bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Resource Allocation Scheme for Multi-D2D Communications Underlying Cellular Networks with Multi-Subcarrier Reusing
Authors: Zhang Yong , Li Fangmin , Al-qaness Mohammed , Luan Xidao
Published: February 2017

Device-to-device (D2D) communication is proposed as a promising technique of future cellular networks which fulfills its potential in terms of high resource utilization. In this paper, in order to improve the achievable rate of D2D communication and the spectrum utilization, we consider the scenario that multiple D2D pairs can share uplink spectrum resources with multiple cellular users (CUs). We aim to maximize the overall system spectrum efficiency while satisfying the rate requirements of all CUs and guaranteeing that the system gain is positive. We formulate the joint optimization problem of subcarrier assignment and power allocation which falls naturally into a mixed integer non-linear programming form that is a difficult problem to solve. Hence, we propose a two-stage resource allocation scheme which comprises a subcarrier assignment by employing a heuristic greedy strategy, as well as a power allocation algorithm based on the Lagrangian dual method. Numerical results demonstrate the advantageous performance of our scheme in greatly increasing the system sum spectrum efficiency.
Biophysical Tools to Study Cellular Mechanotransduction
Authors: Muhamed Ismaeel , Chowdhury Farhan , Maruthamuthu Venkat
Published: February 2017

The cell membrane is the interface that volumetrically isolates cellular components from the cell’s environment. Proteins embedded within and on the membrane have varied biological functions: reception of external biochemical signals, as membrane channels, amplification and regulation of chemical signals through secondary messenger molecules, controlled exocytosis, endocytosis, phagocytosis, organized recruitment and sequestration of cytosolic complex proteins, cell division processes, organization of the cytoskeleton and more. The membrane’s bioelectrical role is enabled by the physiologically controlled release and accumulation of electrochemical potential modulating molecules across the membrane through specialized ion channels (e.g., Na+, Ca2+, K+ channels). The membrane’s biomechanical functions include sensing external forces and/or the rigidity of the external environment through force transmission, specific conformational changes and/or signaling through mechanoreceptors (e.g., platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, epithelial (E)-cadherin, integrin) embedded in the membrane. Certain mechanical stimulations through specific receptor complexes induce electrical and/or chemical impulses in cells and propagate across cells and tissues. These biomechanical sensory and biochemical responses have profound implications in normal physiology and disease. Here, we discuss the tools that facilitate the understanding of mechanosensitive adhesion receptors. This article is structured to provide a broad biochemical and mechanobiology background to introduce a freshman mechano-biologist to the field of mechanotransduction, with deeper study enabled by many of the references cited herein.
Aqueous Phase Hydrogenolysis of Bio-Derivable Furfuryl Alcohol to Pentanediols Using Copper Catalysts
Authors: Götz Dominik , Lucas Martin , Claus Peter
Published: February 2017

In the context of sustainable production processes based on bio-derivable feedstocks, the hydrogenolysis of furfuryl alcohol gives access to two important diols. This work evaluates the performance of commercial copper catalysts in the aqueous phase hydrogenolysis reaching a selectivity towards 1,2-pentanediol of up to 34%. In contrast to noble metal catalysts such as supported ruthenium, the selectivity of the hydrogenation product, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, is significantly lower, so the desired diols are now the main products of this reaction. Catalysis experiments show that the performance is correlated to the catalyst composition rather than the free copper surface, indicating a strong influence of the supporting material. Although the formation of oligomeric and polymeric side products is still perturbing, copper catalysts represent promising candidates for this reaction due to their low cost and wide availability.
A Comparative Experimental Design and Performance Analysis of Snort-Based Intrusion Detection System in Practical Computer Networks
Authors: Karim Imdadul , Vien Quoc-Tuan , Le Tuan , Mapp Glenford
Published: February 2017

As one of the most reliable technologies, network intrusion detection system (NIDS) allows the monitoring of incoming and outgoing traffic to identify unauthorised usage and mishandling of attackers in computer network systems. To this extent, this paper investigates the experimental performance of Snort-based NIDS (S-NIDS) in a practical network with the latest technology in various network scenarios including high data speed and/or heavy traffic and/or large packet size. An effective testbed is designed based on Snort using different muti-core processors, e.g., i5 and i7, with different operating systems, e.g., Windows 7, Windows Server and Linux. Furthermore, considering an enterprise network consisting of multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs), a centralised parallel S-NIDS (CPS-NIDS) is proposed with the support of a centralised database server to deal with high data speed and heavy traffic. Experimental evaluation is carried out for each network configuration to evaluate the performance of the S-NIDS in different network scenarios as well as validating the effectiveness of the proposed CPS-NIDS. In particular, by analysing packet analysis efficiency, an improved performance of up to 10% is shown to be achieved with Linux over other operating systems, while up to 8% of improved performance can be achieved with i7 over i5 processors.
Nonlinear Wave Equations Related to Nonextensive Thermostatistics
Authors: Plastino Angel , Wedemann Roseli
Published: February 2017

