bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Machine-Learning-Based Image Feature Selection
Authors: Verma Vivek K. , Jain Tarun
Published: May 2018

This is the age of big data where aggregating information is simple and keeping it economical. Tragically, as the measure of machine intelligible data builds, the capacity to comprehend and make utilization of it doesn't keep pace with its development. In content-based image retrieval (CBIR) applications, every database needs its comparing parameter setting for feature extraction. CBIR is the application of computer vision techniques to the image retrieval problem that is the problem of searching for digital images in large databases. In any case, the vast majority of the CBIR frameworks perform ordering by an arrangement of settled and pre-particular parameters. All the major machine-learning-based search algorithms have discussed in this chapter for better understanding related with the image retrieval accuracy. The efficiency of FS using machine learning compared with some other search algorithms and observed for the improvement of the CBIR system.
Logo Matching and Recognition Based on Context
Authors: Das Tapan Kumar
Published: May 2018

Logos are graphic productions that recall some real-world objects or emphasize a name, simply display some abstract signs that have strong perceptual appeal. Color may have some relevance to assess the logo identity. Different logos may have a similar layout with slightly different spatial disposition of the graphic elements, localized differences in the orientation, size and shape, or differ by the presence/absence of one or few traits. In this chapter, the author uses ensemble-based framework to choose the best combination of preprocessing methods and candidate extractors. The proposed system has reference logos and test logos which are verified depending on some features like regions, pre-processing, key points. These features are extracted by using gray scale image by scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) and Affine-SIFT (ASIFT) descriptor method. Pre-processing phase employs four different filters. Key points extraction is carried by SIFT and ASIFT algorithm. Key points are matched to recognize fake logo.
Image Segmentation for Feature Extraction
Authors: Deisy C. , Francis Mercelin
Published: May 2018

This chapter explores the prevailing segmentation methods to extract the target object features, in the field of plant pathology for disease diagnosis. The digital images of different plant leaves are taken for analysis as most of the disease symptoms are visible on leaves apart from other vital parts. Among the different phases of processing a digital image, the substantive focus of the study concentrates mainly on the methodology or algorithms deployed on image acquisition, preprocessing, segmentation, and feature extraction. The chapter collects the existing literature survey related to disease diagnosis methods in agricultural plants and prominently highlights the performance of each algorithm by comparing with its counterparts. The main aim is to provide an insight of creativeness to the researchers and experts to develop a less expensive, accurate, fast and an instant system for the timely detection of plant disease, so that appropriate remedial measures can be taken.
The Information Content of Tax Loss Carryforwards Before and During the Global Financial Crisis
Authors: Evangelos Chytis , Ioannis Filos , Olympia Gkouma
Published: May 2018

Tax loss carryforwards are a valuable asset because they usually reduce a company's future tax payments. This chapter investigates the importance of deferred tax assets from tax loss carryforwards (DTA_TLC) by sector and index (FTSE/ASE) for the period before and after the outbreak of the financial crisis (2005-2012). In the non-banking industry, the DTA_TLC cover on average half (1/2) of the total deferred tax assets (DTAs) and one-fifth (1/5) of income before taxes (IBT). The telecommunications industry accounts for the largest DTA_TLC components, while the chemicals sector for the smallest. On average, the companies listed in the FTSE/ASE 20 report DTA_TLC five times larger than those of the FTSE/ASE 40. In the banking sector, until 2009 DTA_TLC constituted a small part of total assets and IBT. In contrast, after 2010, DTAs include significant components of DTA_TLC, as a consequence of the private sector involvement (PSI) and the financial crisis.
The Robustness of Portfolio Optimization Models
Authors: Pavlou Antonis , Doumpos Michalis , Zopounidis Constantin
Published: May 2018

The optimization of investment portfolios is a topic of major importance in financial decision making, and many relevant models can be found in the literature. These models extend the traditional mean-variance framework using a variety of other risk-return measures. Existing comparative studies have adopted a rather restrictive approach, focusing solely on the minimum risk portfolio without considering the whole set of efficient portfolios, which are also relevant for investors. This chapter focuses on the performance of the whole efficient set. To this end, the authors examine the out-of-sample robustness of efficient portfolios derived by popular optimization models, namely the traditional mean-variance model, mean-absolute deviation, conditional value at risk, and a multi-objective model. Tests are conducted using data for S&P 500 stocks over the period 2005-2016. The results are analyzed through novel performance indicators representing the deviations between historical (estimated) efficient frontiers, actual out-of-sample efficient frontiers, and realized out-of-sample portfolio results.
Brokering Cloud Computing
Authors: Dede Georgia , Hatzithanasis George , Kamalakis Thomas , Michalakelis Christos
Published: May 2018

