bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Accuracy and Reliability in Acetabular Cup Placement Using an iPhone/iPad System
Authors: Kurosaka Kenji , Fukunishi Shigeo , Fukui Tomokazu , Nishio Shoji , Fujihara Yuki , Okahisa Shohei , Takeda Yu , Daimon Takashi , Yoshiya Shinichi
Published: June 2016

Implant positioning is one of the critical factors that influences postoperative outcome of total hip arthroplasty (THA). Malpositioning of the implant may lead to an increased risk of postoperative complications such as prosthetic impingement, dislocation, restricted range of motion, polyethylene wear, and loosening. In 2012, the intraoperative use of smartphone technology in THA for improved accuracy of acetabular cup placement was reported. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of an iPhone/iPad-guided technique in positioning the acetabular cup in THA compared with the reference values obtained from the image-free navigation system in a cadaveric experiment. Five hips of 5 embalmed whole-body cadavers were used in the study. Seven orthopedic surgeons (4 residents and 3 senior hip surgeons) participated in the study. All of the surgeons examined each of the 5 hips 3 times. The target angle was 38°/19° for operative inclination/anteversion angles, which corresponded to radiographic inclination/anteversion angles of 40°/15°. The simultaneous assessment using the navigation system showed mean±SD radiographic alignment angles of 39.4°±2.6° and 16.4°±2.6° for inclination and anteversion, respectively. Assessment of cup positioning based on Lewinnek's safe zone criteria showed all of the procedures (n=105) achieved acceptable alignment within the safe zone. A comparison of the performances by resident and senior hip surgeons showed no significant difference between the groups (
P
=.74 for inclination and
P
=.81 for anteversion). The iPhone/iPad technique examined in this study could achieve acceptable performance in determining cup alignment in THA regardless of the surgeon's expertise. [
Orthopedics.
2016; 39(4):e621–e626.]
The Challenges of Data Cleansing with Data Warehouses
Authors: McKelvey Nigel , Curran Kevin , Toland Luke
Published: June 2016

Data cleansing is a long standing problem which every organisation that incorporates a form of data processing or data mining must undertake. It is essential in improving the quality and reliability of data. This paper presents the necessary methods needed to process data at a high quality. It also classifies common problems which organisations face when cleansing data from a source or multiple sources while evaluating methods which aid in this process. The different challenges faced at schema-level and instance-level are also outlined and how they can be overcome. Currently there are tools which provide data cleansing, but are limited due to the uniqueness of every data source and data warehouse. Outlined are the limitations of these tools and how human interaction (self-programming) may be needed to ensure vital data is not lost. We also discuss the importance of maintaining and removing data which has been stored for several years and may no longer have any value.
Telling Tales with Technology
Authors: Stobbart Dawn Catherine
Published: June 2016

This chapter analyses the 2010 videogame Alan Wake, a narrative based videogame that makes frequent use of intertextuality. As well as using contemporary examples, the game also uses traditional international folklore in its narrative, with the antagonist Barbara Jagger being recognisable as the Russian folk tale character Baba Yaga, for example. Using the concepts proposed and elucidated by Vladimir Propp, Joseph Campbell, the chapter will first establish that the videogame offers a remediation of several traditional mythical narratives in one contemporary videogame, before going on to use the classifications found in The Morphology of the Folktale and The Hero with a Thousand Faces to place this videogame within the folklore and mythical tradition. It will also serve to establish whether these classifications are suitable for the narratives found in videogames, and if they depart from them, where the scholar needs to establish new concepts and definitions for these traditional classifications.
Apportioned Commodity Fetishism and the Transformative Power of Game Studies
Authors: McAllister Ken S. , Ruggill Judd Ethan , Conradi Tobias , Conway Steven , deWinter Jennifer , Hanson Chris , Kocurek Carly A. , Moberly Kevin A. , Nichols Randy , Nohr Rolf F. , Ouellette Marc A.
Published: June 2016

This chapter explores the ways in which the field of Game Studies helps shape popular understandings of player, play, and game, and specifically how the field alters the conceptual, linguistic, and discursive apparatuses that gamers use to contextualize, describe, and make sense of their experiences. The chapter deploys the concept of apportioned commodity fetishism to analyze the phenomena of discourse as practice, persona, the vagaries of game design, recursion, lexical formation, institutionalization, systems of self-effectiveness, theory as anti-theory, and commodification.
Co-Creation and the Distributed Authorship of Video Games
Authors: Jennings Stephanie C
Published: June 2016

