointers and this chapter reviews some of these. The authors firstly overview previous research on electronic discourse, including work which has also applied CA to electronic interactions. The authors then describe the main elements of CA, and also briefly discuss the closely related approach of discursive psychology. Using a corpus of quasi-synchronous instant messaging chats, the authors show how data can be collected which captures how users actually conduct online interactions. The authors discuss the ethical issues inherent in collecting such data. Finally, using examples from the corpus, the authors demonstrate the importance of making timed transcripts and working with screen capture data.
Cyber Identity Theft
Authors: Roberts Lynne D.
Published: May 2013

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) provide substantial benefits to governments, organizations and individuals through providing low cost, instantaneous, global communication capabilities. However, an unintended consequence of these new technologies is their use for criminal purposes. The technology can be used as the mechanism for organizing and committing criminal activity and as a means of protecting criminals against detection and punishment. Cyber identity theft is an internationally recognized problem resulting from the introduction of new information technologies. This chapter provides an overview of cyber identity theft and related fraud, describing the impact of cyber identity theft on governments, organizations, law enforcement agencies and individuals. Methods currently being used, or proposed, to combat cyber identity fraud are outlined and the potential impact of these examined. The tension between using technological solutions to reduce cyber identity theft and privacy and civil liberties concerns is explored.
Protection of Privacy on the Web
Authors: Chen Thomas M. , Fu Zhi (Judy)
Published: May 2013

Most people are concerned about online privacy but may not be aware of the various ways that their personal information is collected during routine Web browsing. We review the types of personal information that may be collected voluntarily or involuntarily through the Web browser or disclosed by a Web server. We present a taxonomy of regulatory and technological approaches to protect privacy. All approaches to date have only been partial solutions. By its nature, the Web was designed to be an open system to facilitate data sharing, and hence Web privacy continues to be a challenging problem.
A Simulation Model of IS Security
Authors: Pendegraft Norman , Rounds Mark
Published: May 2013

The value of IS security evaluated by simulating interactions between an information system, its users and a population of attackers. Initial results suggest that the marginal value of additional security may be positive or negative as can the time rate of change of system value. This implies that IT security policy makers should be aware of the relative sensitivity of attackers and users to security before setting IT security policy.
A Multistage Framework to Defend Against Phishing Attacks
Authors: Chandrasekaran Madhusudhanan , Upadhyaya Shambhu
Published: May 2013

Phishing scams pose a serious threat to end-users and commercial institutions alike. E-mail continues to be the favorite vehicle to perpetrate such scams, mainly due to its widespread use combined with the ability to easily spoof them. Several approaches, both generic and specialized, have been proposed to address this growing problem. However, phishing techniques, growing in ingenuity as well as sophistication, render these solutions weak. To overcome these limitations, we propose a multistage framework – the first stage aims at detecting phishing based on their semantic and structural properties, whereas in the second stage we propose a proactive technique based on a challenge-response technique to establish the authenticity of a Web site. Using live e-mail data, we demonstrate that our approach with these two stages is able to detect a wider range of phishing attacks than existing schemes. Also, our performance analysis study shows that the implementation overhead introduced by our tool is negligibly small.
Surveillance in Public Spaces as a Means of Protecting Security
Authors: Tsiftsoglou Anna
Published: May 2013

The Greek Data Protection Authority (DPA) was asked in July 2009 to review a proposed legislation that was exempting personal data processing via camera installations in public spaces from the scope of the Greek Data Protection Law 2472/1997. Such an exemption was justified, among other reasons, for the protection of public safety and crime prevention. This paper examines the legitimacy of this security measure from two angles: European and Greek Law. Furthermore, our analysis focuses on questions of privacy, the concept of public safety and its application, as well as the DPA’s role in safeguarding citizens’ privacy even in city streets.
A Partial Optimization Approach for Privacy Preserving Frequent Itemset Mining
Authors: Mukherjee Shibnath , Gangopadhyay Aryya , Chen Zhiyuan
Published: May 2013