Cloud computing is a rapidly evolving computational model, which has succeeded in transforming the ICT industry and the economy's production techniques by making corresponding services even more accessible to businesses, offering cost-effective solutions. The cloud broker is a new business model, derived from the necessity of finding the best provider, or the best bundle for the end user. It is a third-party business that assists clients in making the best decision in choosing the most suitable cloud provider and the most effective service bundle for their needs, in terms of performance and price. This chapter analyzes the cloud broker business model and highlights the broker's vital role and the benefits that arise from the use of its services. In that context, it describes cloud brokering and a market analysis, together with the most popular pricing models, together with a comparison among them, concluding with future directions for the expansion of the brokerage model.
Measuring Compliance With IFRS Mandatory Disclosure Requirements
Authors: Ballas Apostolos , Sykianakis Nicos , Tzovas Christos , Vassilakopoulos Constantinos
Published: May 2018

This chapter examines Greek firms' compliance with IFRS mandatory disclosure requirements for the years 2006 and 2008. Using a checklist based on the IFRS disclosure requirements, a compliance score was calculated for each sample firm. Two methods of measuring compliance are used: the dichotomous method and the partial compliance method. By adopting both approaches proposed in literature for measuring compliance, the authors enhance the robustness of the findings of this study, while they provide empirical evidence concerning the extent to which the two approaches provide significantly different results. Further, they investigated firms' characteristics that are hypothesized to be related with disclosure compliance. It appears that closely held firms exhibit higher compliance rate. In addition, there is a positive association between the engagement of a Big-4 international auditing firm and disclosure compliance. Firms' profitability, leverage, and size do not explain disclosure compliance. The authors found that the two methods of measuring compliance do not produce significantly different results.
Social Value Co-Creation
Authors: Devereux Michael T. , Gallarza Martina G. Gonzales
Published: May 2018

Societal demands and consumer patterns have changed: there is a need of elaborating on new concepts and mindsets in understanding stakeholder engagement in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in a way that can challenge the traditional ways of thinking and provide a basis for benefits to all stakeholders. Theoretically, this chapter provides a unique and fresh perspective to the concept of CSR, as it aims at applying, within the Service-Dominant (S-D) logic mindset, the value co-creation happening within a social setting. It adds backing through an empirical study taken mixed qualitative approach in effort to establish a concrete foundation for the interpretation of insights through three different stakeholders (customers, employees, and managers) in a practical, real world environment. Insights allow the formulation and provision of Social Value Co-Creation (SVcC) as a revisited understanding of corporate citizenship that can contribute to a contemporary approach to CSR.
Developing Corporate Social Responsibility Projects
Authors: Williams Jessica , Sheridan Lynnaire , McLean Peter
Published: May 2018

While Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a prominent topic in the literature, little is known about how companies operationally implement CSR. Accordingly, this chapter presents key insights into how companies design and implement (develop) CSR projects, including the activities involved, their sequence, and the roles of various stakeholders as actors. The insights are based on a qualitative scoping study involving in-depth interviews with CSR practitioners from five major Australian companies. Ten stages of CSR development and 12 actors are identified before presenting an aggregate empirical model of CSR project development.
Egypt
Authors: Badawoud Taghreed
Published: May 2018

This case considers the attempts to create sustainable HR practices as part of the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy in a multinational hospitality group. This practice has become an opportunity given the creation and growth of the tourism industry in many countries worldwide. The case investigates the extent of HR policy compliance in these hotels—in a case study based on Egypt—matched against their stated head office policies and benchmarked against best practice frameworks in the literature, which define and suggest frameworks for analyzing and measuring HR practice in hotels. The HR policies in practice in examples of properties in Egypt, although not exactly in compliance with head office, show some concern within the capabilities of the local management in Egypt and within the constraints of the local population in offering improved HR-related benefits to staff members. Certainly, the multinational-branded properties are better than the local ones, but they still have some way to go.
The Normative Grounding of Social Responsibility in African Emerging Markets
Authors: Mofuoa Khali
Published: May 2018

In African emerging markets (AEMs), the prevailing notions of social responsibility (SR) are based chiefly on Western ethics. Even discussions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have, more often than not, been couched in the similar manner. Consequently, the field of CSR in AEMs is largely unaware of Setho ethics that for it are germane as a basis for thinking and talking about SR. In this chapter, the author proposes Setho ethics rooted in Botho, which sees the communal, interdependence and interrelatedness of beings, as an alternative vision of CSR in AEMs. In fact, people in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) see themselves in a symbiotic relationship with society, a point well-articulated by Mbiti (1969, p. 24) thus, “I am because you are, and since we are, therefore I am”. This African view through the Setho ethics lenses generates a different notion of an ideal SR of business to society worth illuminating in the CSR discourse today.
Broadening the Concept of Green Marketing
Authors: Alikılıç Özlem
Published: May 2018