This chapter reconceptualizes the authorship of video games through the development of a theory of distributed authorship. It defines distributed authorship as the interplay of negotiated capacities of a number of actors (including but not limited to developers, publishers, and players) to create the content, structures, form, and affordances of video game works. However, the theory does not assume that these actors always work together collaboratively or that capacities for authorship are shared equally among them. Rather, distributed authorship understands the authorship of video games as a relationship of power—the power to create, shape, and influence video game works.
Serious Games Teaching Values
Authors: Gabriel Sonja
Published: June 2016

The number of serious games dealing with human right issues has increased in recent years. All of them want to teach/present certain values and make players think about the contents presented. Therefore, it is interesting to have a closer look at different ways of how these games try to integrate values. After discussing the development of human rights digital games in brief, this chapter is going to have a look at various game elements that can express and embody values. Several examples will illustrate how games might more or less successfully deal with human rights and values. Finally, some research results will be presented discussing what serious games might be able to achieve.
Knowledge Production in E-Sports Culture
Authors: Hein Robert James , Engerman Jason A.
Published: June 2016

Competitive video games, commonly referred to as “e-sports,” are becoming increasingly popular among young adults (van Ditmarsch, 2013). However, unlike more traditional, physical sports, these video games blur the lines between their participants and spectators (Cheung & Huang, 2011), encouraging veterans and newcomers alike to become contributing members evolving, digital affinity spaces. Bolstered by the affordances of live-streaming technology, e-sports culture constantly gathers its experts and novices together to play, compete, and discuss in real time. These inclusive practices help to facilitate the rapid knowledge and skill acquisition of all of its community members. Consequently, this chapter will explore how and why e-sports culture successfully champions participation and mastery learning. Likewise, the authors will discuss what teachers can learn and apply from this culture's values.
Gaming to Increase Reading Skills
Authors: Kieran Laura , Anderson Christine
Published: June 2016

When considering instructional supports for struggling adolescent readers, Fisher and Ivey (2006) suggested that the interventions be comprehensive, include a variety of authentic reading and writing opportunities, and be based on varied assessment data. The researchers developed a schedule for Maya, an 8th grade student to work on vocabulary and reading comprehension via games that reviewed discreet skills as well as social media per Maya's preferences. The use of technology interventions for Maya allowed her to read, listen to, and think about meaningful texts, while maintaining balance with instruction in skills related to reading for a variety of purposes.
Game/Write
Authors: Baldwin Sandy , Bowman Nicholas D. , Jones John
Published: June 2016

This chapter explores the potential correlation between college students' leisurely video game experience and their narrative composition writing ability in a first-semester university writing course. This exploratory survey data report moderate correlations between students' aggregated video game experience (years spent playing) and their ability to articulate tension and turn, and use proper organization in composition assignments, notably a diagnostic essay assigned on the first day of class, prior to formal instruction. Findings suggest that leisure gameplay might help develop competency with the same cognitive and creative skills related to written narrative ability by exposing players – in particular, adolescents – to elements of narrative through the gameplay process, facilitating the learning of these skills in the classroom. In conclusion, the authors suggest areas for future research on this topic.
Games Beyond the Screen
Authors: Wood William Zachary
Published: June 2016

This chapter introduces a phenomenon that has gone largely unaddressed in research since its emergence in western countries in the last decade: festivals of games and play. The bulk of the chapter is drawn from interviews with people involved in these festivals, including founders, current organizers and game designers, using this data to build on the work of researchers on play and playfulness. Taking an autoethnographic stance, the author speaks from personal experience as a participant and game designer in order to convey these festivals' unique qualities and potential as sites for public play.
The Community of Inquiry Framework, Blended Learning, and the i2Flex Classroom Model
Authors: Swan Karen
Published: June 2016

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework was developed by researchers interested in exploring learning in online discussions who grounded their thinking in social constructivist notions of inquiry-based teaching and learning. The i2Flex approach is similarly grounded in social constructivism and inquiry, thus it makes sense to explore the CoI framework with the hope of informing i2Flex models. The purpose of this chapter is to do so. The chapter summarizes the way the CoI framework is conceptualized as developing from the interaction of three presences, and reviews research on the effects of each presence on teaching and learning. The development and validation of a CoI survey and some of the research it has enabled is also discussed. In particular, the chapter examines a course redesign project that significantly improved learning outcomes in four online courses which seems ideally suited the ongoing development of i2Flex classes. The chapter concludes with an examination of two other frameworks for structuring blended learning that might be applicable to i2Flex classes.
A True Manifestation of gMp
Authors: Koutsopoulos Konstantinos C. , Gialamas Stefanos P. , Koutsopoulos Theo C.
Published: June 2016