We advance two nonlinear wave equations related to the nonextensive thermostatistical formalism based upon the power-law nonadditive S q entropies. Our present contribution is in line with recent developments, where nonlinear extensions inspired on the q-thermostatistical formalism have been proposed for the Schroedinger, Klein–Gordon, and Dirac wave equations. These previously introduced equations share the interesting feature of admitting q-plane wave solutions. In contrast with these recent developments, one of the nonlinear wave equations that we propose exhibits real q-Gaussian solutions, and the other one admits exponential plane wave solutions modulated by a q-Gaussian. These q-Gaussians are q-exponentials whose arguments are quadratic functions of the space and time variables. The q-Gaussians are at the heart of nonextensive thermostatistics. The wave equations that we analyze in this work illustrate new possible dynamical scenarios leading to time-dependent q-Gaussians. One of the nonlinear wave equations considered here is a wave equation endowed with a nonlinear potential term, and can be regarded as a nonlinear Klein–Gordon equation. The other equation we study is a nonlinear Schroedinger-like equation.
Combined Use of Delamanid and Bedaquiline to Treat Multidrug-Resistant and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review
Authors: Migliori Giovanni , Pontali Emanuele , Sotgiu Giovanni , Centis Rosella , D’Ambrosio Lia , Tiberi Simon , Tadolini Marina , Esposito Susanna
Published: February 2017

The new drugs delamanid and bedaquiline are increasingly being used to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR-) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). The World Health Organization, based on lack of evidence, recommends their use under specific conditions and not in combination. No systematic review has yet evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of delamanid and bedaquiline used in combination. A search of peer-reviewed, scientific evidence was carried out, aimed at evaluating the efficacy/effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of delamanid and bedaquiline-containing regimens in individuals with pulmonary/extrapulmonary disease, which were bacteriologically confirmed as M/XDR-TB. We used PubMed to identify any relevant manuscripts in English up to the 23 December 2016, excluding editorials and reviews. Three out of 75 manuscripts retrieved satisfied the inclusion criteria, whilst 72 were excluded for dealing with only one drug (three studies), being recommendations (one study) or identifying need for their use (one study), focusing on drug resistance aspects (six studies) or being generic reviews/other studies (61 papers). The studies retrieved reported two XDR-TB cases observed for six months and achieving consistent sputum smear and culture conversion. Case 2 experienced a short break of bedaquiline, which was re-started after introducing verapamil. After a transient and symptom-free increase of the QT interval from week 5 to 17, it then decreased below the 500 ms threshold.
Late Neolithic Agriculture in Temperate Europe—A Long-Term Experimental Approach
Authors: Rösch Manfred , Biester Harald , Bogenrieder Arno , Eckmeier Eileen , Ehrmann Otto , Gerlach Renate , Hall Mathias , Hartkopf-Fröder Christoph , Herrmann Ludger , Kury Birgit , Lechterbeck Jutta , Schier Wolfram , Schulz Erhard
Published: February 2017

Long-term slash-and-burn experiments, when compared with intensive tillage without manuring, resulted in a huge data set relating to potential crop yields, depending on soil quality, crop type, and agricultural measures. Cultivation without manuring or fallow phases did not produce satisfying yields, and mono-season cropping on freshly cleared and burned plots resulted in rather high yields, comparable to those produced during modern industrial agriculture - at least ten-fold the ones estimated for the medieval period. Continuous cultivation on the same plot, using imported wood from adjacent areas as fuel, causes decreasing yields over several years. The high yield of the first harvest of a slash-and-burn agriculture is caused by nutrient input through the ash produced and mobilization from the organic matter of the topsoil, due to high soil temperatures during the burning process and higher topsoil temperatures due to the soil’s black surface. The harvested crops are pure, without contamination of any weeds. Considering the amount of work required to fight weeds without burning, the slash-and-burn technique yields much better results than any other tested agricultural approach. Therefore, in dense woodland, without optimal soils and climate, slash-and-burn agriculture seems to be the best, if not the only, feasible method to start agriculture, for example, during the Late Neolithic, when agriculture expanded from the loess belt into landscapes less suitable for agriculture. Extensive and cultivation with manuring is more practical in an already-open landscape and with a denser population, but its efficiency in terms of the ratio of the manpower input to food output, is worse. Slash-and-burn agriculture is not only a phenomenon of temperate European agriculture during the Neolithic, but played a major role in land-use in forested regions worldwide, creating anthromes on a huge spatial scale.
Theoretical and Experimental Nucleation and Growth of Precipitates in a Medium Carbon–Vanadium Steel
Authors: Medina Sebastián , Ruiz-Bustinza Inigo , Robla José , Calvo Jessica
Published: February 2017