This chapter investigates the concept of strategic corporate social responsibility to broaden the concept of green marketing. The guiding thesis is that social marketing has evolved throughout the decades and has led to strategic corporate social responsibility. There is, however, a lack of consensus on the definition of corporate social responsibility as the fundamental norm of this strategic state. In this chapter, a strategic framework that offers to broaden the concept of green marketing is provided. This chapter also explores the nature of strategic corporate social responsibility with a view towards understanding its components. Then discussion is framed by CSR theories and critical approaches.
The Treacherous Path of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Role of Information Systems in Its Implementation
Authors: Ndlovu Tabani , Simba Amon , Mariussen Anastasia
Published: May 2018

Despite alleged widespread adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and responsible business practices by organisations worldwide, questions still remain on the motives for such adoption; effects and/or benefits of CSR adoption as well as how stakeholders can tell genuine responsible businesses from those paying lip service and using the CSR tag as a ‘means-to-an end'. The litany of jargon often used interchangeably including such terms as CSR, sustainability, sustainable marketing, responsible business practice and sustainable development among others further lead to scepticism on organisations' commitments to CSR and the resultant allegations of greenwashing and CSR tokenism. This undermines genuine attempts to be corporately-responsible, fuelling confusion for any new players wishing to adopt responsible business practices. This chapter uses the Information Systems (IS) landscape as a lever to dissect issues in both CSR theory and practice, offering some practical guidelines for implementation and operationalisation, while raising further questions for research.
Using Corporate Social Responsibility as a Public Relations Tool in Reputation Management
Authors: Harludi Vera
Published: May 2018

This chapter delves into the subject of corporate social responsibility, its relations, and how it affects corporate reputation. The literature review presents a brief history of CSR and sheds light into the role of business ethics, corporate governance, corporate citizenship, and corporate social performance with a specific focus on companies' approaches towards CSR; motivations for company to invest in CSR; and corporate reputation. While the literature review will wrap up with arguments for and against CSR, this chapter will provide a brief outlook on CSR practices in Turkey.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Development
Authors: Dupont Genevieve , Ojo Marianne , Rossi James
Published: May 2018

This chapter not only attempts to identify those variables which govern and impact the relationship and interplay between Corporate Social Responsibility and Foreign Direct Investment, but illustrate the conditions under which such variables are likely to be most susceptible to change and fluctuations – as well as consequences that are likely to be generated as a result of such fluctuations. In so doing it also contributes to the literature in highlighting why greater focus and priority should be accorded to Foreign Direct Investment and Corporate Social Responsibility, as tools for poverty alleviation. Further, as well as accentuating, under the conclusion section, why the UK Government strategy for building more plants after Hinkley Point, implies that the UK would not reap all benefits of the Project, the chapter expansiates on contributory factors which have resulted in the decision of the UK Government to delay its decision on the Hinkley Point Project. Contributory factors, which include among a notable few, the need for flexible generating capacity was also cited, since renewable energy cannot be easily converted at Hinkley Point.
Corporate Social Responsibility of Pharmaceutical Industry Towards Access to Medicine
Authors: Rashmi Rakhi
Published: May 2018

India has changed its patent policy in 2005. It was compliance to WTO TRIPs provision and after this there was prohibition on process or generic manufacturing. India is the biggest supplier of affordable generic medicines and this patent protection is said to be beneficial to novel drug manufacturing countries. The generic drugs can be a differentiation factor between lives starting point and the ending point for millions of people in developing countries. This remains an obstacle to inexpensive generic medicines which results in devastating impact on the poorer people. These patent laws allow large MNC's to place ‘profits over people'. World Health Organisation report price of medicines are important for maintaining the affordability and access of the medicines. This research evaluates the strategies and practices of Glaxo Smith Kline in contribution towards the access to medicines and their contribution of corporate social responsibility in India.
The Impact of CSR on Consumer Responses in the Hospitality Industry
Authors: Fatma Mobin
Published: May 2018

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and there is a legitimate pressure on business from the stakeholders to behave in a socially responsible manner. Growing complexity of business, increasing concern for sustainable development, need for managing of natural resources and call for enhanced transparency have not only magnified the significance of CSR but also heightened the inclination towards integration of CSR principles in the corporate activities. The purpose of this study is to understand how CSR initiatives influence the consumer responses in the hospitality industry. Findings suggest that corporate ability has a strong effect on customer purchase intention while CSR activities were found to exert influence on customer purchase intention in cases where the customer was aware of such activities being conducted.
Universities as Drivers and Models of Corporate Social Responsibility
Authors: Abdel-Hameid Shahira Osama , Badri Alia Babiker
Published: May 2018