This chapter presents the basic concept and the components of the Dogs in Learning (DiL) program, as a true reflection of the gMp. The implementation of the program at ACS Athens has shown that curriculum subjects can be taught more effectively and in a playful and enjoyable manner when the learner is fully engaged with the help of dogs in the learning process. By following a Spiral Curriculum using instructional dogs, several basic issues related to human behavior are internalized by the students. In addition, the DiL program can successfully address the bullying phenomenon of our society; and, finally, the DiL program can inspire students to develop the wisdom to transform their educational experience.
Implementing Virtual Lab Learning to High School
Authors: Prodromidi Evangelia
Published: June 2016

Science is traditionally considered one of the most complex and demanding subjects in school, yet can be one of the most inspiring experiences one has encountered in their academic life. Scientific knowledge can be applied to and explain everyday life phenomena beyond the boundaries of a conventional classroom. This is the key to teach and learn science effectively and can be assisted by technology as a pedagogical tool. The i2Flex model was implemented in a High School Science IB class as online/virtual laboratory investigations, in an effort to enhance high cognitive skills and academic performance of students. By allowing students to self-pace and self-direct their learning and practice to some extent, students not only engaged more actively in the science curriculum but improved their practical, writing and even collaborative skills. Teaching time in class became more flexible and productive and addressed areas of learning, such as critical thinking, analysis and elaboration of performed work, which have always puzzled students and perhaps lowered academic outcome.
Sustainable Construction Materials
Authors: Ralegaonkar R. V. , Madurwar M. V. , Sakhare V. V.
Published: June 2016

Due to ever increasing demand for the conventional construction materials as well as an increase in agro-industrial by-products it is essential to reuse these materials. As a smart city solution this chapter briefs an overview for the application of alternate raw materials as a principal source for the development of sustainable construction materials. The potential application of the discussed raw materials is elaborated as cementitious material, the aggregates as well as alternative reinforcement material. To understand the process of application, sustainable masonry product development is discussed in detail. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the raw material, the necessary physico-chemical test evaluation methods are also briefed. The developed end product performance evaluation is also discussed by desired tests as recommended by standards. The chapter concludes with a positive note that reuse of agro-industrial by-products is a feasible solution for the smart city development.
Increase of Transportation Efficiencies and Emission Reduction within a City
Authors: Jenne Christian
Published: June 2016

On a worldwide scale population is increasing, necessitating efficiencies in transportation essential for a modern and healthy environment. Most cities have already reached their limitations on population and vehicle movement. Street layouts and cycling lanes, which were initially planned for a certain number of inhabitants, are now not able to cope with increasing demand. The same applies for fresh water supply and effluent treatment which have limitations also. With an increasing population in urban areas, restriction levels in these regions can be reached very quickly, creating a problem which needs to be addressed. A smarter city can only be developed when there is pre-planning on all of these issues, when there is an understanding of newly developed human behaviours, and when new inventions and technologies in urban areas can adapt to these changes.
Quality of Resilient Cities, the Issue of Urban Waste
Authors: Rynska Elzbieta Dagny , Oniszk-Poplawska Anna Teresa , Kozminska Urszula
Published: June 2016

This chapter focuses on the metabolic concept for the management and treatment of construction waste and organic fraction of municipal solid waste in urban areas. Analysis of related Dutch, German and Polish guidelines for environmental zoning of industrial plants, allows formulation of conditions for an optimal siting of waste infrastructure within urban unit. Protection zones are defined in accordance with specific requirements for waste facilities, which treat and recycle both municipal and construction waste. Distances from inhabited areas are related to environmental burdens generated by such facilities (incl. parameters such as odours, noise level, explosion impacts and emissions of other substances). Moreover, this chapter provides the analysis of a selected case studies of waste facilities processing. A comparison of European guidelines and implementation of practical solutions is described in the case study analysis, including the issues open for the discussion about sustainable siting for waste processing infrastructure within an urban unit.
Structure of the Local Tiers in Germany
Authors: Franzke Jochen
Published: June 2016

This chapter analyses basic long-term trends in local governance in Germany in their functional, political, territorial and administrative dimensions. The traditions and legal framework of German local self-government form the starting point of the chapter. Subsequently, the role of the local level in the German federal system and the level of its autonomy are analysed. After that, the most important political-administrative actors in local governance examines, such as councilors, mayors, local administration, local branches of political parties and free voters associations. In describing the long-term trends and challenges in German local politics, special attention is paid to local public management, local democracy and citizen participation. Finally, the chapter ends with a summary of the most important aspects of the development of the municipalities and districts in Germany and with a view towards further reform.
Local Structure and Municipal Associations in Spain
Authors: Ruano José M. , Álvarez José Manuel Rodríguez
Published: June 2016