Using the general theory of nucleation, the nucleation period, critical radius, and growth of particles were determined for a medium carbon V-steel. Several parameters were calculated, which have allowed the plotting of nucleation critical time vs. temperature and precipitate critical radius vs. temperature. Meanwhile, an experimental study was performed and it was found that the growth of precipitates during precipitation obeys a quadratic growth equation and not a cubic coalescence equation. The experimentally determined growth rate coincides with the theoretically predicted growth rate.
Complete Chloroplast Genome of Medicinal Plant Lonicera japonica: Genome Rearrangement, Intron Gain and Loss, and Implications for Phylogenetic Studies
Authors: He Liu , Qian Jun , Li Xiwen , Sun Zhiying , Xu Xiaolan , Chen Shilin
Published: February 2017

The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Lonicera japonica, a common ornamental and medicinal plant in North America and East Asia, was sequenced and analyzed. The length of the L. japonica cp genome is 155,078 bp, contains a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb), of 23,774 bp each, as well as large (LSC, 88,858 bp) and small (SSC, 18,672 bp) single-copy regions. A total of 129 genes were identified in the cp genome, 16 of which were duplicated within the IR regions. Relative to other plant cp genomes, the L. japonica cp genome had a unique rearrangement between trnI-CAU and trnN-GUU. In L. japonica cpDNA, rps19, rpl2, and rpl23 move to the LSC region, from the IR region. The ycf1 pesudogene in the IR region is lost, and only one copy locates in the SSC region. Comparative cp DNA sequence analyses of L. japonica with other cp genomes reveal that the gene order, and the gene and intron contents, are slightly different. The introns in ycf2 and rps18 genes are found for the first time. Four genes (clpP, petB, petD, and rpl16) lost introns. However, its genome structure, GC content, and codon usage were similar to those of typical angiosperm cp genomes. All preferred synonymous codons were found to use codons ending with A/T. The AT-rich sequences were less abundant in the coding regions than in the non-coding ones. A phylogenetic analysis based on 71 protein-coding genes supported the idea that L. japonica is a sister of the Araliaceae species. This study identified unique characteristics of the L. japonica cp genome that contribute to our understanding of the cpDNA evolution. It offers valuable information for the phylogenetic and specific barcoding of this medicinal plant.
Urban Expansion and Its Impact on the Land Use Pattern in Xishuangbanna since the Reform and Opening up of China
Authors: Cao Hui , Liu Jian , Fu Chao , Zhang Wanfeng , Wang Guizhou , Yang Guang , Luo Lei
Published: February 2017

Since the Chinese government carried out the reform and opening up policy, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture has experienced rapid urbanization and dramatic land use change. This research aims at analyzing urban expansion in Xishuangbanna and its impact on the land use pattern using combined methods, including radar graph, the gradient-direction method and landscape metrics. Seven land use maps from 1976 to 2015 were generated and analyzed, respectively. The results showed that urban and rubber expanded rapidly, while forest decreased during the last 40 years. The city proper, the county town of Menghai and the county town of Mengla showed the most significant and fastest urban expansion rates. In response to rapid urban expansion, land use types outside urban areas changed dramatically. In Jinghong and Mengla, urban areas were usually surrounded by paddy, shrub, rubber and forest in 1976, while most areas were dominated by rubber by 2015. With the development of Xishuangbanna, landscape diversity increased along urban-rural gradients, but decreased in some key urban areas. Urban expansion slightly reduced the connectivity of forest and increased agglomeration of rubber at the same time. Based on the analyses above, we moved forward to discuss the consequences of urban expansion, rubber plantations and land fragmentation.
Enabling Secure XMPP Communications in Federated IoT Clouds Through XEP 0027 and SAML/SASL SSO
Authors: Celesti Antonio , Fazio Maria , Villari Massimo
Published: February 2017

Nowadays, in the panorama of Internet of Things (IoT), finding a right compromise between interactivity and security is not trivial at all. Currently, most of pervasive communication technologies are designed to work locally. As a consequence, the development of large-scale Internet services and applications is not so easy for IoT Cloud providers. The main issue is that both IoT architectures and services have started as simple but they are becoming more and more complex. Consequently, the web service technology is often inappropriate. Recently, many operators in both academia and industry fields are considering the possibility to adopt the eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) for the implementation of IoT Cloud communication systems. In fact, XMPP offers many advantages in term of real-time capabilities, efficient data distribution, service discovery and inter-domain communication compared to other technologies. Nevertheless, the protocol lacks of native security, data confidentiality and trustworthy federation features. In this paper, considering an XMPP-based IoT Cloud architectural model, we discuss how can be possible to enforce message signing/encryption and Single-Sign On (SSO) authentication respectively for secure inter-module and inter-domain communications in a federated environment. Experiments prove that security mechanisms introduce an acceptable overhead, considering the obvious advantages achieved in terms of data trustiness and privacy.
Preliminary Study for Designing a Novel Vein-Visualizing Device
Authors: Kim Donghoon , Kim Yujin , Yoon Siyeop , Lee Deukhee
Published: February 2017