While data mining has been widely acclaimed as a technology that can bring potential benefits to organizations, such efforts may be negatively impacted by the possibility of discovering sensitive patterns, particularly in patient data. In this article the authors present an approach to identify the optimal set of transactions that, if sanitized, would result in hiding sensitive patterns while reducing the accidental hiding of legitimate patterns and the damage done to the database as much as possible. Their methodology allows the user to adjust their preference on the weights assigned to benefits in terms of the number of restrictive patterns hidden, cost in terms of the number of legitimate patterns hidden, and damage to the database in terms of the difference between marginal frequencies of items for the original and sanitized databases. Most approaches in solving the given problem found in literature are all-heuristic based without formal treatment for optimality. While in a few work, ILP has been used previously as a formal optimization approach, the novelty of this method is the extremely low cost-complexity model in contrast to the others. They implement our methodology in C and C++ and ran several experiments with synthetic data generated with the IBM synthetic data generator. The experiments show excellent results when compared to those in the literature.
Distributed Privacy Preserving Clustering via Homomorphic Secret Sharing and Its Application to (Vertically) Partitioned Spatio-Temporal Data
Authors: Yildizli Can Brochmann , Pedersen Thomas , Saygin Yucel , Savas Erkay , Levi Albert
Published: May 2013

Recent concerns about privacy issues have motivated data mining researchers to develop methods for performing data mining while preserving the privacy of individuals. One approach to develop privacy preserving data mining algorithms is secure multiparty computation, which allows for privacy preserving data mining algorithms that do not trade accuracy for privacy. However, earlier methods suffer from very high communication and computational costs, making them infeasible to use in any real world scenario. Moreover, these algorithms have strict assumptions on the involved parties, assuming involved parties will not collude with each other. In this paper, the authors propose a new secure multiparty computation based k-means clustering algorithm that is both secure and efficient enough to be used in a real world scenario. Experiments based on realistic scenarios reveal that this protocol has lower communication costs and significantly lower computational costs.
Data Breach Disclosure
Authors: Dark Melissa
Published: May 2013

As information technology has become more ubiquitous and pervasive, assurance and security concerns have escalated; in response, we have seen noticeable growth in public policy aimed at bolstering cybertrust. With this growth in public policy, questions regarding the effectiveness of these policies arise. This chapter focuses on policy analysis of the state data breach disclosure laws recently enacted in the United States. The state data breach disclosure laws were chosen for policy analysis for three reasons: the rapid policy growth (the United States have enacted 45 state laws in 6 years); this is the first instantiation of informational regulation for information security; and the importance of these laws to identity theft and privacy. The chapter begins with a brief history in order to provide context. Then, this chapter examines the way in which historical, political and institutional factors have shaped our current data breach disclosure policies, focusing on discovering how patterns of interaction influenced the legislative outcomes we see today. Finally, this chapter considers: action that may result from these policies; the action type(s) being targeted; alternatives that are being considered, and; potential outcomes of the existing and proposed alternative policies.
Computer Hacking and the Techniques of Neutralization
Authors: Morris Robert G.
Published: May 2013

Nowadays, experts have suggested that the economic losses resulting from mal-intended computer hacking, or cracking, have been conservatively estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars per annum. The authors who have contributed to this book share a mutual vision that future research, as well as the topics covered in this book, will help to stimulate more scholarly attention to the issue of corporate hacking and the harms that are caused as a result. This chapter explores malicious hacking from a criminological perspective, while focusing on the justifications, or neutralizations, that cyber criminals may use when engaging in computer cracking--which is in the United States and many other jurisdictions worldwide, illegal.
Image Watermarking
Authors: Tsirakis Nikos
Published: May 2013

This chapter describes image watermarking, the most common and widespread category of media files are images. The evolution of the Internet and the ease by which images can be duplicated and distributed has led to the need for effective copyright protection tools and techniques in order to provide a secure way to the producers and the owners of these media files. These techniques are described below with an introduction to information hiding. Various software products have been introduced with an aim to address these growing concerns; some categories are presented here. The fundamental technique which allows an individual to add hidden copyright notices or other verification messages to digital images is called digital image watermarking and constitutes the main part of the chapter. Finally authors provide future trends and directions of image watermarking.
Memorizing Algorithm
Authors: Truong Quynh Chi , Truong Anh Tuan , Dang Tran Khanh
Published: May 2013

The rapid development of location-based services, which make use of the location information of the user, presents both opportunities and challenges. Users can benefit from these services; however, they must often disclose their location information, which may lead to privacy problems. In this regard, the authors propose a solution with a memorizing algorithm, using trusted middleware that organizes space in an adaptive grid where it cloaks the user’s location information in an anonymization area before sending it to the service providers. This newly introduced memorizing algorithm calculates on the spatial grid to decrease the overlapped areas as much as possible, which helps conceal users’ locations. This solution protects the user’s privacy while using the service, but also against data mining techniques with respect to their history location data. Experimental results with a user activities map establishes this theoretical analyses as well as the practical value of the proposed solution.
Detecting Shill Bidding in Online English Auctions
Authors: Trevathan Jarrod , Read Wayne
Published: May 2013

