bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IM Support for Informal Synchronous E-Collaboration
Authors: Hrastinski Stefan
Published: May 2011

The aim of this article is to review how IM may be used to support e-collaboration. This is addressed by reviewing studies on IM in both work and in higher education settings. These two settings “share the problem of creating and sustaining a positive work and learning environment” (Haythornthwaite, 2000, p. 201) and by including research from both areas a deeper understanding may be obtained.
Multilevel Modeling Methods for E-Collaboration Data
Authors: Kalaian Sema A.
Published: May 2011

The present article aims to (1) conceptualize and present the two-level multilevel model for e-collaboration research, (2) conceptualize the Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), (3) conceptualize R2 in e-collaboration multilevel modeling, (4) present centering methods that can be used in e-collaboration multilevel modeling, (5) present parameter estimation and hypothesis testing methods for e-collaboration multilevel modeling, and (6) list some of the existing commercial software packages that can be used for analyzing the e-collaboration multilevel data.
Prospects for E-Collaboration with Artificial Partners
Authors: Keogh Kathleen , Sonenberg Liz
Published: May 2011

Recent work shows that there is interest in how individual artificial agents can work in successful competitive and collaborative teams including people and other agents. Applications involving competing agents include online auctions. Applications for collaborative teams include remote space missions, disaster recovery (e.g., to coordinate a rescue mission) and helping organize appointments for a team of people (Pynadath & Tambe, 2003); as an aid to independent living developing teams of health carers, including artificial carers (Wagner, Guralnik, & Phelps, 2002); in command and control as coordination and communication assistants (Fan et al., 2005); and pedagogical agents in teaching systems (e.g., Shaw, Ganeshan, Johnson & Millar, 1999; Feng, Shaw, Kim & Hovy, 2006).
Reconsidering IT Impact Assessment in E-Collaboration
Authors: Bennani Az-Eddine
Published: May 2011

The literature review shows two main research groups using various models making it possible to explore this impact. The first falls under the economic production theory and the information and decision theory, often referring to econometric models (Alpar & Kim, 1990; Due, 1994; Brynjolofson & Hitt, 1993). It raises the question of ICT contribution in terms of efficiency and tries to show the existence of a relation between the investments made in this technology and the operational and financial performance of companies. The second group can be divided into three subgroups. The first subgroup examines performance as a dependent variable centered on ICT success perception (DeLone & McLean, 1992, 2002, 2003; Seddon, 1997). The second considers ICT effects on operational and managerial processes (Crowston & Treacy, 1986; Bakos 1987; Mooney, Gurbaxani, & Kraemer, 1995). Finally, the third bases its research works on contingency models (Henderson & Venkatraman, 1993; Iivari 1992).
Speech Act Theory and Communication Modeling
Authors: Hassell Lewis
Published: May 2011

Since the early 1980s there has been an interest in linguistics in general and speech act theory in particular in CSCW, HCI, MIS, and IS modeling in general. The reason for this is simple—computer and information scientists discovered that most work is group work and most group work occurs via language. Winograd and Flores (1986) popularized the use of speech act theory, especially the Searlian variety, for modeling electronic communication and collaboration. However, what one finds if one looks closely is that we have taken the easy road when dealing with language. There are a large variety of speech acts that we ignore when analyzing language, particularly when using speech act theory. Why this is so, the impact on tool-creation, and possible remediation of this problem will be discussed. The importance for such areas as e-collaboration, as well as text mining, computer security, and computing in general will be emphasized.
Technological Challenges to the Research and Development of Collaborative Working Environments
Authors: Hribernik Karl A. , Thoben Klaus-Dieter , Nilsson Michael
Published: May 2011

Through emerging technological developments, the human being is increasingly becoming liberated in his or her role as a knowledge worker, becoming able to interact seamlessly with colleagues, resources, and information facilitating improved work processes and new value generation opportunities. In this context, the ability to interact over distance across organizational, geographical, and cultural boundaries, as well as on site, is becoming increasingly important to the overall competitiveness of any organization, as collaborative tools and technologies are rapidly being adopted by both the market and society as soon as they become available. It is evident that the market for more advanced solutions is enormous.
Thematic-Based Group Communication
Authors: Pardede Raymond , Hosszú Gábor , Kovács Ferenc
Published: May 2011

This article reviews the most important fact of the ALM and introduces to the emerging area of the multicasting, namely the multicast over ad hoc networks, including geocast. After these a novel concept of modeling relative density of members called bunched mode and a proposed ALM multicast transport protocol called shortest tunnel first (STF) are described. The bunched mode is based on the thematic multicast concept (TMC), which means that it is a typical multicast scenario where there are many interested hosts in certain institutes and these institutes are relatively far from each other. This situation is called bunched mode, in which the members of a multicast group are locally in the dense mode, and globally their situation similar to the sparse mode because these spots are far from each other. This article also presents a simple chatting program called PardedeCAST as the tools of STF and TMC research.
Thinklets for E-Collaboration
Authors: Briggs Robert O. , de Vreede Gert-Jan , Kolfschoten Gwendolyn L.
Published: May 2011