Venipuncture is an important health diagnosis process. Although venipuncture is one of the most commonly performed procedures in medical environments, locating the veins of infants, obese, anemic, or colored patients is still an arduous task even for skilled practitioners. To solve this problem, several devices using infrared light have recently become commercially available. However, such devices for venipuncture share a common drawback, especially when visualizing deep veins or veins of a thick part of the body like the cubital fossa. This paper proposes a new vein-visualizing device applying a new penetration method using near-infrared (NIR) light. The light module is attached directly on to the declared area of the skin. Then, NIR beam is rayed from two sides of the light module to the vein with a specific angle. This gives a penetration effect. In addition, through an image processing procedure, the vein structure is enhanced to show it more accurately. Through a phantom study, the most effective penetration angle of the NIR module is decided. Additionally, the feasibility of the device is verified through experiments in vivo. The prototype allows us to visualize the vein patterns of thicker body parts, such as arms.
The Perceptual Differences among Stakeholders in the Tourism Supply of Xi’an City, China
Authors: Liu Junsheng , Ma Yaofeng
Published: February 2017

The stakeholders’ perceptual evaluations of the supply structure of destination tourism play an important role in promoting the sustainable development of regional tourism. However, the research on the structural perceptions of destination tourism supply is relatively insufficient in current research on the perceptions of tourism stakeholders. This paper analyzes the perceptual differences among inbound tourists, community residents and tourism practitioners from the core and auxiliary tourism supply dimensions. After having applied the structural equation model in this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the tourism supply of Xi’an, a famous tourist city in China, were identified. In addition, the findings of this paper are: the inbound tourists have high perceptual sensitivity over the factors of the urban core tourism supply; the community residents have high perceptual sensitivity over the auxiliary tourist supply factors; the tourism practitioners have similar perceptual sensitivity over the factors of urban core and auxiliary tourism supply. The advantageous factors involve tourist attractions, tourist shopping, tourist entertainment, hospitality environment and tourist information. Furthermore, the moderately stable supply factors of Xi’an include tourist transportation, tourist catering, tourist accommodation, marketing as well as safety and security, while the natural environment is the limiting factor. The results support sustainable development and the coordination of different stakeholders in the destinations.
EDCs Mixtures: A Stealthy Hazard for Human Health?
Authors: Ribeiro Edna , Ladeira Carina , Viegas Susana
Published: February 2017

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals that may occur naturally (e.g., phytoestrogens), while others are industrial substances and plasticizers commonly utilized worldwide to which human exposure, particularly at low-doses, is omnipresent, persistent and occurs in complex mixtures. EDCs can interfere with/or mimic estrogenic hormones and, consequently, can simultaneously trigger diverse signaling pathways which result in diverse and divergent biological responses. Additionally, EDCs can also bioaccumulate in lipid compartments of the organism forming a mixed “body burden” of contaminants. Although the independent action of chemicals has been considered the main principle in EDCs mixture toxicity, recent studies have demonstrated that numerous effects cannot be predicted when analyzing single compounds independently. Co-exposure to these agents, particularly in critical windows of exposure, may induce hazardous health effects potentially associated with a complex “body burden” of different origins. Here, we performed an exhaustive review of the available literature regarding EDCs mixtures exposure, toxicity mechanisms and effects, particularly at the most vulnerable human life stages. Although the assessment of potential risks to human health due to exposure to EDCs mixtures is a major topic for consumer safety, information regarding effective mixtures effects is still scarce.
L’Abri des Rocs (Bellefonds, Vienne) : révision du niveau mésolithique des foyers inférieurs d’E. Patte
Authors: Michel Sylvène
Published: February 2017

In the 1950s, E. Patte discovered a Mesolithic industry made up of points and triangle-type arrowheads in the lower part of the stratigraphic record at “ L’Abri des Rocs”. This series, which he attributed to the lower hearths, is crucial for understanding the beginning of the Mesolithic in the west of France. Indeed, this series of approximately 12,000 lithic remains is relatively isolated as the closest elements of comparison are located some 100 km away. In the present study, the lithic industry of the lower hearths is re-investigated as a whole, after proposing a general revision of the stratigraphy. The occupants of the shelter primarily exploited siliceous limestone available near the site, with the intention of obtaining lamellate products for the manufacture of arrowheads, while recovering diverse blanks to produce common tool types. While these latter prove to be ubiquitous, and are composed of few typological classes, the arrowheads clearly indicate an early phase of the Mesolithic. By comparing these microliths with those discovered in a sub-contemporaneous context in the west of France, we can identify a whole range of stylistic variations, which raise questions concerning the traditions and identity of these groups, as well as the exchanges between them.
Etude expérimentale préliminaire des Pollaccia inféodés aux peupliers de la section Leuce
Authors: Morelet Michel
Published: February 2017