Shill bidding is where spurious bids are introduced into an auction to drive up the final price for the seller, thereby defrauding legitimate bidders. While shilling is recognized as a problem, presently there is little or no established means of defense against shills. This chapter presents an algorithm to detect the presence of shill bidding in online auctions. It observes bidding patterns over a series of auctions, providing each bidder a score indicating the likelihood of his/her potential involvement in shill behavior. The algorithm has been tested on data obtained from a series of realistic simulated auctions, and commercial online auctions. The algorithm is able to prune the search space required to detect which bidders are likely to be shills. This has significant practical and legal implications for commercial online auctions where shilling is considered a major threat. This chapter presents a framework for a feasible solution, which acts as a detection mechanism and a deterrent.
Cyber Crime Against Women and Regulations in Australia
Authors: Halder Debarati , Jaishankar K.
Published: May 2013

This chapter deals with the legal regulations that protect Australian women in cyber space. Various issues that are discussed in this chapter are: Cyber harassments including hacking and hacking related offences against women and regulatory provisions, Stalking women and the concerned laws, Harassments, threatening, blackmailing, defamation and related laws. Legal approach to problems of ‘forced pornography’, obscenity and the Liability of the ISPs as per the Australian laws are also discussed. The chapter ends with a discussion. In this chapter as strong emphasis is made on the need for new laws that will protect Australian women in cyber space as a serious lacuna is found in this issue.
Cyber Laws for Preventing Cyber Crimes Against Women in Canada
Authors: Halder Debarati , Jaishankar K.
Published: May 2013

This chapter gives an overview of laws related to cyber crimes against in general and women in particular. Though there are no specific laws that were developed to mitigate crimes against women in cyber space, Canadian laws of physical space govern the cyber space crimes well. The various issues that are discussed in this chapter are: Cyber nonsexual offences against women and regulating laws in Canada, Online Stalking and related offences, Online harassment through modification of digital contents and misusing the same, Offensive communication against women, Cyber defamatory libel against women, Cyber hate propaganda against women and legal situation, Responsibilities of the ISPs, Cyber privacy and related offences against women, Regulating cyber sexual offences for women in Canada, and the problem of Obscenity and regulating laws.
Legal Treatment of Cyber Crimes Against Women in USA
Authors: Halder Debarati , Jaishankar K.
Published: May 2013

US, is one country, which started the evolution of the Internet and also the first to be affected and the first to retaliate to the ugly side of the Internet, the cyber crimes. US saw a sea of growth in the cyber crimes against women and created new laws to mitigate such crime and prevent future victimization. In this chapter, we discuss about various laws developed by the US to prevent cyber victimization of women as well as conventional laws that were applied to protect women in cyber space. Regulation of crimes in cyber space such as cyber bullying, cyber stalking are examined in detail. The issue of privacy in cyber space vis-à-vis the laws related to that are identified and analyzed.
Digital Child Pornography
Authors: Law Frank Y.W. , Chow K.P. , Lai Pierre K.Y. , Tse Hayson K.S. , Tse Kenneth W.H.
Published: May 2013

Child pornography has become a major cyber crime in recent years. One of the challenging problems in child pornography cases is to distinguish if the subject files were downloaded intentionally or by accident without the knowledge of the computer user. The suspect may admit that he is an erotomania, but argue that the child porn materials were downloaded accidentally while surfing the pornographic web sites. In many jurisdictions, possession of child pornography without user knowledge is not a crime, while the burden of proof is on the prosecution. It is therefore important to identify if the child pornography exists by accident or not. In this chapter, the authors first review the technologies which sustain the prevalence of online child pornography and the recent research on child pornography investigation. Then, the authors present a set of practical investigation techniques. Subsequently, they apply the techniques in a case study with an attempt to distinguish if a suspect is a child pornography offender or just a normal erotomania. This is an important distinction to be made, since a person guilty of child pornography offenses is likely to be punished more seriously under most legal jurisdictions.
Health Care Information Systems and the Risk of Privacy Issues for the Disabled
Authors: Beswetherick John
Published: May 2013

The healthcare industry is moving towards adoption of electronic health records. There are associated privacy and security implications to this move towards electronic collection and storage of sensitive health information. This chapter suggests that the impact on the privacy and security of health information for disabled individuals is greater than that for the general populace. Contributors to this increased risk are related to the increase in dependence on the clinical care system and the related increase in volume of the data that is collected, stored and exchanged as a function of providing care to this population.
Safeguarding the Privacy of Electronic Medical Records
Authors: Li Jingquan , Shaw Michael J.
Published: May 2013

