Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Coordination Framework For Multi-Agent Persuasion And Adviser Systems, Budhitama Subagdja, Ah-Hwee Tan, Yilin Kang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Assistive agents have been used to give advices to the users regarding activities in daily lives. Although adviser bots are getting smarter and gaining more popularity these days they are usually developed and deployed independent from each other. When several agents operate together in the same context, their advices may no longer be effective since they may instead overwhelm or confuse the user if not properly arranged. Only little attentions have been paid to coordinating different agents to give different advices to a user within the same environment. However, aligning the advices on-the-fly with the appropriate presentation timing at the …

Trends In Phishing Attacks: Suggestions For Future Research, Ryan M. Schuetzler

Ryan Schuetzler

Deception in computer-mediated communication is a widespread phenomenon. Cyber criminals are exploiting technological mediums to communicate with potential targets as these channels reduce both the deception cues and the risk of detection itself. A prevalent deception-based attack in computer-mediated communication is phishing. Prior phishing research has addressed the “bait” and “hook” components of phishing attacks, the human-computer interaction that takes place as users judge the veracity of phishing emails and websites, and the development of technologies that can aid users in identifying and rejecting these attacks. Despite the extant research on this topic, phishing attacks continue to be successful as …

When Disclosure Is Involuntary: Empowering Users With Control To Reduce Concerns, David W. Wilson, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Bradley Dorn, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot

Ryan Schuetzler

Modern organizations must carefully balance the practice of gathering large amounts of valuable data from individuals with the associated ethical considerations and potential negative public image inherent in breaches of privacy. As it becomes increasingly commonplace for many types of information to be collected without individuals' knowledge or consent, managers and researchers alike can benefit from understanding how individuals react to such involuntary disclosures, and how these reactions can impact evaluations of the data-collecting organizations. This research develops and empirically tests a theoretical model that shows how empowering individuals with a sense of control over their personal information can help …

Real-Time Embodied Agent Adaptation, Ryan M. Schuetzler, David W. Wilson

Ryan Schuetzler

This paper reports on initial investigation of two emerging technologies, FaceFX and Smartbody, capable of creating life-like animations for embodied conversational agents (ECAs) such as the AVATAR agent. Real-time rendering and animation generation technologies can enable rapid adaptation of ECAs to changing circumstances. The benefits of each package are discussed.

The Influence Of Conversational Agent Embodiment And Conversational Relevance On Socially Desirable Responding, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Justin Scott Giboney, G. Mark Grimes, Jay F. Nunamaker Jr.

Ryan Schuetzler

Conversational agents (CAs) are becoming an increasingly common component in a wide range of information systems. A great deal of research to date has focused on enhancing traits that make CAs more humanlike. However, few studies have examined the influence such traits have on information disclosure. This research builds on self-disclosure, social desirability, and social presence theories to explain how CA anthropomorphism affects disclosure of personally sensitive information. Taken together, these theories suggest that as CAs become more humanlike, the social desirability of user responses will increase. In this study, we use a laboratory experiment to examine the influence of …

Robustness Of Multiple Indicators In Automated Screening Systems For Deception Detection, Nathan Twyman, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Aaron Elkins, Douglas C. Derrick

Ryan Schuetzler

This study investigates the effectiveness of an automatic system for detection of deception by individuals with the use of multiple indicators of such potential deception. Deception detection research in the information systems discipline has postulated increased accuracy through a new class of screening systems that automatically conduct interviews and track multiple indicators of deception simultaneously. Understanding the robustness of this new class of systems and the limitations of its theoretical improved performance is important for refinement of the conceptual design. The design science proof-of-concept study presented here implemented and evaluated the robustness of these systems for automated screening for deception …

Kinesic Patterning In Deceptive And Truthful Interactions, Judee K. Burgoon, Ryan M. Schuetzler, David W. Wilson

Ryan Schuetzler

A persistent question in the deception literature has been the extent to which nonverbal behaviors can reliably distinguish between truth and deception. It has been argued that deception instigates cognitive load and arousal that are betrayed through visible nonverbal indicators. Yet, empirical evidence has often failed to find statistically significant or strong relationships. Given that interpersonal message production is characterized by a high degree of simultaneous and serial patterning among multiple behaviors, it may be that patterns of behaviors are more diagnostic of veracity. Or it may be that the theorized linkage between internal states of arousal, cognitive taxation, and …