This study advocates that universities are prominent driving force behind corporate social responsibility. It highlights the commitment of universities in social responsibility (SR) and civic engagement with special reference to the experience of Ahfad University for Women (AUW) as a model for CSR. The main objective of this study is to develop a better understanding of the roles of universities in social responsibility (SR) and civic engagement (CE) to reveal best practices that can be useful for other universities. The unique evolution of AUW exemplified in its philosophy has created a solid foundation for SR. The study found that university social responsibility (USR) was embedded at the student, faculty and community members level supported by the values and commitment of top management.
Online Disclosure of Social Responsibility Strategies
Authors: Alonso-Cañadas Juana , del Mar Gálvez-Rodríguez María , Caba-Pérez María del Carmen , Saraite Laura
Published: May 2018

Nonprofit organisations should be at the forefront in implementing corporate social responsibility in their actions and in disclosing these practices, not only to improve their image but also to enable access to corporate social responsibility information to be used as an effective instrument for continuous improvement. This chapter analyses perceptions of online transparency and web-usage as a means of online corporate social responsibility disclosure practices. Data is obtained from nonprofit case study analysis of Spanish Verdiblanca. The results reveal a contradiction between the corporate social responsibility information that is considered most important and actual practices of information disclosure. In particular, the information disclosure that is most highly valued concerns the social impact made by the organisation, compared to information on economics which is the most visible on the organisational webpage.
Do Bankers Use Managerial Discretion With Regard to CSR and Earnings Management to Rebuild Their Reputation in the Aftermath of the Financial Crisis?
Authors: Sneekes Ada , Georgakopoulos Georgios , Sikalidis Alexandros , Rodosthenous Maria
Published: May 2018

In this paper the authors examine the relationship between CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) performance and earning management in the banking industry from 2008 to 2012 having a specific focus on managerial behaviour and its impact on banks' reputation. They propose that when managers opportunistically engage in CSR, they will also engage in opportunistic earnings management but if they engage in CSR practices because it is the socially ‘right thing to do' then earnings will better reflect banks' true economic performance. Finally, they expect that when bank managers recognize the importance of societal trust they use their discretion to regain trust and to rebuild reputation. Their results show that in general, banks that perform high on CSR indicators behave more transparently with regard to the presentation of earnings. Banks that engage in CSR activities to improve their reputation, use managerial discretion to show socially desirable earnings numbers. For banks that value their reputation, pursuing societal trust is more important than the fulfilling of self-interest.
The Importance of Advocacy on Reputation and Loyalty
Authors: Amoroso Donald L.
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the CSR factors influencing consumers' loyalty and see if there are cultural differences and similarities. A research model was developed based upon existing research theory and tested the model by collecting data using an online survey instrument. The survey yielded usable response: 320 consumers in Japan, 1049 consumers in China and 528 consumers in the Philippines comparing the results among the three East Asian countries. Significant differences were found in some of the CSR factors, specifically where CSR advocacy was an important factor across all countries strongly influencing loyalty. Differences included hypocrisy to trust in China is not significant, whereas awareness to hypocrisy was not strong in Japan. Advocacy has a strong impact on reputation in China.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Hotel Industry
Authors: Jhamb Rajesh , Singh Gurjit
Published: May 2018

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is basically, what an organization does over and above the statutory requirement for the benefits of all the stakeholders of the society. In recent years, there has been a significant perception shift in the use of hotels. Hotels are being used for socializing, relaxation, business and so many other reasons. The hotel industry has to adapt themselves with the rapid social changes and creative relations and also face challenges of modern style and technology, green features and sustainability etc. The issues like garbage disposal, quality services to the customers, maintaining the flora and fauna of the area, culture heritages, respect the sentiments of the local areas residents' community, socials environment issues, etc. and are the main issues and challenges for the hotel industry in these days. This paper will take in account the above mentioned issues and challenges of hotel industries in the today's eras of liberalization, Privatization and Globalization and their impact on the growth of economic development in India.
Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility and Disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Radovic Vesela Milorad
Published: May 2018