The continued growth of healthcare information systems (HCIS) promises to improve quality of care, reduce harmful medical errors, and streamline the entire healthcare system. But the resulting dependence on electronic medical records (EMRs) has kindled patient concern about who has access to sensitive medical records. Healthcare organizations are obliged to protect patient medical records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 and the economic stimulus bill of 2009. The purpose of this study is to develop a formal privacy policy for safeguarding the privacy of EMRs. This study describes the impact of EMRs and HIPAA on patient privacy. It proposes access control and audit logs policies to protect patient privacy. To illustrate the best practices in the healthcare industry, this chapter presents the case of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The case demonstrates that it is critical for a healthcare organization to have a formal privacy policy in place.
U.S. Federal Data Mining Programs in the Context of the War on Terror
Authors: Shahidullah Shahid M. , Hossain Mokerrom
Published: May 2013

This chapter examines the issues and concerns raised in the context of the recent growth of federal mining programs. The chapter argues that in the context of the war on terror, intelligence gathering on terrorist activities both within and outside the United States has emerged as one of the core strategies for homeland security. The major national security related federal agencies such as the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense have developed a number of data mining programs to improve terrorism intelligence gathering and analysis in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001. Some data mining programs have, however, raised a number of issues related to privacy protections and civil liberties. These issues have given birth to a wider debate in the nation and raised new tensions about how to search for a balance between the needs for the protection of privacy and civil liberties, and the needs for national security. The authors believe that the future of this debate is intimately connected to the future of the war on terror. Currently, Congress and the federal courts seem to be more in favor of supporting the preeminent needs of protecting national security. Through a number of enactments, Congress has broadened the federal power for collecting terrorism intelligence both at home and abroad. In a number of cases, the federal courts have ruled in favor of the doctrines of the “state secret privilege” and the “inherent power of the President” to emphasize the overriding need for protecting national security in the context of the war on terror. As America has embarked on a long and protracted ideological war against radical militant Islam, issues of national security and the need for data mining for detecting and analyzing terrorist activities are likely to remain dominant for a long time.
A Performance Study of Secure Data Mining on the Cell Processor
Authors: Wang Hong , Takizawa Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Hiroaki
Published: May 2013

This article examines the potential of the Cell processor as a platform for secure data mining on the future volunteer computing systems. Volunteer computing platforms have the potential to provide massive computing power. However, privacy and security concerns prevent using volunteer computing for data mining of sensitive data. The Cell processor comes with hardware security features. The secure volunteer data mining can be achieved by using those hardware security features. In this article, we present a general security scheme for the volunteer computing, and a secure parallelized K-Means clustering algorithm for the Cell processor. We also evaluate the performance of the algorithm on the Cell secure system simulator. Evaluation results indicate that the proposed secure data clustering outperforms a non-secure clustering algorithm on the general purpose CPU, but incurs a huge performance overhead introduced by the decryption process of the Cell security features. Possible optimization for the secure K-Means clustering is discussed.
Human Factors in Information Security and Privacy
Authors: Proctor Robert W. , Schultz E. Eugene , Vu Kim-Phuong L.
Published: May 2013

Many measures that enhance information security and privacy exist. Because these measures involve humans in various ways, their effectiveness depends on the human factor. This chapter reviews basic components of information security and privacy with an emphasis on human factors issues. It provides an overview of empirical investigations that have been conducted regarding the usability of security and privacy measures. These studies show that users have difficulty interacting with complex interfaces and that users’ performance can be improved by incorporating human factors principles into the designs. The authors conclude by discussing how human factors analyses can lead to the design of usable systems for information security and privacy assurance.
A Game Theoretic Approach for Sensitive Information Sharing in Supply Chain
Authors: Zhang Xiaofeng , Cheung William K. , Luo ZongWei , Tong Frank
Published: May 2013

With the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, information sharing among participants in a supply chain is greatly facilitated, raising privacy concerns on sharing sensitive information. Balancing the conflicts between the improvement of visibility and the decrease of sensitive information shared is paramount. In this paper, the authors propose a leader-follower game model called LFM to model the strategic game between buyer and supplier. A Stackelberg equilibrium state is then computed as the solution to this game model. The proposed approach exhibits better performance when compared with conventional optimization approaches via derivation in terms of the total information sharing level and the total gain acquired verified by the experiments. In the future, the authors will extend this approach to a more complex situation with more participants in a dynamic environment.
E-Government, Security, and Cyber-Privacy
Authors: Wolf Ross , Korosec Ronnie
Published: May 2013