A ThinkLet is a named, scripted collaborative activity that gives rise to a known pattern of collaboration among people working together toward a goal. ThinkLets are design patterns for collaborative work practices (Briggs, Kolfschoten, Vreede, & Dean, in press; Briggs & Vreede, 2001). A thinkLet is the smallest unit of intellectual capital necessary to recreate a known pattern of collaboration. ThinkLets are used by facilitators and collaboration engineers as (1) predictable building blocks for collaboration process design, (2) as transferable knowledge elements to shorten the learning curve of facilitation techniques, and (3) by researchers as parsimonious, consistent templates to compare the effects of various technology-supported collaboration practices. ThinkLets have a rigorous documentation scheme that specifies the information elements needed to adapt the solution it embodies to the problem at hand. This scheme is derived from the design pattern concept of Alexander (1979; Alexander, Ishikawa, Silverstein, Jacobson, Fiksdahl-King, & Angel, 1977). The collection of thinkLets forms a pattern language for creating, documenting, communicating, and learning group process designs. The term thinkLet was coined by David H. Tobey in 2001 when he said “They are like applets…except they are thinkLets.”
Videoconferencing as an E-Collaboration Tool
Authors: Chilton Michael , McHaney Roger
Published: May 2011

Videoconferencing (VC) is primarily a synchronous, long distance, e-collaboration tool. Although it offers interpersonal features with some degree of media richness and social presence, it is not a perfect substitute for face-to-face communication. VC can add value in business situations where telephone, text chat, or audio conferencing do not provide adequate secondary communication channels such as nonverbal cues (tone of voice, inflection) and interactions (body language). VC also adds value where it is impossible or undesirable to conduct a personal meeting. Currently there exists an opportunity for organizations and individuals to derive enormous benefit from this medium when used appropriately with necessary tactics and skills, especially when multiple parties are involved in e-collaboration.
Adoption and Diffusion of M-Commerce
Authors: Kini R.
Published: May 2011

Mobile commerce (or in short, m-commerce) is currently at the stage where e-commerce was a decade ago. Many of the concerns consumers had regarding e-commerce (such as security, confidentiality, and reliability) are now directed towards m-commerce. To complicate the matter further, the lack of a standardized technology has made m-commerce grow in multiple directions in different parts of the world. Thus, the popularity of m-commerce-based services varies by country, by culture, and by individual user. For example, in Europe the most popular application is SMS (short message service) or text messaging, in Japan interactive games and picture exchange via NTT DoCoMo i-mode, and in North America e-mail via interactive pagers (such as RIM BlackBerry) and wireless application protocol-based (WAP-based) wireless data portals providing news, stock quotes, and weather information. It is safe to predict that these applications will take on different forms as the technologies mature, devices become more capable in form and functionality, and service providers become more innovative in their business models. It is true that m-commerce has witnessed spectacular growth across the globe. It is also encouraging that several factors are expected to accelerate the pace of adoption of m-commerce. Notable among these drivers is convergence in the voice/data industry, leaping improvements in related technology and standards, adoptive technology culture in many parts of the world, and governmental and regulatory initiatives. Despite the undisputed promise of m-commerce, there are several barriers that are slowing the pace of adoption of m-commerce. The major barriers include: (a) lack of good business models to generate revenues, (b) perception of lack of security, (c) short product lifecycle due to rapidly changing technology, (d) non-convergence of standards, (e) usability of devices, (f) limitation of bandwidth, and (g) cost. Many of the aforesaid were common to e-commerce also at its introduction and growth stage. We strongly believe it is worthwhile to investigate how e-commerce has been able to overcome these barriers so that we can incorporate some of the successful strategies to m-commerce. In our study, we will first compare and contrast e-commerce and m-commerce with respect to a set of common criteria such as: (1) hardware requirement, (2) software requirement, (3) connection or access, and (4) content. In the process, we will identify the principal barriers to the development of m-commerce as outlined in the above list.
Applications Suitability on PvC Environments
Authors: Flores A . , Polo Usaola M.
Published: May 2011

