bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lao Buddhist Women: Quietly Negotiating Religious Authority
Authors: Tsomo Karma Lekshe
Published: September 2010

Throughout years of war and political upheaval, Buddhist women in Laos have devotedly upheld traditional values and maintained the practice of offering alms and other necessities to monks as an act of merit. In a religious landscape overwhelmingly dominated by bhikkhus (fully ordained monks), a small number have renounced household life and become maekhaos, celibate women who live as nuns and pursue contemplative practices on the periphery of the religious mainstream. Patriarchal ecclesiastical structures and the absence of a lineage of full ordination for women have combined to render the religious roles of Buddhist nuns and laywomen virtually invisible throughout most of Lao history. With limited access to Buddhist learning, maekhaos live at the margins of Lao society, both spatially and economically. Based on interviews gathered during fieldwork in Laos and at a Lao temple in California, this paper examines the lives of Lao Buddhist women, their relationship to religious authority, and ways they might move from the margins to full inclusion in Lao religious life.
Surgical Relocation of a Malpositioned, Unserviceable Implant Protruding Into the Maxillary Sinus Cavity. A Clinical Report
Authors: Stacchi Claudio , Bonino Marco , Di Lenarda Roberto
Published: September 2010

Malpositioned implants always result in significant mechanical and aesthetic restorative challenges. This case report describes the correction of position of an unserviceable osseointegrated implant also protruding into the maxillary sinus cavity. This surgical technique facilitated the relocation of an implant-bony segment into a more favorable aesthetic and biomechanical position in a single stage surgery.
Combined heat and power in a carbon-constrained world
Authors: Lee R.
Published: September 2010

Combined heat and power (CHP) is a tried and tested technology that can deliver significant benefits in a world of constrained energy resources and ever tightening greenhouse gas emission limits. This paper provides an introduction to CHP and its application in the UK and reviews currently available technologies and the emerging micro-CHP systems. In the future, sustainably sourced biomass is expected to play a much more substantial role in energy provision and, with limited availability, it is important that this resource is used as efficiently as possible. However, the current generation of biomass fuels present difficulties for use in distributed CHP plant due to their low energy density and the high capital cost of the required plant and equipment. This paper reviews the options for biomass fuels and discusses the emerging technology of torrefaction, a process that produces a more energy dense and easily handled fuel that will help to open up the market for distributed renewable CHP schemes.
The Wiener polarity index of molecular graphs of alkanes with a given number of methyl groups
Authors: Deng Hanyuan , Xiao Hui
Published: September 2010

The Wiener polarity index of a graph G is the number of unordered pairs of
vertices {u, v} of G such that the distance between u and v is equal to 3. In
this paper, the maximum Wiener polarity index of molecular graphs of alkanes
with a given number of methyl groups is studied.
James Petiver's “Mary-Land Yellow-Throat” – a bird misidentified through four centuries
Authors: Olson Storrs L.
Published: September 2010

The name “Mary-Land Yellow-Throat” coined by James Petiver in 1702 was subsequently applied to the bird now known as the common yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, and the term “yellowthroat”, ultimately derivable from Petiver, is now used as a generic term for all nine species of the warbler genus Geothlypis (Parulidae). Re-examination of Petiver's illustration shows that his bird cannot have been a Geothlypis warbler and was almost certainly the yellow-throated warbler, Dendroica dominica.
The zoological career of Jesse Walter Fewkes (1850–1930)
Authors: Stephens Lester D. , Calder Dale R.
Published: September 2010

This article examines the life and zoological research of Jesse Walter Fewkes of the United States, whose later career as a pioneer in cultural anthropology overshadowed his significant earlier contributions to zoology. The primary focus of his zoological work was on planktonic Cnidaria, especially the Siphonophora. He also carried out detailed investigations on larval development of echinoderms and worms. A bibliography of Fewkes's publications in natural history and a list of the nominal taxa he established reflect the scope of his contributions.
Cooperation-Based Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad-Hoc Network
Authors: Baaziz Abdelhalim , Pierre Samuel
Published: September 2010