E-government involves governments at all levels using advanced technology and communication tools to provide services, allow for transactions, and respond to citizen’s needs and requests. This on-line version of government, which is designed to enhance efficiency and improve operations, relies heavily on a network of data structures that are currently in place. While much has been written about e-government, few studies exist that link the concepts of e-government and security with individual rights and government responsibility. Now more than ever, progressive changes in technology allow public and private sector entities to routinely collect, store, and disseminate large files of personal information about the citizens and clients they interact with. The power associated with the magnitude of this information requires great responsibility and accountability. This chapter is a beginning point to discuss how governments in the United States attempt to maintain secure fortresses of data, limit the dissemination of sensitive information to unauthorized parties, and ensure on line privacy for citizens.
A Case for Consumer Virtual Property
Authors: Hettche Matt
Published: May 2013

While the Internet is generally regarded as a tool of consumer empowerment, recent innovations in e-marketing signal a disparity in the quality of knowledge that the e-buyer and e-seller each bring to the exchange process. Armed with sophisticated consumer tracking programs and advanced data mining techniques, the e-seller’s competitive advantage for anticipating consumer preference is quickly outpacing the e-buyer’s ability to negotiate fair terms for an equal trade. This chapter considers the possible threat that aggressive forms of electronic surveillance pose for a market economy in e-commerce and offers a framework for how marketing practitioners can protect consumer autonomy online. Using John Locke’s classic social contract theory as a model, I argue that information created by an end-user’s online activity is a form of ‘virtual property’ that in turn establishes a consumer’s right to privacy online.
A Profile of the Demographics, Psychological Predispositions, and Social/Behavioral Patterns of Computer Hacker Insiders and Outsiders
Authors: Schell Bernadette H. , Holt Thomas J.
Published: May 2013

This chapter looks at the literature—myths and realities—surrounding the demographics, psychological predispositions, and social/behavioral patterns of computer hackers, to better understand the harms that can be caused to targeted persons and property by online breaches. The authors suggest that a number of prevailing theories regarding those in the computer underground (CU)—such as those espoused by the psychosexual theorists—may be less accurate than theories based on gender role socialization, given recent empirical studies designed to better understand those in the CU and why they engage in hacking and cracking activities. The authors conclude the chapter by maintaining that online breaches and online concerns regarding privacy, security, and trust will require much more complex solutions than currently exist, and that teams of experts in psychology, criminology, law, and information technology security need to collaborate to bring about more effective real-world solutions for the virtual world.
Between Hackers and White-Collar Offenders
Authors: Turgeman-Goldschmidt Orly
Published: May 2013

Scholars often view hacking as one category of computer crime, and computer crime as white-collar crime. However, no study to date has examined the extent to which hackers exhibit the same characteristics as white-collar offenders. This chapter looks at empirical data drawn from 54 face-to-face interviews with Israeli hackers, in light of the literature in the field of white-collar offenders, concentrating on their accounts and socio-demographic characteristics. Hackers and white-collar offenders differ significantly in age and in their accounts. White-collar offenders usually act for economic gain; hackers act for fun, curiosity, and opportunities to demonstrate their computer virtuosity. Hackers, in contrast to white-collar offenders, do not deny their responsibility, nor do they tell a “sad tale.”
Future Trends in Digital Security
Authors: Viney Daniel
Published: May 2013

This chapter discusses ICT trends of the past decade, the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, mobile computing (as distinguished from cloud computing), the pitfalls of social networking, security considerations in the workplace, copyright and Intellectual Property considerations, and how to best control threats and vulnerabilities. We are in a period of aggressive technological growth to which there is no foreseeable end. New technologies, such as Web 2.0 and cloud computing, are emerging at an exponential rate, and as a consequence, security threats, controls, and standards are iteratively evolving. As yet, we do not know the security and privacy implications that such a rapid and wide uptake of cloud computing, and other multi-user virtual environment initiatives, and Web 2.0 technologies, will bring. In no way is this cause to panic, instead it is cause to focus on self-education, employee-education, and awareness. To put it simply, these offer our best defense to security threats. By being educated, aware, and vigilant, the majority of threats are nullified, as they are designed to prey upon those who rely on trust when reading emails, visiting Websites, and accessing site content, when navigating the World Wide Web. For example, there are millions of users who are completely unaware of threats, such as phishing, and other forms of Internet-based fraud. More than ever before, the onus is on the individual, both at home and in the workplace, to be responsible for maintaining best practice techniques, while utilizing digital resources to ensure that information security, individual privacy, and applicable legislation are not breached. This can only be achieved through iterative education processes, general awareness, and vigilance.
Emerging Security Issues in VANETs for E-Business
Authors: Manvi S. S. , Kakkasageri M. S.
Published: May 2013