Pervasive computing (PvC) environments should support the continuity of users’ daily tasks across dynamic changes of operative contexts. Pervasive or ubiquitous computing implies computation becoming part of the environment. Many different protocols and operating systems, as well as a variety of heterogeneous computing devices, are interrelated to allow accessing information anywhere, anytime in a secure manner (Weiser, 1991; Singh, Puradkar, & Lee, 2005; Ranganathan & Campbell, 2003).According to the initial considerations by Weiser (1991), a PvC environment should provide the feeling of an enhanced natural human environment, which makes the computers themselves vanish into the background. Such a disappearance should be fundamentally a consequence not of technology but of human psychology, since whenever people learn something sufficiently well, they cease to be aware of it. This means that the user’s relationship to computation changes to an implicit human-computer interaction. Instead of thinking in terms of doing explicit tasks “on the computer”—creating documents, sending e-mail, and so on—on PvC environments individuals may behave as they normally do: moving around, using objects, seeing and talking to each other. The environment is in charge of facilitating these actions, and individuals may come to expect certain services which allow the feeling of “continuity” on their daily tasks (Wang & Garlan, 2000).Users should be allowed to change their computational tasks between different operative contexts, and this could imply the use of many mobile devices that help moving around into the environment. As a result, the underlying resources to run the required applications may change from wide memory space, disk capacity, and computational power, to lower magnitudes. Such situations could make a required service or application inappropriate in the new context, with a likely necessity of supplying a proper adjustment. However, users should not perceive the surrounding environment as something that constraints their working/living activities. There should be a continuous provision of proper services or applications. Hence the environment must be provided with a mechanism for dynamic applications suitability (Flores & Polo, 2006).
Bio-Inspired Approach for the Next Generation of Cellular Systems
Authors: El-Said M.
Published: May 2011

In the current 3G systems and the upcoming 4G wireless systems, missing neighbor pilot refers to the condition of receiving a high-level pilot signal from a Base Station (BS) that is not listed in the mobile receiver’s neighbor list (LCC International, 2004; Agilent Technologies, 2005). This pilot signal interferes with the existing ongoing call, causing the call to be possibly dropped and increasing the handoff call dropping probability. Figure 1 describes the missing pilot scenario where BS1 provides the highest pilot signal compared to BS1 and BS2’s signals. Unfortunately, this pilot is not listed in the mobile user’s active list. The horizontal and vertical handoff algorithms are based on continuous measurements made by the user equipment (UE) on the Primary Scrambling Code of the Common Pilot Channel (CPICH). In 3G systems, UE attempts to measure the quality of all received CPICH pilots using the Ec/Io and picks a dominant one from a cellular system (Chiung & Wu, 2001; El-Said, Kumar, & Elmaghraby, 2003). The UE interacts with any of the available radio access networks based on its memorization to the neighboring BSs. As the UE moves throughout the network, the serving BS must constantly update it with neighbor lists, which tell the UE which CPICH pilots it should be measuring for handoff purposes. In 4G systems, CPICH pilots would be generated from any wireless system including the 3G systems (Bhashyam, Sayeed, & Aazhang, 2000). Due to the complex heterogeneity of the 4G radio access network environment, the UE is expected to suffer from various carrier interoperability problems. Among these problems, the missing neighbor pilot is considered to be the most dangerous one that faces the 4G industry. The wireless industry responded to this problem by using an inefficient traditional solution relying on using antenna downtilt such as given in Figure 2. This solution requires shifting the antenna’s radiation pattern using a mechanical adjustment, which is very expensive for the cellular carrier. In addition, this solution is permanent and is not adaptive to the cellular network status (Agilent Technologies, 2005; Metawave, 2005).Therefore, a self-managing solution approach is necessary to solve this critical problem. Whisnant, Kalbarczyk, and Iyer (2003) introduced a system model for dynamically reconfiguring application software. Their model relies on considering the application’s static structure and run-time behaviors to construct a workable version of reconfiguration software application. Self-managing applications are hard to test and validate because they increase systems complexity (Clancy, 2002). The ability to reconfigure a software application requires the ability to deploy a dynamically hardware infrastructure in systems in general and in cellular systems in particular (Jann, Browning, & Burugula, 2003).
Bridging Together Mobile and Service-Oriented Computing
Authors: Oliveira L. , Loureiro Emerson , Almeida Hyggo , Perkusich Angelo
Published: May 2011

In this article, we discuss several issues on bridging mobile devices and service-oriented computing in the context of smart spaces. Since smart spaces make extensive use of services for interacting with personal mobile devices, they become the ideal scenario for discussing the issues for this integration. A brief introduction on SOC and SOA is also presented, as well as the main architectural approaches for creating SOC environments aimed at the use of resource-constrained mobile devices.
Content Transformation Techniques
Authors: Antonellis I. , Bouras C.
Published: May 2011