Man Vs. Machine: Investigating The Effects Of Adversarial System Use On End-User Behavior In Automated Deception Detection Interviews, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot, Randall Boyle, Ryan M. Schuetzler

Ryan Schuetzler

Deception is an inevitable component of human interaction. Researchers and practitioners are developing information systems to aid in the detection of deceptive communication. Information systems are typically adopted by end users to aid in completing a goal or objective (e.g., increasing the efficiency of a business process). However, end-user interactions with deception detection systems (adversarial systems) are unique because the goals of the system and the user are orthogonal. Prior work investigating systems-based deception detection has focused on the identification of reliable deception indicators. This research extends extant work by looking at how users of deception detection systems alter their …

Overview And Guidance On Agile Development In Large Organizations, Jordan B. Barlow, Justin Scott Giboney, Mark Jeffrey Keith, David W. Wilson, Ryan Schuetzler, Paul Benjamin Lowry, Anthony Vance

Ryan Schuetzler

A continual debate surrounds the effectiveness of agile software development practices. Some organizations adopt agile practices to become more competitive, improve processes, and reduce costs. Other organizations are skeptical about whether agile development is beneficial. Large organizations face an additional challenge in integrating agile practices with existing standards and business processes. To examine the effects of agile development practices in large organizations, we review and integrate scientific literature and theory on agile software development. We further organize our theory and observations into a framework with guidelines for large organizations considering agile methodologies. Based on this framework, we present recommendations that …

Establishing A Foundation For Automated Human Credibility Screening, Jay F. Nunamaker Jr., Judee K. Burgoon, Nathan W. Twyman, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Justin Scott Giboney

Ryan Schuetzler

Automated human credibility screening is an emerging research area that has potential for high impact in fields as diverse as homeland security and accounting fraud detection. Systems that conduct interviews and make credibility judgments can provide objectivity, improved accuracy, and greater reliability to credibility assessment practices, need to be built. This study establishes a foundation for developing automated systems for human credibility screening.

Countermeasures And Eye Tracking Deception Detection, Ryan M. Schuetzler

Ryan Schuetzler

A new development in the field of deception detection is been the development of rapid, noncontact tools for automated detection. This research in progress paper describes a method for assessing the robustness of eye tracker-based deception detection to countermeasures employed by knowledgeable participants.

Facilitating Natural Conversational Agent Interactions: Lessons From A Deception Experiment, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Mark Grimes, Justin Scott Giboney, Joesph Buckman

Ryan Schuetzler

This study reports the results of a laboratory experiment exploring interactions between humans and a conversational agent. Using the ChatScript language, we created a chat bot that asked participants to describe a series of images. The two objectives of this study were (1) to analyze the impact of dynamic responses on participants’ perceptions of the conversational agent, and (2) to explore behavioral changes in interactions with the chat bot (i.e. response latency and pauses) when participants engaged in deception. We discovered that a chat bot that provides adaptive responses based on the participant’s input dramatically increases the perceived humanness and …

A Systems Approach To Countermeasures In Credibility Assessment Interviews, Nathan Twyman, Ryan M. Schuetzler, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot, Aaron Elkins

Ryan Schuetzler

Countermeasures, or techniques for hiding guilt during a credibility assessment examination, have long been an important topic in cognitive psychology and criminal justice fields. With recent IS research on automated screening systems, understanding the potential for countermeasures in this new paradigm is of increasing importance. This paper reports on a large experiment examining countermeasures in an automated deception detection screening context. The effectiveness of traditional countermeasure types (mental and physical) are examined, as well as an exploratory approach of trying several countermeasures at once. The exploratory approach was tested to investigate a proposed novel systems-inspired solution to countermeasures—triangulating on deception …

Improving Vix Futures Forecasts Using Machine Learning Methods, James Hosker, Slobodan Djurdjevic, Hieu Nguyen, Robert Slater