The main feature of the Spanish local structure is its fragmentation. Although self-government principle is widely recognized in legal and constitutional terms, this fact makes local governments in practice to be subordinate to both central and regional governments and therefore lack adequate power, personnel and material resources to deal with both the compulsory responsibilities assigned to them and those voluntary services they decide to provide in their communities' interest. Since fragmentation is an obstacle to provide services efficiently, most local governments co-operate between them to create inter-municipal associations as an alternative to amalgamations that work in practice in an anarchical way whilst neither regions nor provinces are interested in strengthening municipalities fearing the emergence of a powerful institutional and political counterweight.
Experience with Managerial and Political Reform Measures at the Local Level in Slovakia
Authors: Klimovský Daniel
Published: June 2016

This chapter is focused on the Slovak experience with decentralization and relating political and managerial innovations. A main goal is to analyze both managerial and political innovations which have been implemented since 1990, when a democratic local government system with directly elected local government bodies was renewed. An additional aim is to show not only intended outcomes but also the outcomes which can be described as unintended. Main attention is especially paid to inter-municipal cooperation, performance budgeting, participatory budgeting, direct elections of mayors, local referenda, etc. However, attention is paid also to those innovations which have never been implemented in Slovakia, e.g. gender quotas or territorial consolidation (amalgamation).
Local Government in India
Authors: Srinivasan Rajamanickam
Published: June 2016

India introduced a constitutionally ‘encouraged' local governance system at grassroots level in 1950 called Panchayati Raj (PRI). PRIs are now over two decades old forming the third tier of government and carrying huge responsibility as the bridge connecting citizens to governance and delivery mechanisms. With over 65% of India living in its villages, the performance of PRIs is crucial for poverty alleviation, enhancing livelihoods and more importantly attaining distributive justice. This chapter examines local governance in India primarily from three platforms – history, representation and delivery, to see whether its performance matches its promise. Obstacles to the development of PRIs and role of political will to sustain it are deliberated and some suggestions made. In essence, it suggests that democratic decentralization in the model of PRIs can only succeed when institutions function unaffected by party considerations and political citizenship is facilitated through voice and awareness programs.
Local Governments in Brazil
Authors: Maria de Souza Celina
Published: June 2016

Brazil is a federal country in which local governments have become the main providers of universal social services funded by the three tiers of government. The chapter presents the general characteristics of the country´s local governments and its position in the federal system, describes the distribution of revenue and governmental functions, shows the incremental increase in local resources and their earmarking for social policies, the complex system of funding and regulation created and discusses the role of local governments in the provision of universal social services. The argument put forward is that local governments have become the hub of the provision of universal social services while the federal government is in charge of policies targeting the poor. Local governments, however, are dependent on funding from other levels of government raising concerns about the sustainability of the provision and the expansion of universal social services as well as concern about improving their quality.
Local Government and Governance in Mexico
Authors: Porras-Sanchez Francisco Javier
Published: June 2016

After the 1983 constitutional amendment, which devolved public services to local governments, Mexican municipalities have been studied extensively. Much of this literature has focused on the consolidation of local policy sectors, professionalisation, and administrative innovation. These matters share a concern on self-government, traditionally considered as the constitutional ideal for the municipality. More recent developments, however, have focused on the growth of citizens' and inter-organisational networks, and over its influence in the production of horizontal interactions amongst local actors. Although the evidence suggests that these networks are mostly subordinated to governability objectives, a certain shift from government to governance can be argued. This chapter proposes that both approaches, the traditional government one and the governance one, are necessary in order to understand the multiplicity of municipal conditions in Mexico. This is especially relevant for generating differentiated accounts of local governance with a reach beyond the usual legal definitions.
A Comparative Study of Local Governments in the Constitutions of Selected EU Countries and Turkey
Authors: Guner Ayse , Keles Rusen
Published: June 2016

In the effort to examine local governments within a country, the first place to look at would be the constitution of that state. Constitutions usually provide us with important information about local governments; on their types, competencies, revenues and various other characteristics. This study aims to compare the clauses devoted to local governments in the constitutions of 23 European Union (EU) member states and Turkey. While there are certain studies concerned with how local governments are worded within constitutions, these are generally singular cases focusing on one country alone. This chapter aims to provide comparative and informative information on local governments in the constitutions of the related states by categorizing the most commonly stipulated clauses.
Unleashing Artificial Intelligence onto Big Data: A Review
Authors: Mahanty Rupa , Mahanti Prabhat Kumar
Published: June 2016