The expansion of the Web is enormous and, more and more, people everyday access its content trying to make their life easier and their informational level complete. One can realize that lately the advances in computers are such that many appliances exist in order to offer to its users the chance to access any type of information. The use of microcomputers, such as PDAs, laptops, palmtops, mobile phones and generally mobile devices, has lead to a situation where a way had to be found in order to offer to the users the same information as if they had a normal screen device. Almost all the mobile devices offer “Web-ready” functionality, but it seems that few of the Web sites are considering offering to the mobile users the opportunity to access their pages from the mobile devices.
Distributed Heterogeneous Tracking for Augmented Reality
Authors: Tuceryan M.
Published: May 2011

This article describes a software framework for realizing such a distributed tracking environment by discovering independently deployed, possibly heterogeneous trackers and fusing the data from them while roaming over a wide area. In addition to the MAR domain, this kind of a tracking capability would also be useful in other domains such as robotics and location-aware applications. The novelty of this research lies in the amalgamation of the theoretical principles from the domains of AR/VR, data fusion, and the distributed software systems to create a sensor-based, wide-area tracking environment.
Extreme Programming for Mobile Applications
Authors: Kamthan Panjak
Published: May 2011

The liberty, expediency, and flexibility that come with mobile access have led to proliferation of mobile applications. At the same time, these applications face constant challenges posed by new implementation languages, variations in user agents, and demands for new services from user classes of different cultural backgrounds, age groups, and capabilities. To address that, we require a methodical approach towards the development lifecycle and maintenance of mobile applications that can adequately respond to this constantly changing environment. In other words, it needs to be agile (Highsmith, 2002). In this article, we propose the use of an agile methodology, Extreme Programming (XP) (Beck & Andres, 2005), for a systematic development of mobile applications.
Gender Difference in the Motivations of Mobile Internet Usage
Authors: Okazaki S.
Published: May 2011

The rapid pace of adoption of Web-enabled mobile handsets in worldwide markets has become an increasingly important issue for information systems professionals. A recent survey indicates that the number of global mobile Internet adopters is expected to reach nearly 600 million by 2008 (Ipsos-Insight, 2004; Probe Group, 2004), while the number of Internet-connected mobile phones will exceed the number of Internet-connected PCs by 2005 (The Economist, 2001). Such drastic convergence of the Internet and the mobile handset has been led by Asian and Scandinavian countries, where penetration has been especially meteoric. For example, roughly 70 million people in Japan, or 55% of the population, have signed up for mobile Internet access, in comparison to 12% in the United States (Faiola, 2004; Greenspan, 2003). Consequently, mobile phones or Keitai have been converted into devices for surfing the Internet, and by 2004 monthly mobile spending per consumer exceeded 35 euro.
Intelligent User Preference Detection for Product Brokering
Authors: Guan S.
Published: May 2011

We present a generic approach to capture individual user responding towards product attributes including non-quantifiable ones. The proposed solution does not generalize or stereotype user preference, but captures the user’s unique taste and recommends a list of products to the user. Under the proposed generic approach, the system is able to handle the inclusion of any unaccounted attribute that is not predefined in the system, without reprogramming the system. The system is able to cater for any unaccounted attribute through a general description field found in most product databases. This is extremely useful as hundreds of new attributes of products emerge each day, making any complex analysis impossible. In addition, the system is self-adjusting in nature and can adapt to changes in a user’s preference.
Interactive Product Catalog for M-Commerce
Authors: Guan S. , Tay Y.
Published: May 2011

We propose a product catalog where browsing is directed by an integrated recommender system. The recommender system is to take incremental feedback in return for browsing assistance. Product appearance in the catalog will be dynamically determined at runtime based on user preference detected by the recommender system. The design of our hybrid m-commerce catalog-recommender system investigated the typical constraints of m-commerce applications to conceptualize a suitable catalog interface. The scope was restricted to the case of having a personal digital assistant (PDA) as the mobile device. Thereafter, a preference detection technique was developed to serve as the recommender layer of the system.
Knowledge Representation in Semantic Mobile Applications
Authors: Kamthan Panjak
Published: May 2011

We first outline the background necessary for the discussion that follows and state our position. This is followed by the introduction of a knowledge representation framework for integrating Semantic Web and mobile applications, and we deal with both social prospects and technical concerns. Next, challenges and directions for future research are outlined. Finally, concluding remarks are given.
M-Learning with Mobile Phones
Authors: So S.
Published: May 2011

In this article, the context of m-learning in relation to e-learning and d-learning is presented. Because of the great importance in Web-based technologies to bridge over mobile and wireless technologies, the infrastructure to support m-learning through browser-based technologies is described. This concept represents my own view on the future direction of m-learning. An m-learning experiment, which implemented the concept, is then presented.
Mobile Business Applications
Authors: Lee C.
Published: May 2011