SMU Data Science Review

The problem of forecasting market volatility is a difficult task for most fund managers. Volatility forecasts are used for risk management, alpha (risk) trading, and the reduction of trading friction. Improving the forecasts of future market volatility assists fund managers in adding or reducing risk in their portfolios as well as in increasing hedges to protect their portfolios in anticipation of a market sell-off event. Our analysis compares three existing financial models that forecast future market volatility using the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) to six machine/deep learning supervised regression methods. This analysis determines which models provide best …

The Complexities Of Open Data, Hector Dominguez

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Hector Dominguez is the current Open Data Coordinator at the City of Portland, and there are several lessons learned and strategies developed in the several months of work in this position. Hector will share some challenges on creating trusted and reliable data and information services, as well as the opportunities to work with Urban Data to resolve city challenges and to support achieving the City's goals in the coming years.

In this talk, Hector will share how modeling and defining the right metrics are not the only factors to implementing a citywide program, but rather, how ethics, communications and strategy …

Development Of A Personal Logbook Android Application, John Byrnes

Economic Crime Forensics Capstones

Development of a mobile app to keep up with animal information.

Providers’ Perception Of Alert Fatigue After Implementation Of User-Filtered Warnings, Hina Afaq, Sahaana Mukundan, Sadaf Zia, Alisa K. Escano Dr., Rebecca Lear Dr., Casey Washington Dr.

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Alert fatigue is a complex problem that many health institutions face when using an electronic health record (EHR). The addition of user-filtered warnings (UFW) is a physicians’ proposed intervention at Inova Health System (IHS), a large 5-hospital health system in Northern Virginia, that allows prescribers to filter out specific drug-drug interactions and pregnancy and lactation medication alerts for a 30-day period. This study aims to determine the impact of UFW on physicians’ perception of alert fatigue and to calculate the reduction of medication alerts. It was hypothesized that the reduction in alerts will significantly impact physicians’ perception of alert fatigue …

Understanding Diabetes Through Pathway Analysis Evaluation, London Cavaletto

Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) Program 2018-19

Metabolic disorders affect many people and identifying significantly perturbed biological processes in a metabolic disease can provide valuable insight into the disease’s mechanisms. Evaluating the proposed Metabolic Pathway Analysis Method (RAMP) will enable us to reliably use it to identify significantly perturbed metabolic pathways that could help identify disease mechanisms and potential therapy targets or disease bio-markers of a metabolic disorder.

Information Systems For Business And Beyond, David T. Bourgeois, James L. Smith, Shouhong Wang, Joseph Mortati

Open Textbooks

This book is written as an introductory text, meant for those with little or no experience with computers or information systems. While sometimes the descriptions can get a bit technical, every effort has been made to convey the information essential to understanding a topic while not getting overly focused in detailed terminology.

The text is organized around thirteen chapters divided into three major parts, as follows:

• Part 1: What Is an Information System?

◦ Chapter 1: What Is an Information System? – This chapter provides an overview of information systems, including the history of how information systems got to …

Project Managers’ Communication Strategies For Team Collaboration In Software Development, John Rubena Wani

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective communication among team members in software development projects is increasingly significant for the success of the project. Successful software projects are the catalyst for achieving profitability objectives and creating shareholder value in organizations. The purpose of this single case study was to investigate communication strategies information technology (IT) project managers used for successful team collaboration in software development. The population for this study comprised senior IT project managers. The project managers had supervision responsibilities from a midsized IT company in Alberta, Canada. The sociotechnical theory guided this study as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with …

Cybersecurity Strategies For Universities With Bring Your Own Device Programs, Hai Vu Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon has proliferated, making its way into different business and educational sectors and enabling multiple vectors of attack and vulnerability to protected data. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore the strategies information technology (IT) security professionals working in a university setting use to secure an environment to support BYOD in a university system. The study population was comprised of IT security professionals from the University of California campuses currently managing a network environment for at least 2 years where BYOD has been implemented. Protection motivation theory was the study's conceptual framework. …

Relationship Between Time Estimation, Cost Estimation, And Project Performance, Eyas Nakhleh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the project management role is increasing, project failure rates remain high. Project time and cost are 2 project factors that can affect the performance of the projects. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between time estimation, cost estimation, and project performance. Data collection involved a purposive sample of 67 project sponsors, managers, and coordinators in Qatar. The theoretical framework was the iron triangle, also known as the triple constraints. Participants were randomly invited to answer 18 questions using the project implementation profile instrument. A standard multiple regression analysis was used to examine the correlation …

