Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Building A Web Of Trust Without Explicit Trust Ratings, Young Ae Kim, Minh-Tam Le, Hady W. Lauw, Ee Peng Lim, Haifeng Liu, Jaideep Srivastava

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A satisfactory and robust trust model is gaining importance in addressing information overload, and helping users collect reliable information in online communities. Current research on trust prediction strongly relies on a web of trust, which is directly collected from users based on previous experience. However, the web of trust is not always available in online communities and even though it is available, it is often too sparse to predict the trust value between two unacquainted people with high accuracy. In this paper, we propose a framework to derive degree of trust based on users' expertise and users' affinity for certain …

Artist Ranking Through Analysis Of On-Line Community Comments, Julia Grace, Daniel Gruhl, Kevin Haas, Meenakshi Nagarajan, Christine Robson, Nachiketa Sahoo

Kno.e.sis Publications

We describe an approach to measure the popularity of music tracks, albums and artists by analyzing the comments of music listeners in social networking online communities such as MySpace. This measure of popularity appears to be more accurate than the traditional measure based on album sales figures, as demonstrated by our focus group study. We faced many challenges in our attempt to generate a popularity ranking from the user comments on social networking sites, e.g., broken English sentences, comment spam, etc. We discuss the steps we took to overcome these challenges and describe an end to end system for generating …

From Profiles To Patterns: A New View Of Task-Technology Fit, Ilze Zigurs, Deepak Khazanchi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

Continuing advances in the capabilities of communication and information technologies provide a wide array of interesting ways for people to collaborate across space, time, cultures, and organizational boundaries. While the use of collaboration technologies spreads, researchers seek answers to understanding how best to match different technology capabilities with the tasks that teams need to accomplish. Different theories of task-technology fit have been promoted and these theories help to identify key issues of interest to both researchers and practitioners who seek the answer to the best technology support for collaboration. We examine existing theories of fit for collaboration technology and propose …

Risk Analysis In Extended Enterprise Environments: Identification Of Critical Risk Factors In B2b E-Commerce Relationships, Steve G. Sutton, Clark Hampton, Deepak Khazanchi, Vicky Arnold

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Publications

The focus of this study is to identify the critical risk factors that can be used to assess the impact of B2B e-commerce on overall enterprise risk. We apply the Khazanchi and Sutton (2001) framework for B2B e-commerce assurance is applied as the organizing conceptual model for the study. The framework focuses on three primary risk components: (1) technical risks, (2) application-user risks, and (3) business risks. To identify a critical set of B2B risk factors, structured focus groups applying a nominal group technique were conducted with three internal constituency groups (corporate groups consisting of IS security, internal IT audit, …

Mobile Communication And Data Gathering Software For Autistic Children And Their Caregivers, Gondy Leroy, Gianluca De Leo

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Positive design leads to positive change in our society. In most cases, discussions focus on those who receive the design. However, positive design may also have a positive, but often over-looked, effect on the designers themselves. Learning about difficulties others face and developing solutions is a benefit that can contribute to individual designers’ education and general sense of well-being. Having a broader understanding of alternative views and lifestyles makes one a better person. In addition, positive design may benefit the entire field of information science by improving its ability to renew itself and attract new, young talent.

After The System Upgrade Or Migration: A Cataloging Checklist, Sheryl Stump, Rick Torgerson

The Southeastern Librarian

At present. integrated library system (ILS) upgrades and migrations seem to be coming faster and more frequently. The reasons for this trend are many. among them being: 1) hardware upgrades are common due to the need for more memory to run the software; 2) software upgrades and migrations are desired because of the promise of new or improved features; 3) changes in system vendor ownership can affect changes in their software; 4) software and hardware upgrades are needed due to the advanced age of either or both; and 5) system upgrades on a yearly basis may be necessary to prevent …

Validating Multi-Column Schema Matchings By Type, Bing Tian Dai, Nick Koudas, Divesh Srivastava, Anthony K.H. Tung, Suresh Venkatasubramanian

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Validation of multi-column schema matchings is essential for successful database integration. This task is especially difficult when the databases to be integrated contain little overlapping data, as is often the case in practice (e.g., customer bases of different companies). Based on the intuition that values present in different columns related by a schema matching will have similar "semantic type", and that this can be captured using distributions over values ("statistical types"), we develop a method for validating 1-1 and compositional schema matchings. Our technique is based on three key technical ideas. First, we propose a generic measure for comparing two …