As an increasing number of organizations and individuals are dependent on mobile technologies to perform their tasks, various mobile applications have been rapidly introduced and used in a number of areas such as communications, financial management, information retrieval, and entertainment. Mobile applications were initially very basic and simple, but the introduction of higher bandwidth capability and the rapid diffusion of Internet-compatible phones, along with the innovations in the mobile technologies, allow for richer and more efficient applications.
Mobile Commerce Adoption Barriers
Authors: Mahatanankoon P.
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this article is to identify and explain different socio-psychological drivers and barriers affecting consumers’ motivations to use mobile commerce applications. These determinants are based on our literature reviews and exploratory consumer-based research. We later suggest a research framework to which researchers and practitioners can refer.
Mobile Entertainment
Authors: Wong C.
Published: May 2011

This article presents a framework to examine mobile entertainment from multiple points of views concerning the service, network, and device-related sectors. This allows future research to be conducted with the clarity of distinguishing mobile entertainment services of different domains. The article also tries to collate and rationalize possibilities and restrictions of existing and emerging mobile entertainment technologies with respect to this framework. The study explores a number of scenarios to reflect the understanding on the value web. This study serves as a foundation for further studies in the area of mobile entertainment.
Mobile Users in Smart Spaces
Authors: Oliveira L. , Almeida Hyggo , Perkusich Angelo
Published: May 2011

In this article we define and present the basis of our work about dynamical services provisioning for mobile users in smart spaces. We present an overview about our envisioned service provision infrastructure, as well as the main research challenges related to it. Finally, we discuss issues related to the current state of our research and point out research directions in this field.
Mobile Video Transcoding Approaches and Challenges
Authors: Ahmad A.
Published: May 2011

This article examines the challenges and limitations that face video transcoding schemes in a mobile multimedia transporting network. Then we explore different approaches for video transcoding schemes in a mobile multimedia transporting network.
Mobile-Based Advertising in Japan
Authors: Okazaki S.
Published: May 2011

The Internet-enabled mobile handset has rapidly achieved worldwide penetration. Combining personal telephony and sophisticated technologies, the mobile Internet has opened new opportunities for offering a diverse range of services, including interactive advertising. In Japan, D2 Communications offers various forms of mobile advertising services delivering promotional information from advertisers.
Multi-User OFDM in Mobile Multimedia Network
Authors: Al Kattan I.
Published: May 2011

The optimization of resource allocation in multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been of great concern to the mobile commerce. The major concern is the allocation of subcarrier and power to different users in order to minimize the total transmitted power, consequently increasing the total data rate and improving the performance of the wireless communication system. Multi-user OFDM systems have been in use recently and seem promising for future mobile network applications. This research would mainly focus on modeling and improving the wireless communication system with multi-user OFDM. The proposed optimization techniques for OFDM wireless communication will be conducted in two phases. Phase one is to optimize the subcarrier allocation to mobile hosts, and the second phase is to optimize the power allocation (depends on the number of transmitted bits) in a multi-user OFDM system.
Peer-to-Peer Cooperative Caching in Mobile Environments
Authors: Chow C. , Leong H. , Chan A.
Published: May 2011

An infrastructure-based mobile environment is formed with a wireless network connecting mobile hosts (MHs) and mobile support stations (MSSs). MHs are clients equipped with portable devices, such as laptops, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, and so on, while MSSs are stationary servers providing information access for the MHs residing in their service areas. With the recent widespread deployment of contemporary peer-to-peer (known as P2P throughout this chapter) wireless communication technologies, such as IEEE 802.11 (IEEE Standard 802-11, 1997) and Bluetooth (Bluetooth SIG, 2004), coupled with the fact that the computation power and storage capacity of most portable devices have been improving at a fast pace, a new information sharing paradigm known as P2P information access has rapidly taken shape. The MHs can share information among themselves rather than having to rely solely on their connections to the MSS. This article reviews a hybrid communication framework - that is, mobile cooperative caching - which combines the P2P information access paradigm into the infrastructure-based mobile environment.
Pest Activity Prognosis in the Rice Field
Authors: Arbaiy N.
Published: May 2011

In crops management, it is important to estimate the damage effected by pests since the degree of damage will determine the level of pest activity. Pest activity usually involves their life stage and its presence in the field. In addition, pest management in crops is a crucial problem and may yield losses if it is not handled properly. Consequently a forecasting tool is needed to predict the level of pest activity. This is important so that an early treatment or action can be applied before more damage to the plant occurs. Accordingly, the fuzzy expert system may facilitate the user through a consultation session in order to forecast the pest activity in the rice field. A set of questions will be asked to help users diagnose their given symptom in order to infer such a conclusion. Figure 1 shows the main components of an expert system including inference engine, expert, knowledge base, working memory, and user interface. The consultation performed by the expert system also involves fuzzy logic to deal with the natural and uncertainty data. Besides, all the information and knowledge about the pests, treatment control measures and prevention steps are managed in the specific knowledge base created in the system. This system is able to educate and inform the farmers and smallholders about pests and their activities in the rice field.
Service Delivery Platforms in Mobile Convergence
Authors: Pavlovski C.
Published: May 2011