This chapter presents the emerging security issues in Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) for e-business along with some of the solutions provided by the research community. The VANET will facilitate new applications for e-business that will revolutionize the driving experience, providing everything from instant, localized traffic updates to warning signals when the vehicle ahead abruptly brakes. In the emerging global economy, e-business has increasingly become a necessary component of business strategy and a strong catalyst for economic development. In near future, vehicles may be equipped with short-range radios capable of communicating with other vehicles and highway infrastructure using a VANET. However, providing security in VANETs for e-business raises privacy concerns that must be considered. The deployment of VANETs for e-business is rapidly approaching, and their success and safety will depend on viable security solutions acceptable to consumers, manufacturers and governments.
Cyber Security and Privacy in the Age of Social Networks
Authors: Bhatti Babar
Published: May 2013

Social media is transforming the way we find, create, and share information during the course of our personal life and work. The rapid growth of social media and the ubiquitous sharing and access of information through various digital channels has created new vulnerabilities and cyber threats. This chapter will provide an overview of the security and privacy implications of social networks and communities. The goal of this chapter is to examine and raise awareness about cyber security threats from social media, to describe the state of technology to mitigate security risks introduced by social networks, to shed light on standards for identity and information sharing or lack thereof, and to present new research and development. The chapter will serve as a reference to students, researchers, practitioners, and consultants in the area of social media, cyber security, and Information and Communication technologies (ICT).
Current Measures to Protect E-Consumers’ Privacy in Australia
Authors: Ha Huong , Coghill Ken , Maharaj Elizabeth Ann
Published: May 2013

The current measures to protect e-consumers’ privacy in Australia include (i) regulation/legislation, (ii) guidelines, (iii) codes of practice, and (iv) activities of consumer associations and the private sector. However, information about the outcomes of such measures has not been sufficiently reported, whereas privacy incidents have increased. Some policy implications for e-consumer protection are drawn from the analysis. Firstly, national privacy legislation should widen its coverage. Secondly, uniform regulations and guidelines could contribute to providing equal protection to e-consumers. Thirdly, guidelines and codes of practice need to be supported by legislation and a proper compliance regime. Corporate social responsibility by e-retailers is also required for effective adoption of self-regulatory measures. Fourthly, consumer education is important to enhance consumer awareness of online privacy risks and their ability to deal with such incidents. Finally, a combination of legal frameworks, technological, and human-behaviour related measures is more likely to address online privacy issues effectively.
Patient Safety Concerns among Emergency Medical Staff and Patients
Authors: Hsu Pi-Fang , Tsai Wen-Chun , Tsai Chia-Wen
Published: May 2013

Recently, much of the world, including the World Health Organization, the European Union and many North American countries, have emphasized patient safety. Around the same time, Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) devoted a significant amount of resources to better the quality of medical treatment for their patients. This study explores perceptions of and attitudes towards patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments. Analysis results indicate that medical staff and patients significantly differ in perceptions and attitudes. Results of this study provide a valuable reference for governmental authorities and hospital managers in formulating policies aimed at clarifying perceptions and attitudes regarding patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments.
Multiple biomarker responses of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) exposed to textile industry effluents reaching Bolgoda North Lake, Sri Lanka
Authors: Perera BIG , Pathiratne A
Published: May 2013

Textile industry effluents contain a complex mixture of chemicals which may have potential threats to biota. The present study was carried out to assess the potential impacts of selected textile industry effluents entering Bolgoda North Lake, Sri Lanka using multiple biomarkers responses of Nile tilapia viz. brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE), hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) and erythrocytic micronuclei/nuclear alterations. The biomarker responses were determined in the fish upon exposure to the undiluted and diluted effluents along with the respective controls. Brain AChE activities of the fish exposed to the textile industry effluents were depressed (up to 40%) and frequencies of erythrocytic micronuclei and nuclear alterations were increased (up to 9 folds) significantly indicating the availability of neurotoxic and genotoxic substances in the effluents. Strong induction of hepatic EROD activities (up to 23 folds) in the exposed fish revealed the availability of CYP1A inducing pollutants which may have contributed to enhance the genotoxic potential of the effluents. The results revealed the sensitivity of these biomarkers of Nile tilapia to assess the biological effects of textile industry effluents. The depression of AChE activities and induction of EROD levels along with enhanced micronuclei and nuclear alterations in the fish exposed to the selected effluents can be considered as early warning signs for possible impacts pose by the textile industry effluents on fish populations inhabiting the effluent receiving water bodies. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljas.v15i0.5445 Sri Lanka J. Aquat. Sci. 15 (2010): p.1-11
Vegetative propagation of some selected mangrove species from Negombo estuary, Sri Lanka
Authors: De Silva KHWL , Amarasinghe MD
Published: May 2013