This chapter describes a hybrid routing protocol for mobile ad hoc network based on the packet relaying cooperation and zone-based network architecture. In each zone, a specific node called Principal manages the routing processing. The Principal receives, periodically from its zone‘s nodes, two values that express their rate of success and their rate of cooperation, and then calculates the average rate of success, and the average rate of cooperation of the zone. After what, it retransmits these averages to all nodes. The nodes use the two averages values to define the action to be undertaken, cooperate or not. The Principal, knowing the topology of its zone, receives route requests and calculates the path between the source and the destination according to the best way based on cooperation. The Principal‘s features are so that it is simple to realize. It does not impose constraints and it allows the information gathering that is necessary for the model solution. Such the routing protocol and the nodes (to undertake the actions that make them possible to cooperate) use this information. Simulations show the efficiency of the protocol opposite to the pro-active and reactive protocols in the context of cooperation in mobile ad hoc networks.
A Survey of IP Layer Mobility Management Protocols in Next Generation Wireless Networks
Authors: Zhang Li Jun , Zhang Liyan , Marchand Laurent , Pierre Samuel
Published: September 2010

This chapter provides a survey of IP layer mobility management protocols in next generation wireless networks. In all-IP-based next generation wireless networks, mobile nodes freely change their points of attachment to the network while communicating with correspondent nodes. Hence, mobility management consists of a critical issue, which is to track mobile users’ current location and to efficiently route packets to them. This chapter elaborates the mobility management procedure for the protocols such as mobility support in IPv6 (MIPv6), hierarchical mobile IPv6 mobility management (HMIPv6), fast handovers for mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6), fast handover for hierarchical mobile IPv6 (F-HMIPv6) and proxy mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6). Furthermore, future trends about mobility management are described as well. He authors hope that understanding these mobility management protocols can not only help the researchers to find more advanced solutions in this field, but also provide a training toolkit within the mobile operators.
Auditory Feedback for Network Intrusion Detection
Authors: Martin M. Vargas
Published: September 2010

Network intrusion (the unauthorized access to a computer system perpetrated by persons or a piece of software) is a major concern of network administrators. Carrying out network intrusion detection (NID) manually is a tiring, complex and time-consuming task, often overloading the visual sensory channel. To overcome this, real-time auditory alarms and auditory information provide immediate feedback, helping to identify trends or patterns of the attacks in network logs and in real-time network accesses, allowing professionals make rapid decisions, thus representing an interesting alternative to conventional NID. The purpose of this chapter is to describe literature research on the benefits and challenges of Auditory Display (the use of non-speech sound to represent meaningful information at a computer interface) applied to wireless, wired, and mobile network intrusion detection. This chapter also highlights further work on Auditory Display and multimodal interfaces to support intrusion detection in wireless mesh networks.
Peer-to-Peer over Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks
Authors: Qadri Nadia N , Liotta Antonio
Published: September 2010

In this chapter we review various approaches for the convergence of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs), identifying strengths and weaknesses, and putting things in perspective. P2P and MANETs are among the most active research topics in pervasive computing. The convergence of P2P networks and MANETs would allow existing P2P applications such as P2P file sharing and P2P streaming to benefit from the ubiquitous connectivity of ad-hoc. A P2P network over an ad-hoc infrastructure is a powerful combination that provides users with means to access different kinds of information anytime and anywhere. Realizing such a system is, however, not straightforward.
Middleware Technologies for Ubiquitous Computing
Authors: Ibrahim Noha , Le Mouël Frédéric , Frénot Stéphane
Published: September 2010

Middleware handles many important functionalities for ubiquitous computing. The authors distinguish various middleware technologies providing key elements for all applications‘ requirements such as discovery, adaptation/composition, context management, and management of ubiquitous applications. In this chapter, they propose a classification for some of the most employed ubiquitous middleware. The classification was established upon the challenges raised by ubiquitous computing – effective use of smart spaces, invisibility, and localized scalability - and upon how the various ubiquitous middleware respond to them in terms of interoperability, discoverability, location transparency, adaptability, context awareness, scalability, security, and autonomous management. This classification shows that if many middleware are mature enough and offer specific functionalities respecting the properties of ubiquity, a real lack is noticed in having an interoperable, autonomous and scalable middleware for the execution of ubiquitous applications. The development of the service-oriented paradigm, the semantics, the Web middleware, and the ambient intelligence shows the new trend the middleware research field is engaged in.
Routing in Asymmetric Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks
Authors: Mitra Pramita , Poellabauer Christian
Published: September 2010

The presence of asymmetric links is a common and non-negligible phenomenon in many ad-hoc networks, including MANETs and sensor networks. Asymmetry is caused by node mobility, heterogeneous radio technologies, and irregularities in radio ranges and packet loss patterns. Most existing ad-hoc routing protocols either assume fully symmetric networks or simply ignore any asymmetric links. In the first case, route discovery can fail when the symmetry assumption does not hold true, e.g., many reactive routing protocols rely on a two-phase communication process, where the same path is used to communicate between a sender and a receiver. If a single link on this path is asymmetric, the route establishment may fail. In the second case, asymmetric links are identified and explicitly ignored in the route establishment phase. This can lead to route discovery failure if there is no symmetric path between a sender and a receiver or it can lead to less than optimal routes. This document provides an overview of routing protocols that explicitly consider asymmetric links in the route discovery phase and introduces robust mechanisms that bypass asymmetric links to ensure successful route establishment.
A Robust Clustering Algorithm for Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks
Authors: Xing Zhaowen , Gruenwald Le , Phang K.K.
Published: September 2010