Numerous risks in global community represent significant risk for the future sustainable development. Serbia is exposed to various risks and international help is sometimes needed. This paper presents limitations of Serbian emergency services, business community, as well as insurance and reinsurance market, in the process of reducing environmental risks in disaster. Serbian environment is vulnerable because of irresponsible behavior of some parts of industry sector. They do not apply the concept of corporate social responsibility in a greater scope. Analysis of the data presented in the paper show that there is a lot of room for improvement despite some positive changes in business community and recent efforts in the process of disaster risk reduction. In Serbia there is obvious need for adaptation of the widest contemporary concept of Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility perspective: CSR 2.0. This concept will contribute to increasing of organizational competitiveness and more adequate response of stakeholders to disaster.
Internationalization, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Poverty Alleviation
Authors: López-Morales José Satsumi , Ortega-Ridaura Isabel
Published: May 2018

The aim of this chapter is to describe how the MNCs can contribute to alleviate poverty and improve the well-being of the workers and communities, focused in two issues: job creation and CSR practices. For this purpose, the authors analyzed the case of the Mexican MNC FEMSA in Latin America. The results show that FEMSA plays an important role in job creation, with around 250,000 direct jobs in 2015 being created with Mexico and Brazil the most benefitiated with around the 84% of the jobs. In the case of CSR, 40 programs were identified under three main headings: “our people”, “our community” and “our planet”. Most of the programs are focused in “our community” (25) and the major receiver is Mexico with the 31 programs, the results of these programs show some benefits in the level of life and well-being of the people that has used these.
Corporate Social Responsibility Values of Managers in Transforming Societies
Authors: Lang Rainhart , Rybnikova Irma
Published: May 2018

Within the GLOBE project, CEOs from companies in East Germany, Estonia and Romania (N=129) have been interviewed about their value preferences in case of critical management decisions. Furthermore, lower level managers and employees (N=787) filled out questionnaires concerning perceived value preferences of their companies. Drawing on an extended stakeholder approach through focus on managerial values (CSV) and the person-situation concept of , we particularly focus on country-based contingencies of managerial values coupled with other context factors like managerial position and ownership. The findings show that there are specific country-based combinations of corporate social values in the companies studied, with strategic orientation in East Germany, shareholder focus coupled with a relatively strong religious orientation in Romania and an orientation on shareholders as well as on employees and community in Estonia. Moreover, an interaction between the country effect and organizational factors shaping managerial decisions can be observed.
Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Latin American Companies
Authors: Haro-de-Rosario Arturo , del Mar Gálvez-Rodríguez María , Caba-Pérez María del Carmen
Published: May 2018

The oil and gas sector exerts a major influence on the global economy. However, its negative impact on the environment and society has provoked increasing concerns about its activities and consumption of natural resources. Therefore, and in view of the fact that Latin America has the world's largest conventional oil reserves, the aim of this paper is to analyse the voluntary disclosure of information on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of oil and gas companies operating in Latin America, and to study the factors that may influence the provision of this information. The results obtained show that although companies in this sector are becoming more aware of the impact of their activity, greater efforts need to be made with respect to CSR. We find that the largest, most profitable oil and gas companies tend to publish the most complete CSR reports.
Studying Corporate Social Responsibility Activities in the Agri-Food Sector
Authors: Liapakis Anastasios , Costopoulou Constantina , Tsiligiridis Theodore , Sideridis Alexander B.
Published: May 2018

Despite the increasing interest in the adoption of corporate social responsibility by businesses in a variety of industries, hardly any attention has been paid to the agri-food sector and especially, to the Greek food sector. The agri-food sector has a strong impact on the economy, the environment and the society of each nation. In this light, the purpose of this article is to investigate the largest ninety-eight Greek food companies in dairy, meat, snack, flour & milling and fishing industries about their corporate social responsibility campaigns. A survey has been conducted based on the content analysis of the companies' website. The analysis' results show that companies in the Greek agri-food sector have started to pay attention in CSR strategies with the most portion of their CSR income to environmental campaigns even though the unfolding Greek financial crisis.
The Breath of Life
Authors: Özbağ Gönül Kaya
Published: May 2018

This chapter aims to contribute to the debate about corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable development (SD) and global corporate citizenship (GCC) that is becoming increasingly an important issue for the human well being as well as that of ecological systems. It contains three sections. The first section looks at the concept of CSR with a historical perspective. The dimensions of CSR and its relationship with ethical theories is investigated in the second section since CSR is an ethical concept. Throughout this chapter three main groups of ethical theories classified by Garriga and Mele (2004) will be presented such as normative stakeholder theory, universal rights, the common good approach. Based on the relationship between common good approach and sustainable development, the author will discuss a requirement for global corporate citizenship approach in the third section.
Integrating New Visions of Education Models and CSR 2.0 Towards University Social Responsibility (USR)
Authors: Sitnikov Catalina Soriana , Bocean Claudiu , Tudor Sorin
Published: May 2018