E-Government Implementation: A Macro Analysis Of Singapore's E-Government Initiatives, Calvin M.L. Chan, Yi Meng Lau, Shan L. Pan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper offers a macro perspective of the various activities involved in the implementation of e-government through an interpretive analysis of the various e-government-related initiatives undertaken by the Singapore Government. The analysis lead to the identification of four main components in the implementation of e-government, namely (i) information content, (ii) ICT infrastructure, (iii) e-government infostructure, and (iv) e-government promotion. These four components were then conceptually integrated into the e-Government Implementation Framework. This paper suggests that this framework can either be used as a descriptive tool to organize and coordinate various e-government initiatives, or be used as a prescriptive structure to …

Symbolic Links In The Open Directory Project, Saverio Perugini

Computer Science Faculty Publications

We present a study to develop an improved understanding of symbolic links in web directories. A symbolic link is a hyperlink that makes a directed connection from a web page along one path through a directory to a page along another path. While symbolic links are ubiquitous in web directories such as Yahoo!, they are under-studied, and as a result, their uses are poorly understood. A cursory analysis of symbolic links reveals multiple uses: to provide navigational shortcuts deeper into a directory, backlinks to more general categories, and multiclassification. We investigated these uses in the Open Directory Project (ODP), the …

Traveling The Semantic Web Through Space, Time, And Theme, Amit P. Sheth, Matthew Perry

Kno.e.sis Publications

In this installment of Semantics and Services, we further develop the idea of spatial, temporal, and thematic (STT) processing of semantic Web data and describe the Web infrastructure needed to support it. Starting from Ramesh Jain's vision of the EventWeb as a view of what's possible with a Web that better accommodates all three dimensions of event-related information (thematic, spatial, and temporal), we outline the architecture needed to support it and current research that aims to realize it.

Processing Transitive Nearest-Neighbor Queries In Multi-Channel Access Environments, Xiao Zhang, Wang-Chien Lee, Prasnjit Mitra, Baihua Zheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Wireless broadcast is an efficient way for information dissemination due to its good scalability [10]. Existing works typically assume mobile devices, such as cell phones and PDAs, can access only one channel at a time. In this paper, we consider a scenario of near future where a mobile device has the ability to process queries using information simultaneously received from multiple channels. We focus on the query processing of the transitive nearest neighbor (TNN) search [19]. Two TNN algorithms developed for a single broadcast channel environment are adapted to our new broadcast enviroment. Based on the obtained insights, we propose …

Identification Of Command And Control Information Requirements For The Cyberspace Domain, Brian D. Aschenbrenner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an information requirements analysis method that would provide the Director of Cyberspace Forces with the information required to support effective command and control of cyberspace. This research investigates the role of information in command and control, information in the traditional war fighting domains, cyberspace as a war fighting domain, and various methods of determining information requirements of organizations. This research produced an information requirements analysis method that is suitable for identifying the command and control information requirements of the Director of Cyberspace Forces.

On-Line Discovery Of Hot Motion Paths, Dimitris Sacharidis, Kostas Patroumpas, Manolis Terrovitis, Verena Kantere, Michalis Potamias, Kyriakos Mouratidis, Timos Sellis

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We consider an environment of numerous moving objects, equipped with location-sensing devices and capable of communicating with a central coordinator. In this setting, we investigate the problem of maintaining hot motion paths, i.e., routes frequently followed by multiple objects over the recent past. Motion paths approximate portions of objects' movement within a tolerance margin that depends on the uncertainty inherent in positional measurements. Discovery of hot motion paths is important to applications requiring classification/profiling based on monitored movement patterns, such as targeted advertising, resource allocation, etc. To achieve this goal, we delegate part of the path extraction process to objects, …

Semantic Sensor Web, Amit P. Sheth, Cory Andrew Henson

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Approximate Owl Instance Retrieval With Screech, Pascal Hitzler, Markus Krotzsch, Sebastian Rudolph, Tuvshintur Tserendorj

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

With the increasing interest in expressive ontologies for the Semantic Web, it is critical to develop scalable and efficient ontology reasoning techniques that can properly cope with very high data volumes. For certain application domains, approximate reasoning solutions, which trade soundness or completeness for increased reasoning speed, will help to deal with the high computational complexities which state of the art ontology reasoning tools have to face. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the SCREECH approach to approximate instance retrieval with OWL ontologies, which is based on the KAON2 algorithms, facilitating a compilation of OWL DL TBoxes …