In this article we outline the fundamental principles of a service delivery platform and the business model to be addressed in mobile convergence. The emerging standards and reference architectures are presented, and their short-comings are discussed. We outline the key requirements that a service delivery platform is expected to address from an operator perspective and summarize the key technology design points. We also outline several future trends in how this emerging mobile technology is being deployed in various application scenarios. This involves straightforward mobile news services, through gaming, and complex interactive multimedia scenarios for the mobile device. These new services make further convergent demands upon three technology domains: the mobile network, IT systems, and the content/media sources.
Service Provision for Pervasive Computing Environments
Authors: Loureiro E. , Bublitz Frederico , Oliveira Loreno , Barbosa Nadia , Perkusich Angelo , Almeida Hyggo , Ferreira Glauber
Published: May 2011

The fast development on microelectronics has promoted the increase on the computational power of hardware components. On the other hand, we are facing a significant improvement on energy consumption as well as the reduction of the physical size of such components. These improvements and the emergence of wireless networking technologies are enabling the development of small and powered mobile devices. Due to this scenario, the so-called pervasive computing paradigm, introduced by Mark Weiser in 1991 (Weiser, 1991) is becoming a reality. Such a paradigm envisions a world where environments are inhabited by computing devices, all of them seamlessly integrated into peoples’ lives, and effectively helping to carry on their daily tasks.
Shot Boundary Detection Techniques for Video Sequences
Authors: Koumaras H. Xilouris
Published: May 2011

This chapter will outline the various existing methods of boundary shot and scene change detection.
Transaction Management in Mobile Databases
Authors: Abdul-Mehdi Z. , Mamat A. , Ibrahim H. , Dirs M.
Published: May 2011

Recent advances in wireless communications and computer technology have provided users the opportunity to access information and services regardless of their physical location or movement behavior. In the context of database applications, these mobile users should have the ability to both query and update public, private, and corporate databases. The main goal of mobile software research is to provide as much functionality of network computing as possible within the limits of the mobile computer’s capabilities. Consequently, transaction processing and efficient update techniques for mobile and disconnected operations have been very popular. In this article, we present the main architecture of mobile transactions and the characteristics with a database perspective. Some of the extensive transaction models and transaction processing for mobile computing are discussed with their underlying assumptions. A brief comparison of the models is also included
Using Service Proxies for Content Provisioning
Authors: Kalliaras P.
Published: May 2011

In modern broadband mesh networks, communication between two end nodes is carried out not directly, but through a number of intermediate nodes. While these nodes’ only function may be to relay information from one point to another, they may also host computational elements which perform some service on behalf of other applications. We deal with the problem of optimally mapping multimedia content transcoding service elements onto network resources. There may be several places in the network where the required compression and decompression services could be performed. We would like to select the best locations that meet the application’s requirements. We propose a new approximation algorithm for constrained path optimization, which provides better scalability and simplicity than previous approaches. This is accomplished basically by partitioning the overall problem into smaller ones.
Verifying Mobile Agent Design Patterns with RPOO
Authors: Oliveira E. , Lima E. , Figueiredo J.
Published: May 2011

This article presents the formalization and analysis of three migration design patterns—itinerary, star-shaped, and branching—done by using of RPOO. A brief comparison between RPOO models and classical Colored Petri net (Jensen, 1992, 1997) models is also briefly presented.
Virtualization and Mobility in Client and Server Environments
Authors: Correia E.
Published: May 2011

A great deal of popular software is not designed for mobility (Griffiths, 2004). This is peculiar because many mobile users expect to have easy access to an information infrastructure that links up their mobile phone, laptop, personal digital assistant (PDA), and other devices, while the backend systems of organizations need to be agile, especially as the number, range, and diversity of services and associated technologies grow. Enter virtualization, a technology that has been part of computing for many years, but only fairly recently become mainstream (Intel, 2006; Singh, 2004).
Wireless Client Server Application Model Using Limited Key Generation Technique
Authors: Singh R.
Published: May 2011

In this article we implement a client server model using limited-used key generation scheme (Kungpisdan, Le, & Srinivasan, 2004) to generate a set of session keys that are never transmitted, which means that there is no chance for the attacker to sniff the packets and retrieve keys while they are being transmitted. These session keys are used for encrypting and hashing the data to be transmitted from mobile client device to the servers in wired network and vice versa. The updating of the session keys used in this technique does not rely on any long-term shared key, instead the process is based upon the last session key used. This technique of elevating the frequency of the key update to the next possible level makes the system much more secure than the other present techniques. In addition to providing better security, this technique also enhances the performance of a limited resource device by avoiding the repeated generation of keys on it.
Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Ruzzelli A.
Published: May 2011