L'auteur démontre, expérimentalement, par inoculations foliaires à l'aide de souches monoconidiennes, homologues et hétérologues, que le Pollaccia radiosa (Lib.) Bald, et Cif. est l'agent de la tavelure des Populus tremula et Populus x canescens, que le Pollaccia ramulosa (Rostrup.) Ondrej est celui de la tavelure du Populus alba, et que le Pollaccia letifera (Peck) Morelet est celui de la tavelure du Populus tremuloides.
Note sur les Hyménoptères Tenthrédoïdes (XI) : 23. Distinction de Periclista rufiventris Zombori et de P. coiffaiti Chevin, (Hym. Tenthredinidae) ; 24. Description de la femelle d'Athetocephalus maculatus Benson (Hym. Cephidae) ; 25. Mention de quelques espèces rares ou nouvelles pour la France
Authors: Chevin Henri
Published: February 2017

This note deals with the identification of morphological differences existing between of Periclista rufiventris Zombori and P. coiffaiti Chevin (Hym. Tenthredinidae), describing then the female of Athetocephus maculatus Benson, a Hymenoptera Cephidae from Madagascar, and finally mentioning some rare (Neurotoma mandibularis, Brachythops flavens, Dolerus anticus, Ametastegia perla, Athalia paradoxa, Macrophya recognata ) or new (Empria hungarica, Pontania brigmanii ) French species.
Dispositif d'élevage miniaturisé et automatisé d'Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera -Pyralidae)
Authors: Daumal Jeanne , Marconi D. , Chassain Chantal
Published: February 2017

Chez E. kuehniella, une séquence comportementale peut être utilisée afin de contraindre l'imago qui vient d'émerger à gagner un volume où il pourra achever le déploiement de ses ailes, s'accoupler et pondre. Ce comportement a été utilisé pour construire un dispositif d'élevage original qui permet d'obtenir de façon continue des œufs. Les conditions de développement sont précisées.
Gamme de chaux dans les économies anciennes. Méthodes de prélèvement et d’identification des types de chaux dans les fours (DRX, MEB-EDS, pétrographie) (Antiquité, Moyen Âge, époque moderne)
Authors: Vaschalde Christophe , Bromblet Philippe , Büttner Stéphane
Published: February 2017

La chaux provenant de plusieurs fours de
l’Antiquité, du Moyen Âge et de l’époque moderne a été analysée par la
diffraction des rayons X, au MEB-EDS et par la pétrographie. Cette
chaux présente l’avantage d’être pure, et de ne pas avoir subie les
changements chimiques qui ont lieu lors de l’ajout d’adjuvant pendant
la fabrication des mortiers. Cette étude montre que les chaufourniers
ont produit une grande diversité de chaux (grasses, maigres,
hydrauliques, magnésiennes). La diffraction des rayons X, qui présente
les résultats les plus prometteurs, éclaire de nombreux aspects des
chaînes opératoires de production. Enfin, la mise en perspective de
ces résultats avec les sources textuelles montre que la gamme des
chaux répond à des besoins spécifiques à certaines filières
économiques comme le bâtiment, l’agriculture ou l’industrie. Cet
article pose donc les premiers jalons d’une histoire de la circulation
et de la consommation des chaux entre l’Antiquité et l’époque
moderne.
Descriptive Analytics
Authors: Sheik Abdullah A  , Selvakumar S  , Ramya C
Published: February 2017

Data analytics has becoming one of the challenging platforms across various domains such as telecom, health care, social media and so on. The challenging and most promising task in analytics is the understanding of various patterns in the data. The mechanism of data retrieval and analysis seems to be the promising one in which the algorithms, techniques, way of processing data are in need with the ability to target upon large volumes of data. There are various types of analytical methods such as predictive analytics, descriptive analytics, text analytics, social media analytics and survival analytics. This chapter mainly focuses towards the mechanism of descriptive analytics its types, algorithms and applications. There are various forms of tools and techniques such as association rule mining, sequence rule mining, and data categorization such as hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering methods with its variants.
Predictive Analysis of Emotions for Improving Customer Services
Authors: Jain Vinay Kumar , Kumar Shishir
Published: February 2017

Human emotions plays an important role in everyday communication. Emotions are formed by the combination of cues such as relative actions, facial expressions, and gestures and reactions. Emotions are also present in written texts like in social media, chats, customer reviews. By getting inspired by works done in the domain of sentiment analysis, this chapter explores advances to automatic detection of emotions in text which help in Improving Customer Services. This chapter presents a framework for automatic detection of emotions in customer reviews based on different emotions theories in the fields of psychology and linguistics. This framework uses advanced Machine Learning (ML) techniques with Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods for better understanding of emotion detection and recognition in customer reviews. The text under study comprises data collected from leading Indian e-commerce portals like Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon, which contains text rich in emotions. The advantages and application based emotion detection framework has been incorporated with suitable examples.
Predictive Modelling and Mind-Set Segments Underlying Health Plans
Authors: Gabay Gillie , Moskowitz Howard , Onufrey Steven , Rappaport Stephen
Published: February 2017