Integrating Temporal Difference Methods And Self‐Organizing Neural Networks For Reinforcement Learning With Delayed Evaluative Feedback, Ah-Hwee Tan, Ning Lu, Dan Xiao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper presents a neural architecture for learning category nodes encoding mappings across multimodal patterns involving sensory inputs, actions, and rewards. By integrating adaptive resonance theory (ART) and temporal difference (TD) methods, the proposed neural model, called TD fusion architecture for learning, cognition, and navigation (TD-FALCON), enables an autonomous agent to adapt and function in a dynamic environment with immediate as well as delayed evaluative feedback (reinforcement) signals. TD-FALCON learns the value functions of the state-action space estimated through on-policy and off-policy TD learning methods, specifically state-action-reward-state-action (SARSA) and Q-learning. The learned value functions are then used to determine the …

On Ranking Controversies In Wikipedia: Models And Evaluation, Ba-Quy Vuong, Ee Peng Lim, Aixin Sun, Minh-Tam Le, Hady Wirawan Lauw, Kuiyu Chang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Wikipedia 1 is a very large and successful Web 2.0 example. As the number of Wikipedia articles and contributors grows at a very fast pace, there are also increasing disputes occurring among the contributors. Disputes often happen in articles with controversial content. They also occur frequently among contributors who are "aggressive" or controversial in their personalities. In this paper, we aim to identify controversial articles in Wikipedia. We propose three models, namely the Basic model and two Controversy Rank (CR) models. These models draw clues from collaboration and edit history instead of interpreting the actual articles or edited content. While …

The Development And Evaluation Of Software To Foster Professional Development In Educational Assessment, Morgan C. Benton

Dissertations

This dissertation sought to answer the question: Is it possible to build a software tool that will allow teachers to write better multiple-choice questions? The thesis proceeded from the finding that the quality of teaching is very influential in the amount that students learn. A basic premise of this research, then, is that improving teachers will improve learning. With this foundation, the next question became what area of teaching to improve. The literature on educational assessment indicated that teachers lack competence at effective assessment, particularly in the area of multiple-choice question generation. It is likely that improvement in this area …

Taux : A System For Evaluating Sound Feedback In Navigational Tasks, Robert J. Lutz

Dissertations

This thesis presents the design and development of an evaluation system for generating audio displays that provide feedback to persons performing navigation tasks. It first develops the need for such a system by describing existing wayfinding solutions, investigating new electronic location-based methods that have the potential of changing these solutions and examining research conducted on relevant audio information representation techniques. An evaluation system that supports the manipulation of two basic classes of audio display is then described. Based on prior work on wayfinding with audio display, research questions are developed that investigate the viability of different audio displays. These are …

User Evaluation Of The Performance Of Information Systems, Edward Mahinda

Dissertations

Information technologies (IT) are considered the primary survival factor for many organizations and the most critical success factor in businesses today. To justify the necessary investment in IT, user evaluation of information systems' performance in organizations is a key consideration. This research investigated a comprehensive and convenient means for end users to assess this performance.

Among the existing theories and models on the evaluation of information system performance based on intrinsic technological properties, the Web of System Performance (WOSP) model provides the most comprehensive basis for information system evaluation, and therefore merited further investigation. The research question was how well …

Complex Adaptive Systems Based Data Integration : Theory And Applications, Eliahu Rohn

Dissertations

Data Definition Languages (DDLs) have been created and used to represent data in programming languages and in database dictionaries. This representation includes descriptions in the form of data fields and relations in the form of a hierarchy, with the common exception of relational databases where relations are flat. Network computing created an environment that enables relatively easy and inexpensive exchange of data. What followed was the creation of new DDLs claiming better support for automatic data integration. It is uncertain from the literature if any real progress has been made toward achieving an ideal state or limit condition of automatic …

Leader Delegation And Trust In Global Software Teams, Suling Zhang

Dissertations

Virtual teams are an important work structure in global software development. The distributed team structure enables access to a diverse set of expertise which is often not available in one location, to a cheaper labor force, and to a potentially accelerated development process that uses a twenty-four hour work structure.