To mimic the operations in fixed infrastructures and to solve the routing scalability problem in large Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANET), forming clusters of nodes has been proven to be a promising approach. However, when existing weighted clustering algorithms calculate each node’s weight, they either consider only one metric or rely on some metrics collected from extra devices. This often leads to a higher rate of re-clustering. This chapter presents a robust weighted clustering algorithm, called PMW (Power, Mobility and Workload), to form and maintain more stable clusters. In PMW, the weight of each node is calculated by its power, mobility and workload, which can be easily collected and computed locally and cover the major factors that cause re-clustering. Clustering overhead of PMW is analyzed. The simulation results confirm that PMW prolongs lifetime of MANETs and has a lower cluster head change rate and re-affiliation rate than other existing algorithms.
An Agent-based Model for Portfolio Optimization Using Search Space Splitting
Authors: Orito Yukiko , Kambayashi Yasushi , Tsujimura Yasuhiro , Yamamoto Hisashi
Published: September 2010

Portfolio optimization is the determination of the weights of assets to be included in a portfolio in order to achieve the investment objective. It can be viewed as a tight combinatorial optimization problem that has many solutions near the optimal solution in a narrow solution space. In order to solve such a tight problem, we introduce an Agent-based Model in this chapter. We continue to employ the Information Ratio, a well-known measure of the performance of actively managed portfolios, as an objective function. Our agent has one portfolio, the Information Ratio and its character as a set of properties. The evolution of agent properties splits the search space into a lot of small spaces. In a population of one small space, there is one leader agent and several follower agents. As the processing of the populations progresses, the agent properties change by the interaction between the leader and the follower, and when the iteration is over, we obtain one leader who has the highest Information Ratio.
A Multi-Robot System Using Mobile Agents with Ant Colony Clustering
Authors: Kambayashi Yasushi , Tsujimura Yasuhiro , Yamachi Hidemi , Takimoto Munehiro
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents a framework using novel methods for controlling mobile multiple robots directed by mobile agents on a communication networks. Instead of physical movement of multiple robots, mobile software agents migrate from one robot to another so that the robots more efficiently complete their task. In some applications, it is desirable that multiple robots draw themselves together automatically. In order to avoid excessive energy consumption, we employ mobile software agents to locate robots scattered in a field, and cause them to autonomously determine their moving behaviors by using a clustering algorithm based on the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) method. ACO is the swarm-intelligence-based method that exploits artificial stigmergy for the solution of combinatorial optimization problems. Preliminary experiments have provided a favorable result. Even though there is much room to improve the collaboration of multiple agents and ACO, the current results suggest a promising direction for the design of control mechanisms for multi-robot systems. In this chapter, we focus on the implementation of the controlling mechanism of the multi-robot system using mobile agents.
Management of Distributed Energy Resources Using Intelligent Multi-Agent System
Authors: Logenthiran T. , Srinivasan Dipti
Published: September 2010

The technology of intelligent Multi-Agent System (MAS) has radically altered the way in which complex, distributed, open systems are conceptualized. This chapter presents the application of multi-agent technology to design and deployment of a distributed, cross platform, secure multi-agent framework to model a restructured energy market, where multi players dynamically interact with each other to achieve mutually satisfying outcomes. Apart from the security implementations, some of the best practices in Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques were employed in the agent oriented programming to deliver customized, powerful, intelligent, distributed application software which simulates the new restructured energy market. The AI algorithm implemented as a rule-based system yielded accurate market outcomes.
Effects of Shaping a Reward on Multiagent Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Arai Sachiyo
Published: September 2010

The multiagent reinforcement learning approach is now widely applied to cause agents to behave rationally in a multiagent system. However, due to the complex interactions in a multiagent domain, it is difficult to decide the each agent’s fair share of the reward for contributing to the goal achievement. This chapter reviews a reward shaping problem that defines when and what amount of reward should be given to agents. We employ keepaway soccer as a typical multiagent continuing task that requires skilled collaboration between the agents. Shaping the reward structure for this domain is difficult for the following reasons: i) a continuing task such as keepaway soccer has no explicit goal, and so it is hard to determine when a reward should be given to the agents, ii) in such a multiagent cooperative task, it is difficult to fairly share the reward for each agent‘s contribution. Through experiments, we found that reward shaping has a major effect on an agent‘s behavior.
The ‘Perfect Technology Syndrome’
Authors: Hänninen Seppo J.
Published: September 2010