Mangrove forests are degraded and threatened worldwide, due to anthropogenic events. Mass production of planting material and successful germination of seeds are essential processes in rehabilitating these degraded mangrove forests. The present work was carried out to determine the efficacy of using propagule cuttings in mass production of plant materials and to determine the potential of using non mangrove soils to establish propagule cuttings for ornamental purposes. In addition air layering and stem cutting techniques were also tested for the mangrove propagation. Propagation of Rhizophora apiculata, by propagule cuttings, treated with root promoting hormones is feasible and it was possible to produce three saplings from one propagule. Indole Butyric Acid (IBA) (1000 ppm) was the best hormone concentration for inducing roots and IBA (1500 ppm) was the best for inducing shoots from propagule cuttings of R. apiculata. Air layering and stem cutting were performed with Avicennia marina and R. apiculata but none of the species was able to generate roots and therefore these vegetative propagation methods cannot be used for mass propagation of these mangrove species. Optimum growth medium and period of nursery care for mangrove saplings of R. apiculata, Ceriops tagal and Bruguiera sexangula were studied and the results revealed that best growth performance was in mangrove soils, i.e. 4.15 cm/ 4weeks for R. apiculata, 3.75 cm/ 4weeks for B. sexangula and 0.56 cm/ 4 weeks for C. tagal, while mangrove soils mixed with sand produced the second best growth for C. tagal and B. sexangula. Seedlings grown on terrestrial soils showed the lowest growth rate for all three mangrove species. However, no significant difference (P < 0.05) exists in growth rates of mangrove seedlings when grown in different growth media, indicating they can be grown with terrestrial soil for ornamental purposes. Potting media consisted only of mangrove soils as well as mangrove soils (1): sand (1), terrestrial soil alone and mangrove soil (1): terrestrial soil (1) can be used as nursery growth media for R. apiculata and C. tagal. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljas.v15i0.5480 Sri Lanka J. Aquat. Sci. 15 (2010): p.25-38
Auditing Safety and Environmental Management Systems Programs
Authors: Hazzan Michael
Published: May 2013

As a result of the Deepwater Horizon/Macondo incident on April 20, 2010, the Department of the Interior adopted the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) regulation (30 CFR 250). This regulatory program, which imposes a process safety management-like program on oil and gas facilities operating on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), replaces a voluntary program that had existed since 1993. SEMS includes an audit element that is substantially different from its sister element in PSM-covered facilities onshore. This paper will examine the following aspects of SEMS auditing:How process safety on the OCS differs from onshore facilities, where it is well developed and long standing.Interpretation of the SEMS audit requirements, and the active role of the government in these audits.Audit guidance published by the new Center for Offshore Safety (COS), which is heavily influenced by the PSM audit guidance published by CCPS in 2011 in Guidelines for Auditing Process Safety Management Systems. The Background for Auditors and Auditor Activities information published in these documents is unique.Management systems and their effect on SEMS auditing. Several ISO standards will influence SEMS audits even though the SEMS regulations do not refer to them.Requirements for the training, qualification, and certification of SEMS auditors established by COS. The SEMS regulations do not specify these requirements, however, the offshore industry has adopted them via COS.The COS concept of independent third party (I3P) auditors and how they will be accredited by COS.SEMS audits and SEMS metrics. Metrics are not mandatory in the SEMS regulations but audits provide an opportunity to measure the efficacy of SEMS programs.The business case for SEMS auditing. Beyond the regulatory regulations themselves SEMS audits provide an opportunity to increase the reliability and operability of OCS facilities, which represent an enormous investment for their owners and operators.
A scientific defence of religion and the religious accommodation of science? Contextual challenges and paradoxes
Authors: Du Toit Cornel W.
Published: May 2013