Health systems are facing austerity negatively affecting the delivery of services around the world. This chapter defines predictive analytics in health, discusses how predictive analytics may contribute to health promotion and demonstrates the identification of specific communication elements to be used by health maintenance organizations and insurers to shape health plans in accordance to mind-set segments of patients. Although the application of predictive analytics to health plans may reduce costs and shift the focus of health systems from treating the sick to preventive medicine, it has not been investigated and is the topic of this chapter.
Strengths and Limitations of Social Media Analytics Tools
Authors: Gašpar Dražena , Mabić Mirela
Published: February 2017

The aim of this chapter is to research and present strengths and limitations of social media analytics tools used in the financial sector. Emphasis is on the business point of view that sees the social media analytics as a collection of tools that transform semi-structured and unstructured social data into noteworthy business insight. There are two main aspects of social media analytics: the technology aspect which covers identifying, extracting, and analyzing social media data using sophisticated tools and techniques; and the business aspect which interprets the data findings and aligns them with business goals. Namely, it is simply not enough to have a social media analytics tool; the tool should be strategically aligned to support existing business goals. The chapter offers a framework for easier adoption and implementation of these tools in the financial sector.
Mental Modelling Digital Aged Care and Service Management
Authors: Hume Margee , Johnston Paul
Published: February 2017

Aged care is projected to be the fastest-growing sector within health and community care industries with digital aged care growing in interest. Strengthening understanding of delivery and technology will assist in better delivery and reach more elderly in need through improved service delivery. In this we examine advance recent discourse on the role of knowledge management (KM) in digital aged care with the view to assist delivery of aged care. We advance knowledge by offering a unique view of KM from the perspective of 28 aged care stakeholders through in-depth interviewing and mental model pictorials. We offer advances in understanding for digital aged care and suggest practices for knowledge capture and management for aged care providers. We culminate the discussion by offering a digital agenda for aged care facilities and advance the discourse in this sector. Specifically reflections are offered for leadership and the consideration of the key players and links that should be developed in comprehensively capturing and disseminating knowledge digitally in the sector.
Extending IMPLEMENT Framework for Enterprise Information Systems Implementation to Information System Innovation
Authors: Raman Aparna , Goyal D. P.
Published: February 2017

Enterprise Information systems implementation is one of the most challenging parts of IT strategy for an organization, since implementation brings in efficiency in the system and justifies the investments made. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to study the perspectives of implementation to understand the current dynamics. The purpose of this paper is twofold, first is to explore the type of literature that exists in information system implementation and secondly to determine the research methodologies incorporated therein for the information system field's implementation in specific. The basic content analysis is done to review the articles on information system implementation. A total of 47 articles were selected from peer reviewed journals and conferences. The study was conducted to assess the methodology used, the strategies followed along with the issues and challenges faced in the implementation. It presents an arena of the studies done in information system implementation in past 20 years (typically 1993 to 2013). The IMPLEMENT framework has been proposed to synthesize the literature finding for smooth functioning of IS implementation process. The factors influencing the adoption of information system innovation are described. The comprehensive framework for information innovation process is developed. This framework is then mapped to IMPLEMENT framework. This study would encourage the practitioners in the information systems domain to improve upon their organizational capability and incorporate other best practices.
Re-Thinking the Challenges of Enterprise Architecture Implementation
Authors: Dale Mark
Published: February 2017

Enterprise architecture (EA) has provided organizations with powerful frameworks with which to plan, manage, model and coordinate the alignment of organizational IS/ IT portfolios with organizational strategy. However, for the benefits of EA to be realized, it needs to also contribute to the process of implementing the specified systems and platforms. Whilst implementation was seen by early authors as an integral aspect of the EA process, it has since generally been ignored by authors, or investigated through an ontological lens of discreet technical architecture activities that does not account for the social context of an EA implementation (EAI). Drawing on an actual case study of an EAI in a large Australian financial services organization, I examine the importance of the EAI process to the delivery of the systems and platforms specified in the EA plans and highlight an alternative perspective that has the potential to sensitize scholars and practitioners appreciate to the social context of an EAI.
To Code or Not to Code
Authors: Balint Bryon
Published: February 2017