Recent research literature in product innovation has paid attention to the fact that technological discipline can lead to dominance by a knowledge base. Technology-intensive development is often partially and publicly supported and problems in finding a proper balance in technology development are in common interest. The objective of this study is to deepen the understanding of the dominance by technological knowledge base with reference to the sources, consequences and solutions of this overemphasis. Finnish publicly supported technology-intensive product innovation projects are studied. In the case studies, examples of the ‘perfect technology syndrome’ are identified and their sources are analyzed. This syndrome describes the intention to achieve the ultimate level in the technology development. Solutions proposed to the unfavorable consequences included alliances with organizations having complementary resources, careful pretesting of products with key partners and developing the technological products to specific target groups.
Efficient Anonymous and Non-Repudiation E-Payment Protocol
Authors: Aboud Sattar J.
Published: September 2010

There are many proposals which offer anonymous and non-repudiation e-payment protocols. But they have the drawbacks that the anonymity can be misused fraudulently to perform a perfect crime. Currently, the hot research concentrates on the accepting of e-payment protocols where the anonymity of the coins is cancelable via a trusted authority in the case of criminal entities. In the chapter the author suggests an efficient protocol for e-payment schemes that offers a good level of security with appreciate to its efficiency. The proposed protocol prevents the blind office and the bank from impersonating an entity, so that the entity could not repudiate it when the entity misused a coin. Another benefit is that it is constructed from efficient cryptography schemes so that its security can simply be analyzed. The strength of this scheme is in its easiness. So, the author claims that the suggested protocol is more efficient than the existing schemes, since it allows to both a blind office and a bank to impersonate an entity to find and to spend a coin without to be noticed. It might cause a repudiation difficulty where the entity can repudiate his bad activities by proposing that both the bank and the blind office acted inaccurately. Other relevant issues related to the new protocol will be discussed in the section of the security of the scheme.
Electronic Banking as a Strategy for Customer Service Improvement in the Developing Economy
Authors: Mobarek Asma
Published: September 2010

The objective of the chapter is to present a brief review of E-banking services especially in the developing economies, highlighting the major challenges of E-banking with a guideline or recommendations to address those challenges. Technology has introduced new ways of delivering banking to the customer. Developed countries (DC) customers of the E-Banking services are fully aware of the services but the customer’s in the developing economies still lag behind. It is clearly seen that delivery channels are lacking in meeting the demands of the customer by not making them aware of e-banking and using obsolete or not too up-to-date technology. I would thus conclude that banks in the developing countries should drown themselves in all the intricacies regarding e-banking to determine ways that will affect the customers in and use it to their maximum benefit. The other issue is that there are very few or no banking facilities in the rural areas and furthermore, access to the internet is close to impossible in these areas therefore awareness and utilization of these services is very little or none at all. At last but not the least is that Banks must adapt to the electronics age. Consumers demand it. Economics drives it. Banks must exploit it.
A Global Comparative Analysis of Digital Governance Practices
Authors: Riccucci Norma M. , Holzer Marc
Published: September 2010

The literature shows that governments around the world have sought to improve their governing capabilities by developing and implementing strategic information and communication technologies (ICTs). The use of ICTs can provide citizens with greater access to government services, can promote transparency and accountability, and also streamline government expenditures. This research provides a comparative analysis of the practices of digital governance in large municipalities worldwide in 2005. Digital government includes both e-government and e-democracy. The research is based on an evaluation of a sample (n=81) of city websites globally in terms of two dimensions: delivery of public services and digital democracy. The official websites of each city were evaluated in their native languages. Based on the analysis of the 81 cities, Seoul, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Sydney represent the cities with the most effective e-governance systems.
Formal Verification of a Subset of UML Diagrams
Authors: Chaoui Allaoua , Tibermacine Okba , Zerek Amer R.
Published: September 2010

We introduce an approach that deals with the verification of UML collaboration and sequence diagrams in respect to the objects internal behaviors which are commonly represented by state machine diagrams. The approach is based on the translation of theses diagrams to Maude specifications. In fact, Maude is a declarative programming language, an executable formal specification language, and also a formal verification system, which permit the achievement of the approach goals. We define in details the rules of translating UML diagrams elements into their corresponding Maude specifications. We present the algebraic structures that represent the OR-States and the AND-states in a state machine diagram, and the structure that represents the collaboration and the sequence diagrams. Also, we explain the mechanism of the execution and the verification of the translated specification, which is based on rewriting logics rules.
An Approach to Formal Specification of Component-Based Software
Authors: Zernadji Tarek , Elmansouri Raida , Chaoui Allaoua
Published: September 2010