Few human phenomena in our time are as controversial or confusing as religion. People seem to live in two worlds: a mythical and a scientific one. They talk about either of these worlds in isolation but cannot reconcile the underlying presuppositions. Believers are less naïve than the ‘new atheists’ suppose, and atheists do not come without their quota of superstition and belief. Midway between the two opposites is a burgeoning, secular new spirituality that has assumed many forms in recent years. The groups are often marked by some form of naturalism, which try to accommodate science. The premise in this article is that religion, being a product of normal evolutionary processes, is ‘natural’. This implies that cultural evolution is ongoing and supports the thesis that religion (in this case Western Christianity) is making a major transition. As for science, I briefly outline the role of metaphysics. That is because science often has to invoke metaphysical constructs to make sense of the bigger picture. Following Aristotle, the metaphysical dimension of science is a blank page which every era fills with its own interpretation. In that sense, it is ‘more than’ just empiricism, verifiability, and it is accompanied by some metaphysical baggage. At this metaphysical level, the traditional dominance of causality makes way for emergence.
Developing creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills in a financial services organisation
Authors: De Jager Cherylene , Muller Anton , Roodt Gert
Published: May 2013

Orientation: An important evaluation function is to determine whether creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills can be developed through training and to assess whether these skills, on their own, are sufficient to ignite innovation in organisations. Research purpose: The evaluation question that the present study aimed to address is whether employees in a corporate context, such as a financial services organisation, can develop creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills through an intervention such as a workshop. Motivation for the study: A financial services organisation commissioned the primary author of this article to design a workshop with the intent to develop the creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills of their employees in order to ignite innovation and competitiveness. Research design, approach and method: This study employed mainly qualitative research. Utilisation-focused evaluation (UFE) was employed and findings from the literature review, questionnaires, pen-and-paper tests and interviews were used. The unit of analysis was a niche business unit in a South African financial services organisation.Main findings: From this study’s point of view, the most critical finding related to the confirmation that individuals can acquire creative and innovative thinking and problemsolving skills. The acquisition of these skills, however, is not sufficient on its own to establish a culture supportive of creativity and sustainable innovation. Practical/managerial implications: The development of creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills of employees is not sufficient on its own to support sustainable innovation. Managers should consciously establish determinants on an organisational as well as an individual level to create an environment supportive of sustainable innovation. Contribution/value-add: The present study indicated how a workshop can assist individuals to develop creative and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. The acquisition of these skills is not sufficient on its own to ignite sustainable innovation.
Scott complexity and adjoining roots to finitely generated groups
Authors: Louder Larsen
Published: May 2013

We give several generalizations of the well-known fact that a commutator in a free group is not a proper power.
RFID no Processo Produtivo de um Frigorífico de Carne Bovina
Authors: Grande Eliana Tiba Gomes , Vieira Sibelius Lellis
Published: May 2013

Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar a viabilidade da continuidade da rastreabilidade da carne bovina através da utilização da tecnologia RFID no processo produtivo de um frigorífico. Neste processo, a relação do produto e sua origem não é mantida. Nesta proposta, foram identificados pontos críticos dentro do processo produtivo de que implicam na perda da rastreabilidade e realizadas simulações utilizando o middleware Fosstrak e o simulador Rifidi para validar uma solução para este problema. Verificou-se que a rastreabilidade é realizável, com o posicionamento de antenas e leitoras em lugares estratégicos, tais como nos ganchos e nas bandejas
Conception and Development of a System Used to Organize and Facilitate Access to Environmental Information and ITS Use in Areas Contaminated by Industrial Waste
Authors: Côrtes Pedro Luiz
Published: May 2013

In São Paulo State (Brazil) coastal area, for several years, a chemical industry discharged, without any sort of environmental control, a blend of industrial waste formed by Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Judicial suits forced the company to identify and limit such deposits in order to perform environmental recovery work. Project were developed demanding preparation and handling of a large amount of documents, satellite images, aerial photographs, maps and videos with the increase of the information and knowledge management issues. This condition became even more critical as the projects started to become cross-disciplinary, involving a growing number of experts, many of them established in different cities. Those circumstances led to the generation of an Environmental Information System (BASGEO) enabling organization and facilitation of access to such documents while increasing information safety. This work shows the development of this system and the difficulties related to environmental documents management and handling.
O Impacto da Abordagem de Vendas na Aceitação de Produtos com Inovações Tecnológicas
Authors: Grohmann Márcia Zampieri , Battistella Luciana Flores , Velter Aline
Published: May 2013

Com o objetivo de verificar a influência das abordagens de venda no processo de aceitação e uso de produtos com inovações tecnológicas, foi realizada uma pesquisa que uniu o Modelo de Aceitação Tecnológica (TAM) com a Teoria da Ação Racional (TRA). Através de equações estruturais foram identificadas as relações entre as três abordagens de vendas (foco na competição, foco no produto, foco no cliente) e os construtos do modelo. Os resultados confirmaram quatro das doze hipóteses formuladas. Conclui-se, assim, que as relações entre estratégias de vendas e aceitação e compra de novos produtos é menor do que se esperava.