We live in an ocean of data. Big Data is characterized by vast amounts of data sized in the order of petabytes or even exabytes. Though Big Data has great potential, Big data by itself has no value unless one can derive meaningful results from it. That is where Artificial Intelligence pitches in. Artificial Intelligence's most common application is about finding patterns in enormous quantities of data. The confluence of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence allows companies to automate and improve complex descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytical tasks. In other words, Big Data can offer great insights with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Artificial Intelligence can act as a catalyst to derive tangible value from Big data and serve as key to unlocking Big data. This review article focuses on applications of artificial intelligence to Big Data, its Limitations and issues.
Hybrid Ensemble Learning Methods for Classification of Microarray Data
Authors: Dash Sujata
Published: June 2016

Efficient classification and feature extraction techniques pave an effective way for diagnosing cancers from microarray datasets. It has been observed that the conventional classification techniques have major limitations in discriminating the genes accurately. However, such kind of problems can be addressed by an ensemble technique to a great extent. In this paper, a hybrid RotBagg ensemble framework has been proposed to address the problem specified above. This technique is an integration of Rotation Forest and Bagging ensemble which in turn preserves the basic characteristics of ensemble architecture i.e., diversity and accuracy. Three different feature selection techniques are employed to select subsets of genes to improve the effectiveness and generalization of the RotBagg ensemble. The efficiency is validated through five microarray datasets and also compared with the results of base learners. The experimental results show that the correlation based FRFR with PCA-based RotBagg ensemble form a highly efficient classification model.
Knowledge Representation: A Semantic Network Approach
Authors: Rahman Atta ur
Published: June 2016

Knowledge Representation (KR) is an emerging field of research in AI and Data Mining. Knowledge represented in an effective way guarantees a good retrieval. In this regard, a number of effective approaches have been proposed in the literature and Semantic Networks (SN) are one of them. In SN knowledge is represented in the form of directed graph, where concepts and relationships are appeared at vertices and edges respectively. ‘is a' is one of the most frequently used relationship in SN. ‘is a' expresses the exact relationship between any pair of objects. But there exists a huge amount of knowledge that cannot be represented by just ‘is a', like the knowledge where approximations are involved. To overcome this issue, fuzzy semantic networks (FSN) are proposed in this chapter. In FSN ‘is a' is replaced by a fuzzy membership function ‘µ' having value between [0,1]. So the relationship between a pair of concepts can be expressed as a certain degree of membership. This chapter focuses on applications of FSN and its significance over the traditional SN.
Application of Rough Set Based Models in Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Tripathy Balakrushna
Published: June 2016

Modeling intelligent system in the field of medical diagnosis is still a challenging work. Intelligent systems in medical diagnosis can be utilized as a supporting tool to the medical practitioner, mainly country like India with vast rural areas and absolute shortage of physicians. Intelligent systems in the field of medical diagnosis can also able to reduce cost and problems for the diagnosis like dynamic perturbations, shortage of physicians, etc. An intelligent system may be considered as an information system that provides answer to queries relating to the information stored in the Knowledge Base (KB), which is a repository of human knowledge. Rough set theory is an efficient model to capture uncertainty in data and the processing of data using rough set techniques is easy and convincing. Rule generation is an inherent component in rough set analysis. So, medical systems which have uncertainty inherent can be handled in a better way using rough sets and its variants. The objective of this chapter is to discuss on several such applications of rough set theory in medical diagnosis.
Computational Methods for Prediction of Protein-Protein Interactions
Authors: Rai Sneha , Bhatnagar Sonika
Published: June 2016

The key signaling pathways in cellular processes involve protein-protein interactions (PPIs). A perturbation in the balance of PPIs occurs in various pathophysiological processes. There are a large numbers of experimental methods for detection of PPIs. However, experimental PPI determination is time consuming, expensive, error prone and does not effectively cover transient interactions. Therefore, overlaying and integration of predictive methods with experimental results provides statistical robustness and biological significance to the PPI data. In this chapter, the authors describe PPIs in terms of types, importance, and biological consequences. This chapter also provides a comprehensive description on various computational approaches for PPI prediction. Prediction of PPI can be done through: 1) Genomic information based methods 2) Structure based methods 3) Network topology based methods: 4) Literature and data mining based methods 5) Machine learning methods. For ease of use and convenience, a summary of various databases and software for PPI prediction has been provided.
Study of Basic Concepts on the Development of Protein Microarray - Gene Expression Profiling
Authors: Sivashanmugam P. , C. Arun , P. Selvakumar
Published: June 2016