Current research on software reuse in Component Based Software Engineering (CBSE) covers a variety of fields, including component design, component specification, component composition, component-based framework. CBSE is quickly becoming a mainstream approach to software development and most researchers are hoping that it will be solutions to all the problems that led to software crisis. The software engineering techniques specific to this discipline, in phases such as modeling, verification or validation of component based software systems still insufficient and need more research efforts. ECATNets (Extended Concurrent Algebraic Term Nets) are frameworks for specification, modeling and validation of concurrent and distributed systems. They are characterized by their semantics defined in terms of rewriting logic. The objective of this article is to propose a formal specification of software components by using ECATNets formalism. The expected benefits of this work are: Offer a formal notation for describing the different features of concurrent and distributed software components; Defining a formal unambiguous semantic to describe behavior of the composed system.
A Methodology for the Development of Computer Ontologies Based Extractor Information
Authors: Belhadef Hacene , Ouafek Naouel , Mohamed-Khireddine Kholladi
Published: September 2010

In this chapter we propose a new methodology for ontology building, which is based on a set of mapping rules from a conceptual schema (Entity-Relationship) and its corresponding logical model (relational model) toward a conceptual ontology. The proposed methodology consists of three big steps, which are, the Transformation (mapping), the Formalization and the Codification. The crucial step in the building process of this methodology, is the transformation, this last is based on an automatic extraction of information for a conceptual model ER (such as entities, relationship, properties and cardinalities). The data stored in the database (the schema extension) are extracted and used to create instances of the ontology. At the end of this stage we will have a complete conceptual ontology can be used in different applications. The objective behind this work has several aims, which can be exploited in many fields, among others, search and retrieval of relevant terms in a domain of discourse, our methodology minimizes the manual work and gives a good result in an optimal time, the second is to facilitate the migration of an information system based on a classical approach (entity-relationships and relational model) towards another solution based on an ontological approach, while retaining the principle of operation of the first system.
An Exploratory Analysis of the On-Line Dispute Resolution Mechanism
Authors: Sidiropoulou Panagiota-Aikaterina , Moustakas Evangelos
Published: September 2010

The 21st century is being characterized as the century of evolution for information technology, communication technology and electronic communications. Contemporary society does business using the internet; the forthcoming ‘dispute resolution space’ (Katsh and Rifkin 2001), where people buy and sell regularly and even a large number of corporations have existence via an internet address. This excitement for further improvement of dispute techniques, in relation to the exploitation of those technologies used for the management of online virtual communication led to the appearance of the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) mechanism. The choice for settlement of disputes through the modern mechanism provides an easement for interested parties to tackle their disputes from any place and at any time through e-mails, video conferencing or chatrooms, instead of being in courtrooms. The fact that the business’s transactions are conducted on the internet causes uncertainty, regarding the security of personal data and business secrets in combination with the lack of a framework that could have supported such scheme. For that reason, the role of Government is taken into consideration in the accreditation of service providers, as well as in the settlement of e-administrative disputes and the securing of e-transactions in general. The necessity for self-regulation, equality of digital divide and government’s recommendation for ODR tools is discussed. The current chapter will identify and explore considerable notions, concepts and debates for moving towards the development of an international dispute resolution framework on-line and trustful mechanism internationally.
An ICT-Based Network of Competence Centres for Developing Intellectual Capital in the Mediterranean Area
Authors: De Maggio Marco , Del Vecchio Pasquale , Elia Gianluca , Grippa Francesca
Published: September 2010

The rising of the knowledge economy, enhanced by the fast diffusion of ICTs, drives a wider perspective on the divide among Countries, interpreting it more and more as the result of an asymmetry in the access to knowledge and in the readiness to apply it in order to renew the basics of their development dynamics. Looking at the Mediterranean Area, the positive correlation between the Networked Readiness Index and the Global Competitive Index developed at Global Economic Forum – INSEAD, shows that the opposite sides of the Mediterranean Sea are performing a development path at two different paces. In the effort to face the challenge of supporting the creation of Intellectual Capital able to apply, diffuse and benefit from e-business, in 2005 the e-Business Management Section (eBMS) of Scuola Superiore ISUFI – University of Salento launched the “Mediterranean School of e-Business Management”. The present work aims to offer a presentation of its genesis, its most distinctive features, operational model and action plan. The preliminary results of its activities show the role and the main challenges of the School in addressing the needs of the Mediterranean Countries towards a logic of partnership for the development of their Intellectual assets.
E-Learning and E-Management in Tunisian Universities
Authors: Braham Rafik , Belcadhi Lilia C. , Chebaane Narjess T. , Khemaja Maha
Published: September 2010