Currently, the adoption of a specific approach to business activities that highlights the strategic importance of corporate social responsibility hereafter CSR is the most important element influencing the existence and continuity of an organization. Thus, there is not a surprise that universities shall identify, in terms of own activities, the possibility to lead their orientation beyond teaching-learning process, towards the operations and institutional activities. At the same time, recent decades have experienced the failure of CSR as a way of doing business, govern or provide solutions and evaluate ethical issues and, thus, of the need to apply and implement a new approach - CSR 2.0. The transition from the current CSR, or 1.0, to CSR 2.0 requires the adoption of five new principles—creativity, scalability, responsiveness, glocality, and circularity—and embedding them within organizations management and culture. The paper will unfold towards two steps: the first, dedicated to the correlation between education (Blessinger's models and frameworks elements) with business (based on higher education business models), and the second, represented by integrating the new built model with the concepts and principles of CSR 2.0 developed by Visser. The new framework can be used to manage the context and processes of a socially responsible university as part of a world influenced by CSR 2.0 principles.
Patient Accessible EHR is Controversial
Authors: Scandurra Isabella , Jansson Anette , Forsberg-Fransson Marie-Louise , Ålander Ture
Published: May 2018

In Sweden, a national eHealth service providing Patient Accessible Electronic Health Records is now being widely deployed, with 400 000 users in January 2016. Although the Patient Data Act states that patients have a right to take part of their health records, the introduction has been controversial. Results from a pre-deployment questionnaire to record-keeping care professions in a healthcare region indicate that perceptions and knowledge differ not only between the professions but, more importantly, that knowledge about current eHealth development and action plans needs to increase as implementation will affect their work processes. Staff perceptions and knowledge are considered being some of the most important issues to handle during the implementation of eHealth services aiming to provide healthcare information and communication tools for patients and relatives. To cover the gaps, specific training is needed, and all record-keeping professionals need to be more involved in the implementation of such eHealth services.
Users' Satisfaction With the Electronic Health Record (EHR) in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Authors: Abdulla Aysha Ebrahim , Ahmed Shurooq Yousif , Alnoaimi Maryam Abdulrahman , Ali Hayat
Published: May 2018

Today, many hospitals seek to adopt the latest and most sophisticated technologies in order to raise the service quality and users' satisfaction. The Electronic Health Record (EHR) had a substantial impact on the health sector and has enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare providers. The purpose of this research is to examine the factors that affect users' satisfaction with the current Health Record System in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A research model was built based on three popular models of users' satisfaction toward information systems. Toward achieving the research objective, a quantitative approach was followed to collect data from an online survey. Accordingly, 152 responses were collected from the users of EHR in public hospitals and health centres in Bahrain. The results of the survey were analyzed using SPSS and SmartPLS 3.0. It was concluded that the most effective factors in the users' satisfaction with EHR were directly service quality and technical support, with system and information quality indirectly through trust.
User Behavioral Intention Toward Using Mobile Healthcare System
Authors: Keikhosrokiani Pantea , Mustaffa Norlia , Zakaria Nasriah , Baharudin Ahmad Suhaimi
Published: May 2018

This chapter introduces Mobile Healthcare Systems (MHS) and employs some theories to explore the behavioral intention of Smartphone users in Penang, Malaysia to use MHS. A survey was conducted in the form of questionnaire to Smartphone users in Penang, Malaysia for the duration of three weeks starting in September 2013. A total number of 123 valid surveys out of 150 were returned, which is equivalent to a response rate of 82%. The authors use Partial Least Squares (PLS) for analyzing the proposed measurement model. The factors that are tested are self-efficacy, anxiety, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, attitude, and behavioral intention to use. The results indicate which factors have a significant effect on Smartphone users' behavioral intention and which factors are not significant. The results assist in assessing whether MHS is highly demanded by users or not, and will assist in development of the system in the future.
Information Literacy Skills Among the Undergraduate Students at the University of Livingstonia, Malawi
Authors: Flywel Donald , Jorosi Boemo N.
Published: May 2018

The aim of the article was to assess Information Literacy (IL) skills among the undergraduate students at the University of Livingstonia in Malawi with special focus on second year students. A cross-section descriptive survey design was employed whose population included Second year undergraduate students. Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data. The sampled students showed high level of awareness of types of information sources but had problems in identifying diverse information resources and their usage. Besides, participants demonstrated lack of skills in information search and Web retrieval techniques. With respect to evaluation of information, the sampled students did not know the various methods of evaluating information sources. The article concludes that the majority of students at the University of Livingstonia did not demonstrate adequate information literacy skills. Therefore, among others, the study recommends advocacy and awareness campaigns for information search techniques and designing of a formal IL curriculum
Combining Data Preprocessing Methods With Imputation Techniques for Software Defect Prediction
Authors: Kakkar Misha , Jain Sarika , Bansal Abhay , Grover P.S.
Published: May 2018