The physical and biological activity of any organisms is mainly depended on the genetic information which stored in DNA. A process at which a gene gives rise to a phenotype is called as gene expression. Analysis of gene expression can be used to interpret the changes that occur at biological level of a stressed cell or tissue. Hybridization technology helps to study the gene expression of multiple cell at a same time. Among them microarray technology is a high- throughput technology to study the gene expression at transcription level (DNA) or translation level (Protein). Analysis the protein only can predict the accurate changes that happens in a tissue, when they are infected by a disease causing organisms. Protein microarray mainly used to identify the interactions and activities of proteins with other molecules, and to determine their function for a system at normal state and stressed state. The scope of this chapter is to outline a detail description on the fabrication, types, data analysis, and application of protein microarray technology towards gene expression profiling.
Solution of Some Differential Equation in Fuzzy Environment by Extension Principle Method and Its Application in Biomathematics
Authors: Mondal Sankar Prasad
Published: June 2016

The concept of fuzzy differential equations is very important for new developments of model in various fields of science and engineering problems in uncertain environments because this theory represent a natural way to modeling dynamical system under uncertain environment. In this way we can modeled mathematical biology problem associated with differential equation in fuzzy environment and solved them. In this chapter we solve two mathematical biology models which are taken in fuzzy environment. A one species prey predator model is considered with fuzzy initial data. Whereas an insect population model are described with fuzzy initial value. The solution procedures of the fuzzy differential equation are taken as extension principle method.
Forensic Investigation of Digital Crimes in Healthcare Applications
Authors: Ellouze Nourhene , Rekhis Slim , Boudriga Noureddine
Published: June 2016

Healthcare applications are increasingly being used due to the safety and convenience brought to patients' life and healthcare professionals, respectively. Nevertheless, the use of weak authentication techniques and vulnerable communication protocols makes these applications threatened by specific classes of security attacks and e-crimes. The latter threaten the privacy, the safety and even the life of the persons using these applications, due to the fact that they handle sensitive information and implement complex and critical features. This chapter focuses on postmortem investigation of crimes on healthcare applications. After classifying crimes targeting healthcare applications, the requirements for the design of appropriate postmortem investigation system, are discussed. A literature review of proposals related to the investigation of crimes in healthcare applications together with a discussion of the advanced issues are also provided in this chapter.
Data Mining Analytics for Crime Security Investigation and Intrusion Detection
Authors: Fessi Boutheina , Djemaiel Yacine , Boudriga Noureddine
Published: June 2016

This chapter provides a review about the usefulness of applying data mining techniques to detect intrusion within dynamic environments and its contribution in digital investigation. Numerous applications and models are described based on data mining analytics. The chapter addresses also different requirements that should be fulfilled to efficiently perform cyber-crime investigation based on data mining analytics. It states, at the end, future research directions related to cyber-crime investigation that could be investigated and presents new trends of data mining techniques that deal with big data to detect attacks.
Density and Distance Based KNN Approach to Classification
Authors: Su Yixin , Guan Sheng-Uei
Published: June 2016

KNN algorithm is a simple and efficient algorithm developed to solve classification problems. However, it encounters problems when classifying datasets with non-uniform density distributions. The existing KNN voting mechanism may lose essential information by considering majority only and get degraded performance when a dataset has uneven distribution. The other drawback comes from the way that KNN treat all the participating candidates equally when judging upon one test datum. To overcome the weaknesses of KNN, a Region of Influence Based KNN (RI-KNN) is proposed. RI-KNN computes for each training datum region of influence information based on their nearby data (i.e. locality information) so that each training datum can encode some locality information from its region. Information coming from both training and testing stages will contribute to the formation of weighting formula. By solving these two problems, RI-KNN is shown to outperform KNN upon several artificial datasets and real datasets without sacrificing time cost much in nearly all tested datasets.
Metamodel of the Artifact-Centric Approach to Event Log Extraction from ERP Systems
Authors: Pajić Ana , Bečejski-Vujaklija Dragana
Published: June 2016

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems handle a huge amount of data related to the actual execution of business processes and the goal is to discover from transaction log a model of how the business processes are actually carried out. The authors' work captures the knowledge of existing approaches and tools in converting the data from transaction logs to event logs for process mining techniques. They conduct a detailed analysis of the artifact-centric approach concepts and describe its constructs by the ontological metamodel. The underlying logical and semantically rich structure of the approach is presented through the model definition. The paper specifies how concepts of the data source are mapped onto the concept of the event log. Dynamics NAV ERP system is used as an example to illustrate the data-oriented structure of ERP system.
A Survey on Mobile Data Uses
Authors: Colot Christian , Linden Isabelle , Baecke Philippe
Published: June 2016