In the year 2000, policy makers in Tunisian higher education decided to explore ways in which e-learning and e-management could be introduced to enhance university administration and teaching. This effort was by no means an isolated one at the international level. Indeed, it comes as a major spin-off of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that led to the emergence of e-learning and web-based education and training, enabling remote access to information and knowledge. Developing countries, such as Tunisia which was the host in 2005 of Phase II of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) (Baldoni, M., 2005), have great expectations from the social and economic consequences of the Internet. These countries see the Internet as an opportunity that should not be missed. For this reason, the government has put in place several programs, all of which provide for its citizens e-services, that were, prior to the advent of the Internet, either impossible or real headaches. An important category of these services apply to the sector of higher education. They range from e-learning to student information systems accessible from the web. In this context, the e-learning team in the Higher Institute of Informatics and Communications in Hammam Sousse (ISITC), University of Sousse, has developed and deployed a number of online courses in a blended learning format. Various e-learning projects covering both pedagogical and technical aspects as well as doctoral research works have been under way to support this activity. The deployment of e-learning courses is supervised by the Virtual University of Tunis with technical help from our university. In this chapter, we describe our experiments, the results achieved thus far and some lessons that we have learned. We discuss e-management practices in universities around the world and address issues of concern and human factors at stake especially from the students’ point of view.
Early Worm Detection for Minimizing Damage in E-Service Networks
Authors: Sobh Tarek , El-Fiqi Heba Z.
Published: September 2010

One of the most powerful weapons for attackers is the Internet worm. Specifically, a worm attacks vulnerable computer systems and employs self-propagating methods to flood the Internet rapidly. Since a “Worm” is self-propagated through the connected network, it doesn’t need human interaction or file transmission to replicate itself. It spreads in minutes; Slammer worms infect about 75,000 nodes through the internet in about 10 minutes. Since most of antivirus programs detect viruses based on their signature, then this approach can’t detect new viruses or worms till being updated with their signature, which can’t be known unless some systems had already been infected. This highlights worms are still on the top of malware threats attacking computer systems, although the evolution of worms detection techniques. Early detection of unknown worms is still a problem. This chapter produce a method for detecting unknown worms based on local victim information. The proposed system uses Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for classifying worm/ nonworm traffic and predicting the percentage of infection in the infected network. This prediction can be used to support decision making processes for network administrators to respond quickly to worm propagation in an accurate procedure.
Towards a Dynamic Font Respecting the Arabic Calligraphy
Authors: Bayar Abdelouahad , Sami Khalid
Published: September 2010

To justify texts, Arabic calligraphers use to stretch some letters with small flowing curves; the kashida instead of inserting blanks among words. Of course, such stretchings are context dependent. An adequate tool to support such writing may be based on a continuous mathematical model. The model has to take into account the motion of the qalam. The characters may be represented as outlines. Among the curves composing the characters outlines, some intersections are to be determined dynamically. In the Naskh style, the qalam‘s head behaves as a rigid rectangle in motion with a constant inclination. To determine the curves delimiting the set of points to shade when writing, we have to find out a mathematical way to compare plane curves. Moreover, as the PostScript procedure to produce a dynamic character, should be repeated whenever the letter is to draw, the development of a font supporting a continuous stretching model, allowing stretchable letters with no overlapping outlines, without optimization would be of a high cost in CPU time. In this chapter, some stretching models are given and discussed. A method to compare curves is presented. It allows the determination of the character encoding with eventually overlapping outlines. Then a way to approximate the curves intersection coefficients is given. This is enough to remove overlapping outlines. Some evaluations in time processing to confirm the adopted optimization techniques are also exposed.
A Secure Electronic Voting
Authors: Hameed Wamedh Wadood Abdoul
Published: September 2010

This chapter presents a security framework architecture for electronic voting that permits the avoidance of problems occasioned by interposing computer system and technical personnel between the voter and the electoral board. The architecture is based on replicating the conventional security mechanisms and in segregating all critical functions into very simple systems that are audited, monitored and physically secured. This security architecture minimizes the number of components that must be trusted to only two, namely, the software generating the encrypted ballot and the software opening the digital ballot boxes and the envelopes there in. This addresses one of the main causes of trouble in electronic voting systems, namely, the need to trust overly-complex systems like DREs, web browsers, operating systems or Internet servers.
Web 2.0 Technologies in E-Learning
Authors: Köse Utku
Published: September 2010