Software Defect Prediction (SDP) models are used to predict, whether software is clean or buggy using the historical data collected from various software repositories. The data collected from such repositories may contain some missing values. In order to estimate missing values, imputation techniques are used, which utilizes the complete observed values in the dataset. The objective of this study is to identify the best-suited imputation technique for handling missing values in SDP dataset. In addition to identifying the imputation technique, the authors have investigated for the most appropriate combination of imputation technique and data preprocessing method for building SDP model. In this study, four combinations of imputation technique and data preprocessing methods are examined using the improved NASA datasets. These combinations are used along with five different machine-learning algorithms to develop models. The performance of these SDP models are then compared using traditional performance indicators. Experiment results show that among different imputation techniques, linear regression gives the most accurate imputed value. The combination of linear regression with correlation based feature selector outperforms all other combinations. To validate the significance of data preprocessing methods with imputation the findings are applied to open source projects. It was concluded that the result is in consistency with the above conclusion.
An Approach to Mitigate Malware Attacks Using Netfilter's Hybrid Frame in Firewall Security
Authors: Nahar Nivedita , Dewan Prerna , Kumar Rakesh
Published: May 2018

With the steady advancements in the technology, the network security is really important these days to protect information from attackers. In this research, the main focus is on designing strong firewall filtering rules so that detection of malicious code is achieved to an optimal level. A proposed framework is introduced to improve the performance parameters such as Server response time, Web content analysis, Bandwidth, and the performance of the Network traffic load. This research work defines a new set of IPtable rules achieved by modifying the kernel source code. This is done using OpenBSD kernel source code, which results in the formation of a mini-firewall. Therefore, a new hybrid approach is proposed by adding packet filtering rules and SNORT technology in mini-firewall for malicious activity detection. It is an efficient and practical technique which will be helpful to mitigate the malware attacks and secure LAMP server. Experimental analysis has been done to conclude that around 70-75% malicious activity can be reduced by using the proposed technique.
Detection of Automobile Insurance Fraud Using Feature Selection and Data Mining Techniques
Authors: Subudhi Sharmila , Panigrahi Suvasini
Published: May 2018

This article presents a novel approach for fraud detection in automobile insurance claims by applying various data mining techniques. Initially, the most relevant attributes are chosen from the original dataset by using an evolutionary algorithm based feature selection method. A test set is then extracted from the selected attribute set and the remaining dataset is subjected to the Possibilistic Fuzzy C-Means (PFCM) clustering technique for the undersampling approach. The 10-fold cross validation method is then used on the balanced dataset for training and validating a group of Weighted Extreme Learning Machine (WELM) classifiers generated from various combinations of WELM parameters. Finally, the test set is applied on the best performing model for classification purpose. The efficacy of the proposed system is illustrated by conducting several experiments on a real-world automobile insurance defraud dataset. Besides, a comparative analysis with another approach justifies the superiority of the proposed system.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Susceptibility Gene C1ORF106 Regulates Intestinal Epithelial Permeability
Authors: Manzanillo Paolo , Mouchess Maria , Ota Naruhisa , Dai Bingbing , Ichikawa Ryan , Wuster Arthur , Haley Benjamin , Alvarado Gabriela , Kwon Youngsu , Caothien Roger , Roose-Girma Meron , Warming Soren , McKenzie Brent S , Keir Mary E , Scherl Alexis , Ouyang Wenjun , Yi Tangsheng
Published: May 2018

Intestinal epithelial cells form a physical barrier that is tightly regulated to control intestinal permeability. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, increase epithelial permeability through disruption of epithelial junctions. The regulation of the epithelial barrier in inflammatory gastrointestinal disease remains to be fully characterized. In this article, we show that the human inflammatory bowel disease genetic susceptibility gene C1ORF106 plays a key role in regulating gut epithelial permeability. C1ORF106 directly interacts with cytohesins to maintain functional epithelial cell junctions. C1orf106-deficient mice are hypersensitive to TNF-α–induced increase in epithelial permeability, and this is associated with increased diarrhea. This study identifies C1ORF106 as an epithelial cell junction protein, and the loss of C1ORF106 augments TNF-α–induced intestinal epithelial leakage and diarrhea that may play a critical role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease.
IL-36γ Protects against Severe Influenza Infection by Promoting Lung Alveolar Macrophage Survival and Limiting Viral Replication
Authors: Wein Alexander N. , Dunbar Paul R. , McMaster Sean R. , Li Zheng-Rong Tiger , Denning Timothy L. , Kohlmeier Jacob E.
Published: May 2018