The origins of networks of sensors can be traced back to the 1980s when DARPA initiated the distributed sensor networks program. However, recent advances in microprocessor fabrication have led to a dramatic reduction in both the physical size and power consumption of such devices. Battery and sensing technology, as well as communications hardware, have also followed a similar miniaturization trend. The aggregation of these advances has led to the development of networked, millimeter-scale sensing devices capable of complex processing tasks. Collectively these form a wireless sensor network (WSN), thus heralding a new era of ubiquitous sensing technology and applications. Large-scale deployments of these networks have been used in many diverse fields such as wildlife habitat monitoring (Mainwaring, Polastre, Szewczyk, Culler, & Anderson, 2003), traffic monitoring (Coleri, Cheung, & Varaiya,, 2004), and lighting control (Sandhu, Agogino, & Agogino, 2004).
Strategy Analysis
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

Stages 1 to 3 cover strategy analysis in the Y model. While stage 1 is concerned with describing the current IS/IT situation, stage 2 is concerned with describing the current and desired business situation, and stage 3 is concerned with analyzing needs for change based on the gap identified when comparing current and desired situation as illustrated in Figure 4.1.
IT Outsourcing Governance
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

The overall objective of this chapter is to concentrate on the important issues of strategy, structure, and management of IT outsourcing arrangements. Using well-known theoretical perspectives described earlier in this book and experience earned from several business case studies in this book, we present a governance model for successful management of IT outsourcing relationships. IT outsourcing governance can be defined as specifying the decision rights and accountability framework to encourage desirable behavior in the IT outsourcing arrangement, where resources are transferred from one party to the other in return for resources controlled by the other party. Governance is not about making specific decisions — management does that — but rather determines who systematically makes and contributes to those decisions. Governance reflects broader principles while focusing on the management of the outsourcing relationship to achieve performance goals for both client and vendor. Governance is the institutional framework in which contracts are monitored, adapted, and renewed. Effective outsourcing governance encourages and leverages the ingenuity of the vendor’s and client’s people in IT usage and ensures compliance with both enterprises’ overall vision and values.
Optimal KM/WM Systems in Corporate Planning
Authors: Thierauf Robert , Hoctor James
Published: May 2011

• To contrast conventional wisdom with an enlarged view of connecting “points of wisdom” for corporate planning activities • To examine those corporate planning areas that are critical to developing an effective corporate planning model • To look at critical areas for short- to long-range corporate planning that are related to making optimal decisions • To set forth a current optimal KM/WM system application in the area of corporate planning
Inforamtion Quality in Engineering Asset Management
Authors: Koronos Andy , Lin Shien
Published: May 2011

This chapter discusses the critical issues of information quality (IQ) associated with engineering assets management. It introduces an asset management (AM) specific IQ framework as a means of studying IQ in engineering asset management. It argues that it is essential to ensure the quality of data in monitoring systems, control systems, maintenance systems, procurement systems, logistics systems, and range of mission support applications in order to facilitate effective AM. There is also a growing need to address the issue of IQ in enterprise asset management (EAM) systems, by analyzing existing practices and developing frameworks/models to assist engineering enterprises to capture, process and deliver quality data and information. Furthermore, the authors hope that a better understanding of the current issues and emerging key factors for ensuring high quality AM data through the use of the AM IQ framework will not only raise the general IQ awareness in engineering asset management organisations, but also assist AM and IT professionals in obtaining an insightful and overall appreciation about what AM IQ problems are and why they have emerged.
The Effects of Information Quality on Supply Chain Performance
Authors: Zailani Suhaiza , Rajagopal Premkumar
Published: May 2011

This paper introduces how information quality plays an important role in a supply chain performance. In order to make smarter use of global resources, the companies should pay attention to the quality of information to provide better services to their customers. This paper examines the factors influencing information quality and investigates the influences of information quality on supply chain performance. The information quality is classified into four types: accuracy, completeness, consistency and timeliness. The influencing factors include technological, organizational, and environmental characteristics. Supply chain performance is measured based on financial and non-financial indices. It can be found that the extent of information quality will increase supply chain performance and the extent of information quality is influenced by technological, organizational and environmental characteristics. The authors hope to understand the factors that influence information quality towards better supply chain performance will not only inform researchers of a better design for studying information quality but also assist in the understanding of intricate relationships between different factors.
A Framework for Understanding Information Technology Resources
Authors: Basden Andrew
Published: May 2011