Web 2.0 is the second face of World Wide Web with its revolutionary features and technologies. Web 2.0 takes users to a dynamic environment, where they can build or control more personal, social and flexible web contents. These functions attract educators’ attention and enable them to use Web 2.0 technologies in E-Learning activities. As a result of using Web 2.0 technologies, a new generation learning form: E-Learning 2.0 comes to life. This chapter will discuss the roles of Web 2.0 in E-Learning, analyze free and open source E-Learning 2.0 applications, and discuss the future of the Web. The features of Web 2.0 and its popular technologies will be explained first. Later, the roles of Web 2.0 technologies in E-Learning activities and E-Learning 2.0 will be discussed. Following that, free and open source E-Learning 2.0 applications will be analyzed. At last, new generations within the future, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 will be discussed.
What’s all the FOSS?
Authors: Huett Jason B. , Sharp Jason H. , Huett Kimberly C.
Published: September 2010

Philosophical, financial, practical, and pedagogical considerations have prompted educators to take a serious look at Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) as an alternative to proprietary software. To better understand the overall concept of FOSS, this article provides a brief history of FOSS as well as a summary of its definition, philosophy, and major areas of research, including strengths and limitations, diffusion in education and educational uses as well as a look at the opportunities, issues, and challenges associated with FOSS. In conclusion, the authors speculate how FOSS, along with advances in E-Learning and other emerging technologies, will positively shape our educational future.
Open and Shared Educational Resources – A Collaborative Strategy for Advancing E-Learning Communities
Authors: Kurshan Barbara , Schreiber Anne , Levy Peter
Published: September 2010

Advances in information technologies have created unique opportunities for the free exchange of ideas on a global scale. To this end, a growing number of education stakeholders are finding that applying an open source approach to content development provides an extraordinary opportunity to change the curricula paradigm. Access to quality learning materials and the free exchange of knowledge is increasing. The authors explore the increased adoption of open and shared educational resources (OSER), with such examples as Curriki. Curriki extends the model by providing an integrated learning environment and resource repository centered on a culture of collective participation.
Developing a Dynamic and Responsive Online Learning Environment
Authors: Buchan Janet
Published: September 2010

Charles Stuart University adopted the open source software, Sakai, as the foundation for the university’s new, integrated Online Learning Environment. This study explores whether a pedagogical advantage exists in adopting such an open source learning management system. Research suggests that the community source approach to development of open source software has many inherent pedagogical advantages, but this paper examines whether this is due to the choice of open source software or simply having access to appropriate technology for learning and teaching in the 21st century. The author also addresses the challenges of the project management methodology and processes in the large-scale implementation of an open-source courseware management solution at the institutional level. Consequently, this study outlines strategies that an institution can use to harness the potential of a community source approach to software development to meet the institutional and individual user needs into the future.
Implementing an Open Source ePortfolio in Higher Education
Authors: Brunvard Stein , Luera Gail R. , Marra Tiffany , Peet Melissa
Published: September 2010

This article describes the identification of goals, selection of an Open Source Platform and the initial implementation stages of an Integrative Knowledge ePortfolio Process (which has both pedagogy and tools) at a midwestern University School of Education. Faculty and students are using the Integrative ePortfolio approach to reflect on, connect, and document their learning and accomplishments over time, and to create an Integrated Professional Teaching Portfolio that showcases their knowledge, skills and contributions to others. Lessons learned during the preliminary phase include the importance of garnering support of adopters, providing sufficient support in order for faculty and students to gain the skills necessary to produce meaningful and dynamic portfolios and transitioning from multiple ePortfolios to a uniform platform that works across programs. The insights gained from the experience will be helpful to other institutions that are interested in adopting Open Source Platform ePortfolios.
LeMill
Authors: Toikkanen Tarmo , Purma Jukka , Leinonen Teemu
Published: September 2010

LeMill is an open source OER repository where the emphasis has been placed on designing a service to meet the actual needs of teachers preparing for classes. The development of LeMill has utilized open, collaborative, and iterative design methods and many features have been refined or redesigned during the process. Emphasis on design work has helped LeMill avoid and fix problems that generally pester OER repositories because of their origins as learning object repositories. The authors recognize that LeMill, as an open source project, has had the rare benefit of a long, structured dissemination phase incorporating actual teacher training. Even when developers and designers try to keep teachers in mind, actual behavioral patterns and needs appear only after the service has been in use. Therefore systems should initially be flexible enough to allow changes resulting from new findings.
Computer Assisted Active Learning System Development for The History of Civilization E-learning Courses by Using Free Open Source Software Platforms
Authors: Karahoca Dilek , Karahoca Adem , Yengin Ilker , Uzunboylu Huseyin
Published: September 2010