Although influenza virus infection remains a concerning disease for public health, the roles of individual cytokines during the immune response to influenza infection are not fully understood. We have identified IL-36γ as a key mediator of immune protection during both high- and low-pathogenesis influenza infection. Il36g mRNA is upregulated in the lung following influenza infection, and mice lacking IL-36γ have greatly increased morbidity and mortality upon infection with either H1N1 or H3N2 influenza. The increased severity of influenza infection in IL-36γ–knockout (KO) mice is associated with increased viral titers, higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines early in infection, and more diffuse pathologic conditions late in the disease course. Interestingly, the increased severity of disease in IL-36γ–KO mice correlates with a rapid loss of alveolar macrophages following infection. We find that the alveolar macrophages from naive IL-36γ–KO mice have higher expression of M2-like surface markers compared with wild-type (WT) mice and show increased apoptosis within 24 h of infection. Finally, transfer of WT alveolar macrophages to IL-36γ–KO mice restores protection against lethal influenza challenge to levels observed in WT mice. Together, these data identify a critical role for IL-36γ in immunity against influenza virus and demonstrate the importance of IL-36γ signaling for alveolar macrophage survival during infection.
Emergence of NK Cell Hyporesponsiveness after Two IL-15 Stimulation Cycles
Authors: Frutoso Marie , Morisseau Sébastien , Tamzalit Fella , Quéméner Agnès , Meghnem Dihia , Leray Isabelle , Jacques Yannick , Mortier Erwan
Published: May 2018

IL-15 is a cytokine playing a crucial role in the function of immune cells, including NK and CD8 T cells. In this study, we demonstrated that in vivo, in mice, IL-15–prestimulated NK cells were no longer able to respond to a second cycle of IL-15 stimulation. This was illustrated by defects in cell maturation, proliferation, and activation, seemingly linked to the environment surrounding NK cells but not related to the presence of CD4 regulatory T cells, TGF-β, or IL-10. Moreover, NK cells from immunodeficient mice could respond to two cycles of IL-15 stimulation, whereas an adoptive transfer of CD44+CD8+ cells impaired their responsiveness to the second cycle. Conversely, in immunocompetent mice, NK cell responsiveness to a second IL-15 stimulation was restored by the depletion of CD8+ cells. These biological findings refine our understanding of the complex mode of action of NK cells in vivo, and they should be taken into consideration for IL-15–based therapy.
Tumor Suppressor p14ARF Enhances IFN-γ–Activated Immune Response by Inhibiting PIAS1 via SUMOylation
Authors: Alagu Jennifer , Itahana Yoko , Sim Faizal , Chao Sheng-Hao , Bi Xuezhi , Itahana Koji
Published: May 2018

The ability of cells to induce the appropriate transcriptional response to inflammatory stimuli is crucial for the timely induction of host defense mechanisms. Although a role for tumor suppressor p14ARF (ARF) in the innate immune response was previously demonstrated, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. ARF is a potent upregulator of protein SUMOylation; however, no association of this function with the immune system has been made. In this study, we show the unique role of ARF in IFN-γ–induced immune response using human cell lines. Through a systematic search of proteins SUMOylated by ARF, we identified PIAS1, an inhibitor of IFN-activated transcription factor STAT1, as a novel ARF-binding partner and SUMOylation target. In response to IFN-γ treatment, ARF promoted PIAS1 SUMOylation to inhibit the ability of PIAS1 to attenuate IFN-γ response. Wild-type, but not ARF mutants unable to enhance PIAS1 SUMOylation, prevented the PIAS1-mediated inhibition of IFN-γ response. Conversely, the SUMO-deconjugase SENP1 deSUMOylated PIAS1 to reactivate PIAS1 that was inhibited by ARF. These findings suggest that PIAS1 function is negatively modulated by SUMO modification and that SUMOylation by ARF is required to inhibit PIAS1 activity and restore IFN-γ–induced transcription. In the presence of ARF, in which case PIAS1 is inhibited, depletion of PIAS1 did not have an additive effect on IFN-γ response, suggesting that ARF-mediated enhancement of IFN-γ response is mainly due to PIAS1 inhibition. Our findings reveal a novel function of ARF to inhibit PIAS1 by enhancing SUMOylation to promote the robust induction of IFN-γ response.
Kearns-Sayre syndrome is genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous
Authors: Finsterer Josef , Zarrouk-Mahjoub Sinda
Published: May 2018

Not available.