Businesses that purchase packaged application software – for example, an Enterprise Resource Planning system – must make choices about customization. Software vendors, anecdotal evidence, and practitioner-oriented research all recommend that organizations should customize software as little as possible, and instead adapt their processes to meet the “best practices” of the software. However, businesses continue to exceed their budgets on implementing and maintaining customized software, often to a significant extent. This suggests that either these organizations are making poor decisions, or that the conventional wisdom about customization is incorrect. In this paper we model the primary factors in the customization decision: “fit” between the desired business process and the packaged software; costs related to development, maintenance, integration, and performance; and benefits related to increased fit, integration, performance, and user acceptance. We use simulation techniques to illustrate the conditions under which customization is likely to provide value to the organization, as well as conditions under which customization should be avoided.
Data Envelopment Analysis for Measuring and Evaluating Efficiency on IT Outsourcing Operations
Authors: Correia dos Santos João , Mira da Silva Miguel
Published: February 2017

During the last decades, the IT service sector has been one of the fastest growing segment in the global economy, consequently, Information Technology (IT) outsourcing providers face several challenges: contracts are based on a multi-service configuration; high degree of variance between clients; market dynamism through rivalry, accelerated innovation, client requisites and relationship management. As a result, service providers employ several tools and methods to find the best fit between standardization (mainly for productivity increase) and customization (primarily for client satisfaction), because IT outsourcing operational context display a multi-input and multi-output set of variables that need to be known and managed, thus efficiency measurement is essential to delivery optimised IT operations. The purpose of this work is to identify, describe, evaluate and present a model based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), which is a linear programming technique able to manipulate multiple inputs and outputs. DEA allows the identification of the most efficient operation that enables providers to set the best operational strategy to follow. To develop our research, design science research was applied, and eighteen contracts were used to evaluate our model's utility the results show the importance of quantitative measures in a dynamic business environment like IT outsourcing. This work is a major contribution for measuring efficiency in IT outsourcing operations.
Knowledge-Based Systems for Data Modelling
Authors: Šuman Sabrina , Jakupović Alen , Pavlić Mile
Published: February 2017

Data modelling is a complex process that depends on the knowledge and experience of the designers who carry it out. The lack of designers' expertise in that process negatively affects the quality of created models which has a significant impact on the quality of successive phases of information systems development. This chapter provides an overview of data modelling, especially the entity relationship method, main actors in the modelling process, and highlights the main problems and challenges in this field. Knowledge based system for data modelling support has a potential to minimize and prevent most of the problems that occur in modelling process. Therefore, a systematic review of the existing KB systems, methods, and tools for the data modelling process is made. By summarizing their main characteristics, some important desirable features of the new KB system for data modelling support are identified. With this in mind, a new KB system for data modelling support is proposed, which applies formal language theory (particularly translation) during the process of conceptual modelling.
Can Cognitive Biases in Robots Make More ‘Likeable' Human-Robot Interactions than the Robots Without Such Biases
Authors: Biswas Mriganka , Murray John
Published: February 2017

The research presented in the paper aims to develop long-term companionship between cognitively imperfect robots and humans. In order to develop cognitively imperfect robot, the research suggests to implement various cognitive biases in a robot's interactive behaviours. In the authors' understanding, such cognitively biased behaviours in robot will help the participants to relate with it easily. In the current paper, they show comparative results of the experiments using five biased and one non-biased algorithms in a 3D printed humanoid robot MARC. The results from the experiments show that the participants initially liked the robot with biased and imperfect behaviours than the same robots without any mistakes and biases.
Controlling Electrospinning Jet Using Microscopic Model for Ideal Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
Authors: Maghsoodlou Shima , Poreskandar Sulmaz
Published: February 2017

Electrospinning has recently emerged as a widespread technology to produce synthetic nanofibrous and the best candidates for many important applications like scaffolds in tissue engineering. Creating porosity is the primary challenge of tissue engineering scaffolds. But, the most important challenge is to create uniform nanofibers. For these reasons, controlling producing of electrospun nanofiber becomes important. The most suitable method for controlling instability is using modeling and computer simulations. The dynamic analysis of the jet formation and its instability is difficult during the process. In this study, the behavior of the electrospinning process has been investigated by using bead-spring model to see the process in detail. Simulation of this model showed the jet behavior from the first second to the end by bringing in one bead step by step. Therefore, by increasing the number of beads, the behavior of jet during whipping part was obviously expressed.
Microscopic Biopsy Image Segmentation Using Hybrid Color K-Means Approach
Authors: Kumar Rajesh , Srivastava Rajeev , Srivastava Subodh
Published: February 2017

The color image segmentation is a fundamental requirement for microscopic biopsy image analysis and disease detection. In this paper, a hybrid combination of color k-means and marker control watershed based segmentation approach is proposed to be applied for the segmentation of cell and nuclei of microscopic biopsy images. The proposed approach is tested on breast cancer microscopic data set with ROI segmented ground truth images. Finally, the results obtained from proposed framework are compared with the results of popular segmentation algorithms such as Fuzzy c-means, color k-means, texture based segmentation as well as adaptive thresholding approaches. The experimental analysis shows that the proposed approach is providing better results in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, FPR (false positive rate), global consistency error (GCE), probability random index (PRI), and variance of information (VOI) as compared to other segmentation approaches.
Mobile Banking and Payment System
Authors: Shaikh Aijaz A. , Hanafizadeh Payam , Karjaluoto Heikki
Published: February 2017