Information systems developers make use of information technology resources. IT resources might include, for example, tools like editors, compilers, linkers and debuggers (usually now integrated into development environment software) the languages in which knowledge may be represented (programming or knowledge representation (KR) languages), protocols for inter-program communication (which includes file protocols for various purposes), and building blocks such as ready-made algorithms and libraries of software. Whereas ISD is concerned with specific types of application, IT resources and tools aspire to be valid regardless of type of application.
Product Modeling and Configuration Experiences
Authors: Arana J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter attempts to present an alternative for product modeling based on applied research activities. The model proposed is based on a concept supported by different views: functional, technological, and physical. With the aim of making the model learner-friendly, the chapter also presents an industrial case applied in the lift industry. The specific problems, the model used, the implementation carried out, and the results obtained are described in detail. The objective is to make a contribution based on the industrial practice to one of the basic enablers for product configuration. The final aim is to speed up the supply-chain process in Mass customization scenarios.
An Associative Classification-Based Recommendation System for Personalization in B2C E-Commerce Applications
Authors: Zhang Y.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents an associative classification-based recommendation system to support online customer decision-making when facing a huge amount of choices. Recommendation systems have been recently introduced to e-commerce sites in order to solve the information overload and mass confusion problem. This chapter applies knowledge discovery techniques to overcome the drawback of conventional approaches to recommendation systems. The framework of the associative classification-based recommendation system has been addressed in this chapter. The system analysis, design, and implementation issues in an Internet programming environment are also presented. Taking the advantage of accumulative knowledge from historical data, the efficiency and effectiveness of B2C e-commerce applications are improved.
Discrete Time Signal Processing Framework with Support Vector Machines
Authors: Rojo-Álvarez José Luis , Martínez-Ramón Manel , Camps-Valls Gustavo , Martínez-Cruz Carlos E. , Figuera Carlos
Published: May 2011

Digital signal processing (DSP) of time series using SVM has been addressed in the literature with a straightforward application of the SVM kernel regression, but the assumption of independently distributed samples in regression models is not fulfilled by a time-series problem. Therefore, a new branch of SVM algorithms has to be developed for the advantageous application of SVM concepts when we process data with underlying time-series structure. In this chapter, we summarize our past, present, and future proposal for the SVM-DSP frame-work, which consists of several principles for creating linear and nonlinear SVM algorithms devoted to DSP problems. First, the statement of linear signal models in the primal problem (primal signal models) allows us to obtain robust estimators of the model coefficients in classical DSP problems. Next, nonlinear SVM-DSP algorithms can be addressed from two different approaches: (a) reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces (RKHS) signal models, which state the signal model equation in the feature space, and (b) dual signal models, which are based on the nonlinear regression of the time instants with appropriate Mercer’s kernels. This way, concepts like filtering, time interpolation, and convolution are considered and analyzed, and they open the field for future development on signal processing algorithms following this SVM-DSP framework.
Editing Tools for Ontology Creation
Authors: Escórcio A. , Cardoso J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter gives an overview of some editing tools for ontology construction. At the present time, the development of a project like the one of building an ontology demands the use of a software tool. Therefore, it is given a synopsis of the tools that the authors consider more relevant. This way, if you are starting out on an ontology project, the first reaction is to find a suitable ontology editor. Furthermore, the authors hope that by reading this chapter, it will be possible to choose an editing tool for ontology construction according to the project goals. The tools have been described following a list of features. The authors believe that the following features are pertinent: collaborative ontology edition, versioning, graphical tree view, OWL editor and many others (see Appendix 2).
Web Ontology Languages
Authors: Antoniou G.
Published: May 2011

Web ontology languages will be the main carriers of the information that we will want to share and integrate. The aim of this chapter is to give a general introduction to some of the ontology languages that play a prominent role on the Semantic Web. In particular, it will explain the role of ontologies on the Web and in ICT, review the current standards of RDFS and OWL, and discuss open issues for further developments.
E-Participation Models
Authors: Beaumaster Suzanne
Published: May 2011

Participation is the cornerstone of our governance process and has manifested in a variety of constructs since the inception of our government. As public agencies and political leaders discover the possibilities offered by technological mediums, the question becomes, what kind of participation should we be fostering and what do we hope to gain through participative processes? The opportunities to enhance our understanding and approach to democracy have grown tremendously in the past decade. Through technological means, more individuals can gain access to public dialogue and discourse. Given the nature of recent technological opportunities, public leaders are considering the possibilities of e-governance and within that framework, e-participation. This chapter provides a definition and discussion of three e-participation models: information exchange, general discourse, and deliberation. In addition, the chapter will address the issues, characterizations, and criteria that are closely related to the development of electronic participation in the governance process.