Many software teams are partially distributed, that is, part of the team is colocated. Such partially distributed global software teams are an important work structure in software development projects. However, little is known about what affects or improves team members’ motivation and job satisfaction in the partially distributed environment. This …

Semantics And Services Enabled Problem Solving Environment For Trypanosoma Cruzi, Amit P. Sheth, Rick L. Tarleton, Mark Musen, Satya S. Sahoo, Prashant Doshi, Natasha Noy

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Semantic Sensor Web, Cory Andrew Henson

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Information Technology Adoption By Small Businesses In Minority And Ethnic Communities, Sajda Qureshi, Anne S. York

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Information systems adoption by small businesses often is viewed as a basic building block of economic development. Yet, the components that impact business success and thus economic development are mostly unexplored, especially within the context of minority and ethnic communities, both domestically and internationally. Given that IT adoption in small businesses is very often the domain of the business owner, an investigation of how the attributes of individual business owners and the context in which they are embedded is essential. This paper develops an integrative model of the role that IT adoption plays in business success and the economic development …

Adoption Of Information Technology By Micro-Enterprises: Insights From A Rural Community, Sajda Qureshi, Mehruz Kamal, Travis Good

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

It appears that the growth of micro-enterprises is a key driver of economic development in underserved communities. However their growth is limited to only 20% of the economy even though they comprise 87% of businesses in Nebraska. Research has shown that IT adoption can increase their growth by 3.5% but the challenges to IT adoption by microenterprises are many. Current theoretical models on IT adoption focus on the intent to adopt IT in large organizations where employees’ attitudes and perceptions are measured in terms of their objectives within the structures of accountability. Microenterprises are unique in that the intention to …

Semantic Provenance For Escience: Managing The Deluge Of Scientific Data, Satya S. Sahoo, Amit P. Sheth, Cory Andrew Henson

Kno.e.sis Publications

Provenance information in eScience is metadata that's critical to effectively manage the exponentially increasing volumes of scientific data from industrial-scale experiment protocols. Semantic provenance, based on domain-specific provenance ontologies, lets software applications unambiguously interpret data in the correct context. The semantic provenance framework for eScience data comprises expressive provenance information and domain-specific provenance ontologies and applies this information to data management. The authors' "two degrees of separation" approach advocates the creation of high-quality provenance information using specialized services. In contrast to workflow engines generating provenance information as a core functionality, the specialized provenance services are integrated into a scientific workflow …

A Primer On Spreadsheet Analytics, Thomas A. Grossman Jr.

Business Analytics and Information Systems

This paper provides guidance to an analyst who wants to extract insight from a spreadsheet model. It discusses the terminology of spreadsheet analytics, how to prepare a spreadsheet model for analysis, and a hierarchy of analytical techniques. These techniques include sensitivity analysis, tornado charts, and backsolving (or goal-seeking). This paper presents native-Excel approaches for automating these techniques, and discusses add-ins that are even more efficient. Spreadsheet optimization and spreadsheet Monte Carlo simulation are briefly discussed. The paper concludes by calling for empirical research, and describing desired features spreadsheet sensitivity analysis and spreadsheet optimization add-ins.

Droid: The Drosophila Interactions Database, A Comprehensive Resource For Annotated Gene And Protein Interactions, Jingkai Yu, Svetlana Pacifico, Guozhen Liu, Russell L. Finley Jr

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Charting the interactions among genes and among their protein products is essential for understanding biological systems. A flood of interaction data is emerging from high throughput technologies, computational approaches, and literature mining methods. Quick and efficient access to this data has become a critical issue for biologists. Several excellent multi-organism databases for gene and protein interactions are available, yet most of these have understandable difficulty maintaining comprehensive information for any one organism. No single database, for example, includes all available interactions, integrated gene expression data, and comprehensive and searchable gene information for the important model organism, Drosophila melanogaster. …

A Generic Design Environment For The Rural Industry Knowledge Acquisition (With Don Kerr And John Gammack), Shah Jahan Miah

Dr Shah Jahan Miah

This paper describes a new knowledge acquisition method using a generic design environment where context-sensitive knowledge is used to build specific DSS for rural business. Although standard knowledge acquisition methods have been applied in rural business applications, uptake remains low and familiar weaknesses such as obsolescence and brittleness apply. We describe a decision support system (DSS) building environment where contextual factors relevant to the end users are directly taken into consideration. This ‘‘end user enabled design environment” (EUEDE) engages both domain experts in creating an expert knowledge base and business operators/end users (such as farmers) in using this knowledge for …