This chapter explains the developmental reasons and design to implementation cycles of the Computer Assisted Active Learning System (CALS) for History of Civilization (HOC) courses at Engineering Faculty of Bahcesehir University. Implementation purpose of CALS is to develop set of tools in a systematic way to enhance students’ critical thinking abilities for HOC courses. Dynamic meta-cognitive maps, movies, flash cards and quiz tools were developed. In order to reduce implementation costs of CALS, open Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) standards and platforms were utilized in the development and implementation cycles. This study also investigates the importance of the e-learning platform usage in HOC courses in Engineering Faculty of Bahcesehir University to improve the level of students. Results indicate that the concept based meta-cognitive tool improves learning instead of students just memorizing the class material. Also, engineering students improved their positive attitude towards who wants to learn the history of civilization by using CALS. This study shows that software helps to change human behavior in the learning cycle. This chapter highlights the implications of successful development of FOSS for the CALS.
Web 2.0 as Potential E-Learning Tools for K-12 English Language Learners
Authors: Green Lucy , Inan Fethi
Published: September 2010

Federal legislation demands academic success of all students as well as instructional modifications for special needs students. Even so, school districts struggle with funding educational programs and products that would greatly benefit students grappling with language and content acquisition. Free and open source Web 2.0 tools present exciting opportunities for the creation of educational material that reflects best teaching practices for English Language Learners. The chapter conducts an analysis of second language acquisition research that identifies the most common components of effective second language teaching practice. With these determined, the attention is focused on the characteristics of Web 2.0 technologies that might be used to promote educational activities and opportunities that embody these effective SLA pedagogical practices while meeting the unique instructional needs of ELL students. Although the chapter focuses on ELL students, many of the instructional methods and technology tool characteristics will benefit other students in all content areas.
China Special Education
Authors: Zhao Jingyuan
Published: September 2010

The development of information technologies should be able to benefit to every educated person. The use of information technologies in special education is a little studied by Chinese scholars. This study focuses on China’s special education from the perspective of information technologies, discusses the causes and impact factors why the information technologies applications in special education in China is a blind area, presents the two principles for information technology applications in special education, and put forwards to three implementation models of special education applications in special education.
A Paradigm in Transition
Authors: Albino Pablo Murta Baião , Gatica Fernando González , Armendáriz-Iñigo José Enrique
Published: September 2010

The traditional teaching process at higher education levels has changed in the European Union since the arrival of the “Bologna Process”. Under this new paradigm, professors are no longer the knowledge transmitters but also guides that must encourage students to generate knowledge. Hence, it is crucial to generate certain skills that will let them learn throughout all their lives, especially in the ability to search information that solves a certain problem. At this point is where it comes in hand the acquisition of ICT skills; since the learning process can surpass the physical barriers of the classroom and is an effective tool for solving problems. In this chapter, the authors address this new change in the educational paradigm focused on the European Union and taking into account the leading role of ICT in this learning process.
School of the Future
Authors: Ott Michela
Published: September 2010

This chapter tackles the issue of e-inclusion in the field of school education. A picture of the new millennium learning panorama is outlined where new learners, new teachers, new tools and new pedagogies are around. Some experience –based reflections are also proposed on how, from this panorama, new learning opportunities may arise for “all” learners, irrespective of their individual differences and specific characteristics. The overall purpose of the chapter is to give an idea that the building up of a genuinely inclusive classroom is an achievable goal, provided that strong efforts are devoted not only in the direction of producing/using fully accessible e-tools but also (perhaps mainly) in the direction of making the most of them in order to suit the “different” needs of the “different” students.
Elderly People with Disabilities in the Internet Age
Authors: Kyriazopoulos Panagiotis , Samanta Irene , Christou Rania , Ntanos Anastasios
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this research is to explore behaviour regarding the use of the internet by elderly people with movement disabilities. The study illustrates the ways, and the frequency, that they make use of the internet; while identifying the attitudes of non-users towards the internet. Quantitative research was carried out from a sample of 180 questionnaires divided into dyads (ninety users of the internet and ninety non-users) in order to explore and evaluate the attitudes and views of the elderly. The findings identify the factors that motivate older individuals with disabilities to move towards making use of the internet, and allow an understanding of the reasons why some of them are still distrustful towards the internet.