Utilization Of Various Methods And A Landsat Ndvi/Google Earth Engine Product For Classifying Irrigated Land Cover, Andrew Nemecek

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Methods for classifying irrigated land cover are often complex and not quickly reproducible. Further, moderate resolution time-series datasets have been consistently utilized to produce irrigated land cover products over the past decade, and the body of irrigation classification literature contains no examples of subclassification of irrigated land cover by irrigation method. Creation of geospatial irrigated land cover products with higher resolution datasets could improve reliability, and subclassification of irrigation by method could provide better information for hydrologists and climatologists attempting to model the role of irrigation in the surface-ground water cycle and the water-energy balance. This study summarizes a simple, …

Learning To Map The Visual And Auditory World, Tawfiq Salem

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

The appearance of the world varies dramatically not only from place to place but also from hour to hour and month to month. Billions of images that capture this complex relationship are uploaded to social-media websites every day and often are associated with precise time and location metadata. This rich source of data can be beneficial to improve our understanding of the globe. In this work, we propose a general framework that uses these publicly available images for constructing dense maps of different ground-level attributes from overhead imagery. In particular, we use well-defined probabilistic models and a weakly-supervised, multi-task training …

Women Leaders In Information Technology: A Phenomenological Study Of Their Career Paths, Michelle Newsome

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, women remain underrepresented in senior level positions in the information technology (IT) field. Despite this challenge, a few women have successfully ascended into senior leadership in IT. Using the social cognitive theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of senior women leaders in the IT field. The research question explored the lived personal and professional experiences of senior women leaders in IT to gain an understanding of their career advancement into senior leadership positions. Through the use of the modified Van Kaam method of …

Cybersecurity Strategies For Universities With Bring Your Own Device Programs, Hai Vu Nguyen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The bring your own device (BYOD) phenomenon has proliferated, making its way into different business and educational sectors and enabling multiple vectors of attack and vulnerability to protected data. The purpose of this multiple-case study was to explore the strategies information technology (IT) security professionals working in a university setting use to secure an environment to support BYOD in a university system. The study population was comprised of IT security professionals from the University of California campuses currently managing a network environment for at least 2 years where BYOD has been implemented. Protection motivation theory was the study's conceptual framework. …

Empathi: An Ontology For Emergency Managing And Planning About Hazard Crisis, Manas Gaur, Kaeedeh Shekarpour, Amelia Gyrard, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

In the domain of emergency management during hazard crises, having sufficient situational awareness information is critical. It requires capturing and integrating information from sources such as satellite images, local sensors and social media content generated by local people.
A bold obstacle to capturing, representing and integrating such heterogeneous and diverse information is lack of a proper ontology which properly conceptualizes this domain, aggregates and unifies datasets. Thus, in this paper, we introduce empathi ontology which conceptualizes the core concepts describing the domain of emergency managing and planning of hazard crises.
Although empathi has a coarse-grained view, it considers the necessary …

Adaptive Knowledge Networks: A Time Capsule, Swati Padhee, Anurag Illendula, Amit Sheth, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Valerie L. Shalin

Kno.e.sis Publications

❖ Real world events are dynamic in nature Periodic events e.g. US Presidential Election Non-periodic events e.g. Cyclone Idai

❖ Need for real-time predictive analysis, trend analysis, spatio-temporal decision making, public opinion analysis for events.

❖ Current state-of-the-art curates dynamic knowledge graph from structured text.

❖ We propose creating an Adaptive Knowledge Network from incoming real-time multimodal spatio-temporally evolving data.

Relate Promotion Tool, David Nutt

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper contains the documentation of a standalone application used to expedite promotion creation and reflections of the development process.

Building Recommendation Systems, Orion Davis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Recommendation systems are pieces of software that suggest new items to a user. There are many moving parts to these systems including data, the actual recommendation model, processing data and finally displaying data. This project explores the role each part plays in the overall system and how to develop a recommendation system for beer from scratch. This project highlights the algorithm behind the recommendations and a user facing Android application.