This study conceptualizes and proposes a well-regulated and designated mobile banking and payment system (MBPS) with the potential to strengthen the banking system, foster the regulatory framework, and to be integrated across various platforms and mobile devices. Unlike other mobile payment systems that lack convenience, scalability, and usability, the proposed MBPS contains several important functionalities and it has the potential to bring together hitherto unconnected industries—banking, Fintech and telecoms—to offer value-added services to their existing and potential customers. The ownership of the MBPS shall remain with the financial services sector including the banking and microfinance institutions. The paper concludes with a discussion on the implications and limitations of the study and proposes future research directions.
Analytical Review on Ontological Human Activity Recognition Approaches
Authors: Zolfaghari Samaneh , Keyvanpour Mohammad Reza , Zall Raziyeh
Published: February 2017

New advancements in pervasive computing technology have turned smart homes into a daily living monitoring tool increasingly used for elderly. Recently, using knowledge driven approaches such as ontology to introduce semantic smart homes has received attention due to their flexibility, reasoning and knowledge representation. Due to the vast number of ontological human activity recognition methods, the proposed ontological human activity recognition framework can be effective in analyzing and evaluating different methods in different applications and dealing with various challenges. Also, due to numerous challenges involved in different aspects of ontology-based human activity recognition in smart homes, this paper offers a classification for challenges in human activity recognition in ontology based systems. Then the proposed ontological human activity recognition framework is evaluated based on the proposed classification and ontology-based techniques which are thought to solve some of the challenges are examined and analyzed.
Factors Influencing Dependency on Smartphone and the Impact on Purchase Behaviour
Authors: Swapana M. , Padmavathy C.
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among social needs, social influence, convenience, product features, brand name, dependency on smartphone, and purchase behaviour. A sample of 259 university students is used to test the hypotheses by using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that social needs, social influence, convenience and brand name positively affect dependency on smartphones, and dependency positively affects purchase behaviour. This research implies smartphone manufacturers to employ different marketing strategies and marketing mix to attract young consumers in Indian market. This study contributes to the body of smartphone literature by extending the context of the study to a developing nation where smartphone has penetrated profoundly in recent years.
An Investigation of the Adoption of Online Game Technologies in Indonesia
Authors: Harnadi Bernardinus
Published: February 2017

This study examines influences on an individual's intentions to use online game technologies. Data was collected by the questionnaire from a sample of 895 individuals of age 12 – 26 years in Indonesia. A theoretical model extending the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology included causal effects on intentions as well as moderating effects due to the individual's gender, age, and experience. The model was analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques and the results confirmed several findings from previous studies respected especially with the positive effects of enjoyment, ease of use, and the availability of infrastructure on the individual's intentions. New findings showed that gender, age, and experience moderated the effects on the individual's intention due to social influences, feelings of involvement, and perceptions of personal attainments, respectively. Moreover, new findings emerged for differences and similarities in the significant effects in the theoretical model among the groups defined within the scales of gender, age, and experience.
Gerontoludic Design
Authors: De Schutter Bob
Published: February 2017

Considering the popularity of digital games among older adults and the challenge of population ageing, this article identified a need for an integrated game design framework aimed at older audiences. An analysis of the literature on play in later life demonstrated how the literature is dominated by two themes, i.e., the benefits of playing digital games and the issue of accessibility. While this underlying model has been demonstrated to contribute to successful designs, it also risks reducing games to its motivational characteristics and ageing to cognitive and physical decline. The author therefore reviewed the literature on game design and later life to develop a design approach that considers the multi-faceted nature of ageing as well as the intrinsic value of digital games. The resulting “Gerontoludic Design Framework” sets meaningful play as the intended outcome of game design for older adults, identifies iterative player-centered design as its preferred design approach, and extends the MDA framework by suggesting age-specific aesthetics and mechanics.
Information Retrieval Model using Uncertain Confidence's Network
Authors: Naouar Fatiha , Hlaoua Lobna , Omri Mohamed Nazih
Published: February 2017

This paper proposes a new relevance feedback approach to collaborative information retrieval based on a confidence's network, which performs propagation relevance between annotations terms. The main contribution of our approach is to extract relevant terms to reformulate the initial user query considering the annotations as an information source. The proposed model introduces the concept of necessity that allows determining the terms that have strong association relationships. The authors estimated the association relationship to a measure of a confidence. Another contribution consists on determining the relevant annotations for a given evidence source. Since the user is over whelmed by a variety of contradictory annotations on even one which are far from the original subject, the authors' model proceed filtering these annotations to determine the relevant one and then it classify them by grouping those related semantically. The experimental study conducted on different queries gives promoters results. They show very encouraging results that could reach an improvement rate.