Mobile devices leave an unprecedented volume and variety of digital traces of human beings. In this paper, the authors propose an overview of multiple uses of mobile data published in the scientific literature. The organization of the survey follows a typology built on two criteria: interaction level and focus of analysis. Crossing these two dimensions would suggest 8 research areas. Only 4 of them are actually covered by the collected pieces of work. They are discussed in turn showing off the main characteristics of them. Finally, the discussion of the 4 remaining areas highlights new research areas with a special focus on the possibility to use mobile data to influence individual users towards efficient collective behaviors. To conclude, current and future research avenues suggest that mobile devices and their underlying data are likely to be employed in many domains and may be used not only to observe human life but also to influence it.
Applying Technical Standards to Biometric Systems
Authors: Milinković Milorad , Minović Miroslav , Milovanović Miloš
Published: June 2016

Nowadays, the development and the application of biometric systems on one hand, and the large number of hardware and software manufacturers on the other, caused two the most common problems of biometric systems: a problem of interoperability between system's components as well as between different biometric systems and a problem of biometric data security and privacy protection, both in storage and exchange. Specifications and standards, such as BioAPI and CBEFF, registered and published as multiple standards by ISO (International Organization for Standardization), propose the establishment of single platform (BioAPI) to facilitate the functioning of the biometric systems regardless of hardware or software manufacturers, and unique format for data exchange (CBEFF) to secure biometric data. In this paper, these standards are analyzed in detail and considered as possible solutions to aforementioned problems.
On Some Misconceptions Concerning Digital Banking and Alternative Delivery Channels
Authors: Shaikh Aijaz A. , Karjaluoto Heikki
Published: June 2016

A great deal of conceptual confusion surrounds the notions of digital banking and innovative alternative delivery channels that support banking and other financial transactions globally. The authors contend that the concepts of digital banking and associated delivery channels are ambiguous and restrictive; their usability has been undermined and their purpose and objective have, to a large extent, been misunderstood. Against this backdrop, the authors offer an inclusive definition of digital banking and delivery channels and provide logical explanations of these terms that can benefit scholars, the telecommunication sector, the banking industry, policy makers, and service providers (in terms of developing digital banking and marketing strategies). This article discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the study results and presents recommendations for future research.
What Factors Determine the Usage of Online Games One Year Later?
Authors: Van Nguyen Huynh , Yu Jiajun , Teng Ching-I
Published: June 2016

Heavy usage of online games may negatively affect the gamer's health and take a toll on school performance. However, to date, no study has utilized a longitudinal design to identify predictors of heavy usage of online games after a year of play. This study thus refers to relevant theories (e.g., flow theory and habitual theory), investigates potential correlates of game play and examines which correlates predicted the likelihood of a gamer's heavy usage after one year of play. In total, 1,852 online gamers were recruited in the first wave of this two-wave study. The results identify several predictors of heavy usage of online games, including skill and flow, and the findings enable the identification of, and the development of interventions for, individuals likely to be heavy online gamers.
Learning in Discussion Forums
Authors: Davis Don , Marone Vittorio
Published: June 2016

In the learning sciences and game studies communities, there has been an increasing interest in the potential of game-related “paratexts” and “surrounds” in supporting learning, such as online discussion forums and gaming affinity spaces. While there have been studies identifying how learning occurs in such communities, little research has been done on learning at the aggregate level. This study examined the social construction of knowledge in two sections of the discussion forums in the TUG (“The Untitled Game”) gaming affinity space. Findings suggest that game-like prompts and sections in online discussion forums can spur higher level forms of interaction and learning and can have implications for the design of gaming communities in which the social construction of knowledge is a desired outcome.
Negative Experiences as Learning Trigger
Authors: Mariani Ilaria , Gandolfi Enrico
Published: June 2016

This study shows the results gathered from 141 subjects playing the persuasive urban game A Hostile World via a post-game-experience quantitative questionnaire. The aim is to problematize and deepen the role of negative emotions (e.g., frustration, rage) – explicitly fostered by A Hostile World to increase empathy toward immigrants and foreigners – in triggering an effective learning outcome. A multidisciplinary approach that draws its principles from Sociology, Game Design and Education Studies was applied to lead and structure the analysis. Empirically, a quantitative survey was disseminated to n:141 players addressing negativity and play. Results show that negative experiences in ludic environments offer a precious support if well pondered. Findings are noteworthy because they allow to reflect on negativity and gaming with the support of an empirical investigation, which is a significant source of data for grounded and tangible follow-ups. Therefore, implications concern both scholars and practitioners who intend to use and explore negative emotions in gaming.
Effects of Web-based Cognitive Apprenticeship and Time Management on the Development of Computing Skills in Cloud Classroom
Authors: Wu Hsiao-Chi , Shen Pei-Di , Chen Yi-Fen , Tsai Chia-Wen
Published: June 2016

Web-based learning is generally a solitary process without teachers' on-the-spot assistance. In this study, a quasi-experiment was conducted to explore the effects of various combinations of Web-Based Cognitive Apprenticeship (WBCA) and Time Management (TM) on the development of students' computing skills. Three class cohorts of 124 freshmen in a one-semester course titled ‘Applied Information Technology: Data Processing' were chosen for the empirical study. They were divided into three groups: two experimental groups (G1, n=42; G2, n=40) and one control group (G3, n=42). The goal of this research is to examine the effects of WBCA, TM, and their combination on undergraduates' learning, and further develop appropriate course design and online teaching methods for both teachers and schools. The results show that students who received WBCA and TM had higher grades than those without. The authors further discuss the implications of the findings and results for online teachers and scholars.
Improving K-12 Online Learning
Authors: Ntuli Esther , Kyei-Blankson Lydia
Published: June 2016

Research indicates the need for teachers to be able to locate, evaluate, and use Internet resources in their teaching and learning processes. In addition, the Common Core State Standards require that students are able to think critically and know how to search and use alternative views and perspectives in their assignments. These skills are imperative for teachers and teacher candidates. This article reports the results of a study that sought to examine strategies used by teacher candidates when using Internet search engines, their ability to integrate the information they find into their own assignments, and use the acquired skills for future classroom use. The study employed a mixed-method approach in the collection and analysis of data gathered from a sample of 45 teacher candidates. Data sources included a survey, class assignments that required documentation of the search process as well as the located sources, and semi-structured interviews. Findings from the study revealed the need to teach teacher candidates how to conduct searches effectively, critically evaluate the sources, and integrate the information acquired from the online sources into professional and academic writing that models such behavior for their students. Suggestions for improvement of practice offered in this paper were piloted in one instructional technology course.
Pedagogical Agent Gestures to Improve Learner Comprehension of Abstract Concepts in Hints
Authors: Martins Igor , de Morais Felipe , Schaab Bruno , Jaques Patricia
Published: June 2016

In most Intelligent Tutoring Systems, the help messages (hints) are not very clear for students as they are only presented textually and have little connection with the task elements. This can lead to students' undesired behaviors, like gaming the system, associated with low performance. In this paper, the authors aim at evaluating if the gestures of an animated pedagogical agent to explain hints related to equation solving improves the students' understanding of these help messages. With this goal, they developed an animated pedagogical agent that uses gestures coupled with messages to explain hints in an algebra tutor. The authors performed a qualitative pilot study with four students to verify the impact of using gestures by the animated pedagogical agent on the comprehension of the hints, using two different versions of the system. The difference between these versions was the availability of gestures by the agent. The results showed that students understood the hints provided by the agent more correctly when they were coupled with agent's gesture. Furthermore, they also preferred using the tutor version with gestures.
Usage-Based Theory of Language and Usage-Based Instruction
Authors: Gettys Serafima
Published: June 2016

The goal of this article is to describe Usage-Based Instruction (UBI), an innovative approach to teaching interpersonal communication in foreign languages. The UBI was inspired by Usage-Based view of language shared by such disciplines as Cognitive Linguistics, Cognitive Psychology, Construction Grammar, Usage-Based Grammar, and Artificial Intelligence. This approach has been used for a number of years by the Foreign Language Program at a small private Mid-Western university in teaching students to orally communicate in foreign languages in beginning foreign language courses. Students taught by the UBI demonstrate better performance, higher fluency, better accuracy and greater language gain than students taught by a more conventional, textbook-approach. In addition to this, they are more engaged in the learning process and consequently are more motivated to continue foreign language study.
Corporate Strategy from the Bottom
Authors: Romano Luca
Published: June 2016

This article explores the connection between strategy and actions as a critical factor for organization to gain a conscious strategic advantage from what done in day to day activities. This connection is not always clear and often the officially stated strategy is far from the strategic direction showed from an analysis of the portfolio of initiatives undertaken by an organization. Project Portfolio Management (PPM) methodology can help in assessing and improve this connection as to start a PPM this connection must be clarified. This article aims to verify 2 hypotheses. The first is that “it is possible to implement a Project Portfolio Management system in an Organization without a Strategic planning process in place.” The second is that “the implementation of a Project Portfolio Management system helps organizations to growth their Strategic thinking and could be a first step in strategic planning.”